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Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
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Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome WordsAs usual Bill Bryson says it best: “English is a dazzlingly idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense. This is a language where ‘cleave’ can mean to cut in half or to hold two halves together; where the simple word ‘set’ has 126 different meanings as a verb, 58 as a noun, and 10 as a participial adjective; where if you can run fast you are moving swiftly, but if you are stuck fast you are not moving at all; [and] where ‘colonel,’ ‘freight,’ ‘once,’ and ‘ache’ are strikingly at odds with their spellings.” As a copy editor for the London Times in the early 1980s, Bill Bryson felt keenly the lack of an easy-to-consult, authoritative guide to avoiding the traps and snares in English, and so he brashly suggested to a publisher that he should write one. Surprisingly, the proposition was accepted, and for “a sum of money carefully gauged not to cause embarrassment or feelings of overworth,” he proceeded to write that book–his first, inaugurating his stellar career.

Now, a decade and a half later, revised, updated, and thoroughly (but not overly) Americanized, it has become Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words, more than ever an essential guide to the wonderfully disordered thing that is the English language. With some one thousand entries, from “a, an” to “zoom,” that feature real-world examples of questionable usage from an international array of publications, and with a helpful glossary and guide to pronunciation, this precise, prescriptive, and–because it is written by Bill Bryson–often witty book belongs on the desk of every person who cares enough about the language not to maul or misuse or distort it.
altPDF VERSION by Pumukl
 
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Psychology of Classroom Learning - An Encyclopedia - 2 Vol. Set
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Psychology of Classroom Learning - An Encyclopedia - 2 Vol. SetDesigned for use by a broad audience, including teachers, school psychologists and those studying developmental and educational  psychology, this new set is uniquely focused on the student/teacher dynamic. Psychology of Classroom Learning explores the fundamental psychological aspects of learning — such as cognition, motivation and emotion — as well as the various individual and environmental factors at work in the classroom that influence students’ higher-order thinking and their ability to evaluate new information in the context of experience and existing knowledge.
 
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English Polish Seaman's Dictionary (Ilustrowany angielsko - polski słownik marynarza)
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English Polish Seaman's Dictionary (Ilustrowany angielsko - polski słownik marynarza)Ilustrowany angielsko - polski słownik marynarza (English Polish Seaman's Dictionary) is one of the best dictionaries in the world. Useful for all branches of shipping and marine industry.
No knowledge of Polish necessary as the ship and marine equipment details are depicted in detail both in pictures and tables.
 
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Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present
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Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the PresentThis work has been designed as an easily readable survey of propaganda and its history from 1500 to the present. An extensive introduction defines propaganda and traces its origins, concluding with a discussion of the importance of propaganda in the twentieth century and the increasing prominence given to it. The introduction also notes that, although propaganda often serves to "dictate what one should think," it is not necessarily evil.
 
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Creatures of the Waters (Britannica Learning Library)
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Creatures of the Waters (Britannica Learning Library)How did the “dabbling duck” get its name? What fish can leap up waterfalls? Is a sponge a plant or an animal? What animals can live both in water and on land?
In Creatures of the Waters, you’ll discover answers to these questions and many more. Through pictures, articles, and fun facts, you’ll learn about the great diversity of animal life found in waters around the world.
 
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