Bøger af Peter Hancock

Engaging Miss Laura explores the life and times of a young woman living in mid-Victorian Plymouth. In her letter to the editor of the Western Morning News, published in the inaugural edition of 3 January 1860, she asked if an Engagements column might be included besides the traditional Births, Marriages and Deaths. The charming and persuasive correspondence touched on a number of contemporary issues, and these are explored in greater depth in the book. By interweaving different historical elements - personal, local, national and international ¿ the significance of the period 1859/60 will be appreciated. The letter was simply signed LAURA. But just who was Laura, and what impact, if any, did she make on her times? The story reveals a lost social world, a physical world that would largely be destroyed by the Plymouth Blitz, and sheds light on the life of the Engaging Miss Laura.

This inspiring book shows how the spiritual side of life, with its thoughts, feelings, and aspirations, is intimately bound up with our material technologies.

Unlike sleights of hand, which fool the senses, sleights of mind challenge cognition. This book defines and explains cognitive deception and explores six prominent potential historical instances of it: the Cross of King Arthur, Drake's Plate of Brass, the Kensington Runestone, the Vinland Map, the Piltdown Man, and the Shroud of Turin. In spite of evidence contradicting their alleged origins, their stories continue to persuade many of their authenticity. Peter Hancock uses these purported hoaxes as case studies to develop and demonstrate fundamental principles of cognitive psychology. By dissecting each ostensible artifact, he illustrates how hoaxes can deceive us and offers us defenses against them. This book further examines how and why we allow others to deceive us and how and why we even deceive ourselves at times. Accessible to beginner and expert alike, Hoax Springs Eternal provides an essential interdisciplinary guide to cognitive deception.

The definitive field guide to the birds of BotswanaHere is the ultimate field guide to Botswana's stunningly diverse birdlife. Covering all 597 species recorded to date, Birds of Botswana features more than 1,200 superb color illustrations, detailed species accounts, seasonality and breeding bars, and a color distribution map for each species. Drawing on the latest regional and national data, the book highlights the best birding areas in Botswana, provides helpful tips on where and when to see key species, and depicts special races and morphs specific to Botswana. This is the first birding guide written by a Botswana-based ornithologist and the only one dedicated specifically to Botswana.Portable and easy to use, Birds of Botswana is the essential travel companion for anyone visiting this remarkable country.Covers all 597 species of birds found in Botswana, including subspecies and color variants specific to BotswanaFeatures more than 1,200 color illustrations-with more than one illustration for species where the sexes and ages differIncludes detailed species accounts, seasonality and breeding bars, and color distribution mapsDraws on the latest bird data and the expertise of leading birders in Botswana