Peter Simpson – författare

This book describes an approach based on attention that can help individuals and groups to cooperate more effectively. It presents the first book-length reassessment of Wilfred Bion's ideas on groups. Every group has a purpose or purposes - or, as Bion put it, "every group, however casual, meets to 'do' something." The approach described here shows how individual group members' use of attention - both broad or "evenly suspended" and focused - can promote a better understanding of purpose, making it possible for them to do what they have met to do. This work of attention enables group members to maintain a clear sense of their purpose and also to recognise how easily they can become distracted, losing focus and dispersing their energies into activities that are off task. The approach builds on the authors' experience of using Bion's insights into group dynamics over twenty-five years in different contexts, formal and informal, as group members, managers, leaders, teachers, consultants, researchers, family members, and friends.

This book describes an approach based on attention that can help individuals and groups to cooperate more effectively. It presents the first book-length reassessment of Wilfred Bion''s ideas on groups. Every group has a purpose or purposes - or, as Bion put it, "every group, however casual, meets to ''do'' something." The approach described here shows how individual group members'' use of attention - both broad or "evenly suspended" and focused - can promote a better understanding of purpose, making it possible for them to do what they have met to do. This work of attention enables group members to maintain a clear sense of their purpose and also to recognise how easily they can become distracted, losing focus and dispersing their energies into activities that are off task. The approach builds on the authors'' experience of using Bion''s insights into group dynamics over twenty-five years in different contexts, formal and informal, as group members, managers, leaders, teachers, consultants, researchers, family members, and friends.

This book describes an approach based on attention that can help individuals and groups to cooperate more effectively. It presents the first book-length reassessment of Wilfred Bion''s ideas on groups. Every group has a purpose or purposes - or, as Bion put it, "every group, however casual, meets to ''do'' something." The approach described here shows how individual group members'' use of attention - both broad or "evenly suspended" and focused - can promote a better understanding of purpose, making it possible for them to do what they have met to do. This work of attention enables group members to maintain a clear sense of their purpose and also to recognise how easily they can become distracted, losing focus and dispersing their energies into activities that are off task. The approach builds on the authors'' experience of using Bion''s insights into group dynamics over twenty-five years in different contexts, formal and informal, as group members, managers, leaders, teachers, consultants, researchers, family members, and friends.

This book is a meticulously researched but very readable story of Huguenot Paul Fourdriniers journey from being an apprentice in Holland to a highly recognized printmaker in London in the eighteenth century.Paul is almost forgotten and artistically underrated but was an accomplished copper engraver who founded the English Fourdrinier dynasty, which produced the developers of the Fourdrinier papermaking machine and the mother of Cardinal Newman.The reader will be immersed in his world and his connections to aristocrats, artists, and great projects of the ageincluding the development of Palladian neoclassical architecture, the Foundlings Hospital, and the Savannah colony in Georgiaand renowned talents such as the sculptor Rysbrack, painter Hogarth, designer William Kent, and composer George Frederick Handel. As well as the great and powerful, we meet the eccentricsGeorge Vertue, Horace Walpole, the reverend Stephen Duck, Batty Langley, courtesan Teresia Constantia Phillips, and the curious affair of Mary Toft, who convinced half the nation that she had given birth to rabbits.This was a time of exciting intellectual development. The combination of copper engraving and printing along with the removal of state censorship and the institution of copyright led to a wave of information and learning not dissimilar to the impact of the Internet. The institution of commercial companies and banks foreshadowed the Industrial Revolution and made possible projects such as Charles Labeyles first Westminster Bridge, the building of Regency Bath and James Gibbs Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, all engraved by Fourdrinier on behalf of their creators.In his shop in Whitehall, he developed master engravings of uncommon size and shapes for customers, including the Earls of Burlington and Pembroke, and engraved for Thomas Wright, the astronomer who first defined galaxies, and William Chambers, who propelled Chinese fashion into Georgian design. This is a fascinating book from beginning to end.

Following on from the popular first book in this series covering the Norman period, "e;The Angevins"e; traces the establishment and growth of the English nation state. Covering the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and the infamous King John, the narrative flows from the ending of the civil war known as the Anarchy to the First Baron's War and the Magna Carta. With over 190 illustrations and maps, the format has been designed to enable the reader to absorb the essence of the period. This is a serious history book with easy readability. The author s encyclopedic knowledge of the English Middle Ages has enabled him to delve into fascinating details of the time and the links with England today to be found in language, institutions and places. "e;England in the Middle Ages: The Angevins is ideal for scholars, students, visitors to England, and for the general history reader.

This book describes an approach based on attention that can help individuals and groups to cooperate more effectively. It presents the first book-length reassessment of Wilfred Bion's ideas on groups. Every group has a purpose or purposes - or, as Bion put it, "every group, however casual, meets to 'do' something." The approach described here shows how individual group members' use of attention - both broad or "evenly suspended" and focused - can promote a better understanding of purpose, making it possible for them to do what they have met to do. This work of attention enables group members to maintain a clear sense of their purpose and also to recognise how easily they can become distracted, losing focus and dispersing their energies into activities that are off task. The approach builds on the authors' experience of using Bion's insights into group dynamics over twenty-five years in different contexts, formal and informal, as group members, managers, leaders, teachers, consultants, researchers, family members, and friends. The book aims to introduce Wilfred Bion's ideas to those who may never have encountered them, but it also develops those ideas in a way that offers fresh insights for those already familiar with his work. Throughout the book the authors use stories from their own experience to make the ideas accessible to anyone who is seeking to enhance their contributions to group life, to find the truth behind their experience, or simply to make things less confusing.

This volume of Charles Braschs journals covers the years from late 1945 to the end of 1957, when the poet and editor was aged 36 to 48. It begins with his return to New Zealand after World War II to establish a literary quarterly to be published by the Caxton Press. The journals cover the first decade or so of his distinguished editorship of Landfall, a role that brought Brasch into contact with New Zealands leading artists and intelligentsia. His frank and often detailed descriptions of these people -- including Frank Sargeson, A R D Fairburn, Keith Sinclair, Eric McCormick, James Bertram, J.C. Beaglehole, Maria Dronke, Fred and Evelyn Page, Alistair Campbell, Bill Oliver, Toss and Edith Woollaston, Denis Glover, Allen Curnow, Leo Bensemann, Lawrence Baigent, Ngaio Marsh, Colin McCahon, James K. Baxter, Janet Frame, Ruth Dallas and many others are among the highlights of the book. Unmarried and longing for intimacy, Brasch also writes with great candour about his relationships with Rose Archdall, Rodney Kennedy and Harry Scott, revealing a side of himself that has not been known about before. Central to Braschs life was the vocation of poetry. He writes movingly about his own work, and also about his love of nature and the outdoors, including lively descriptions of walking the Milford and Routeburn tracks. The book ends with his visit to Europe in 1957, which confirmed his sense that New Zealand had become for him a centre & a world. A lengthy introduction by Peter Simpson and other editorial apparatus guide the reader through this engrossing material.

This substantial book of letters selected by esteemed Colin McCahon scholar PeterSimpson shines a light on one of the most remarkable relationships in New Zealandart.The painter Colin McCahon and the librarian Ron O'Reilly first met in 1938, inDunedin, when McCahon was 19 and O'Reilly 24. They remained close, writingregularly to each other until 1981, when McCahon became too unwell to write.Their 380 letters covered McCahon's art practice, the contemporary art scene,ideas, philosophy and the spiritual life. Dazzling in their range, intensity and candour,the letters track a unique friendship and partnership in art.The book is illustrated with 64 images, all discussed in the letters. Simpson'sselection represents the first time these letters have been transcribed and collectedin what is an act of great generosity to future scholars. It adds a new dimension toan understanding of McCahon and his career and is a rich and lively addition to anyart lover's McCahon library.O'Reilly's son Matthew O'Reilly and McCahon's grandson Finn McCahon-Jonescontribute insightful essays that round out the unique perspective the letters afford.

Working in uncertainty has become the new normal, but what do leaders have to draw upon when lacking the requisite knowledge? In this book, the authors make a case for Negative Capability, which enables leaders to work in a state of not knowing without simply reaching for old ideas or resorting to habitual behaviours. It is not a practice that can be measured, but its impact in leadership practice is immense and tangible. Offering fresh insights for leadership students, researchers, and practitioners on the challenges of working in uncertainty, the book offers a novel perspective on Negative Capability as a way of being. Each chapter explores an aspect of Negative Capability through the accounts of leaders and managers who had the courage to explore this way of being and share the stories about its powerful impact. Ultimately, this book explores how a practice of attention can lead to new ways of understanding the role of purpose, leisure, and passion in leadership practice.

This is the third volume of Peter Simpson's distinguished series, England in the Middle Ages, the culmination of extensive and meticulous research. It encompasses the early Plantagenet period (1216 to 1307) and offers a comprehensive examination of English life, covering the domains of art, science, medicine, economics, and religion. The subsequent sections explore the reigns of Henry III and Edward I, addressing pivotal events such as the Magna Carta, the Second Baron's War, and Edward's conquest of Wales. The work is enhanced by a complete index, an extensive bibliography, and over 300 illustrations and maps. An appendix includes a substantial collection of original documents, laws, and charters translated into English. The overarching theme of the series is the evolution of the English nation-state and the emergence of a cash and credit-based economy. This era marked the establishment of principles concerning royal succession and the authority of Parliament over government expenditures, thereby laying the foundation for the modern legal and judicial framework. Scholars and history enthusiasts will find the book both accessible and engaging, while residents of the UK and prospective visitors will be able to plan the exploration of significant historical sites from this period, many of which may not be readily apparent.