Ground Pork is the first collection of poetry to be released by Thomas Porky McDonald. Containing the first five poem books written by McDonald, whose work is often defined by his depictions of the world of baseball, Ground Pork gives an insight into the poet's earliest verses. Conceived from 1989 through early 1994, the innocence of his first two works, Second...to Verse...Baseball Poems, and some other stuff and Eternal Postcards, does leave the reader with an anticipation of the more centered and powerful verses to come. Signature pieces "The Park That Isn't There " and "Queensbridge", (from Second to Verse) and "Once" and "Skipper's Song", (from Eternal Postcards) display a depth that only grows in books three through five. Some Came Lost, which was written just before a time of great turmoil for McDonald, reflects back to the 20s of a man crossing into his 30s, and emotionally bridges the initial offerings with books four and five. "Just a Walk on Flatbush Avenue" and "Someday Demolition Men" in particular, release a part of the soul of this self-styled "Ramble Poet". Fugitive in your Face (poetry in Exile) and Out Here in...Crazyland the fourth and fifth books in this collection, were driven out from March through September of 1994, while the writer faced suspension and expulsion from work. This time also included an arrest, with charges later dropped, stemming from a classic case of bureaucracy gone amok, and a positive drug screening following re-instatement into the workplace. Hence, the pieces "Lonesome Majesty" and "After Crash Landing" in Fugitive In Your Face, and "Crazyland" and "Loons" in Out Here in... Crazyland. In addition, the uncertainty of the time produced moments of memorable verse, such as "Tall Girls Blessed With Greasepaint" (Fugitive), "Rest Alive" and "Where the Angels Bow to the Grass" (Crazyland). Ground Pork leaves off in late 1994, from which the most prolific time of the poet's life would soon commence. As such, it is a lasting insight into the very soul of a man whose goal appears to be bringing back the art of baseball poetry.

Narrative at its best, it is like you were there, a challenge to the imagination, John Condenzio is a master of the terror literature.

The mere mention of vampires used to be enough to make people think of a nocturnal predator. But over the centuries the vampire has changed from monstrous villain to sexual object, for both men and women alike. Allure of the Vampire examines our intimate attraction to these beings in a detailed manner. Now, join occult author Corvis Nocturnum as he reveals the fascinating evolution of this icon as it has lured and enticed us in folklore, film and books from the days of ancient civilization to the living breathing inhabitants of our modern subculture, the vampire community.

Gritty and unflinching, yet also tender, fantastical, and funny, a trans woman’s tale about finding a community on the margins. In Sarmiento Park, the green heart of Córdoba, a group of trans sex workers make their nightly rounds. When a cry comes from the dark, their leader, the 178-year-old Auntie Encarna, wades into the brambles to investigate and discovers a baby half dead from the cold. She quickly rallies the pack to save him, and they adopt the child into their fascinating surrogate family as they have so many other outcasts, including Camila. Sheltered in Auntie Encarna’s fabled pink house, they find a partial escape from the everyday threats of disease and violence, at the hands of clients, cops, and boyfriends. Telling their stories—of a mute young woman who transforms into a bird, of a Headless Man who fled his country’s wars—as well as her own journey from a toxic home in a small, poor town, Camila traces the life of this vibrant community throughout the 90s. Imbuing reality with the magic of a dark fairy tale, Bad Girls offers an intimate, nuanced portrait of trans coming-of-age that captures a universal sense of the strangeness of our bodies. It grips and entertains us while also challenging ideas about love, sexuality, gender, and identity.

Following the defeat of the Dark Sorceress Alana, Azrael and Mecah attempt to move on with their lives. The two, work together to bring peace and prosperity to the realm, as their love for one another continues to intensify. Meanwhile, Azrael is plagued with nightmares of a pending doom; one which reaches from beyond the grave. When the Palace is attacked, Azrael and his friends are faced with a new, more terrifying threat. A threat that is hundreds of years old and powered by dark magic. Will this new nightmare, succeed in tearing Azrael and Mecah apart? Will Azrael be able to control the darkness that continues to grow within him?

Quite simply the most popular of all Medieval grimoires devoted to the evocation and control of spirits. This edition is claimed to be compiled from manuscript copies in the British Museum and contains a great many spirit sigils.

The first volume in the classic paranormal thriller series, Thirst, from bestselling author Christopher Pike. At five thousand years old, the vampire Alisa thought she was smart enough to stay out of trouble. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must protect herself by befriending Ray, the boy who may be her only chance at finding her maker. When she begins to fall in love with Ray, all of a sudden there is more at stake than her own life.

“Dictionary, n: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.” Bierce’s groundbreaking Devil’s Dictionary had a complex publication history. Started in the mid-1800s as an irregular column in Californian newspapers under various titles, he gradually refined the new-at-the-time idea of an irreverent set of glossary-like definitions. The final name, as we see it titled in this work, did not appear until an 1881 column published in the periodical The San Francisco Illustrated Wasp. There were no publications of the complete glossary in the 1800s. Not until 1906 did a portion of Bierce’s collection get published by Doubleday, under the name The Cynic’s Word Book—the publisher not wanting to use the word “Devil” in the title, to the great disappointment of the author. The 1906 word book only went from A to L, however, and the remainder was never released under the compromised title. In 1911 the Devil’s Dictionary as we know it was published in complete form as part of Bierce’s collected works (volume 7 of 12), including the remainder of the definitions from M to Z. It has been republished a number of times, including more recent efforts where older definitions from his columns that never made it into the original book were included. Due to the complex nature of copyright, some of those found definitions have unclear public domain status and were not included. This edition of the book includes, however, a set of definitions attributed to his one-and-only “Demon’s Dictionary” column, including Bierce’s classic definition of A: “the first letter in every properly constructed alphabet.” Bierce enjoyed “quoting” his pseudonyms in his work. Most of the poetry, dramatic scenes and stories in this book attributed to others were self-authored and do not exist outside of this work. This includes the prolific Father Gassalasca Jape, whom he thanks in the preface—“jape” of course having the definition: “a practical joke.” This book is a product of its time and must be approached as such. Many of the definitions hold up well today, but some might be considered less palatable by modern readers. Regardless, the book’s humorous style is a valuable snapshot of American culture from past centuries. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.