The Art Of Alibi

In The Art of Alibi, Jonathan Grossman reconstructs the relation of the novel to nineteenth-century law courts. During the Romantic era, courthouses and trial scenes frequently found their way into the plots of English novels. As Grossman states, "by the Victorian period, these scenes represented a powerful intersection of narrative form with a complementary and competing structure for storytelling." He argues that the courts, newly fashioned as a site in which to orchestrate voices and reconstruct stories, arose as a cultural presence influencing the shape of the English novel. Weaving examinations of novels such as William Godwin's Caleb Williams, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, along with a reading of the new Royal Courts of Justice, Grossman charts the exciting changes occurring within the novel, especially crime fiction, that preceded and led to the invention of the detective mystery in the 1840s.

How does science transform observations into scientific facts? What is the role of interpretation in the construction of knowledge? How could art re-signify a historical process? Such are some of the questions raised in A for Alibi, a book which explores the boundaries of scientific practice and art. In the last few decades, a new branch of historical studies, called "experimental history" has begun to investigate scientific processes from a particular perspective, derived from a "hands-on" methodology. Scientific instruments are utilized and combined to become a direct source that leads to an understanding not just of scientific history but also of scientific practice. Similar to contemporary art practice, the experimental historical approach implies a combination of theory, practice and process, sharing a wider understanding of practice in the construction of meanings. Along these lines, the Uqbar Foundation invited a group of artists to perform research and develop projects using the impressive collection of historical instruments and optical devices housed in the Utrecht University Museum. Fully illustrated, this book documents the artists' projects as well as the A for Alibi symposium where renowned scientists and art historians lectured on the origins of modern visual culture, for instance on the relation between vision and representation in history, or on the ways in which science builds up a common and social image of the world. The book also features illustrations of numerous scientific instruments from the Utrecht University Museum collection. A for Alibi accompanies the same-titled show at de Appel, Amsterdam, July 14-August 19, 2007. Texts by Charlotte Bigg, Erna Fiorentini, Mika Hannula, Raimundas Malasauskas, Katrin Solhdju Contributions by the participating artists Maria Barnas, James Beckett, Mariana Castillo Deball, Sebastian Diaz Morales, Suchan Kinoshita, Irene Kopelman, Tine Melzer, and Brian O'Connell Interview with Tiemen Cocquyt

This book is a direct window onto the workshop of Abū Manṣūr al-Thaʿālibī (350–429/961–1039), an anthologist from the second half of the fourth/tenth century, and focuses on the making of his magnum opus, Yatīmat al-dahr, and its sequel, Tatimmat al-Yatīma.

Fifteen-year-old Christine is visiting her eccentric great-aunt in historic Witcombe, where a pickpocket has been victimizing tourists. Aunt Maude owns an antique store and also runs the town’s ghost walk, which gives Christine the opportunity to meet local characters and visitors, including a mysterious young man who seems to know far too much about the crimes. When the pickpocket targets Aunt Maude’s store, Christine is determined to find out who is behind the thefts. Her search takes her through the nooks and crannies of the quaint town full of stories, and she unearths more than one surprise.

Featured as a "This Week's Reading/What We're Loving" pick at The Paris Review Named the Best Music-Related Book of 2014 by Joel Gausten "If you're a Jesus Lizard fan or a David Yow devotee, you're sure all over this. But even if you've never heard of the band, the book stands as one of the best ways to experience being in a tight, cohesive band. You get everything except the sweat, spilled beer, and blood. It's a fun ride, and the closest thing possible to getting in the van with these guys." --Mother Jones "The Jesus Lizard Book is a beautiful document of a band that wasn't afraid to be abrasive, chaotic, brutal, and sometimes, ugly." --The Chicago Tribune/Printers Row "These guys deserve to pat themselves on the back...If the spectacular photography in The Jesus Lizard Book is to be believed, their shows resembled nothing more than that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where some poor dude has his still-beating heart removed in an elaborate ritual." --The Paris Review "As a reader, you don’t need to hear the songs to appreciate the story--and Book delivers the band right to your coffee table loud and clear." --BoingBoing.net "The gorgeously crafted, 176-page hardcover Book...dives deep and candidly into the Jesus Lizard's first decade and touches a bit on that 2009 coda, too. Through many thousands of words, hundreds of photos, and collected ephemera, it celebrates the sweat, menace, humor, musicianship, lasting power, and genitals of one of the best bands ever coughed up by the rock underground." --The Village Voice "Book is a valuable document that brings us back to the era when artists were conditioned to practice the art of self-defense." --Pitchfork "A series of essays and photos that illuminates the Jesus Lizard--humorous, jolting, sometimes surprisingly moving." --The Chicago Tribune "If there is any recurring theme within the 176 pages of the newly released The Jesus Lizard Book it's this: The Chicago-grown noise rockers will be remembered as one of the greatest live bands to ever grace--or very well desecrate--the stage." --Chicago Sun-Times "Impressively candid, informed and informative history of a remarkable group of musicians. A 'must read' for their legions of appreciative fans...Highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review "Even if you're unfamiliar with or disinterested with the band's music, Book makes for an intriguing exploration of the alternative music scene of the '90s--a short burst in time when a band as gloriously odd as The Jesus Lizard could do whatever they wanted to do and get a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." --Joel Gausten The Jesus Lizard Book is a coffee table affair of exclusive photography, art, and other imagery with written pieces by all four members of the seminal indie rock band the Jesus Lizard. The layout is stylish and elegant, particularly in contrast with the harshness of much of the band's music. Included are many Polaroids by David Wm. Sims, a delicious recipe by David Yow, a concise list of every show the Jesus Lizard played, and writings by two producers who recorded the band--Steve Albini and Andy Gill. There is biographical material of each member that covers childhood to the demise of the group. Other contributors include, Mike Watt, Alexander Hacke, Steve Gullick, Rebecca Gates, Jeff Lane, Sasha Frere-Jones, KRK, Bernie Bahrmasel, and many more.

A visceral portrait of life at a crossroads, The Orenda opens with a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of the young Iroquois Snow Falls, a spirited girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation's great warriors and statesmen. It has been years since the murder of his family and yet they are never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter and sees the girl possesses powerful magic that will be useful to him on the troubled road ahead. Bird’s people have battled the Iroquois for as long as he can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous threat from afar. Christophe, a charismatic Jesuit missionary, has found his calling amongst the Huron and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to the new world. As these three souls dance each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars and a nation emerges from worlds in flux.

Excerpt from The Alibi Stillness without, silence within. The night seemed wait ing, big with woe. Yet through all the man's stress and tor ment passed a flicker of relief that his wife had not yet returned. In view of the approaching disaster, her absence on a visit was a signal blessing. His one wish now was that she might remain away till something could be done to stem the tides of ruin. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.