Mervyn Nel's Books

The Priest and the Gondolier

By: Mervyn Nel

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The Priest and the Gondolier is a fascinating new novel by Mervyn Nel. Venice experiences a series of art heists. Paintings are stolen from museums and art galleries. Chief Superintendent, Gina Rossi of the Italian Police and Harry Wilson, an art expert who does freelance work for Interpol in the United Kingdom are commissioned to investigate. As their investigation deepens, Harry suspects that someone within Gina’s department is providing the thieves with confidential information. Though they are often in agreement on how to take the investigation further, at times they see things differently. They receive help from two unlikely sources. The first is from Father Mancini, an elderly priest who translated an ancient manuscript from Latin into Italian and the second is from a middle-aged gondolier, Sergio Alfano, who in his youth was Europe’s foremost art forger. Together they devise an ingenious plan to trap the thieves. Destined to be a literary classic, The Priest and the Gondolier will take your imagination on a fascinating journey through the beautiful city of Venice. The author will guide you through its intricate lanes and canals, letting you see the real, “La Serenissima” or as stated in his own words, a means to experience Venice from a perspective that is anything but ordinary. Mervyn Nel graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a national diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Psychology. He has since become a full-time South African author who after the successful publication of his most recent novel, ‘Theft from Delos’ he left the corporate world to pursue his passion for writing. Mervyn has penned several articles for mainstream magazines, in addition to which, between 2005 and 2012, he wrote short stories, plays and poems for learners between the grades of two and twelve whose home language was not English but who wished to be taught in English as their first language. When he is not writing, Mervyn takes pleasure in being out in nature or enjoying time with his two beloved two cats in his garden in Weltevredenpark, the place he calls home.

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283

Publisher

Gruppo Albatros Il Filo

Published Date

ISBN 13

9791220140843

Theft from Delos

By: Mervyn Nel

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Theft from Delos

By: Mervyn Nel

He thought of his wife and son. At this hour, they would be asleep, blissfully unaware of the ghastly events that were playing out on the Aegean. “We only have a small window of opportunity to get this job done before the night fishermen return to Mykonos and the morning fishermen go out. If they see us, they may become curious and ask what we are doing or worse still, inform the coast guard.” Michael, an accounts executive from New York City, is devastated by the untimely death of his wife. His doctor recommends he takes a vacation. Michael travels to Greece, the ideal location to translate a nineteenth-century diary written by a French archaeologist, bought a few years prior at a book market in Paris. Unbeknown to him, the Aegean islands have recently experienced a horrific crime. During the theft of five ancient statues from the sacred island of Delos, fourteen archaeologists were murdered. With the help of Althea, a beautiful Greek lady from the island of Mykonos, Michael begins to translate the diary, but there are others who also have an interest in it. As a consortium of international agents carries out their investigation into the stolen statues, Michael finds himself an innocent participant, not only in their enthralling investigation but also in a kidnapping. It is a world that is foreign to him; a world fraught with intrigue and deception. “‘In 1930 I was the Head Archaeologist on the sacred island of Delos’”. Fabien stopped reading and looked at the Host. “I’m afraid this was where my grandfather started crying and rambling but I wrote down what he said as best I could. Shall I continue reading?” “Yes, do go on.” “‘We hid the treasure. Looking back, I know that what we did was wrong. Please tell the Greek authorities about the treasure and ask her citizens to forgive a greedy and dying old man.’” Mervyn Nel graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a National Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Psychology. He has written multiple articles which have been published in mainstream magazines. After a long and fulfilling career as a Credit Evaluation Manager in a leading financial services organisation, he left the corporate world to pursue his passion for writing. He is currently working on his latest novel, The Postojna Manuscript. The backdrops to his novels are inspired by his travels across the globe. When he is not writing, he can be found pottering around in his garden in Weltevredenpark, South Africa.

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213

Publisher

Europa Edizioni

Published Date

ISBN 13

9791220109260

Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park

By: Ernst Schmidt,Mervyn Lotter,Warren McCleland

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Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park

By: Ernst Schmidt,Mervyn Lotter,Warren McCleland

This is a guide to every tree and woody shrub indigenous to the province of Mpumlanga and the entire Kruger National Park. Designed for use by beginner tree enthusiasts and the seasoned botanist, it details more than 950 species of trees and shrubs.

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Page Count

710

Publisher

Jacana Media

Published Date

ISBN 10

191977730X

ISBN 13

9781919777306

Trauma, Injustice and Identity

Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives

By: Mervyn Coetzee,Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam

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Trauma, Injustice and Identity

Investigating an Egalitarian and Autoethnographic Approach to Analysing Students’ Personal Language Narratives

By: Mervyn Coetzee,Sivakumar Sivasubramaniam

Many students for whom English is a second language may be reticent in the classroom due to their perceived lack of English language fluency, among other reasons. The study featured in this book investigates the discourses of affective trauma, injustice and identity in the personal language narratives of academic literacy students enrolled into a four-year undergraduate degree programme at a South African university. The study also featured interviews with students and teaching staff, observations of tutorials, observations from the teacher, as well as a comprehensive survey. The purpose of the book is to attempt an analysis of the underlying reasons for the students’ apparent reticence and demotivation, and to engender a critical awareness of affective issues in the learning and teaching environment of educators at primary, high school, and tertiary education levels. Affective trauma, and its impact on student success and retention, is an under-researched area of learning and teaching. The book aims to present transformative measures to address these issues. This is an important book for educators, educational policy-makers, curriculum developers, and learning and teaching specialists.

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Page Count

461

Publisher

Ethics International Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1804411736

ISBN 13

9781804411735

WITS

A University in the Apartheid Era

By: Mervyn Shear

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WITS

A University in the Apartheid Era

By: Mervyn Shear

When the National Government assumed power in 1948, one of the earliest moves was to introduce segregated education. Its threats to restrict the admission of black students into the four ‘open universities’ galvanised the staff and students of those institutions to oppose any attempt to interfere with their autonomy and freedom to decide who should be admitted. In subsequent years, as the regime adopted increasingly oppressive measures to prop up the apartheid state, opposition on the campuses, and in the country, increased and burgeoned into a Mass Democratic Movement intent on making the country ungovernable. Protest escalated through successive states of emergency and clashes with police on campus became regular events. Residences were raided, student leaders were harassed by security police and many students and some staff were detained for lengthy periods without recourse to the courts. First published in 1996, WITS: A University in the Apartheid Era by Mervyn Shear tells the story of how the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) adapted to the political and social developments in South Africa under apartheid. This new edition is published in the University’s centenary year with a preface by Firoz Cachalia, one of Wits’ student leaders in the 1980s. It serves as an invaluable historical resource on questions about the relationship between the University and the state, and on understanding the University’s place and identity in a constitutional democracy.

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Page Count

398

Publisher

NYU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1776148045

ISBN 13

9781776148042

From Lenin to Castro, 1917–1959

Early Encounters between Moscow and Havana

By: Mervyn J. Bain

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From Lenin to Castro, 1917–1959

Early Encounters between Moscow and Havana

By: Mervyn J. Bain

This book addresses the relationship between Moscow and Havana in the period between the Russian and Cuban Revolutions, i.e. from November 1917 to January 1959. It analyzes the reasons why in this era before the Cuban Revolution, which is traditionally thought to have ignited Moscow’s interest in the Caribbean island, a relationship existed between the two countries at a variety of different levels. In order to do this, both the attention that the Third International, or Comintern, gave to Cuba, as well as Moscow’s formal state-to-state relations with Havana, are examined. In addition, United States policy towards both socialism and the Soviet Union are analyzed, due to the role that Washington played in Cuba prior to the Cuban Revolution. Following this, an examination of the events, process and dynamics that characterized the nature of the relationship between Moscow and Havana from 1917 to 1959 will be conducted. A number of conclusions will be given, but the primary one is that prior to January 1959, the Kremlin took considerable interest in Cuba and did not suffer from “geographical fatalism,” as has traditionally been thought. This is significant in itself, but also in light of the relationship that rapidly developed between Moscow and Havana in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution, as a number of factors that were important in the pre-1959 relationship would also be significant after 1959. Furthermore, this analysis is also important for the contemporary bilateral relationship between Russia and Cuba, as both governments have made increasing reference to the multifaceted relationship that existed prior to 1959.

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Page Count

171

Publisher

Lexington Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0739181114

ISBN 13

9780739181119

Britten and the Far East

Asian Influences in the Music of Benjamin Britten

By: Mervyn Cooke

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Britten and the Far East

Asian Influences in the Music of Benjamin Britten

By: Mervyn Cooke

Investigation into the influence of Eastern music on Britten's composition. Benjamin Britten's interest in the musical traditions of the Far East had a far-reaching influence on his compositional style; this book is the first to investigate the highly original cross-cultural synthesis he was able to achieve through the use of material borrowed from Balinese, Japanese and Indian music. Britten's visit to Indonesia and Japan in 1955-6 is reconstructed from archival sources, and shown to have had a profound impact on his subsequent work: the techniques of Balinese gamelan music were used in the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas (1957), and then became an essential feature of Britten's compositional style, at their most potent in Death in Venice(1973). The No drama and Gagaku court music of Japan were the inspiration for the trilogy of church parables Britten composed in the 1960s. The precise nature of these influences is discussed; Britten's sporadic borrowings from Indian music are also fully analysed. There is a survey of critical responses to Britten's cross-cultural experiments. Dr MERVYN COOKE lectures in music at the University of Nottingham.

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310

Publisher

Boydell & Brewer

Published Date

ISBN 10

0851158307

ISBN 13

9780851158303

Moscow and Havana 1917 to the Present

An Enduring Friendship in an Ever-Changing Global Context

By: Mervyn J. Bain

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Moscow and Havana 1917 to the Present

An Enduring Friendship in an Ever-Changing Global Context

By: Mervyn J. Bain

This book addresses the relationship between Moscow and Havana in the period from the Russian Revolution through the present, i.e. from November 1917 onwards. Its release is particularly timely, due to both November 2017 being the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, as well as the historic election in Cuba in April 2018, when Miguel Díaz-Canel replaced Raúl Castro as the President of Cuba. Traditionally, Moscow’s interest in Cuba has been thought to have been ignited by the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 and ended by the implosion of the Soviet Union in December 1991. This book examines why a bilateral relationship has existed throughout the last century, specifically in three distinct periods: (1) from the time of the Russian Revolution until the Cuban Revolution, (2) from January 1959 until December 1991 and (3) the post-Soviet period from 1992 until the present. It also analyzes the questions of what within the relationship drew the two countries together in these three disparate periods when in only one, January 1959 to December 1991, did the relationship exist between two socialist governments. It offers a number of different conclusions, including that although each period of the relationship has its own peculiarities and nuances, a number of commonalities exist between the three eras. Consequently, it is posited that due to these commonalities, the contemporary bilateral relationship remains important for both countries, and is likely to continue in its present form for the short to medium term, despite the historic change which occurred in Cuba in April 2018.

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Page Count

297

Publisher

Lexington Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1498576036

ISBN 13

9781498576031

The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968

By: Mervyn Edwin Roberts III

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The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968

By: Mervyn Edwin Roberts III

The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, for the first time fully explores the most sustained, intensive use of psychological operations (PSYOP) in American history. In PSYOP, US military personnel use a variety of tactics—mostly audio and visual messages—to influence individuals and groups to behave in ways that favor US objectives. Informed by the author’s firsthand experience of such operations elsewhere, this account of the battle for “hearts and minds” in Vietnam offers rare insight into the art and science of propaganda as a military tool in the twentieth century. The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, focuses on the creation, capabilities, and performance of the forces that conducted PSYOP in Vietnam, including the Joint US Public Affairs Office and the 4th PSYOP Group. In his comprehensive account, Mervyn Edwin Roberts III covers psychological operations across the entire theater, by all involved US agencies. His book reveals the complex interplay of these activities within the wider context of Vietnam and the Cold War propaganda battle being fought by the United States at the same time. Because PSYOP never occurs in a vacuum, Roberts considers the shifting influence of alternative sources of information—especially from the governments of North and South Vietnam, but also from Australia, Korea, and the Philippines. The Psychological War for Vietnam, 1960–1968, also addresses the development of PSYOP doctrine and training in the period prior to the introduction of ground combat forces in 1965 and, finally, shows how the course of the war itself forced changes to this doctrine. The scope of the book allows for a unique measurement of the effectiveness of psychological operations over time.

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Page Count

428

Publisher

University Press of Kansas

Published Date

ISBN 10

0700625836

ISBN 13

9780700625833

Exceptional Talent

How to Attract, Acquire and Retain the Very Best Employees

By: Mervyn Dinnen,Matt Alder

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Exceptional Talent

How to Attract, Acquire and Retain the Very Best Employees

By: Mervyn Dinnen,Matt Alder

Attracting, hiring, developing and retaining the right people is crucial to an organization's success. The stakes have never been higher: a 2015 study by CAP suggests that the average cost of employee attrition is 20% of a mid-level employee's annual salary and up to 213% of a high-level executive's salary. In a business environment changing so rapidly that jobs which will be essential in 2020 don't even exist yet, Exceptional Talent examines how changes in technology, communication, and employee preferences are impacting the talent journey. It gives practical advice for how to build an effective recruitment and talent management strategy to meet the needs of the business today and prepare for the challenges of the future. Exceptional Talent covers how to build an authentic employer brand, explores new ways of sourcing candidates and explains how to use print, digital, social and mobile platforms to target the right people in the right way. Highlighting the impact of networks, relationships and referrals on talent acquisition, it also provides tools and techniques to create an efficient recruitment process, strategies for effective onboarding of new employees as well as practical advice and best practice case studies for retaining and engaging employees.

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Page Count

193

Publisher

Kogan Page Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0749479744

ISBN 13

9780749479749

Songs of Kaumatua

Traditional Songs of the Maori as Sung by Kino Hughes

By: Dr. Mervyn McLean,Dr. Margaret Orbell

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Songs of Kaumatua

Traditional Songs of the Maori as Sung by Kino Hughes

By: Dr. Mervyn McLean,Dr. Margaret Orbell

Sixty traditional Maori songs of Tuhoe sung by Kino Hughes are presented in this book and CD collection. The text of each song is given in both English and Maori along with a musical transcription. Kino Hughes was an outstanding singer, orator, and respected Kaumatua who, determined to preserve for future generations all the songs he knew, asked these authors to compile this magnificent record. The introduction includes information on Kino Hughes, on the people of the Tuhoe Maori tribe, on the song categories used, and on the music. This important record of Maori music includes photographs, a glossary, notes on the texts, transcriptions, and an index of song types. Includes 2 CD-ROMs.

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Page Count

682

Publisher

Auckland University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1775581578

ISBN 13

9781775581574

Traditional Songs of the Maori

By: Mervyn McLean,Margaret Orbell

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Traditional Songs of the Maori

By: Mervyn McLean,Margaret Orbell

This classic study of indigenous Polynesian music, conducted in the 1960s, includes a survey of traditional songs in different styles that embody the fundamental values of Maori culture in New Zealand. Musical transcriptions, Maori texts, English translations, and extensive notes on more than 50 traditional Maori songs are included. Common ceremonial songs are represented, including elaborate laments, love songs, war chants, songs of welcome, and witty occasional songs.

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Page Count

620

Publisher

Auckland University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1775582264

ISBN 13

9781775582267

Poverty in the Soviet Union

The Life-styles of the Underprivileged in Recent Years

By: Mervyn Matthews

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Poverty in the Soviet Union

The Life-styles of the Underprivileged in Recent Years

By: Mervyn Matthews

A significant analysis of Soviet poverty from Soviet as well as Western sources. Emphasizes lifestyle and social issues, although some problems of an industrialized society are also considered.

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Page Count

250

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521310598

ISBN 13

9780521310598

Reforming China's State-owned Enterprises and Banks

By: Becky Chiu,Mervyn Lewis

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Reforming China's State-owned Enterprises and Banks

By: Becky Chiu,Mervyn Lewis

This book is informative and readable. It will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn about the development of the Chinese economy in general and the reforms of state-owned enterprises in particular. The data and in-depth discussion presented in the book will appeal to academics as well as policymakers. Yin-Fang Zhang, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy China watchers will welcome a book which provides a detailed insight into the two pillars of that economy: the state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the state-owned banks (SOBs). This is a scholarly work, rich in detail. Shelagh Heffernan, The Financial Regulator For China to sustain her transformation requires that she tackle reform of her state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and banks. This book comprehensively assesses the scale of the problem, reviews previous reforms and suggested solutions. Finally the authors propose their own reform agenda, sensitive to Chinese realities. Michael Artis, European University Institute, Italy This is an excellent study of the nexus between the effects of party control, the soft budget of state-owned enterprise (SOEs) and the financial fragility of the state-owned banking system (SOBs) in China. It is both sympathetic and knowledgeable about the problems of achieving reform and progress. Beautifully written, it should become the most influential work in this field in the English-speaking world. Charles A.E. Goodhart, London School of Economics, UK This book s starting point is that after two decades of experiments, during which other transition economies have effectively privatised all of their former state enterprises, China is still endeavouring to find a way to reinvent and re-engineer its own state-owned economic establishments. The authors explore these reforms along with the problems of China s state-owned banks, which have long been troubled by the adverse loans of Chinese enterprises and face foreign competition in 2007 under China s WTO commitments. Drawing on wide-ranging case studies of enterprise reform, Becky Chiu and Mervyn Lewis combine their extensive experience to give an authoritative account of China s enterprise and bank reform agenda, involving property rights, improved corporate governance and stimulating enterprise. This book will be of great interest to business economists, academic economists and those following the development of the Chinese economy.

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Page Count

451

Publisher

Edward Elgar Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1845429885

ISBN 13

9781845429881

Music, Lapita, and the Problem of Polynesian Origins

By: Mervyn McLean

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Music, Lapita, and the Problem of Polynesian Origins

By: Mervyn McLean

For more than twenty years the standard view among anthropologists has been that Polynesians evolved from a group of settlers known as Lapita people whose characteristically dentate-stamped pottery has been found on numerous mostly Melanesian sites, and who entered Fiji more than 3000 years ago from a starting point in the Bismarck Archipelago. An alternative view that champions Micronesia as a primary area of origin for Polynesians has been in limbo as a result of the prevailing theory, but is reappraised in the present book and found once again to be in contention. The book takes an historical view of theories of origin, and provides some account of methodologies used by scholarly disciplines which have been brought to bear on the subject, including evidence from music and dance, which forms the core of the book.

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Page Count

231

Publisher

Mervyn McLean

Published Date

ISBN 10

0473288737

ISBN 13

9780473288730

The Flowering of a Waratah

A History of Australian Neurology and of the Australian Association of Neurologists

By: Mervyn J. Eadie

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The Flowering of a Waratah

A History of Australian Neurology and of the Australian Association of Neurologists

By: Mervyn J. Eadie

Commencing with European settlement in Australia and the medical practitioners of that time, The Flowering of a Waratah traces the development of neurology in Australia from its dependence on medical advances in Britain, Europe and North America to the present day where the high standards of clinical neurology and research are acknowledged internationally. The history not only expands on some of the personalities who have contributed to the present high international standing enjoyed by Australian neurology and some of the reasons for this reputation, including the Australian Association of Neurologists itself, but it also contains the records of membership and financial accounts and of papers presented to early scientific meetings of the Association. The Flowering of a Waratah is a superbly detailed account of the history of neurology in Australia which will enrich the professional lives of future generations of Australian neurologists with a sense of being, as they and the Australian Association of Neurologists continue to flourish.

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Page Count

272

Publisher

John Libbey Eurotext

Published Date

ISBN 10

0861966066

ISBN 13

9780861966066

Thorsons' Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals

By: Leonard Mervyn

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Thorsons' Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals

By: Leonard Mervyn

This comprehensive guide aimed at both the public and healthcare practitioner is an essential reference book for all those interested in nutritional therapy.

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Page Count

472

Publisher

HarperThorsons

Published Date

ISBN 10

0007110677

ISBN 13

9780007110674

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