Keith Thomas – författare

Sedan det moderna forskningsuniversitetet såg dagens ljus för två hundra år sen har forskning och vetenskap gjort bevisligen världen bättre. Kunskap, kreativitet, kritik och kollegialitet har utgjort nyckel till denna exempellösa framgång. Akademins framgång har dock inte vilat på en demokratisk-politisk logik som genomsyrar dagens samhälle, utan på en parallell och alldeles egen verklighet där forskarna i sitt sökande har drivits av sitt engagemang och sin nyfikenhet. När denna anda får råda inom vetenskapen blir det också bra för samhället i stort. Men i dagens projektsamhälle med sina krav på en kortsiktig resultatleverans framstår akademins sätt att fungera som provocerande. Hur kunde det bli så och vad gör vi åt det? I denna bok söker ett antal engagerade forskare, tidigare universitetsrektorer och ämbetsmän svar på dessa frågor. De är förskräckta över en utveckling där djup kunskap, vildsint kreativitet, kritiska samtal och kollegialt ansvar kastas på sophögen, denna utveckling får inte fortsätta! Då rycker vi undan mattan för mänskliga framsteg och ett civiliserat samhälle. Vi måste försvara de värden som akademin står på sedan lång tid tillbaka - inte för att de är traditionella, utan för att de är de modernaste vi har.

Witchcraft, astrology, divination and every kind of popular magic flourished in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from the belief that a blessed amulet could prevent the assaults of the Devil to the use of the same charms to recover stolen goods. At the same time the Protestant Reformation attempted to take the magic out of religion, and scientists were developing new explanations of the universe. Keith Thomas's classic analysis of beliefs held on every level of English society begins with the collapse of the medieval Church and ends with the changing intellectual atmosphere around 1700, when science and rationalism began to challenge the older systems of belief.

'Man and the Natural World, an encyclopaedic study of man's relationship to animals and plants, is completely engrossing ... It explains everything - why we eat what we do, why we plant this and not that, why we keep pets, why we like some animals and not others, why we kill the things we kill and love the things we love ... It is often a funny book and one to read again and again' Paul Theroux, Sunday Times'The English historian Keith Thomas has revealed modes of thought and ways of life deeply strange to us' Hilary Mantel, New York Review of Books'A treasury of unusual historical anecdote ... a delight to read and a pleasure to own' Auberon Waugh, Sunday Telegraph'A dense and rich work ... the return to the grass roots of our own environmental convictions is made by the most enchantingly minor paths' Ronald Blythe, Guardian

Sir Keith Thomas is one of the most innovative and influential of English historians, and a scholar of unusual range. These essays, presented to him on his retirement as President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, concentrate on one of the broad themes illuminated by his work - changing notions of civility in the past. From the sixteenth century onwards, civility was a term applied to modes of behaviour as well as to cultural and civic attributes. Its influence extended from styles of language and sexual mores to funeral ceremonies and commercial morality. It was used to distinguish the civil from the barbarous and the English from the Irish and Welsh, and to banish superstition and justify imperialism. The contributors - distinguished historians who have been Keith Thomas's pupils - illustrate the many implications of civility in the early modern period and its shifts of meaning down to the twentieth century.

How should we live? That question was no less urgent for English men and women who lived between the early sixteenth and late eighteenth centuries than for this book's readers. Keith Thomas's masterly exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives in those centuries between the beginning of the Reformation and the heyday of the Enlightenment illuminates the central values of the period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Consideration of the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfilment and of obstacles to its realization in the early modern period frames an investigation that ranges from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of friendship, family, and sociability. The cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honour and reputation, the nature of religious belief and scepticism, and the desire to be posthumously remembered are all drawn into the discussion, and the views and practices of ordinary people are measured against the opinions of the leading philosophers and theologians of the time.The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, by one of the foremost historians of our time. It also provides modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.

How should we live? That question was no less urgent for English men and women who lived between the early sixteenth and late eighteenth centuries than for this book's readers. Keith Thomas's masterly exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives in those centuries between the beginning of the Reformation and the heyday of the Enlightenment illuminates the central values of the period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Consideration of the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfilment and of obstacles to its realization in the early modern period frames an investigation that ranges from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of friendship, family, and sociability. The cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honour and reputation, the nature of religious belief and scepticism, and the desire to be posthumously remembered are all drawn into the discussion, and the views and practices of ordinary people are measured against the opinions of the leading philosophers and theologians of the time. The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, by one of the foremost historians of our time. It also provides modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.

What did it mean to be ‘civilized’ in Early Modern England?    Keith Thomas's seminal studies Religion and the Decline of Magic, Man and the Natural World, and The Ends of Life, explored the beliefs, values and social practices of the years between 1500 and 1800. In Pursuit of Civility continues this quest by examining what the English people thought it meant to be `civilized' and how that condition differed from being `barbarous' or `savage' .  Thomas shows how the upper ranks of society sought to distinguish themselves from their social inferiors by developing distinctive forms of moving, speaking and comporting themselves - and how the common people in turn developed their own forms of civility.  The belief of the English in their superior civility shaped their relations with the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish. By legitimizing international trade, colonialism, slavery, and racial discrimination, it was fundamental to their dealings with the native peoples of North America, India, and Australia.   Yet not everyone shared this belief in the superiority of Western civilization. In Pursuit of Civility throws light on the early origins of anti-colonialism and cultural relativism, and goes on to examine some of the ways in which the new forms of civility were resisted.    With all the author’s distinctive authority and brilliance - based as ever on wide reading, abounding in fresh insights, and illustrated by many striking quotations and anecdotes from contemporary sources - In Pursuit of Civility transforms our understanding of the past. In so doing, it raises important questions as to the role of manners in the modern world.

A SUNDAY TIMES, EVENING STANDARD, SPECTATOR AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR“In this gloriously rich book, Keith Thomas, one of our greatest living historians, explores how the idea of civility, from lavatory habits to table manners, evolved in early modern England.”—Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times“One of the most entertaining books imaginable.”—Philip Hensher, Spectator"Our finest living historian gives a dismayingly entertaining survey of what was held to be civilised behaviour and what barbarous in England between 1500 and 1800.”—Claire Tomalin, New Statesman   Keith Thomas's seminal studies Religion and the Decline of Magic, Man and the Natural World, and The Ends of Life, explored the beliefs, values and social practices of the years between 1500 and 1800. In Pursuit of Civility continues this quest by examining what the English people thought it meant to be `civilized' and how that condition differed from being `barbarous' or `savage' .  Thomas shows how the upper ranks of society sought to distinguish themselves from their social inferiors by developing distinctive forms of moving, speaking and comporting themselves - and how the common people in turn developed their own forms of civility.  The belief of the English in their superior civility shaped their relations with the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish. By legitimizing international trade, colonialism, slavery, and racial discrimination, it was fundamental to their dealings with the native peoples of North America, India, and Australia.   Yet not everyone shared this belief in the superiority of Western civilization. In Pursuit of Civility throws light on the early origins of anti-colonialism and cultural relativism, and goes on to examine some of the ways in which the new forms of civility were resisted.    With all the author’s distinctive authority and brilliance - based as ever on wide reading, abounding in fresh insights, and illustrated by many striking quotations and anecdotes from contemporary sources - In Pursuit of Civility transforms our understanding of the past. In so doing, it raises important questions as to the role of manners in the modern world.

The publication of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography in September 2004 was an event of great literary and scholarly importance. In his Leslie Stephen Lecture, commemorating the founder of the original Dictionary of National Biography, the celebrated historian Keith Thomas surveys the many earlier attempts at collective biography, considers the relationship of the Oxford DNB to them, and offers a preliminary assessment of the Oxford DNB itself. The author, who has been chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Oxford DNB since its inception, writes with intimate knowledge of the project. This Leslie Stephen Lecture complements the earlier Lecture on the DNB by the late Colin Matthew, Founder-Editor of the Oxford DNB, and published by Cambridge in 1997.

Home brewing has become increasingly popular, as a way to both make your own unique beer and develop a valuable skill to be proud of. Home Brew – A Guide to Brewing Beer offers a complete overview, from the basics of kit brewing, through to a full-scale mash brew, covering various types of beer, such as ale, bitter, stout, lager, porters, wheat beers and IPA . Combining eighty years of collective knowledge in the brewing industry, this valuable resource describes each stage of production, explaining basic concepts and exploring the key ingredients – malt, hops and yeast. The importance of hygiene is detailed with simple guidelines to ensure that your brew has long-lasting quality. Featuring a wide list of recipes to follow, with suggestions to vary ingredients and processing techniques, Home Brew will inspire and equip readers to create beers of their own imagination, providing an up-to-date view of contemporary brewing technology and ideas for the future.

Development Control" is a comprehensive introductory text for students of planning and related subjects. Drawing widely on the literature - the approach and treatment are very much geared to the needs of students on courses, rather than focusing on practical and "how-to-do-it" issues. It should be of interest to students in schools of planning, the built environment, estate management, land economy and other related subjects.

For fans of Black Mirror and True Detective, a visceral, high-concept thriller about a psychologist who must protect the life of an eleven-year-old girl whose ability to remember past lives makes them both targets of a ruthless assassin. Dr. Matilda Deacon is a psychologist researching how memories are made and stored when she meets a strange eleven-year-old girl named Ashanique. The girl claims to harbor the memories of the last soldier killed in World War I and Matilda is skeptical. But when Ashanique starts talking about being chased by the Night Doctors—a term also used by an unstable patient who was later found dead—Matilda can’t deny that the girl might be telling the truth. Matilda soon learns that Ashanique and her mother have been on the run their whole lives from a monstrous assassin named Rade. Rade is seeking a certain component ingrained solely in memories, and has left a bloody trail throughout the world. Matilda realizes that Ashanique is in unimaginable danger and that her unique ability comes with a deadly price. “A taut, riveting thriller, a perfect balance of scientific speculation and storytelling” (James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author), The Clarity is a compelling take on the possibilities of reincarnation and life after death.

This specially curated collection features four reviews of current and key research on improving crop disease management.The first chapter reviews strategies for limiting foliar disease development in wheat and barley crops, such as crop rotations, intercropping, gene deployment and conservation tillage. It explores the effectiveness of each strategy against particular foliar diseases, as well as how these strategies can be deployed to reduce inoculum sources for residue-borne cereal leaf diseases.The second chapter considers the use of integrated disease management (IDM) to prevent or reduce yield loss in wheat. The chapter reviews the tactics/tools used in IDM, such as scouting, disease identification and chemical control, and explores how these tactics can be implemented to maximise the effectiveness of managing diseases in wheat.The third chapter assesses how IDM can be applied to barley production and considers the different disease threats, the tools available and possible approaches to deploying them. It also reviews the role of agronomy and how it can be used to optimise these tools.The final chapter reviews the use of IDM in grain legume production and explores the deployment of traditional strategies, such as field and crop management, as well as advanced monitoring methods, modelling and molecular methods to control disease outbreaks in grain legumes.

Development Control" is a comprehensive introductory text for students of planning and related subjects. Drawing widely on the literature - the approach and treatment are very much geared to the needs of students on courses, rather than focusing on practical and "how-to-do-it" issues. It should be of interest to students in schools of planning, the built environment, estate management, land economy and other related subjects.

Until the early part of the 18th century life for the majority of Britons had not changed greatly since the Middle Ages, but then in the space of 300 years the pace of change accelerated rapidly. Civil engineering was vital for these sudden and large improvements to our economy and quality of life. Wales is said to have been one of the first industrialised nations in the world, when the number of people employed in industry exceeded the number in agriculture. From the 18th century the rapid expansion of industry required improved transport links for the movement of materials and finished products by way of canals, roads, railways and docks. The mountainous landscape presented serious obstacles to improvements in communications, creating innovative and spectacular engineering. Many of Britain's finest engineers have been involved throughout the Principality, including Brindley, Jessop, Rennie, Telford, Stephenson and Brunel. This book records examples of some of their best work.This book is part of a regional series on civil engineering heritage that examines the contribution of the civil engineer to society over the last 300 years, including transport networks, architecture and landscape design. It is fully illustrated throughout, making an important contribution to the industrial history of Britain, and would interest anyone with a desire to know more about civil engineering's impact on the UK. It includes a gazetteer of groundbreaking monuments to civil engineering.