Few have written with such insight as Christopher Hitchens about the large events — or with such discernment and wit about the small tell-tale signs of a disordered culture.For the Sake of Argument ranges from the political squalor of Washington, as a beleaguered Bush administration seeks desperately to stave off disaster and Clinton prepares for power; to the twilight of Stalinism in Prague; from the Jewish quarter of Damascus in the aftermath of the Gulf War to the embattled barrios of Central America and the imperishable resistance of Sarajevo, as a difficult peace is negotiated with ruthless foes. Hitchens’s unsparing account of Western realpolitik in the end shows it to rest on delusion as well as deception.The reader will find in these pages outstanding essays on political assassination in America as well as a scathing review of the evisceration of politics by pollsters and spin-doctors. Hitchens’s knowledge of the tortuous history of revolutions in the twentieth century helps him explain both the New York intelligentsia's flirtation with Trotskyism and the frailty of Communist power structures in Eastern Europe.Hitchens's pointed reassessments of Graham Greene, P. G. Wodehouse and C. L. R. James, or his riotous celebration of drinking and smoking, display an engaging enthusiasm and an acerbic wit. Equally entertaining is his unsparing rogues’ gallery, which gives us unforgettable portraits of the lugubrious “Dr.” Kissinger, the comprehensively reactionary “Mother” Teresa, the preposterous Paul Johnson and the predictable P. J. O’Rourke.

    The Allies are wildly out maneuvered and sent home in disgrace. Back in the States things are looking rather grim as the ultra-secret Manhattan Project runs into snafus that greatly delay the final production of the atomic bomb. President Roosevelt's approval ratings drop dramatically. Congress is desperate and the country cries out for a hero. That hero might just be Douglas MacArthur, who vowed that he would return to his beloved Philippines. He plans to do so with the backing of the entire US Armed Forces.MacArthur's plan of action is simple: take the war back to the Japanese, island by bloody island, until standing on the shores of Japan, he can proclaim victory. And possibly gain the leadership of the United States as well.

    3,500 years in the past of the far-away galaxy, when the Jedi and Galactic Republic clashed with the Sith Empire, smuggler Jet Nebula has stumbled across a treasure richer than he ever dreamed. The Hutts want to auction it to the highest bidder, be it the Republic or the Empire, both of whom hope to bolster their chances in the coming conflict. But the Sith are interested too, and they don't bargain with anyone; the Jedi High Council is sending someone to investigate; a mysterious Mandalorian is chasing something connected to a long-forgotten crime; while a spy plays every side at once. What Jet has unearthed will surprise all of them, and leave none of them unchanged.

    But everything changes when her boarder is murdered and his grieving twin brother storms into Liz's life with revenge in his heart. At first, Liz is reluctant to get involved. She has a business to run, a daughter to raise—and handsome Jonas Sharpe is proving to be a major distraction. But Liz soon discovers how impossible it is to resist both the mystery…and the passionate man trying to solve it. Boundary Lines A feud has been simmering for years between two Montana families, and Jillian Baron and Aaron Murdock seem determined to carry it into another generation. But a threat from a common enemy forces feisty Jillian and irresistible Aaron to finally come a little bit closer. Now their historical mistrust is pitted against an unexpected passion neither is able to deny. They say good fences make good neighbors, but true love can easily tear those fences down…

    

    Sam and the Devil Dogs may be relaxing in Tarna, but it’s not by choice—they’d rather be employed than resting up. When a dangerous job offer comes from “the old man,” Sam takes the Devil Dogs and their newest recruit, Dawson, on a perilous hunt to capture an unidentified warjack before their rival Steelheads or the horrific Cryx make a claim on the never-before-seen technology.Whether their mission will be worth the risk remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Sam and the Devil Dogs will do whatever it takes to bring home The Devil’s Pay.

    The smoke-spewing, banshee-wailing, fearsome black thing hisses like a thousand cobras... and the villagers declare that this Thing is an Iron Demon—a yakada yaka.The Burghers who drive these Iron Demons have a penchant for challenging authority and courting trouble, sometimes just to liven things up in the railway outposts... and so it is that Sonnaboy and Meerwald chase a large group of villagers all across Anuradhapura, mother-naked but not much bothered by it, Ben Godlieb conjures up a corpse in his cowcatcher, Dickie Byrd single-handedly demolishes a Pentecostal Mission and is hailed as the messiah of the Railway fraternity, and Basil Van der Smaght filches a human heart and feeds it to the Nawalapitiya railway staff ...and to cap it all, Sonnaboy takes French Leave to act in The Bridge on the River Kwai!

    Bibi, the first male in twelve generations of Browns not to have taken his own life, has a furious crush on a beautiful nine-fingered woman and an unbearable urge to understand the meaning of Time, the Universe, and America. So Bibi begins his quest--careening through a world of bizarre cults, gravity-defying crones, and lunatics of every stripe--all for a chance to meet his long-lost uncle Otto, a legendary junk-dealer who lives on the Hope Valley Hubcap Ranch. Because in a world that is spinning a little too fast, and a little too wildly, Bibi’s destiny is to find the essence of hope, the beauty of hubcaps, and the meaning of life in the Valley of the Hubcap King....With a touch of Candide, a dash of Don Quixote, and healthy dose of Zen, Sean Murphy’s wondrous, riotous novel is the story of an ordinary man searching through a hilariously off-kilter world--for the truths that might just save us all.From the Paperback edition.

    Melinda came to understand that the spirits are trapped, and in need. She listens, tries to understand what keeps them from crossing over, and helps them find what they need to be free. It's not easy, but with time and patience her gift allows her to come to bring those spirits to peace. The sound of a mournful lullaby has been haunting Melinda in her sleep, the song of a ghost who doesn't seem ready or willing to accept her help. Knowing that earthbound spirits are often confused and troubled, Melinda feels that with time she will make a connection. But there is no time; the melodic tapestry that the ghostly singer is weaving with her words -- meant to comfort a child -- has become a trap, lulling the young listeners into such a deep sleep that no one can ever awaken them. It takes one child, then another and another, until all across the town children are drawn in by the gentle song, their lives slowly slipping away. Even Melinda, with her knowledge of the spirit world, finds herself being pulled into the beautiful snare, where she nearly loses herself. Only then does Melinda begin to worry that this is a spirit so troubled, so heartsick, that it may be beyond her help.

    This next step in the evolution of Todd McFarlane's hell-born creation featured the creative minds of Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Niles, Ashley Wood, and Ben Templesmith, which redefined the mythos of the Hellspawn. Hellspawn: The Complete Collection includes the entire Hellspawn series along with additional art and behind-the-scenes content, as well as a never-before-published back-up story written and illustrated by artist, Ashley Wood. Collects Hellspawn #1-16.

    In 1944, A Christmas Carol, Dickens released The Chimes: A Christmas Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, which combined his usual sympathy for the poor with the notion that we must always strive to live in nobler ways. In 1845 came the novella The Cricket on the Hearth. The years 1846 and 1848 respectively saw published The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain. Because of this wealth of Christmas-themed works, Dickens is sometime referred to as “the man who invented Christmas.”About the Word Cloud Classics series:Classic works of literature with a clean, modern aesthetic! Perfect for both old and new literature fans, the Word Cloud Classics series from Canterbury Classics provides a chic and inexpensive introduction to timeless tales. With a higher production value, including heat burnished covers and foil stamping, these eye-catching, easy-to-hold editions are the perfect gift for students and fans of literature everywhere.

    The case of the sulky girl -- The case of the careless kitten -- The case of the fiery fingers.

    novels. In the latest Vampire Files omnibus, Jack Fleming now runs his own nightclub while remaining a reluctant player in the politics of gangland Chicago in the 1930s. And wherever vampires and mobsters mix, there will be blood...

    But now, a relentless and surgical strike team from the farthest reaches of space - sworn to exterminate the armor and all like it - have found their final target. The Armor Hunters are coming. They will hunt. They will trap. They will kill. And they will rid the universe of the X-O Manowar armor's incalculable destructive power...even if it means taking the Earth with it.Collecting: Armor Hunters 1-4, Armor Hunters: Aftermath 1, Armor Hunters: Bloodshot 1-3, Armor Hunters: Harbinger 1-3, Unity 8-11, & X-O Manowar 23-29