The landmark first collection by one of the masters of 20th-century American horror fiction, back in print at last Though he published over 350 short stories and more than thirty novels, most of Robert Bloch's work has long been out of print, and many readers today know him only as the author of Psycho. This new edition of his classic first collection, The Opener of the Way (1945), is the first in a series of Bloch reprints from Valancourt which aims to restore Bloch to his rightful place as one of the key 20th-century American writers of horror fiction. This volume features twenty-one early Bloch stories, most of them originally published in the famous magazine Weird Tales. Included here are such classics as the oft-imitated "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper," the chilling title story "The Opener of the Way," in which an expedition to an Egyptian tomb goes horribly awry, and "The Shambler from the Stars," a Lovecraftian tale in which Lovecraft himself appears as a character. This edition also features a new introduction by one of today's greatest horror writers, Ramsey Campbell. "Robert Bloch is one of the all-time masters."-Peter Straub "A seminal influence on just about everybody. Any time devoted to studying this master is time well spent."-Fangoria

Naiko works in the Undeliverable Mail Office where, immersed in things lost and missing, she searches for clues to match undeliverable mail with addresses. Her job allows her to achieve a semblance of order in a disorderly world. It is a shock, then, when Naiko’s co-worker Andrei, an enigmatic Romanian refugee, suddenly vanishes. This astonishing debut novel unfolds in compelling, delicately wrought layers. Naiko’s shifting understanding of Andrei’s past becomes an opaque reflection of her own existence, and objects—from the pens hoarded by Naiko’s mother in her retirement home to the personal effects of Jewish women that Andrei’s grandmother sorts through at Birkenau—become touchstones for memories and meaning, loss and love.

An industrial designer tackles one of the most pressing dilemmas of the twenty-first century in this indispensable guide to things that can open your beer. It’s every beer drinker’s worst nightmare—a cold brew in hand with no means to open it. Here to the rescue is an indispensable guide featuring 99 ways to get the job done fast using anything and everything in sight as a bottle opener in a time of need. Photographs and step-by-step instructions for each method walk thirsty readers through the art of opening bottles, revealing the practical use of such handy available implements as a belt buckle, TV remote, baby carriage, dog collar, ski binding, golf club, park bench, BBQ grill, lawn mower, automatic teller machine, police car, and many more. Cheers!

Horror and the supernatural have fascinated people for centuries, and many of the most central figures appear over and over again. These figures have gained iconic status and continue to hold sway over popular culture and the modern imagination. This book offers extended entries on 24 of the most enduring and significant figures of horror and the supernatural, including The Sea Creature, The Witch, The Alien, The Vampire, The Werewolf, The Sorcerer, The Ghost, The Siren, The Mummy, The Devil, and The Zombie. Each entry is written by a leading authority on the subject and discusses the topic's essential features and lasting influence, from the classical epics of Homer to the novels of Stephen King. Entries cite sources for further reading, and the Encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography. Entries include illustrations, sidebars of interesting information, and excerpts from key texts. Horror and the supernatural have fascinated people for centuries, with many of the most central figures appearing over and over again across time and cultures. These figures have starred in the world's most widely read literary works, most popular films, and most captivating television series. Because of their popularity and influence, they have attained iconic status and a special place in the popular imagination. This book overviews 24 of the most significant icons of horror and the supernatural.

This comparative religion book contains a startling perspective of the extraordinary history of the Egyptian religion and its profound influence upon the later Christian faith. The text demonstrates that the popular god Horus and Jesus possessed many characteristics and attributes in common.

This reference work covers the supernatural and speculative fiction published by Arkham House Publishers, Inc., of Sauk City, Wisconsin. In 1937, promising Wisconsin writer August Derleth decided to publish a collection of the stories of his recently deceased friend, H. P. Lovecraft. After two years of failed attempts, Derleth and another Lovecraft fan, Donald Wandrei, published the collection themselves under the name of Arkham. In the years that followed, Arkham House published the works of many of the foremost American and British writers of weird fiction, including Basil Copper, Lord Dunsany, Robert E. Howard, and Robert Bloch. Arkham published Ray Bradbury's first book, Dark Carnival, in 1947. The work begins with a history of the house and biography of August Derleth; it also includes a chapter on H. P. Lovecraft's connection to Arkham. The main body of the text consists of chronologically listed descriptions and current values of the more than 230 titles published by Arkham House and its two imprints, Mycroft & Moran and Stanton & Lee. These entries detail editions, reprints, special points, restoration, care, buying and selling, investment, and future trends. Other features include alphabetical indeces of titles and authors, lists of scarcity and value ranking, a list of annual stock lists and catalogs, and a bibliography of reference literature. The book is illustrated throughout with dust jacket reproductions and photographs.

Here, the author of the two Her-Bak novels provides specific tools that instruct in the comprehension and application of those teachings, and help us recognize that it is by the path of silence and meditation that we are guided to the intelligence of the heart, which is our key to self-mastery and our connection to higher consciousness.

Illuminating the Dark Side’s Spirits, Fiends, Devils, and Demons. Throughout human history, we have been obsessed with the dark opposites of God and angels, light, and mercy. Whether it is our religious and sacred texts, folklore and myths of old, legends, fairy tales, novels, or the movies and television shows of today, the dark entities enthrall us, terrify us, and remind us of the dualities of life. But where did they originate? Are they real? Does every religion or region of the world include them? Exploring over two dozen religious traditions, myths, folkloric and spiritual traditions, the world of the supernatural, and the demons, the Devil, and fallen angels in today’s pop culture, Demons, the Devil, and Fallen Angels is a comprehensive resource of the many faces of the devil, his minions, ominous deities, and the darker side of nature and ourselves. From ancient demon worship to modern Satanism, the bloody era of the Inquisitions and later witch burnings to the Satanic Panic of the late-twentieth century, and secret occult societies to Hitler's involvement with demonology, this book covers it all! You'll learn about the key figures in history associated with demons and the Devil, the worshiping of the dark forces, and the lives of Aleister Crowle, John Dee, and Anton LaVey, as well as well-known figures who were alleged Satanists, some of whom may surprise you! Also featured are dozens of examples of links between demons/fallen angels and aliens, cryptids, apparitions and poltergeists, and IDEs (interdimensional entities). Were the demons of the Bible possibly ancient alien visitors? Are alien abductions and poltergeists really demons in disguise? Is Slender Man a modern day demonic entity ... or totally fake? This fascinating look at Satan, evil spirits, and their 10,000-year history has 120 photographs, drawings, and illustrations to bring the portraits of over 200 demons and fallen angels to shivering life. Demons, the Devil, and Fallen Angels also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. It is a comprehensive, clear, and objective look at a subject that fills most people with fear and dread. Yet the presence of dark angels continues to remain a part of our human experience, our popular culture, and our spiritual understandings. Come and explore the shadowy side of existence and its integral part of our nature.

Whether you run board meetings, community groups, a family, a staff meeting or you teach, you are a group leader. But whether or not you are a good one is an open question. Joan Haley, who has led groups and given presentations most of her professional life and studied educational theory and training, shares a proven process for effectively leading groups and provides many concrete techniques to facilitate learning. She shares the Group Process Formula® which is a conceptual framework she developed to work with groups of any kind. The Formula is a failsafe structure ensuring leaders enjoy their groups and maximizes the learning of each participant. Just as important, she reveals how a leader effectively facilitates learning so that participants feel the group is a safe place to work through their own process of self-discovery, and utilizes the power of the group as a whole to bolster that learning. Haley provides information to make sure participants walk away with newfound skills, attitudes and behaviors to use in their lives.

A biography of six writers on food and wine whose lives and careers intersected in mid-twentieth-century France During les trente glorieuses—a thirty-year boom period in France between the end of World War II and the 1974 oil crisis—Paris was not only the world’s most delicious, stylish, and exciting tourist destination; it was also the world capital of gastronomic genius and innovation. The Gourmands’ Way explores the lives and writings of six Americans who chronicled the food and wine of “the glorious thirty,” paying particular attention to their individual struggles as writers, to their life circumstances, and, ultimately, to their particular genius at sharing awareness of French food with mainstream American readers. In doing so, this group biography also tells the story of an era when America adored all things French. The group is comprised of the war correspondent A. J. Liebling; Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein’s life partner, who reinvented herself at seventy as a cookbook author; M.F.K. Fisher, a sensualist and fabulist storyteller; Julia Child, a television celebrity and cookbook author; Alexis Lichine, an ambitious wine merchant; and Richard Olney, a reclusive artist who reluctantly evolved into a brilliant writer on French food and wine. Together, these writer-adventurers initiated an American cultural dialogue on food that has continued to this day. Justin Spring’s The Gourmands’ Way is the first book ever to look at them as a group and to specifically chronicle their Paris experiences.