"Indispensable to understanding the inseparable relationship between Mao and events in China over the last century. What's more, it's fascinating reading." - Chicago Sun-Times "Journalistic yet authoritative . . . lively and readable . . . insightful in . . . unraveling Mao's contradictions." – The New York Times "An illuminating full-length portrait . . ." – Los Angeles Times "Ross Terrill, probably this country's preeminent writer on China, has . . . given us a whole man to replace the two-dimensional representation . . ." - Boston Globe Everyone who came into close contact with Chinese dictator Mao Zedong was surprised at his personal habits. He would stay up much of the night, sleep during the day, and would sometimes remain awake for thirty-six hours or more, until he finally collapsed. Yet many who met Mao were impressed by his intellectual reach, originality, and kindness. It would seem difficult to reconcile these two views of Mao. But there was no divide between Mao the man and Mao the leader. This insightful biography by China scholar Ross Terrill provides a comprehensive account of this powerful and polarizing figure.

Through home sewing, Sarah A. Gordon examines domestic labor, marketing practices, changing standards of femininity, and understandings of class, gender, and race from 1890 to 1930. As ready-made garments became increasingly available due to industrialization, many women, out of necessity or choice, continued to make their own clothing. In doing so, women used a customary female skill both as a means of supporting traditional ideas and as a tool of personal agency. The shifting meanings of sewing formed a contested space in which businesses promoted sewing machines as tools for maintaining domestic harmony, women interpreted patterns to suit-or flout-definitions of appropriate appearances, and girls were taught to sew in ways that reflected beliefs about class, race, and region. Unlike studies of clothing that focus on changes in fashion, "Make it Yourself" looks at the social and cultural processes surrounding home production. Gordon examines sewing clothing as work, whether resented or enjoyed, and the function of that work for families and individuals from a range of backgrounds. Another unique element is Gordon's use of an unusually wide variety of source materials, from diaries, photographs, and government pamphlets to tissue paper patterns, dresses, sewing workbooks, and paper dolls. This "hands on" approach, combined with an accessible writing style, connects the reader to the women and girls who are at the heart of her study. Altogether, "Make it Yourself" provides a new perspective on a widespread yet often neglected form of women's work.

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

This pattern book features step-by-step instructions on fitting and sewing pants for women of all body types using the twin techniques of tissue fitting and fabric fitting. Important sewing choices are highlighted, including choosing fabrics, selecting appropriate alteration tools, and finding styles that are most flattering. The fit-as-you-sew process of making pants is illustrated with progressive photographs and step-by-step illustrations. A variety of styles are covered, including nonroll, expandable, and contour waistbands; side seam and patched pockets; and easy hems and cuffs. This updated second edition features refinements to the fitting and sewing information and has added instructions on the fitting and sewing of jeans and no-side-seam pants.