Never before has so much popular culture been produced about what it means to be a girl in today's society. From the first appearance of Nancy Drew in 1930, to Seventeen magazine in 1944 to the emergence of Bratz dolls in 2001, girl culture has been increasingly linked to popular culture and an escalating of commodities directed towards girls of all ages. Editors Claudia A. Mitchell and Jacqueline Reid-Walsh investigate the increasingly complex relationships, struggles, obsessions, and idols of American tween and teen girls who are growing up faster today than ever before. From pre-school to high school and beyond, Girl Culture tackles numerous hot-button issues, including the recent barrage of advertising geared toward very young girls emphasizing sexuality and extreme thinness. Nothing is off-limits:

Presentations are required in a hugely diverse range of situations, and effective speakers must be able to get their messages across clearly, succinctly and without boring their audience. The Complete Presentation Skills Handbook will help anyone become prepared for and confident about giving presentations. Straightforward and authoritative, this book is a guide to giving the right presentation to an audience. It covers all the questions anyone should ask themselves before giving a presentation. It presents a checklist that enables readers to tailor their presentations to their own circumstances.

From emperors and queens to artists and world travelers, from popes and scholars to saints and heretics, Key Figures in Medieval Europe brings together in one volume the most important people who lived in medieval Europe between 500 and 1500.

Up-From Afghans to Zulus, and from the Spartans and Knights Templar to the Green Berets and the Flying Circus, this volume covers all of the basics on most of the fearsome fighting groups throughout history.

Poverty is more than just lack of income, it is deprivation from basic capabilities, rights, and freedoms that provide individuals the necessary choices and opportunities they need to lead a life they value. The Encyclopedia of World Poverty provides extensive and current information, as well as insight into the contemporary debate on poverty. The three volumes of this state-of-the-art Encyclopedia contain over 800 original articles written by more than 125 renowned scholars. The entries contributing to this work explore poverty in various regions of the world, and examine the difficulties associated with the definition and measurement of poverty.