English Topographies in Literature and Culture takes a spatial approach to the study of English culture, focussing on writing landscapes, London psychogeography, heritage discourses, urban planning and idiosyncratic spatial practices such as suburban gardening. Space thus emerges as both political and shaped by affect.

The subject of this book is of historical and contemporary importance. The canard that ours is an unsentimental and even anti-sentimental culture has been advanced by influential twentiethcentury opinion makers. In modern high culture, sentimentality is often thought of as vaguely embarrassing or is condemned for being in bad taste or for being insincere.

First published in 1976, Raymond Williams' highly acclaimed Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society is a collection of lively essays on words that are critical to understanding the modern world. In these essays, Williams, a renowned cultural critic, demonstrates how these key words take on new meanings and how these changes reflect the political bent and values of our past and current society.

With the FIFA World Cup in its pocket Germany is feeling its social, political, and economic power once again. After organizing a successful World Cup in 2006 and winning it against Argentina in Brazil in 2014, Germany sees a note of confidence, even triumphalism, permeating the country. As a European leader committed to the success of the EU and the Eurozone, Germany is a leading driver of European affairs. It emerged from the recession of 2008 as the strongest economic power in Europe, and German manufacturing, product brand value, and exports are going from strength to strength. 

The second-largest country in South America, Argentina has been through great changes in recent years. Its journey from dictatorship to democracy has left many scars, but these are largely eclipsed by the pride and resilience of the Argentinian people, who have developed a style, a language, and a joie de vivre that are all their own. The political maelstroms the country has experienced have had a profound effect on its economy, its people, and its relationship with the rest of the world. Despite this, the generosity, warmth, and openness of the Argentinians continue to place Argentina at the top of any list of must-visit countries.