Ben Wilson

'One of our finest young historians' Daily Telegraph 'Capacious, entertaining and rich in wondrous detail' Tom Holland on Metropolis Coastlines is the untold story of how human history has been shaped by one of the most important sites of our evolution: the wild edgelands of the shore. Across the glinting boundary of land and sea, human lives and natural forces have collided for millennia, dynamically changing geographies and histories in tandem. For most of our existence as a coastal species, we have adapted to the shore's energies, changing as it changed, respecting its risks as well as harvesting its rewards. Starting with his discovery of an ancient jawbone on a shingle beach in Essex, historian Ben Wilson takes us on an epic journey across the world's coastlines ranging from the very early homo sapiens right up to our love of seaside holidays. Along the way, we visit the pre-historic caves in South Africa where the early human encounter with the coast sparked rapid cognitive development and learn how imperial European states grappled for coastal enclaves in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Leaving no pebble unturned, Wilson weaves history and ecology into a stunning, beautifully written narrative that encompasses Chinese pirates, British fossil hunters and Australian surfers. As climate change erodes our coastlines, we will have to relearn how to live alongside this restless frontier. That means looking again at this strange, magical threshold between worlds. And seeing the coastline not as peripheral to our human story - but at its vital heart.

This book offers the first full-length treatment of the topic of debating as a method of developing English Foreign Language (EFL) speaking, inviting scholars and practitioners to reflect on the demands of the current age for moving forward educational practice. While debating is a well-known method of dialogic speaking and is widely practiced, the extent to which it is integrated in adult TEFL has not been established, and an understanding of its affordances for developing foreign language speaking is also limited. This book fills the gap in the field of TESOL and applied linguistics on the affordances of debating as a form of dialogic speaking that can promote a holistic understanding and improvement of experience of education, and indeed academic outcomes. The two main themes that situate the work are those of dialogic speaking and affect (at times referred to as 'humanistic', 'positive psychology' and 'social and emotional learning'). The book details the experiences of an adult EFL debate group in a private language school in the North of Italy. It reports how the participants experience the pedagogy so as to offer insights into it as a form of teaching speaking in adult EFL, as well as providing a practical framework with lesson plans and curriculum. The affordances of debating emerge as being social, cognitive, educational and communicative, and are discussed alongside the work of language teaching scholars Curran and Freire, and more broadly within a Social Constructivist approach to education. As such, debating is discussed as being a holistic and dialogic form of pedagogy. Particular attention to experience - often affective - is also found to be fundamental in planning and assessing educational outcomes for both teachers and learners.

It's me, hi ... I'm the bestselling 100% Unofficial Taylor Swift Guide, it's me Farshore are the #1 annuals publisher in the UK (Bookscan TCM 2023) The Eras Tour may be over, but we're not over it. Jump then fall into dazzling facts about the mastermind that is Taylor Swift, from her almost two year long world tour, to her 11 perfect albums, gorgeous outfits, sparklin' achievements and more Volume 2 of this guide includes Tay-mazing activities, a look at Swift's albums (Taylor's Versions, of course), highlights from the Eras Tour and fresh roundups of Taylor's endless awards, videos and collabs. Whether you're a new fan (if so, enchanted to me you) or you go way back (to December), the 100% Unofficial Taylor Swift Guide: Volume 2 is for you Long story short, Taylor just hits different.

It’s me, hi … I’m the bestselling 100% Unofficial Taylor Swift Annual, it’s me! Farshore are the #1 annuals publisher in the UK (Bookscan TCM 2024) The Eras Tour may be over, but we’re not over it. Jump then fall into dazzling facts about the mastermind that is Taylor Swift, from her almost two year long world tour, to her 11 perfect albums, gorgeous outfits, sparklin’ achievements and more! This year’s annual includes Tay-mazing activities, a look at Swift's albums (Taylor’s Versions, of course), highlights from the Eras Tour and fresh roundups of Taylor’s endless awards, videos and collabs. Whether you’re a new fan (if so, enchanted to me you) or you go way back (to December), the 100% Unofficial Taylor Swift Annual 2026 is for you! Long story short, Taylor just hits different.

Discover all there is to know about MrBeast and become his biggest fan! 100% Unofficial MrBeast is packed with his record-breaking challenges, the coolest collaborations, and his greatest giveaways. Whether you’re already a MrBeast subscriber or are excited to learn more, this hardback handbook is perfect for fans of YouTube’s biggest star! Check out his first YouTube video (at the age of 13!), learn all the flavours of Feastables, explore how he helps the world with Team Trees and Team Seas, delve into his favourite video games, discover how he became the most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world, read all about The Beast Gang, and dive into Beast Games in this essential guide!

The best holiday gift for Swift fans everywhere--a gorgeous, full color guide to all things Taylor Packed with fun facts all about our Tay-Tay, the 100% Unofficial Taylor Swift Guide is the perfect guide for new and old fans alike. Dive into Taylor's origins in the country scene, discover her style through her most gorgeous outfits over the years, learn about her endless list of hugely impressive achievements and of course take a walk through time with her 11 stunning albums. Whether you're getting ready to shake it off at the Eras Tour, want to find out more about Tay-Tay's journey to stardom or simply need to brush up on her cats' names (ahem - Olivia, Meredith and Benjamin - ahem), then you've come to the right place. Soon you'll know T-Swift all too well. The perfect unofficial guide for fans. Are you ready for it?

This book offers the first full-length treatment of the topic of debating as a method of developing English Foreign Language (EFL) speaking, inviting scholars and practitioners to reflect on the demands of the current age for moving forward educational practice. While debating is a well-known method of dialogic speaking and is widely practiced, the extent to which it is integrated in adult TEFL has not been established, and an understanding of its affordances for developing foreign language speaking is also limited. This book fills the gap in the field of TESOL and applied linguistics on the affordances of debating as a form of dialogic speaking that can promote a holistic understanding and improvement of experience of education, and indeed academic outcomes. The two main themes that situate the work are those of dialogic speaking and affect (at times referred to as 'humanistic', 'positive psychology' and 'social and emotional learning'). The book details the experiences of an adult EFL debate group in a private language school in the North of Italy. It reports how the participants experience the pedagogy so as to offer insights into it as a form of teaching speaking in adult EFL, as well as providing a practical framework with lesson plans and curriculum. The affordances of debating emerge as being social, cognitive, educational and communicative, and are discussed alongside the work of language teaching scholars Curran and Freire, and more broadly within a Social Constructivist approach to education. As such, debating is discussed as being a holistic and dialogic form of pedagogy. Particular attention to experience - often affective - is also found to be fundamental in planning and assessing educational outcomes for both teachers and learners.

An eye-opening and urgent re-examination of nature in our cities, from the Sunday Times bestselling author.‘Awe-inspiring… full of wonder, warning and hope’ ISABELLA TREE, author of WildingOur modern-day cities might seem to represent our separation from the vitality of the natural world. Yet, as Ben Wilson reveals in this invigorating re-examination of urban landscapes across the globe, nature has always been at the heart of the city. Moving from Los Angeles and Delhi to Singapore and Amsterdam, Wilson explores how the bond between humans and nature has oscillated throughout history, and shows that – in a time of climate crisis – a new approach to rewilding may prove to be the city’s saviour.‘Wilson soars like a falcon over global cities on five continents’ WASHINGTON POST‘Novel and provocative’THE TIMES

In this exhilarating look at cities, past and future, Ben Wilson proposes that, in our world of rising seas and threatening weather, the natural world may prove the city's savior "Illuminating... Wilson leaves readers with hope about the future of efforts to preserve the ecosystems that surround us, as well as a new perspective that looks beyond the concrete and asphalt when walking along a city's streets."--Associated Press Since the beginning of civilization, humans have built cities to wall nature out, then glorified it in beloved but quite artificial parks. In Urban Jungle Ben Wilson--the author of Metropolis, a seven-thousand-year history of cities that the Wall Street Journal called "a towering achievement"--looks to the fraught relationship between nature and the city for clues to how the planet can survive in an age of climate crisis. Whether it was the market farmers of Paris, Germans in medieval forest cities, or the Aztecs in the floating city of Tenochtitlan, pre-modern humans had an essential bond with nature. But when the day came that water was piped in and food flown from distant fields, that relationship was lost. Today, urban areas are the fastest-growing habitat on Earth and in Urban Jungle Ben Wilson finds that we are at last acknowledging that human engineering is not enough to protect us from extremes of weather. He takes us to places where efforts to rewild the city are under way: to Los Angeles, where the city's concrete river will run blue again, to New York City, where a bleak landfill will be a vast grassland preserve. The pinnacle of this strategy will be Amsterdam: a city that is its own ecosystem, that makes no waste and produces its own energy. In many cities, Wilson finds, nature is already thriving. Koalas are settling in Brisbane, wild boar may raid your picnic in Berlin. Green canopies, wildflowers, wildlife: the things that will help cities survive, he notes, also make people happy. Urban Jungle offers the pleasures of history--how backyard gardens spread exotic species all over the world, how war produces biodiversity--alongside a fantastic vision of the lush green cities of our future. Climate change, Ben Wilson believes, is only the latest chapter in the dramatic human story of nature and the city.

Our modern-day cities might seem to represent our separation from the natural world. In fact, as Ben Wilson reveals in this captivating re-examination of urban landscapes around the world, nature has always been at the heart of the city. Wilson explores the wild side of cities, past, present and future: the middens, abandoned sites and strips of land alongside railway lines. For much of history, wild patches in cities provided essential food, fuel, medicine and places of recreation and escape for city-dwellers, and the dividing line between city and countryside was blurred. Even our post-industrial cities are much wilder places that we might imagine, with booming animal and plant populations, if we know where to look. In today's urbanised planet, natural forces - be they floods, storms, droughts or pandemics - look set to determine the future of our cities. In a time of climate crisis, cities that once built walls and towers to defend against attack; now they have to become greener to protect themselves from external threats. Our future - and that of the planet - will be made in the city. Only by looking deep in to the past, examining the present and casting an eye to the future can we really begin to understand the bountiful potential and wonder of our extraordinary urban ecosystems.

In this exhilarating look at cities, past and future, Ben Wilson proposes that, in our world of rising seas and threatening weather, the natural world may prove the city's savior "Illuminating... Wilson leaves readers with hope about the future of efforts to preserve the ecosystems that surround us, as well as a new perspective that looks beyond the concrete and asphalt when walking along a city's streets."--Associated Press Since the beginning of civilization, humans have built cities to wall nature out, then glorified it in beloved but quite artificial parks. In Urban Jungle Ben Wilson--the author of Metropolis, a seven-thousand-year history of cities that the Wall Street Journal called "a towering achievement"--looks to the fraught relationship between nature and the city for clues to how the planet can survive in an age of climate crisis. Whether it was the market farmers of Paris, Germans in medieval forest cities, or the Aztecs in the floating city of Tenochtitlan, pre-modern humans had an essential bond with nature. But when the day came that water was piped in and food flown from distant fields, that relationship was lost. Today, urban areas are the fastest-growing habitat on Earth and in Urban Jungle Ben Wilson finds that we are at last acknowledging that human engineering is not enough to protect us from extremes of weather. He takes us to places where efforts to rewild the city are under way: to Los Angeles, where the city's concrete river will run blue again, to New York City, where a bleak landfill will be a vast grassland preserve. The pinnacle of this strategy will be Amsterdam: a city that is its own ecosystem, that makes no waste and produces its own energy. In many cities, Wilson finds, nature is already thriving. Koalas are settling in Brisbane, wild boar may raid your picnic in Berlin. Green canopies, wildflowers, wildlife: the things that will help cities survive, he notes, also make people happy. Urban Jungle offers the pleasures of history--how backyard gardens spread exotic species all over the world, how war produces biodiversity--alongside a fantastic vision of the lush green cities of our future. Climate change, Ben Wilson believes, is only the latest chapter in the dramatic human story of nature and the city.

This text gives students a depth of understanding about how education influences and shapes society and conversely how society shapes education policy. It has never been more important for students of education to be able to understand the connections between the local and the global in explaining contemporary educational change. This text explains the connection between how the Australian education system has been shaped over time, and how this has influenced the current institutions and policies that comprise the state of education. This comprehensive and theoretical text on the sociology of education helps students engage with the theory of educational sociology and learn how to critically reflect on it.

Take it to the next level! Bursting with the biggest games, latest trends, and hottest news, Next Level Games Review 2023 is the ultimate annual gaming guide. Inside you’ll discover a recap of the last twelve months in gaming and a preview of what’s coming soon, plus an exclusive intro written by YouTube, TV, and radio presenter Julia Hardy. Whether you want to relive the action in Deathloop, learn about the exciting new Steam Deck, get a head start in Switch Sports, explore Minecraft biomes, become an MMO champion, join the Guardians of the Galaxy aboard the Milano, catch new Diamond and Pearl Pokémon, check out indie adventures, build your Ultimate Team in FIFA, or return to The Lands Between in Elden Ring, this guide is a game-changer! 200+ GAMES: Find out surprising stats and entertaining facts on over 200 games, including Mario, Demon Slayer, Forza, Call of Duty, Genshin Impact, Roblox, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Sonic, Final Fantasy, Madden NFL, and The Legend of Zelda. PERFECT FOR NEW GAMERS: Packed with tips and tricks for new and young gamers, plus a special glossary section so you can learn the lingo. ESPORTS CHAPTER: Catch up on all the news and read fascinating trivia on the top eSports games, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Dota 2, and Overwatch. INSIDER INFO: Get the inside take from gaming experts and learn all about your favourite game studios, including FromSoftware, EA, Bandai Namco, 343, Eidos Montréal, and Gearbox Software.

Machine Learning Engineering in Action lays out an approach to building deployable, maintainable production machine learning systems. You will adopt software development standards that deliver better code management, and make it easier to test, scale, and even reuse your machine learning code! You will learn how to plan and scope your project, manage cross-team logistics that avoid fatal communication failures, and design your code's architecture for improved resilience. You will even discover when not to use machine learning—and the alternative approaches that might be cheaper and more effective. When you're done working through this toolbox guide, you will be able to reliably deliver cost-effective solutions for organizations big and small alike. Following established processes and methodology maximizes the likelihood that your machine learning projects will survive and succeed for the long haul. By adopting standard, reproducible practices, your projects will be maintainable over time and easy for new team members to understand and adapt.

Metropol er en farverig rejse gennem 7000 a°rs historie og 26 verdensbyer, der viser os, hvordan det urbane liv har været vugge for alle menneskehedens største innovationer. I de 200 a°rtusinder vi har eksisteret, har intet formet os mere end byen. Ben Wilson fortæller den glorværdige historie om, hvordan livet i byerne har fa°et kulturen tilat blomstre. Første by er Uruk, som er dateret til 5000 a°r før vores tidsregning og mindeværdigt beskrevet i Gilgamesh. Ben Wilson viser os, at byer aldrig har været en egentlig nødvendighed, men da de først eksisterede, skabte deres tætte befolkning ba°de nye professioner, former for kunst, tilbedelse og handel, og pa° den ma°de blev civilisationer bygget. Civilsamfundet i Athen, global handel i 900-tallets Baghdad, økonomi i Londons kaffehuse, hjemlig hygge i Amsterdams hjerte, flamboyant pa°klædning i Paris’ Belle Epoque. Og fra den moderne tid fortæller Ben Wilson om at bygge i højden i New York city og spredt og lavt i Los Angeles, samt miljøvenlig nytænkning i Shanghai. Livlig, lærd, underholdende og uimodsta°elig, Metropol er den store historie om menneskets største præstation.

In a captivating tour of cities famous and forgotten, acclaimed historian Ben Wilson tells the glorious, millennia-spanning story how urban living sparked humankind's greatest innovations. "A towering achievement.... Reading this book is like visiting an exhilarating city for the first time--dazzling." --The Wall Street Journal During the two hundred millennia of humanity's existence, nothing has shaped us more profoundly than the city. From their very beginnings, cities created such a flourishing of human endeavor--new professions, new forms of art, worship and trade--that they kick-started civilization. Guiding us through the centuries, Wilson reveals the innovations nurtured by the inimitable energy of human beings together: civics in the agora of Athens, global trade in ninth-century Baghdad, finance in the coffeehouses of London, domestic comforts in the heart of Amsterdam, peacocking in Belle poque Paris. In the modern age, the skyscrapers of New York City inspired utopian visions of community design, while the trees of twenty-first-century Seattle and Shanghai point to a sustainable future in the age of climate change. Page-turning, irresistible, and rich with engrossing detail, Metropolis is a brilliant demonstration that the story of human civilization is the story of cities.