Pendlebury
Press
Secular Titles
Tape: Kevin
Boardman and Adam Dunn: a brief
guide to innovative uses of sticky tape - make a jacket, bag, greenhouse and
shelter, not out of woven cloth, but tape. This will give you the foundations
for further innovation using this cheap household item. It's practical and it's
fun.
Kidnapped (Annotated) (Robert Louis Stevenson) – 2019 Edition: This thrilling adventure story might have been written as a commentary on the question, “Who is my neighbour? The central characters are a protestant supporter of the English King George ll and a Jacobite, loyal to the Catholic pretender to the throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Their friendship transcends politics and religious belief. Kidnapped was rated number 24 in the 100 best novels of all time by the UK’s Guarding Newspaper, who declared it to be a masterpiece, a thrilling adventure story and gripping history. Stevenson’s electrifying narrative is intertwined with historical events and coloured with Scottish dialect. For those unacquainted with Scottish history and dialect, the book is annotated with 151 notes on history and language. It also contains a glossary of 170 Scottish words and expressions. Do you know what Alan means when he says to David, “Ye have a … clapperclaw kind of a look to ye, as if ye had stolen the coat from a potato-bogle.” Though some of the Scottish words are easily understood by those whose first language is English, there are many that are not. A chield is not a child; Jock is not a person’s name nor a term for a Scot; a kyte is neither a bird nor something to fly in the wind. These expressions and many more are explained. This powerful novel is deceptive in its simplicity. It can be read and loved for its breath-taking storytelling, action and characterisation, but it also carries a message for the 21st century.
Deflationism and Semantic Theories of Truth: Michael K Butler: This book builds on the work of Jeffrey Ketland in demonstrating that semantic definitions of truth for formalised languages, in particular those of Alfred Tarski and Saul Kripke, are richer than their deflationary rivals, in the sense that they enable us to derive results that cannot be derived via deflationary theories. This deductive power of semantic theories of truth suggests that truth is, contrary to the deflationists’ view, a substantive notion that warrants continued philosophical analysis. The author is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Bolton. His academic interests include abstract algebra, in particular group theory, ring theory and Galois theory, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of logic. He lives in south Manchester.
Cantona – Ooh Ah A short story by Geoffrey Howard, The
author’s daughter said of this, “Dad, if I didn’t know you better, I’d have
thought you had been on drugs.” This slim volume of barely 30 pages has limited
appeal. A knowledge of footballers and the Roman Catholic Church helps. It has
been termed outrageous, surreal and blasphemous, but Geoffrey Howard said that
he had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote it. The first piece is a surreal fictional work
about Eric Cantona. When his second cousin and restaurant owner hears that he
is to play in a charity match at Old Trafford, he has a bright idea. How can he
use Eric Cantona to boost sales? The solution causes mayhem. The second piece
is a script for a ten minute film about a boy who wants to be a footballer. His
problem is shared by all children. How can you play ball games without
neighbours complaining? His father's solution backfires and gives the reader a
smile. This story is written as a script which may not be an easy medium for
all readers.
Lectures on Abstract Algebra: Michael
K Butler This
book is primarily intended for undergraduate students in Mathematics, pursuing
courses that feature abstract algebra. All aspects of abstract algebra that you
would expect to encounter in an undergraduate programme of study are covered,
including ring theory, group theory and the beginnings of Galois theory.
Unusually for an abstract algebra text, five chapters on linear algebra are
also included, making the text a self-contained introduction to undergraduate
algebra. The book will be of use throughout your undergraduate studies, and
beyond.Very little is assumed by way of previous study. It is assumed only that
you are familiar with basic topics in algebra, such as complex numbers,
matrices, and solving systems of linear equations. From these beginnings, you
will be led step by step into the study of various algebraic structures,
including groups, vector spaces and rings, and structure-preserving mappings
between such objects such as homomorphisms of groups and linear transformations
of vector spaces. Important theorems and results are presented and discussed at
each stage, with proofs that will enable you to understand the logical
development of the subject. Mathematical proof is an aspect of the subject
which many students find challenging, and care has been taken to ensure that
proofs are easy to follow with all steps clearly explained.In the last six
chapters, you will be introduced to more novel topics that go beyond the
typical undergraduate curriculum. These include exterior algebras, matrix
groups and their associated Lie algebras, normed real algebras and Clifford
algebras. Any of these topics could form the basis for a final year
undergraduate dissertation, or provide a gentle introduction to graduate study
in algebra.Throughout the text, the emphasis is upon presenting topics in an
accessible manner, with worked examples which will help you to build a firm
understanding of each new concept as it is introduced. Each chapter concludes
with a comprehensive set of exercises designed to test and consolidate your
understanding of the ideas presented. Solutions to the exercises are given at
the end of the book. The book is based on lectures given by Michael Butler at
the University of Bolton in the U.K. between 1994 and 2019. These were attended
by students from an exceptionally wide range of backgrounds. The lecture notes
that this book grew from were refined in the light of teaching and in response
to feedback from students, over many deliveries of the material. Dr Butler has
extensive experience of teaching abstract algebra to undergraduates, and his
passion for teaching the subject has shaped this book. CONTENTS: 1 The Group
Axioms and Examples 2 Subgroups and Group Homomorphisms 3 Vector Spaces 4
Subspaces and Linear Transformations 5 The Basis for a Vector Space 6
Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors 7 Inner Product Spaces 8 Cosets and Quotient
Groups 9 Group Actions 10 Simple Groups 11 Soluble Groups 12 Fields and their
Extensions 13 The Galois Group 14 The Ring Axioms and Examples15 Subrings,
Ideals and Ring Homomorphisms 16 Quotient Rings 17 Integral Domains and Fields
18 Finite Fields 19 Factorisation in an Integral Domain 20 Vector Spaces with
Products 21 The Exterior Algebra of a Vector Space 22 Lie Algebras 23 Matrix
Groups and their Tangent Spaces 24 Normed Real Algebras 25 Tensor Products and
Clifford Algebras.
Stretcher Bearer: George
Howard. This is a transcript of George A Howard's WW1
notebook, which was found by his grandson in 2013. This is no grand work of
literature, nor does it cover more than 15 months of the war. The many rough
edges and omissions have not been edited out, but it shows details of a
soldier's life that is rarely seen. Perhaps most striking is the surreal contrast
between the horror of the trenches and the days of respite behind the line -
rowing on a canal, visits to the cinéma and boxing matches, followed within
hours by further horror. Tantalisingly, the notebook shows signs of previous
ownership by a German soldier . Who was he? This little book tries to uncover
that. He also writes about various actions in the war at which he was not
present, like a football fan recording details of away games which he has not
attended. There are also recipes for medicines which George Howard probably
copied while in a military hospital. These alone bear reading and show what
quackery there was at the time. In addition to the transcription, this book
also contains a scanned copy of each page of the notebook.