Hugh Barker

Yuval Taylor

Traces the search for the elusive quality of authenticity in the music of the twentieth century, examining the roles of Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Jimmie Rodgers, Donna Summer, Leadbelly, Neil Young, Moby, and other musicians while reassessing what makes popular music work and reflecting on how the quest for authenticity has influenced the development of popular music.

Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music

Ryan Quinn

Michelle Horn

Do you know the slang meaning of "solar panel"? Suburban Dictionary is a fun-loving user's guide to Suburbanese, and a guide to the quirky behavior found in the burbs. The snarky and the cheeky make many appearances, with generous helpings of sarcasm. Euphemisms, a hallmark of suburbanese, get "special" treatment. We give a nod to cul-de-sac personalities, such as the neighborhood eccentric and the Goth kids. The recluse a few doors down makes a (rare) appearance. You Should Read this Book If: * You enjoy snarky language; but also enjoy amusing and charming expressions. * You like a good zinger or "comeback." * You can't say ''suburban'' without saying "Bourbon." * You wonder about the slang meaning of "solar panel," ''dual equipment," and "bird bath." You wonder what "wet leaves" means in Japanese slang. There was a need for a book that talks about things that can get you into trouble - sex and drugs - but does so with expressions that hopefully won't get you into trouble, should you repeat them. Suburban Dictionary rises to the occasion. Compiled during years of research, Suburban Dictionary was written by Timothy Fay. A writer with 15 years of experience in both journalism and finance, Tim is a former reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A friendly warning: collecting and reading about slang and sarcastic expressions is addictive. Read, review, repeat, please. Thanks, Hanks.

The Subtle, The Funny, And The Snarky

Suburban Dictionary

A readily understandable exploration of how figures are badly reported or deliberately misrepresented everywhere from political arguments and briefings to business presentations and shopping offers. Praise for Hugh Barker's Million Dollar Maths: 'Great fun. A clear, original and highly readable account of the curious relationship between mathematics and money.' Professor Ian Stewart - author of Significant Figures 'A lively crash course in the mathematics of gambling, investing, and managing. Hugh Barker makes deep ideas fun and profitable.' William Poundstone - author of How to Predict the Unpredictable Politicians, economists, scientists, journalists . . . all of them have been known to bend the truth and to twist the facts from time to time. But surely the numbers and statistics they rely on are cold, hard objective facts that tell the real story? Of course the truth is much murkier than that. Figures can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, misconstrued and misused in hundreds of different ways. This book takes a look at the many ways that statistical information can be badly reported or deliberately misused in all walks of life, from political arguments, to business presentations, to more local concerns such as shopping offers and utility bills. A polemical guide to how numbers are used to mislead, which is intended to help the reader through the minefield of dubious stats and lying numbers.

How Maths and Statistics Are Twisted and Abused

Lying Numbers

Celebrating the history and the glory of the British hedge

A Curious History of a British Obsession

Hedge Britannia

This is the story of how British hedgerows contribute to our national identity and our wildlife. Over the centuries we have proved ourselves to be a nation of hedge growers, marking boundaries or trimming them into fantastical creations. From formal garden features to emphatically rustic barriers, Hugh explores our hedges in all their diversity. Hedge Britannia offers a witty insight into the history of hedges and the way they relate to our culture as well as our landscape. Hugh travels the breadth of Britain meeting fellow enthusiasts who range from horticultural experts to the Brixton man who lovingly cultivated a whale-shaped hedge and ran into trouble with the local council. As well as two full-colour plate sections, there are case studies about hedges of particular note, like the towering Meikleour beech hedge, the castellated hedge and spectacular topiary at Levens Hall and the bamboozling hedge maze at Chatsworth (where Hugh got predictably and happily lost). Both pithy and informative, this is The Cloudspotter's Guide meets Flora Britannica.

Hugh Barker

About

Books

Join the club