Barry Bücher

Mit Schiff, Bahn und Elefanten - kurz, mit jedem sich bietenden Transportmittel - jagen Mr. Phileas Fogg, Esq., und sein Diener Passepartout um die Erde. Aufgrund einer Wette stehen Mr. Foggs Ehre als pünktlich-korrekter Gentleman und sein Vermögen auf dem Spiel. Der Jules Verne-Bewunderer Jean Cocteau ließ sich von diesem Buch verführen, die gleiche Reise zu unternehmen. Im 20. Jahrhundert brauchte er dazu immerhin noch 57 Tage. "... Jules Verne, den kein Schulmann aufzunehmen gewillt gewesen wäre, obwohl er als Stilist an Voltaire geschult ist und als Visionär akademische romanciers dutzendweise an die Wand drückt." - Robert Minder "Die Jules Verne-Ausgabe des Diogenes Verlags sollte an Schulen und Volkshochschulen als Lehrmaterial eingeführt werden, denn nichts scheint mir heute so wichtig wie Lockerungsübungen der Phantasie." - Robert Jungk

"Rooftops" explores trauma, survival, and redemption through the story of Eddy, a young boy from an immigrant family entangled with organized crime, raised by a Vietnam War veteran suffering from PTSD. The author, diagnosed with a rare trauma-based memory condition, provides a unique perspective on mental health, offering insights into a complex experience often depicted in fiction. Written with lyrical simplicity, the narrative captures the raw essence of Eddy's life, blending elements of fantasy reminiscent of "Life of Pi" and "American Psycho." It is a gripping tale marked by horror, but not in the conventional sense; it is both shocking and gentle, unflinching in its portrayal of Eddy's journey. The reader is drawn into the characters' thoughts, torn between the urge to continue reading and the hope for a brighter outcome. As Eddy navigates his troubled past while attempting to craft a story about demons and vampires, he is accompanied by Jackdragon, a creature from his childhood dreams. Together, they traverse from 1970s Sydney to New York, confronting the shadows of Eddy's history and ultimately seeking forgiveness. The unexpected ending adds a layer of surprise, making this a compelling read that merges high art with elements of horror. Highly recommended.

If natural law arguments struggle to gain traction in contemporary moral and political discourse, could it be because we moderns do not share the understanding of nature on which that language was developed? Building on the work of important thinkers of the last half-century, including Leo Strauss, Eric Voegelin, John Finnis, and Bernard Lonergan, the essays in Concepts of Nature compare and contrast classical, medieval, and modern conceptions of nature in order to better understand how and why the concept of nature no longer seems to provide a limit or standard for human action. These essays also evaluate whether a rearticulation of pre-modern ideas (or perhaps a reconciliation or reconstitution on modern terms) is desirable and/or possible. Edited by R. J. Snell and Steven F. McGuire, this book will be of interest to intellectual historians, political theorists, theologians, and philosophers.