Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright knows

Among the many "how-to" playwriting books that have appeared over the years, there have been few that attempt to analyze the mysteries of play construction. Lajos Egri's classic, "The Art of Dramatic Writing," does just that, with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story, novel, or screenplay.

Examining a play from the inside out, Egri starts with the heart of any drama: its characters. All good dramatic writing hinges on people and their relationships, which serve to move the story forward and give it life, as well as an understanding of human motives -- why people act the way that they do. Using examples from everything from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," Egri shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise -- a thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behavior -- and to develop the dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior.

Using Egri's ABCs of premise, character, and conflict, "The Art of Dramatic Writing" is a direct, jargon-free approach to the problem of achieving truth in writing.

Douglas Robinson presents an innovative approach to translation by integrating translation theory and the practical skills required by the working translator. The book provides the type of information and advice that novice translators really need:
* how to translate faster and more accurately
* how to deal with arising problems and stress
* how the market works
* includes a wide variety of lively activities and exercises to facilitate the learning of both theory and practice
* includes a detailed Teachers Guide - contains suggestions for discussion and activities and hints for the teaching of translation.
Becoming a Translator has been specifically designed for introductory undergraduate courses in the theory and practice of translation. It will also be of interest to professional translators and students of translation and language.

Waller presents 13 mythical stories in total, starring such scientific icons as Louis Pasteur, Gregor Mendel, Charles Darwin and Alexander Fleming. In most cases, the scientists that were directly involved are shown to manipulate reality to edify their own myths. In the other, maybe more interesting, cases, the myth was created without the participant's intervention. Each story is well researched and the bibliographic sources are listed and correctly credited. For me, each plot was completely unexpected, illuminative and interesting. Waller's CV includes a Masters in human biology, and this explains his proficiency in the complex subjects of biology and medicine. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history and social structure of science.

This is a very timely book. The author has chosen a very modern set of topics, ones that increasingly are at the heart of the field of atomic and optical physics... I am aware of no competing textbook that offers this wide selection of topics at the cutting edge of this discipline.' Chris Greene, University of Colorado, Boulder

"If you are interested in the beauty of mathematics, you must go out and buy Robin Wilson's absolutely stunning book of mathematical stamps, a book which traces the history of mathematics through images on the postage of countries around the globe." - Victor Katz, MAA Online

Postage stamps are an attractive vehicle for presenting mathematics and its development. For many years the author has presented illustrated lectures entitled Stamping through Mathematics to school and college groups and to mathematical clubs and societies, and has written a regular Stamps Corner for The Mathematical Intelligencer. The book contains almost four-hundred postage stamps relating to mathematics, ranging from the earliest forms of counting to the modern computer age. The stamps appear enlarged and in full color with full historical commentary, and are listed at the end of the book.