A man moves into a dark, colorless town, and brings with him flowers and color that affect all of his neighbors.

The Legend of the Flower Man is, first and foremost, a journey of initiation. The absence of suspense and the simple, but profound narrative aims at something more: to teach the little reader that events are not only made up of surfaces, but they also have a depth, which can be understood only though reflective thinking. Two of the main ideas in the text are: there are other truths than those which can be understood through the mind and, one cannot be truly happy in the absence of an authentic value system in which one can anchor one's being. This is an educational book, in character and also in structure. Each fragment of the story is accompanied by a complementary exercise page, which targets several aspects of personal development. Some exercises and games are aimed at the development of the rational mind, others at the emotional development of the child, others aim at the formation and appreciation of values and, yet, others - drops of silence - combine physical movement with relaxation techniques. This rather unusual mix, at first sight, is far from being accidental. The goal of this combination of exercises is, as specified in the afterword, to promote a cross-curricular approach to education. As de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince taught his reader that one cannot see clearly except with one's heart, this work reminds us of the transformational power of love, the only force capable of placing humans back on the vertical axis of the values that forge their being: "Whether we are aware or not, we act in accordance to the values in which we believe. And there are values by which mankind had always measured its happiness. Balance, peace, love, forgiveness, generosity seem to be our second genetic code, an inbuilt program which whatever we are deeply depends on. Whatever we are and whatever we have do not shut out each other. But, by all means, there is a certain weave of what we are on which the beauty of our life and a feeling of complete fulfilment depend."

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history, from the author of The Wager and The Lost City of Z, “one of the preeminent adventure and true-crime writers working today."—New York Magazine • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • NOW A MARTIN SCORSESE PICTURE “A shocking whodunit…What more could fans of true-crime thrillers ask?”—USA Today “A masterful work of literary journalism crafted with the urgency of a mystery.” —The Boston Globe In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. Look for David Grann’s latest bestselling book, The Wager!

Part-time actress and full-time mother Britt Hinson thought that most of her life’s drama was confined to the stage. Then a threatening presence entered her world, a mysterious stranger that no one but her pretty nine-year-old, Katie, had seen. Katie calls him the Flower Man, and Britt and her husband, Mark, don’t know whether to believe the child’s bizarre tales of the notes and flowers he’s left her—lilies, forget-me-nots, a black rose. But Britt’s fears intensify when, with his threatening phone calls and aggressive prowling of their home, the Flower Man draws her into a fight for her daughter’s life. The Hinsons become a family under siege. And Britt knows a mother’s love won’t be enough to protect Katie from harm… With gripping realism, The Flower Man pits a parent’s love, a child’s honesty, and a family’s security against the desperate acts of a relentless stalker.

The sacred Flower of Life pattern, the primary geometric generator of all physical form, is explored in even more depth in this volume, the second half of the famed Flower of Life workshop. The proportions of the human body, the nuances of human consciousness, the sizes and distances of the stars, planets and moons, even the creations of humankind, are all shown to reflect their origins in this beautiful and divine image. Through an intricate and detailed geometrical mapping, Drunvalo Melchizedek shows how the seemingly simple design of the Flower of Life contains the genesis of our entire third-dimensional existence. From the pyramids and mysteries of Egypt to the new race of Indigo children, Drunvalo presents the sacred geometries of the Reality and the subtle energies that shape our world. We are led through a divinely inspired labyrinth of science and stories, logic and coincidence, on a path of remembering where we come from and the wonder and magic of who we are. Finally, for the first time in print, Drunvalo shares the instructions for the Mer-Ka-Ba meditation, step-by-step techniques for the re-creation of the energy field of the evolved human, which is the key to ascension and the next dimensional world.if done from love, this ancient process of breathing prana opens up for us a world of tantalizing possibility in this dimension, from protective powers to the healing of oneself, of others and even of the planet. Embrace the expanded vision and understanding that Drunvalo offers to the world. Coincidences abound, miracles flourish and the amazing stories of mysteries unveiled arise as the author probes the Ancient Secrets of the Flower of Life.

Historical novel based on the life of the 19th century Chinese prostitute who became the most powerful pirate in history. The first time her story has been fully told in any language.

This collection of Japanese fairy tales is the outcome of a suggestion made to me indirectly through a friend by Mr. Andrew Lang. They have been translated from the modern version written by Sadanami Sanjin. These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore.... In telling these stories in English I have followed my fancy in adding such touches of local color or description as they seemed to need or as pleased me, and in one or two instances I have gathered in an incident from another version. At all times, among my friends, both young and old, English or American, I have always found eager listeners to the beautiful legends and fairy tales of Japan, and in telling them I have also found that they were still unknown to the vast majority...

A revised and updated edition of the internationally bestselling classic Anna Pavord's now classic, internationally bestselling sensation, The Tulip, is not a gardening book. It is the story of a flower that has driven men mad. Greed, desire, anguish and devotion have all played their part in the development of the tulip from a wild flower of the Asian steppes to the worldwide phenomenon it is today. No other flower carries so much baggage; it charts political upheavals, illuminates social behaviour, mirrors economic booms and busts, plots the ebb and flow of religious persecution. Why did the tulip dominate so many lives through so many centuries in so many countries? Anna Pavord, a self-confessed tulipomaniac, spent six years looking for answers, roaming through eastern Turkey and Central Asia to tell how a humble wild flower made its way along the Silk Road and eventually took the whole of Western Europe by storm. Sumptuously illustrated from a wide range of sources, this irresistible volume has become a bible, a unique source book, a universal gift and a joy to all who possess it. This beautifully redesigned edition features a new Preface by the author, a revised listing of the best varieties of this incomparable flower to choose for your garden and a reorganised listing of tulip species to reflect the latest thinking by taxonomists.

The story of Percy Flowers, a man who was both hard-edged and compassionate, a man who could love his son tenderly and make someone disappear in the middle of the night.

From time immemorial, people have sought to understand the mysteries of the natural world, giving rise to a wealth of myths and legends connected to plant life. In addition to their imaginative appeal, these oral traditions offered practical advice about which flowers, trees, and plants could provide foods, remedies, and construction materials. This richly illustrated volume provides a treasury of ancient wisdom, exploring the sound principles behind traditional advice, along with a wealth of fanciful beliefs. Naturalist Ruth Binney recounts charming examples of floral symbolism, linking roses with romance, lilies with purity, and poppies with sleep. She examines tree lore and the association of trees with wisdom and knowledge, from the coveted crown of laurel awarded to ancient Greek poets and Roman generals to the palm branches presented to pilgrims returning from the Holy Land. A survey of the power of plants ranges from the rituals that ensure a good harvest and a newly married couple's fertility to the healing qualities of oil of cloves for toothache, cherries for gout, and aloe vera for burns. Abounding in fascinating facts and fancies, this absorbing compilation will captivate lovers of plants and gardens.