Introduced by Stewart Sanderson. This book, the first and most popular of four volumes, is a marvellous and indispensable treasury of Scottish folklore and folk belief from the world of Celtic magic, gods and fairies, to the prophecies of the Brahan seer, second sight, witchcraft, earth magic, selkies, changelings and a host of traditional spells and cures. The Silver Bough involved many years of research into both living and recorded folklore. Its genesis lies perhaps in the author's need to reconcile the old primitive world she had glimpsed in her Orkney childhood, with the sophisticated modern world she later entered. This much loved and highly regarded work remains a classic of literature. 'If you are looking for an insight into the Celtic mindset, or interested in the background of Scottish literature or in Scottish folklore for its own sake . . . I know of no other single volume I could so unreservedly recommend to you.' Books in Scotland

The hapless inhabitants of Killoyle, Ireland, face all manner of chaos in this comic novel from an author “capable of spinning a fabulous yarn” (Minnesota Daily). After local lush Mick McCreek gets into a car crash with a cross-dressing church sexton, he enlists the help of a lawyer, Tom O’Mallet. As it turns out, the lawyer’s real gig is selling missiles to an IRA splinter group, and he plans to use his clueless client as a patsy. O’Mallet also hoodwinks Anil, an Indian waiter who has found himself the unlikely target of a manhunt. What Tom doesn’t know is that his lucrative weapons are destined for a massive terrorist attack on the Pint-Pulling Olympiad, and that Anil’s sexy cousin Rashmi—a sweatshop worker turned intelligence operative—is hot on the bombers’ trail. With a wink and a nudge, Roger Boylan’s pyrotechnic prose brings to life Ireland at its manic extremes, proving the author a dazzling and distinctive talent in American fiction.

Children's fiction. Age range from 7-13 years. A fanasty about a father with three children who discovers that he is a wizard.

The Silver Bough is an indispensable treasury of Scottish culture, universally acknowledged as a classic of literature. The author, F Marian McNeill, succeeded in capturing and bringing to life many traditions and customs of old before they died out or were influenced by the modern era. The Silver Branch of the sacred apple tree, laden with crystal blossoms of golden fruit, is in Celtic mythology the equivalent of the Golden Bough of classical mythology - the symbolic bond between the world we know and the Otherworld.This, the first volume of The Silver Bough, deals with Scottish folklore and folk-belief. There are chapters on the ethnic origins of the national festivals, the Druids, the Celtic gods, and the slow transition from Druidism to Christianity. There are accounts of magic, the fairy faith, second sight, selkies, changelings and the witch cult, including tales of "e;witches"e; being hung, or worse. There are old familiar rhymes and a wealth of information on the Scotland of old, now gone for ever, where the people feared witches and "e;faeries"e;. Readers are bound to find something fascinating about somewhere in Scotland they didn't know before. The book is attractively illustrated, with many interesting relics reproduced for the first time, including a witch's cursing bone, hair rope and corp creadh (clay image) and some well-known amulets and charms. The subsequent three volumes deal with the origins and traditions of Scottish national and local festivals. As man makes greater and greater advances in the understanding and control of his physical environment, the river between the known and the unknown gradually changes its course, and the subjects of the simpler beliefs of former times become part of the new territory of knowledge. The Silver Bough maps out the old course of the waterway that in Celtic belief winds between here and beyond, and reveals the very roots of the Scottish people's distinctive customs and way of life. 1938 character count(extra section to be added where possible)The Silver Bough is a large and important work which involved many years of research into both living and recorded lore. Its genesis lies, perhaps, in the author's subconscious need to reconcile the old primitive world she had glimpsed in childhood with the sophisticated modern world she later entered. "e;I do not believe that you can exaggerate the importance of the preservation of old ways and customs, and all those little things which bind a man to his native place. Today we live in difficult times. The steam-roller of progress is flattening out many of our old institutions, and there is a danger of a general decline in idiom and distinctive quality in our Scottish life. The only way to counteract this peril is to preserve jealously all these elder things which are bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. For, remember, no man can face the future with courage and confidence unless it is solidly founded upon the past. And conversely, no problem will be too hard, no situation too strange, if we can link it with what we know and love"e; F Marian McNeill

The Art Of Illumination is a spellbinding book that transports one into a world of wonder, mystery, and divine empowerment. It weaves a tale of long lost wisdom and sprinkles it at the feet of the reader like gorgeous pearls. I cannot recommend it highly enough. A fantastic read. Sonia Choquette, NYTimes best-selling author of The Answer Is Simple. Love Yourself. live Your Spirit The Art of Illumination is the stunning tale of one mans journey into the deepest realm of the soul. A compelling mystery propels this luminous exploration of the human experience of the divine. A wise and beautiful book, it grabbed my heart from the first chapter and never let go. Its a remarkable story, written with startling vision and grace by a promising new author. It will leave you awed, moved and hungering for more. Maureen Boyd Biro, author of Walking With Maga and Voices of the Valley, First Press. This book is amazing - I picked it up just to check a few lines and couldnt stop reading. I felt as though it was educating me, and I could imagine everything as if I was watching a movie. There wasnt one part of the book which did not make me want to quickly turn to another page. June Dally Watkins, Education and Training | Business Finishing College. The year is 1097. Britain has been politically unstable for an age, and it doesnt seem as though things will be settling down any time soon. It isnt just political issues that threaten the population, however. Without an understanding of the nature of pestilence or the knowledge of how to treat it, disease runs rampant through the population, affecting everyone in its path. While tragedy rampages unchallenged, one place stands apart from the events afflicting the world at large. Hidden away in a corner of the land stands the large, stone monastery that serves as a shelter from the terrifying world. It is here that one man finds himself on a journey he never expected he would take. He discovers the art of illumination, not only in the creation of beautiful manuscripts, but in illumination of the soul. In the process, he also uncovers a secret that will propel him into a world he never expected to find.

Sam has spent the last decade hiding her magic. If anyone found out she was an Earth Elemental, she would lose everything, including the land that relied on her. Hale has been the Highland Rift Pack Alpha for the last seven years, and his priorities are his pack, the rangers, and keeping the Highland Rift Scar monsters in check. When a full moon hunt ends with Hale stung by a Rift scorpion and stuck as a wolf, Sam is forced to allow him to stay on her land. Something her land is ecstatic about. Her, not so much. Though she tries to avoid him, it's not long before another attack puts Hale’s life in the balance. Sam is left with a difficult decision: keep her secret and lose Hale, or risk everything and use her magic to save him. Can Sam and Hale trust each other, or will their mistrust bury them? Find out in this enthralling paranormal romance novel, Buried by Earth, the first in the Highland Rift Pack series.

Leighton Stone, Earl of Longbridge, is used to danger. His years as a code breaker in Wellington’s army have been filled with it. All he wants, at the end of the Peninsular War, is to return to his estate and marry his childhood sweetheart, Maddie Westlake. Maddie, not a typical parson’s daughter, is tired of outwitting her parsimonious father to take care of Leighton’s tenants and tired of being taken for granted. When her father sends her away, Leighton tracks her to Bath and discovers he must woo Maddie to win her love. Conniving relatives try to keep them apart, but music and memories pull this pair together as they are drawn into a bizarre spy plot only Maddie can solve.

The fate of all rests in the hands of three outcasts. Elves are at war with Men all because of the act of a single elf one-thousand years ago. A band of nefarious elves known as The Dire now threatens to overthrow the Land of Elvendore. Tarren - a hot-blooded boy - has sworn to kill every elf he meets. Silliss - an exiled elf with a price on his head - has a burning hatred of humans. Shiloh - a ranger with a mysterious past - has a hidden agenda of his own. These three unlikely companions set out on an adventure that could end in either peace or the destruction of Elvendore. Follow Shiloh, Silliss, and Tarren as they travel into forbidden forests guarded by sentient trees; get captured by slavers; delve into dwarven mines; escape The Dire; stumble across hidden civilizations; and tangle with dangerous dragons.