An extraordinary masterpiece written from personal experience, Middlemarch is a deep psychological observation of human nature that revolves around the issues of love, jealousy, and obligation. Eliot's feminist views are apparent through the novel: she stresses the fact that women should control their own lives.

'Phrases and Names, Their Origins and Meanings' is a one-of-a-kind encyclopedic work that offers plain statements of facts on the origins of popular phrases and names, alphabetically organized for easy reference. Trench H. Johnson's expertise in the subject matter, acquired through years of omnivorous reading and patient inquiry, has culminated in a comprehensive and fascinating compilation of linguistic curiosities that is sure to satisfy the curiosity of any word lover. From the history of place-names to the evolution of expressions, including a plethora of slang terms and Americanisms, this book offers a wealth of knowledge that opens up the history of peoples and civilizing influences.

An anthropologist investigates the revolution of everyday life.

Japan held a profound fascination for western artists in the latter half of the nineteenth century and the influence of Japonisme on western art was pervasive. Paradoxically, just as western artists were beginning to find inspiration in Japan and Japanese art, Japan was opening to the western world and beginning a process of thorough modernisation, some have said westernisation. The mastery of western art was included in the programme. This book examines the nineteenth century art world against this background and explores Japanese influences on four artists working in Britain in particular: the American James McNeill Whistler, the Australian Mortimer Menpes, and the 'Glasgow boys' George Henry and Edward Atkinson Hornel. Japonisme in Britian is richly illustrated throughout.