Song of Exile: A Cultural History of Brazil’s Most Popular Poem, 1846–2018 is the first comprehensive study of the influence of Antônio Gonçalves Dias’s “Canção do exílio.” Written in Coimbra, Portugal, in 1843 by a homesick student longing for Brazil, “Song of Exile” has inspired thousands of parodies and pastiches, and new variations continue to appear to this day. Every generation of Brazilian writers has adapted the poem’s Romantic verses to glorify the wonders of the nation or to criticize it via parody, exposing a litany of issues that have plagued the country’s progress over the years. Based on a core of five hundred texts painstakingly gathered over a five-year span, this book catalogs the networks of the poem’s reinvention as pastiche and parody in Brazilian print culture from nineteenth-century periodicals to new media. Mapping the reoccurrences of the original’s keywords and phrases over time, the book uncovers how the poem has been used by successive generations to write and rewrite the nation’s history. This process of reinvention has guaranteed the permanency of “Song of Exile” in Brazilian culture, making it not only the nation’s most popular poem, but one of the most imitated in the world.

Boon or blight? Ann Bowman and Michael Pagano define "vacant land" broadly, to include everything from brownfields (environmentally contaminated land) through trashed lots and abandoned buildings to greenspace (parks, community gardens, etc.). Terra Incognita takes a fresh look at what they believe can be the ultimate urban resource. Beyond the common studies of the influence of market forces, it explores how these areas are affected by the decisions of local governments, and then shows how vacant land can be a valuable strategic asset for localities. Terra Incognita derives from what—until now—has been the lack of substantial information about the amount and the diversity of urban vacant land. This book is based on an unprecedented survey sent to all U.S. towns with a population greater than 50,000, and contains data previously unavailable. Three cities were studied in greater depth for detailed case studies: the greater Phoenix and Seattle areas and Philadelphia-Camden. A number of other cities are cited frequently, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma City, among many others. Identifying the fiscal, social, and development imperatives that drive the decisions local officials make about using vacant land, Bowman and Pagano pay particular attention to the varying dynamics of sales, property, and income taxes, and conclude with a model for making strategic decisions about land use based on a city's priorities.

TERRA FIRMA is set in a not-so-distant Beckettian future–years after a conflict known as the Big War, in which a tiny kingdom wrestles with the problems of running a nation–and opposing notions of what makes a citizen, a country, and a civilization.

In the winter of 1911-1912, five Englishmen and five Norwegians raced each other to the bottom of the earth. Only the five Norwegians returned. This is the story of the Englishmen.

A look at what the American lifestyle has done to the environment—and how to move toward a better future. In the last century, three powerful forces—oil, cars, and suburbs—buoyed the American dream. Yet now, the quality of life in the United States is declining due to these same three forces. Our dependence on oil is a root cause of wars, recessions, and natural disasters. Cars consume an outsize share of our incomes and force us to squander time in traffic. Meanwhile, expensive, spread-out suburbs devour farmland—and in a vicious cycle, further entrench our reliance on cars and oil. In Terra Nova, conservation ecologist Eric W. Sanderson—the national bestselling author of Mannahatta—offers concrete steps toward a solution. He delves into natural history, architecture, chemistry, and politics, to show how the American relationship to nature has shaped our past, and how it can affect our future. Illustrated throughout with maps, charts, and infographics, Terra Nova demonstrates that it is indeed possible to achieve a better world. “Sanderson commendably outlines ‘a new way of life . . . designed to sustain American prosperity, health, and freedom for generations to come.’” —Publishers Weekly

Everywhere England go to play Test cricket, the Barmy Army follows, giving them unstinting support and always searching for the best songs, chants and banter to help their team overcome the opposition. This hilarious book collects the best and funniest songs and chants from almost 20 years of enthusiastic backing. The book not only reveals how the chants were created, but also how the players responded to hearing their names being sung and how much it meant to them. There are also revealing interviews with some of the Barmy Army's leading songwriters, who provide a fascinating insight into what makes for a truly great chant. Sometimes, of course, the Barmy Army targeted the opposition, and 'The Mitchell Johnson Song' helped England on their way to a famous Ashes triumph in 2010-11. From the classic 'Ball and Chain' to the more recent 'Swann Will Tear You Apart', this book is an ideal way to get into the true Barmy spirit.