{"title":"Matthew Longo","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the Matthew Longo collection, where profound insights and compelling narratives await you. Matthew Longo, an acclaimed author, unravels the intricacies of human experiences across various genres, ensuring a thought-provoking journey for every reader.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExplore \u003cem\u003eThe Invisible Hand\u003c\/em\u003e, a captivating work that elegantly straddles the realms of self-help and personal development. This book offers readers valuable perspectives on how unseen forces shape our decisions and lives, encouraging a reflective examination of personal growth and societal influences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDive into \u003cem\u003eThe Picnic\u003c\/em\u003e, where Longo deftly bridges the past and present in his exploration of history. Presented in two distinct narratives within the History \u0026amp; Military category, these volumes provide an immersive look into historical events, enriched by detailed research and Longo's engaging storytelling style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you seek personal development insights or wish to delve into meticulously crafted historical accounts, Matthew Longo's books promise to enlighten and entertain, leaving you with fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-picnic-by-matthew-longo-9781847927804","title":"The Picnic","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn extraordinarily dramatic reconstruction of the greatest border breach in Cold War history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists did the unthinkable—they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain—and held a picnic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWord had spread of what was going to happen. On wisps of rumour, thousands of East German 'holiday-makers' had made their way to the border between Hungary and Austria and packed the nearby camping sites, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The highest state authorities were choosing to turn a blind eye—but that could change at any moment. The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history— that day hundreds would cross from the Communist East to the longed-for freedom of the West. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Soviet Union—the so-called end of history —all would flow from those dramatic hours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved—activists and border guards, escapees and secret police, as well as the last Communist prime minister of Hungary—Matthew Longo reconstructs not only this remarkable event but also its complex and bittersweet aftermath. Freedom had been won but parents had been abandoned and families divided. Love affairs faltered and new lives had to be built from scratch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Picnic\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of a moment when the tide of history turned. It shows how freedom can be both dream and disillusionment, and how all we take for granted can vanish in an instant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46338693660908,"sku":"9781847927804","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26005493482845.jpg?v=1743743902"},{"product_id":"the-picnic-by-matthew-longo-9781529920987","title":"The Picnic","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Picnic\u003c\/em\u003e by Matthew Longo, winner of the Orwell Prize 2024, tells the exhilarating story of the greatest border breach in Cold War history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis gripping reconstruction details the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989, a pivotal moment that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists undertook the unthinkable: they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain and held a picnic. Thousands of East German 'holiday-makers,' propelled by whispers and rumours, made their way to the border, all under the watchful eyes of lurking Stasi agents. The scene was set for the most significant border breach in Cold War history. The events that followed precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union, signaling what many would call the end of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved, Matthew Longo reconstructs this world-shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath, offering a vivid glimpse into this dramatic chapter of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46656641958124,"sku":"9781529920987","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/19631593482732.jpg?v=1752480373"},{"product_id":"the-invisible-hand-by-matthew-longo-9780262551878","title":"The Invisible Hand","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow the \"invisible hand\" of the nervous system makes the human hand such an evolutionary success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe hand has a central role in both human evolution and cultural development—in our descent and in our ascent. It is, Immanuel Kant said, \"the visible part of the brain.\" It is the invisible that concerns Matthew Longo in \u003cem\u003eThe Invisible Hand\u003c\/em\u003e, a wide-ranging, deftly written account of the neural and cognitive mechanisms that have made a seemingly ordinary physical appendage an extraordinary tool in the evolution of humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe hand has been the focus of an enormous amount of research from a dizzying range of disciplines, from anatomy, psychology, and neuroscience to evolutionary biology and archaeology. With the concept of the invisible hand, Longo integrates and contextualises the findings from these disparate fields to show how the neurocognitive mechanisms that comprise the invisible hand are central to understanding a wide array of phenomena, including basic sensory and motor function, space perception, gesture, and even the self.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMore generally, he contends that the extraordinary abilities of the hand arise precisely from the complementary nature and tight integration of the visible and invisible hands—a proposition that leads deep into topics as diverse as haptics, tool use, handedness, phantom limbs, and evolution. His work elucidates and significantly expands a key chapter of the story of human evolution and culture as manifested in the human hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46868871545068,"sku":"9780262551878","price":240.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12631793482281.jpg?v=1759774024"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/matthew-longo.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}