Issue 19, 2013 - Balliol College - University of Oxford

Bookshelf
Titles by and about Balliol Old Members
The Oxford Handbook
of Internet Studies
William H. Dutton (ed.)
(Balliol Professorial Fellow and
Professor of Internet Studies
at Oxford Internet Institute)
Oxford University Press, 2013
Internet Studies has been one
of the most dynamic and rapidly
expanding interdisciplinary fields
to emerge over the last decade
and this book has been designed
to provide a valuable resource
for academics and students in
this area, by bringing together
leading scholarly perspectives
on how the Internet has been
studied and how the research
agenda should be pursued in the
future. Each chapter provides a
synthesis and critical assessment
of the research in a particular
area. The spectrum of topics
covered is broad, including social
perspectives on the technology of
the Internet, its role in everyday
life and work, implications for
communication, power, and
influence, and the governance
and regulation of the Internet.
While the handbook aims to help
strengthen research and identify
the big questions for the field
to pursue, a key theme is the
potential of Internet Studies to
change research across the social
sciences and related disciplines,
as more social research is
driven to consider the role of the
Internet and related information
and communication technologies
within its own orbits of inquiry.
Street Smarts:
Adventures on
the Road and in the
Markets
Jim Rogers (1964)
Crown, 2013
A co-founder of the hugely
successful Quantum Fund, the
success of which allowed him
to retire at the age of 37, Jim
Rogers takes readers through the
highlights of his life in finance and
the lessons he learned along the
way, offering observations on how
the world works and what trends
he sees in the future. In particular
he discusses how America and
the European Union are in decline
and why Asia will be the dominant
economic force in the 21st century.
‘Street Smarts is another great
read from one of the most
astute global investors of our
time.’ Peter D. schiff, Ceo of
euro Pacific Capital, inc.
Fast Fiction:
Volume One
Richard Mallinson (1957)
French Literature:
A Beginner’s Guide
Carol Clark (Balliol Emeritus Fellow)
Oneworld, 2011
This book aims to help readers with
little experience of French literature
to find some books that they want
to read, whether in translation or in
French, and to enjoy them. Starting
with the chansons of the Middle Ages,
Carol Clark considers poetry, prose,
drama, fiction, comedy and tragedy
from every century, from the essays
of Montaigne to the plays of Ionescu,
the novels of Voltaire to the verse of
Baudelaire. She shows how the styles
of each period took shape, what sort
of audiences they were aimed at and
how they were received. Illustrating
each chapter with extracts, with
accompanying English translation,
she highlights the texts’ distinctive
qualities and shows what we can gain
from reading them today.
‘An entertaining and witty
companion, wearing its learning
lightly, and encouraging us …
to explore the riches of French
literature.’ nicholas Cronk,
Professor of French Literature
and Director of the Voltaire
Foundation, university of oxford
AuthorHouse , 2012
‘We read fiction . . . in order to meet individuals,’ declares a character in
‘Tolson’s Creed’, a short story in this collection published posthumously by
Mallison’s widow, and here are a plethora of individuals, appearing in 499
stories, each only a page in length. In pithy tales of collisions, interactions,
encounters and other snatched scenes of life, Mallison shows what can be
achieved with elegant structure, sharp observation and concise expression
in the one-page format.
Success . . . or Your
Money Back
Shed Simove (1989)
Hay House, 2012
A man whose drive in life is to
‘come up with ideas and make
them happen’, entrepreneur Shed
Simove draws on his successes
– which include creating a global
novelty gift empire, getting a
blank book to no. 44 in Amazon’s
bestseller list and launching his
own currency – to show you how
‘to get anything you desire’. His
30 tips range from how to avoid
Negnets (people who are magnets
for negative energy and who tell
you ‘That’ll never work’) and ‘Be
Like Frankenstein’ (give life to
every idea you have) to the art of
chunking (breaking enormous goals
into manageable chunks).
‘the book is brimming with
caffeine-fuelled, bouncing-offthe-walls
type optimism, but its
prescriptions are grounded in
experience.’ The Kernel
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