Michael Ward - Böcker

Over the years, scholars have labored to show that C. S. Lewis's famed Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the nature of Narnia's symbolism has remained a puzzle.Michael Ward has finally solved the mystery. In Planet Narnia, he argues convincingly that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on the whole range of Lewis's writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward shows that the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation." Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that the story-line in each book, countless points of ornamental detail, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. For instance, in The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader," the sun is the prevailing planetary spirit: magical water turns things to gold, the solar metal; Aslan is seen flying in a sunbeam; and the sun's rising place is actually identified as the destination of the plot: "the very eastern end of the world."Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major reassessment not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewis's whole literary and theological outlook, revealing him to be a much subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized.

For over half a century, scholars have laboured to show that C. S. Lewis's famed but apparently disorganised Chronicles of Narnia have an underlying symbolic coherence, pointing to such possible unifying themes as the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene. None of these explanations has won general acceptance and the structure of Narnia's symbolism has remained a mystery.Michael Ward has finally solved the enigma. In Planet Narnia he demonstrates that medieval cosmology, a subject which fascinated Lewis throughout his life, provides the imaginative key to the seven novels. Drawing on the whole range of Lewis's writings (including previously unpublished drafts of the Chronicles), Ward reveals how the Narnia stories were designed to express the characteristics of the seven medieval planets - - Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn - - planets which Lewis described as "spiritual symbols of permanent value" and "especially worthwhile in our own generation". Using these seven symbols, Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles so that in each book the plot-line, the ornamental details, and, most important, the portrayal of the Christ-figure of Aslan, all serve to communicate the governing planetary personality. The cosmological theme of each Chronicle is what Lewis called 'the kappa element in romance', the atmospheric essence of a story, everywhere present but nowhere explicit. The reader inhabits this atmosphere and thus imaginatively gains connaître knowledge of the spiritual character which the tale was created to embody.Planet Narnia is a ground-breaking study that will provoke a major revaluation not only of the Chronicles, but of Lewis's whole literary and theological outlook. Ward uncovers a much subtler writer and thinker than has previously been recognized, whose central interests were hiddenness, immanence, and knowledge by acquaintance.

Good data, Michael Ward argues, serve to enhance a perception about life as well as to deepen an understanding of reality. This history of the UN's role in fostering international statistics in the postwar period demonstrates how statistics have shaped our understanding of the world. Drawing on well over 40 years of experience working as a statistician and economist in more than two dozen countries around the world, Ward traces the evolution of statistical ideas and how they have responded to the needs of policy while unraveling the question of why certain data were considered important and why other data and concerns were not. The book explores the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the UN's statistical work and how each dimension has provided opportunities for describing the well-being of the world community. Quantifying the World also reveals some of the missed opportunities for pursuing alternative models.

In this issue, guest editors bring their considerable expertise to this important topic.

Learn how to use managerial economics to diagnose and solve business problems with Froeb/McCann/Ward/Shor's MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS: A PROBLEM SOLVING APPROACH, 6E. This breakthrough text, designed specifically for upper-level and M.B.A. students like you, offers a succinct and fast-paced, yet challenging, approach full of invaluable insights. This edition incorporates less math and fewer technical models, graphs and figures than traditional managerial economics texts, while emphasizing the real decisions that today's managers face daily. The authors use models only to help you determine why mistakes are made and how to fix them. The latest economic updates introduce the most recent economic developments and current economic challenges worldwide. You learn how to apply economic theory to even the most formidable business challenges as interactive applications and MindTap digital resources reinforce understanding. Meaningful insights make this learning guide useful now and throughout your business career.

Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, Youth, Place and Theories of Belonging showcases cutting-edge empirical research on young people’s lifeworlds. The scholars demonstrate that belonging is personal, infused with individual and collective histories as well as interwoven with conceptions of place. In studying how young people adapt to social change the research highlights the plurality of belonging, as well as its temporal and fleeting nature.In the field of youth studies, we have seen a recent emphasis on studying the ways youth live out everyday multiculturalisms in an increasingly globalised world. How young people negotiate belonging in everyday life and how they come to understand their positions in fragmented societies remain emerging areas of scholarship. Composed of twelve chapters, the collection references key sites and institutions in young people’s lives such as schools, community/cultural centres, neighbourhoods and spaces of consumption. Drawing from diverse areas such as the rural, the urban as well as displacements and mobilities, this international collection enhances our understanding of the theories employed in the study of youth identity practices. Written in a direct and clear style, this collection of essays will be of interest to researchers working in geography, theories of affect, gender, mobility, performativities, and theories of space/place. Investigating how young people come to belong can open up new spaces and provide critical insights into young people’s identities.

A distinguished academic, influential Christian apologist, and best-selling author of children's literature, C. S. Lewis is a controversial and enigmatic figure who continues to fascinate, fifty years after his death. This Companion is a comprehensive single-volume study written by an international team of scholars to survey Lewis's career as a literary historian, popular theologian, and creative writer. Twenty-one expert voices from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and Wheaton College, among many other places of learning, analyze Lewis's work from theological, philosophical, and literary perspectives. Some chapters consider his professional contribution to fields such as critical theory and intellectual history, while others assess his views on issues including moral knowledge, gender, prayer, war, love, suffering, and Scripture. The final chapters investigate his work as a writer of fiction and poetry. Original in its approach and unique in its scope, this Companion shows that C. S. Lewis was much more than merely the man behind Narnia.

A distinguished academic, influential Christian apologist, and best-selling author of children's literature, C. S. Lewis is a controversial and enigmatic figure who continues to fascinate, fifty years after his death. This Companion is a comprehensive single-volume study written by an international team of scholars to survey Lewis's career as a literary historian, popular theologian, and creative writer. Twenty-one expert voices from the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and Wheaton College, among many other places of learning, analyze Lewis's work from theological, philosophical, and literary perspectives. Some chapters consider his professional contribution to fields such as critical theory and intellectual history, while others assess his views on issues including moral knowledge, gender, prayer, war, love, suffering, and Scripture. The final chapters investigate his work as a writer of fiction and poetry. Original in its approach and unique in its scope, this Companion shows that C. S. Lewis was much more than merely the man behind Narnia.

Ellison "Tarzan" Brown was one of America's premier marathon runners during the 1930s and 1940s. This volume tells the story of his life from the beginning of his budding career in the early 1930s through his untimely death in 1975.With his unorthodox approach to the sport and his spectacular finishes, Tarzan Brown quickly became something of a legend in racing. Inevitably, he became the subject of stories that were not always entirely factual--and sometimes not very flattering. This biography seeks to present an accurate, unbiased account of Brown's life. The reminiscences of his close friends, family and even his rivals paint a vivid picture of the man and his career. The book covers in considerable depth events such as Brown's trip to the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and his role in the naming of the infamous Heartbreak Hill on the course of the Boston Marathon.Completing the picture is a look at the more personal aspects of Brown's life, such as his struggle to support his young family, and an examination of his Narragansett Indian heritage. The final chapter discusses the misconceptions surrounding Brown's accidental death outside a bar in 1975.

A comprehensive scholarly look at the dominance, power, and influence of News Corp as one of the most potent communication giants of current times.Drawing on a wealth of empirical evidence, this book offers an authoritative, wide-ranging, and accessible analysis of the development, operations, and political influence of the most widely commented on media company of modern times, directed by the world’s most famous media mogul, Rupert Murdoch. It details News Corp’s ownership and control, traces its global expansion in print, television, and film, examines the crises that have prompted sell-offs, withdrawals, and retrenchment, and explores losses and gains in its responses to the rise of digital media. The book explores Rupert Murdoch’s close relations with successive prime ministers and presidents, examines the mobilisation of his news outlets to make and break political reputations, and details the consistent promotion of right-wing populist ideology on a range of key issues across the company’s tabloid outlets.This is an invaluable resource to students and scholars of global media industries, the political economy of media, media policy, and media and politics.

A comprehensive scholarly look at the dominance, power, and influence of News Corp as one of the most potent communication giants of current times.Drawing on a wealth of empirical evidence, this book offers an authoritative, wide-ranging, and accessible analysis of the development, operations, and political influence of the most widely commented on media company of modern times, directed by the world’s most famous media mogul, Rupert Murdoch. It details News Corp’s ownership and control, traces its global expansion in print, television, and film, examines the crises that have prompted sell-offs, withdrawals, and retrenchment, and explores losses and gains in its responses to the rise of digital media. The book explores Rupert Murdoch’s close relations with successive prime ministers and presidents, examines the mobilisation of his news outlets to make and break political reputations, and details the consistent promotion of right-wing populist ideology on a range of key issues across the company’s tabloid outlets.This is an invaluable resource to students and scholars of global media industries, the political economy of media, media policy, and media and politics.

A university education has long been seen as the gateway to upward social mobility for individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and as a way of reproducing social advantage for the better off. With the number of young people from the very highest socio-economic groups entering university in the UK having effectively been at saturation point for several decades, the expansion witnessed in participation rates over the last few decades has largely been achieved by a modest broadening of the base of the undergraduate population in terms of both social class and ethnic diversity.However, a growing body of evidence exists in the continuation of unequal graduate outcomes. This can be seen in terms of employment trajectories in the UK. The issue of just who enjoys access to which university, and the experiences and outcomes of graduates from different institutions remain central to questions of social justice, notably higher education’s contribution to social mobility and to the reproduction of social inequality. This collection of contemporary original writings explores these issues in a range of specific contexts, and through employing a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The relationship between higher education and social mobility has probably never been under closer scrutiny. This volume will appeal to academics, policy makers, and commentators alike. Higher Education and Social Inequalities is an important contribution to the public and academic debate.

A university education has long been seen as the gateway to upward social mobility for individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and as a way of reproducing social advantage for the better off. With the number of young people from the very highest socio-economic groups entering university in the UK having effectively been at saturation point for several decades, the expansion witnessed in participation rates over the last few decades has largely been achieved by a modest broadening of the base of the undergraduate population in terms of both social class and ethnic diversity.However, a growing body of evidence exists in the continuation of unequal graduate outcomes. This can be seen in terms of employment trajectories in the UK. The issue of just who enjoys access to which university, and the experiences and outcomes of graduates from different institutions remain central to questions of social justice, notably higher education’s contribution to social mobility and to the reproduction of social inequality. This collection of contemporary original writings explores these issues in a range of specific contexts, and through employing a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The relationship between higher education and social mobility has probably never been under closer scrutiny. This volume will appeal to academics, policy makers, and commentators alike. Higher Education and Social Inequalities is an important contribution to the public and academic debate.

Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, Youth, Place and Theories of Belonging showcases cutting-edge empirical research on young people’s lifeworlds. The scholars demonstrate that belonging is personal, infused with individual and collective histories as well as interwoven with conceptions of place. In studying how young people adapt to social change the research highlights the plurality of belonging, as well as its temporal and fleeting nature.In the field of youth studies, we have seen a recent emphasis on studying the ways youth live out everyday multiculturalisms in an increasingly globalised world. How young people negotiate belonging in everyday life and how they come to understand their positions in fragmented societies remain emerging areas of scholarship. Composed of twelve chapters, the collection references key sites and institutions in young people’s lives such as schools, community/cultural centres, neighbourhoods and spaces of consumption. Drawing from diverse areas such as the rural, the urban as well as displacements and mobilities, this international collection enhances our understanding of the theories employed in the study of youth identity practices. Written in a direct and clear style, this collection of essays will be of interest to researchers working in geography, theories of affect, gender, mobility, performativities, and theories of space/place. Investigating how young people come to belong can open up new spaces and provide critical insights into young people’s identities.

Discover how to use managerial economics to both diagnose and solve business problems with this breakthrough text, designed specifically for MBA students. Froeb/McCann/Ward/Shor's MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS, 5E offers a succinct, fast-paced, yet challenging, approach full of invaluable insights. This edition incorporates less math and fewer technical models, graphs and figures than traditional managerial economics texts, while emphasizing the real decisions that today's managers face daily.You'll find this learning guide useful both now and throughout your business career. The latest economic updates keep you abreast of the most recent economic developments and current economic challenges worldwide. You learn how to apply economic theory to even the most formidable business challenges.

The Narnia books are mysterious. Millions of people have been captivated by them, but are left with unanswered questions. Why are there seven books?Are they biblical allegories?If so, why do four of them seem to have no biblical basis?Why do they lack uniformity?Why does Father Christmas appear in them? In The Narnia Code Michael Ward attempts to answer this puzzle. Drawing on Lewis' love of Medieval astronomy, Ward breaks the Narnia 'code' and demonstrates the single theme that provides the link between all seven books. The author takes us through each of the seven Chronicles of Narnia and draws from the whole range of Lewis' other works to reveal the secret. Based on a groundbreaking scholarly work (Planet Narnia, OUP) that entered the Sunday Times best seller list, this fascinating book will cause the reader to understand Lewis in a whole new way. It has some important things to say about how we understand the universe and Christian faith today.

Peter, 17 years old, six foot tall and good looking has started to notice a ghostly orb hanging around in his bedroom, at the home he shares with his divorced mum. He resolves to speak to it the next time it appears and just as he is about to fall asleep that evening, the orb appears. He speaks to it and it answers back.The orb turns out to be nothing to do with a spirit but is actually a contact device called a 'Visioner' belonging to an alien ambassador, who has been studying and learning about Peter and his girlfriend Julie for nearly four years. Having decided that Peter was now old enough to understand the situation and mature enough to deal with it, the alien has made contact.After meeting the alien, whom Peter nicknames 'Clix', their friendship begins. Soon after, and having been given his own Visioner which can be used not only to see relatives in the present time but also to see relatives from times gone by and experience the same smells, sounds and sensations as they do, Peter undertakes what turns out to be a harrowing 'trip' to experience the horrors of how his great grandfather lost his life during the Second World War.On his return from that trip, Peter mentions to Clix that he'd noticed another Visioner, a blue orb, which Clix warns belongs to a rogue alien race, on the lookout for suitable gene donors, to strengthen their weakening race. Clix warns that it might affect Julie and allows Peter to let Julie into the secrets of the Visioner.To show Julie how the Visioner works, Peter looks in on her Auntie in Australia, only to find her and her husband at the bedside of their sick daughter, who urgently needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. Julie's family and Peter all undergo blood tests and Julie's mum, who proves to be an exact match, jets off to Australia. The very evening that she leaves for Australia, Julie's younger sister Jeanie is abducted along with her best friend Li-Wei. Through the use of the Visioner, Peter discovers that they, along with numerous other young girls are being held in a hypnotised state inside the rogue alien spacecraft, awaiting the gene harvesting process. So unfolds the race to find and free them before their bodies are violated and possible further harm occurs.