Author: Richard Neville File Type: pdf Author, illustrator, printmaker and natural historian, John William Lewin created the first illustrated book ever published in Australia Birds of New South Wales, in 1813. Featuring more than 150 exquisite artworks, Mr JW Lewin takes a fascinating look at Lewins life and work, his place in colonial Australian society and the natural history craze that swept the world at that time. When Lewin arrived in New South Wales in 1800, the fledgling colony was by no means a favoured destination for artistic, ambitious Englishmen. Yet to Lewin, Australia was simply the finest country in the world, and it offered him the respectability and social standing he could never have found in England. Written by Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales, this book is a visually stunning testament to Lewins artistic legacy. ** Author, illustrator, printmaker and natural historian, John William Lewin created the first illustrated book ever published in Australia OCo Birds of New South Wales, in 1813. Featuring more than 150 exquisite artworks, Mr JW Lewin takes a fascinating look at LewinOCOs life and work, his place in colonial Australian society and the natural history craze that swept the world at that time. When Lewin arrived in New South Wales in 1800, the fledgling colony was by no means a favoured destination for artistic, ambitious Englishmen. Yet to Lewin, Australia was simply OCythe finest country in the worldOCO, and it offered him the respectability and social standing he could never have found in England. Written by Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales, this book is a visually stunning testament to LewinOCOs artistic legacy.

Author: Adam J. Silverstein File Type: pdf Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands examines the ways in which the Biblical Book of Esther was read, understood, and used in Muslim lands, from ancient to modern times. It focuses on case studies covering works from various periods and regions of the Muslim world, including the Quran, pre-modern historical chronicles and literary works, the writings of a nineteenth-century Shia feminist, atwentieth-century Iranian encyclopaedia, and others. These case studies demonstrate that Muslim sources contain valuable materials on Esther, which shed light both on the Esther story itself and on the Muslim peoples and cultures that received it. Adam J. Silverstein argues that Muslim sources preserve important pre-Islamic materials on Esther that have not survived elsewhere, some of which offer answers to ancient questions about Esther, such as the meaning of Hamans epithet in the Greek versions of the story, the reason why Mordecai refused to prostrate before Haman, and the literary context of the plot of the eunuchs to kill the Persian king. Throughout the book, Silverstein shows how each authors cultural andreligious background influenced his or her understanding and retelling of the Esther story. In particular, he highlights that Persian Muslims (and Jews) were often forced to reconcile or choose between the conflicting historical narratives provided by their religious and cultural heritages respectively. **About the Author Adam J. Silverstein, Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History, Bar Ilan University Adam J. Silverstein is Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History at Bar Ilan University. He held a British Academy post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge, before taking up lectureships in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford, where he was also a Fellow of Queens College. Subsequently, Professor Silverstein was Reader in Abrahamic Religions at Kings College London. His publications include The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions (2015) and Islamic History A Very Short Introduction (2010). He is also the series editor for The Oxford Studies in the Abrahamic Religions with Guy G. Stroumsa.