Essential reading for scholars, poetry lovers, and anyone with an interest in Rainer Maria Rilke, German poetry, or the creative impulse, these ten letters of correspondence between Rilke and a young aspiring poet reveal elements from the inner workings of his own poetic identity. The letters coincided with an important stage of his artistic development and readers can trace many of the themes that later emerge in his best works to these messages—Rilke himself stated these letters contained part of his creative genius.

Alcoholism, major depression, debilitating shyness or extreme anxiety may all lead to personal failings and even moral wrongdoing that we can neither explain nor ignore. How are we to deal with these failings in our own pasts? How should we think about 'agency' or responsibility in other people who suffer from such difficulties? What does morality require of us in living with these people? In this original and eloquent work, Norman S. Care addresses these questions from both theoretical and personal perspectives, just as John Rawls's A Theory of Justice offered a set of principles by which the members of a society might reconcile themselves to their own and others' failings. Along the way, Care challenges the idea that individuals are masters of their own fate, discusses the 'persona moralism' that enables us to blame ourselves and others, and considers in a positive way the famous twelve-step Alcoholics Anonymous program, interesting because it acknowledges that 'recovery' may not occur for some alcoholics who attempt to follow it. Living with One's Past will be of interest not only to philosophers, psychologists, health-care and social service providers, but also to anyone whose life has been affected by his or her own or others' moral failings.

In this book Christopher Belshaw draws on earlier work concerning death, identity, animals, immortality, and extinction, and builds a large-scale argument dealing with questions of both value and meaning. Rejecting suggestions that life is sacred or intrinsically valuable, he argues instead that its value varies, and varies considerably, both within and between different kinds of things. So in some cases we might have reason to improve or save a life, while in others that reason will be lacking. What about starting lives? The book’s central section takes this as its focus, and asks whether we ever have reason to start lives, just for the sake of the one whose life it is. Not only is it denied that there is any such reason, but some sympathy is afforded to the anti-natalist contention that there is always reason against. The final chapters deal with meaning. There is support here for the sober and familiar view that meaning derives from an enthusiasm for, and some success with, the pursuit of worthwhile projects. Now suppose we are immortal. Or suppose, in contrast, that we face imminent extinction. Would either of these threaten meaning? The claim is made that the force of such threats is often exaggerated. The Value and Meaning of Life is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy, ethics, and religion, and will be of interest to all those concerned with how to live, and how to think about the lives of others.

The Eastern Subarctic has long been portrayed as a place without history. Challenging this perspective, History in the Making: The Archaeology of the Eastern Subarctic charts the complex and dynamic history of this little known archaeological region of North America. Along the way, the book explores the social processes through which native peoples “made” history in the past and archaeologists and anthropologists later wrote about it. As such, the book offers both a critical history and historiography of the Eastern Subarctic.

We all have expectations about how to spend money, where it should come from, how much is needed for financial security, how important it is, and whether or not we can trust other people to be responsible about money. When these expectations come up against a partner's competing ideas, serious trouble can result. Money conflict is, after all, the most common factor cited as grounds for divorce. This practical and insightful guide helps you and your partner understand your individual money personalities. Its techniques will teach you to successfully negotiate and communicate about money, merge your money management styles, and implement the right money management techniques to achieve financial freedom together.

There are many books devoted to explicating Jewish laws and customs relating to death and mourning and a wealth of studies addressing the significance of death practices around the world. However, never before has there been a study of the death and mourning practices of the founders of Judaism - the Rabbis of late antiquity. The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism fills that gap. The author examines the earliest canonical texts - the Mishnah, the Tosefta, the Midrashim and the Talmud of the Land of Israel. He outlines the rituals described in these texts, from preparation for death to reburial of bones and the end of mourning. David Kraemer explores the relationships between the texts and interprets the rituals to uncover the beliefs which informed their foundation. He discusses the material evidence preserved in the largest Jewish burial complex in antiquity - the catacombs at Beth Shearim. Finally, the author offers an interpretation of the Rabbis' interpretations of death rituals - those recorded in the Babylonian Talmud. The Meanings of Death in Rabbinic Judaism provides a comprehensive and illuminating introduction to the formation, practice and significance of death rituals in Rabbinic Judaism.