Books by David Conduct

The concept of a broken universe is a recurring theme in literature, theology and, indeed, science. The present work is an attempt to explore the varied sources of this theme as revealed in the writing of Dante, John Donne, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen Hawking, Saint Paul, and Dame Julian of Norwich. My hope is that this may bring some comfort and consolation to believers and un-believers alike and perhaps help restore some harmony to a broken universe.A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. A graduate of the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester, his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his eighth book. For more information about his books see www.durhambusker.comWhen not writing he can be found busking from home on Periscope @Durham_Busker.

'Life and Fate' by Vasily Grossman is an epic story of Russia's involvement in the Second World War and has been ranked alongside Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. At over 800 pages it is also a very long novel and the present work, 'Kindness and the Individual', is an attempt to distil the essence of 'Life and Fate' in the hope that this will encourage others to read Grossman's great novel. We need to remember the events to which he bears witness and this text is offered as an incentive to that end and as a reminder of the importance of kindness in human affairs. A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over 20 years. A graduate of the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester, his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his seventh book. When not writing he can be found busking on YouTube at www.durhambusker.com

A Word to Planet Earth is inspired by the Voyager space probe whose long term mission is to establish contact with intelligent life in the far-flung reaches of the Cosmos. To assist in this venture the probe contains examples of the human intellect at work. In this sense, Voyager resembles some enormous inter-planetary message in a bottle. Will it ever find a reader?The same might be asked of the present work which attempts to mimic the Voyager enterprise within a human context by identifying some of the varied influences in literature and music which have shaped my life and made me the person that I am. I hope it finds a reader.A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. His studies have taken him through the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester, and his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his sixth book. When not writing he can be found busking in the streets of Durham or at www.durhambusker.com

Essays on a Liberal Education has developed out of an interest in the concept of a liberal education, and a conviction that, in spite of the admirable virtues associated with this concept, it does not provide a satisfactory model for general education. We need a broader, more diverse educational system, and this conclusion is reached through an historical study of the way in which the theory of a liberal education has developed, and by analysis of the concepts of society and the individual, which loom so large in most discussions on educational aims. A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. His studies have taken him through the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester, and his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his fourth book. When not writing, he can be found busking in the streets of Durham.

'Rock 'n' Roll Years' is a series of reflections on the passage of time and the world events which we all observe. It calls in question the significance of such events and celebrates the role of the individual in relation to them. A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. His studies have taken him through the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester and his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his third book. When not writing he can be found busking in the streets of Durham.

All you Need is Love is a study of the writing of the fourteenth century English mystic, Dame Julian of Norwich. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, the first book written by a woman in English, recalls her experience of the Divine through a series of sixteen visions. These visions contain a simple message: that God loves us and wishes to be loved by us; that "all is well and all manner of thing shall be well." In a world where pain and suffering are all too familiar Julian's words are both a source of comfort and a challenge to our understanding of the human condition. A retired History teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. His studies have taken him through the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester and his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his second book. When not writing, he can be found busking in the streets of Durham.

It was that holy traveller, Jack Kerouac, who first coined the phrase "the holy contour of life" and I think that this provides a fitting title for these reflections. We don't need a whole lot of knowledge or material possessions to lead a good and happy life. We are all of us on the same journey and all heading in the same direction. We need to recognise our fellow-travellers and try to enjoy their company. Life is a journey but its destination is spiritual not temporal. It is a process of self-discovery which requires us each to recognise their own personal destiny. A retired history teacher, David Conduct now lives in Durham where he taught for over twenty years. His studies have taken him through the universities of Hull, London, Warwick and Leicester, and his main academic interest lies in the history of ideas. This is his fifth book. When not working he can be found busking in the streets of Durham.

'Lost and Found' is an attempt to understand why the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 was greeted with such enthusiasm and why the war was sustained with such vigour for so long. At the same time it embodies a critique of the mindset which gave rise to the war by revealing a world whose values set it so far apart from us as to make any genuine empathy between then and now almost impossible. In an effort to find some empathetic links with that lost world the author looks behind the 'certain certainties' and the 'tremendous sureties' which characterised that world. In so doing he embarks upon a journey of discovery which finally reveals that which was lost and that which truly links him, and perhaps others, to the past.