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"Before escape artist Harry Houdini died, he vowed he would find a way to speak to his beloved wife Bess from beyond the grave using a coded message known only to the two of them. When a widowed Bess begins seeing this code in seemingly impossible places, it becomes clear that Harry has an urgent message to convey. Unlocking the puzzle will set Bess on a course back through the pair's extraordinary romance, which swept the illusionist and his bride from the beaches of Coney Island, to the palaces of Budapest, to the back lots of Hollywood"--Dust jacket flap.
Collecting the nationally-recognized poems of Victoria Kelly, When the Men Go Off to War captures the hopes, anxieties, and intimacies of the military spouse during a time of war. Written over the course of her husband’s deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, these haunting poems span vast geographical distances and generations, moving between the literal and the fanciful to find community in the midst of isolation. Kelly blends lyric and narrative elements to evoke themes of loneliness and human fragility with keen insight. But ultimately, When the Men Go Off to War is a heartrending ode to enduring romance and the reclamation of a marriage tested by loss and separation.
Surfaces are often held to be of lesser consequence than 'deeper' or more 'substantive' aspects of artworks and objects. Yet it is also possible to conceive of the surface in more positive terms: as a site where complex forces meet. Surfaces can be theorized as membranes, protective shells, sensitive skins, even thicknesses in their own right. The surface is not so much a barrier to content as an opportunity for encounter: in new objects, the surface is the site of qualities of finish, texture, the site of tactile interaction, the last point of contact between object and maker, and the first point of contact between object and user. Surface Tensions includes sixteen essays that explore this theoretically uncharted terrain. The subjects range widely: domestic maintenance; avant-garde fashion; the faking of antiques; postmodern architecture and design; contemporary film costume. Of particular emphasis within the volume are textiles, which are among the most complex and culturally rich materialisations of surface. As a whole, the book provides insights into the whole lifecycle of objects, not just their condition when new.
The Real and the Reflected: Heroes and Villains in Existent and Imagined Worlds, unpacks many of the issues that surround heroes and villains. It explores the shadows that fall between the traditional black and white definitions of good and evil.
The answers to these questions - and much, much more - are to be found in The Changing Room , which traces the origins and variations of theatrical cross-dressing through the ages and across cultures. It examines: * tribal rituals and shamanic practices in the Balkans and Chinese-Tibet * the gender-bending elements of Greek and early Christian religion * the homosexual appeal of the boy actor on the traditional stage of China, Japan and England * the origins of the dame comedian, the principal boy, the glamour drag artiste and the male impersonator * artists such as David Bowie, Boy George, Charles Ludlam, Dame Edna Everage, Lily Savage, Candy Darling, Julian Clary and the New York Dolls. Lavishly illustrated with unusual and rare pictures, this is the first ever cross-cultural study of theatrical transvestism. It is a must for anyone interested in cross-dressing, theatre, and gender.
What happens to children who are robbed of family? Myrtle Rowley's first three children grew up without any knowledge of their mother after Myrtle was forced to give them up when they were still toddlers. Not only were the children deprived of contact with their mother, they also grew up devoid of any knowledge of each other after being placed in separate facilities. In this sequel to Whisper My Secret, JB Rowley explores what happened to the three half-siblings she never knew. As one of the children of Myrtle’s second family, JB also offers a personal view of a mother making a new life without her first family. Although the devastating loss of her children remained with her, Myrtle became a caring and committed mother of seven more children living in near isolation in the Australian bush. This mother’s strength of character is matched in her first three children who survived and thrived despite being cheated of the nurturing that should have been their birthright. Their stories are sad, sometimes heart breaking but ultimately courageous and inspiring.
From whitened doorsteps to polished boots, starched pinafores to scrubbed floors, this is the compelling story of how Victorians and Edwardians engaged in the pursuit of cleanliness and the battle against grime in domestic life. It is the first book to uncover how cleanliness and dirt were perceived and understood at a period of history when they were an overwhelming preoccupation. Victoria Kelley explores this period of important change, particularly for the working classes when, as Jose Harris comments, 'whole worlds of meaning were conveyed by microscopic household practices, such as whether one washed ...in the bathroom or the bedroom, or at the kitchen sink'. Kelley quotes social survey...
Waterford, the Gentle County, can boast a proud sporting tradition that is as long as it is unusual. Ireland's oldest city has witnessed many trends, from blood sports like bull-baiting in Ballybricken to roller hockey at the Olympia Ballroom. But the towns and villages of County Waterford were not to be overshadowed, producing notable sports people such as basketballers and boxers. In 'I Love Me County', learn about everyone from camogie pioneers to World Champions, as this collection of stories records the lives, loves and losses of some of Waterford's forgotten sporting heroes, demonstrating the importance of sport and leisure in the history of the county.
Endurance presents stories of ordinary Australians grappling with extraordinary circumstances, providing insight into their lives, their experiences with drought and their perceptions of climate change. The book opens with the physical impacts, science, politics and economics of drought and climate change in rural Australia. It then highlights the cultural and historical dimensions — taking us to the Mallee wheat-belt, where researcher Deb Anderson interviewed farm families from 2004 to 2007, as climate change awareness grew. Each story is grouped into one of three themes: Survival, Uncertainty and Adaptation. Illustrated with beautiful colour photographs from Museum Victoria, Endurance will appeal to anyone with an interest in life stories, rural Australia and the environment.