In this Very Short Introduction, Barry Stephenson approaches ritual from theoretical and historical perspectives, detailing the efforts to understand the nature and function of ritual, and developing a narrative of ritual's place in social and cultural life.

The Romans gives a thorough account of the political and military history of ancient Rome down to the fall of the empire in 476, while also providing a solid grounding in the social and cultural history of the period.

From Village to Empire introduces ancient Rome to readers eager for a concise and engaging understanding of its political, social, and cultural history. It traces Rome's remarkable evolution from monarchy, to republic, to one-man rule by an emperor whose power stretched from Scotland to Iraq and far up the Nile valley.

A lively, engrossing history of the downfall of the Roman Republic.

"Published in Association with the American Council of Learned Societies."

Rural Fictions, Urban Realities examines late nineteenth-century American literature to reveal the increasingly intricate and sometimes problematic connections between urban and rural life.

Nancy Tatom Ammerman examines the stories Americans tell of their everyday lives, from dinner table to office and shopping mall to doctor's office, about the things that matter most to them and the routines they take for granted, and the times and places where the everyday and ordinary meet the spiritual.

Music educators and practicing musicians have failed to benefit as much as they could from music psychology research. Parncutt and McPherson propose to improve the situation by describing new approaches, informed by recent psychological research, to teaching music, learning music, and making music at all educational levels.