GERMANY AUTHOR · HISTORY · CIVILIZATION
Norbert Elias
Also known as: Elias Norbert
Norbert Elias (German: [ˈnɔʁbɛʁt eˈliːas]; 22 June 1897 – 1 August 1990) was a German sociologist who later became a British citizen. He is especially famous for his theory of civilizing/decivilizing processes.
What do we mean by time?
— from Time, 1975
Most acclaimed
The Court Society (Collected Works of Norbert Elias 2)
"The Court Society is a book to be read on several levels. It is a historical book, carefully researched and with great imagination painting a vivid and detailed picture of the life of the king and his courtiers during the reign of Louis XIV. But it is concerned with more than this. From the time of the pharaohs to the downfall of king and emperors in the twentieth century, princely court societies have played a vital role in the development of humanity. The Court Society provides the key to an understanding not only of a particular court society but of court societies in general. Professor Elias raises the question, for example, of how it was possible for a single person, a monarch, to rule, and to count on the obedience of, millions of people. Was Louis XIV really the "absolute" monarch he is described today as being? Was he truly free to do what he liked, or were there clearly defined limits to the power of even an absolute prince? The Court Society is a sociological enquiry into the problems of power, particularly that of a hierarchic institution headed by a single person. As such, it has a great deal of importance to say about many situations in the world today"--Publisher.
Time
1975
"The book is structured around six locations where Goldsworthy has worked over recent years - the semi-desert of Santa Fe, the verdant landscape of New York State in which Cornell University is set, Nova Scotia, forest and coastal areas in Holland, a geological reserve in the south of France and, of course, the area around his home in south-west Scotland. Rich insights into his working methods are provided by the artist's diaries which deliberately document the failures as well as the successes and vividly evoke the ways in which he familiarises himself with a new locale and begins to 'touch' it." "An erudite and fully illustrated chronology compiled by Dr. Terry Friedman provides an overall account of Goldsworthy's career to date, showing, among other things, how particular forms often take many years to become fully developed.". "With a selection of more than 500 illustrations, Time is destined to become the definitive reference source on Goldsworthy's sculpture."--BOOK JACKET.
The Germans
They have given mankind unique triumphs in science, literature, philosophy, music, and art. They have also produced Hitler and the Holocaust. They are romantic and conservative, idealistic and practical, proud and insecure, ruthless and good-natured. They are, in short, the Germans. In this definitive history, Professor Gordon A. Craig, one of the world’s premier authorities on Germany, comes to grips with the complex paradoxes at the heart of the German identity. His masterly study explores the roots of many contemporary institutions in German history and closely examines such topics as religion, money, Germans and Jews, women, professors and students, romantics, literature and society, soldiers, Berlin, and the German language. Craig also discusses the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification, while offering invaluable insights into Germany’s pivotal role in world affairs for over a century. (Source: [Penguin Random House](