Finally... She's written The Book on Dragons. Anne McCaffrey is as renowned for her knowledge of dragons as she is for her New York Times bestselling novels. In this beautifully designed hardcover, McCaffrey focuses her attention on the fantastical creature's existence throughout history. Her words are complemented by the stunning color portraits by John Howe, noted for his success with several J.R.R. Tolkien calendars and maps. Engagingly conceived, McCaffrey's story is a modernday dragon fantasy, colored with excerpts of some of the most thrilling scenes taken from classic dragon tales and accompanied by John Howe's magnificent art. Dragons from the time of the Bible and the Babylonians, the Arthurian Era and the Chinese Dynasties, to the current dragons invented by Robin McKinley, Gordon R. Dickson, Melanie Rown, and McCaffrey herself--are all fully explored and rendered in glorious detail. At once a thrilling history, a charming fantasy, and a tantalizing art book, A Diversity of Dragons is sure to find a place beside Anne McCaffrey's other bestsellers.

A volume of essays exploring some of the best genre fiction of the last 40 years.

Annotated bibliography of the Arthurian legend in modern English-language fiction, not only in literary texts, but in television, music, and art. The legend of Arthur has been a source of fascination for writers and artists in English since the fifteenth century, when Thomas Malory drew together for the first time in English a variety of Arthurian stories from a number of sources to form the Morte Darthur. It increased in popularity during the Victorian era, when after Tennyson's treatment of the legend, not only authors and dramatists, but painters, musicians, and film-makers found a sourceof inspiration in the Arthurian material. This interdisciplinary, annotated bibliography lists the Arthurian legend in modern English-language fiction, from 1500 to 2000, including literary texts, film, television, music, visual art, and games. It will prove an invaluable source of reference for students of literary and visual arts, general readers, collectors, librarians, and cultural historians--indeed, by anyone interested in the history of the waysin which Camelot has figured in post-medieval English-speaking cultures. ANN F. HOWEY is Assistant Professor at Brock University, Canada; STEPHEN R. REIMER is Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada

Walk with Dragons through the Wheel of the Year This powerful and enlightening guide shows you how to connect to dragons and practice magick with them throughout the year. Virginia Chandler introduces you to legendary dragon spirits that are integral to the eight sabbats, from Samhain's ancestor dragons to Beltane's dragons of making. Your practice will soar to new heights as you join them on a journey through the seasons, exploring meditations, sacred sites, rituals, oil and incense recipes, and more. Year of the Magickal Dragon empowers all areas of your life by showing you how to work with dragon energy. Each chapter guides you in building relationships with these marvelous dragons and learning their specialties. As you walk with them, you'll balance your home and hearth, invigorate your spirit, overcome barriers, and gather your personal harvest. This hands-on book also features journaling prompts, altar work, and extensive dragon lore, making it a must-have resource for your practice. Includes a foreword by John Matthews, author of The Grail: Quest for Eternal Life

Book clubs, literature circles, and reading groups are great ways to promote literacy and books to young readers. This new guide provides everything you need to run a dynamic, no-fuss book discussion group with elementary and middle school students. Featuring 15 titles of diverse genres, it offers discussion topics and activity ideas for some of the best new reads for kids. Brought to you by the authors of the highly acclaimed Reading Rules! Motivating Teens to Read, this guide is an outstanding resource for starting and running a stellar literary discussion group—whether it's in a school, public library, or community center. Grades 4-8.

Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons is the biography of a writer who vividly depicted alien creatures and new worlds. As the author of the Dragonriders of Pern series, McCaffrey (1926–2011) was one of the most significant writers of science fiction and fantasy. She was the first woman to win the Hugo and Nebula awards, and her 1978 novel The White Dragon was the first science-fiction novel to appear on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. This biography reveals a fascinating and complex figure, one who created and re-created her fiction by drawing on life experiences. At various stages, McCaffrey was a beautiful young girl who refused to fit into traditional gender roles in high school, a restless young mother who wanted to write, an American expatriate who became an Irish citizen, an animal lover who dreamed of fantasy worlds with perfect relationships between humans and beasts, and a wife trapped in an unhappy marriage just as the women's movement took hold. Author Robin Roberts conducted interviews with McCaffrey, her children, friends, and colleagues, and used archival correspondence and contemporary reviews and criticism. The biography examines how McCaffrey's early interests in theater, Slavonic languages and literature, and British history, mythology, and culture all shaped her science fiction. The book is a nuanced portrait of a writer whose appeal extends well beyond readers of her chosen genre.

Dragons have always been a fascinating subject throughout history in all world cultures, from ancient times through popular media series today. This richly-illustrated book traces that history in myth and folklore.

First published in 2007. An encyclopaedic account of traditional Chinese festivals, customs and beliefs, lavishly illustrated with line drawings and paintings, this remarkable work by an Englishman who spent twenty years in China from the Imperial aftermath through the establishment of Communism, gives fascinating insights into a complex culture poised between past and present. Burckhardt's beautifully written and detailed work includes the rites practiced by the Manchu royal court and the rituals permitted under the Communist and Nationalist regimes, the festivals of working people and villagers as well as the ceremonies of the mandarins of Peking and Hong Kong, in all seasons of the year. He was especially close to the renowned Boat People of the former colony, and gives a unique account of life abroad the harbour junks and their sea-borne celebrations. Among the subjects dealt with are Chinese cuisine, the meaning of presents, secret societies, the Chinese calendar, cats (the Chinese prefer cats with yellow eyes), Chinese dress, jade carving, feng shui, etiquette, the hundreds of gods of house and wayside, temples and their guardians, and all the great festivals - those of the Moon, the Dragon Boats, the Hungry Ghosts, the Magnolia, the New Year and many more. Chinese creeds and customs were Burkhardt's passion, and no better account of them will ever be written.

Over the past 40 years, satellites have played a key role in creating a global culture, spreading worldwide entertainment, stimulating technological interchange, and promoting trade around the world. Communications Satellites: Global Change Agents addresses communications satellites not only in terms of the technology and the services they provide, but also with consideration of the technology's impact in socio-political, security, economic, policy, news, entertainment, and cultural spheres. Editors Joseph N. Pelton, Robert J. Oslund, and Peter Marshall bring together contributions that place satellites into a broad context and examine how they influence and define today's world. Written in a non-technical, reader-friendly style, chapters investigate how satellite communications work and explore the role of satellites in such arenas as: *news and entertainment systems around the world; *Internet, E-business, and the new global economy; *global television and radio channels; *military operations; and *education, health services, economic development, and electronic immigration. Communications Satellites: Global Change Agents examines what satellites have been and projects how they will evolve in the future, articulating what they mean to the world today and forecasting what they will mean tomorrow. As the definitive source on communications satellites and their role in today's world, this volume serves as a valuable, unique, and timely resource for scholars and students in telecommunications, communication and technology, mass communication and society, and broadcasting.

Nariah Boyd has enough going on between her client's memorial jewelry requests and the spirits attached to the bones she works with. Getting involved with a resistance force against the vampire overlords isn't on her to-do list. But her mother has a new recruit for the resistance that Nariah doesn't like the sound of. He claims spirits can do the fighting--and dying--for them. Nariah won't let him destroy a spirit's afterlife.