In the tradition of his books On Beauty and On Ugliness and The Infinity of Lists, Umberto Eco presents an enthralling illustrated tour of the fabled places that have awed and eluded us through the ages. "Eco is one of the most influential thinkers of our time" Los Angeles Times From the epic poems of Homer to contemporary science fiction, from the Holy Scriptures to modern mythology and fairy tale, literature and art are full of illusory places we have at some time believed are real, and onto which we have projected our dreams, ideals and fears. Umberto Eco leads us on an illuminating journey through these legendary lands - Atlantis, Thule and Hyperborea, the Earth's interior and the Land of Cockaigne - and explores utopias and dystopias where our imagination can confront concepts that are too incredible, or too challenging, for our limited real world. In The Book of Legendary Lands the author's text is accompanied by several hundred carefully assembled works of art and literature; the result is a beautifully illustrated volume with broad and enduring appeal. Translated from Italian by Alastair McEwen

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The 8th Novel of the Internationally Acclaimed Chaos Seeds Saga Over 100 THOUSAND ????? Reviews A mesmerizing tale reminiscent of the brutality of Goblin Slayer and the majesty of Game of Thrones Audible's Customer Favorite of the Year! #1 Audiobook 2017 #1 in Epic Fantasy || #1 in HumorWelcome my friends! Welcome... to "The Land!" The battle of the dead was won, but at a great cost. Sion,leader of the Mist Village was left with only pain and regret as Richter was claimed by the abyss. What no one but the abandoned chaos seed knows is that he narrowly avoided the curse of the lich Singh, a curse that still hangs above his head. Now, surrounded by miles of darkness and tons of crushing rock,Richter has to find his way back into the light. The only problem is that this monster of a man is being pursued by monsters, a demon and his own foolish choices. Faced with all the dangers of the deep dark, what will Richter say when the buried horrors of The Land come a calling and asked if he's paid his dues? Well he'll look right back, stare that horror in the eye and say, "Yes sir, the check is in the mail!" Welcome back my friends! Welcome back... to The Land! ps - Gnomes still Rule!

"The public lands of the western United States comprise some 450 million acres of grassland, steppe land, canyons, forests, and mountains. It's an American commons, and it is under assault as never before. Journalist Christopher Ketcham has been documenting the confluence of commercial exploitation and governmental misconduct in this region for over a decade. His revelatory book takes the reader on a journey across these last wild places, to see how capitalism is killing our great commons. Ketcham begins in Utah, revealing the environmental destruction caused by unregulated public lands livestock grazing, and exposing rampant malfeasance in the federal land management agencies, who have been compromised by the profit-driven livestock and energy interests they are supposed to regulate. He then turns to the broad effects of those corrupt politics on wildlife. He tracks the Department of Interior's failure to implement and enforce the Endangered Species Act--including its stark betrayal of protections for the grizzly bear and the sage grouse--and investigates the destructive behavior of U.S. Wildlife Services in their shocking mass slaughter of animals that threaten the livestock industry. Along the way, Ketcham talks with ecologists, biologists, botanists, former government employees, whistleblowers, grassroots environmentalists and other citizens who are fighting to protect the public domain for future generations. This Land is a colorful muckraking journey--part Edward Abbey, part Upton Sinclair--exposing the rot in American politics that is rapidly leading to the sell-out of our national heritage"--

“The best book I’ve read in years.” —Christine Feehan The incomparable C.L. Wilson brings her phenomenal Tairen Soul novels to Avon Books! Lord of the Fading Lands is the first book in the epic romantic adventure that combines sweeping fantasy with breathtaking paranormal romance. USA Today and New York Times bestseller C. L. Wilson dazzles with a magnificent, heart-soaring tale of passion and great destiny—of the tormented Fey King Rain, the woodcutter’s daughter Ellysetta, who would be queen, and their eternal quest for true love in the mystical Fading Lands.

'The Invisible Atlas' captures a period when the world still held room enough for wonders to exist, and presents for today's reader the alternative earth imagined by our not-too-distant ancestors, a world of imaginary lands with mindbogglingly improbable inhabitants; a world sought by explorers as notable as Columbus.

How Wall Street, Chinese billionaires, oil sheiks, and agribusiness are buying up huge tracts of land in a hungry, crowded world. An unprecedented land grab is taking place around the world. Fearing future food shortages or eager to profit from them, the world’s wealthiest and most acquisitive countries, corporations, and individuals have been buying and leasing vast tracts of land around the world. The scale is astounding: parcels the size of small countries are being gobbled up across the plains of Africa, the paddy fields of Southeast Asia, the jungles of South America, and the prairies of Eastern Europe. Veteran science writer Fred Pearce spent a year circling the globe to find out who was doing the buying, whose land was being taken over, and what the effect of these massive land deals seems to be. The Land Grabbers is a first-of-its-kind exposé that reveals the scale and the human costs of the land grab, one of the most profound ethical, environmental, and economic issues facing the globalized world in the twenty-first century. The corporations, speculators, and governments scooping up land cheap in the developing world claim that industrial-scale farming will help local economies. But Pearce’s research reveals a far more troubling reality. While some mega-farms are ethically run, all too often poor farmers and cattle herders are evicted from ancestral lands or cut off from water sources. The good jobs promised by foreign capitalists and home governments alike fail to materialize. Hungry nations are being forced to export their food to the wealthy, and corporate potentates run fiefdoms oblivious to the country beyond their fences. Pearce’s story is populated with larger-than-life characters, from financier George Soros and industry tycoon Richard Branson, to Gulf state sheikhs, Russian oligarchs, British barons, and Burmese generals. We discover why Goldman Sachs is buying up the Chinese poultry industry, what Lord Rothschild and a legendary 1970s asset-stripper are doing in the backwoods of Brazil, and what plans a Saudi oil billionaire has for Ethiopia. Along the way, Pearce introduces us to the people who actually live on, and live off of, the supposedly “empty” land that is being grabbed, from Cambodian peasants, victimized first by the Khmer Rouge and now by crony capitalism, to African pastoralists confined to ever-smaller tracts. Over the next few decades, land grabbing may matter more, to more of the planet’s people, than even climate change. It will affect who eats and who does not, who gets richer and who gets poorer, and whether agrarian societies can exist outside corporate control. It is the new battle over who owns the planet.

Aliana Fagan spent her childhood traveling the world, dreaming of legendary heroes and mythical lands. But after the sudden death of her parents, she hides behind the safety of her camera and her art until a vivid recurring dream compels her to dig into her father's research about Avalon and Camelot. When she is hurled into a magical realm by forces she thought were only the stuff of fairy tales, she finds herself thrown into an adventure she could never have imagined. Nearly everything she thought she knew about Arthurian legend was wrong. The independent eighteen-year-old is shocked to find that the people of Avalon think that she is the Destined One, the only person who can summon King Arthur back to life from his hidden chamber. Most surprising of all is that it's up to her to lead the Knights of the Round Table on an epic quest-an adventure that will transport them across the seven magic realms to reclaim all that has been lost so they can defeat the evil Mordrid for good. But first, she must bring the ancient warriors into her world and reunite them with their lost brothers. Chaperoning the legendary knights-with-a-chivalry-complex as they navigate the modern world is a constant challenge, and she certainly never thought she'd be caught between her intense feelings for the noble Sir Galahad and her growing friendship with the King. To fulfill the prophecy, Aliana will have to discover the meaning of friendship, bravery, loyalty, true love, and forgiveness. But can she do it all in time to save the realms from Mordrid's impending Armageddon?

The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends brings together many of the traditional stories about King Arthur along with several new interpretations of the legend to provide a complete picture of his birth, adventures, romance and fate. it traces Arthur's exploits to gain the sword Excalibur, the conflict with his half sister Morgan, the birth of his bastard son Mordred, and the shadowy influence and fate of Merlin. The collection also follows the adventures of many of Arthur's knights including Sir Balin, Sir Percival, Sir Gawain, Sir Lanval, Sir Marrock, Sir John, Sir Tristan and of course, Sir Lancelot. This culminates in the mighty Quest for the Holy Grail, the breakup of the Round Table, and finally the usurping of the throne by Mordred and the death of Arthur at Camlann. It even looks beyond the death of Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot to a ghostly finale of love immortal. Stories included are: The Winning of a Sword by Howard Pyle The Treason of Morgan le Fay by George Cox The Knight with Two Swords by John Steinbeck Sir Percival of Wales by Roger Lancelyn Green The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Hillaire Belloc The Quest for the Holy Grail by Andrew Lang Guinevere and Lancelot by Andrew machen The Lady of Belec by Phyllis Anne Karr The Quiet Monk by Jane Yolen

The underworld was once ruled over by the death god Hades, but he sleeps in his immortal tomb, weakened by centuries of neglect. What is to be done with his realm now? Who will refurbish its sepulchral halls, sweep away the corpse dust that coat its tenebrous terraces, and revitalise the dead that once walked its cheerless cloisters? Who else but you? And what is to be found in the underworld? Bone chilling winds sweep across desolate plains, carrying the despairing moans of lost souls to every corner of the realm of the dead. Swamps fester in the pale nacreous glow that rises up from the decaying earth, tombs litter the landscape like broken teeth, shadows walk the land, muttering in the darkness. Here lie the houses of the dead, home to the shades of the deceased - and other things. As you explore the Vulcanverse you will forge friendships, meet companions, make enemies - all of whom have long memories and will help or hinder you throughout your adventures. In this vast open world you will find hundreds of amazing quests, make choices with lasting consequences, win glory, cheat death, and face challenges at every turn. Every decision is in your hands. Start in any book, be whoever you choose, go anywhere you please, and do anything you want. The only limit is your imagination.