Trees contain the cosmos; when night falls, the spirits they nurture glimmer into life.A visual ode to trees rendered by tribal artists from India, this handcrafted edition showcases three of the finest living Gond masters. This collection of their distinctive styles is enchanting—an excellent gift for those fascinated by trees, art or folk traditions.

       As he did with his Caldecott-winning The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney has masterfully adapted this story of the hardworking hen and her lazy neighbors. Its Golden Rule message and sassy finale are just as relevant and satisfying as ever. Read it in tandem with Pinkney’s Puss in Boots and The Tortoise and the Hare or David Wiesner’s The Three Pigs.     "Perfect [for] sharing with one listener, or a crowd." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “Cheerful [and] luminous. Kids will gleefully chime in.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)   “A lush light-filled rendition of a folktale staple.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

    Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? Let's just say that the ending is sweet for everyone. Ernst's familiar art, here placed against gingham-check backgrounds, utilizes the oversize format to best advantage, with large characters leaping out of their frames. On the cover, the candy-studded Gingerbread Girl with licorice-whip hair stares boldly out at readers. Kids won?t be able to resist following her inside. Booklist

    Their mom has just kicked them out of the house and it's time they make their own way and start constructing new homes in the heart of the swamp. When ol' Claude the gator comes sneaking along, however, the three brothers are forced to question their choice of construction materials! This hilarious tale from the creators of the popular Petite Rouge (which School Library Journal declared "A treat from start to finish") will once again take you to the heart of the Cajun swamps and show you the Three Little Pigs like you've never seen them.

    Enter that sly opportunist, the devil, who wraps the soldier in the armor of a dead bear’s skin, fills its pockets with gold, and makes a dangerous and horrible wager. An unforgettable retelling of a classic Grimm tale, THE BEARSKINNER is a story about the struggle between the two sides of our selves, and the heroic strength it takes to claim a victory.

    From the authors of Weird N.J.--with more than 125,000 copies sold--comes asecond amazing collection of the wonderful weirdness that fills every inch ofthe Garden State.

    Photographic search-and-find fun—especially for preschoolers! From bestselling author/photographer Walter Wick.From the photographer of the bestselling I Spy books, Can You See What I See? Once Upon a Time is a rhyming, search-and-find picture book—especially for preschoolers! Twelve fascinating compositions depict favorite fairy tales, folk tales, and classic stories where readers can use the picture clues to search for dozens of intriguing hidden objects in a far, faraway land filled with toys!

    Discover the history, folklore and scientific evidence surrounding all psychic phenomena - from poltergeists, mediums, and haunted places, to clairvoyance, astrology, and teleportation. Lift the veil on a world of supernatural mysteries, ghost stories and methods of divinitation... and discover if you might be psychic yourself. With information to intrigue and fascinate both believer and sceptic, this is an indispensable map of the psychic world.

    She kisses him good night. She turns out the light. And he's not scared! No, not him! But when Granny shuts that door... SQUEEEEAK!How can a granny keep that spooky, squeaky door from scaring her little boy awake at night?Acclaimed storyteller Margaret Read MacDonald spins a humorous bedtime story, perfect for reading aloud, with comical illustrations by Mary Newell DePalma.

    These stories have journeyed far -- over mountains, deserts, and oceans -- carried by wind, passed on to us by our ancestors. Now they have found their way to you.A sly fox, a bird of a thousand colors, a magical set of bagpipes, and an audacious young girl...A mixture of popular tales and literary lore, this anthology celebrates Hispanic culture and its many roots -- Indigenous, African, Arab, Hebrew, and Spanish.F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada have retold twelve beloved stories that embody the lively spirit and the rich heritage of Latino people.The work of four leading Latino artists and illustrators highlights this unforgettable collection.

    Meade is a masterful storyteller with a genius for metaphorical thinking; he draws on the power of myths, fairy tales, and his own personal story of descent and transformation during the Vietnam War. At once a mythic journey, a study in depth psychology, and a treatise on initiation The Water of Life addresses the roots of conflict, the recurring hunger for war and the issues of reducing the warrior. Throughout the text the water of life functions as the core symbol for both personal and cultural renewal, and redemption in the spiritual wasteland. Using ideas gleaned from many years working with youth and communities at-risk Meade s writing rings with the echoes of truth and sings with an incantational voice that takes you right to the edge of elemental knowledge.

    When Death comes to call in his black cloak, Colin the shoemaker does not go quietly. With some quick thinking and sweet-talking, Colin distracts Death by offering to make him some shoes. Death, completely befuddled, is fitted for sandals and soon after that for a pair of boots. Each time Death comes to claim Colin's soul, he leaves with a sole, but never the kind he intended.

    Within these pages you will discover majestic, mysterious and fantastical faeries and angels, sphinxes and fauns, mad Queens, gothic seducers, goblins and trolls. Wendy's sculptures have inspired many great artist of our time: George Lucas, for whom she fabricated "Yoda" and Jim Henson, with whom she worked on his classic films, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

    Price also reconstructs the Gospel of Marcion and the lost Gospel according to the Hebrews. Here, for the first time, is a canon representing all major factions of the early church.   As an interpretive translation, Price’s text is both accurate and readable and is tied more closely to the Greek than most previous translations. Price conveys the meanings of words in context, carefully choosing the right phrase or idiom to convey their sense in English. For words that had a specific theological import when first written, Price leaves the Greek transliteration, giving readers archons for the fallen angels thought to be ruling the world, paraclete for encourager, andpleroma for the Gnostic godhead. Within the collection, each book is introduced with comments about the cultural setting, information about when a document was probably written, and significant textual considerations, which together form a running commentary that continues into the footnotes. The findings of scholars, documented and summarized by Price, will come as a surprise to some readers. It appears, as Price suggests, that most of what is known about Jesus came by way of revelation to Christian oracles rather than by word of mouth as historical memory. In addition, the major characters in the New Testament, including Peter, Stephen, and Paul, appear to be composites of several historical individuals each, their stories comprising a mix of events, legend, and plot themes borrowed from the Old Testament and Greek literature.   In the New Testament world, theology developed gradually along different trajectories, with tension between the charismatic ascetics such as Marcion and Thecla, as examples, and the emerging Catholic orthodoxy of such clergy as Ignatius and Polycarp. The tension is detectable in the texts themselves, many of which represent “heretical” points of view: Gnostic, Jewish-Christian, Marcionite, and proto-orthodox, and were later edited, sometimes clumsily, in an attempt to harmonize all into one consistent theology.  What may occur to many readers, among the more striking aspects of the narratives, is that the earliest, most basic writings, such as Mark’s Gospel in inarticulate Greek, are ultimately more impressive and inspirational than the later attempts by more educated Christians to appeal to sophisticated readers with better grammar and more allusions to classical mythology and apologetic embellishments.   The critical insights and theories on display in these pages have seldom been incorporated into mainstream conservative Bible translations, and in many ways, Price has made the New Testament a whole new book for readers, allowing them, by virtue of the translation, to comprehend the meaning of the text where it is obscured by the traditional wording. Whatever usefulness teachers, students, and clergy may find here in terms of pedagogical and inspirational value, The Pre-Nicene New Testament is guaranteed to provoke further thought and conversation among the general public—hopefully toward the goal of more personal study and insights.

    With Connemara, he creates an indelible portrait of a small corner of the world. From the unmarked graves of unbaptized infants to the shimmering peaks of the Twelve Pins, Robinson brings his close attention and dazzling prose to describe the mountains, bogs, shorelines, and landscape of his home and, at the same time, make a great statement about the world at large.

    When a series of misfortunes finally bring her to China where she is asked to make a tent for the Emperor, Fatima comes to realize the value of all her past experiences in helping her forge a new and happier life.

    People all over the world embrace the ideas discussed in this work: the animistic worldview, spiritual communion with the dead and the Unseen World, sorcery and magic. Author and Mystic Robin Artisson explores these mystical themes from the perspective of The Old Faiths and pre-Christian metaphysical impulses of Europe and the British Isles. Bringing a new perspective to these ancient practices and making them more accessible, this book is a key to the door that leads into the mythical dimension of each person, and every feature of the sacred landscape. It helps to unlock the hidden wisdom in folklore, shed light on the enigma of the human being, and manifest an experience of the wisdom of the Old Ways- insofar as a book can. This book is about getting out of books and back into the spiritual dimension of the Land itself, and requires considerable dedication and work.

    Every night he is awakened by the fireflies outside his window. And when Gecko doesn't get his rest, he gets a little grumpy. So he goes to Elephant, the head of the village, to complain. His request that the fireflies stop working at night sets off a comical chain of problems for everyone in the village and complicates everyone's life. Through this cumulative tale from the Balinese tradition, Gecko learns that his well-being depends on that of the entire village and he finally goes to sleep, a little wiser. This Balinese folktale will teach readers the importance of respect, sharing and citizenship.

    Sheldon Oberman, a master storyteller, retells the tales with simplicity and grace, making them perfect for performing and reading aloud. Peninnah Schram, herself an acclaimed storyteller and folklorist, provides lively notes and commentary that examine the meaning of each tale and its place in history.

    They adopted from South Korea twice: an infant and an older child. There are two stories in Trevor s memoir. The first is about her daughter's difficulty adjusting to adoption. The second story is about her son, diagnosed with a brain tumor, an event that changed all of their lives forever, and how this family or any family must endure crises and tragedy and still find a way to go on. The title 'Pushing up the Sky', comes from a Native American story about the power of people working together for a common good. This is the theme in Terra Trevor s memoir. This is the story of a remarkable family facing incredible challenges. It is a story of compromises and insights, profound joy, deep suffering, and terrific rewards. Parenting birth and adopted children is one theme of this book. Most of all, it is a story on the meaning of family, and learning to let go of expectations and to forge a new identity. Hope is offered as a path, with the resolve to celebrate each new day and to cherish every second of it.

    Warner tells the unexpected and often disturbing story about shifts in thought about consciousness and the individual person, from the first public waxworks portraits at the end of the eighteenth century to stories of hauntings, possession, and loss of self in modern times. She probes the perceived distinctions between fantasy and deception, and uncovers a host of spirit forms--angels, ghosts, fairies, revenants, and zombies--that are still actively present in contemporary culture.

    This seamstress—the eldest and meanest of the three Gold sisters—possesses a tarnished past and faces a bleak and lonely future. Guilty about her destructive desires and longing for innocence, her inner turmoil and explosive imagination belie a disarming honesty. A sequel to The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold, the novel follows Merry from her suburban childhood through design school and a whirlwind of lovers, and into a desolate adulthood. Beginning with a toy seal and ending with mushrooms, this fairy tale set in modern times creeps through cruelty and violence to its inevitable end. Reminiscent of a miniature, fragile ice sculpture, The Complete Tales of Merry Gold glistens with hard-hearted bliss. Kate Bernheimer has once again delved into the internal anguish of the Gold family to extract a magical, carefully stitched tale of strange and happy fear.

    Using original source material, extant writings, and scholarship the author builds an image of the goddess as she may have appeared to her followers in pre-Christian Northern Europe. Patricia Lafayllve then uses the knowledge she has compiled to speculate on aspects of modern worship of this complex deity.

    It speaks to something deep and primal within us-something we don't hear as often as we should.By exploring a variety of mysteries and traditions of trees, Whispers from the Woods helps readers get reacquainted with the natural world and find their place in the earth's rhythm. Covering more than just Celtic Ogham and tree calendars, this book includes meditation, shamanic journeys, feng shui, spellcraft, and ritual. In addition, it has a reference section with detailed information on fifty trees, which includes seasonal information, lore, powers, attributes, and more.Finalist for the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Wiccan/Pagan Book

    Each image stands on its artistic own, but each also tells something about the fascinating artist who made it. In Eyes to Fly With, which includes both iconic images and previously unpublished work, Graciela Iturbide has assembled both a retrospective of her career and an introspective self-portrait--in short, an artist's art book.In the late 1960s, the great Mexican photographer Manuel Alvarez Bravo took Iturbide as his assistant. It was a fond and fruitful apprenticeship, but Iturbide eventually sought her own career because, as she says in a conversation with the writer Fabienne Bradu, "I had to have influences, but I also had to suppress them and achieve my own expression." This book pulls together Iturbide's most expressive work, including select self-portraits. Bradu's interview, which appears in both English and Spanish, reveals the stories behind classic images such as "Our Lady of the Iguanas." (Did she pose the iguanas on that woman's head, or was it photographic serendipity?) Bradu also draws out intimate reflections on photography, Mexico, M. A. Bravo, famous friends, indigenous mythology, death, and dreams, so that turning the page to a viejo gazing at airborne gulls, it's impossible not to hear Iturbide's words, "One day... I dreamed a sentence over and over: 'In my country I will plant birds.'" Filled with such personal images and Iturbide's own voice, Eyes to Fly With is the private tour of the artist's apartment that every admirer dreams of taking.

    On the ground above her crouches Itzik Leiber, a reclusive, unbelieving fourteen-year-old whose fatal mistake has spurred the town's angry residents to violence. The childless Friedl rises to guide him to safety -- only to find she cannot go back to her grave. Now Friedl is trapped in that thin world between life and death, her brash decision binding her forever to Itzik and his family: she is fated to be forever restless, and he, forever haunted by the ghosts of his past. Years later, after Itzik himself has gone to his grave, his son, Nathan, knows nothing of his bitter father's childhood. When he begrudgingly goes to Poland on business, Nathan decides on a whim to visit his ancestral town. There, in Zokof, he meets the mysterious Rafael, the town's last remaining Jew, who promises to pass on all the things Itzik had failed to teach his son - about Zokof, about his faith, and about himself.

    Jonathan Maberry presents the creatures of our worst nightmares - ancient monstrosities from folklore and myth and recent atrocities torn from modern headlines.

    He appears variously as preacher and beggar, porter and petty merchant, thief and honest man, judge and social critic, wise man and fool, jester and charlatan (though never as wealthy man or oppressor). While the subject matter is Arab or otherwise Islamic, the humor transcends national and cultural boundaries to achieve a universality that is instantly recognizable and accessible today.

    Godfrey. He's out there ... a malevolent beast with the head of a wolf--walking upright like a man! Don't believe it? How do you explain dozens of verified sightings throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and nationwide?

    Pete Seeger is an outstanding folksinger and an American treasure. Millions in every corner of the globe have listened to and sung along with Seeger-discovering the riches of America's folk song heritage. Originally published in 1961, this book includes the most popular songs in Pete Seeger's songbag. 84 traditional folk songs, including such favorites as Irene Goodnight, Darline Corey, Shenandoah, etc. Each song comes complete with melody line, lyrics, guitar chords, and Seeger's own introductory comments. Beautifully illustrated throughout with over 100 reproductions of documentary prints and wood-cuts, American Favorite Ballads presents a rich panorama of our country's great folk song legacy.

    Edited from authoritative sources, and accompanied by original illustrations, this gathering represents a feast of South Africa's best-loved tales. The sixty pieces include all-time favourites like "In the Withaak's Shade", "Makapan's Caves" and "Willem Prinsloo's Peach Brandy", the Boer War classics "Mafeking Road" and "The Rooinek", as well as several lesser-known treasures.

    "Travels with Odysseus" retells the earthy and profound adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus as teaching stories which hold insight and guidance for the present-day journey.

    Aige siúd atá an Fionnbheannach, tarbh nach bhfuil a leithéid le fáil in Éirinn. Nó an bhfuil?Seo insint úr bhríomhar ar an scéal is iomráití i dteanga na hÉireann, an Táin, nó Táin Bó Cuailgne mar is fearr aithne air. Am éigin roimh 1106 A.D. a scríobhadh síos i dtosach é i Leabhar na hUidhre, an lámhscríbhinn Gaeilge is ársa dá bhfuil ann, agus áirítear é ar cheann de mhórscéalta an domhain. Tá uaisleacht, crógacht agus tragóid an bhunscéil fite fuaite go healaíonta san úrscéal grafach seo.A stunning new graphic novel of An Táin, the classic tale of Cúchulainn, Queen Méabh and the cattle-raid for the Brown bull of Cooley. Written by prize-winning author Colmán Ó Raghallaigh, superbly illustrated by Barry Reynolds and produced by the Cartoon Saloon in full-colour graphic novel format, this is the fourth in a series of highly successful Irish language graphic novels published by Cló Mhaigh Eo.Queen Méabh is consumed by jealousy when she finds that her husband, Ailill, has bested her for riches and wealth. To him belongs the Fionnbheannach, a white-horned bull believed to have no equal in Ireland. Or so it seems…This is a new and exciting retelling of the greatest tale in the Irish language, the Táin or Táin Bó Cuailgne as it is better known. Ranked among the great epics of the world it was written down in the Book of Leinster, the earliest manuscript in Irish, sometime before 1106 A.D. The nobility, courage and tragedy of the original are subtly blended together in this superb graphic novel.

    Before the term "Bigfoot" was coined to signify an unknown species of North American primate, sightings of towering bipedal apes were reported throughout the continent, but called a variety of names. This book compiles and sorts the most significant sightings, but also provides a look at hoaxes, misidentifications, and the influential perspective of newspaper editors as they dealt with reports of a strange hairy manlike ape.

    Book by Lupa

    He settled into the farming community of Ballymenone, beside Lough Erne in the County Fermanagh. He asked questions, and he listened. For a decade he heard and recorded the stories and songs in which they outlined their culture, recounted their history, and pictured their world--a world which, in their view, was one of love and defeat and uncertainty, demanding faith, bravery, and wit.In his award-winning Passing the Time in Ballymenone, Henry Glassie set out to write a comprehensive ethnography of the community. Now, after decades of work in Asia, in Turkey and Bangladesh, in India and Japan, Glassie has returned to Ireland, using his skills as an observer, a listener, a writer, in an effort to understand how poor people in rural places suffer and laugh and carry on while history happens. Glassie's task in The Stars of Ballymenone is to set the scene, to sketch the backdrop and clear the stage, so that Hugh Nolan and Michael Boyle, Peter Flanagan, Ellen Cutler, and their neighbors can tell their own tale.The Stars of Ballymenone is an integrated analysis of the complete repertory of verbal art from a community where storytelling and singing of quality remained a part of daily life. The book includes a CD so the voices of Ballymenone can be heard at last.

    Includes two CDs featuring narrated information about sites along the trail and examples of Appalachian traditional music.

    It includes a specially commisssioned work of fiction, `Iphigeneia's Wedding', by the poet Elizabeth Cook.

    Georgia Quilts showcases the diversity of quilting materials, methods, and patterns used in the state from the nineteenth century to the present and reveals how quilts serve as conduits of history and culture. From plain bed coverings of fabric scraps to exquisitely wrought pieces made for the "best bed," each of the 120 examples featured in the book tells its own story of abundance or want, peace or war, tradition or novelty.Instead of the usual chronological approach taken by many quilt histories, Georgia Quilts looks at a number of themes through which the common story of the state, its people, and its quilting legacy can be told. Chapters follow various threads of the craft, including Civil War-era quilts, the cotton economy, quilting groups, feed sack quilts, everyday and fine-craft quilts, and special-occasion quilts, including those made as gifts to honor athletes at the 1996 Olympic games. The volume's contributors have a deep knowledge of, and strong personal ties to, quilt history and quiltmaking in Georgia.The Georgia Quilt Project, beginning in 1990, has documented more than 9,000 quilts. Volunteers conducted dozens of Quilt History Days around the state, interviewing quilt owners and examining and photographing their quilts. The 120 quilts included in this book have been chosen from the thousands seen by the Project. Some are notable for their beauty, rarity, or workmanship; others are simple, functional objects that have been cherished for their ties to family history. All have their own stories to tell about family, community, and the desire to leave something tangible behind.

    Eyewitness accounts of these events are chronicled in rich oral traditions handed down through generations of native peoples. The authors’ recent scientific discoveries link all these events to a single cause.In The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes Richard Firestone, Allen West, and Simon Warwick-Smith present new scientific evidence about a series of prehistoric cosmic events that explains why the last Ice Age ended so abruptly. Their findings validate the ubiquitous legends and myths of floods, fires, and weather extremes passed down by our ancestors and show how these legendary events relate to each other. Their findings also support the idea that we are entering a thousand-year cycle of increasing danger and possibly a new cycle of extinctions.

    It has provided food and a source of income for their families, shaped a distinctive culture, and helped women define and exert themselves in racist and hostile environments. Psyche A. Williams-Forson examines the complexity of black women's legacies using food as a form of cultural work. While acknowledging the negative interpretations of black culture associated with chicken imagery, Williams-Forson focuses her analysis on the ways black women have forged their own self-definitions and relationships to the "gospel bird."Exploring material ranging from personal interviews to the comedy of Chris Rock, from commercial advertisements to the art of Kara Walker, and from cookbooks to literature, Williams-Forson considers how black women arrive at degrees of self-definition and self-reliance using certain foods. She demonstrates how they defy conventional representations of blackness in relationship to these foods and exercise influence through food preparation and distribution. Understanding these phenomena clarifies how present interpretations of blacks and chicken are rooted in a past that is fraught with both racism and agency. The traditions and practices of feminism, Williams-Forson argues, are inherent in the foods women prepare and serve.

    The circumstances behind fifteen unusual cases of hauntings and ghostly manifestations are explored together with the detailed sagas of full-scale investigations into six further spooky inexplicables occurring in or near Toronto.The book concludes with a look into a complete investigation of a haunting, including a guide that explains the techniques used to conduct a paranormal investigation. The final section that explains the theories behind what a ghost is, how they manifest, and where they hide - challenging the classic theories of life-after-death research. So turn on all the lights, keep your back to the wall, and be prepared to take a journey into the reality of the unexplained.

    Nigel Pennick admits us to the realm of the formless, the fey, the spectral, the arcane and the nameless. Dare you follow the path to the crossroads at midnight and visit the Weird Lady of the Woods?

    Cotsen; The Maurice Amado Foundation; the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the National Foundation for Jewish Culture.Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion begins the most important collection of Jewish folktales ever published. It is the first volume in Folktales of the Jews, the five-volume series to be released over the next several years, in the tradition of Louis Ginzberg's classic, Legends of the Jews.The 71 tales here and the others in this series have been selected from the Israel Folktale Archives (IFA), named in Honor of Dov Noy, at The University of Haifa, a treasure house of Jewish lore that has remained largely unavailable to the entire world until now. Since the creation of the State of Israel, the IFA has collected more than 20,000 tales from newly arrived immigrants, long-lost stories shared by their families from around the world. The tales come from the major ethno-linguistic communities of the Jewish world and are representative of a wide variety of subjects and motifs, especially rich in Jewish content and context. Each of the tales is accompanied by in-depth commentary that explains the tale's cultural, historical, and literary background and its similarity to other tales in the IFA collection, and extensive scholarly notes. There is also an introduction that describes the Sephardic culture and its folk narrative tradition, a world map of the areas covered, illustrations, biographies of the collectors and narrators, tale type and motif indexes, a subject index, and a comprehensive bibliography. Until the establishment of the IFA, we had had only limited access to the wide range of Jewish folk narratives. Even in Israel, the gathering place of the most wide-ranging cross-section of world Jewry, these folktales have remained largely unknown. Many of the communities no longer exist as cohesive societies in their representative lands; the Holocaust, migration, and changes in living styles have made the continuation of these tales impossible. This volume and the others to come will be monuments to a rich but vanishing oral tradition.

    "But I remember when I was five or six I heard them talking about me when they thought I was not noticing. They were saying how queer I was a year or two before and how the nurse had called my mother to come and listen to me talking all to myself and I was saying words that nobody could understand. I was speaking the Xu language, but I only remember very few of the words, as it was about the little white faces that used to look at me when I was lying in my cradle." From The White People

    BlowingWind MountainChild had all of these and lost them, just as she was starting on what she thought would be the greatest adventure of her life. Now, she is being called out by the forces of life and undertaking the journey into adulthood alone. However, journeys always seem to entail healing, and a quest to find her lost love turns into something even greater. Take Ryu is a boisterous magma ryugami trapped for five years beneath Mt. Fuji for the crime of becoming too engrossed in human affairs. Upon the end of his imprisonment he emerges to find a strange and undefended shaman woman within his territory. Falling prey once more to his kind heart he too is swept up in the threads of a destiny that neither human nor dragon could have ever believed. This is the first book of the Dragon Shaman series, which will follow BlowingWind and her family in a saga of such depth and breadth, that some greater being, or beings must surely be behind the scenes. But for what purpose?More than supernatural romance, more than fantasy, this multi-genre series will have a very different end than what the author usually finds to read...which is just how she wants it.

    In the title story, from the MissiC3n de San Francisco de los Tejas, a mysterious woman in blue visits the Teas people to prepare them for the missionaries' arrival. Here Eric A. Kimmel gracefully retells the powerful legends behind four of the missions.

    Collected and popularized by the immensely popular Chinese illustrator Tsai Chih Chung, the book includes over 100 fabulous tales for the reader of today, bringing to life the wisdom of life through cartoon panels with a text that is irreverently humorous yet replete with wisdom. It is a great and easy tool to learn Chinese classics.

    But Moshke the tinker promises him that his luck will change if he sets to work using the “amazing, remarkable spoon of Pohost.” Shlemazel gets busy—tilling the poretz’s field, helping the miller, and baking cakes with pretty Chaya Massel. Although “luck” remains elusive, what Shlemazel does find is even better.Lively Chagall-like illustrations capture the spirit of this traditional Jewish tale, a funny and thought-provoking look at how we make our own luck. Author’s note, glossary.

    It blew fresh off the glaciers of Mt. Rainier, freezing everything in its path to a still-frame of winter glory. Northwest natives knew the secret of the wind: With it came the low, mournful cries of Skookum, the great man-beast of the mountain. Generations of fathers and sons passed on the knowledge of the elusive tribe of giants. Skookums? grotesque likenesses graced Totem poles in each village and peopled campfire tales. Skookum was part of the Indian world. Each year, at the first sign of autumn, Skookum would retire to the caves on the Great Mountain. They would stay there until the scent of the thaw reached their nostrils from the valley below. Finally, winter began to lose its hold on the land and mournful cries could be heard on the wind?

    This book, co-edited by a historical musicologist and an ethnomusicologist, brings together leading scholars and some talented newcomers in classics, music, media studies, literature, and cultural studies to consider the siren and her multifaceted relationships to music across human time and geography.

    Carolyn E. Ware traces the history of women's participation as it has expanded from supportive roles as cooks and costume makers to increasingly public performances as Mardi Gras clowns and (in at least one community) capitaines. Drawing on more than a decade of fieldwork interviews and observation in Mardi Gras communities, Ware focuses on the festive actions in Tee Mamou and Basile to reveal how women are reshaping the celebration as creative artists and innovative performers.

    It will appear in two editions. One for the United Kingdom, and one Special Limited Edition for the United States. It is the wonderful tale of a mysterious and magical Scottish village which appears once every one hundred years to help someone in need. If they do not find that certain someone the village will vanish forever never to be seen again.

    Illustrated with hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, the book examines much admired and sought-after ceramics (such as crocks, face jugs, bowls, churns, and garden pottery) appreciated the world over for their originality, beauty, and utility. The book’s publication coincides with a major exhibition of Alabama folk pottery curated by Brackner and set to open at the Birmingham Museum of Art September 30, 2006.   This volume places historic Alabama pottery making into a national and international context and describes the technologies that distinguish Alabama potters from the rest of the southeast. It explains how a blending and borrowing among cultural groups that settled the state nurtured its rich regional traditions. In addition to providing a detailed discussion of pottery types, clays, glazes, slips, and firing methods, Alabama Folk Pottery presents a geographic survey of the state’s pottery regions with a comprehensive list of Alabama folk potters, historic and contemporary—a valuable resource for collectors, scholars, and curators.   Most important, in the pages and photographs of Alabama Folk Pottery, Brackner introduces—largely through their own words—the dynamic communities and families of Alabama potters who have carefully and proudly passed on their methods and styles from generation to generation. As Mobile archaeologist Greg Waselkov declares, “Alabama Folk Pottery reveals the humanity behind the artistry and the technical sophistication of this historic craft. Starting with magnificent ceramic churns, jugs, braziers, and grave markers found today largely in museums and private collections, this book pieces together the story of the talented men and women who have transformed Alabama clay into objects of great functionality, beauty, and personal expression.

    Demanding that the boy pluck three golden hairs from the scalp of the devil in order to win the princess’s hand, the king dispatches him to the devil’s cottage in the woods. Along the way many helpers materialize, including the devil’s grandmother, helping the boy on his quest and reassuring readers that the peasant boy will prevail. Illustrations of the deep forest creep and crawl thrillingly—with hidden snakes and demons for children to identify—as the hero pushes on towards his encounter with the devil.

    

    Although magic was conducted in secret, it was nonetheless a highly social activity. Thousands of recorded descriptions of harmful magic from 19th- and early 20th-century Finland provide glimpses into the social pressures experienced by persons living before and during modernization. Magic and supernatural beliefs did not disappear from daily life simply because persons were educated in new scientific and materialist perspectives.

    “Lining out,” also called Dr. Watts hymn singing, refers to hymns sung to a limited selection of familiar tunes, intoned a line at a time by a leader and taken up in turn by the congregation. From its origins in seventeenth-century England to the current practice of lining out among some Baptist congregations in the American South today, William Dargan’s study illuminates a unique American music genre in a richly textured narrative that stretches from Isaac Watts to Aretha Franklin and Ornette Coleman.Lining Out the Word traces the history of lining out from the time of slavery, when African American slaves adapted the practice for their own uses, blending it with other music, such as work songs. Dargan explores the role of lining out in worship and pursues the cultural implications of this practice far beyond the limits of the church, showing how African Americans wove African and European elements together to produce a powerful and unique cultural idiom. Drawing from an extraordinary range of sources—including his own fieldwork and oral sources—Dargan offers a compelling new perspective on the emergence of African American music in the United States.Copub: Center for Black Music Research

    He opened his eyes and what did he see but the terrible Anzu bird beating its wings in its nest high above. . . . Did he quake? Did he quail? No. Lugalbanda the Brave sat and stared, and into his head came a brilliant idea. Before the Bible and the Koran, before even the Greek and Roman myths, there came a story from the land we now call Iraq. Speaking across five thousand years, in a voice so fresh and timeless it could have been written yesterday, this tale tells of an extraordinary journey, of a magical bird, of a battle that wouldn't end, and of wisdom gained. It is the story of Lugalbanda, a boy in a time of war. Etched on clay tablets in cuneiform, lost underground for thousands of years, and rediscovered just 150 years ago, this account of the epic adventures of a loyal, resourceful boy is renarrated in lyrical prose by Kathy Henderson and set against Jane Ray's glorious images glinting with gold.

    He does not see the hurt that his stories cause, the way they spread and change. Then the rabbi hands him a bag of feathers and tells him to place one on every doorstep in the village. Yankel is changed by what happens and finds himself with his best story yet, one of his very own.

    On the one hand, these stories come out of the great wellspring of Scandinavian tales that have so influenced the Western imagination: Here are elves and trolls, ghosts, goblins, and monsters; drama and mystery and moral. But Iceland’s particular geography, its long nights and savage weather, also led to the development of a unique oral tradition, from which grew the famous Icelandic family sagas and stories.

    The furious lion attacks the hyena, and the other animals then give the ruler so much that there is little left for them. "The lion's share is not fair," is the stark message.

    The authors have selected 7,500 of the most interesting places and place-names, from Ashby-de-la-Zouch (scene of Ivanhoe’s unforgettable joust), to Wetwang, where builders recently discovered the 2,300-year-old grave of an Iron Age woman who was buried with a chariot. Tourists, scholars, and armchair travelers will revel in fascinating facts on everything from what’s odd about the name “Avon River” to why Brits say “God bless the Duke of Argyle!” when someone scratches an itch.

    Emma can hardly wait! In fact, sheâ��s so excited that she sneaks into the castle to get an early peek. The little girl soon learns first-hand that being a princess isnâ��t as easy as it seems. This full-color storybook features a padded and glittered cover.

    Nearly every culture on Earth has myths of these mighty beings. Anywhere humans have set foot, one can find dragonlore. Even today these majestic creatures captivate and amaze us. They appear in our movies and fantasy novels, and abound in traditional and virtual role-playing games (RPGs). Dragonlore recounts the stories of dragons from Europe, Asia and the Americas, from the sea serpents Leviathan and Nessie to Lewis Carroll's Jabberwock.This richly-illustrated book examines dragons in modern culture and the natural world, including the pterodactyl and other saurians, whose fossilized bones were inexplicable and awe-inspiring discoveries. And don't forget about the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard alive today.Come, walk with author and dragon lore expert Ashley DeKirk...in the shadow of the dragon. Each volume in the series, titled the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry, will be written by faculty members and introduced and edited by Headmaster and wizard Oberon Zell-Ravenheart. These textbooks will form a comprehensive library that Magick-users everywhere will wish they'd had during their own apprentice years. Following the 16 departments of the Grey School, the Archives will provide in-depth looks at the Wizarding world with favorite topics such as dragonlore, naturalist studies, magickal healing, herbology, divination, cosmology, and more.

    We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

    Through their devotion to the staging of traditional culture, including folk, country, and bluegrass music, John Lair (1894-1985) and Sarah Gertrude Knott (1895-1984) became two of the mid-twentieth century's most notable producers. Lair and Knott's discovery of new developments in theater and entertainment during the 1920s led the pair to careers that kept each of them center stage. Inspired by programs such as WLS's Barn Dance and the success of early folk events, Lair promoted Kentucky musicians. Knott staged her own radically inclusive festival, which included Native and African American traditions and continues today as the National Folk Festival. Michael Ann Williams shows how Lair and Knott fed the public's fascination with the "art of the common man" and were in turn buffeted by cultural forces that developed around and beyond them.