Two hundred color images celebrating the birds that journey to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge each year are accompanied by essays by noted biologists and conservationists.

Imagine that your father is one of New York City’s top gangsters, and that you want nothing to do with him or his criminal empire. Now imagine he’s been murdered . . . and the only person who gives a damn is you. Meet Mat Lawrence, a stand-up guy—think Gary Cooper—who’s got one thing on his mind: revenge. The last place Mat wants to go is back to New York, but that’s where the killers are, and he won’t stop until they’re dead . . . or he is. And there’s only one man who can help him track them down: his father’s criminal attorney—the Mouthpiece. But there’s more than a desire for revenge at play in this deadly game. When Mat’s old man went down, a million dollars went missing. Put it all together—a cold-blooded murder and a cool million gone—and it’s a pretty good bet that the one thing Mat is sure to find is some serious heat. Mouthpiece was originally published in the September, 1934, edition of Thrilling Detective. That same year, as the youngest writer ever to serve as president of the New York Chapter of the American Fiction Guild, L. Ron Hubbard sought to promote greater accuracy in the writing of detective and mystery stories. To that end he invited the coroner to speak to the Guild members over lunch. He later recounted that “they would go away from the luncheon the weirdest shade of green.” But, we can assume, they also went away better informed. Years later, expanding his studies in the area, Hubbard became a special officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. Also includes the tales of mystery, Flame City, the story of one man’s harrowing attempt to save his father and the city from a serial arsonist; Calling Squad Cars!, in which a police dispatcher goes to extraordinary lengths to bring down a gang of bank robbers after he is accused of working with them; and Grease Spot, the story of a former racecar driver, now the owner of a wrecking company, who plays fast and loose with the police . . . and may have to pay for it. * A Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award Winner

Rising from sandbars on the Platte River with clarion calls, the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) feels the urgency of spring migration. Elegant, noble, and spiritual, the sandhill crane is one of the most ancient of all birds. More than a half-million strong, flying in squadrons, these majestic creatures point northward to their Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding ranges. Theirs is an epic story of endurance through the ages. With 153 stunning color photographs, On Ancient Wings presents sandhill cranes in their wild but increasingly compromised habitats today. Over the course of five years, Michael Forsberg documented the tall gray birds in habitats ranging from the Alaskan tundra, to the arid High Plains, from Cuban nature preserves to suburban backyards. With an eye for beauty and an uncommon persistence, the author documents the cranes' challenges to adapt and survive in a rapidly changing natural world. Forsberg argues that humankind, for its own sake, should secure the cranes' place in the future. On Ancient Wings intertwines the lives of cranes, people, and their common places to tell an ancient story at a time when sandhill cranes and their wetland and grassland habitats face daunting prospects.

Take a touch of Charles Lindbergh, mix in a dash of Evel Knievel, throw in one man-killing cat—and you’ve got a recipe for a rip-roaring adventure featuring the high-flying, hard-living Smoke Burnham. There’s not a dare Smoke won’t take, and there’s not a wager he won’t make. Now he’s betting his life that he can fly his plane, Super Comet—with his pet cheetah Patty coming along for the ride—across the mountains and jungles of South America to a prize-winning payday. All he has to do is out-race the competition, out-maneuver a saboteur, and make out with his girl—who’s determined to bring him down to earth. One thing you can count on—in the air, in a fight, or in his girlfriend’s arms—he’s a man who likes to turn up the heat. Because where there’s Smoke, there’s fire. In 1931, as a student at George Washington University, Hubbard founded the college Glider Club and within a few months a respected columnist said “he is recognized as one of the outstanding glider pilots in the country.” Later he wrote as the aviation correspondent for the prestigious flying magazine Sportsman Pilot. His combined writing and flying expertise comprised the perfect recipe to give stories like Man-Killers of the Air their authentic flavor. “Great adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat.” —Gather.com

Lora S. Irish, author of Great Book of Dragon Patterns and other useful reference guides for artists, proudly introduces her latest book for Fox Chapel Publishing - with more than 100 patterns of those most mystical and elusive beings called "Fairies." The folklore of fairies - sometimes referred to as faes and flutterbyes - has been passed down through the generations, and they have captured the hearts and minds of artists for centuries. This book is brimming with tips and techniques for artists and craftspeople with any number of projects, including painting, woodworking, quilts, garden decorations, needlepoint, ceramics and more. Bring the magic of fairies to your art. Features dozens of original fairy patterns and the expert tips and techniques for successfully incorporating them into any medium or craft. Inside, you'll find the history of fairies in legends, and clear descriptions of the various fairy types and their appearances. - Wing patterns: Including bee wings, dragonfly wings, butterfly wings, moth wings, and modern options - Poses: Handy tips on creating one fairy manikin and turning it into dozens of poses - it's easier than you think! - Outfits: Dress your fairy in the best and brightest fashions - Settings: From ponds to flower gardens to forest floors, you'll learn how to place your fairy in your favorite scenes and backgrounds

The author spent four months in Baffin Island during 1953 as zoologist on a big expedition by the Arctic Institute of North America, where he concentrated on studying birds and mammals. With Inuit hunter Samo he travelled by dog-sledge on the sea-ice of coast and fjord. Afterwards he crossed the mountains alone in deep snow to reach the site of his summer camp in a valley among some of the most spectacular peaks in the world. There he worked for most of the summer, usually alone. The valley and others nearby were and still are uninhabited, and expedition members trod many places which had not been under human foot in recent centuries. His book is of special interest because of the many changes since, with the Inuit now mostly in towns with modern facilities and airports, and using motor sledges for hunting. The author writes of many exciting days studying arctic animals, sometimes working with Swiss botanist Fritz Schwarzenbach and others, and walking with heavy loads, sometimes in risky conditions. The beauty of the Arctic inspired and energised him. He writes vividly about the magnificent landscape, the 24-hour daylight, the endless variety of weather, snow and ice, the wonderful plants and animals in the brief summer of the far north.

Vic Kennedy is in one hell of a jam. Quick-witted and sharp-tongued with a maverick sense of adventure, Vic’s flown out of trouble by the skin of his teeth ... and straight into the jaws of disaster. He chose the wrong side of a rebellion, and now the French have bid him adieu and the British have said off you go. It seems the only place that will have him is Greece. The problem with that is, as soon as the Greeks get him, they plan on giving him a real send off—at the gallows. But Vic has a better idea, plotting a course for an oasis in the Sahara ... where things are looking up. A gorgeous captive princess mistakes Vic for a genie—The Sky Devil—and if he gets his wish, well, this Sky Devil will certainly have his day. If he lives to see it. Also includes the adventures “Buckley Plays a Hunch,” in which an adventurer seeks to solve the mystery of three castaways who refuse to be rescued; and “Medals for Mahoney,” the story of a man who journeys into the heart of darkness to thwart a murderous conspiracy.