John Semley's Books

Hater

On the Virtues of Utter Disagreeability

By: John Semley

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Hater

On the Virtues of Utter Disagreeability

By: John Semley

A timely manifesto urging us to think critically, form opinions, and then argue them with gusto. Hater begins from a simple premise: that it's good to hate things. Not people or groups or benign belief systems, but things. More to the point, it's good to hate the things everyone seems to like. Scan the click-baiting headlines of your favorite news or pop-culture website and you're likely to find that just about everything is, supposedly, "what we need right now." We are the victims of an unbridled, unearned optimism. And our world demands pessimism. It's vital to be contrarian--now, as they say, more than ever. Because ours is an age of calcified consensus. And we should all hate that. In this scathing and funny rebuke of the status quo, journalist John Semley illustrates that looking for and identifying nonsense isn't just a useful exercise for society, it's also a lot of fun. But Hater doesn't just skewer terrible TV shows and hit songs--at its core it shows us how to meaningfully talk about and engage with culture, and the world. Ultimately, Hater is what we actually need right now.

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152

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

0735236178

ISBN 13

9780735236172

This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall

By: Semley, John

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This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall

By: Semley, John

The first book to explore their history, legacy, and influence This is a book about the Kids in the Hall „ the legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in Toronto in 1984 and best known for the innovative, hilarious, zeitgeist-capturing sketch show The Kids in the Hall „ told by the people who were there, namely the Kids themselves. John SemleyÍs thoroughly researched book is rich with interviews with Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, and Scott Thompson, as well as Lorne Michaels and comedians speaking to the KidsÍ legacy: Janeane Garofalo, Tim Heidecker, Nathan Fielder, and others. It also turns a criticÍs eye on that legacy, making a strong case for the massive influence the Kids have exerted, both on alternative comedy and on pop culture more broadly. The Kids in the Hall were like a band: a group of weirdoes brought together, united by a common sensibility. And, much like a band, theyÍre always better when theyÍre together. This is a book about friendship, collaboration, and comedy „ and about clashing egos, lost opportunities, and one-upmanship. This is a book about the head-crushing, cross-dressing, inimitable Kids in the Hall.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

ECW Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1770909206

ISBN 13

9781770909205

English and Catholic

The Lords Baltimore in the Seventeenth Century

By: John D. Krugler

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English and Catholic

The Lords Baltimore in the Seventeenth Century

By: John D. Krugler

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to be English and Catholic was to face persecution, financial penalties, and sometimes death. Yet some English Catholics prospered, reconciling their faith and loyalty to their country. Among the most prominent was George Calvert, a talented and ambitious man who successfully navigated the politics of court and became secretary of state under King James I. A conforming Protestant from the age of twelve, Calvert converted back to Catholicism when a political crisis forced him to resign his position in 1625. The king rewarded Calvert by naming him Baron of Baltimore in Ireland. Insulated by wealth, with the support of powerful friends, and no longer occupied with court business, Baltimore sought to exploit his land grants in Ireland and Newfoundland. Seeking to increase his own fortune and status while enlarging the king's dominions, he embarked on a series of colonial enterprises that eventually led to Maryland. The experiences of Calvert and his heirs foster our understanding of politics and faith in Jacobean England. They also point to one of the earliest codifications of religious liberty in America, for in founding Maryland, Calvert and his son Cecil envisioned a prosperous society based on freedom of conscience. In English and Catholic, John D. Krugler traces the development of the "Maryland Designe," the novel solution the Calverts devised to resolve the conflict of loyalty they faced as English Catholics. In doing so, Krugler places the founding and early history of Maryland in the context of pervasive anxieties in England over identity, allegiance, and conscience. Explaining the evolution of the Calvert vision, Krugler ties together three main aspects of George Calvert's career: his nationalism and enthusiasm for English imperialism; his aim to find fortune and fame; and his deepening sense of himself as a Catholic. Skillfully told here, the story of the Calverts' bold experiment in advancing freedom of conscience is also the story of the roots of American liberty.

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Page Count

470

Publisher

JHU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1421402009

ISBN 13

9781421402000

Hater

On the Virtues of Utter Disagreeability

By: John Semley

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Hater

On the Virtues of Utter Disagreeability

By: John Semley

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Page Count

152

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

0735236178

ISBN 13

9780735236172

Wolf Solent

By: John Cowper Powys

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Wolf Solent

By: John Cowper Powys

First published in 1929, John Cowper Powys's novel of Eros and ideas was compared with works by Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, and D.H. Lawrence. Wolf Solent remains wholly unrivaled in its deft and risky balance of mysticism and social comedy, ecstatic contemplation of nature and unblinking observation of human folly and desire. Forsaking London for Ramsgard, Wolf Solent discovers a world of pagan splendor and medieval insularity, riddled by ancient scandals and resentments. And there this poetic young man meets two women—the sensuous beauty Gerda and the ethereal gamine Christie—who will become the sharers of his body and soul. "A novelist of great, cumulative force and lyrical intensity. . . . Out of his rhapsodic style and keen attentiveness to nature, he builds a tower of prose to match the firmament.”—Washington Post Book World

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Page Count

642

Publisher

Vintage

Published Date

ISBN 10

0375703071

ISBN 13

9780375703072

The diaries of Charlotte Downes

1828, 1829, 1831-1837

By: Charlotte Grove,John Lane

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The diaries of Charlotte Downes

1828, 1829, 1831-1837

By: Charlotte Grove,John Lane

The Diaries of Charlotte Downes, Volume I, is the third in a four-volume set, covering years 1828, 1829, 1831-1837. The diaries afford the reader a glimpse of a small corner of rural England from the Regency through to the early-mid Victorian periods when life was based on a timeless and often precarious agricultural economy, a rigid, inequitable class system and deference to an authoritative Church. Charlotte, the daughter of an influential Wiltshire land-owner, was first cousin to the poet Shelley; she later married Richard Downes, rector of Berwick St John. Her diaries, together with those of her sister, Harriet, have been described by one authority as "like a novel by Jane Austen, but for real". This full transcription contains entries spanning a period of almost fifty years and provides a useful resource for scholars and social historians alike. Family historians will find recorded within these pages an extraordinary number of named individuals, from families representing all sections of society.

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Page Count

498

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

0955722632

ISBN 13

9780955722639

The Warden's Punishment Book of All Souls College, Oxford

1601-1850

By: Scott Mandelbrote,John Davis

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The Warden's Punishment Book of All Souls College, Oxford

1601-1850

By: Scott Mandelbrote,John Davis

Edition, with full notes and apparatus, of a text which sheds much light on university affairs at the time. The Warden's Punishment Book is a record of punishments imposed on the Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford, for minor infringements of the statutes and of College discipline, from its inception in 1601 until 1851. It is a uniquedocument in terms of its scope and detail among the College records of Oxford and Cambridge and provides significant insights into the daily life and personal relationships of such an institution during the early modern period. This volume presents an edition of the text of the Punishment Book, with a substantial biographical register detailing the careers of those mentioned as punishers or punished. An introduction explains the significance and context of the Punishment Book within collegiate, university, and social history. Scott Mandelbrote is Fellow, Perne Librarian, and Director of Studies in History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, he was formerly Fellow and Sub-Warden of All Souls College, Oxford; John H.R. Davis is an Honorary Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, of which he was Warden between 1995 and 2008. He is an anthropologist and was Professor of Social Anthropology at the Universityof Oxford, and, before that, at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

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Page Count

256

Publisher

Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Published Date

ISBN 10

0904107264

ISBN 13

9780904107265

War, Exile and the Music of Afghanistan

The Ethnographer’s Tale

By: John Baily

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War, Exile and the Music of Afghanistan

The Ethnographer’s Tale

By: John Baily

In the 1970s John Baily conducted extensive ethnomusicological research in Afghanistan, principally in the city of Herat but also in Kabul. Then, with Taraki’s coup in 1978, came conflict, war, and the dispersal of many musicians to locations far and wide. This new publication is the culmination of Baily’s further research on Afghan music over the 35 years that followed. This took him to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, the USA, Australia and parts of Europe - London, Hamburg and Dublin. Arranged chronologically, the narrative traces the sequence of political events - from 1978, through the Soviet invasion, to the coming of the Taliban and, finally, the aftermath of the US-led invasion in 2001. He examines the effects of the ever-changing situation on the lives and works of Afghan musicians, following individual musicians in fascinating detail. At the heart of his analysis are privileged vignettes of ten musical personalities - some of friends, and some newly discovered. The result is a remarkable personal memoir by an eminent ethnomusicologist known for his deep commitment to Afghanistan, Afghan musicians and Afghan musical culture. John Baily is also an ethnographic filmmaker. Four of his films relating to his research are included on the downloadable resources that accompanies the text.

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Page Count

265

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1315466910

ISBN 13

9781315466910

PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services

By: John Brown,Pat Gaudin,Wendy Moran

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PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services

By: John Brown,Pat Gaudin,Wendy Moran

In the UK's current climate of budget cuts and policy changes, local government officials need to be aware of best practice in both broadcasting their services and responding to crises in their communities. Meanwhile, changes in the media - from the rise of social media, to web access for older consumers - present new challenges for local councils about how to best convey their key messages and protect their 'brand'. Full of expert advice, tools and case studies from a variety of sources, PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services is a practical reference guide to delivering professional public relations for both communications and the delivery of local services. It offers a detailed analysis of the issues that are unique to this challenging and fast-moving environment, whilst reinforcing the importance of effective and meaningful communication to both local democracy and the planning and delivery of quality services. PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services is also supported by a range of online resources, including case studies, appendices, and a bonus chapter on local authority publicity. About the PR in Practice series: Published in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the PR in Practice series comprises accessible, practical introductions to day-to-day issues of public relations practice and management. The series' action-oriented approach keeps knowledge and skills up to date.

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Page Count

320

Publisher

Kogan Page Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0749466170

ISBN 13

9780749466176

Wuhan

By: John Fletcher

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Wuhan

By: John Fletcher

A multi-stranded historical epic set in China in 1937, when Wuhan stood alone against a whirlwind of war and violence. 'Fletcher impresses in this searing debut... Fletcher makes all his characters realistic, even if they only appear briefly, and excels at portraying the horrors of war and the moral challenges it poses. Fans of J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun will be riveted' Publishers Weekly, Starred Review 1937. CHINA IS AT WAR. Soldiers of the Empire of Japan sweep through the country, killing and displacing the millions who stand in their way. As vast swathes of the country fall to the invaders, Wuhan, an industrial city in the centre of China, is appointed wartime capital. While the rest of the world looks the other way, the citizens of Wuhan stand alone against a whirlwind of violence – transforming militarily, educationally, medically and culturally. Their heroic efforts halted the Japanese. Weaving together a multitude of narratives, Wuhan is a historical fiction epic that pulls no punches: the heart-in-mouth tale of a peasant family forced onto a thousand-mile refugee death-march; the story of Lao She – China's greatest writer – leaving his family in a war zone to assist with the propaganda effort in Wuhan; the hellish battlefields of the Sino-Japanese war; the approaching global conflict seen through a host of colourful characters – from Chiang Kai-Shek, China's nationalist leader, to Peter Fleming, a British journalist based in Wuhan and the prototype for his younger brother Ian Fleming's James Bond.

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Page Count

844

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1800249853

ISBN 13

9781800249851

Masquerading Politics

Kinship, Gender, and Ethnicity in a Yoruba Town

By: John Thabiti Willis

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Masquerading Politics

Kinship, Gender, and Ethnicity in a Yoruba Town

By: John Thabiti Willis

“Willis should be commended for penetrating a complex and socially guarded ritual resource to glean the hidden histories manifested therein.” —African Studies Review In West Africa, especially among Yoruba people, masquerades have the power to kill enemies, appoint kings, and grant fertility. John Thabiti Willis takes a close look at masquerade traditions in the Yoruba town of Otta, exploring transformations in performers, performances, and the institutional structures in which masquerade was used to reveal ongoing changes in notions of gender, kinship, and ethnic identity. As Willis focuses on performers and spectators, he reveals a history of masquerade that is rich and complex. His research offers a more nuanced understanding of performance practices in Africa and their role in forging alliances, consolidating state power, incorporating immigrants, executing criminals, and projecting individual and group power on both sides of the Afro-Atlantic world. “Willis cites oral traditions, archival sources, and publications to draw attention to the link between economic development and spectacular and historically influential masquerade performances.” —Babatunde Lawal, author of The Gelede Spectacle “Important in its emphasis on the history of an art form and its specific cultural context; of interest to academic audiences as well as general readers.” —Henry Drewal, editor of Sacred Waters “Willis’s work should be a must-read for students and established scholars alike.” —Africa

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Page Count

217

Publisher

Indiana University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0253031451

ISBN 13

9780253031457

Of Sex and Faerie: further essays on Genre Fiction

By: John Lennard

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Of Sex and Faerie: further essays on Genre Fiction

By: John Lennard

Taking up where Of Modern Dragons (2007) left off, these essays continue Lennard's investigation of the praxis of serial reading and the best genre fiction of recent decades, including work by Bill James, Walter Mosley, Lois Mcmaster Bujold, and Ursula K. Le Guin. There are groundbreaking studies of contemporary paranormal romance, and of Hornblower's transition to space, while the final essay deals with the phenomenon and explosive growth of fanfiction, and with the increasingly empowered status of the reader in a digital world. There is an extensive bibliography of genre and critical work, with eight illustrations. John Lennard is Director of Studies at Hughes Hall, Cambridge and has also taught for the Universities of London, Notre Dame, and for the Open University, and was Professor of British & American Literature at the University of the West Indies-Mona, 2004-09. Of Modern Dragons and other essays on genre fiction (2007), is also available from Lulu.

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Page Count

398

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1847601731

ISBN 13

9781847601735

Scores

By: John Clute

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Scores

By: John Clute

For more than 50 years John Clute has been reviewing science fiction and fantasy. As Scores demonstrates, his devotion to the task of understanding the central literatures of our era has not slackened. There are jokes in Scores, and curses, and tirades, and apologies, and riffs; but every word of every review, in the end, is about how we understand the stories we tell about the world. Following on from his two previous books of collected reviews (Strokes and Look at the Evidence) this book collects reviews from a wide variety of sources, but mostly from Interzone, the New York Review of Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Weekly. Where it has seemed possible to do so without distorting contemporary responses to books, these reviews have been revised, sometimes extensively. 125 review articles, over 200 books reviewed in more than 214,000 words.

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Page Count

544

Publisher

Gateway

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473219809

ISBN 13

9781473219809

Wolf Solent: A Novel, Volume I

By: John Cowper Powys

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Wolf Solent: A Novel, Volume I

By: John Cowper Powys

When it was first published in 1929, John Cowper Powys’ rapturous novel of eros and ideas was compared with works by Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, and D. H. Lawrence. Since then it has won the admiration of writers from Henry Miller to Iris Murdoch. Wolf Solent remains wholly unrivalled in its deft and risky balance of mysticism and social comedy, ecstatic contemplation of nature and unblinking observation of human folly and desire. Forsaking London for Ramsgard, a village in Dorsetshire, Wolf Solent discovers a world of pagan splendor and medieval insularity, riddled by ancient scandals and resentments. And there this poetic young man meets two women—the sensuous beauty Gerda and the ethereal gamine Christie—who will become the sharers of his body and soul. Audacious, extravagant, and gloriously strange, Wolf Solent is a twentieth-century masterpiece. This present volume is the first volume in a set of two. “The only book in the English language to rival Tolstoy.”—George Steiner “[Powys is] as domestic as Jane Austen, a genius like her at creating a cast of characters as part of a comedy and in a comic setting....[He is] as brilliant an explorer of our erotic being as D. H. Lawrence.”—New York Review of Books “A momentous work...of transcendent interest and great beauty.”—The New York Times Book Review “Filled with authentic characters and closely caught conversations, [Powys’s books] resemble Shakespeare in the interplay of cultured and ignorant, male and female.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Wolf Solent is a brilliant book...beautifully managed, and with the finest of inevitability.”—Conrad Aiken “In the beauty and freshness of its imagery and the sustained interest of its narrative, its power is without question. Its prose often rises to the cadence of poetry”—New York Herald Tribune “An epic of pagan beauty.”—Chicago Tribune

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Page Count

627

Publisher

Pickle Partners Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1789127513

ISBN 13

9781789127515

The Railway Goods Shed and Warehouse in England

By: John Minnis

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The Railway Goods Shed and Warehouse in England

By: John Minnis

Although goods traffic accounted in many cases for a higher proportion of railway companies’ revenue than passengers, the buildings associated with it have received very little attention in comparison to their passenger counterparts. They once played as important a role in distribution as the ‘big sheds’ near motorway junctions do today. The book shows how the basic design of goods sheds evolved early in the history of railways, and how the form of goods sheds reflected the function they performed. Although goods sheds largely functioned in the same way, there was considerable scope for variety of architectural expression in their external design. The book brings out how they varied considerably in size from small timber huts to the massive warehouses seen in major cities. It also looks at how many railway companies developed standard designs for these buildings towards the end of the 19th century and at how traditional materials such as timber, brick and stone gave way to steel and concrete in the 20th This building type is subject to a high level of threat with development pressure in urban and suburban areas for both car parking and housing having already accounted for the demise of many of these buildings. Despite this, some 600 have been identified as still extant and the book will, for the first time, provide a comprehensive gazetteer of the surviving examples.

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Page Count

143

Publisher

English Heritage

Published Date

ISBN 10

1848023294

ISBN 13

9781848023291

Book's by John Semley

Hater

Hater

This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall

This Is a Book About the Kids in the Hall

English and Catholic

English and Catholic

Hater

Hater

Wolf Solent

Wolf Solent

The diaries of Charlotte Downes

The diaries of Charlotte Downes

The Warden's Punishment Book of All Souls College, Oxford

The Warden's Punishment Book of All Souls College, Oxford

War, Exile and the Music of Afghanistan

War, Exile and the Music of Afghanistan

PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services

PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services

Wuhan

Wuhan

Masquerading Politics

Masquerading Politics

Of Sex and Faerie: further essays on Genre Fiction

Of Sex and Faerie: further essays on Genre Fiction

Scores

Scores

Wolf Solent: A Novel, Volume I

Wolf Solent: A Novel, Volume I

The Railway Goods Shed and Warehouse in England

The Railway Goods Shed and Warehouse in England

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