Forty years ago, singer Olivia Newton-John poured herself into black leather pants and danced around in "Grease." Now, age 63, and a breast cancer 'thriver, ' she is still the picture of health and well-being. If you were wondering how she's managed to look so good through all these years, wonder no[...]

This illustrated bilingual dictionary is designed primarily for beginning students in a new language. Approximately 1,400 words are presented, each with its translation, pronunciation, and a sample sentence. There is a separate reference section that lists bilingual days of the week, months, numbers[...]

The Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children, Second Edition is an essential reference on research in early childhood education not only in the United States but throughout the world. It provides a comprehensive overview of important contemporary issues and the information necessary t[...]

For some historians, medieval Iberian society was one marked by peaceful coexistence and cross-cultural fertilization; others have sketched a harsher picture of Muslims and Christians engaged in an ongoing contest for political, religious, and economic advantage culminating in the fall of Muslim Gra[...]

It is show-and-tell time at Olivia's school and she's telling her class about the time she went to the circus and all the performers were sick...so Olivia had to do everything. She tamed the lions, balanced on stilts, juggled and even played the clown. 'Was that true?' Olivia's teacher asks. 'Quite[...]

Jack Marvell's latest stunt is to stay up on a high-wire for thirty days and nights. Olivia is worried for her father, but very proud of him. But then the rumours start, claiming that Jack's cheating. Olivia must give her all to her role in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and also prove to the world that[...]

Like most young adults, Jimmy Wharton is trying to carve out a happy, successful life for himself. It's hard enough to do under any circumstances, but when he starts suffering from depression, becoming the person he wants to be feels overwhelmingly unachievable, as his illness seems destined to shat[...]

Jane Austen the Reader explains Austen's excellence and endurance by showing how her writing developed as a response to the writing of others: as parody, satire, criticism and even, on occasion, homage. Seeing Austen as a critic offers new insights into her creativity, and new interpretations of her[...]

Why is it that some of the greatest works of literature have been produced by writers in the grip of alcoholism, an addiction that cost them personal happiness and caused harm to those who loved them?
In "The Trip to Echo Spring," Olivia Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol thr[...]

OLIVIA LAING'S WIDELY ACCLAIMED ACCOUNT OF HOW WRITERS IN THE GRIP OF ALCOHOLISM CREATED SOME OF THE GREATEST WORKS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
In "The Trip to Echo Spring," Olivia Laing takes a journey across America, examining the links between creativity and alcohol in the work and lives of six ex[...]