Reprint of the original, first published in 1871.

User-friendly instructions from an expert on recreating the 4 major medieval styles — early medieval Roman rustic, early Uncial, Carolingian, and late medieval Gothic textura — come to life with profiles of a figure from each era — Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Charlemagne, Robin Hood. Expert advice on spacing, paragraphing, punctuation, more.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

Products and services cost money, but they often don't work as well as advertised ? if they work at all. When you?re wronged, you shouldn't just accept it: You should fight back! This guidebook gives you the tools and information you need to: ? get media attention to help solve the problem; ? decide whether to pursue legal action; ? determine if you need to hire a lawyer or if you can represent yourself; ? understand and navigate the legal process in various courts. You?ll also learn the golden rule of negotiation: Go to the head and not the tail. If you do that, and then follow up on your complaint, you have a much better chance of getting your problem resolved. Whether it's a dispute with a car dealer, retail chain, independent store or some other type of business, you?ll learn how to be heard. Even those in charge of government agencies will listen to you if you learn How to Do it Alone.