Balans is an independent publisher of quality non-fiction in the areas of history, politics, economy, biography, science, nature writing, memoirs, current affairs, religion and psychology. With our dedicated team, we publish approximately 40 new titles per year.
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Our children’s book series »Kids in BALANCE« is specifically designed to support children in difficult moments.
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"Contes de la forêt et de la savane (Fables d'ici et d'ailleurs)" is a collection of tales that immerses us at the crossroads of different Cameroonian cultures and, in a broader sense, of Central Africa. Here, through a very surprising mixture of French-speaking literature and mother tongue which is based on this particular cultural context, the author allows the power and delicacy of oral transmission to shine through in all simplicity in our regions. Consisting of ten tales of unequal lengths, the book presents the exceptional adventures of different living beings in which man meets much more than his “animal” or “insect” brothers… Indeed, and through these multiple adventures, the reader rubs shoulders with wisdom as well as its history and that of the world in which he lives.
This is an educational picture book about sight from the creative studio Agrafka. It is about both things we can see with our own eyes and the mysterious, invisible to the human eye. This book is also about microscopes and telescopes that help us see incredibly small or extremely distant things. It explains that for better eyesight some people need glasses, while those who can’t see at all need a special system and symbols. By reading this book, you will learn how birds and animals see the world, how artists create optical illusions, and about the many millions of hues the human eye can perceive. I See That won the 2018 Bologna Ragazzi Award, the most prestigious award in children’s literature, in the award’s non-fiction category. I See That has been awarded with a Bronze Medal Stiftung Buchkunst in 2019.
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The Turnip is a classic Ukrainian folktale by Ivan Franko which has now found a creative and illustrative embodiment in the project of the art studio Agrafka (Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv, Lviv). The text of the book is now adapted to modern Ukrainian language while preserving all the linguistic features of the original. The publication also provides a dictionary of archaisms, which facilitates reading for young children. From 3 to 5 years, 532 words Rightsholders: Diana Semak; bohdanbooksco@gmail.com
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An educational picture book about hearing, sound and silence, about voice and silence, about the sounds we hear and don't hear. About how important it is to listen and hear each other. This book will "sound" for you with many voices, bright colors, interesting facts and expressive visual images. Immerse yourself in the world of different sounds symbolically reproduced on paper - the world of noise and music, sounds of the city and nature; find out which sound is the oldest in the universe, who has the best hearing and which piece of music is the quietest. How deaf people communicate and how important silence is in our lives. Readers will get to know the main characters, who will guide them page by page through the entire book.
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The universe is always on the move: Nothing in it remains completely at rest. Movement is natural: The Earth, the water on it, the atmosphere, the continents, and all living organisms exist in a state of constant motion. We walk, run, jump, crawl, swim, and fly. We travel. This book is about movement and travel—not only by people, but also that of animals, plants, the wind, water, and our planet. It describes journeys for the purpose of trade and commerce, journeys for the purpose of pleasure and repose or for survival, as well as scientific expeditions and pilgrimages. It’s about migrations, maps, navigation, and, finally, about finding your own path. Travellers often hear questions associated with "where" and "where from:" "Where are you going?", "Where are you from?" This book is a visual and intellectual expedition through thousands of years of movement, in search of answers to these as well as many other questions related to movement. From 6 to 9 years, 2896 words Rightsholders: Ivan Fedechko, ivan.fedechko@starlev.com.ua
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Danko, Zirka and Fabian live peacefully in the small town of Rondo. They have their work and hobbies that always keep them busy... until War comes. The three friends have never experienced War before, and they don’t know how to act. In hopes of stopping War, they talk to it and fight it, but all in vain. Eventually, they discover an effective defense against the darkness of War — the power of Light. With the help of all the residents of Rondo, Danko, Zirka and Fabian build a huge light machine that disperses the darkness and stops War. The War that Changed Rondo reflects the ambiguities of war and it is a touching tribute to peace. From 4 to 7 years, 1585 words. Rightsholders: ivan.fedechko@starlev.com.ua
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Serge Karrefax erblickt im ländlichen England kurz vor der Jahrhundertwende das Licht der Welt – und mit seinem Schicksal verwoben gleichsam das Zeitalter der Technologie und Kommunikation. Als Funker im Ersten Weltkrieg fliegt er über Frankreich, hofft im Londoner Untergrund der Swinging Twenties mithilfe technologischen Fortschritts die Toten anzufunken, und hilft schließlich im gerade unabhängig gewordenen Ägypten ein Funknetz zu errichten – bis sein Leben in einer altägyptischen Grabkammer eine unerwartete Wendung nimmt. Kommunikation, Krieg, Kokain, Krypta: K untersucht gnadenlos, unser Verlangen uns mitzuteilen, während Serge K. die Botschaft hinter allen Botschaften, das Signal hinter allen Signalen sucht. Dieses singulär originelle Buch selbst aber widersteht allen Versuchen, seinen Code zu knacken.
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For many people, vitamin K is known only as the vitamin for blood clotting, but this is way off the mark! Science has discovered a lot of new information and nowadays it is known that in addition to its role in regulating blood clotting and the flow properties of the blood, vitamin K also promotes the health of bones and blood vessels, thus protecting against osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis. In addition, it supports a healthy glucose metabolism in diabetics and plays a role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. These are too many positive properties to leave them untapped. This patient guide informs the reader all about vitamin K
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A modern warm red mitten is a home for the main characters of the book: Mousey Scratcher, Froggie Croaker, Running Rabbit, Little Sister Fox and others who got new knitted images. This lovely book is actually a handmade creation; it includes a toy souvenir shaped like a mitten. The Mitten is a joint project of The Navchalna Knyha - Bohdan Publishing House and Art Studio Agrafka (Romana Romanyshyn & Andriy Lesiv, Lviv, Ukraine). The Mitten won the award at The Biennial of Illustration, Bratislava, 2011. In 2012 The Mitten was also added to the White Ravens Catalogue of children literature. From the 3 to 5 years, 179 words Rightsholders: Diana Semak, bohdanbooksco@gmail.com
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1964 kommt es in der Berliner Wohnung von Günter Grass zu einem bemerkenswerten Treffen: Auf Initiative des damaligen Regierenden Bürgermeisters Willy Brandt diskutieren Politiker, darunter Brandt selbst, Herbert Wehner und Fritz Erler, mit Schriftstellern und Intellektuellen, darunter Hans Mayer, Uwe Johnson, Ingeborg Bachmann und Walter Jens, über das Ende der ära Adenauer. Daran und an vieles mehr erinnert sich Hans Mayer in diesem Buch. Daß Willy Brandt zu den wichtigsten Bewegern des 20. Jahrhunderts gehörte. Daß er eine der großen Gestalten des deutschen öffentlichen Lebens nach 1945 gewesen ist: Regierender Bürgermeister von Berlin, Außenminister, Bundeskanzler, Friedensnobelpreisträger. Es ist eine bemerkenswerte Lebensgeschichte, die der Autor hier parallel zu seiner eigenen beschreibt: Hans Mayer ist Jahrgang 1907, Willy Brandt Jahrgang 1913. Der eine tritt der Sozialistischen Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands (SAPD) in Köln, der andere dem SJV (Sozialistischen Jugendverband) in Lübeck bei, beide linke Abweichler, beide Dissidenten, die sie bleiben sollten.Wer war Willy Brandt wirklich? Wer waren seine Wegbegleiter, wer – neben Herbert Wehner – seine großen Gegner, und was veranlaßte ihn 1974 anläßlich der im Grunde harmlosen Affäre um Günter Guillaume auf dem Höhepunkt seiner politischen Karriere zum Rücktritt? Beginnend mit Brandts Kindheit, zeichnet Hans Mayer den Lebensweg Brandts über das Exil in Norwegen bis hin zur beispiellosen Karriere eines Politikers nach, dessen grundlegendes Ziel die Wiedervereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten war.
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A collection of nonstandard answers to more than 100 questions asked by ordinary people from every corner of society. These questions, such as “How to be out of ordinary?”, “Who cost the most much money on online shopping?” and “Is there a love bible?”, cover every aspect of our society and daily life – music, movies, sex, gossips, social affairs, etc.
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As the field of tourism grows in maturity and scientific sophistication, it is important to fully understand the breadth and depth of vacation experience value. Current research delivers a multitude of approaches to value creation, represented here as a set of definitions, perspectives, and interpretations of how tourists, as customers, create value alone and with others. Providing an analytical and systematic clarification of the approaches, this book suggests an understanding of the differences, offering new and practical knowledge for tourism scholars and professionals to highlight the relevance of the concept to firms and organizations. Including a framework to distinguish among key resources or antecedents of customer value, this book also considers consumer behaviour and factors affecting value creation from physiological and psychological perspectives. Concluding with a summary of the areas for future research, it is a valuable resource for researchers of tourism, leisure and recreation.
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»›Woran arbeiten Sie?‹ wurde Herr K. gefragt. Herr K. antwortete: ›Ich habe viel Mühe, ich bereite meinen nächsten Irrtum vor.‹« Diese Situation ist typisch für die Geschichten vom Herrn Keuner: eine einfache, alltägliche Ausgangsfrage und die überraschende, unerwartete Antwort. Die dialogisch-dialektische Struktur dieser parabelhaften Prosaminiaturen und ihr subtiler Humor eignen sich eigentlich hervorragend für die Umsetzung als Comic. Dennoch kann es nicht verwundern, dass sich bislang noch niemand an sie herangetraut hat, denn: Wie lassen sich Denkbilder in gezeichnete Bilder umsetzen? Und wie lässt sich Bertolt Brechts Kunst- und Spielfigur Keuner, die durchaus autobiografische Züge trägt und dennoch als ein Mann ohne Eigenschaften gilt, überhaupt darstellen? Ulf K., einer der international renommiertesten deutschen ComicKünstler, hat es nun gewagt und überrascht mit einem Herrn K., der absolut zeitlos-modern ist und dennoch unser Zeitgenosse sein könnte. Diese schwungvoll-frische Adaption erweckt den Eindruck, Brecht habe die Geschichten soeben erst für unsere unmittelbare Gegenwart geschrieben und uns gemeinsam mit Ulf K. ein ebenso intellektuelles wie ästhetisches Vergnügen beschert.
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Dieses Buch erzählt vom deutschen Abenteuer eines amerikanischen Puritaners, der »die Anfänge liebte«. Will McBride kam 1953 mit der US-Armee nach Deutschland und blieb. In West-Berlin erfand er die »Clique«, die melancholisch gestimmt ihr Vergnügen suchte. Mit diesem Motiv wurde er Fotograf der neuen Zeitschrift twen und bald ein Star seines Fachs. Die Aufnahme seiner Frau Barbara als Schwangerer gereichte zum Skandal. In den sechziger Jahren betrieb er in München ein riesiges Studio, in dem die Bilder für Zeig Mal! entstanden, das paradigmatische Aufklärungsbuch der sozialliberal verjüngten Republik. Von Worpswede bis in die Toskana suchte McBride nach einer frischen Form für einen überzeugenden Lebensstil. Die biographischen Recherchen des Autors summieren sich zu einer alternativen Kulturgeschichte der Bundesrepublik. Gastauftritte haben Willy Fleckhaus, Donna Summer, Hans Filbinger, Willy Brandt, Norman Rockwell und Wolfram Siebeck. Eine Auswahl von McBrides besten schwarzweißen Fotografien begleitet die ungewöhnliche Erzählung von der »Erfindung des Westens«.
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Landscape Kāsaka is the first prose collection of Li Xiuwen. Most of the works have been written by Li during the turbulent decade among places such as forest and townlet, temple and studio, inn and train and so forth, all of which constitute Li’s Landscape. He has painstakingly recorded the emotion and dignity of ordinary people: doorkeeper and peddler, umbrella mender and tinker, courier and cleaner, real estate broker and sales representative...Also, there are some chapters about traveling and poetry, traditional Chinese opera and day dream. By writing these, Li Xiuwen finally affirms his destiny: as for himself, writing, is not only the faith leading him out of fatigue, but also the Kāsaka during his wandering life.
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Using case studies from North America, Scandinavia, Scotland, New Zealand and the Polar Regions this book explores the use of tourism as a vehicle for regional development in peripheral areas. Topics covered include tourism management, rights of access, tourism destination communities, tourism impacts and regional development. The book identifies the core obstacles facing tourism in peripheral regions and highlights that tourism development in peripheries is not any easy task.
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This series contains about 1,800 modern prints collected by Lu Xun at that time, which authored by nearly 200 domestic printmakers and currently in the Lu Xun Memorial Hall in Shanghai and the Lu Xun Museum in Beijing. It is showcasing the glorious history of modern Chinese woodcut art: In the 1920s and 1930s, in order to guide the artistic direction of Chinese literary youth, smashed the KMT’s counter-revolutionary cultural " encirclement and suppression", Mr. Lu Xun held a "woodcut workshop" in Shanghai, and cultivated a group of emerging woodcut backbone. These backbones led young artists in various regions of the country to create a large number of realistic works reflecting the suffering and tragic fate of the people at the bottom of the society at that time. They cruelly lashed the dark reality of society and called for national salvation and survival. These young woodcutters sent their woodcut works to Lu Xun, who not only guided their creation personally, but also spared no effort to collect, publicize and promote them to the public. With the active advocacy and support of Mr. Lu Xun, the emerging woodcut movement in China has developed vigorously, driving the modernization of Chinese art and leaving an indelible glorious footprint in the history of Chinese modern culture and art. This complete collection is a companion to the The Complete Collection of Foreign Prints by Lu Xun published in 2014.
