THE STORY: Inspired by hilarious memories of a childhood etiquette class, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher conjures up the world of a ten-year-old studying manners. Mrs. Mannerly is a demanding teacher, and no student in her thirty-six years of etiquette

The story of the behind-the-scenes political battle to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act: “Excellent . . . a highly readable play-by-play.” —The Atlantic It was a turbulent time in America—a time of sit-ins, freedom rides, a March on Washington, and a governor standing in the schoolhouse door—when John F. Kennedy sent Congress a bill to bar racial discrimination in employment, education, and public accommodations. Countless civil rights measures had died on Capitol Hill in the past. But this one was different because, as one influential senator put it, it was “an idea whose time has come.” In this revealing book, Todd S. Purdum tells the story of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, recreating the legislative maneuvering and the larger-than-life characters who made its passage possible. From the Kennedy brothers to Lyndon Johnson, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Hubert Humphrey and Everett Dirksen, Purdum shows how these all-too-human figures managed, in just over a year, to create a bill that prompted the longest filibuster in the history of the US Senate—yet was ultimately adopted with overwhelming bipartisan support. He evokes the high purpose and low dealings that marked the creation of this monumental law, drawing on extensive archival research and dozens of new interviews that bring to life this signal achievement in American history—an example in our own troubled time of what is possible when bipartisanship, decency, and patience rule the day. “Brilliantly rendered and emotionally powerful—a riveting account of one of the most dramatic and significant moments in American history.” —Doris Kearns Goodwin “Today’s reader will be startled, if not astonished, by how the bill made its way through Congress.” —The Washington Post “Worthy, timely, and intelligent.” —The New Yorker “A first-rate narrative.” —The Wall Street Journal

This book explores sociological debates in relation to culture, taste and value. It argues that sociology can contribute to debates about aesthetic value and to an understanding of how people evaluate.

" ... Describes the development of wildlife administration and management in New Zealand which led to this combination of functions in the Wildlife Service, and the changes in attitudes towards wildlife and conservation which eventually in 1987 brought about its replacement. Against this background of shifting ideas and policies, "Working for wildlife" also presents the exploits and achievements of the dedicated band of Wildlife officers. They were pre-eminently people of action rather than bureaucratic administrators: fisheries technicians wading in chilly streams to record and measure migrating trout; fauna conservation field officers and scientists searching for the last of the kakapo in the precipitous Fiordland country, or scaling the cliffs of Little Mangere Island to find ways to rescue the black robins ; deer-cullers in the hills fighting the "Deer Menace". They were the original good keen men; the exploits of those who worked for Wildlife will stir the pride of all New Zealanders."--Back cover.