"From the collection of the Enamel Arts Foundation, Los Angeles, California"--Title page.

Though enamel buttons have been around for centuries and are favorites of button collectors, there has not been a book completely dedicated to their study . . . until now! Author Karen L. Cohen brings her unique perspective as an enamelist, Studio Button Artist, and educator to Enamel Buttons: An Essential Resource for Collectors. Meticulous research combined with her insights about the properties of enamel and the techniques used in buttons make this a must-have book for every collector. Hundreds of photos provide examples of the various techniques and button types and are a valuable resource for study. Cohen explains why things look like they do, such as why Motiwala Bros. “Liquid Enamel” buttons look like they flow, while also helping the collector distinguish between closely related techniques, such as Champlevé and Cloisonné or Monochrome and Grisaille. Her extensive research on the evolution of enameling techniques provides the history chapter with fascinating facts intertwined with how they relate to enamel buttons. Cohen has documented many of the enamelist makers along with their back marks, making it easier for collectors to identify button finds. The appendices include related information such as how to identify enamel look-alikes such as CPE (cold plastic enamel) and restoration techniques. If you already collect enamel buttons, this is an essential resource for understanding your collection in more depth. If you are curious about the topic, this book tells it all: history, material, techniques and embellishments, makers, and more. If you are a collector of other types of enamelware or are fascinated with enameling or are someone who resells enamels such as antique dealers, this book is an excellent resource about the various aspects of enamel in general. Lastly, it’s a button book you will enjoy paging through again and again, admiring the hundreds of glorious enamel buttons!

The most comprehensive book of enameling and enameling techniques has been completely revised to bring you this essential new reference. The wonderful world of enameling—fusing glass to metal under high-temperature conditions-- is diverse! Practically anything made from enamel-friendly metal can be enameled, from vases to jewelry to buttons to metal mesh and solid forms. In the first edition, published in 2002, Cohen explored this world as it was then, but so much knowledge has been gained in the last 17 years that it was definitely time for an update! Every chapter and project has been completely reviewed, revised, and updated; it’s a whole new book, and one you will want in your reference library. The look and organization is updated, 15 years of experience has been added, about half the projects have changed, and two types of mini-projects to expand your learning experience are included. In addition, each project has a gallery of the work of other artists working in the same technique, to give a view of other ways a technique can look and be used. Classic techniques such as champlevé, cloisonné, and plique-à-jour each have projects, as do newer approaches such as the use of graphite pencil and enameling on steel—21 project lessons in all. And you will find the extensive troubleshooting chapter indispensable. **Silver Award Winner in Foreword Reviews Indie Awards in Hobbies & Home, 2019

"For more than sixty years, June Schwarcz (1918–2015) advanced the art of enameling—fusing glass to metal through a high-temperature firing process—while creating works that combine rich textures and luminous color. Her technical experiments earned her national awards and generations of followers. June Schwarcz: Invention & Variation celebrates this pioneering artist with fifty-nine full-color plates representing a wide selection of her work, from traditional vessels and boxes to wall-mounted panels and modernist sculpture. An essay by Bernard N. Jazzar and Harold B. Nelson explores her groundbreaking methods and varied sources—including Japanese calligraphy, ancient Peruvian textiles, European painting and sculpture, Islamic architecture, and high fashion."--Publisher's description.

Roxanne, or Roxxi for short, is trapped within a bizarre chamber after dreaming a surreal dream sequence. She finds out that the rest of her dreams are being uploaded by the Savants, a secret union who are godlike beings. Soon, she undergoes a dream test after one of her dreams shows vulnerability; she rejects the test mentally and is forced to submit. Afterward, Roxxi wakes up to find her vulnerable dream inside a shattered glass mirror; a strange creature attacks Roxxi and soon causes a fight. Roxxi gains her weapon during the fight, defeats the creature, and tries to escape but is soon stopped by her nightmares. Soon, her weapon overreacts after a certain nightmare triggers the weapon. Later, she's trapped again in a strange chamber, and awakens face-to-face with a certain being, her weapon nowhere to be seen.

Rachel Simon’s debut, originally published in 1990, is a collection of stories about the struggle for love and intimacy, told from the point of view of adolescent girls, young mothers, and elderly women. Some are rooted in reality, others in magical realism, with tones ranging from serious to comic, sunny to dark. Throughout, Simon employs such a wide range of voices—sweet, shrewd, wistful, irascible, vulnerable, sensual—the Philadelphia Inquirer hailed her as “a literary ventriloquist.” Among the highlights are “Little Nightmares, Little Dreams,” in which an elderly couple enters the unknown by trying to dream the same dream; “Paint,” in which a runaway-turned-artist’s-model provokes protests after her naked body becomes the canvas; “Afterglow,” in which a plucky thirteen-year-old playing hooky is held hostage by an escaped convict; “Grandma Death,” in which an overbearing grandmother can’t seem to go anywhere without someone dropping dead; and “Better Than A Box of Dreams,” in which a maid irritated by her boss’s dream therapy sessions dreams her own fondest wish back to life. Little Nightmares, Little Dreams was presented on NPR’s Selected Shorts and the Lifetime program The Hidden Room. “Paint” and “The Speed of Love” were adapted by the Arden Theatre Company, and “Better Than A Box of Dreams” for InterAct Theatre, both in Philadelphia. This 2014 ebook rerelease includes four previously uncollected stories. It also includes a new introduction that tells the story of the book’s astonishing path to publication, reveals the inspiration behind several stories, and offers wisdom from a seasoned writing friend that writers everywhere will treasure.

Back in print, with a new introduction, the memorable debut by the author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee The grave we dug for my brother Little remained empty even after we filled it back in. And nobody was going to admit it. So begins Little, first published by Graywolf Press in 1995 when David Treuer was just twenty-four. The narrative unfolds to reveal the deeply entwined stories of the three generations of Little’s family, including Stan, a veteran of the Vietnam War who believes Little is his son; Duke and Ellis, the twins who built the first house in Poverty after losing their community to smallpox and influenza; Jeannette, the matriarch who loved both Duke and Ellis and who walked hundreds of miles to reunite with them. Each of these characters carries a piece of the mystery of Little’s short life. With rhythmic and unadorned prose, Treuer uncovers in even the most frost-hardened ground the resilience and humor of life in Poverty. From the unbearable cruelty of the institutions that systematically unraveled Native communities at the turn of the century, to the hard and hollow emptiness of a child’s grave, Treuer has orchestrated a moving account of kinship and survival. In his new introduction, Treuer, now among the foremost writers of his generation, reflects on the germ of this novel and how it fits into his lasting body of work centered on Native life. More than a quarter of a century later, Little proves as vital and moving as ever.

Head back to Mule Hollow, Texas, in bestselling author Debra Clopton’s fan-favorite tale When reporter Molly Popp publicized the marriage-worthiness of local rancher Bob Jacobs, all of a sudden would be wives descended on his Mule Hollow ranch by the busload. Moly felt guilty for all the ruckus she’d caused—especially when Bob was injured rescuing an overzealous admirer from a bull. What else could city girl Molly do but pitch in and help Bob out on his ranch? But when word of her column brings the job offer she’d been praying for, suddenly Molly must make a choice: a Manhattan byline or Mule Hollow’s most eligible bachelor. Originally published in 2007