Richard King

the madmen and mavericks who made independent music, 1975-2005

How soon is now?

Brittle with Relics is a landmark history of the people of Wales during a period of great national change. 'Richly humane, viscerally political, generously multi-voiced, Brittle with Relics is oral history at its revelatory best.' DAVID KYNASTON 'Fascinating.' OBSERVER 'Powerful.' LITERARY REVIEW 'Passionate.' HISTORY TODAY 'Compels attention.' IRISH TIMES 'Superb.' DAILY TELEGRAPH There is no present in Wales, And no future; There is only the past, Brittle with relics. - 'A Welsh Landscape', R. S. Thomas In the closing third of the twentieth century, Wales experienced the simultaneous effects of deindustrialisation, the subsequent loss of employment and community cohesion, and the struggle for its language and identity. These changes were largely forced upon the country, whose own voice, rarely agreed upon within its borders, had to fight to be heard outside of Wales. Brittle with Relics is a history of the people of Wales undergoing some of the country's most seismic and traumatic events: the disasters of Aberfan and Tryweryn; the rise of the Welsh language movement; the Miners' Strike and its aftermath; and the narrow vote in favour of partial devolution. Featuring the voices of Neil Kinnock, Rowan Williams, Leanne Wood, Gruff Rhys, Michael Sheen, Nicky Wire, Sian James, Welsh language activists, members of former mining communities and many more, this is a vital history of a nation determined to survive, while maintaining the hope that Wales will one day thrive on its own terms. 'A testament to the brutal circumstances that bonded the communities of Wales into a new polity for the 21st century.' GRUFF RHYS 'This book is a guide to remembering who we can be when we work together.' GWENNO SAUNDERS 'An essential telling of Welshness that contains a powerful reflection of Englishness, too.' EMMA WARREN

A History of Wales, 1962–97 ('Oral history at its revelatory best' DAVID KYNASTON)

Brittle with Relics

Original Rockers

How Soon Is Now? The Madmen and Mavericks Who Made Independent Music

A History of Wales, 1962-97

The Politics of Indignation

On Offence

Bryony Pearce

Product marketing is not a new function. Just like sales, accounting, and so on, it's been around for decades. The only difference is perception. Ask anyone what a sales rep does, and they'll tell you they sell stuff. Ask about product marketers and...you'll get wildly different answers at best, blank expressions at worst. Anyone who really knows product marketing understands the tremendous value it adds to organizations, but not enough people seem to get it, which can make it notoriously hard for product marketing managers (PMMs) to get the recognition they deserve. Product Marketing Misunderstood helps you apply the tools of your own trade to your job-positioning, messaging, research, personas, and more-helping your entire organization value what you do. Created by the founder of the Product Marketing Alliance, this essential guide arms you with the tools you need to show colleagues past, present, and future that product marketing lies at the heart of your company.

Product Marketing Misunderstood: How to Establish Your Role, Authority, and Strategic Value

Jeremy R. Carrette

Spirituality has become a powerful commodity in the global marketplace - a cultural addiction that reflects orthodox politics, curbs self-expression, and colonizes Eastern beliefs. The authors expose this state of affairs and propose active ways to reclaim spirituality.

The Silent Takeover of Religion

Selling Spirituality

Originally from Newport, Gwent, for the last eighteen years Richard King has lived in the hill farming country of Radnosrshire, Powys. He is the author of Original Rockers, which was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, and How Soon Is Now?, both published by Faber.

The Music of the British Landscape

The Lark Ascending

A lively and passionate defence of reasoned debate. Everyone has taken and given offence; anyone who claims otherwise is lying or uniquely tolerant. Yet in recent years, offence has become a form of political currency. Politicians and religious leaders have mastered the art of indignation to motivate their supporters or deflect attention, and the news cycle has become dominated by reports on these tiny tempests. In this provocative account, Richard King explores how the politics of offence is poisoning public debate. We’ve ushered in a new mood of censoriousness and self-righteousness, in which hurt feelings are paraded like union banners. Yet King contends that freedom of speech is meaningless without the freedom to offend, and the claim to be offended should be the beginning of the argument, not the end of it. Politeness is a noble quality, and decorum will always have its place. But when respect comes at the cost of honest criticism, it’s time for us to think again.

the politics of indignation

Cody Poulton

Katsuhiko Endo

This is a multi-author work which examines the cultural dimensions of the relations between East Asia’s two great powers, China and Japan, in a period of change and turmoil, from the late nineteenth century to the end of the Second World War. This period saw Japanese invasion of China, the occupation of China’s North-east (Manchuria) and Taiwan, and war between the two nations from 1937-1945; the scars of that war are still evident in relations between the two countries today. In their quest for modernity, the rulers and leading thinkers of China and Japan defined themselves in contradisctinction to the other, influenced both by traditional bonds of classical culture and by the influx of new Western ideas that flowed through Japan to China. The experiences of intellectual and cultural awakening in the two countries were inextricably linked, as our studies of poetry, fiction, philosophy, theatre, and popular culture demonstrate. The chapters explore this process of “transculturation” – the sharing and exchange of ideas and artistic expression – not only in Japan and China, but in the larger region which Joshua Fogel has called the “Sinosphere,” an area including Korea and parts of Southeast Asia with a shared heritage of Confucian statecraft and values underpinned by the classical Chinese language. The authors of the chapters, who include established senior academics and younger scholars, and employ a range of disciplines and methodologies, were selected by the editors for their expertise in particular aspects of this rich and complex cultural relationship. As for the editors: Richard King and Cody Poulton are scholars and translators of Chinese literature and Japanese theatre respectively, each taking a historical and comparative perspective to the study of their subject; Katsuhiko Endo is an intellectual historian dealing with both Japan and China.

Late Nineteenth Century to the End of the Pacific War

Sino-Japanese Transculturation

Emil Otto Hoppé

The Book of Fair Women

Orientalism and Religion offers us a timely discussion of the implications of contemporary post-colonial theory for the study of religion. Richard King examines the way in which notions such as mysticism, religion, Hinduism and Buddhism are taken for granted. He shows us how religion needs to be reinterpreted along the lines of cultural studies. Drawing on a variety of post-structuralist and post-colonial thinkers, such as Foucault, Gadamer, Said, and Spivak, King provides us with a challenging series of reflections on the nature of Religious Studies and Indology.

Post-Colonial Theory, India and "The Mystic East"

Orientalism and Religion

Bonnie King

All civilizations have a story or myth of an Armageddon, a great war where good and evil will clash, fighting for the fate of the Universe. Some say good will triumph, others say not. In the time of Troy, three god-forged items were crafted. None of the gods who made these artifacts knew of the vital role each will play in that battle until "history" has molded them to its own needs. From Troy through Moses and to the Emperors of Rome, these items have been influenced by the sins and virtues of those who held them, and in return they have influenced their holders. From one hand to another they have been passed, through the generations. Only centuries after their making will their final purpose be known. No one truly knows when Armageddon is supposed to begin, but many believe it is right around the corner. They may very well be right. A time approaches where these artifacts will be sought; whether for good or evil remains to be seen. But to understand what these items are, it must be told how they came to be. From Troy to Egypt and finally the Promised Land, the Cup of Apollo continues its journey by the hands of a small merchant from Tyre.

Of Humility and Pride

Well of Sins Book Two

A radical new history of Britain's natural landscapes and the musical movements they have inspired.

People, Music and Landscape in Twentieth-Century Britain

Belinda Wurn

Larry Wurn

Unexpected breakthroughs that bring hope and healthThe Wurn Technique® has restored quality of life to many people suffering adhesion-related pain. It is producing countless unanticipated benefits – including restored female fertility – as its story continues to unfold.In 1985, physical therapist Belinda Wurn was told she would live in excruciating pain from adhesions for the rest of her life. She and her husband, Larry, didn't take it sitting down. Through extensive study, trial and error they developed an effective hands-on treatment to relieve Belinda's pain. Their technique proved valuable beyond what they had even imagined.Inspired by the results they witnessed, they established a clinic to provide care and compassion to people who, like Belinda, had been told by doctors there was no hope. The foundation of treatment was their Wurn Technique®, a deep 'hands on' therapy to affected muscles and organs. They found that it worked for most patients as it had for Belinda.Soon, they began hearing from patients who were experiencing a range of totally unexpected benefits. It started with a woman who had come to them as a last gasp effort to relieve severe pelvic pain. After completing the Wurn's therapy she was virtually pain-free; but it didn't end there. Before therapy, she was infertile due to seven years of totally blocked fallopian tubes. But after her visit to the Wurns, she called to say she had become pregnant – the good old fashioned way. As word spread, physicians began referring women with pain or infertility despite years of expensive medical treatments, surgery or IVF. One doctor referred his wife, 12 years' infertile and entering menopause. Most of these women (including the doctor's wife) had natural pregnancies and easy births after the Wurns' therapy. To their delight, many found that desire and orgasms increased, or sex was no longer painful.Then reports came in from others with similar stories of unanticipated positive results. In the face of these, and with the encouragement of the medical community, Belinda and Larry began expanding their horizons.Overcome Infertility or Pain, Naturally is the fascinating story of these breakthroughs. It details the science behind the Wurn Technique® and presents the results of rigorous medical studies. It shares the dramatic narratives of women who had been declared medically infertile and went on to become "miracle moms." And it shines the light on many areas of new hope for people suffering a range of painful symptoms, from intestinal blockages to hormonal problems.This is a book of inspiration and hope built on a rock solid foundation of good, sound science and fact. It is required reading for anyone seeking solutions to female infertility, pain (whether unexplained, or related to adhesions or endometriosis), and other adhesion-related problems.

How the Hands-On Wurn Technique® Enhances Fertility in Women, Eliminates Debilitating Pain, and Restores Health and Hope

Overcome Infertility and Pain, Naturally

All civilizations have a story or myth of an Armageddon, a great war where good and evil will clash, fighting for the fate of the Universe. Some say good will triumph, others say not. In the time of Troy, three god-forged items were crafted. None of the gods who made these artifacts knew of the vital role each will play in that battle until history has molded them to its own needs. From Troy through Moses and to the Emperors of Rome, these items have been influenced by the sins and virtues of those who held them, and in return they have influenced their holders. From one hand to another they have been passed, through the generations. Only centuries after their making will their final purpose be known. No one truly knows when Armageddon is supposed to begin, but many believe it is right around the corner. They may very well be right. A time approaches where these artifacts will be sought; whether for good or evil remains to be seen. But to understand what these items are, it must be told how they came to be. From Troy to Egypt and finally the Promised Land, the Cup of Apollo continues its journey by the hands of a small merchant from Tyre.

Book Two:Of Humility & Pride

Well of Sins Book Two:Of Humility & Pride

Murder, mystery and books. For fans of Agatha Christie and M.C.Beaton, A Death at the University is the first book in a new murder mystery series. Sam Wiseman owns a cosy bookshop in the heart of Montreal, and has a particular love for detective novels. He leads a simple life, where the only mysteries are the ones he reads about in books. Until now. When Sam discovers the body of a professor at the nearby university, he becomes part of the investigation, and not for the reason he'd hoped. Forming an unlikely friendship with Detective Gaston Lemieux, Sam sets out to follow the clues and find the truth. Because Sam wants to do more than just clear his own name. He wants to solve the case . . . 'The plot is pure whodunnit.' The Globe and Mail 'crisply written and captivating in its plot twists.' Times Colonist ' . . . keeps its reader guessing until the very end. The books grabs hold of the reader's attention quickly and never lets go. It remains engaging, fast-paced and finely written throughout.' The Chronicle-Herald

A classic murder mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie

A Death at the University

When nine friends set out from England in 1969 to travel the world in a double-decker bus called 'Hairy Pillock', little did they know that they would become honorary citizens of Texas, hold the keys to New York, release a record in Australia, perform for the Shah and Empress of Iran, and appear on countless television and radio shows around the world. Their epic three-year journey, which began as a bet with the landlord of their local pub, took them across perilous roads through Europe to Iran and Afghanistan, through the Khyber Pass to Pakistan and India, then to Australia and, finally, the United States and Canada. Initially planning on getting work as export salesmen, they soon had to supplement their meagre funds by performing the folk songs they sang in the pubs back home, after which they achieved minor stardom as The Philanderers throughout Australia and the US. This light-hearted account follows the group on their trip across deserts and mountains, as they undertook an incredible expedition that would be impossible today.

Around the World in a Double-Decker

Band on the Bus

Jeremy Carrette

From Feng Shui to holistic medicine, from aromatherapy candles to yoga weekends, spirituality is big business. It promises to soothe away the angst of modern living and to offer an antidote to shallow materialism. Selling Spirituality is a short, sharp, attack on this fallacy. It shows how spirituality has in fact become a powerful commodity in the global marketplace - a cultural addiction that reflects orthodox politics, curbs self-expression and colonizes Eastern beliefs. Exposing how spirituality has today come to embody the privatization of religion in the modern West, Jeremy Carrette and Richard King reveal the people and brands who profit from this corporate hijack, and explore how spirituality can be reclaimed as a means of resistance to capitalism and its deceptions.

Richard King

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