Historia & samhälle

L''insomnie, définie comme un manque subjectif de sommeil est un trouble très fréquent, au point d''être devenue un problème de santé publique. Physiologiquement, le sommeil devient moins réparateur avec le vieillissement et les personnes âgées sont très souvent concernées par l''insomnie, sollicitant ainsi leur médecin traitant pour obtenir une ordonnance contenant un médicament hypnotique. Les benzodiazépines à demi-vie courte ou intermédiaire ont longtemps été utilisées comme hypnotiques car leur effet sédatif intervient rapidement. Cependant, elles entraînent de nombreux effets indésirables (dépendance importante et effets résiduels le lendemain de la prise). Ainsi, de nouvelles molécules ont été mises au point, il s''agit des hypnotiques apparentés aux benzodiazépines dont le zolpidem et la zopiclone. Considérés comme plus sûrs d''utilisation que les benzodiazépines, ces derniers ne sont pourtant pas dénués d''effets indésirables, notamment chez les personnes de plus de 65 ans. Des effets négatifs sur la conduite automobile chez des sujets jeunes et âgés ont été mis en évidence dans les études, et l''association avec des substances potentialisant l''effet sédatif n''est pas rare.

'Wisdom and Wonder' is a book of wisdom chapters in two 'Centuries,' an ancient monastic wisdom genre much loved by the desert fathers. For these elders, wonder is the root and crown of wisdom, not only its origin. In these meditations, the mysteries of glorification and deification are explored from within the Orthodox tradition of wisdom and wonder. Priest-monk Silouan lives in the Monastery of St Antony and St Cuthbert, a hermitage within the Romanian jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church, high up in the south-west Shropshire hills. Fr. Silouan lives alone under the Shepherd's rock on the eastern slopes of the Stiperstones, in an old miner's cottage on a small-holding of twenty acres of pasture and woodland. He lives a life of prayer, silence, liturgy and work in the ancient tradition of orthodox monasticism.

The 'Apocalypse of Adam' was discovered among the papyri from the ancient gnostic library at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1946. It is a revelatory discourse that Adam delivers to his son Seth. This discourse is the fifth and final tractate in Nag Hammadi Codex V. The manuscript is now in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo (codex inv. no. 10548). In Part I of this significant treatment, Hedrick analyzes the sources that lay behind this work, the redaction, and the main theological themes. In Part II, he provides the Coptic text, translation, and notes on the complete text, broken down by Source A, Source B, and the Redactor's additions.

Written in Iceland around the year 1500, the little book now known only as AM 434a is a treasure trove of medieval medical knowledge. The book lists healing uses for over ninety different herbs. It gives advice on health matters ranging from bloodletting to steam baths to the influence of the moon on health and human life. And it contains a number of magical spells, charms, prayers, runes, and symbols to bring health, wealth, and good fortune. The roots of the healing traditions in AM 434a go back thousands of years before the book itself was written. We are honored to present the first complete English translation of AM 434a. Complete notes and commentary explain this texts's historical and cultural background. Medievalists, historians of science and magic, herbalists, and anyone interested in medieval Scandinavian lore and life will find this book indispensable.

A brilliant artist, working with a bestselling historian, uses digital techniques to bring vividly to life 200 photographs of the defining events and personalities of the modern world.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on Divine Wisdom and the Problem of Evil is a translation of selections from two of Ibn Qayyim's booksKey to the Blissful Abode and Remedy for Those who Question on Matters Concerning Divine Decree, Predestination, Wisdom and Causality.

Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong is a uniquely potent practice designed to bolster our health and deepen our spiritual connection to universal energy. Lineage holder Master Zhongxian Wu shares the previously secret knowledge of how each movement in the practice relates to the meridians, for advanced students and practitioners of Qigong.

Have you ever kept a diary? This is the diary of a young girl growing up in sixties America - an honest account of teenage life. This book was first published several decades ago as the shocking real diary of a young woman.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'This is my kind of history: carefully researched but so vivid that you are convinced Lucy Worsley was actually there at the party - or the parsonage.' Antonia Fraser'A refreshingly unique perspective on Austen and her work and a beautifully nuanced exploration of gender, creativity, and domesticity.' Amanda ForemanLucy Worsley 'is a great scene-setter for this tale of triumph and heartbreak.' Sunday TimesOn the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's death, historian Lucy Worsley leads us into the rooms from which our best-loved novelist quietly changed the world.This new telling of the story of Jane's life shows us how and why she lived as she did, examining the places and spaces that mattered to her. It wasn't all country houses and ballrooms, but a life that was often a painful struggle. Jane famously lived a 'life without incident', but with new research and insights Lucy Worsley reveals a passionate woman who fought for her freedom. A woman who far from being a lonely spinster in fact had at least five marriage prospects, but who in the end refused to settle for anything less than Mr Darcy.

In a no-nonsense guide on how to cope with mental-health issues, Harper explains what's going on in our skulls, and talks us through the process of retraining our brains to respond appropriately to the non-emergencies of everyday life.

'This book is not just about extremists like me. This is a book about you.'

Read this specially designed new edition of Jared Diamond's Pulitzer-prize winning exploration of what makes us human. Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe?

From the author of the critically acclaimed Bosnia: A Short History comes a 'magisterial work of history' TLS

An examination of daily life in the Middle Ages which reveals the intimate relations between age groups, between the living and the dead, and between people and things.

Arturo Escobar presents a new vision of design theory by arguing for the creation of what he calls "autonomous design"-a design practice aimed at channeling design's world-making capacity toward ways of being and doing that are deeply attuned to justice and the Earth.

Paul Tournier offers a variety of suggestions to help make growing old not an end but a new beginning, filled with purpose and hope. He suggests ways to remain active, using leisure to our best advantage and not letting it become a tyrant. He also provides insights on taking up new interests; becoming involved with young people and new ideas...