First recorded 1500 years ago, but taking its origins from a far earlier oral tradition, the Pancatantra is ascribed by legend to the celebrated, half-mythical teacher Visnu Sarma. Asked by a great king to awaken the dulled intelligence of his three idle sons, the aging Sarma is said to have composed the great work as a series of entertaining and edifying fables narrated by a wide range of humans and animals, and together intended to provide the young princes with vital guidance for life. Since first leaving India before AD 570, the Pancatantra has been widely translated and has influenced a cast number of works in India, the Arab world and Europe, including the Arabian Nights, the Canterbury Tales and the Fables of La Fontaine. Enduring and profound, it is among the earliest and most popular of all books of fables.

The Cherryh Odyssey brings together a dozen essays about respected science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. Fellow author and academic Edward Carmien has gathered top voices in the field to discuss the literary life and career of Cherryh, including Burton Raffel, Jane Fancher, Janice Bogstad, Betsy Wollheim, and many others. A substantial bibliography rounds out this collection. The Cherryh Odyssey is a text fans of the author will find invaluable, as will writers new to the field, as it presents a readable yet in-depth examination of many issues relevant to this award-winning author's literary life and career. Scholars will find this blend of academic and professional voices a compelling resource for further research.

“A charming personal account, accompanied by nearly 100 illustrations, that underscores how owls and other birds enrich our lives.”—Kirkus Reviews Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award For a quarter of a century, Tony Angell and his family shared the remarkable experience of closely observing pairs of western screech owls that occupied a nesting box outside the window of their forest home. The journals in which the author recorded his observations, and the captivating drawings he created, form the heart of this compelling book—a personal account of an artist-naturalist’s life with owls. Angell’s extensive illustrations show owls engaged in what owls do—hunting, courting, raising families, and exercising their inquisitive natures—and reveal his immeasurable respect for their secret lives and daunting challenges. Angell discusses the unique characteristics that distinguish owls from other bird species and provides a fascinating overview of the impact owls have had on human culture and thought. He also offers detailed scientific descriptions of the nineteen species of owls found in North America, as well as their close relatives elsewhere. Always emphasizing the interaction of humans and owls, the author affirms the power of these birds to both beguile and inspire. “Endearing…provides a lot of fascinating information about these reclusive creatures.”—The New York Times Book Review “Angell writes (and draws) with the absolute authority of one who has studied, rehabilitated, lived with and loved the animals his whole life.”—The Wall Street Journal “Steeped in the tradition of Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon, it blends taxonomy, ornithology, biogeography and autobiography.”—Times Literary Supplement

Presents articles on the horror and fantasy genres of fiction, including authors, themes, significant works, and awards.

These supplementary readers are based on structural control and graded vocabulary to help reinforce the children s language skills. They are ideal for Indian children for whom English is a second language.

In the second volume of this trilogy, Duncan reunites with an uncle who appears from the East with tales of a holy relic called the Black Rood, the blood-stained remnant of the True Cross that is endangered by ruthless crusader barons. When tragedy strikes Duncan's life, he sets off to Jerusalem on his own pilgrimage.

A RAT THAT ATE IRON. A BIRD WITH TWO HEADS. FOUR GREEDY TREASURE-SEEKERS. A DOG THAT WENT TO FOREIGN LANDS TO FIND FOOD. These are only a few of the colourful stories that long, long ago ? it is said ? a sage told three princes so that they could learn to live wisely. Instead of giving them boring lessons, the learned tutor told them fables alive with animals and human characters faced with difficult situations about friendship, cooperation, quarrels and ambition. The tales told by Pandit Vishnu Sharma about 2,500 years ago offer a map of how to make one?s way through life in a moral and wise manner. These stories of friends and enemies, cruelty and deceit, honour and humility, foolishness and cunning, deception and honesty, tell us about the choices we have and how to find a solution to tough questions of right and wrong. This all-colour, beautifully illustrated edition contains stories retold from all five books of the Panchatantra and is designed to make it easy for readers to move from story to story, and across stories within stories ? making it a must-have for readers young and old.

This encyclopedia is the most up-to-date, concise, clear and affordable guide to all aspects of science fiction, from its background to generic themes and devices, from authors (established and new) to films. Science fiction has evolved into one of the most popular, cutting-edge and exciting fiction geners, with a proliferation of modern and classic authors, themes and ideas, movies, TV series and awards. Arranged in an A-Z format, and featuring a comprehensive index and cross-referencing system, The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is also the most accessible and easy to use encyclopedia of its kind currently available.

Fantasy is a genre in motion, gradually expanding its reach and historical sources to embrace a global identity Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature, Second Edition is a snapshot of the genre in this moment, identifying new themes and sources that are emerging to inspire, enhance and invigorate the published works of fantasy writers.

Keeping track of prolific authors who write fiction series was quite challenging for even the most ardent fan until To Be Continueddebuted in 1995. Noew, readers will be happy that the soon-to-be-released second edition has added 1,600 new books and 400 new series. To Be Continued, Second Edition, maintians the first volume's successful formula that featured concise A-to-Z entries packed with useful information, including titles, publishers, publication dates, genre categories, annotations, and subject terms. Among the genre categories that can be found in To Be Continued are romance, science fiction, crime novel, horror, adventure, fantasy, humor, western, war, Christian fiction, and others.