Paul Barrett

The 26-metre-long Diplodocus skeleton that dominates the Central Hall of the Natural History Museum in London is one of the world's most famous dinosaur models. Known affectionately as 'Dippy', it has fascinated and enthralled visitors since it was first revealed to an astonished public in 1905. Dippy's tale begins some 150 million years ago in the late part of the Jurassic period - the time from which the original fossil dates. Dippy is an exact plaster replica of the fossilized bones found in the badlands of Wyoming, USA. The story of how Dippy came to the Museum is one that involves danger and adventure in the harsh environment of the American Wild West, the generosity of an eccentric millionaire and the involvement of the British royal family. The book combines an engaging narrative with details of dinosaur discoveries and the latest research on Diplodocus anatomy and behaviour. It also reveals the emergence of Dippy's importance to scientists, as studies on Diplodocus kick-started a renaissance in the understanding of the biology of the group it belongs to, the sauropods. Featuring delightful artworks and photographs throughout, this is both an engaging tale of discovery and a guide to one of the longest land animals ever to walk the Earth.

The Routledge Introduction to English Canadian Literature and Digital Humanities is a guide to the concepts and theories at the intersection of Canadian literary studies and digital humanities (DH). Equal parts theoretical and practical, it focuses on debates that overlap the two domains. This book historicizes the connections between the two by surveying the history of DH in Canada, the tradition of Canadian writers engaging with technology, and DH analyses of Canadian literature. It also situates both CanLit and DH with respect to contemporary concerns about alterity, and it demonstrates how digital technologies allow writers and scholars to intervene in them. This book complements its theoretical discussions with a practical introduction to DH methods. Using Canadian literary texts and examples from projects at the intersection of CanLit and DH, it introduces key DH approaches to novice readers. Topics covered include data collection, data management, and textual analysis, as well as essential DH tools and the Python programming language. A concluding case study guides readers interested in applying the ideas presented throughout.

The Routledge Introduction to English Canadian Literature and Digital Humanities is a guide to the concepts and theories at the intersection of Canadian literary studies and digital humanities (DH). Equal parts theoretical and practical, it focuses on debates that overlap the two domains. This book historicizes the connections between the two by surveying the history of DH in Canada, the tradition of Canadian writers engaging with technology, and DH analyses of Canadian literature. It also situates both CanLit and DH with respect to contemporary concerns about alterity, and it demonstrates how digital technologies allow writers and scholars to intervene in them. This book complements its theoretical discussions with a practical introduction to DH methods. Using Canadian literary texts and examples from projects at the intersection of CanLit and DH, it introduces key DH approaches to novice readers. Topics covered include data collection, data management, and textual analysis, as well as essential DH tools and the Python programming language. A concluding case study guides readers interested in applying the ideas presented throughout.

Since the Venerable Bede wrote his iconic Ecclesiastic History of England in the eighth century, King Penda has been relegated to the role of villain and treated as a barrier to advancement in a battle between new ideas and a new culture. Paul Barrett outlines the background to the Anglo-Saxon takeover in England and explores the broad concepts of the Angles’ traditional culture, before delving into the life of Penda (605 – 655). Penda’s life spanned the first half of the seventh century, the era which gave birth to national identities which still form the central components of modern Britain; Wales, Scotland, and England all take shape through this period. Penda’s seemingly impossible ascent to prominence starts on the very periphery of power and ends with the dominance of Britain. He is at the centre of Mercia’s birth, expansion and rise. Throughout his reign his kingdom becomes a bastion of stability in a period of endemic warfare, climate change challenges, cultural competition, and unstable nation-to nation relationships. Throughout his life Penda challenges the status quo and shows the value of cultural pluralism in a time when the growing power of a new faith, Christianity, was pushing all others into extinction. Guided by his loyalty to an ancient culture, service to his family, and his powerful Queen Cynewise, Penda launched Mercia towards eventual supremacy, which would last for over 200 years. He was the last of the great Anglo-Saxon heathen warlords.

Prepare to meet fantasy's most reluctant hero. Briar, son of Patch, is perfectly happy working as a low-level scribe for the Church of Ubel, spending his off time painting seascapes, walking on the beach, and being alive. That last one is put in imminent danger when the Church hierarchy determines the god Ubel has gone insane. A delegation is gathered to journey to the Oracle of Hiephi so they can learn what must be done to cure the psychopathic deity. Briar, very much against his will, must accompany the group, ostensibly to chronicle the journey for inclusion in the official Church archives. During their adventures, horrific visions of an angry, scowling teenager plague Briar, and he soon learns there is a deeper, darker reason behind his inclusion in this insanely dangerous quest. Facing the likes of bloodthirsty pirates, a bloodthirstier gnome talent agent, and The Slobbering Hound of Chaos, Briar slowly, and oh so unwillingly, learns his place in the world. He might even manage to become a hero. If he survives.

Prepare to meet fantasy's most reluctant hero. Briar, son of Patch, is perfectly happy working as a low-level scribe for the Church of Ubel, spending his off time painting seascapes, walking on the beach, and being alive. That last one is put in imminent danger when the Church hierarchy determines the god Ubel has gone insane. A delegation is gathered to journey to the Oracle of Hiephi so they can learn what must be done to cure the psychopathic deity. Briar, very much against his will, must accompany the group, ostensibly to chronicle the journey for inclusion in the official Church archives. During their adventures, horrific visions of an angry, scowling teenager plague Briar, and he soon learns there is a deeper, darker reason behind his inclusion in this insanely dangerous quest. Facing the likes of bloodthirsty pirates, a bloodthirstier gnome talent agent, and The Slobbering Hound of Chaos, Briar slowly, and oh so unwillingly, learns his place in the world. He might even manage to become a hero. If he survives.

Some days your past just won't stay buried, not even among the stars... The Knights of the Flaming Star are an elite space mercenary company, one of the best in the business, no matter which star system you're in. But when an old friend turned arch-nemesis lays a careful trap for them, their leader Hawk falls right into it. Well, he never could resist a pretty face. Or a good fight. And now he's got both. The Knights go from one end of known space to the other hunting down the people who are trying to smear their good name, chase down the folks that want to kill them, and maybe. Just maybe, bury the ghosts of their past once and for all. Knight Errant is the first book in the thrilling space opera series Knights of the Flaming Star from rising stars Steve Murphy and Paul Barrett. With a Firefly-style band of lovable misfits and Star Wars-level action, Knight Errant is a rollicking space adventure story for a new generation.

The dead won't stay buried, and they're raising secrets with them... Erick Darvaul just wanted to be left alone to grieve the loss of his parents, but when the citizens of the town showed up on his doorstep at night, he knew nothing would ever be the same. Long hated and feared by the townsfolk for their practice of Necromancy, the Darvaul family had always kept themselves apart from the people of Draymed. Until now. Now, there are vampires attacking the village, and only Erick can stop them. But will he? A Whisper of Death is the first book of The Necromancer Saga, a new hero's journey saga from Paul Barrett, co-author of Knight Errant. Follow young Erick as he builds a band of companions around himself to fight against a rising tide of darkness that threatens to engulf the land. But he must take care, for all too often the darkness comes from within himself, or those he trusts the most.

Some days your past just won't stay buried, not even among the stars... The Knights of the Flaming Star are an elite space mercenary company, one of the best in the business, no matter which star system you're in. But when an old friend turned arch-nemesis lays a careful trap for them, their leader Hawk falls right into it. Well, he never could resist a pretty face. Or a good fight. And now he's got both. The Knights go from one end of known space to the other hunting down the people who are trying to smear their good name, chase down the folks that want to kill them, and maybe. Just maybe, bury the ghosts of their past once and for all. Knight Errant is the first book in the thrilling space opera series Knights of the Flaming Star from rising stars Steve Murphy and Paul Barrett. With a Firefly-style band of lovable misfits and Star Wars-level action, Knight Errant is a rollicking space adventure story for a new generation.

The dead won't stay buried, and they're raising secrets with them... Erick Darvaul just wanted to be left alone to grieve the loss of his parents, but when the citizens of the town showed up on his doorstep at night, he knew nothing would ever be the same. Long hated and feared by the townsfolk for their practice of Necromancy, the Darvaul family had always kept themselves apart from the people of Draymed. Until now. Now, there are vampires attacking the village, and only Erick can stop them. But will he? A Whisper of Death is the first book of The Necromancer Saga, a new hero's journey saga from Paul Barrett, co-author of Knight Errant. Follow young Erick as he builds a band of companions around himself to fight against a rising tide of darkness that threatens to engulf the land. But he must take care, for all too often the darkness comes from within himself, or those he trusts the most.

Focusing on the work of black, diasporic writers in Canada, particularly Dionne Brand, Austin Clarke, and Tessa McWatt, Blackening Canada investigates the manner in which literature can transform conceptions of nation and diaspora. Through a consideration of literary representation, public discourse, and the language of political protest, Paul Barrett argues that Canadian multiculturalism uniquely enables black diasporic writers to transform national literature and identity. These writers seize upon the ambiguities and tensions within Canadian discourses of nation to rewrite the nation from a black, diasporic perspective, converting exclusion from the national discourse into the impetus for their creative endeavours. Within this context, Barrett suggests, debates over who counts as Canadian, the limits of tolerance, and the breaking points of Canadian multiculturalism serve not as signs of multiculturalism’s failure but as proof of both its vitality and of the unique challenges that black writing in Canada poses to multicultural politics and the nation itself.

Focusing on the work of black, diasporic writers in Canada, particularly Dionne Brand, Austin Clarke, and Tessa McWatt, Blackening Canada investigates the manner in which literature can transform conceptions of nation and diaspora. Through a consideration of literary representation, public discourse, and the language of political protest, Paul Barrett argues that Canadian multiculturalism uniquely enables black diasporic writers to transform national literature and identity. These writers seize upon the ambiguities and tensions within Canadian discourses of nation to rewrite the nation from a black, diasporic perspective, converting exclusion from the national discourse into the impetus for their creative endeavours. Within this context, Barrett suggests, debates over who counts as Canadian, the limits of tolerance, and the breaking points of Canadian multiculturalism serve not as signs of multiculturalism’s failure but as proof of both its vitality and of the unique challenges that black writing in Canada poses to multicultural politics and the nation itself.

Captures the world of American Muslims in a post-9/11 world to describe the struggle they confront to reconcile the tenets of their faith with a permissive American society, in a collection of dramatic portraits of Muslims from across the country who reflect a variety of ideologies and cultures. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.