"Discusses the planet Venus, including observations by ancient cultures, current knowledge of Venus, and plans for future scientific research and space exploration"--

“A fast start to what promises to be an exciting, innovative fantasy series” from the World Fantasy Award–winning author of Night’s Master (Publishers Weekly). In the hedonistic atmosphere of an eighteenth-century Venice Carnival, gaiety turns deadly when Furian Furiano happens upon a mask of Apollo floating in the murky waters of the canals. The mask hides a sinister art, and Furian finds himself trapped in a bizarre tangle of love, obsession, and evil, stumbling into a macabre society of murderers. The beautiful but elusive Eurydiche holds the key to these murders and leads him further into a labyrinth of black magic and ancient alchemy. Why do secrets from Furian’s past seem tied to the mysterious Eurydiche? In Tanith Lee’s brilliantly imagined world of violence and terror, Furian must find a way to survive and stem the obsession driving him toward his hidden destiny.

In explicit, no-holds-barred terms, this ultimate guide to capturing the heart, mind, and body of a man provides an unforgettable foray into exhilarating sexual terrain. Venus reveals what men want--and don't want--including a list of crucial turn-offs and corresponding romantic triggers.

"Discusses the planet Venus, including observations by ancient cultures, current knowledge of Venus, and plans for future scientific research and space exploration"--

The author of the most well-known and trusted relationship book of all time returns with an updated guide for today's generation. Two decades ago, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus revolutionized the way we thought about love and partnership. John Gray's work has helped countless readers improve and even save their relationships. But as society evolves, relationships do, too. It's time to move beyond Mars and Venus, toward a new relationship model for modern couples. Today, men and women are no longer trapped by rigid societal roles. Now more than ever, we have the freedom to be our authentic selves. Women can access their masculine side, and men can embrace their feminine side. This new freedom is a good thing, but it also brings new challenges. Men and women still need the right tools and skills to help build stronger relation- ships. While previous generations sought "role mate" relationships, based on the more rigid gender roles of the time, today's couples need a new kind of relationship: a "soul mate" relationship. These more emotionally satisfying relationships require a deeper understanding of our partners' individual needs. In Beyond Mars and Venus, Gray teaches you how to strengthen your bond and grow in love together, so you and your loved one can meet each other's needs in the best way possible, bringing you lasting happiness and a fulfilling partnership.

"Discusses Earth as a part of the solar system, including ancient astronomers' research that changed the way Earth was understood, explorations outside of Earth's atmosphere, and the possibility of sending humans to other planets"--

From the latest scientific advances to observation advice for amateur astronomers, a beautifully illustrated exploration of one of Earth’s closest neighbors. This book is a new, beautifully illustrated account of Venus, taking in the most recent research into this mysterious, inhospitable world. The book looks at the history of our observations of the planet, from early astronomy to future space missions, and seeks to shed light on many of the questions that remain unanswered, such as why Venus and the Earth—so similar in size and mass—evolved in such different directions, and how Venus acquired its dense carbon-dioxide atmosphere. Above all, Venus assesses whether life might have escaped from the oven-like temperatures at the surface and evolved to become perpetually airborne—in which case Venus may not be lifeless after all.

A leading Venus researcher explains in a friendly non-technical style what we know through our investigations of Earth's 'twin' planet.

Even though there were relatively few people of color in postrevolutionary France, images of and discussions about black women in particular appeared repeatedly in a variety of French cultural sectors and social milieus. In Vénus Noire, Robin Mitchell shows how these literary and visual depictions of black women helped to shape the country’s postrevolutionary national identity, particularly in response to the trauma of the French defeat in the Haitian Revolution. Vénus Noire explores the ramifications of this defeat in examining visual and literary representations of three black women who achieved fame in the years that followed. Sarah Baartmann, popularly known as the Hottentot Venus, represented distorted memories of Haiti in the French imagination, and Mitchell shows how her display, treatment, and representation embodied residual anger harbored by the French. Ourika, a young Senegalese girl brought to live in France by the Maréchal Prince de Beauvau, inspired plays, poems, and clothing and jewelry fads, and Mitchell examines how the French appropriated black female identity through these representations while at the same time perpetuating stereotypes of the hypersexual black woman. Finally, Mitchell shows how demonization of Jeanne Duval, longtime lover of the poet Charles Baudelaire, expressed France’s need to rid itself of black bodies even as images and discourses about these bodies proliferated. The stories of these women, carefully contextualized by Mitchell and put into dialogue with one another, reveal a blind spot about race in French national identity that persists in the postcolonial present.

Use the wisdom of your Venus sign to create, laugh, and love with irresistible confidence. For millennia, Venus sauntered through the history books with unrivaled self-possession and sexual self-confidence. Yet many women today long for connection with the very aspects of their inner selves that Venus represents: pleasure, joy, self-worth, sexual vitality, and eroticism. In Venus Signs, Jessica Shepherd breathes life back into the Goddess. Whether you're recovering from heartbreak or could use a jolt of joy, beauty, and truth about who you truly are, Venus power will help you get in touch with your innermost desires and your sensual self. Discover the must-have qualities of your soulmate, how to keep a long-term relationship happily humming along, how to align with your own feminine energy, and how to draw your deepest heart's desires toward you. Use the tools in this book to gain insights into your significant other and support your friends and loved ones. Praise: "[A]n ideal entry point for those looking to delve a litte deeper into astrology beyond Sun-Signs."—Dell Horoscope "Jessica Shepherd has done it again. I heartily recommend Venus Signs to anyone who loves astrology—or, simply, to anyone who loves at all."—Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky, Yesterday's Sky and The Book of the Moon "Jessica left me feeling known, understood, appreciated and loved, just what you'd expect to find in a real cosmic caress from Venus herself. This is the ultimate self-worth booster. Loved it!"—Neil D. Paris, author of Surfing Your Solar Cycles: A Lifetime Guide to Your Stars "Venus Signs will get you in touch with what generates and sustains your pleasure and happiness, both in lifestyle and in relationships. By defining the influence of Venus through the looking glass of the Zodiac, Jessica sheds light on how the essential qualities of love and attraction are best fulfilled within us and within those whom we love and treasure."—Annie Bones, author of Celestial Forecaster "In the context of astrology, Jessica encourages us to embrace our "inner Venus," according to our sign, bringing forth the sensual feminine, artistic vixen, relationship artist that swirls inside, waiting."—Cyndi Dale, author of The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy "Jessica has a gift for weaving together many intricate details into a powerful archetypal synthesis that is accessible and deep."—Sherene Vismaya Schostak, author of Surviving Saturn Return "Reading about yourself in a good Venus book (something even seasoned astrologers love to do) should feel both pleasurable and startling—as though the author had been reading the diary of your secret thoughts. Jessica Shepherd has such a gift, seeming to know from the inside out just how it feels to have each Venus—and how it feels be in a relationship with each Venus sign. A wise and soulful coach, Jessica lights the way towards each sign's most evolved (and happiest) expression. Her prose is fresh, supple and seductive, as though it was Venus herself who'd been doing the typing."—Dana Gerhardt, columnist with The Mountain Astrologer