Understanding Henri Lefebvre

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Gary Gordon, James L. Nuckolls

Here, at last, is the long-awaited Third Edition of the book that introduced two generations of architects and designers to the principles and practice of interior lighting design. This classic primer continues to be popular because it provides readers with a solid conceptual foundation upon which to build and refine their lighting design skills. Mirroring the teaching philosophy that has been so successful at the prestigious Parsons School of Design, it trains readers in a rational approach to the design process as a whole - an approach that has been proven to work for the lighting of any space, whether it be a gallery, office building, restaurant, or school. While the emphasis is on universal principles, the author also focuses on essential nuts-and-bolts details. Writing in a clear, eloquent, highly accessible style, veteran lighting designer Gary Gordon defines relevant lighting terms; describes lamps, lighting systems, and techniques; delineates key technical aspects of control and integration and the strategic use of daylight; and explores the complex principles of light perception, brightness, contrast, and color. With the help of numerous real-life examples and hundreds of exquisite photographs and professional line drawings, he brings all of the ideas discussed into sharp focus.

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Amir D. Aczel

A portrait of the great 17th century philosopher and mathematician looks at the contributions of Rene Descartes. His interest in mysticism and probable membership in the occult brotherhood of Rosicrucians, and his secret notebook, which he kept in code, attempting to redecipher the contents of the long lost volume. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm "Cogito, ergo sum" marked the birth of the mind body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible. But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. After Descartes' death, Gottfried Leibniz, inventor of calculus and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, moved to Paris in search of this notebook and eventually found it in the possession of Claude Clerselier, a friend of Descartes'. Liebniz called on Clerselier and was allowed to copy only a couple of pages, which, though written in code, he amazingly deciphered there on the spot. Liebniz's hastily scribbled notes are all we have today of Descartes' notebook. Why did Descartes keep a secret notebook, and what were its contents? The answers to these questions will lead the reader on an exciting, swashbuckling journey, and offer a fascinating look at one of the great figures of Western culture.

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W. A. Mathieu

Music is nothing but a sequence of fleeting vibrations that arise and subside. Why can something so insubstantial thrill us, pacify us, or even make us cry? Because, says W. A. Mathieu, whether it’s a cantata or a blues jag, a harmonica solo or a symphony, music always reveals the sacred, making a bridge across the space between us and others, and uniting mind and heart within us. It’s truly a mystical path, and you don’t even need to listen that deeply to discover it. Mathieu’s lively and delightful essays lead you to question what music is, how it works, and what it’s for. And he shows you how to make music a spiritual practice, to understand its value in your life and in the creation of family and community.

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Reiner Schürmann and Simon Critchley

*On Heidegger’s Being and Time* is an outstanding exploration of Heidegger’s most important work by two major philosophers. Simon Critchley argues that we must see *Being and Time* as a radicalization of Husserl’s phenomenology, particularly his theories of intentionality, categorial intuition, and the phenomenological concept of the a priori. This leads to a reappraisal and defense of Heidegger’s conception of phenomenology. In contrast, Reiner Schürmann urges us to read Heidegger 'backward', arguing that his later work is the key to unravelling *Being and Time*. Through a close reading of *Being and Time* Schürmann demonstrates that this work is ultimately aporetic because the notion of Being elaborated in his later work is already at play within it. This is the first time that Schürmann’s renowned lectures on Heidegger have been published. The book concludes with Critchley’s reinterpretation of the importance of authenticity in *Being and Time*. Arguing for what he calls an 'originary inauthenticity', Critchley proposes a relational understanding of the key concepts of the second part of *Being and Time*: death, conscience and temporality. (Source: Routledge)