The Portrait of a Lady
by Henry James

Book Description
When Isabel Archer, a beautiful, spirited American, is brought to Europe by her wealthy Aunt Touchett, it is expected that she will soon marry. But Isabel, resolved to determine her own fate, does not hesitate to turn down two eligible suitors. She then finds herself irresistibly drawn to Gilbert Osmond, who, beneath his veneer of charm and cultivation, is cruelty itself. A story of intense poignancy, Isabel's tale of love and betrayal still resonates with modern audiences.

About the Author
Henry James (1843-1916), born in New York and eventually settling in England, wrote some twenty novels, many short stories, and a staggering number of letters.

The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War
Mehran Kamrava sets the stage with a concise discussion of the evolution of Islam and the religion's profound role in the region. He then looks at, in turn, the rise and fall of the Ottomans, the trials of independence and state-building, the emergence and fiery spread of nationalism, the two Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973, the Iranian Revolution, and the two Gulf Wars and beyond, including discussion of the invasion of Iraq by the United States. After tracing the consequences of these historical events for a host of political phenomena, Kamrava gives detailed attention to three pivotal issues: the challenges of economic development, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the question of democracy. He also examines issues that will shape the future: population growth, environmental pollution, and water scarcity.

 Volume 1. If you hate: loft living; bar-clubs; Tony Blair; chick lit; global warming sceptics; Keane; loyalty cards; IKEA; Kabbalah; bling and Richard Curtis...then you need IS IT JUST ME OR IS EVERYTHING SHIT? - an encylopedic attack on modern culture and the standard reference work for everyone who believes everything is shit. Which it is.

 Volume 2 Bigger, badder, sharper, ruder, funnier, bestier ...this all-new companion volume to the 2005 Christmas bestseller IS IT JUST ME OR IS EVERYTHING SHIT? perfectly complements the first book to form the standard reference work on the shittiness of modern life - like a part-work, only good. .

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
By Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig
The leading textbook in Artificial Intelligence.
Used in over 1000 universities in 91 countries (over 90% market share).
The 85th most cited publication on Citeseer.

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach introduces basic ideas in artificial intelligence from the perspective of building intelligent agents, which the authors define as "anything that can be viewed as perceiving its environment through sensors and acting upon the environment through effectors." This textbook is up-to-date and is organized using the latest principles of good textbook design. It includes historical notes at the end of every chapter, exercises, margin notes, a bibliography, and a competent index. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach covers a wide array of material, including first-order logic, game playing, knowledge representation, planning, and reinforcement learning.

The Encyclopedia of Asia extends the global coverage offered in Berkshire Publishing Group's many publications on world cultures, ethnic relations, and the environment and was edited by Berkshire's David Levinson and Karen Christensen with a board of leading scholars from around the world. This massive project - 3,000 articles, 2.2 million words of text, hundreds of photographs, 700 authors in 65 countries - is the definitive resource on the entire sweep of Asia, from the Muslim countries of Southeast Asia, across China, India, and the Central Asian republics to the Turkic nations of western Asia.

The Encyclopedia of Modern Asia provides students, scholars, professionals, and general readers access to information and knowledge about key people, places, events, issues, and process across Asia. Comprehensive, authoritative, and fully cross-disciplinary, the Encyclopedia's focus is Asia since 1850, but ample historical information makes clear how the past influences the present as well as the future...