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Books in Arts and humanities

Elsevier's Arts and Humanities titles encompass a rich spectrum of scholarship that explores human culture, history, philosophy, and creative expression. These works offer deep insights into language, literature, visual arts, and critical theory, supporting the academic community in understanding diverse perspectives and cultural legacies. Designed for scholars, educators, and students, this collection bridges classic studies with contemporary issues, fostering a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the human experience.

BooksJournals

    • Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy

      • 2nd Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • Edward C. Harris
      • English
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 5 8 5 5
      This book is the only text devoted entirely to archaeological stratigraphy, a subject of fundamental importance to most studies in archaeology. The first edition appeared in 1979 as a result of the invention, by the author, of the Harris Matrix--a method for analyzing and presenting the stratigraphic sequences of archaeological sites. The method is now widely used in archaeology all over the world.The opening chapters of this edition discuss the historical development of the ideas of archaeological stratigraphy. The central chapters examine the laws and basic concepts of the subject, and the last few chapters look at methods of recording stratification, constructing stratigraphic sequences, and the analysis of stratification and artifacts.The final chapter, which is followed by a glossary of stratigraphic terms, gives an outline of a modern system for recording stratification on archaeological sites. This book is written in a simple style suitable for the student or amateur. The radical ideas set out should also give the professional archaeologist food for thought.

    • Speech and Language

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 1
      • June 28, 2014
      • Norman J. Lass
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 0 6 4 6 2
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 1 9 8 9 9
      Speech and Language: Volume 1, Advances in Basic Research and Practice is a compendium of papers that discusses the processes and pathologies of, as well as applies theories and clinical issues to, speech and language. Some papers discuss perception of speech in early infancy, the problems faced by speech clinicians, and the anatomy of the perioral motor system. Based on data compiled on the infant's perception of speech sounds, one paper notes that human infants discriminate depending on fine temporal and frequency changes in a complex auditory array. Infants also show perceptual constraints while listening to speech characterized as adult- like; they are also predisposed to perceive certain speech-sound categories such as vowel and fricative categories. One paper examines the suggestion of Kent (1976) that "acoustic characteristics of children's speech...hold the promise of sensitive methods for the study of speech maturation and developmental disorders." This investigation involves the following: the recent attempts at multidimensional analyses of speech and perception; a measure of perceptual contrast; and results of feature comparison efforts. The compendium is well suited for linguists, ethnologists, psychologists, and researchers whose works involve linguistics, language learning, communications, and syntax.

    • Coba

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • William J. Folan
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 1 4 9 3 3 0 8 3 2 3
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 6 6 7 8
      Coba: A Classic Maya Metropolis investigates the ancient Maya and their ways both at Coba and in the rest of southern Mesoamerica. More specifically, it examines the composition, size, and organization of Coba and the manner in which the residents of this classic Maya metropolis extended themselves and their activities over the landscape. An interpretation of Maya class structure is also offered. Comprised of 14 chapters, this book begins with a background on the archaeological investigations of Coba as part of the Coba Archaeological Mapping Project. The debate over the urban status of Classic Maya settlements is considered, along with investigations of the hydrology, paleoclimatology, flora patterns, and soils of Coba. The importance of Coba in Maya history is then discussed, and the physical geography of the Yucatan Peninsula is described. Subsequent chapters focus on the various characteristics of Coba, including its urban organization and social structure; the composition of its residential compounds; neighborhoods and wards; and cottage industry and guild formation. A reconstruction of Coba's prehistoric population is also presented. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists.

    • The Languages of Theatre

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • O. Zuber
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 1 4 9 3 3 0 7 7 6 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 9 7 9 9 6
      This book focuses on the various problems in the verbal and nonverbal translation and tranposition of drama from one language and cultural background into another and from the text on to the stage. It covers a range of previously unpublished essays specifically written on translation problems unique to drama, by playwrights and literary translators as well as theorists, scholars and teachers of drama and translation studies

    • Speech and Language

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 8
      • June 28, 2014
      • Norman J. Lass
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 0 6 5 3 0
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 1 9 9 6 7
      Speech and Language: Advances in Basic Research and Practice, Volume 8 provides articles that discuss a broad range of topics on speech and language processes and pathologies. This volume contains nine contributions covering a wide array of topics on speech and language. Certain chapters review the literature on speech-sound development in normally developing and deviant children; the scope of the problem of stuttering and the three prominent theoretical positions on anxiety in stuttering; and critical issues in the linguistic study of aphasia. Discussions on such topics as speech production characteristics of the hearing impaired; ontogenetic changes in children's speech-sound perception; and the impact of linguistic theory on the description and treatment of articulation disorders are also presented. Linguists, speech pathologists, and researchers on language development will find the book very insightful and informative.

    • Behavior of Nonhuman Primates

      • 1st Edition
      • Volume 3
      • June 28, 2014
      • Allan M. Schrier + 1 more
      • English
      • Paperback
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 4 6 3 1 4
      • eBook
        9 7 8 1 4 8 3 2 5 9 7 7 2
      Behavior of Nonhuman Primates: Modern Research Trends, Volume 3 provides information pertinent to research on behavior of nonhuman primates. This book presents the knowledge of the social development of rhesus infants and compares with data on other species. Organized into four chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the interspecies differences in the social influences affecting young primates. This text then examines the nature of the interactions between the infant and its various social companions, wherein each type of social companion may interact with the infant in a number of ways. Other chapters consider the nature of the social organization, which may be presumed to have been shaped by the ecological pressures of the natural habitat. This book discusses as well the color vision and visual acuity in different animals. The final chapter deals with the aspects of primate hearing. This book is a valuable resource for students and research workers.

    • Maya Subsistence

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • Kent V. Flannery
      • English
      Maya Subsistence: Studies in Memory of Dennis E. Puleston presents studies on the history and development of Maya subsistence in honor of Maya archaeologist Dennis E. Puleston (1940-1978). The discussions are organized around four themes: ecological models for early Maya adaptations; archaeological investigations of Pre-classic and classic Maya subsistence; contributions of geography and soil science to an understanding of ancient Maya subsistence; and Maya subsistence in the post-classic, colonial, and modern eras. Comprised of 15 chapters, this book begins with an analysis of Puleston's career and a review of the history of inquiry into Maya subsistence. Maya subsistence from the earliest Pre-classic period up to the present day is then examined, with emphasis on agriculture, hunting, wild plant collecting, animal husbandry, and trade. In particular, cultural development in the Valley of Guatemala from 1500 B.C. to the Spanish Conquest is discussed, along with the resources of the tropical lowlands and actual prehistoric cornfields miraculously preserved by volcanic ashfall in El Salvador. The book also presents evidence for Maya soil and water conservation over the entire area from Yucatan to Chiapas and central Guatemala, and looks at the traditional role of women and animals in lowland Maya economy. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists.

    • Prehistoric Subsistence on the Southern New England Coast

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • David J. Bernstein
      • English
      Prehistoric Subsistence on the Southern New England Coast examines long-term trends in prehistoric subsistence in the Narragensett Bay region of Southern New England. The results suggest that, unlike other areas of Eastern north America, specialized agriculutral economies did not develop in this region prior to European contact. The book is accessible to both the general reader as well as scholars and students interested in consulting the original data for their own research and analysis.

    • Exchange Systems in Prehistory

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • T. Earle + 1 more
      • English
      Exchange Systems in Prehistory provides an accurate description of prehistoric exchange and a more thorough investigation of the significance of exchange in prehistory. This book discusses the four aspects of archaeological research on prehistoric exchange, including systemic modeling, chemical characterization, descriptive modeling and application of ethnographic and ethnohistorical research. Organized into five parts encompassing 14 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the basic procedures in chemical characterization of any raw material. This text then describes the many steps required in the sampling and resolution of turquoise sources and artifacts from Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. Other chapters consider the measures of transportation cost for raw materials, including estimates of work along probable transport routes, social distances, and intermediary populations. This book discusses as well how anomalies may be used to identify central places or general hierarchical structure in settlement. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists and sociologists.

    • Quantitative Zooarchaeology

      • 1st Edition
      • June 28, 2014
      • Donald K. Grayson
      • English
      Quantitative Zooarchaeology: Topics in the Analysis of Archaeological Faunas presents the problems in the quantification of bones and teeth from archaeological and palaeontological sites. This book discusses the various kinds of statistical manipulations that are done with the measurements. Organized into seven chapters, this book begins with an overview of the quantification of vertebrate faunas from archaeological and, to some extent, palaeontological sites. This text then explains the interrelationship between various abundance measures and the size of the samples on which those measures are based. Other chapters consider the fundamental kinds of questions that every faunal analyst asks of a set of bones and teeth from an archaeological site. This book discusses as well the ratio scale measure of taxonomic abundance. The final chapter discusses the three issues that deal with different aspects of archaeological faunal analysis, namely, collection techniques, meat weights, and the analysis of the seasons of the year during which an archaeological deposit accumulated. This book is a valuable resource for archaeological faunal analysts, archaeologists, and paleontologists.

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