Tolkien assembled in this new paperback edition were with one exception delivered as general lectures on particular occasions; and while they mostly arose out of Tolkien’s work in medieval literature, they are accessible to all. Two of them are concerned with Beowulf, including the well-known lecture whose title is taken for this book, and one with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, given in the University of Glasgow in 1953.Also included in this volume is the lecture English and Welsh; the Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford in 1959; and a paper on Invented Languages delivered in 1931, with exemplification from poems in the Elvish tongues. Most famous of all is On Fairy-Stories, a discussion of the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy, which gives insight into Tolkien’s approach to the whole genre.The pieces in this collection cover a period of nearly thirty years, beginning six years before the publication of The Hobbit, with a unique ‘academic’ lecture on his invention (calling it A Secret Vice) and concluding with his farewell to professorship, five years after the publication of The Lord of the Rings.

    Coe, the noted Mayanist, and Mark Van Stone, an accomplished calligrapher, have made the difficult, often mysterious script accessible to the nonspecialist. They decipher real Maya texts, and the transcriptions include a picture of the glyph, the pronunciation, the Maya words in Roman type, and the translation into English. For the second edition, the authors have taken the latest research and breakthroughs into account, adding glyphs, updating captions, and reinterpreting or expanding upon earlier decipherments.After an introductory discussion of Maya culture and history and the nature of the Maya script, the authors introduce the glyphs in a series of chapters that elaborate on topics such as the intricate calendar, warfare, royal lives and rituals, politics, dynastic names, ceramics, relationships, and the supernatural world. The book includes illustrations of historic texts, a syllabary, a lexicon, and translation exercises.

    The literature of the Vikings is dominated by famous last stands, famous last words, death songs, and defiant gestures, all presented with grim humor. Much of this mindset is markedly alien to modern sentiment, and academics have accordingly shunned it. And yet, it is this same worldview that has always powered the popular public image of the Vikings—with their berserkers, valkyries, and cults of Valhalla and Ragnarok—and has also been surprisingly corroborated by archaeological discoveries such as the Ridgeway massacre site in Dorset. Was it this mindset that powered the sudden eruption of the Vikings onto the European scene? Was it a belief in heroic death that made them so lastingly successful against so many bellicose opponents? Weighing the evidence of sagas and poems against the accounts of the Vikings’ victims, Tom Shippey considers these questions as he plumbs the complexities of Viking psychology. Along the way, he recounts many of the great bravura scenes of Old Norse literature, including the Fall of the House of the Skjoldungs, the clash between the two great longships Ironbeard and Long Serpent, and the death of Thormod the skald. One of the most exciting books on Vikings for a generation, Laughing Shall I Die presents Vikings for what they were: not peaceful explorers and traders, but warriors, marauders, and storytellers.

    With foreword by World Fantasy Award-winner Jeffrey Ford, Moscow But Dreaming showcases singular and lyrical writing that will appeal to fans of slipstream and magical realism, as well as those interested in the uncanny and Russian history.

     But if she doesn’t reach him in time, an assassin in the service of the Queen of the Underworld will steal away her only chance to save him. Author’s Note: A Blade’s Beginning is a short story that is part of the Ishtar’s Legacy universe. It ties together events from Ishtar’s Blade and Blade’s Honor. I’ve decided to publish it separately from book 2 in the series because of the sixteen-year span of time between books. And many readers say they don’t like prologues. If prologues aren’t your thing, skip this story and just wait for Blade’s Honor, coming soon! Also, if you haven’t read book one, Ishtar’s Blade, you’ll want to double back and read that one first. Blade’s Honor is coming soon!

    An archaeological and linguistic monograph on the origins and expansion of the Indo-European

    It should have been a utopia yet its literature is dominated by brutality and killing. The reasons for this, argues Jesse Byock, lie in the underlying structures and cultural codes of the islands' social order. 'Viking Age Iceland' is an engaging, multi-disciplinary work bringing together findings in anthropology and ethnography interwoven with historical fact and masterful insights into the popular Icelandic sagas, this is a brilliant reconstruction of the inner workings of a unique and intriguing society.

    It introduces the kanji that are now in everyday use, a mastery of which makes it possible to read most modern Japanese. Devised for either home or classroom use, the book has been tested and refined by years of use in university classes taught by the author.

    Each spell comes with a diagram and specific instructions for their use and purpose.

    He gazed at me for a few seconds. ”Because after the fire is burned away, what’s left?” The Architect: He was like no one I’d ever seen. Ink snaking across his neck, down his arms and across his hands like the map of his life. If those experiences gave him joys or pains, he’d never tell. He was a mystery I hoped he’d want to share, but I knew I was fooling myself. Robbing a bank would have been easier. His body reminded me of a marble statue; tall, lean and muscled. When he walked into a room, men and women stopped to stare. If his body enticed them, the impassive stare and cold eyes scared them more. He watched every action, and wasn’t impressed. What kind of man was picked him up off the streets, kept like a dangerous pet, but remained loyal to the one man who had his respect? Whoever said the only fire that burns was hot, had never met Asher’s frigid stare. He was going to ruin me, and like a moth to a flame, I went willingly. The Bodyguard: My job had its perks. Travel, women and enough freedom to make my life interesting. I’d been to nearly every continent in the world, and slept with some of the best-paid entertainment money could buy. But those things were for show, meaning nothing in the grander scheme of things. When my boss decided to build a new house, why he recruited the sexiest architect around, I have no idea. I’m not a relationship kind of guy; I’ve been too messed up to share myself with anyone worth the time. It’s complicated. A person like me, whose life belonged to someone else, had nothing to share with anyone. I saw her, but made sure she thought otherwise. A woman like that is too straight for me. She’d want too much and be worth the effort too. I was like a doctor who prescribed pain and heartache to the unwary, and even though I knew I should stay away, there’s something about her I want to explore. Maybe I’ll just get her number. After all, I don’t have to call her, right?

    

    How Molly has survived military life this long, we'll never know. When her implanted computer interface is hacked by a nascent AI, Molly has to escape. Between the militaries' high tech security shields and advanced personnel protocols, it makes getting out in one piece for Molly nigh on impossible.What’s more, her new “companion” has a spunky attitude which only complicates matters further. And her biggest problem? The swiftest and most efficient way to get out is also the most embarrassing.  This Boxed Set Includes the first four books in The Ascension Myth Awakened Activated Called Sanctioned

    Baby becomes distressed at feeding times and refuses to feed or eats very little despite obvious hunger. Why won’t he/she eat? This is a question parents ask numerous health professionals while searching for a solution. Babies are typically diagnosed with one, two or three medical conditions to explain their aversive feeding behavior during brief appointments. Consequently, many parents don’t receive an effective solution from the health professionals they consult. This is why this book is so necessary. Rowena Bennett is an Australian nurse who holds professional qualifications in various nursing fields including pediatrics, midwifery, child health, mental health and lactation consultant. She has over 20 years experience advising parents how to resolve infant feeding and sleeping problems. Rowena has helped over 1000 babies get over their aversion to bottle-feeding and enjoy feeding once again. Parents claim the relief is life changing. In Your Baby’s Bottle-feeding Aversion, Rowena describes the various reasons babies display aversive feeding behavior, explains how the reader can identify the cause, and describes effective solutions. Included are step-by-step instructions on how to resolve a behavioral feeding aversion that occurs as a result of being repeatedly pressured to feed - the most common of all reasons for babies to become averse to feeding. Your Baby’s Bottle-feeding Aversion provides practical professional feeding advice that not only makes good sense, it works!

    All seems quiet at the outset of "The Chase." The Smithsonian is preparing to ship a rare artifact back to China. The bad news? The bronze rooster is fake. The real piece disappeared years ago, and if China discovers the theft, diplomatic relations are sure to deteriorate. Expert thief Nicolas Fox and Special Agent Kate O'Hara must team up to steal it back. This review discusses who the intended audience for this novel is, while also listing similar novels that fans of "The Chase" will enjoy. The stolen piece is with Carter Grove, a former White House Chief of Staff. He is one of the best con men on the planet. His compound is impenetrable: there is no way to enter undetected. The plan? Get Grove to invite them, and then simply walk out the front door with it. After all, it's just a rooster; how hard could it be? The plan is genius, but there is a new problem. The fake is leaving early, so now they need to infiltrate a private jet to make the swap before the piece hits Chinese soil. This review to The Chase offers expert analysis of where the novel succeeded, as well as where it failed. If that wasn't enough, you are presented with an alternative outcome that might have steered the novel in a different, more exciting direction.

    Amrapali craved peace; Upagupta’s bearing exuded contentment. Amrapali depended on the adulation of her audience; Upagupta spurned the attentions of the rich and famous. Their stories were different, but the Buddha’s wise teachings linked their lives – and the lessons to be learned from them.