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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.

  • Learning C with Fractals

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Roger T. Stevens
    • English
    Learning C with Fractals provides the fundamentals of the C programming language and the generation of fractals. The book is comprised of 21 chapters that discuss the aspects of the C programming language. The text begins with an introductory chapter that provides the basic hardware requirements and basic information to get the student started. Subsequent chapters tackle the writing and compiling of C programs; the main program and functions; the program's interaction with DOS (Disk Operating System); and the operators and expressions in C. Topics on initializing variables, conditional statements, manipulating strings, and the different programming functions are covered as well. Computer programmers and those interested in learning computer programming will find the book useful.
  • Qsar es-Seghir

    An Archaeological View of Medieval Life
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Charles L. Redman
    • English
    Qsar es-Seghir: An Archaeological View of Medieval Life presents the findings of archaeological investigations at Qsar es-Seghir, a medieval port midway between Tangier and Ceuta on the Moroccan shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. The archaeology and material inventory of Qsar es-Seghir are described, along with the reconstruction of the city based on archaeological analysis. Comprised of seven chapters, this book begins with an introduction to Qsar es-Seghir and an overview of the Moroccan-American Archaeological Project that was launched with the support of the Smithsonian Institution and the government of Morocco to study life in this ancient Islamic city during the medieval period. After documenting the history of Qsar es-Seghir, the Islamic city is described based on the accounts of geographers and historians and then as it emerged through the archaeological excavations. Emphasis is on the architecture and town plan as they reveal the organizing principles of the society and the daily lifeways of its inhabitants. Subsequent chapters focus on the artifacts used by the people of Qsar es-Seghir, including tools, weapons, tableware, and jewelry; the activities that were conducted at Qsar es-Seghir; and the town plan, fortifications, monuments, and housing at Qsar es-Seghir as a Portuguese colony. This monograph should be of value to students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of archaeology and anthropology, as well as to laypersons interested in medieval life.
  • Coursebook for Economics

    Private and Public Choice
    • 2nd Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Richard Stroup + 2 more
    • English
    Coursebook for Economics: Private and Public Choice contains questions and problems dealing with market decisions, market process, taxes, government spending. The book is designed to help students using the textbook "Economics: Private and Public Choice, Second Edition." The text also provides a section on "Problems and Projects" which emphasizes mechanics and economic reasoning with case-study type problems, report preparation, or economic data presentation for hypothesis development. The book also provides "complex application"-type problems which can be solved by the student's utilization of economic principles to realistic situations. The text showcases selected articles in the section "Perspectives in Economics" to expand on important concepts, to explain historical viewpoints, as well as to offer original ideas of current influential economists. Among the articles are: "How Government Profits from Inflation;" "The Awful Year Inflation Ran Wild;" "How the Federal Reserve Decides How Much Money to Put into the Economy;" and "The Roller-Coaster Income Tax." The book is suitable for students of economics and business, sociologists, general readers interested in real-world economics, and policy makers involved in national economic development.
  • Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Dan F. Morse + 1 more
    • James Bennett Griffin
    • English
    Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley describes an archeological reconstruction of the preceding 11,000 years of an extraordinarily rich environment centered within the largest river system north of the Amazon. This book focuses on the lowlands of the Mississippi Valley from just north of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Arkansas River. Organized into 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the territory between the Ohio and Arkansas rivers. This text then attempts to humanize the archeological interpretations by reference to social organization, settlement system, economy, religion, and politics. Other chapters focus on understanding the nature of change through time in the Central Mississippi Valley. This book discusses as well the difference between an old braided stream surface and the younger meander belt system. The final chapter deals with the investigation of prehistoric Indian remains. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists, zoologists, and scientific hobbyists.
  • A Research Primer for the Social and Behavioral Sciences

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Miriam Schapiro Grosof + 1 more
    • English
    A Research Primer for the Social and Behavioral Sciences provides an introductory but comprehensive overview of the research process that primarily concerns human subjects. This book discusses the methods of acquiring knowledge, importance of a well-chosen problem, review of the literature, and relationship between theory-building and hypothesis-testing. The common sources of invalidity in practice, non-experimental research types, Stevens' classification of scales, and estimation based on probabilistic sampling are also elaborated. This text likewise covers the role of computer in research, techniques for analysis of data, univariate and bivariate statistics, and assumptions underlying analysis of variance. Other topics include the canonical correlation analysis, non-parametric analysis of variance, deterministic problem analysis techniques, and common errors in presentation of findings. This publication is intended for novice investigators in the broad category of social and behavioral sciences.
  • On Understanding Grammar

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Talmy GivĂłn
    • Harry A Whitaker
    • English
    On Understanding Grammar covers the interdependencies among the various aspects of linguistics and the human language. This eight-chapter text considers some pertinent topics in linguistics, such as discourse-pragmatics... diachronic syntax, topology, creology, method, and ontology. Chapter 1 describes the notions of fact, theory, and explanation, particularly about how these notions manifest themselves in actual practice. Chapter 2 redefines syntax in terms of communicative function and discourse-pragmatics... and about the relation between the function of grammatical devices and their formal properties. Chapter 3 deals with discourse-pragmatics and how it transcends the narrow bounds of deductive logic, as well as the function and ontology of negation in language, and how those relate to the fundamental information-theoreti... principle of figure versus ground. Chapter 4 explores the two major aspects of case systems, namely, the semantic role and pragmatic function, and how the two interact in determining the typological characteristics of grammars. Chapter 5 examines the relation between discourse and syntax based on diachronic, ontogenetic, phylogenetic viewpoints. Chapter 6 tackles the relation between synchronic grammar and diachronic change, while Chapter 7 describes the relationship between human language and its phylogenetic evolution. Chapter 8 is about language and ontology, as well as the relation between cognition and the universe. This book will prove useful to linguistics and language researchers.
  • Evaluating the Quality of Learning

    The SOLO Taxonomy (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome)
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • John B. Biggs + 1 more
    • Allen J. Edward
    • English
    Educational Psychology Series: Evaluating the Quality of Learning: The SOLO Taxonomy (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) focuses on the approaches, methodologies, and techniques employed in the valuation of the quality of learning. The publication first offers information on the quality and quantity of learning and origin and description of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. Discussions focus on general intellectual development and the growth of quality; some assumptions and applications of stage theory; from developmental stage to levels of learning quality; and general intellectual development and the growth of quality. The text then examines the teaching of history, elementary mathematics, English, and geography. Topics include interpreting a map and drawing conclusions, explaining a natural phenomenon, appreciation of poetry, implications for the teaching of history, English, and mathematics, numbers and operations, and general application of SOLO to history. The manuscript takes a look at modern languages, place of the taxonomy in instructional design, and some methodological considerations. Concerns include alternative formats for obtaining SOLO responses, instructional processes, curriculum analysis, remediation, and teacher intentions. The publication is a vital source of data for educators interested in the SOLO taxonomy.
  • California Archaeology

    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Michael J. Moratto
    • English
    California Archaeology provides a compilation of knowledge for archeologists who are not California specialists. This book explains important cultural events and patterns discovered archeologically. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with an overview of California's historic and ancient environments as well as the evidence of Pleistocene human activity. This text then examines the glacial and other environmental conditions that would have influenced the origins, adaptations, and spread of the earliest North Americans. Other chapters consider how California's past is relevant to a wider understanding of human behavior. This book discusses as well the perceptions of Central Coast and San Francisco Bay region prehistory that have changed rapidly as a result of intensive fieldwork performed to comply with environmental law. The final chapter deals with the data of historical linguistics, which indicate something of the cultural relationships and events that might have occurred in the past. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists.
  • Shawnee Minisink

    A Stratified Paleoindian–Archaic Site in the Upper Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Charles W. McNett
    • English
    Studies in Archaeology: Shawnee Minisink: A Stratified Paleoindian-Archaic Site in the Upper Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania focuses on the excavation of the Shawnee Minisink and its connection with the lifestyles of the earliest inhabitants of North America. The selection first offers information on the Upper Delaware Valley Early Man Project, early history of archaeological research at the Shawnee Minisink Site, and methodology and research design at the Shawnee Minisink Site. Discussions focus on data recovery design, evaluation of methodology, research context, and goals. The text then examines the biophysical conditions of the Upper Delaware Valley; aboriginal subsistence and site ecology as interpreted from microfloral and faunal remains; and artifact morphology and chronology at the Shawnee Minisink Site. The book takes a look at myth, reality, and the Upper Delaware Valley, Paleoindian artifact form and function at Shawnee Minisink, and Paleoindian to early archaic transition at the Shawnee Minisink Site. Topics include environmental setting, lithic analysis results, secondary modifications, hafting, endscraper distributional pattern, analytic technique and procedure, and paleoecological reconstruction. The selection is a dependable reference for archeologists wanting to conduct further studies on the Shawnee Minisink Site.
  • Alpacas, Sheep, and Men

    The Wool Export Economy and Regional Society in Southern Peru
    • 1st Edition
    • May 10, 2014
    • Benjamin S. Orlove
    • E. A. Hammel
    • English
    Alpacas, Sheep, and Men: The Wool Export Economy and Regional Society in Southern Peru investigates the response of the Sicuani region in southern Peru to the wool export economy and its consequent integration into the nation-state in the late nineteenth century. The book traces the economic and political conflicts engendered by the export economy, such as those between landlords and peasants in the countryside and landlords versus traders in town. It also examines how these conflicts shaped the metamorphosis of a closed, isolated, localized society into an open one and its incorporation into national politics as well as global economics. Comprised of 11 chapters, this book begins with a review of the theories of modernization and dependency, followed by a discussion on the development of the world market for wool and the component elements of the wool economy of the entire southern Peru. Subsequent chapters focus on the regional society in more detail, with emphasis on the concept of region and the economic activities of different sectors; variation in forms of land tenure and labor relations in two provinces; the relations among herders, peasants, and artisans; and regional politics. The three major groups of artisans and workers in the region who use wool are considered, namely, urban furriers, textile mill workers, and rural weavers. The book concludes with an analysis of the fundamental importance of the wool export economy in the Sicuani region using the sectorial model. This monograph should be of interest to students and anthropologists.