Author: Dave Eggers
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385351402
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A bestselling dystopian novel that tackles surveillance, privacy and the frightening intrusions of technology in our lives—a “compulsively readable parable for the 21st century” (Vanity Fair). When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
The Circle
Author: Dave Eggers
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385351402
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A bestselling dystopian novel that tackles surveillance, privacy and the frightening intrusions of technology in our lives—a “compulsively readable parable for the 21st century” (Vanity Fair). When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0385351402
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A bestselling dystopian novel that tackles surveillance, privacy and the frightening intrusions of technology in our lives—a “compulsively readable parable for the 21st century” (Vanity Fair). When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
Author: John Gottman, PhD
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 0553447718
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Over a million copies sold! “An eminently practical guide to an emotionally intelligent—and long-lasting—marriage.”—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts, creating new common ground, and achieving greater levels of intimacy. Gottman offers strategies and resources to help couples collaborate more effectively to resolve any problem, whether dealing with issues related to sex, money, religion, work, family, or anything else. Packed with new exercises and the latest research out of the esteemed Gottman Institute, this revised edition of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 0553447718
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Over a million copies sold! “An eminently practical guide to an emotionally intelligent—and long-lasting—marriage.”—Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. John Gottman’s unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage. Here is the culmination of that work: the seven principles that guide couples on a path toward a harmonious and long-lasting relationship. Straightforward yet profound, these principles teach partners new approaches for resolving conflicts, creating new common ground, and achieving greater levels of intimacy. Gottman offers strategies and resources to help couples collaborate more effectively to resolve any problem, whether dealing with issues related to sex, money, religion, work, family, or anything else. Packed with new exercises and the latest research out of the esteemed Gottman Institute, this revised edition of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is the definitive guide for anyone who wants their relationship to attain its highest potential.
Life Is Better When You Are Sailing
Author: Chadam Notebooks
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781095089668
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122
Book Description
CLASSIC NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name Dr. Chadam Notebooks to buy them
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781095089668
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122
Book Description
CLASSIC NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name Dr. Chadam Notebooks to buy them
Human Accomplishment
Author: Charles Murray
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061745677
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 790
Book Description
A sweeping cultural survey reminiscent of Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence. "At irregular times and in scattered settings, human beings have achieved great things. Human Accomplishment is about those great things, falling in the domains known as the arts and sciences, and the people who did them.' So begins Charles Murray's unique account of human excellence, from the age of Homer to our own time. Employing techniques that historians have developed over the last century but that have rarely been applied to books written for the general public, Murray compiles inventories of the people who have been essential to the stories of literature, music, art, philosophy, and the sciences—a total of 4,002 men and women from around the world, ranked according to their eminence. The heart of Human Accomplishment is a series of enthralling descriptive chapters: on the giants in the arts and what sets them apart from the merely great; on the differences between great achievement in the arts and in the sciences; on the meta-inventions, 14 crucial leaps in human capacity to create great art and science; and on the patterns and trajectories of accomplishment across time and geography. Straightforwardly and undogmatically, Charles Murray takes on some controversial questions. Why has accomplishment been so concentrated in Europe? Among men? Since 1400? He presents evidence that the rate of great accomplishment has been declining in the last century, asks what it means, and offers a rich framework for thinking about the conditions under which the human spirit has expressed itself most gloriously. Eye-opening and humbling, Human Accomplishment is a fascinating work that describes what humans at their best can achieve, provides tools for exploring its wellsprings, and celebrates the continuing common quest of humans everywhere to discover truths, create beauty, and apprehend the good.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061745677
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 790
Book Description
A sweeping cultural survey reminiscent of Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence. "At irregular times and in scattered settings, human beings have achieved great things. Human Accomplishment is about those great things, falling in the domains known as the arts and sciences, and the people who did them.' So begins Charles Murray's unique account of human excellence, from the age of Homer to our own time. Employing techniques that historians have developed over the last century but that have rarely been applied to books written for the general public, Murray compiles inventories of the people who have been essential to the stories of literature, music, art, philosophy, and the sciences—a total of 4,002 men and women from around the world, ranked according to their eminence. The heart of Human Accomplishment is a series of enthralling descriptive chapters: on the giants in the arts and what sets them apart from the merely great; on the differences between great achievement in the arts and in the sciences; on the meta-inventions, 14 crucial leaps in human capacity to create great art and science; and on the patterns and trajectories of accomplishment across time and geography. Straightforwardly and undogmatically, Charles Murray takes on some controversial questions. Why has accomplishment been so concentrated in Europe? Among men? Since 1400? He presents evidence that the rate of great accomplishment has been declining in the last century, asks what it means, and offers a rich framework for thinking about the conditions under which the human spirit has expressed itself most gloriously. Eye-opening and humbling, Human Accomplishment is a fascinating work that describes what humans at their best can achieve, provides tools for exploring its wellsprings, and celebrates the continuing common quest of humans everywhere to discover truths, create beauty, and apprehend the good.
On Diary
Author: Philippe Lejeune
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824833880
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
On Diary is the second collection in English of the groundbreaking and profoundly influential work of one of the best-known and provocative theorists of autobiography and diary. Ranging from the diary’s historical origins to its pervasive presence on the Internet, from the spiritual journey of the sixteenth century to the diary of Anne Frank, and from the materials and methods of diary writing to the question of how diaries end, these essays display Philippe Lejeune’s expertise, eloquence, passion, and humor as a commentator on the functions, practices, and significance of keeping or reading a diary. Lejeune is a leading European critic and theorist of diary and autobiography. His landmark essay, "The Autobiographical Pact," has shaped life writing studies for more than thirty years, and his many books and essays have repeatedly opened up new vistas for scholarship. As Michael Riffaterre notes, "Lejeune’s work on autobiography is the most original, powerful, effective approach to a difficult subject. . . . His style is very personal, lively. It grabs the reader as scholarship rarely does. Lejeune’s erudition and methodology are impeccable." Two substantial introductory essays by Jeremy Popkin and Julie Rak place Lejeune’s work within its critical and theoretical traditions and comment on his central importance within the fields of life writing, literary genetic studies, and cultural studies.
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824833880
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 362
Book Description
On Diary is the second collection in English of the groundbreaking and profoundly influential work of one of the best-known and provocative theorists of autobiography and diary. Ranging from the diary’s historical origins to its pervasive presence on the Internet, from the spiritual journey of the sixteenth century to the diary of Anne Frank, and from the materials and methods of diary writing to the question of how diaries end, these essays display Philippe Lejeune’s expertise, eloquence, passion, and humor as a commentator on the functions, practices, and significance of keeping or reading a diary. Lejeune is a leading European critic and theorist of diary and autobiography. His landmark essay, "The Autobiographical Pact," has shaped life writing studies for more than thirty years, and his many books and essays have repeatedly opened up new vistas for scholarship. As Michael Riffaterre notes, "Lejeune’s work on autobiography is the most original, powerful, effective approach to a difficult subject. . . . His style is very personal, lively. It grabs the reader as scholarship rarely does. Lejeune’s erudition and methodology are impeccable." Two substantial introductory essays by Jeremy Popkin and Julie Rak place Lejeune’s work within its critical and theoretical traditions and comment on his central importance within the fields of life writing, literary genetic studies, and cultural studies.
Life Is Better When You Are Sailing
Author: C. L. D. Notebooks
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781095223178
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
CLASSIC NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name CLD Notebooks to buy them
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781095223178
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
CLASSIC NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name CLD Notebooks to buy them
Slow Jogging
Author: Hiroaki Tanaka
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1510708324
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 173
Book Description
Running is America’s most popular participatory sport, yet more than half of those who identify as runners get injured every year. Falling prey to injuries from overtraining, faulty form, poor eating, and improper footwear, many runners eventually, and reluctantly, abandon the sport for a less strenuous pastime. But for the first time in the United States, Hiroaki Tanaka’s Slow Jogging demonstrates that there is an efficient, healthier, and pain-free approach to running for all ages and lifestyles. Tanaka’s method of easy running, or “slow jogging,” is an injury-free approach to running that helps participants burn calories, lose weight, and even reverse the effects of Type-2 diabetes. With easy-to-follow steps and colorful charts, Slow Jogging teaches runners to enjoy injury-free activity by: • Maintaining a smiling, or niko niko in Japanese, pace that is both easy and enjoyable • Landing on mid-foot, instead of on the heel • Choosing shoes with thin, flexible soles and no oversized heel • Aiming for a pace of 180 steps per minute • And trying to find time for activity every day Accessible to runners of all fitness levels and ages, Slow Jogging will inspire thousands more Americans to take up running and will change the way that avid runners hit the pavement.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1510708324
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 173
Book Description
Running is America’s most popular participatory sport, yet more than half of those who identify as runners get injured every year. Falling prey to injuries from overtraining, faulty form, poor eating, and improper footwear, many runners eventually, and reluctantly, abandon the sport for a less strenuous pastime. But for the first time in the United States, Hiroaki Tanaka’s Slow Jogging demonstrates that there is an efficient, healthier, and pain-free approach to running for all ages and lifestyles. Tanaka’s method of easy running, or “slow jogging,” is an injury-free approach to running that helps participants burn calories, lose weight, and even reverse the effects of Type-2 diabetes. With easy-to-follow steps and colorful charts, Slow Jogging teaches runners to enjoy injury-free activity by: • Maintaining a smiling, or niko niko in Japanese, pace that is both easy and enjoyable • Landing on mid-foot, instead of on the heel • Choosing shoes with thin, flexible soles and no oversized heel • Aiming for a pace of 180 steps per minute • And trying to find time for activity every day Accessible to runners of all fitness levels and ages, Slow Jogging will inspire thousands more Americans to take up running and will change the way that avid runners hit the pavement.
Life Is Better When You Are Sailing
Author: CLD Notebooks
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781098778439
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122
Book Description
CLASSIC COLLEGE RULED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name CLD Notebooks to buy them
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781098778439
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122
Book Description
CLASSIC COLLEGE RULED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL I am always looking for something to write on! How about you? This notebook is an excellent accessory for your desk at home or at the office. It's the perfect travel size to fit in a laptop bag or backpack. Use it on the go and you will keep all of your notes and reminders in organized in one place. Professionally designed this 6x9 notebook provides the medium for you to detail your thoughts. Buy your journal today and begin to fill the pre-lined pages with your heart's desire. FEATURES: *120 Blank Pages - Lined *Beautiful Colorful Classic Cover Art DIMENSIONS: 6x9 inches PERFECT FOR: Homework Personal Journal Food Journal Meeting Notes Wedding Planning Everyday Dairy Work To-Do-Lists Shopping Lists Creative Doodling Meeting Notes School Notes Game Notes Game Scores Away Games Travel Diary Team Roster College Planning If you love this journal visit our selection of custom Journals and Notebooks. Click on our brand name CLD Notebooks to buy them
Stowaway
Author: Pam Withers
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1459741935
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112
Book Description
2020 Red Maple Fiction Award — Shortlisted • 2021 Chocolate Lily Award — Winner “The fast-paced and suspenseful plot will keep readers rooting for Owen, Arturo, and the others.” —School Library Journal Owen’s plan to sail away on an adventure puts him on a collision course with some very dangerous people. When Owen’s parents leave him on his own for a week, the sixteen-year-old gets bored and hatches a crazy idea: sneak onto the yacht that’s visiting the sleepy Pacific Coast island where he lives and stow away on an adventure! Once on board the vessel, Owen quickly finds this is anything but innocent fun. The ship is packed with teenagers from Central America, and it looks like Owen has stumbled into a people-smuggling operation. Complications pile up and as things head from bad to worse, a haunting incident from Owen’s past tightens its grip on him. There’s only one way to break free and make his way home. Owen and the first mate, Arturo — a former street kid — must work together to commandeer the boat and win the trust of those on board. But who’s friend and who’s foe in the shifting tides?
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1459741935
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112
Book Description
2020 Red Maple Fiction Award — Shortlisted • 2021 Chocolate Lily Award — Winner “The fast-paced and suspenseful plot will keep readers rooting for Owen, Arturo, and the others.” —School Library Journal Owen’s plan to sail away on an adventure puts him on a collision course with some very dangerous people. When Owen’s parents leave him on his own for a week, the sixteen-year-old gets bored and hatches a crazy idea: sneak onto the yacht that’s visiting the sleepy Pacific Coast island where he lives and stow away on an adventure! Once on board the vessel, Owen quickly finds this is anything but innocent fun. The ship is packed with teenagers from Central America, and it looks like Owen has stumbled into a people-smuggling operation. Complications pile up and as things head from bad to worse, a haunting incident from Owen’s past tightens its grip on him. There’s only one way to break free and make his way home. Owen and the first mate, Arturo — a former street kid — must work together to commandeer the boat and win the trust of those on board. But who’s friend and who’s foe in the shifting tides?
Tuttle Learning Chinese Characters
Author: Alison Matthews
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146290128X
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 146290128X
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 388
Book Description
This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.