Scientists must decode a message from intelligent beings in outer space in this classic science fiction tale by the legendary author of Solaris. “The universe is still struggling to catch up with the vast creative force that was Stanisław Lem.” —Washington Post By pure chance, scientists detect a signal from space that may be communication from rational beings. How can people of Earth understand this message, knowing nothing about the senders—including whether or not they even exist? Written as the memoir of a mathematician who participates in the government project (code name: His Master’s Voice) attempting to decode what seems to be a message from outer space, this classic novel shows scientists grappling with fundamental questions about the nature of reality, the confines of knowledge, the limitations of the human mind, and the ethics of military-sponsored scientific research.

His Master's Voice refutes the simplistic pattern of condescending criticism versus a complacent justification which often transpires from the debate on post-colonial Africa's general departure from political pluralism toward autocracy under single-party regimes. Hence, it places the debate in the historical context of statecraft and nation-building, whereby the line between pre-colonial heritage, colonial legacy and post-colonial innovations - against all appearances - has chiefly been a thin one.

John Howard has the loudest voice in Australia. He has cowed his critics, muffled the press, intimidated the ABC, gagged scientists, silenced NGOs, censored the arts, prosecuted leakers, criminalised protest and curtailed parliamentary scrutiny. Though touted as a contest of values, this has been a party - political assault on Australia's liberal culture. In the name of ''''''''balance'''''''', the Liberal Party has muscled its way into the intellectual life of the country. And this has happened because we let it happen. Once again, Howard has shown his superb grasp of Australia as it really is. In His Master's Voice, David Marr investigates both a decade of suppression and the strange willingness of Australians to watch, with such little angst, their liberties drift away. ''''''''More than any law, any failure of the Opposition or individual act of bastardry over the last decade, what's done most to gag democracy in this country is the sense that debating John Howard gets us nowhere.'''''''' - David Marr, His Master's Voice.

Mystical tradition or approach to God is present in all religions, especially Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions. The Jewish kabbalists, Christian Gnostics, and Muslim Sufis are well known to the people. Sufis, especially, encompass the idea that God can only be known through love. Indeed, approaching Him, knowing Him, and the act of immersion and immanence all involve love according to Sufi doctrine. A typical Sufi disciple practices these stages through an accomplished master who symbolically embodies all that is God and His manifestations. The mystical language of the Sufis is thus full of symbolic manifestations and its consequent pitfalls, in itself a very difficult journey. It is pitched in the renouncement of this world with an orientation toward God, the journey by stages, while it imbues one with the eternal love of God and teaches him or her the love of His creation. Sufis are thus the most benevolent creatures of God, the most docile, and the most loving; indeed, they are lovers by profession in its purest sense. This anthology, though probably already reeking of the specialized language, reflects my journey toward God, toward loving Him, and in that process, loving my fellow human beings and loving His creation.

"I was an ad-man once," James Rorty writes in this classic dissection of the advertising industry. Steeped in Rorty’s leftist politics, Our Master’s Voice presents advertising as the linchpin of a capitalist economy that it also helps justify. The book set off tremors when it was published in 1934, perhaps because its author so decisively repudiated his former profession. But Rorty and his spirited takedown of publicity were all but forgotten a decade later. The book is a neglected masterpiece, republished in this mediastudies.press edition with a new introduction by Jefferson Pooley.

This discography provides, for perhaps the first time, a complete numerical catalogue of Italian gramophone recordings made by the Gramophone Company Ltd. Kelly has effectively used the archives and registers of EMI Limited (The Gramophone Company) to offer a richly detailed picture of recording activity during the years 1898 to 1929. The Gramophone Company was established in London in 1898 and by 1899 six branches had been set up in Europe, among them Milan, Italy. In each branch, matrixes were numbered serially and coded to indicate recorder, making it possible to identify not only the first Gramophone record to be made in Italy--Bice Adami singing Voi lo sapete with piano accompaniment--but to follow the course of the company's activities. The main catalogue is divided into three sections: recordings issued on the Gramophone label; recordings issued on the Zonophone label, including the Trento-Trieste Supplement; and recordings issued on the Gramophone Green label. Most entries include the following information: the original catalogue number; the matrix (serial) number of the recording in its correct form; the date of recording; the name of the artist(s) involved in making the recording, including the accompaniast where known; the title of the piece; and alternate issue numbers. Kelly's introduction gives an overview of the company's history and cataloging practices. Kelly not only examines the history of the Italian Gramophone Company, but added to the discographical record of the Victor Talking Machine Company, of which Gramophone was the European, Asian, and African partner. His discography will be welcomed by anyone interested in the international history of recorded music. Record collectors will also find it a valuable resource.

David Nichols tells the story of Australian rock and pop music from 1960 to 1985 – formative years in which the nation cast off its colonial cultural shackles and took on the world. Generously illustrated and scrupulously researched, Dig combines scholarly accuracy with populist flair. Nichols is an unfailingly witty and engaging guide, surveying the fertile and varied landscape of Australian popular music in seven broad historical chapters, interspersed with shorter chapters on some of the more significant figures of each period. The result is a compelling portrait of a music scene that evolves in dynamic interaction with those in the United States and the UK, yet has always retained a strong sense of its own identity and continues to deliver new stars – and cult heroes – to a worldwide audience. Dig is a unique achievement. The few general histories to date have been highlight reels, heavy on illustration and short on detail. And while there have been many excellent books on individual artists, scenes and periods, and a couple of first-rate encylopedias, there’s never been a book that told the whole story of the irresistible growth and sweep of a national music culture. Until now . . .