Father of modern management, social commentator, and preeminent business philosopher, Peter F. Drucker has been analyzing economics and society for more than sixty years. Now for readers everywhere who are concerned with the ways that management practices and principles affect the performance of the organization, the individual, and society, there is The Essential Drucker -- an invaluable compilation of management essentials from the works of a management legend.</p>
Containing twenty-six selections, The Essential Drucker covers the basic principles and concerns of management and its problems, challenges, and opportunities, giving managers, executives, and professionals the tools to perform the tasks that the economy and society of tomorrow will demand of them.</p>

Taking up where the volume "Early Jazz" left off, this second volume of Gunther Schuller's history of jazz considers the swing era - the age of dance bands and radio shows. Tracing the origins of swing and its effects on American musical and social life, he assesses the distinctive sounds of great bandleaders like Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Woody Herman, instrumentalists such as Art Tatum, Cab Calloway and Pee Wee Russell, and such vocalists as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee.

During the 1930s, swing bands combined jazz and popular music to create dreams for a depression generation. This book explores that world, taking a look into the musical and racial integration. Long before organized baseball or the armed forces experienced racial integration, the fan culture that surrounded these big bands had broken down many barriers that separated people from different racial backgrounds. The author aims to show how a dance subculture forged in the late 1920s and early 1930s, became a music genre that symbolized American society. The book tells the story of swing's rapid rise and the music and culture that bolstered a nation during one of its lowest periods.

This is a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone with a serious interest in mathematics. Edited by Timothy Gowers, a recipient of the Fields Medal, it presents nearly two hundred entries, written especially for this book by some of the world's leading mathematicians, that introduce basic mathematical tools and vocabulary; trace the development of modern mathematics; explain essential terms and concepts; examine core ideas in major areas of mathematics; describe the achievements of scores of famous mathematicians; explore the impact of mathematics on other disciplines such as biology, finance, and music--and much, much more.
Unparalleled in its depth of coverage, The Princeton Companion to Mathematics surveys the most active and exciting branches of pure mathematics, providing the context and broad perspective that are vital at a time of increasing specialization in the field. Packed with information and presented in an accessible style, this is an indispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics as well as for researchers and scholars seeking to understand areas outside their specialties.
* Features nearly 200 entries, organized thematically and written by an international team of distinguished contributors
* Presents major ideas and branches of pure mathematics in a clear, accessible style
* Defines and explains important mathematical concepts, methods, theorems, and open problems
* Introduces the language of mathematics and the goals of mathematical research
* Covers number theory, algebra, analysis, geometry, logic, probability, and more
* Traces the history and development of modern mathematics
* Profiles more than ninety-five mathematicians who influenced those working today
* Explores the influence of mathematics on other disciplines
* Includes bibliographies, cross-references, and a comprehensive index

For many years scholars have sought to explain why the European states which emerged in the period before the French Revolution developed along such different lines. Why did some become absolutist and others constitutionalist? What enabled some to develop bureaucratic administrative systems, while others remained dependent upon patrimonial practices? This book presents a new theory of state-building in medieval and early modern Europe. Ertman argues that two factors - the organisation of local government at the time of state formation and the timing of sustained geo-military competition - can explain most of the variation in political regimes and in state infrastructures found across the continent during the second half of the eighteenth century. Drawing on insights developed in historical sociology, comparative politics, and economic history, this book makes a compelling case for the value of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of political development.

Here is the original manuscript of Raymond Carver’s seminal 1981 collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Carver is one of the most celebrated short-story writers in American literature—his style is both instantly recognizable and hugely influential—and the pieces in What We Talk About . . ., which portray the gritty loves and lives of the American working class, are counted among the foundation stones of the contemporary short story. In this unedited text, we gain insight into the process of a great writer. These expansive stories illuminate the many dimensions of Carver’s style, and are indispensable to our understanding of his legacy.
Text established by William L. Stull and Maureen P. Carroll

Machine learning is becoming increasingly pervasive in the modern data-driven world. It is used extensively across many fields such as search engines, robotics, self-driving cars, and more.
With this book, you will learn how to perform various machine learning tasks in different environments. We'll start by exploring a range of real-life scenarios where machine learning can be used, and look at various building blocks. Throughout the book, you'll use a wide variety of machine learning algorithms to solve real-world problems and use Python to implement these algorithms.
You'll discover how to deal with various types of data and explore the differences between machine learning paradigms such as supervised and unsupervised learning. We also cover a range of regression techniques, classification algorithms, predictive modeling, data visualization techniques, recommendation engines, and more with the help of real-world examples.

"Rereading America "remains the most widely adopted book of its kind because of its unique approach to the issue of cultural diversity. Unlike other multicultural composition readers that settle for representing the plurality of American voices and cultures, "Rereading America "encourages students to grapple with the real differences in perspectives that arise in our complex society. Selections model writing from a wide variety of disciplines and genres, and each chapter features a selection that explores how the media sells the myth in question. With extensive editorial apparatus that puts readings from the mainstream into conversation with readings from the margins, "Rereading America "provokes students to explore the foundations and contradictions of our dominant cultural myths.

This text develops a comprehensive theory of programming languages based on type systems and structural operational semantics. Language concepts are precisely defined by their static and dynamic semantics, presenting the essential tools both intuitively and rigorously while relying on only elementary mathematics. These tools are used to analyze and prove properties of languages and provide the framework for combining and comparing language features. The broad range of concepts includes fundamental data types such as sums and products, polymorphic and abstract types, dynamic typing, dynamic dispatch, subtyping and refinement types, symbols and dynamic classification, parallelism and cost semantics, and concurrency and distribution. The methods are directly applicable to language implementation, to the development of logics for reasoning about programs, and to the formal verification language properties such as type safety. This thoroughly revised second edition includes exercises at the end of nearly every chapter and a new chapter on type refinements.

Genetic engineering, nanotechnology, astrophysics, particle physics: we live in an engineered world, one where the distinctions between science and engineering, technology and research, are fast disappearing. This book shows how, at the dawn of the 21st Century, the goals of natural scientists - to discover what was not known - and that of engineers - to create what did not exist - are undergoing an unprecedented convergence.

【中文阅读世界第一部全面比较秦汉与罗马帝国的创新性历史作品，以科学思维、全球眼光，看帝国兴衰和大国治理智慧，许倬云先生致敬推荐！】
当统治精英只顾特权，罔顾公利，国运可否长久？
难民潮汹涌，当代欧洲会再现西罗马灭亡的惊人一幕吗？
崛起的新中国，又该怎样面对有“新罗马”之称的美帝国？
以科学的思维、全球的眼光，看帝国兴衰和大国治理智慧；
贯通历史、政治、经济、管理学的跨界作品，许倬云先生致敬推荐！
★ 跨界创新：这是中文阅读世界第一部从政治、经济、军事、民族、思想与习俗等诸多角度全面比较秦汉与罗马帝国的创新性历史作品。作者欧阳莹之教授是深受国学传统薰陶、并在科学界卓有成就的物理学家，她的这部作品以科学家的理性思维、全球性的开阔视野，看帝国兴衰和大国治理智慧，贯通历史、政治、经济、法律、社会学、管理学等领域，原创性强，故事有趣有味，分析鞭辟入里，读来畅快淋漓。
★ 名家推荐：历史学家许倬云先生作序致敬推荐！斯坦福大学“古罗马穿越之旅”（即罗马帝国数字地图，Orbis: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World）主创者、斯坦福大学人文学系Dickason讲座教授兼古典与历史学系教授沃尔特•沙伊德尔先生（Walter Scheidel）高度称赞！
★ 精选插图：特别收录彩色历史图片十余幅，图文相得益彰。
【名家推荐】
此书乃是知识的盛宴；我向作者致以诚挚的敬意，她能够不受专业的约束，以通达的眼光，提供读者们，如此有用的一部好书。
——历史学家 许倬云
全球化时代需要一种超越常规边界的新历史作品，欧阳莹之教授对古代大帝国的比较分析，回应了这个挑战，令人印象深刻。
——斯坦福大学教授 沃尔特•沙伊德尔
即便是古罗马与中国历史方面的新手，也会喜欢这种清晰、迷人和明智的讲述。
——密苏里大学副教授 劳伦斯•奥卡穆拉
【关于本书】
故事开始时，中国仍在青铜时代，与进入铁器时代的地中海一带相比，犹如十九世纪的中国和西方。战国时期中国迎头赶上，其后秦汉王朝和罗马帝国并驾齐驱，各自创下四百年的辉煌。其时，人类社会大概有一半人处在两大帝国的控制之下。世事难全美，称雄东西方的帝国，最终都败亡于来自北疆的蕞尔小敌。它们抵御外侮的能力，被内部的压制、腐败和治理不善消耗殆尽。后来，中华帝国反复重生和扩张，而罗马帝国则不可挽回地分裂了。然而，欧洲再次统一的梦想从未磨灭：它彰显于教皇和“神圣罗马帝国皇帝”的宣言；它被拿破仑的雄鹰承载；它成为欧盟的内在抱负——当今难民潮汹涌，欧盟各国将何去何从？
欧阳莹之教授以秦汉帝国与罗马帝国的兴衰为线索，全面探讨两大帝国的政治、经济、军事、民族、思想与习俗等诸多方面的异同，尤其强调双方相异处对东西方世界面貌所造成的重大影响，总结其间的历史教训与大国治理之道。全书文字平实，逻辑缜密，兼顾叙述与评论；衡量东西方帝国的相对优劣，重新检视传统历史旧说，指出被忽略的因素以解释历史疑案。
龙是中国传统四灵之一，后成为皇权的专属符号；鹰是罗马军团的标志，后成为罗马霸权的象征。龙与鹰象征秦汉与罗马帝国运权统治的风格，历久弥新。当正在崛起的新中国，面临有“新罗马”之誉的美帝国，传统作风犹自可见于当今世局。今天的中国人，应如何理解中美之间的合作与冲突？

Text Classification, or the task of automatically assigning semantic categories to natural language text, has become one of the key methods for organizing online information. Since hand-coding classification rules is costly or even impractical, most modern approaches employ machine learning techniques to automatically learn text classifiers from examples. However, none of these conventional approaches combines good prediction performance, theoretical understanding, and efficient training algorithms. Based on ideas from Support Vector Machines (SVMs), Learning To Classify Text Using Support Vector Machines presents a new approach to generating text classifiers from examples. The approach combines high performance and efficiency with theoretical understanding and improved robustness. In particular, it is highly effective without greedy heuristic components. The SVM approach is computationally efficient in training and classification, and it comes with a learning theory that can guide real-world applications. Learning To Classify Text Using Support Vector Machines gives a complete and detailed description of the SVM approach to learning text classifiers, including training algorithms, transductive text classification, efficient performance estimation, and a statistical learning model of text classification. In addition, it includes an overview of the field of text classification, making it self-contained even for newcomers to the field. This book gives a concise introduction to SVMs for pattern recognition, and it includes a detailed description of how to formulate text-classification tasks for machine learning. Learning To Classify Text Using Support Vector Machines is designed as a reference for researchers and practitioners, and is suitable as a secondary text for graduate-level students in Computer Science within Machine Learning and Language Technology.

Commerce meets conquest in this swashbuckling story of the six merchant-adventurers who built the modern world, as told by Steven Bown, .Canada's Simon Winchester. (Globe and Mail).
Through the Age of Heroic Commerce, from the 17th to the 19th centuries, a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life merchant kings ruled vast tracts of the globe and expanded their far-flung monopolies to generate revenue for their shareholders, feather their own nests and satisfy their vanity and curiosity. Their exploits changed the world during an age of unfettered globalization, mirroring a world we know today.
Merchant Kings looks at each ruling monopoly through its greatest merchant king and considers their stories together for the first time. (