Wonders of the stereoscope

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Robin Middleton and David Watkin

This volume offers a complete survey of European architecture during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, examining in particular the influence of the cultural trends of the period on the architects' works. The first section of the book deals with the history of eighteenth-century architecture in France and England, countries where Cartesian-school philosophical speculation and Anglo-Saxon philosophical empiricism wielded a determining influence. After analyzing the developments of the classical tradition and its propagation throughout Europe, the book studies in depth the history of architectural movements, comprising neo-classicism, neo-Renaissance and neo-Gothic architecture. The outstanding, fore-running personalities of this brilliant artistic period who, in the course of the nineteenth century, offered fecund theoretic and stylistic contributions, include Gottfried Semper, John Ruskin and Eugene Viollet-le Duc.

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Jo Anne Van Tilburg

"Born to a wealthy and prestigious English Quaker family in 1866, Katherine rebelled against their strict Victorian values, becoming one of the first female graduates of Oxford University and the first woman archaeologist to work in Polynesia.". "At the age of forty, Katherine married a charismatic Australian adventurer, William Scoresby Routledge, and they built a ninety-foot, state-of-the-art yacht, christening her Mana, the Polynesian word for "spiritual power." From 1913 to 1915, Katherine and Scoresby led the Mana Expedition to Easter Island, where Katherine conducted the first-ever excavations of the island's world-famous stone statues. Katherine collected vast quantities of new information, which she faithfully transcribed into her journals and field notebooks. Through interviews with dozens of elderly men and women, she was able to save the history of the island, whose population was struggling back from the brink of extinction. Without Katherine's extraordinary efforts, Easter Island's traditional beliefs and customs would have been forever lost.". "Katherine's hard work came at a terrible price. A family history of schizophrenia and a deep sense of spiritualism brought her under the spell of an old mystic named Angata, who led an Easter Island rebellion in which Katherine played a central role. After her return to England, she heard "voices" that precipitated a separation from Scoresby and nearly destroyed her ability to write and to publish her fieldwork. Her family blamed Angata, the Easter Island "witch doctor," for driving Katherine insane. With Scoresby, they kidnapped Katherine from her lavish London home and isolated her in an asylum, where she died seven years later.". "Many of Katherine's papers were thought to be lost until they were discovered by Jo Anne Van Tilburg, the contemporary world's leading authority on the Easter Island statues. In this compelling biography, Dr. Van Tilburg brings her unique expertise to Katherine Routledge's discoveries and to her turbulent life. The result is an exciting personal story, set against the drama of Katherine's remarkable exploration of one of the most intriguing archaeological sites in the world."--BOOK JACKET.

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Anthony Harvey & Richard Mortimer

Westminster Abbey contains a unique and important group of effigies, some familiar, many less so, including kings, queens and national heroes, and ranging in time from the middle ages to the early 19th century. This richly illustrated book is both a history of the collection and of the origins and development of the funeral effigy, and a full descriptive catalogue of the twenty-one effigies in the Abbey. For the first time, both the medieval wooden effigies and the later wax figures with contemporary clothing are considered together. The death mask of Edward III dates back to the beginnings of portraiture in medieval Europe; other fine examples include representations of Henry VII, Charles II, Pitt and Nelson. The collection is also remarkable for its rare historical costumes, including Charles II's Garter robes, Nelson's hat, extraordinary Georgian paste jewellery, rare early silks and shoes, and probably the oldest stuffed bird in England. In the first substantial publication on the collection since 1936, some objects are catalogued for the first time since their restoration after damage in the Second World War; an account of this restoration is included in the catalogue, which also contains a full treatment of the significance of each effigy in royal funeral ceremonial and in the history of art.

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Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar schreef zijn kijk op Gallië in zijn bekende oorlog’s verslagen Commentarii de bello Gallico. Een werk waarin het hoofdzakelijk gaat over de veldtochten en intriges die plaats vonden in de negen jaar dat hij in Gallië oorlog voerde. In feite is het een boek vol zelf verheerlijking en propaganda maar ook een zeer belangenrijke historische bron. Het boek bevat 7 delen, één deel per jaar. Hierin worden de Gallische oorlogen tegen de Helvetiërs, Galliërs waartoe ook de Belgae behoorden, Germanen en twee expedities in Brittanië beschreven, Caesar gebruikte zijn verslagen om begrip en sympathie in Rome te verwerven, maar als het belang ontbrak werd er niets op schrift gezet. zo ontbreekt een verslag van het einde van de Gallische oorlog. Deel 8 is een aanvulling op de bello Gallico geschreven door een van zijn officieren Aulus Hirtius waarin de laatste jaren van de Gallische oorlog, die Caesar achterwege liet, worden beschreven. Dit boek bevat de authentieke Nederlandsche vertaling door Dr. J.J. Doesburg uit 1895.