Forests full of mystery, gardens that remain aloof from outside gazes, mountains whose fog-shrouded summits are hidden in a thick veil--the views of nature that Axel Htte captures in these photographs are vividly animate and seductive, but ultimately allow nature to remain sovereign and at a distance. Panoramas of awesome beauty absorb the gaze and simultaneously put it in its place--nature remains intact and impenetrable.

From John Bunyan's 'country rhimes' to rude chants about Manchester United, from Ted Hughes to Edward Lear, and from William Blake to the Taylor sisters, Morag Styles covers three hundred years of poetry with infectious enthusiasm and a keen critical eye. In this scholarly and fascinating book, she provides an informative account of the history of poetry written for children in Britain and America in the last three centuries. She analyses the major poets, genres and developments over this period, and traces the continuities between the past and the present. Styles asks fundamental questions which have often been left unanswered: What do we mean by children's poetry? Why did such a seemingly small number of women write poetry for children until recently? The author subscribes to the widest possible definition of poetry, and so the reader will find in this book hymns, songs, playground rhymes, raps and verse - whether trivial or profound. From the Garden to the Street will provoke, inform and entertain academics of children's literature, those who teach it in the classroom, and all of us who still take pleasure in the poetry of childhood.

This book is about a walk on the Camino Ignacio in Spain, that ended in failure through injury that ironically illustrates key aspects of Ignatian Spirituality. Ignatius himself was a ‘wounded’ soldier and limped his way across Spain as he managed to turn apparent failure into a great conversion to Christ. Ignatius’ injury revealed that God had a better plan for him and letting go of control paradoxically allowed God in. This book illustrates that same dynamic: an unexpected injury that throws everything up in the air, the struggle to let go of plans and expectations, trying to discern in difficult situations with incomplete information. It is a roadmap for those seeking to make sense of failure and reinterpret it in God’s eyes that allows for new life and meaning. The fact that this walk takes in key Ignatian sites such as Loyola, Naverette and Manresa, gives even more insight into Ignatius’ experience as a limping pilgrim. Readers will find here a concrete ‘spirituality of real-life’, that helps with decision making, dealing with suffering, facing failure, perseverance, surrendering to life and making the best out of difficult situations. Those dealing with failure, disability or injury will find a message of hope and consolation to deal with hopelessness and depression.

“A beautifully written portrait of the people who collect and distribute wild mushrooms . . . food and nature writing at its finest.”—Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia “A rollicking narrative . . . Cook [delivers] vivid and cinematic scenes on every page.”—The Wall Street Journal In the dark corners of America’s forests grow culinary treasures. Chefs pay top dollar to showcase these elusive and enchanting ingredients on their menus. Whether dressing up a filet mignon with smoky morels or shaving luxurious white truffles over pasta, the most elegant restaurants across the country now feature one of nature’s last truly wild foods: the uncultivated, uncontrollable mushroom. The mushroom hunters, by contrast, are a rough lot. They live in the wilderness and move with the seasons. Motivated by Gold Rush desires, they haul improbable quantities of fungi from the woods for cash. Langdon Cook embeds himself in this shadowy subculture, reporting from both rural fringes and big-city eateries with the flair of a novelist, uncovering along the way what might be the last gasp of frontier-style capitalism. Meet Doug, an ex-logger and crabber—now an itinerant mushroom picker trying to pay his bills and stay out of trouble; Jeremy, a former cook turned wild-food entrepreneur, crisscrossing the continent to build a business amid cutthroat competition; their friend Matt, an up-and-coming chef whose kitchen alchemy is turning heads; and the woman who inspires them all. Rich with the science and lore of edible fungi—from seductive chanterelles to exotic porcini—The Mushroom Hunters is equal parts gonzo travelogue and culinary history lesson, a fast-paced, character-driven tour through a world that is by turns secretive, dangerous, and quintessentially American.