Book Series Research Articles

Mathematics, Administrative and Economic Activities in Ancient Worlds edited by Cécile Michel and Karine Chemla

Reviewed by: Carlos Gonçalves Recently, we have been fortunate to see the start of a new research project, Mathematical Sciences in the Ancient World (the SAW Project), and the publication of a new book series, Why the Sciences of the Ancient World Matter. The SAW Project was funded by an advanced research grant from the European Research Council from 2011 to 2016, which had Karine Chemla as the principal investigator, together with Christine Proust and Agathe Keller, all researchers in the history of ancient mathematics of, respectively, China, Mesopotamia, and South Asia. The book series started in 2018 and it has been one of the most important vehicles to make public the extraordinary amount of material produced by the research project. How to cite: Gonçalves, C. rev. "Mathematics, Administrative and Economic Activities in Ancient Worlds" edited by Cécile Michel and Karine Chemla. Aestimatio: Sources and Studies in the History of Science (2023) 4: rev02 1–40. https://doi/10.33137/aestimatio.v4.43350.

Managing Health Science Libraries in a Time of Change, Medical Library Association Book Series

Managing Health Science Libraries in a Time of Change, Medical Library Association Book Series

Narrating Disruptive Encounters in the Forest: Hunting, Animal Lives, and Ecology

Over the last century, three popular writers and media personalities have written bestsellers and created TV programs in order to alert the general public to the suffering of wild animals as well as the deleterious effects on young trees caused directly or indirectly by hunting and forestry practices. Austrian journalist and writer Felix Salten published Bambi: A Story of Life in the Woods (1923), using a baby deer’s perspective. German journalist and literary author Horst Stern shocked the nation with his TV program Remarks about the Stag (1971), which shows the brutality of hunting; his 1989 Jagdnovelle (The Last Hunt) weaves together a hunter’s perspective with his prey animal’s experience. In recent years, German forester Peter Wohlleben has shifted the focus from animals to plants by publishing a series of popular books about the forest, starting with The Hidden Life of Trees (2015). This essay examines how Salten, Stern, and Wohlleben all humanize their animal and plant characters, including through a form of “critical anthromorphism” (Mossner)—and are criticized for it. They also incorporate ethology, i.e. observations of animal behavior and the forest environment, as well as scientific knowledge, as they attempt to evoke their audience’s empathy for their nonhuman characters. Hunting pressure and the violent disruption of the lives of the animals leads to an “ecology of fear” instead of an “ecology of subjects” that would align better with changing perceptions of “nature” (Soentgen). Ethical questions concerning the mass killing of Europe’s largest mammals remain as it does not succeed in reducing deer overpopulation or damage to the forest ecosystem, perpetuing Germany’s forest/game conflict.

The case of the kid sister: adapting Enola Holmes for a new generation

Abstract In adapting the Enola Holmes book series, the Netflix films rework the figure of the girl sleuth to suit a new generation of feminist viewers. They also provide a deeper exploration of power and the risks of trying to improve a world resistant to change. Netflix also amplifies the stories’ feminism by rehabilitating the ‘toxic’ male figure of Holmes himself.

Made in South Asia: Centering Labor in Textile and Garment Manufacturing Work, 1970s to 2020s

Abstract Labor in the textile and garment industry is at the heart of a series of recent books on South Asia. Together these books document the different scales at which textile and garment work has been structured and restructured over the last century, and its implications for workers, their health as well as collective solidarity. Across the countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the industry developed and declined in vastly different temporalities and rhythms. Yet, as these works reveal, workers have often been confronted with similar challenges brought on by the boom-and-bust cycles of industrial development. In each case, textile and garment workers have been forced to navigate transitions to premature deindustrialization, closure, or national/transnational industrial policy changes. The books center workers and their long “post”-industrial or industrial “afterlives,” as they cope with the dramatic changes in the global manufacturing of textile and garment.

Challenges and opportunities for open access book publishing: A perspective from a society publisher in the geosciences

AbstractThe American Geophysical Union (AGU), a scholarly society serving the Earth and space sciences, has a conventional books portfolio with their publisher, Wiley, and a new partnership with the Geological Society of London for an open access (OA) book series. The latter serves authors who need (because of funding mandates) or want to publish OA and comes with added benefits, including a production workflow to facilitate faster times to online publication. Flexibility in how the costs of individual volumes can be covered aims to encourage uptake, but challenges lie ahead in ensuring that all authors can equitably choose OA for their book project. This commentary contributes to the collection in Area about the evolving OA books landscape, addressing many of the challenges described by Gandy, and describing the start of AGU's journey towards OA books. It brings a perspective from the sciences, where books are mostly large, edited volumes with many international contributors, many of them physical geographers. Their experiences of funding, motivation and recognition for contributing to books may be quite different to human geographers more familiar with the sole‐authored monograph format.

Try Yourself!

Abstract In 1928, a handbook on natural history collecting was published as part of a series of popular books on scientific experimentation. The “Försök själv” series addressed young people and positioned itself deliberately between textbooks and popular science publications. In this paper, I examine how collecting was recast as experiment in the context of the “Försök själv” series. It is situated in the intersection between the history of scientific publication and the history of collecting as pedagogical practice. It highlights a moment in science pedagogy when the rationales and practices of collecting were changing. It draws attention to the role of handbooks between teachers and objects, and between field, class-room, and laboratory. As publications, the “Försök själv” books straddle the boundary between textbooks and popular science. As handbooks they draw together books, things, and practices.

Analysis of Editorial Planning and Insights from International Bestsellers in the Age of Intelligence

In the era of intelligence, the book publishing industry is experiencing new vitality but is also facing challenges such as severe homogenization and increasing competition. Taking the British bestseller The Thursday Murder Club as a case study, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the book series' publishing timing, editorial planning, and marketing strategies. Through this case study, the paper summarizes successful experiences and insights into creating professional bestsellers, offering references and suggestions for the publishing industry to address market challenges and launch bestsellers. The study points out that the publishing industry should pay attention to trends and changes, accurately grasp market demand, adjust marketing strategies promptly, and emphasize collaboration and joint promotion.

Book Series Review: Pacific Presences, 9 vol., Nicholas Thomas (general editor)

Book Series Review: Pacific Presences, 9 vol., Nicholas Thomas (general editor)

PAGINE D’ARCHIVIO. LA LETTERATURA ROMENA NEI PIANI EDITORIALI DELLA CASA UTET

Developed starting from some archive materials, this contribution intends to propose a first synthetic reconstruction of the interest shown by the editorial directors of the UTET publishing house towards Romanian literature. The papers preserved in the archive did not perhaps provide many details on the literary translations published in the well-known book series I Grandi Scrittori Stranieri, but they reveal some nineteenthand twentieth-century projects, “missed opportunities”, which, alongside the publications, allow us to better frame interests and editorial plans of the publishing house.

Trump’s Supreme Court Justices Must Kick Him Off the Ballot

The 1994 Reform of Tax Sharing System (TSS) of China changed the current Chinese society a great deal. This paper starts with issues revealed from present news, by discussing the causes and effects of the Reform of Tax Sharing System, and therefore takes relatives issues such as the Fiscal Responsibility System (FRS),the Land Finance(LF),the Local Debt(LD) into consideration. This paper intends to analyze such issues in the perspective of legal system and eventually summarize them using Lewis Coser’s Combination of Structural Functionalism and Social Conflict Theory, i.e. the theory emphasized in The Function of Social Conflict. The history showed in this paper, concerns the evolution of Chinese legal system including the Chinese Constitution. Meanwhile, the theory combined Structural Functionalism and Social Conflict Theory offers quite some explanation power when analyzing issues above. Besides, this paper is more like a report of syntopic reading about a series of articles and books concerning TSS, FRS, LF and LD.

A comparative analysis of China-themed books in three ASEAN countries: Implications for resource development and intercultural communication

Books are an important carrier of culture. Library catalogs across different countries can reflect intercultural communication. This paper aims to explore the situation and differences of China-themed books in three ASEAN countries: Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. These countries are representative of the intercultural relations between China and ASEAN members. Descriptive analysis is used to analyze the series of books, focusing on the time and subjects of the book resources. The paper also compares the distribution of books about the three countries in the National Library of China. The results show that Malaysia and Thailand have more comprehensive and in-depth cultural collection of China-themed book resources, while the Philippines includes more books related to China's development and social realities. This study is helpful to resource and collection development related to particular countries and regions and the intercultural communication between countries.

Минимум по корейскому. О книге Елены Хохловой «Главное в истории искусства Кореи»

The first Russian book in forty years summarizing the information on the history of Korean art was published by the MIF publishing house as part of the book series The Main Things in History. But is the art of Korea known to us enough to highlight the “main things” in it? The publisher clearly understands the audience of readers the product is intended for, and in serial publications it offers navigation designed for the usual quick search for introductory information; however, the requirements of brevity and ease of presentation prevail over scientific fundamentality. The competence of the author, Korean Art historian Elena Khokhlova, her passion for the material, and courage in the selection of ‘key monuments’ made it possible, even within constraints, to create a serious work that awakens interest in the Oriental culture and in the history of art in general.

Many Personas of Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett was a man of many talents, revered for his diverse contributions to wildlife and conservation. He first gained fame as a remarkably skilled hunter, known for tracking and eliminating dreaded man-eating tigers and leopards in British India, a feat that saved numerous lives. However, Corbett's legacy extends far beyond his hunting achievements; he was also a pioneering conservationist who raised his voice for safeguarding the very wildlife he once hunted. As a naturalist and gifted writer, Corbett shared his experiences and insights through a series of classic books that continue to inspire environmental stewardship. His deep connection to the people and culture of India's Kumaon region further solidified his reputation as a figure of lasting respect and admiration.

The 6Ps of Preparing a Manuscript: Prior Preparation Prevents Potentially Poor Performance.

The process of writing a scientific document, whether it be a PhD thesis, a paper, review, chapter, book or even a book series, always begins with only one word. Why can writing a manuscript be so difficult to start? If there are sufficient data for the task, there is only one reason; vacillation. To address this serious and psychologically debilitating issue, this perspective will discuss the ethos of publishing and provide a solution for vacillation. The concept of sufficient novel data will be examined along with the criteria for identifying an appropriate home for a manuscript. The bare process of preparation will be described, which ultimately relies on discipline, routine, formatting and further discipline, with the ultimate goal being the production and quality control of a manuscript of the highest quality that you can achieve. The value of the secondary literature, namely reviews, chapters and books will be highlighted, specifically with regard to the building of a reputation and leaving a lasting legacy. The psychology of publishing, particularly dealing with success and failure will be covered, as this topic is often overlooked, and can have serious and deleterious mental health consequences. A balanced view of publication metrics will be given, showing that such factors are in some cases, purely a business strategy for publishing houses. Ideas to build one's career through networking, reviewing and being an ambassador for one's discipline are also given. As a former member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Natural Products (2018-2022), an overview of the manuscript writing process from a personal and professional perspective is emphasized to encourage all to avoid the trials and tribulations of procrastination.

Evaluation of Vietnamese Workbook 2 (Connecting Knowledge with Life)

Language is a tool of speech and thinking. Teaching Vietnamese in elementary school first teaches students the ability to use that tool fluently and effectively in study and life. To practice and use Vietnamese fluently, students must also practice regularly with exercise books – an effective support tool in teaching Vietnamese. However, not all teachers know how to effectively use Vietnamese Workbook 2 (Connecting Knowledge with Life) in supporting teaching work. Our article uses statistical and classification methods for some specific types of exercises in exercise books. Then use analysis and synthesis methods to solve the problem. This article evaluates the content and amount of knowledge in the book. Furthermore, the article offers solutions to overcome the limitations and enhance the positive aspects when using the book in the teaching and learning process of teachers and students in the Vietnamese subject 2 (book series Connecting Knowledge and Life).

Serra and Us

Abstract Yve-Alain Bois discusses and describes the many essays that October editors and contributors have written about Richard Serra, particularly Rosalind Krauss, Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Yve-Alain himself, Leah Dickerman (most recently), and Hal Foster (most abundantly). The article begins: “I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that no artist can be more immediately identified with October than Richard Serra, particularly during the journal's first decades. Several of its editors or editors-to-be wrote repeatedly about his work, in the journal and elsewhere, and he himself participated directly in the life of the publication via a lengthy interview, not to mention his unwavering financial support since issue 39 (Winter 1986). “In 1991, The Destruction of Tilted Arc: Documents appeared in the October book series; edited by Clara Weyergraf-Serra and Martha Buskirk, it offered nearly three hundred pages of documentation concerning the legal battle waged (and lost) by the artist to prevent the destruction by the American government of the site-specific work it had commissioned for Federal Plaza in New York City (installed in 1981, it was dismantled in 1989). Needless to say, the October gang came en bloc to defend the work at the public hearing (the testimonies of Rosalind Krauss, Annette Michelson, Douglas Crimp, Benjamin Buchloh, and regular contributor Abigail Solomon-Godeau figure in the book). “In 2000, the first volume of the October Files appeared; edited by Hal Foster, it took Serra as its subject. Memorial tributes are an awkward genre in that they are almost inevitably nostalgic and take a narcissistic turn (“me and the great man”). But what if one were simply to commemorate the prolonged interaction of the journal's editors with Serra's work by chronologically recapitulating the various instances of their engagement? This will be done with pride, for sure, but also as a duty to forestall amnesia.”

The Role of Severus Snape in The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling: Deconstruction Perspective

This paper aims to find out the real role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling. This research is also intended to describe Severus Snape's efforts in defeating Lord Voldemort as well as to figure out the characterization and description of the actions taken by Snape; the writer uses a deconstruction analysis proposed by Jacques Derrida. The image of Severus Snape's character and the relationship between the character's image and the forms of deconstruction are identified by the deconstruction analysis. The method used in this research is the descriptive qualitative method. This research tried to examine the elements of deconstruction of the character Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series of novels, interpreting the new meanings contained implicitly in the novels. The results of the research showed that Severus Snape is described as a character who is rude, arrogant, and cruel. Through the perspective of deconstruction, it was found that Snape has characteristics that are paradoxical to what appears on the surface. He is a caring, helpful, and brave character. In addition, it was found that nine actions of Severus Snape were intended to protect Harry Potter and to defeat Lord Voldemort. The results of the analysis suggested that Severus Snape has a significant role in moving the story. Through his role in the story, Harry Potter can defeat the antagonist or villain in the Harry Potter Series.

Quantitative Changes in the Publishing of Lithuanian Scientific Journals in 2015–2022: Public and Private Sectors’ Adaptation to the Changing Conditions

The article analyses the quantitative changes in the Lithuanian scientific journal publishing in 2015-2022. The study reveals the problems of public bibliographic accounting and terminology in order to comprehensively analyse the public and private sector published print and electronic scientific journals. The gaps and uncertainties identified allow for the improvement of official publication records in the future, avoiding ambiguities in the assessment of the publication volumes of scientific journals. Science policy makers and implementers should take the initiative to standardise the definition of scientific journals, as this is the only way to achieve a clearer approach to this form of science communication. Although the annual volume of scientific journal publications has shrunk by 18.1% (from 265 (2015) to 217 (2022) publications), the decline itself has not been sharp. The decline has been stabilised by business involvement, changes in the evaluation of colleges, and the transformation of professional journals, book series and conference proceedings into scientific journals. Flexibility has been provided by electronic publishing instruments, which have reduced the dependence on external financial sources. The public publishing sector has tended to reduce the number of scientific journals in all scientific fields. This was mainly due to the reorganisation of the higher education network, the qualitative requirements for scientific articles and the reorganisation of scientific collectives. The publishing business has seen the greatest potential in the fields of technology and the medical and health sciences, and as a result, the number of journals published in these fields has not declined and continues to grow. Despite the private sector's growth trends, 50% of journals have 30 or more years of publication. This forms the core of Lithuanian scientific journals, which public sector publishers are striving to preserve and integrate into the international scientific environment.

The Rural Geography Research Group at 50: Reflections on an evolving community of practice

This paper explores the development and work of the Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG) of the Royal Geographical Society over the last fifty years since its inception in 1972. It draws on the minutes of the RGRG's Annual General Meetings, content in its biannual newsletters, and reports of conferences. Using the concept of academic communities of practice (CoP), the paper explores the RGRG's contributions to UK and international geography and allied disciplines. It charts the evolution of the RGRG as a CoP through the influence of its members in (re)shaping rural geography. The roles of quadrennial conferences dating to 1991 between rural geographers from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, and a series of bilateral conferences with Dutch, French, German and Spanish geographers are explored. These conferences produced a series of books which help illustrate the evolution of ideas and research in rural geography. In addition, the paper outlines how the RGRG functions as a space for personal and professional development, and the influence its office holders have had both within and beyond the Research Group. The paper concludes with a consideration of the future of rural geography, including the position of the Research Group within contemporary critical debates and likely themes for future research.