Selected papers from a conference organized at the National University of Ireland, Galway, in April 2004.

One question teases the mind, the other troubles the heart— A Regency classic from NYT bestselling author Patricia Rice. . . Eldest daughter of an eccentric art collector, Arianne Richards is the caretaker of the family’s empty coffers—as well as her irrepressible siblings. Discovering a hidden painting, she is determined to sell it to obtain the funds to provide care for her ailing mother. But when her cousin’s suitor, the handsome and wealthy Lord Galen Locke, shows interest in her, as well as the painting, Arianne must question his intentions. But will the truth bring about secrets that should have remained buried? Regency Love and Laughter series: Crossed in Love Mad Maria’s Daughter Artful Deceptions All A Woman Wants Keywords: aristocrat, art, Regency, humor, Wales, lost love, historical romance, scandal, secret heir, spinster, betrayal, disguise, best friends,

In The Arts of Deception, James Cook explores the distinctly modern mode of trickery designed to puzzle the eye and challenge the brain. Upsetting the normally strict boundaries of value, race, class, and truth, the spectacles offer a revealing look at the tastes, concerns, and prejudices of America's very first mass audiences.

The world's most infamous hacker offers an insider's view of the low-tech threats to high-tech security Kevin Mitnick's exploits as a cyber-desperado and fugitive form one of the most exhaustive FBI manhunts in history and have spawned dozens of articles, books, films, and documentaries. Since his release from federal prison, in 1998, Mitnick has turned his life around and established himself as one of the most sought-after computer security experts worldwide. Now, in The Art of Deception, the world's most notorious hacker gives new meaning to the old adage, "It takes a thief to catch a thief." Focusing on the human factors involved with information security, Mitnick explains why all the firewalls and encryption protocols in the world will never be enough to stop a savvy grifter intent on rifling a corporate database or an irate employee determined to crash a system. With the help of many fascinating true stories of successful attacks on business and government, he illustrates just how susceptible even the most locked-down information systems are to a slick con artist impersonating an IRS agent. Narrating from the points of view of both the attacker and the victims, he explains why each attack was so successful and how it could have been prevented in an engaging and highly readable style reminiscent of a true-crime novel. And, perhaps most importantly, Mitnick offers advice for preventing these types of social engineering hacks through security protocols, training programs, and manuals that address the human element of security.

Through extended readings of the works of P. T. Barnum, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, and Fanny Fern, Bonnie Carr O’Neill shows how celebrity culture authorizes audiences to evaluate public figures on personal terms and in so doing reallocates moral, intellectual, and affective authority and widens the public sphere. O’Neill examines how celebrity culture creates a context in which citizens regard one another as public figures while elevating individual public figures to an unprecedented personal fame. Although this new publicity fosters nationalism, it also imbues public life with personal feeling and transforms the public sphere into a site of divisive, emotionally intense debate. Further, O’Neill analyzes how celebrity culture’s scrutiny of the lives and personalities of public figures collapses distinctions between the public and private spheres and, as a consequence, challenges assumptions about the self and personhood. Celebrity culture intensifies the complex emotions and debates surrounding already-fraught questions of national belonging and democratic participation even as, for some, it provides a means of redefining personhood and cultural identity. O’Neill offers a new critical approach within the growing scholarship on celebrity studies by exploring the relationship between the emergence of celebrity culture and civic discourse. Her careful readings unravel the complexities of a form of publicity that fosters both mass consumption and cultural criticism.

Arianne Richards, at her cousin Melanie's urging, asked handsome Lord Locke to sell a painting for her. But the painting was stolen, after Rhys Llewellyn had identified its subject. Rhys, though he loved Lady Melanie, asked Arianne to consider marrying him. Lord Locke convinced her to pretend an engagement to himself so they could get her ailing mother into the country air.