The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations.

In The Great Escape, Angus Deaton--one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty--tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's disproportionately unequal wo...

A collection of unposed and engaging portraits from around the world.

This collection book presents 119 highlights from the Asian arts in the Rijksmuseum. The treasures from India, Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan and China are introduced in essays by expert curators. There's a particular focus on export art. This book offers a magnificent overview of the rich Asian art collection. Stunning book design by Irma Boom.

The advocates of urban renewal met their Waterloo in the Amsterdam Jordaan district. As recently as 1975, the Amsterdam city council made a serious proposal to demolish the Jordaan, but outraged district residents managed to scuttle the plan. In a structure which originally contained seven apartments, where at least 35 people lived, habits now four people. The district has changed entirely. This illustrates that new uses of a district in no way require demolition. The city's architectural sto...

Arbitration is still a time- and cost-efficient, professional way of resolving cross-border disputes. However, its advantages seem to vanish if one party is obstructive and tries to delay or even sabotage the proceedings. For example, a party may initiate state court proceedings in violation of the arbitration agreement, refuse to pay the advance on costs or fail to follow a document production order of the arbitral tribunal. This work first deals with the obligations that arise from an arbit...

Written for a first course in sedimentary geology or sedimentary rocks and stratigraphy (with only an introductory geology/physical geology course as a prerequisite), Prothero and Schwab shows students how sedimentary strata serves geologists as a continuous record of Earth's history. The authors' conversational style, and focus on the important concepts make the book highly accessible to an undergraduate audience.

The current, second edition of this book reflects the 15 years of practical experience with the Six Sigma+Lean toolbox. It is a comprehensive collection of all the tools necessary for project work and running workshops when improving processes. All tools have been illustrated in a clear and comprehensible structure with examples and tips for applying the tools included.

The chronology corresponds to the procedure of an improvement project comprising the steps D(efine), M(easure), A(nalyze), I...

Amsterdam Gardens Canal District

A selection of these wonderful gardens with coach houses and gardens houses is open all year.

Focuses on the three key types of drawing, explanatory sketches, notational sketches and visual narratives that help designers think through and communicate their ideas. Through these three fundamentals, this title provides a course in creating clear graphic layouts and diagrams, including expressive human forms, and thumbnailing a process.