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Foucault's Pendulum
Bored with their work, three Milanese editors cook up "the Plan," a hoax that connects the medieval Knights Templar with other occult groups from ancient to modern times. This produces a map indicating the geographical point from which all the powers of the earth can be controlled—a point located in Paris, France, at Foucault’s Pendulum. But in a fateful turn the joke becomes all too real, and when occult groups, including Satanists, get wind of the Plan, they go so far as to kill one of the editors in their quest to gain control of the earth. Orchestrating these and other diverse characters into his multilayered semiotic adventure, Eco has created a superb cerebral entertainment. .
Price: $7.94
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The Name of the Rose (Everyman's Library (Cloth))
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) A spectacular best seller and now a classic, The Name of the Rose catapulted Umberto Eco, an Italian professor of semiotics turned novelist, to international prominence. An erudite murder mystery set in a fourteenth-century monastery, it is not only a gripping story but also a brilliant exploration of medieval philosophy, history, theology, and logic. In 1327, Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate a wealthy Italian abbey whose monks are suspected of heresy. When his mission is overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths patterned on the book of Revelation, Brother William turns detective, following the trail of a conspiracy that brings him face-to-face with the abbey’s labyrinthine secrets, the subversive effects of laughter, and the medieval Inquisition. Caught in a power struggle between the emperor he serves and the pope who rules the Church, Brother William comes to see that what is at stake is larger than any mere political dispute–that his investigation is being blocked by those who fear imagination, curiosity, and the power of ideas. The Name of the Rose offers the reader not only an ingeniously constructed mystery—complete with secret symbols and coded manuscripts—but also an unparalleled portrait of the medieval world on the brink of profound transformation..
Price: $14.91
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History of Beauty
What is beauty? What is art? What is taste and fashion? Is beauty something to be observed coolly and rationally or is it something dangerously involving? So begins Umberto Eco's intriguing journey into the aesthetics of beauty, in which he explores the ever-changing concept of the beautiful from the ancient Greeks to today. While closely examining the development of the visual arts and drawing on works of literature from each era, Eco broadens his enquiries to consider a range of concepts, including the idea of love, the unattainable woman, natural inspiration versus numeric formulas, and the continuing importance of ugliness, cruelty, and even the demonic. Professor Eco takes us from classical antiquity to the present day, dispelling many preconceptions along the way and concluding that the relevance of his research is urgent because we live in an age of great reverence for beauty, "an orgy of tolerance, the total syncretism and the absolute and unstoppable polytheism of Beauty." In this, his first illustrated book, Professor Eco offers a layered approach that includes a running narrative, abundant examples of painting and sculpture, and excerpts from writers and philosophers of each age, plus comparative tables. A true road map to the idea of beauty for any reader who wishes to journey into this wonderful realm with Eco's nimble mind as guide. .
Price: $19.90
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Pinocchio (New York Review Books Classics)
Though one of the best-known books in the world, Pinocchio at the same time remains unknown—linked in many minds to the Walt Disney movie that bears little relation to Carlo Collodi’s splendid original. That story is of course about a puppet who, after many trials, succeeds in becoming a “real boy.” Yet it is hardly a sentimental or morally improving tale. To the contrary, Pinocchio is one of the great subversives of the written page, a madcap genius hurtled along at the pleasure and mercy of his desires, a renegade who in many ways resembles his near contemporary Huck Finn. Pinocchio the novel, no less than Pinocchio the character, is one of the great inventions of modern literature. A sublime anomaly, the book merges the traditions of the picaresque, of street theater, and of folk and fairy tales into a work that is at once adventure, satire, and a powerful enchantment that anticipates surrealism and magical realism. Thronged with memorable characters and composed with the fluid but inevitable logic of a dream, Pinocchio is an endlessly fascinating work that is essential equipment for life..
Price: $7.75
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Manual of Freediving: Underwater on a Single Breath (Freediving)
Is the first comprehensive manual that teaches how to hold the breath, stay underwater longer, and descend deeper into the blue. The book includes a history of freediving, and detailed drawings of underwater exercises, finning techniques and selected Yoga postures to enhance lung capacity. This book is highly recommended to Skin-divers, Scuba-Divers and Surfers. It teaches how to hold the breath longer under water..
Price: $26.07
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Baudolino
It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors and proceeds to tell his own fantastical story. Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino has two major gifts-a talent for learning languages and a skill in telling lies. When still a boy he meets a foreign commander in the woods, charming him with his quick wit and lively mind. The commander-who proves to be Emperor Frederick Barbarossa-adopts Baudolino and sends him to the university in Paris, where he makes a number of fearless, adventurous friends. Spurred on by myths and their own reveries, this merry band sets out in search of Prester John, a legendary priest-king said to rule over a vast kingdom in the East-a phantasmagorical land of strange creatures with eyes on their shoulders and mouths on their stomachs, of eunuchs, unicorns, and lovely maidens. With dazzling digressions, outrageous tricks, extraordinary feeling, and vicarious reflections on our postmodern age, this is Eco the storyteller at his brilliant best. .
Price: $0.50
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Italy: The Best Travel Writing from the New York Times
Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and this beautiful, useful volume is an ideal reminder for those who have been there and fallen in love with the country, as well as a book to stir the expectations of those who plan to travel there. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, this collection captures the local color of every remarkable corner of this richly diverse land-the clamor and vitality of Naples, the idyllic enchantment of Lago Maggiore, the intriguing cultural contradictions of Genova, the breathtaking (if terrifying) cliffside trails in Cinqueterre. Contributors include Oliver Bernier, Rachel Billington, Frank Bruni, Shirley Hazzard, Paul Hofmann, Alison Lurie, Malachi Martin, Alastair McEwen, Michael Mewshaw, Jan Morris, Francine Prose, Barry Unsworth, Muriel Spark, and William Weaver. Essays full of history, philosophical ruminations, humorous anecdotes, cultural musings, and useful travel information-in short the best of The New York Times talent-will make you want to drop everything and fly to this land that continues to inspire writers, artists, and casual visitors alike. AUTHOR BIO: Umberto Eco is the author of four novels as well as numerous works of criticism, philosophy, and literary theory. His fifth novel, The Mysterious Flame, will be published in June. He is professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna..
Price: $21.49
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