The RSA is currently undertaking a complete redesign of our website, the first stage of which is already complete. As part of these changes the Library & Archive pages have been updated, with a focus on a simpler more usable layout, and including a new Information Resources section. This section contains easily assessable information on the long history of the RSA, our historic house and our fellowship. Whether a list of the most famous and notable people who have been fellows of the society, or a time line of our history, all can be found here.
For those with a particular interest in the history of the society, our archive now has its own blog, and the William Shipley Group is an independent body devoted exclusively to the history of the RSA.
Paddy Ashdown Swords and Ploughshares: Bringing Peace to the 21st Century Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007, 327.172 ASH
Paddy Ashdown made headlines this weeks after it emerged that Gordon Brown had offered him the Cabinet post of Northern Ireland secretary, a move that has generated much interest and perhaps provided some further insight into what Gordon Brown was referring to earlier in the year when launching his campaign for the labour leadership, describing "new kind of politics". This has lead some to speculate over the potential for Brown to bring about a new approach to government characterised by "a very un-Blair openness", while others including many Lib Dems have criticised him for attempting to undermine and divide his opponents.
Many have engage in the debate over Brow's motives for the offer, as well as the Lib Dem reaction to it and the wider political implications. Yet relatively little attention has been placed on the great strength of Lord Ashdown's credentials in bringing about and maintaining peace in areas of conflict, or the contribution he might make to the foreign policy of any British government.
On Wednesday 27 June, Lord Ashdown will present a lecture at the RSA entitled Perspectives on Peacebuilding, in which he will outline his views on the challenge of bringing about peace and discuss ways in which we could go about it differently. His new book Swords and Ploughshares: Bringing Peace to the 21st Century is out now and currently available to borrow from the RSA Library.
Read a description of Swords and Ploughshares from the publisher, Orion Books.
What follows is a complete list of RSA library acquisitions for the month of June 2007. Fellows are welcome to e-mail library@rsa.org.uk if they wish to borrow any of these items, or search the library catalogue for thousands of other titles....
000s – Generalities
Nassim Taleb The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable Allen Lane, 2007, 003.54 TAL Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications, The Black Swan is a concept that has implications on almost everything, from the rise of religions, to events in our own personal lives. A Black Swan is a highly improbable event with three principle characteristics: it is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random and more predictable than it was. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb reveals, we are hard-wired not to truly estimate risk, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the 'impossible'.
100s – Philosophy & Psychology
Gordon Brown Courage: Eight Portraits Bloomsbury, 2007, 179.609 BRO What is it that makes some men and women take difficult decisions and do the right thing against the odds when easier and far less dangerous alternatives are open to them? To answer this question, Gordon Brown explores the lives of eight outstanding twentieth-century figures including Edith Cavell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
200s – Religion
Scott Thomas The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations: the Struggle for the Soul of the Twenty-First Century Palgrave Macmillan, 2005, 201.727 THO This book is about the global resurgence of culture and religion in international relations, how these social changes are transforming our understanding of International Relation theory, and the key policy-related issue areas in world politics.
Ziauddin Sardar What do Muslims believe? Granta, 2006, 297 SAR The teachings of Islam emphasise unity, humility, forgiveness and love of God, the Qur'an sings the virtues of knowledge and rationality, and the life of Muhammad demonstrates the importance of tolerance, social justice and brotherhood. So, why is Islam so associated with hatred, violence, obstinacy and bigotry? Ziauddin Sardar examines the true teachings of Islam and explores the reality of the Muslim world today.
Ziauddin Sardar Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim Granta Books, 2005, 297.092 SAR Desperately Seeking Paradise is Ziauddin Sardar’s attempt to intellectually reconcile Islam with modernity through a vivid account of his explorations of different branches of Islam and of his travels throughout most of the Islamic world.
300s – Social Sciences
Hugh Barton Shaping Neighbourhoods: a Guide for Health, Sustainability and Vitality Spon, 2005, 307.12 BAR Current policies in planning emphasise the importance of rejuvenating neighbourhoods. This new guide seeks to bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality, promoting an inter-professional and collaborative approach to making localities work. The objective is to design neighbourhoods that are healthy, safe, friendly and attractive for residents and users, whilst being more self-sustaining in terms of water, energy, local services and work.
Nassim Taleb Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets Penguin, 2007, 332.601 TAL Everyone wants to succeed in life, but what causes some of us to be more successful than others? Is it really down to skill and strategy - or something altogether more unpredictable? This book is all about luck and more precisely, how we perceive luck in our personal and professional experiences.
Lynn Johannson Going for the Green: A Manufacturers Guide to Lean and Green E2 Management Corporation, 2006, 333.717 JOH Simple to understand and designed specifically for small businesses, Going for the Green provides valuable insights into improving productivity, being more competitive and being considerate of the environment at the same time.
Anthony Mancuso Nolo's Quick LLC: All You Need to Know about Limited Liability Companies NOLO, 4th edition, 2007, 346.07 MAN Nolo's Quick LLC explains, in plain English, the advantages and drawbacks of forming an LLC – including limiting your personal liability. It provides all the essential information business owners need to know about this valuable business option.
Richard E. Neustadt & Earnet R. May Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision-Makers Free Press, 1988, 350.007 NEU Two professors of government analyze both the political disasters and successes of recent decades in order to provide telling lessons on how to use history to improve decision-making. A dozen case studies are drawn in great detail, explaining just how to examine a situation to help decide what to do today to improve the prospect for tomorrow.
Chris Goodall How to live a Low-Carbon Life: The Individuals Guide to Stopping Climate Change Earthscan, 2007, 363.738 GOO How to Live a Low Carbon Life provides a comprehensive, one-stop reference guide to calculating individual carbon emissions. Covering all aspects of modern life from transport to home heating to where our food comes from and the difficult issue of holiday travel, the book provides easy-to-use tables for conducting a personal lifestyle 'carbon audit'.
Steve Rolles, Danny Kushlick & Mike Jay After the War on Drugs: Options for Control Transform Drugs Policy Foundation, 2006, 364.177 ROL After the War on Drugs is a major new report examining the key themes in the drug policy reform debate, detailing how legal regulation of drug markets will operate, and providing a road map and time line for reform. Fellow’s donation.
Tim Grant, & Gail Littlejohn (eds.) Teaching about Climate Change: Cool Schools Tackle Global Warming New Society Press, 2001, 372.357 GRA Making reductions in greenhouse gas emissions is a national focus in developed countries all over the world. Schools are well-placed to combine conservation strategies with an education program that makes links between lifestyle choices and the future of the planet. This exciting resource provides educators at all grade levels with strategies to teach about global warming and engage students' interest in doing their part to help cool the planet.
400s – Language
500s – Natural Sciences & Mathematics
600s – Technology (Applied Sciences)
Denise Grocke & Tony Wigram Receptive Methods in Music Therapy: Techniques and Clinical Applications for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators and Students Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006, 615.851 GRO This practical book describes the specific use of receptive (listening) methods and techniques in music therapy clinical practice and research, including relaxation with music for children and adults, the use of visualisation and imagery, music and collage, song-lyric discussion, vibroacoustic applications, music and movement techniques, and other forms of aesthetic listening to music. The authors explain these receptive methods of intervention using a format that enables practitioners to apply them in practice and make informed choices about music suitable for each of the different techniques.
David Parrish T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity Merseyside ACME, 2006, 658.11 PAR T-Shirts and Suits is a book for creative entrepreneurs to help them to become even more successful by bringing together creative talent and business best practice. Fellow’s donation.
700s – The Arts
Philip Jodidio Calatrava: Santiago Calatrava – Complete Works 1979-2007 Taschen, 2007, 720.92 JOD/CAL Santiago Calatrava is not only one of the world's most prominent architects, but is also an engineer, sculptor, and painter. His recent projects include the stadium for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the new railway station in Liege, and he it the only architect ever to have his work exhibited at both the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Currently designing the main transport hub for the Ground Zero site in Manhattan, Calatrava is one of the greatest and most innovative architects alive and this book places his architecture in the context of his art, where nature meets engineering.
Neal Gabler Walt Disney: the Biography Aurum, 2007, 791.43 GAB His classic films illuminated everyone's childhood. The theme parks are on every tourist itinerary. The movie empire is one of Hollywood's biggest players. Walt Disney is one of the few men who unquestionably changed our culture. Neal Gabler is the first author to have had complete access to the Disney Archives, enabling him to write the definitive biography of this remarkable man.
David Goldblatt The Ball is Round: a Global History of Football Viking, 2006, 796.334 GOL In this extraordinary book, David Goldblatt describes the rise of football, from a chaotic folk ritual to a sector of the global-entertainment industry. It is the story of players and managers, fans and owners, clubs and national teams; a chronicle of who won and who lost. But it's also a history of states and markets, money and power, and, above all, how all these forces interact.
800s – Literature
900s – Geography & History
Andrew Duncan Secret London New Holland, 2006, 914.21 DUN Aimed at visitors and Londoners alike, this fully updated edition of Secret London unlocks the city's most fascinating secrets - both above and below ground. Celebrated historian Andrew Duncan strips away bricks, mortar and tarmac to uncover parts of the capital that even born-and-bred Londoners may never have seen.
Satish Kumar & Freddie Whitefield (eds.) Visionaries of the 20th Century: a Resurgence Anthology Green Books, 2006, 920.009 KUM Visionaries of the 20th Century brings together the lives and works of 100 great men and women who offered inspiration, hope and healing. The 20th century was marked by wars, dictatorships and environmental destruction, yet many individuals kept alive the hope of a sane and sustainable future through their example, ideas and vision.
Chris Stringer Homo Britannicus: The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain Allen Lane, 2006, 936.101 STR Homo Britannicus tells the epic history of life in Britain, from man's very first footsteps to the present day. Drawing on all the latest evidence and techniques of investigation, Chris Stringer describes times when Britain was so tropical that man lived alongside hippos and sabre tooth tiger, times so cold we shared this land with reindeer and mammoth, and times colder still when we were forced to flee altogether. Geoffrey Wheatcroft Yo, Blair!: Tony Blair's Disastrous Premiership Politico's, 2007, 941.085 WHE We want you to get up the arse of the White House and stay there. Blair aid Jonathan Powell to incumbent US Ambassador Christopher Meyer in 2001 Bestselling journalist and writer Geoffrey Wheatcroft's timely and coruscating polemic argues that Tony Blair has signally failed in his principal responsibility to defend the interests of his country. Instead, by taking us to war on America's coattails, by reducing British foreign policy to the level of self-righteous sound bites and expensive foreign travel, and by chasing his childish infatuation with his own image as an international statesman, Tony Blair has doggedly pursued the interests of the United States whilst blatantly disregarding the warnings from his own experts and the demands and needs of his own people.
Philip Humphrey A Century of Colt Hill Ellingham Press, 2006, 942.273 HUM A Century of Colt Hill is an intimate portrait of a small Odiham community throughout the twentieth Century. Skilfully blending individual accounts of residents with a painstaking search through the archives, RSA Fellow Philip Humphrey has created an intriguing account of life in regional England. Fellow’s donation.
Benjamin Franklin The Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin The Arion Press, 2006, 973.3 BEN Commonly known as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, this edition has been published in celebration of the three-hundredth anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth. A storyteller of genius, Franklin is a significant figure in American history and was strongly connected to the RSA. Fellow’s donation.
Reference
Peter Marcan (ed.) The Marcan Visual Arts Handbook: Where to go for British Contacts, Expertise and Speciality in the Fine and Applied Arts. Peter Marcan, 2006, REF 702.541 This comprehensive visual arts resource contains nearly 2000 descriptive entries, which cover a range of British organisations and information sources, along with bibliographical listings.
DVD
David Attenborough Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen it Before - The Complete Series BBC DVD, 2006, DVD ATT Narrated by David Attenborough, this hugely successful BBC documentary series allows the viewer to experience the earth as never before with groundbreaking footage of our planet and its wildlife.
Bono On the Move: Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, Washington DC, 2 February, 2006 W Pub. Group, 2007, 261.8 BON
“6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality." – Bono.
Based upon the speech given at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast, On the Move is a shining example of Bono’s ability to awaken mass desire for change and illustrates just why he has become so influential in the continuing struggle to end poverty in Africa. Whether using political means to lobby the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, or, as in this example talking in religious terms by reflecting on his own faith and challenging people of all faiths to reach across boundaries and come together for a greater cause, Bono has proven himself to be an inspiring and powerful crusader against poverty.
Bono has once again made his significant presence felt both in the run up to and during the recent G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. By drawing the attention of the world back to the promises made at the Gleneagles G8 summit and warning of a potential backslide at this years summit, in recent weeks Bono has helped to ensure that the G8 leaders have still been under pressure to deliver. He has also met with leaders including Angela Merkel and George W. Bush during the summit itself.
The result of the discussions about aid for Africa has been a restating of the promises made two years ago, including pledging $60bn to fight Aids and other diseases. Despite this, Bob Geldof, a close campaigning ally of Bono, has been quoted by the BBC as describing this pledge as ‘a total farce’.
Tim Grant Teaching About Climate Change: Cool Schools Tackle Global Warming New Society Publishers, 2001, 372.357 GRA
Following on from the success we have had with our Personal Carbon Trading Project CarbonLimited, on 5 June 2007 the RSA will launch ‘Carbon Control’ a new initiative aimed at actively involving children between the ages of seven and fourteen in the issue of climate change. Timed to coincide with World Environment Day, the project will run a competition challenging children to come up with and share ideas for reducing carbon emissions, with environmentally friendly prizes to be won. Visitors to the site will also be able to use the ‘Carbonator’ to find out how their daily actions can help to reduce climate change.
The vital role of educating young people about environmental issues within schools, as a means of promoting social change, has been well publicised by organisations such as the magazine Green Teacher. Available to borrow from the RSA Library, Teaching About Climate Change is an anthology produced by the magazine offering a framework for teaching fundamental concepts and contains a variety of activities that can be undertaken in school, at home or in the community.
The Carbon Control website also contains resources for teachers available to download, enabling them to plan lessons at both the Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 level.
The RSA is currently undertaking a complete redesign of our website, the first stage of which is already complete. As part of these changes the Library & Archive pages have been updated, with a focus on a simpler more usable layout, and including a new Information Resources section. This section contains easily assessable information on the long history of the RSA, our historic house and our fellowship. Whether a list of the most famous and notable people who have been fellows of the society, or a time line of our history, all can be found here.
