In this book, Antonín Langhamer brings to life the whole depth and breadth of Czech glass achievement. The book covers its entire history, not only artistic, but technical, economic and commercial. His exhaustive glossary at the back is more than just a place to look up terms, but an illuminating narrative on every aspect of glass, from ancient times to the present. The work is illustrated with lush photographs created by outstanding photographers who specialise in capturing the breathtaking beauty unique to glass. In Langhamer's narratives on early times, readers will find fascinating parallels with the behaviour of modern people, nations and industries. Despite its early origins, Bohemian glass took considerable time to reach prominence. Beginning in obscurity, Bohemian glassmakers produced wares that for a long time were good, but not exceptional. Bohemia's history has been turbulent, and readers can draw inspiration from the ingenuity and persistence of those glassmakers who succeeded against overwhelming odds. While World War II was raging, in the midst of shortages of every imaginable material and fuel, a Czech entrepreneur built himself a little glass furnace. Raw materials were hard to come by, so he made do by re-melting crushed bottles. This book is full of many stories of human valour and weakness, the development of technical and artistic marvels, legal harassment, sex discrimination, industrial espionage, and the triumph of ambition over adversity. But it also tells of ordinary people doing their ordinary work throughout their ordinary lives, and thereby achieving something magnificent. Glass affects everyone's life, and everyone's life, in some small way, affects the evolution of glass. Readers will never see glass in the same way again.

Highlighting its broad, multidisciplinary nature, this volume presents new research and applications in the field of archaeological chemistry, which focuses on the application of chemical techniques to the study of the material remains of the cultures of historical or prehistorical peoples. Consisting of 18 chapters written by a diverse collection of international authors, this volume highlights new research in archaeological chemistry, and shows how the field combines aspects of analytical chemistry, history, archaeology, and materials science. Current efforts to include archaeological chemistry in science education are also presented. As this book utilizes current scientific advances to better understand our past, it will be of broad general interest to the chemical, archaeological, and historical communities.

This volume offers unparalleled coverage of all aspects of art and architecture from medieval Western Europe, from the 6th century to the early 16th century. Drawing upon the expansive scholarship in the celebrated 'Grove Dictionary of Art' and adding hundreds of new entries, it offers students, researchers and the general public a reliable, up-to-date, and convenient resource covering this field of major importance in the development of Western history and international art and architecture.

This book is a comprehensive look at the past and present of Czech glassmaking and its manufacturing, artistic and commercial traditions.

Using the modern home as a springboard, Atoms under the Floorboards introduces the reader to the fascinating and surprising scientific explanations behind a variety of common (and often entertainingly mundane) household phenomena, from gurgling drains and squeaky floorboards to rubbery custard and shiny shoes. Packed with facts and fun, each chapter focuses on a feature in each of the areas and slowly unpicks the science behind it. * Is it better to build skyscrapers like wobbly jellies or stacks of biscuits? *Can you burn your house down with an electric drill? *How many atoms would you have to split to power a lightbulb? *How can a raincoat be waterproof and breathable at the same time? Atoms under the Floorboards answers all these questions, and hundreds more. You'll never look at your home the same way again ...

The landlocked Czech Republic is not a large country, but it has a rich history. Known for its architectural treasures, lush forests, and a strong literary heritage, the Czech Republic was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was united with Slovakia under the name Czechoslovakia before its peaceful independence in 1993. Since then, the Czech Republic has become a stable and prosperous parliamentary republic. Readers will learn more about this complex country and its distinctive culture in this engaging and informative book.

The medieval marketplace is a familiar setting in popular and academic accounts of the Middle Ages, but we actually know very little about the people involved in the transactions that took place there, how their lives were influenced by those transactions, or about the complex networks of individuals whose actions allowed raw materials to be extracted, hewn into objects, stored and ultimately shipped for market. Twenty diverse case studies combine leading edge techniques and novel theoretical approaches to illuminate the identities and lives of these much overlooked ordinary people, painting of a number of detailed portraits to explore the worlds of actors involved in the lives of everyday products - objects of bone, leather, stone, ceramics, and base metal - and their production and use in medieval northern Europe. In so doing, this book seeks to draw attention away from the emergent trend to return to systems and global models, and restore to centre stage what should be the archaeologists most important concern: the people of the past.