COVER CHARACTERISTIC (#10): BIG BEN

"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show." 

Samuel Johnson

*Cover Characteristic is a book meme hosted by Sugar & Snark. Check it out and participate!

5. The Big Ben Minute: The History and Significance of the Big Ben Silent Minute Observance by Brad Fenichel (Editor)

Summary:

Reaching across the threshold of a century, historian Andrew Herbert Dakers proffers the one "secret weapon" -- concerted prayer -- that can guarantee victory over the forces of moral and spiritual decay that even now threaten to destroy our Free World from within.

4. Esper Files (Esper Files #1) by Egan Brass

Summary:

Set in London during the latter part of the 19th century. An experiment goes wrong at The Oxford Academy of Science, giving certain people extraordinary powers which turns them into 'Espers'. An institute is set up to teach Espers how to control these power, and stop corrupt Espers from abusing theirs.

Nathan and James, two agents from the Institute team up with Freya, a young Esper whose brother (gifted with the strange ability to manipulate emotions) is abducted by a ruthless Baron. The group has to fight against a dark threat to protect the fragile peace of Victorian London... And the rest of the world.

3. The Politics of The Rope by Neville Twitchell

Summary:

This illuminating broad-based political and cultural study presents the definitive account of the campaign to abolish capital punishment in the period 1955-69. It comprises a work of contemporary history exploring the theme from a number of angles, both pro and contra, which have not been covered so extensively before.

From the sphere of governmental and parliamentary politics, to the relevant pressure groups, to the role of the mass media, to the significance of the different churches, and the influence of professional bodies, such as those representing the police and prison officers, the book skilfully identifies their interaction with one another. It examines the effect on the campaign of fluctuations in public opinion, and of controversial murder cases such as those of Timothy Evans, Derek Bentley, Ruth Ellis and James Hanratty, which in turn often informed the state of public opinion

The work sets the campaign in the context of the social and cultural ferment of the era (the advent of the permissive society), and contrasts the fortunes of the movement with those of other “conscience issues,” such as the legalisation of abortion, homosexual law reform, divorce liberalisation and the abolition of theatre censorship. It seeks to account for the success of the campaign within a relatively short time span in the face of intense public antipathy and a concerted effort by various elements of the establishment to thwart its fulfilment.

It asks why the campaign succeeded when so many others facing lesser institutional obstacles failed, and it asks why it succeeded when it did and in the way it did, and considers whether the success of the campaign can be accounted for by the Zeitgeist. On one level it is a study of the politics of social reform, but at a deeper level it is a study of the way in which social trends feed through into political action at the parliamentary level, and illustrates the process of policy formation in the area of private members legislation and free votes where “party” has voluntarily taken a back seat.

2. The London Jungle Book by Bhajju Shyam, Gita Wolf & Sirish Rao

Summary:

This stunning visual travelogue by an Indian tribal artist turns a modern metropolis into an exotic bestiary. 

Bhajju Shyam, from the Gond tribe in central India, was invited to London two years ago to paint the interiors of a chic Indian restaurant. With radical innocence and great sophistication, Bhajju records his experiences and observations showing a modern city as you’ve never seen it before—the London Underground becomes a giant earthworm, Big Ben merges with a massive rooster, and English people are shown as bats that come out to play at night.

It is rare to encounter a truly original vision that is capable of startling us into reexamining familiar sights. By breathing the ancient spirit of wonder back into the act of travel, The London Jungle Book does just that.

1. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Summary:

Peter Pan, the book based on J.M. Barrie's famous play, is filled with unforgettable characters: Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up; the fairy, Tinker Bell; the evil pirate, Captain Hook; and the three children--Wendy, John, and Michael--who fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland, where they meet Indians and pirates and a crocodile that ticks.