Jane Billinghurst Boeken

Sunday Times Bestseller 'A paradigm-smashing chronicle of joyous entanglement' Charles Foster Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month (September) Are trees social beings? How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings? In The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben makes the case that the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death and regeneration he has observed in his woodland. A walk in the woods will never be the same again.

Mother deer that grieve? Horses that feel shame? Squirrels that adopt their grandchildren? We humans tend to assume that we are the only living things able to experience feelings intensely and consciously. But have you ever wondered what's going on in an animal's head? More and more researchers are realising that animals in fact experience a rich emotional life. Acting as our interpreter of the animal world and of the fascinating science, Peter Wohlleben brings this new research to life with his own observations of his favourite creatures. From the leafy forest floor to the inside of a bee hive, The Inner Life of Animals shows us microscopic levels of observation as well as forcing us to confront the big philosophical, ethical and scientific questions. We hear the stories of a grateful humpback whale, of a hedgehog who has nightmares, and of a magpie who commits adultery; we meet bees that plan for the future, pigs who learn their own names and crows that go tobogganing for fun. And at last we find out why wasps exist. Our fellow creatures are not mindless automatons driven by an inflexible genetic code, but individuals with personality and feeling. The Inner Life of Animals will show you these living things in a new light and will open up the animal kingdom like never before.

Focusing on the emotional, social, spiritual, and political dimensions of gardens, this collection of essays invites readers to explore the significance of gardens beyond their aesthetic appeal. Each piece offers a unique perspective, encouraging a deeper understanding of how gardens influence and reflect human experiences and societal values.

People have always created gardens. Where survival depended on fruitful crops, gardens were a link to the divine. Desert dwellers planted trees to banish heat and offer respite. Gardens were the oases that sheltered mythical heroes during their travels, and many religions portray the garden as the closest spot to paradise on Earth. Painters, sculptors, poets, and novelists from all parts of the world have celebrated the garden’s beauty, pondered it’s mysteries, and lamented the frustrations it can bring.This marvellous collection of prose and images explores gardens from many angles, capturing their sensual, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and even political dimensions. Writers as varied as Pliny the Younger, Homer, Ji Chang, the Emperor Jahangir, Boccaccio, A.A. Milne, Colette, Willa Cather, Tom Stoppard, Derek Jarman, Joy Kogawa, W.O. Mitchell, and Jamaica Kincaid evoke the garden in its many incarnations, sometimes lightheartedly, sometimes wittily, sometimes expressing regret or sorrow. Whether the selections portray the garden as a source of sustenance, a showpiece, a place to wrestle down weeds, a bower filled with ghosts, or simply an excuse to spend time in the outdoors, readers will delight in the endless variety of ways humans have carved out a spot for themselves in the natural world.

Geschichten von Verführung und Macht: Eva und Adam, Kleopatra und Marcus Antonius, Lola Montez und König Ludwig I. von Bayern… Geschichten, seit Menschengedenken von überwiegend männlichen Erzählern überliefert. Dabei zeichnet sich folgendes Muster ab: Sind sich die Männer ihrer gesellschaftlichen Vormachtstellung sicher, sind harmlose 'Sexkätzchen' à la Jayne Mansfield oder Marilyn Monroe en vogue, die den Männern auf angenehme Weise die Zeit vertreiben, ohne an ihren Privilegien zu rütteln. In Zeiten aber, in denen sich die Männer bedroht wähnen, mutiert die Verführerin zur Femme fatale, wie Rita Hayworth sie im Film noir der 40er Jahre verkörpert hat, oder gar zum männermordenden Vamp à la Marlene Dietrich. Jane Billinghurst beschreibt in ihrem mit Gemälden, Fotos und Filmbildern illustrierten Buch die vielen Facetten der Verführerin von der griechischen Mythologie bis zur Gegenwart. Unterhaltsam und humorvoll erzählt sie die Geschichten berühmter Frauen wie Lilith, Pandora, Mata Hari, Mae West, Lolita oder Madonna nach – Verführerinnen, die durch das geschickte Ausspielen ihrer natürlichen Trümpfe ihre Situation verbesserten.