Between late antiquity and the fifteenth century, theologians, philosophers, and poets struggled to articulate the correct relationship between sound and sense, creating taxonomies of sounds based on their capacity to carry meaning. In World of Echo, Adin E. Lears traces how medieval thinkers adopted the concept of noise as a mode of lay understanding grounded in the body and the senses. With a broadly interdisciplinary approach, Lears examines a range of literary genres to highlight the poetic and social effects of this vibrant discourse, offering close readings of works by Geoffrey Chaucer and William Langland, as well as the mystics Richard Rolle and Margery Kempe. Each of these writers embraced an embodied experience of language resistant to clear articulation, even as their work reflects inherited anxieties about the appeal of such sensations. A preoccupation with the sound of language emerged in the form of poetic soundplay at the same time that mysticism and other forms of lay piety began to flower in England. As Lears shows, the presence of such emphatic aural texture amplified the cognitive importance of feeling in conjunction with reason and was a means for the laity—including lay women—to cultivate embodied forms of knowledge on their own terms, in precarious relation to existing clerical models of instruction. World of Echo offers a deep history of the cultural and social hierarchies that coalesce around aesthetic experience and gives voice to alternate ways of knowing.

The Russian author’s international-bestselling series begins with this “well-written, well-paced grown-up fantasy with a strong dose of reality” (Kirkus Reviews). Fandomania.com’s #1 Book of 2009 To put it bluntly, Max Frei is a loser. He spends his day sleeping and at night he smokes, eats, and loafs around because he can’t catch a wink. But then he gets lucky. Through his dreams, he begins to contact a parallel world where magic is a daily practice—and, strangely, Max seems to fit right in. Once a social outcast, he’s now known in this new world of Echo as the “unequalled Sir Max.” He’s a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases involving illegal magic. And he’s about to embark on a journey down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe. “Fans of Jasper Fforde and Susanna Clark will happily jump into Frei’s world.” —USA Today “If Harry Potter smoked cigarettes and took a certain matter-of-fact pleasure in administering tough justice, he might like Max Frei, the protagonist of this fantasy novel.” —Kirkus Reviews

Take to the skies in this thrilling new series from author Alex English. (BEWARE: THERE WILL BE PIRATES!) 11 year-old Echo Quickthorn has grown up believing that nothing exists outside the Kingdom of Lockfort, but everything changes when an eccentric professor parks his airship outside her window armed with a map that shows all the magical places that exist beyond the city walls. Together with her pet lizard, Gilbert, Echo sets off on an incredible adventure to find her missing mother; an adventure that will take her to unimaginable places filled with giant butterflies, mechanical dragons and . . . sky pirates! Praise for Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond: "Strap yourselves in for an exhilarating ride!" - Daily Mail "Fizzes with magic and wonder" – Abi Elphinstone, bestselling author of SKY SONG "A charmingly madcap adventure, with endearing friendships, sparkling wit, and a swashbuckling journey across pirate-infested skies. I loved it. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Cogheart." – Hana Tooke, author of THE UNADOPTABLES “A spirited protagonist, a charming side-kick and a believable villain come together in this tightly plotted, visual, treat for the senses. I want to soar over the rainbow rooftops of Port Tourbillon and the toadstooled forests of Tyrian in my very own airship.” – Nizrana Farook, author of THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT “Sky Pirates is a fast-moving adventure story full of intrepid explorers, ingenious inventors, stolen treasure and mysterious undiscovered lands. If you like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (and who doesn't?) you'll love Sky Pirates too!” Kirsty Applebaum, author of THE MIDDLER "From the very first page, I felt as if I'd been grabbed by the hand by a best friend and taken on the journey of a lifetime. Pacey, thrilling and endearing too. If I was ever to encounter sky pirates, I can think of no one I'd want by my side more than clever, brave Echo." – Joanna Nadin, author of the RACHEL RILEY series “A breath-taking adventure and a wonderfully imagined story of friendship and danger in strange places.” – Claire Fayers, author of THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH "An incredible adventure, brimming with friendship and danger" – The Bookseller