Funny, engaging, and sharply pointed in his appraisal of the sports complex bankrupting our cities, the celebrated author of A People's History of Sports in the United States returns with a hard-hitting indictment of big business and the corrupt practices that are ruining the sports we love. When attending a baseball game becomes a luxury reserved for the wealthy few and cities build multi-million dollar stadiums while letting their bridges crumble, the price of sports in this country demands reassessment. Bad Sports cuts through the hype and bombast to give us a portrait of sports ownership as irresponsible as the financial shenanigans that drove the nation to the edge of economic ruin. From the outrageous use of public funds for stadium construction to the use of these spaces for religious and political platforms, Dave Zirin raises vital questions about misplaced priorities and moral abdications among the politicians we elect and the owners of the teams we root for. Speaking out in clear and passionate terms for the rights of any taxpayer and sports fan, Zirin returns America's favorite pastimes back to where they belong--in the open and for the people.

The Rothschild family, famed as financiers, has exerted a huge impact on Western social and political history over nearly two centuries. Less well-known, but also of significance, is their influence on the landscape, for many members of the family have been passionate gardeners. They have created gardens and parklands that have become an important part of the heritage of several countries. and as they are today. Readers visit European gardens frequented by kings and rulers. There is also a glimpse into private gardens today, including Miriam Rothschild's own beautiful conservation garden, home to birds, beasts and butterflies. parklands to formal parterres. At the turn of the century, Alice de Rothschild spent the equivalent of nearly half-a-million pounds annually on her gardens and grounds near Grasse, France. Rothschilds have always enjoyed producing fruit and vegetables. Baron Edmond, for example, used to delight guests at his households in Paris or Boulogne by inviting them to pick fresh fruit straight from dwarf trees brought into the dining room. illustrate the developments in the family's styles and scale of gardening. The author conveys the competitiveness and drive for perfection that has typified the family's behaviour in gardening, as well as in business. This quest has led several Rothschilds to become plant specialists, and botanical gardens worldwide have benefitted from their collections. Like a Dove and The Butterfly Gardener.

'Thames & Hudson's new, affordable, covetable 'Pocket Perspectives': beautifully illustrated essays by canonical writers' Financial Times A manifesto for the future of architectural practice and the necessity of good design to modern life, by renowned British architect Richard Rogers. Written in what architect Richard Rogers regarded as a moment of crisis in modern architecture, this essay considers how the way we build - and live - might change for the better. Poor design, monotony and inhuman scale are, Roger argues, not the results of a lack of talent nor the failures of the Modern Movement, but of a surrender to exploitative economic systems and inconsiderate business interests. Best known for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Lloyd's building and Millennium Dome in London, Rogers was perhaps the most original and inventive architect of his time, and was a frequent commentator on the contemporary scene. As a practitioner, he was in the best position possible to appreciate how economic forces can create - or frustrate - good design. A succinct summary of his design philosophies, Richard Rogers on Modern Architecture continues to be a powerful manifesto.