Andrew Ford

Andrew Ford here addresses, in a manner both engaging and richly informed, the perennial questions of what poetry is, how it came to be, and what it is for. Focusing on the critical moment in Western literature when the heroic tales of the Greek oral tradition began to be preserved in writing, he examines these questions in the light of Homeric poetry. Through fresh readings of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and referring to other early epics as well, Ford deepens our understanding of what poetry was at a time before written texts, before a developed sense of authorship, and before the existence of institutionalized criticism. Placing what is known about Homer's art in the wider context of Homer's world, Ford traces the effects of the oral tradition upon the development of the epic and addresses such issues as the sources of the poet's inspiration and the generic constraints upon epic composition. After exploring Homer's poetic vocabulary and his fictional and mythical representations of the art of singing, Ford reconstructs an idea of poetry much different from that put forth by previous interpreters. Arguing that Homer grounds his project in religious rather than literary or historical terms, he concludes that archaic poetry claims to give a uniquely transparent and immediate rendering of the past. Homer: The Poetry of the Past will be stimulating and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the traditions of poetry, as well as for students and scholars in the fields of classics, literary theory and literary history, and intellectual history.

PROVEN NONVERBAL STRATEGIES THAT WIN SALES When you are selling, the way you deliver your message will matter as much as, or more than, what you actually say. In this groundbreaking book, body language guru Mark Bowden teams up with renowned sales trainer Andrew Ford to reveal nonverbal communication skills guaranteed to give you the advantage in every sales situation. Winning Body Language for Sales Professionals reveals the universal body language signals that command instant respect and teaches you how to use them to:Avoid being perceived as just another “salesperson” Earn lasting trust—without saying a word Interpret others’ body language to determine “friends” and “enemies” Create an environment that puts buyers at ease Influence the feelings and behavior of your prospects These are the secrets every salesperson has been waiting for. When you com¬municate in a positive way with your body language, your words hold greater weight than ever—and winning the sale is just a handshake away.

"Modeling the Environment" was the first textbook in an emerging field - the modeling techniques that allow managers and researchers to see in advance the consequences of actions and policies in environmental management. This new edition brings the book thoroughly up to date and reaffirms its status as the leading introductory text on the subject. System dynamics is one of the most widely used methods of modeling. The fundamental principles of this approach are demonstrated here with a wide range of examples, including geohydrology, population biology, epidemiology, and economics. The applications demonstrate the transferability of the systems approach across disciplines, across spatial scales, and across time scales. All of the models are implemented with stock and flow software programs such as Stella and Vensim, which are easy for students to learn and use.

How can millions of readers come to grips with their financial situation at a time when nothing seems to be enough? Arun Abey and Andrew Ford believe that the answer lies beyond the balance sheet in the heart and spirit of the individual investor. Having advised investors around the globe, the authors dig deep into the latest economic and social research as they bridge the worlds of financial security and personal well-being. Their book guides readers through a holistic approach to financial planning, one based on the fact that money is only one element in the overall chemistry of a happy life. Readers will learn how to manage their investment portfolios in coordination with their aspirations. Brilliantly combining economics and social thought, this book promises to revolutionise the investment world. Complete with succinct economic advice as well as stories from those who have found peace beyond their bank accounts, the book gives readers the confidence to pursue their own paths toward a secure and fulfilling future. Find happiness and wealth will follow.

Even if you know the Apache web server inside and out, you still need an occasional on-the-job reminder - especially if you're moving to the newer Apache 2.x. This book gives you exactly what you need to get the job done without forcing you to plow through a cumbersome doorstop of a reference. "Apache 2 Pocket Reference" offers essential information to help you configure and maintain the server quickly, with brief explanations that get directly to the point. The second edition covers Apache 2.x as well as popular Apache 1.3.x still used by many web masters, web administrators, programmers, and others. This new edition includes: summaries of command-line options, configuration directives, and modules; key information about Apache support utilities; and, compatibility issues between Apache 1.3.x and Apache 2.x. Apache remains a key component in the vast majority of networks on the Web, currently running more than half of the world's sites. Whether you manage huge e-commerce operations, corporate intranets, or small hobby websites, "Apache 2 Pocket Reference" is ideal for savvy administrators who no long need detailed tutorials - and it's just the right size for your tote bag.

By "literary criticism" we usually mean a self-conscious act involving the technical and aesthetic appraisal, by individuals, of autonomous works of art. Aristotle and Plato come to mind. The word "social" does not. Yet, as this book shows, it should--if, that is, we wish to understand where literary criticism as we think of it today came from. Andrew Ford offers a new understanding of the development of criticism, demonstrating that its roots stretch back long before the sophists to public commentary on the performance of songs and poems in the preliterary era of ancient Greece. He pinpoints when and how, later in the Greek tradition than is usually assumed, poetry was studied as a discipline with its own principles and methods. The Origins of Criticism complements the usual, history-of-ideas approach to the topic precisely by treating criticism as a social as well as a theoretical activity. With unprecedented and penetrating detail, Ford considers varying scholarly interpretations of the key texts discussed. Examining Greek discussions of poetry from the late sixth century B. C. through the rise of poetics in the late fourth, he asks when we first can recognize anything like the modern notions of literature as imaginative writing and of literary criticism as a special knowledge of such writing. Serving as a monumental preface to Aristotle's Poetics, this book allows readers to discern the emergence, within the manifold activities that might be called criticism, of the historically specific discourse on poetry that has shaped subsequent Western approaches to literature.