Jacob Flanders, a sensitive young man raised in Edwardian England, discovers as an adult that his life is lacking, but his search for fulfillment is sidetracked by the outbreak of World War I.

"We express our taste and personality through the clothes we wear, how we style our hair and how we groom ourselves. Style is individual and it can be eternal, appealing to people throughout centuries. Fashion today means the international industry of clothing designers, manufacturers, retailers and influencers who present styles of clothing we can choose to wear -- or not. From simple loincloths, which are still worn by indigenous people in the Amazon...

Brief chapters introduce information about music and instruments basic to a variety of cultures in the world.

Jazz is a uniquely American art form. This popular style of music sprang from post-slavery African-American culture, as children of slaves settled in big cities. They began to fuse their musical heritage with the influences of their new surroundings, and the result is still felt in the music we know as jazz today.

Written sometime during the 4th century BC, "Symposium" is one the most poetic and sublime works by the Greek philosopher Plato. The action of the dialogue is set during a party hosted by the poet Agathon to celebrate his first victory in a dramatic competition. The title 'Symposium', or 'Banquet' refers to the setting of the work, however the more literal translation from the Greek is a 'drinking party.' At this party several notable figures from...

"Mary Ellen Miller evocatively surveys the artistic achievements of the high pre-Columbian civilizations Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Aztec as well as those of their less-well-known contemporaries. Their pyramids and palaces, jades and brightly colored paintings emerge from these pages as vividly as when they first astonished Cortes 's men in 1519. The fifth edition of this standard work incorporates new color images and extensive updates based...

"The so-called decorative arts -- the furniture, housewares and ornamentation people use in the places where they live -- can tell you a lot about a society and what its people hold most dear. In this volume, we look at cultures and design styles and trends around the globe, from ancient times to the present. For example, did you know that the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States was as much a political statement as a design theme? Are you...

"Every human requires shelter from the elements, whether they live under the intense African sun or by the frigid Arctic Ocean. Our need to build has produced countless styles of architecture, from ancient temples to modern skyscrapers, some soaring into the air and some containing just one room for an entire family. Architecture is a complex endeavor, encompassing a variety of artistic and technical fields to create the spaces where we live, work,...

"For generations, children around the world have come of age with Louisa May Alcott's March girls: hardworking eldest sister Meg, headstrong, impulsive Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. With their father away at war, and their loving mother Marmee working to support the family, the four sisters have to rely on one another for support as they endure the hardships of wartime and poverty. We witness the sisters growing up and figuring out what role...

"The African diaspora - a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade and Western colonialism - has generated a wide array of artistic achievements, from blues and reggae, to the paintings of the pioneering African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and video creations of contemporary hip-hop artists. This book concentrates on how these works, often created during times of major social upheaval and transformation, use black culture both as a subject...