Author: Biz India

General Editors: Denis Twitchett and John K. Fairbank Editors: Denis Twitchett and Paul Jakov Smith Publisher: Cambridge University Press – 1,095 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram This Volume 5 of the Cambridge History of China, almost 1,100 pages in length, covers a period of 372 years, from the year 907 to the year 1279. Most of the reigns of the emperors during this time were very short in length, such as those of Ying-tsung (just four years), Hui-tsung and Ch’in-tsung (just about one year each) and Kuang-tsung (five years). Other emperors ruled for much longer periods, such as...

Editors: Bas Leijssenaar and Neil Walker Publisher: Cambridge University Press – 236 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram The editors and authors of this book discuss the question of whether the idea and the reality of sovereignty is growing or declining. More and more new nations have emerged during the past several decades. At the same time, alliances of nations have also formed, particularly in Africa, Asia, South America, and most notably in Europe. This book is a product of the 10 authors of its chapters including the editors, after they participated in a conference entitled Images of Sovereignty...

(This book is part of the series entitled New Directions in Sustainability and Society). Author: Alf Hornborg Publisher: Cambridge University Press – 288 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram Many writers have described the period of time we are living in as ‘anthropocene’ – a period of severe global warming evidenced by extremes of weather in temperatures. We have for example, seen California fires caused by massive deforestation on the one hand, and hurricanes caused by the severely rising temperatures from the burning of fossil fuels and other human actions. But as recently as in June 2019, the term...

Author: William J. Stronge, PhD Publisher: Cambridge University Press – 362 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram This book has been written for professionals, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students of impact mechanics. This second edition published in 2018, contains several updates, but retains the basic organization and ethos of the first edition that appeared in 2000. The current edition is primarily a graduate-level textbook that follows a path of increasing complexity as you build on what you learn in the earlier chapters. Of course, if you are an undergraduate student but already have a grasp of the basic...

Editors: Theodore M. Porter and Dorothy Ross Publisher: Cambridge University Press – 762 pages Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram Social science, in its broadest sense, is the study of society and the manner in which people behave, influence, and interact among one another. The disciplines that can be called ‘social sciences’ are numerous, so depending upon which website you go, you will find groups of different social sciences that have some common threads. For example, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the United Kingdom notes these groups of disciplines within the social sciences: Demographics and social sciences,...