The holidays in Cordina are always laced with romance and mystery... The Royal Rake. The Playboy Prince. Ever the ladies' man, Prince Bennett of Cordina has always happily lived up to his public reputation with an element of recklessness. When a distant relative, Lady Hannah Rothchild, arrives in Cordina as a hired companion to his sister, Bennett couldn't be less interested in his modest, academic cousin. Still, he sees something of a challenge in this lovely stranger. With Christmas approaching, Bennett and Hannah are drawn together and, try as they might, the two cannot ignore the attraction growing between them. But Hannah has a secret, and the Cordina palace is not as safe as it once was. She must retain her privacy to protect herself...and Bennett. Even if Bennett is finally willing to risk his heart, their love couldn't be anything more than a fleeting Christmas romance...could it? Previously published.

Probing the depths of science and faith, scientist Chet Raymo investigates the mysteries of human spirituality and meaning contained in astronomy. Ranging through the stars and the myths humans have told about them for millennia, Raymo delves into “a pilgrimage in quest of the soul of the night.” Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and anthropology. Originally published two decades ago, The Soul of the Night is a classic work that is a must for those interested in the relationship between science and faith.

"My cave is big enough for two!" a bear declares to a rabbit, inviting his small friend to share his den through the longest, coldest season. The rabbit readily accepts the bear's offer, but no sooner have the two curled up than the lively rabbit jumps up to wonder: Wouldn't it be better to be out in the crisp winter air, free to leap through the starlight and the sparkling snow? In this paperback reissue of a long out-of-print winter tale (originally titled A Starlit Somersault Downhill), Caldecott Medal winner Jerry Pinkney's rich watercolors create a cozy winter world that perfectly complements Newbery Medal winner Nancy Willard's charming poetry.

Two classic stories about getting a second chance to embrace life and discover love! Cordina's Crown Jewel On the run from her palace, Her Royal Highness Camilla de Cordina wants to be just plain Camilla MacGee, even if it's only for a few weeks. Working in rural Vermont for the handsome yet grouchy archaeologist Delaney Caine is the perfect cover. But Camilla's irritation with the man soon turns into desire, and eventually the royal runaway knows she'll have to confess her secret... Unfinished Business Concert pianist Vanessa Sexton has finally returned to her small Maryland hometown after having her heart shattered by her high school sweetheart twelve years ago. Once a reckless boy, Brady Tucker has now become a solid, dependable man. Still, he stood her up on the most important night of her life--can she ever trust him again?

Have you ever seen the rabbit-in-the-moon? Folktales from many cultures explain how the rabbit came to be there. When award-winning novelist Martha Brooks heard one such tale, she was inspired to write her own lovely story about a little rabbit who finds a special way to brighten the darkest month of the year. A little rabbit asks his mother how the shape of a rabbit came to be on the moon. She tells him the story of Great Mother Creator Rabbit, who came down to earth to see how her creatures lived. Finding herself cold and hungry, she built a fire, placing a stewpot on top. Another rabbit, seeing her predicament, took it upon himself to save her and jumped into the pot. But before he could perish, Great Mother Rabbit tossed him up into the moon. The little rabbit’s mother explains that this is why all the rabbits now gather to hear the choir sing “Winter Moon Song,” to bring light and a little magic at the darkest time of the year. The next night all the rabbits gather to hear the ancient song, and the little rabbit takes his place in the choir. But at the end of the performance, he feels a little disappointed. It had been beautiful, but did not seem all that special, and certainly not magic. In the wintry air outside the gathering place, the little rabbit looks up at the rabbit-in-the-moon and is suddenly inspired to sing the song once more, very tentatively at first, and then more courageously. Some of the other rabbits, even the old ones, join in; some are moved to tears. And in singing the song anew, they realize the joy in being one great rabbit family. Leticia Ruifernandez has graced the story with her tender illustrations. Includes an author’s note.

Published in 1859 to great fanfare from French literary society, Mirèio was the first of four long narrative poems written by the French author Frédéric Mistral. Composed in Occitan, a regional language spoken in southern France, Mirèio arose out of the milieu of the Félibrige, a cultural movement centered around Mistral and his compatriots who championed the use of the Occitan language. Rich with references to local Provençal culture and geography, Mirèio recounts the joys and sorrows of two young lovers: the titular Mirèio, daughter of a rich farmer, and Vincen, a poor basket weaver. Though the two fall madly in love, they find themselves separated by social class and the disapproving attitude of Mirèio’s parents. In part thanks to Mirèio, Mistral went on to win the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature, celebrated by the Nobel Committee for his poetry and his work as a Provençal philologist. Mirèio was widely translated, and was also adapted into the French-language opera Mireille by Charles Gounod. Mirèio remains a celebrated depiction of Provençal culture to this day. This Standard Ebooks edition of Mirèio augments Harriet Waters Preston’s unannotated 1890 translation with the annotations from her first translation published in 1872. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

The powerful writings and art of Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto Hidden in metal containers and buried underground during World War II, these works from the Warsaw Ghetto record the Holocaust from the perspective of its first interpreters, the victims themselves. Gathered clandestinely by an underground ghetto collective called Oyneg Shabes, the collection of reportage, diaries, prose, artwork, poems, jokes, and sermons captures the heroism, tragedy, humor, and social dynamics of the ghetto. Miraculously surviving the devastation of war, this extraordinary archive encompasses a vast range of voices--young and old, men and women, the pious and the secular, optimists and pessimists--and chronicles different perspectives on the topics of the day while also preserving rapidly endangered cultural traditions. Described by David G. Roskies as "a civilization responding to its own destruction," these texts tell the story of the Warsaw Ghetto in real time, against time, and for all time.