Represents the largest recorded dataset based on human skeletal remains from archaeological sites across the continent of Europe.

Publisher Description

A daring literary masterpiece and winner of the National Book Award In this magnificent work of fiction, acclaimed author William T. Vollmann turns his trenchant eye on the authoritarian cultures of Germany and the USSR in the twentieth century to render a mesmerizing perspective on human experience during wartime. Through interwoven narratives that paint a composite portrait of these two battling leviathans and the monstrous age they defined, Europe Central captures a chorus of voices both real and fictional— a young German who joins the SS to fight its crimes, two generals who collaborate with the enemy for different reasons, the Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the Stalinist assaults upon his work and life.

Not only are European industries shrinking and experiencing diminishment of their capability to add value, but Europe has lost more than a third of its GDP, which had been primarily based on manufacturing, and it suffers the consequences in high unemployment and weakened states finance. This book is intended as a significant contribution to the on-going European discussions after the economic crisis and the economic problems in many regions. It is meant to enrich actual political dialogues for overcoming the crises by activating new potentials of high added value. As such, it seeks to provide the necessary orientation for enacting fundamental changes of business models and factory capabilities in order to meet the challenges of the global economy and minimizing environmental impacts. It also opens perspectives for enterprise strategies and for further research topics. Concrete recommendations are made for fields of action and future development towards achieving a sustainable industrial sector in Europe. ‘Towards the Re-Industrialization of Europe’ is based on megatrends, societal challenges and objectives for factories development. Focused on the realization of these goals by 2030, the treatise addresses four major topics of the European strategy in manufacturing: manufacturing in the urban environment; green manufacturing; manufacturing in the value chain, and manufacturing in the age of knowledge and communication. One enabler of this strategic orientation is the implementation of holistic manufacturing systems which reflect manufacturing as a social-technical system that has to be innovated, optimized and adapted to the future requirements by implementation of enabling technologies and human skill. The public infrastructure and reviving industries must also be able to support the strengthening of the economy through collaboration in research and education.

For a long time guilds have been condemned as a major obstacle to economic progress in the pre-industrial era. This re-examination of the role of guilds in the early modern European economy challenges that view by taking into account fresh research on innovation, technological change and entrepreneurship. Leading economic historians argue that industry before the Industrial Revolution was much more innovative than previous studies have allowed for and explore the different products and production techniques that were launched and developed in this period. Much of this innovation was fostered by the craft guilds that formed the backbone of industrial production before the rise of the steam engine. The book traces the manifold ways in which guilds in a variety of industries in Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Britain helped to create an institutional environment conducive to technological and marketing innovations.

Tamar Herzog offers a road map to European law across 2,500 years that reveals underlying patterns and unexpected connections. By showing what European law was, where its iterations were found, who made and implemented it, and what the results were, she ties legal norms to their historical circumstances and reveals the law’s fragile malleability.

What is Britain's future in Europe? This book revisits an old argument but for dramatically new times. The old argument is about Britain's 'semi-detachedness' from Europe and whether that posture could ever change. The new times are the crisis in the Eurozone and its wider impact on the European Union's future. While logic may point to deeper integration, the politics associated with the EU's problems make this a significant and possibly insurmountable challenge. Where should Britain stand? What future should Britain want for the EU? And how important is continued membership of the EU for Britain's future? This book offers new answers to these questions from the perspective of an author who has combined experience both at the heart of the British Government, as Tony Blair's European adviser and with years of understanding Europe from the inside - working at a senior level in the European Commission. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the future of British and European politics.