Twas At 20

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was one of the major Romantic poets, and wrote what is critically recognised as some of the finest lyric poetry in the English language. This is the third volume of the five-volume The Poems of Shelley, which presents all of Shelley’s poems in chronological order and with full annotation. Date and circumstances of composition are provided for each poem and all manuscript and printed sources relevant to establishing an authoritative text are freshly examined and assessed. Headnotes and footnotes furnish the personal, literary, historical and scientific information necessary to an informed reading of Shelley’s varied and allusive verse. Most of the poems in the present volume were composed between autumn 1819 and autumn 1820. The poems written in response to the political crisis in England following the ‘Peterloo’ massacre in August 1819 feature largely, among them The Mask of Anarchy and 'An Ode (Arise, arise, arise!)'. The popular songs, which Shelley intended to gather into a volume to inspire reformers from the labouring classes, several accompanied by significantly new textual material recovered from draft manuscripts, are included, as are the important political works 'Ode to Liberty', 'Ode to Naples' and Oedipus Tyrannus, Shelley's burlesque Greek tragedy on the Queen Caroline affair. Other major poems featured include 'The Sensitive-Plant', 'Ode to the West Wind', 'Letter to Maria Gisborne', an exuberant translation from the ancient Greek of the Homeric 'Hymn to Mercury', and the brilliantly inventive 'The Witch of Atlas'. In addition to accompanying commentaries, there are extensive bibliographies, a chronology of Shelley’s life, and indexes to titles and first lines. Leigh Hunt's informative Preface of 1832 to The Mask of Anarchy is also included as an Appendix. The volumes of The Poems of Shelley form the most comprehensive edition of Shelley's poetry available to students and scholars.

"Science in the developing world has experienced historic change over the past 30 years. Nations that lacked resources for even basic science have since developed world-class research centres. Men and women who previously had no chance of pursuing scientific careers in their own countries now thrive in home-grown universities and laboratories dedicated to scientific excellence. The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) has been front and centre during this remarkable transformation. A Voice for Science in the South tells the story of TWAS through the eyes of 11 eminent scientists associated with the Academy. They speak of the organization's challenges and triumphs, and describe what TWAS has meant for their careers and the careers of thousands of scientists in the developing world. They also explore the challenges that lie ahead for TWAS and, more generally, for science in the South. It is a story of unprecedented global change and an account of what must be done to ensure that all nations can share in the benefits that emerge when science is woven into the fabric of society."--

William McGonagall was born in Edinburgh in 1830. His father was a poor hand-loom weaver, and his work took his family to Glasgow, then to Dundee. William attended school for eighteen months before the age of seven, and received no further formal education. Later, as a mill worker, he used to read books in the evening, taking great interest in Shakespeare's plays. In 1877, McGonagall suddenly discovered himself 'to be a poet'. Since then, thousands of people the world over have enjoyed the verse of Scotland's alternative national poet. This volume brings together the three famous collections – Poetic Gems, More Poetic Gems and Last Poetic Gems, and also includes an introduction by Chris Hunt, the webmaster of the McGonagall website www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk, indexes of poem titles and first lines, and features the first publication of McGonagall's only play, Jack o' the Cudgel, written in 1886 but not performed publicly until 2002.

On the eve of Diwali, the jalebis, chum chums and gulab jamuns are piled high! But who is the surprise guest that shows up? And where, oh where, are the mithai? Enjoy this South Asian rendition of a familiar holiday poem and the introduction of a new character to the much celebrated festival of lights, Diwali.