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The ballet Parade premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 18 May 1917, performed by the Ballets Russes with a plot conceived by Jean Cocteau, music by Erik Satie, choreography by Léonide Massine, and set designs by Pablo Picasso. It is characterised by Picasso's Cubist set designs, a folkish plot, and a thinly textured, repetitive musical score juxtaposing light classicism and ragtime numbers, augmented by extra-musical noises, including a typewriter and a Wild West revolver shot. Parade's light-heartedness contrasted viscerally with the contemporary realities faced by Parisians in 1917. Just 125 miles from the front and subject to air raids, the sights, sounds, and dangers of war were familiar to the audience of the ballet's premiere, and many of them found Parade offensive. Despite this seeming incongruity, I argue that Parade was not incidental to the First World War but was a result of and response to the war surrounding it. A contextual analysis of Parade demonstrates some of the concerns of artists working during the war, the tensions and disagreements that emerged among artists, and how the direction of their art was shaped both during and after the war. Moreover, Parade also serves as an artistic 'case study' that can provide historians with a clearer understanding of the day-to-day realities, anxieties, and opinions of the people living in Paris during this unique moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article lists several new books on the topic economics. Some of the books are "Economic Readjustment in 1933," by A.H. Abbati, which is the third series of bulletins issued by the Unclaimed Wealth Utilization Committee at Geneva, "European Civilization and politics since 1816," by E. Achorn, and "La géographic de l' industrie," by R. Blanchard. This volume contains the revised text of three lectures delivered by the author in 1988 at Montreal under the auspices of the French-Canadian Scientific Institute. M. Blanchard briefly reviews the physical and psychological barriers to early commerce and their effect In limiting occupational specialization. As these obstacles were gradually overcome, products began to be exchanged and specialization developed upon the basis of differences In geographical advantage and human skill. Inhabitants of the less productive agricultural areas were forced to adopt auxiliary industrial pursuits In order to obtain goods for barter.

This article presents the list of books on the topic transportation and communication. Some of the books are "The Economics of Air Mail Transportation," by P.T. David, "Communications in the Far East," by F.V. De Fellner, "The Illinois Central Railroad and its Colonization Work," by P.W. Gates, "Transit Unification and Interborough Rapid Transit Company, Manhattan Railway Company, Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation," by B.L. Weissman, and "A Hundred Years of Inland Transport, 1889-193," by C.E.R. Sherrington.