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      • Archaeology

        The Book of Gold

        by Tom Jackson

        People have sought after gold for many thousands of years. And in that time, these precious metals have become part of our history, culture, science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, myths and legends. Filled with stunning photographs, engaging diagrams and beautiful art, discover a fascinating new way to appreciate the enduring wonders of our planet and beyond. Supports STEAM.   Titles in the series: The Book of Silver, The Book of Gold 48pp + ends   305 x 229 mm / 9 x 12 inches. Foiled and embossed cover.

      • Archaeology

        The Book of Silver

        by Tom Jackson

        People have sought after silver for many thousands of years. And in that time, these precious metals have become part of our history, culture, science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, myths and legends. Filled with stunning photographs, engaging diagrams and beautiful art, discover a fascinating new way to appreciate the enduring wonders of our planet and beyond. Supports STEAM. Titles in the series: The Book of Silver, The Book of Gold 48pp + ends 305 x 229 mm / 9 x 12 inches Foiled and embossed cover

      • Humanities & Social Sciences
        March 2020

        TAIWAN URBAN LEGENDS AND WHERE THEY COME FROM

        by Hsieh Yi-An

        Spread by word of mouth and internet memes, urban legends are the just-so stories of contemporary life. Though widely known, we rarely delve into the origins of these stories, nor bother to ask what truths these untruths have the potential to reveal.   Each of the thirteen chapters of this book begins with a retelling of one of Taiwan’s best known urban legends, and then proceeds to analyze the scientific and historical plausibility of the tale. Readers learn about the times in which the legends arose, how they have been passed on and altered over time, and, finally, the societal anxieties and fears that might motivate the construction of such yarns.   Author Hsieh Yi-An categorizes urban legends into five broad types: collective memories of horror (plane crashes, disasters, etc.), universal legends found across the world (muggers who steal their victims’ organs), fears associated with specific locations, historical tales that reflect contemporary politics, and monster stories. After years spent researching this last category, Hsieh has recently expanded the scope of her inquiries to include all urban legends, treating readers to a feast of Taiwan’s favorite oft-told tales perfectly complemented by enlightening historical and psychological analysis.

      • Humanities & Social Sciences
        October 2020

        ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S ORACLE

        the divinatory method of the magician Astrampsico

        by KORNMUELLER MASSIMILIANO

        First translation from ancient Greek.It is an ancient oracular work, used to predict the future, containing 93 questions (relating to love, health, work and business), a table of numerical correspondences and1030 answers divided into 103 decades. In the preface to the work, Astrampsico explains to King Ptolemy how to proceed: we choose the question that interests us among the 93 proposals, then a random number from 1 to 10 is chosen (originally the decahedron was used, the dice with ten faces). The question number is added to the one chosen at random and compared to the correspondence table which gives us the number ofdecades in which to search for the answer. In the indicated decade, the answer number is searched using the number chosen at random. The oracle is preceded by a study of cleromantic divination (through lots or dice). The volume is also enriched by numerousillustrations by the author depicting archaeological finds, which explain and integrate the text, and by the decahedron that can be cut and built. Rare and curious work, easy to consult for those who want to know their future. A book that will fascinate people who have a keen interest in magic and antiquities.

      • Children's & young adult fiction & true stories

        A City by the Sea

        and other Fairy Tales

        by Martha Cinader

        True to the tradition of fairy tales, this collection of stories is humorous and dramatic. Each one contains a valuable message for young readers in modern times. Written over a period of about a decade, these short stories were developed in performance while raising my young daughter. Titles: A City by the Sea  Orimar's Flying Machine  The Man with Golden Hands  Crystal Clear Waters The Fat Lady and the Cuckoo Bird  The Boy with the Huge Behind  The Truth as She Knew It  A City by the Sea is an un-published collection of fairy tales, about 13,400 words, 48 6"x9" pages, available for publication as a volume, or as separate titles for an illustrated children's book or series of books. They would also be suitable for adaptation for TV or film.     For a more detailed description, please refer to the Supporting Document PDF keywords: fairytales, fairy tale, fairytale, fairy tales

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Alas Poor Ghost

        Tradition of Belief in Story and Discourse

        by Gillian Bennett

        In the rational modern world, belief in the supernatural seemingly has been consigned to the worlds of entertainment and fantasy. Yet belief in other worldly phenomena, from poltergeists to telepathy, remains strong, as Gillian Bennett's research shows. Especially common is belief in continuing contact with, or the continuing presence of, dead family members. Bennett interviewed women in Manchester, England, asking them questions about ghosts and other aspects of the supernatural. (Her discussion of how her research methods and interview techniques evolved is in itself valuable.) She first published the results of the study in the well-received Traditions of Belief: Women and the Supernatural, which has been widely used in folklore and women's studies courses. "Alas, Poor Ghost!" extensively revises and expands that work. In addition to a fuller presentation and analysis of the original field research and other added material, the author, assisted by Kate Bennett, a gerontological psychologist, presents and discusses new research with a group of women in Leicester, England. Bennett is interested in more than measuring the extent of belief in other worldly manifestations. Her work explores the relationship between narrative and belief. She anticipated that her questions would elicit from her interviewees not just yes or no replies but stories about their experiences that confirmed or denied notions of the supernatural. The more controversial the subject matter, the more likely individuals were to tell stories, especially if their answers to questions of belief were positive. These were most commonly individualized narratives of personal experience, but they contained many of the traditional motifs and other content, including belief in the supernatural, of legends. Bennett calls them memorates and discusses the cultural processes, including ideas of what is a "proper" experience of the supernatural and a "proper" telling of the story, that make them communal as well as individual. These memorates provide direct and vivid examples of what the storytellers actually believe and disbelieve. In a final section, Bennett places her work in historical context through a discussion of case studies in the history of supernatural belief.

      • Archaeology

        Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl

        The Once & Future Lord of the Toltecs

        by H B Nicholson

        This is the most comprehensive survey and discussion of the primary documentary sources and the relevant archaeological evidence concerning the most enigmatic figure of ancient Mesoamerica. Probably no indigenous New World personage has aroused more interest or more controversy than this Lord of Tollan, capital of the Toltec Empire, who was merged with the prominent Feathered Serpent god, Quetzalcoatl. Professor Nicholson sorts through this wealth of material, classifying, summarising, and analysing all known primary accounts of the career of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, in the Spanish, Nahuatl, and Mayan languages, which Spanish missionaries and Spanish-educated natives recorded after the Conquest. In a new Introduction, he updates the original source material presently available to scholars concerned with this figure. After careful consideration of the evidence, he concludes that, in spite of the obvious myth surrounding this renowned Toltec priest-ruler, at least some of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl's recorded life and deeds are drawn from historical fact. Nicholson also contends that the tradition of his expected return probably played a role in the peaceable reception of Cortés by Moctezuma II in Mexico's Tenochtitlan in the fall of 1519. Includes new illustrations and an index.

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Anguish Of Snails

        Native American Folklore in the West

        by Barre Toelken

        Pure literature, appropriate—crucial—to professional anthropologists and folklorists, a delight for the layman, an epiphany for students. Barre Toelken has written a pure gem that is incredibly readable for anyone at all educated but is loaded with profound content. —Roger Welsch A valuable, nearly indispensable, contribution... of very significant use to students and teachers of anthropology, folklore, and Native American studies' and to all who have an interest in this fascinating subject... strong, original, immensely interesting, well written, and perfectly readable. —N. Scott Momaday After a career of working and living with Native Americans and studying their traditions, Barre Toelken has written this sweeping study of Native American folklore in the West. Within a framework of performance theory, cultural worldview, and collaborative research, he examines Native American visual arts, dance, oral tradition (story and song), humor, and patterns of thinking and discovery to demonstrate what can be gleaned from Indian traditions by Natives and non-Natives alike. In the process he considers popular distortions of Indian beliefs, demystifies many traditions by showing how they can be comprehended within their cultural contexts, considers why some aspects of Native American life are not meant to be understood by or shared with outsiders, and emphasizes how much can be learned through sensitivity to and awareness of cultural values.

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Shared Space

        by James Griffith

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Out Of The Ordinary

        by Barbara Walker

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Dynamics Of Folklore

        Revised and Expanded Edition

        by Barre Toelken

        One of the most comprehensive and widely praised introductions to folklore ever written. Toelken's discussion of the history and meaning of folklore is delivered in straightforward language, easily understood definitions, and a wealth of insightful and entertaining examples. Toelken emphasizes dynamism and variety in the vast array of folk expressions he examines, from "the biology of folklore," to occupational and ethnic lore, food ways, holidays, personal experience narratives, ballads, myths, proverbs, jokes, crafts, and others. Chapters are followed by bibliographical essays, and over 100 photographs illustrate the text. This new edition is accessible to all levels of folklore study and an essential text for classroom instruction.

      • Sociology & anthropology

        Healing Logics

        Culture and Medicine in Modern Health Belief Systems

        by Erika Brady

        Scholars in folklore and anthropology are more directly involved in various aspects of medicine—such as medical education, clinical pastoral care, and negotiation of transcultural issues—than ever before. Old models of investigation that artificially isolated "folk medicine," "complementary and alternative medicine," and "biomedicine" as mutually exclusive have proven too limited in exploring the real-life complexities of health belief systems as they observably exist and are applied by contemporary Americans. Recent research strongly suggests that individuals construct their health belief systmes from diverse sources of authority, including community and ethnic tradition, education, spiritual beliefs, personal experience, the influence of popular media, and perception of the goals and means of formal medicine. Healing Logics explores the diversity of these belief systems and how they interact—in competing, conflicting, and sometimes remarkably congruent ways. This book contains essays by leading scholars in the field and a comprehensive bibliography of folklore and medicine.

      • Folklore, myths & legends

        Of Corpse

        by Peter Narvaez

      • Tribal religions

        Cannibalism is an Acquired Taste

        And Other Notes From Conversations With Anthropologist Omer C. Stewart

        by Carol L Howell

        Omer Stewart is most noted for his career-long study of the Peyote religion. His mentor, A L Kroeber, instilled in him an abiding respect for cultural variation. Applying this fundamental principle to his work in the 1930s, Omer was surprised to find himself at odds with many notable colleagues. With characteristic self-confidence, he was undeterred in his effort to document the religion, defend its practice, and push open the door to applied anthropology. In CANNIBALISM IS AN ACQUIRED TASTE, Carol L Howell weaves together taped interviews with Stewart; excerpts from his letters, notes, and papers; and recollections of family members and others. The result is a fascinating sketch not only of Omer Stewart as a person but also of his contributions to the field of anthropology and the academic and social milieu in which he participated. A must for anthropologists and anyone interested in the art of biography.

      • Fiction

        Pouraka

        by Dianne Lynn Gardner

        Pouraka is a magical sea cavern tucked under the rocky cliffs near Barnacle Bay. Cora, a Pouraka mermaid, is torn between her friends in the seaside town, and her true love Tas, a foreign merman whose clan fled when men invaded their waters. The two fall in love just when an unscrupulous oil rigger's son discovers the rich aquatic life Barnacle Bay harbors. He captures Tas and hauls him away, bound for an amusement park. Cora takes it upon herself to rescue him.

      • Health & Personal Development
        August 2013

        Tiger Wisdom Guidebook & Oracle Cards

        by Jane Corbett

        My book offers pure impartial guidance from the Tiger, a truly wonderful and awe inspiring majestical big cat, 48 beautiful Tiger Oracle cards, each featuring a different characteristic of the tiger and the world which it inhabits accompany the book, See the world  from a different point of view, using the spirit of the tiger. who is strong, silent, and focused, by focusing on its energy users are able to relieve themselves of the daily stresses and worries of life and seek guidance from a non-judgemental source by conducting a reading either for themselves or someone else. Each of the cards and the meaning behind them is covered in depth within the book, as well as the correct methods to complete a card reading successfully. My book also includes a wealth of information about the tiger as well as raising awareness about this critically endangered species. Both are presented in a box set.

      • Animal stories (Children's/YA)

        The Turtle's Shell

        Mama's Tales of Kanji

        by Vincent Eke

        The Turtle's Shell tells the story of Tobi, a smart turtle who thinks he can get away with deceiving his friends. He ends up learning a few shell cracking lessons. This friendly easy-to-read book shows children how our everyday actions and decisions always consequences. This story also draws attention to the nuggets of wisdom embedded in African cultural stories which can be emulated by any child whatever their racial background.

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