“An eminently readable, visually compelling overview and summary of . . . one of the greatest world-shaping events of the twentieth century,” World War I (David Stone, author of The Kaiser’s Army). This beautiful and evocative book gives an illustrated overview of the First World War, on land, on sea, and in the air. With original drawings in full color, Steven Patricia uses thirty years’ experience as a historical illustrator to give an informative and insightful account of the war, portraying the human faces of the participants and capturing moments in time with a vividness and immediacy that brings home both the emotional impact and the tragedy of war. Accompanied by soldiers’ diary extracts and other contemporary literature, there are many drawings of the hardware of war: aircraft and airships, submarines and ships, guns and grenades. We also get a glimpse of weary officers relaxing in an RAF mess, see panicking sailors swimming desperately away from a sinking ship, soldiers stumbling across no-man’s-land, and the dramatic scene of one of last great cavalry charges of any war, in Egypt. The role of animals is featured, including the importance of horses and rescue and messenger dogs. The text gives a concise introduction to the events of the war and why it started, with maps of the different fronts where fighting took place and a diagram of a trench system. “With an emphasis on showing the humanity of soldiers and the emotions of war, this illustrated overview is designed especially for those with little previous knowledge of the Great War.” —ProtoView

You left your jokes and funny faces in my mind. You left our secrets and your knitting behind. I'm still sad. I'll always be. I love you times infiniteeeeeeeey. You don't mind that I can't rhyme. I don't know how to end this, will someone help me? To help Swara, you'd have to dive into her world during the lockdown. Feel the almost-nine-year-old's heart break as she loses her favourite person ever, Pitter Paati. Swara pursues clues to find her, but stumbles upon a crime instead. VExpectedly, no one believes her. Will Swara and her VAnnoying friends from the detective squad find the Ruth of the Matter in time? Told with humour and sparkle, this compassionate story is about finding light in the darkest times of our lives. It packs in an intriguing mystery and even a good belly laugh. (Wait, is it OK to laugh?)

When the World Was Black: The Untold History of the World’s First Civilizations (Volume Two of The Science of Self series) has been published in TWO parts. Why two? Because there are far too many stories that remain untold. We had over 200,000 years of Black history to tell – from the southern tip of Chile to the northernmost isles of Europe – and you can’t do that justice in a 300-page book. So there are two parts, each consisting of 360 pages of groundbreaking history, digging deep into the story of all the world’s original people. Part One covers the Black origins of all the world’s oldest cultures and societies, spanning more than 200,000 years of human history. Part Two tells the stories of the Black men and women who introduced urban civilization to the world over the last 20,000 years, up to the time of European contact. Each part has over 100 helpful maps, graphs, and photos, an 8-page full-color insert in the center, and over 300 footnotes and references for further research. “In this book, you’ll learn about the history of Black people. I don’t mean the history you learned in school, which most likely began with slavery and ended with the Civil Rights Movement. I’m talking about Black history BEFORE that. Long before that. In this book, we’ll cover over 200,000 years of Black history. For many of us, that sounds strange. We can’t even imagine what the Black past was like before the slave trade, much less imagine that such a history goes back 200,000 years or more.” “Part Two covers history from 20,000 years ago to the point of European contact. This is the time that prehistoric cultures grew into ancient urban civilizations, a transition known to historians as the “Neolithic Revolution.”

A prescient warning of a future we now inhabit, where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a disaffected American populace “A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought.”—Los Angeles Times How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. Praise for The Demon-Haunted World “Powerful . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing.”—The Washington Post Book World “Compelling.”—USA Today “A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity.”—The Sciences “Passionate.”—San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Kabir doesn't fit in. Not in the wintry hill town he lives in, and not in his school, where the lines are always straight. Backed into a corner with no way out, Kabir vanishes. With every adult's nightmare now coming true, finding this flyaway boy will mean understanding who he really is. Or is it too late? Spirited and powerfully imaginative, Flyaway Boy is a story about embracing everything that makes you uniquely you.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD! This novella is designed to be read after FALL SILVER ARTEMIS and before IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUNDERED KING! The end of THE OLD WORLD SAGA begins beneath STRANGE LIGHTS in an alien sky... From Australian author Joel Preston comes a cosmic adventure that takes his series into realms beyond the universe... THE OLD WORLD SAGA embraces the Cthulhu mythos in this tale about the things beyond both gods and angels that linger in the dark. It first happened in THE WENDIGO INCIDENT, when US NAVY SEAL Patrick Leeson (aka Neanderthal) read from a mysterious black book to distract the monstrous wendigo and save the life of Joshua Dare. What he summoned that day was just a glimpse of the horrors that lie waiting beyond the known universe. The room shook as eyes and tentacles appeared, before vanishing almost as quickly. Then, in FALL SILVER ARTEMIS, professor Malcolm Selleck used a similar black book to summon an Eldritch abomination in the games of Skrymir. It was that same book that a civilian, Randall Dare, had been studying before his disappearance... Right at the end of that story, Randall Dare reappeared unexpectedly in the destruction of Sydney Harbour, before the demonic Cthulhu. And he had some friends with him. STRANGE LIGHTS IN THE DARK WORLD is the story of how Randall got there. Now, in this novella, we follow Randall Dare as he opens a wormhole to a planet called the Dark World. Thrust into this story of magic and supernatural terrors by sheer blood association, Randall becomes stuck outside the universe, looking for a way back in. An alien army is waking up, and it looks like they have their sights set on Planet Earth. Luckily, with Randall is another lost soul, Patrick Leeson. Together, they will encounter one of humanities most revered religious figures, also stranded in the Dark World. With Jesus of Nazareth on their side, and a particularly fearsome T-Rex, the stage is set for the coming war against the Star Spawn and their Great Old One leader. - THE BLURB - Randall Dare put his mathematical skills to the test by solving a complex alien equation in a mysterious black book. Rather unexpectedly, the young physics prodigy opened a portal to a dimension outside the physical universe. Stuck in a realm called the Dark World, Randall must navigate ancient ruins, alien armies and monsters to get back home. He learns that his Australian colleagues are on their way to a sunken city where a horrible cosmic god lies sleeping. Because of him, they might be on the verge of waking it up. With the help of the citizens of the Dark World, including a sixty-five million year old dinosaur, the race is on for Randall to work out how to cross dimensions and deliver valuable information for the coming fight. Only, he isn’t the only human trapped out there. US Navy SEAL Patrick Leeson, aka Neanderthal, has arrived too. Along with humanity’s most famous religious figure, Randall has to figure out how to get them all back to Earth. And time is ticking…

Want to know how to be a Superhero? It's easy-peasy-choco-cheesy! But SuperZero, our ten-year-old hero, is the only student at the Superhero School who can't seem to find his superpowers. Every time he trys to save the town, he turns it upside down! But when the Eggstremely Dangerous Eggster unleashes a truly diabolical weapon of mass destruction, it's left to SuperZero to foil his plans. Except, he's accidentaly locked himself up in a zoo. Now ... what to do? Join SuperZero as he trips, tumbles and crashes through loony adventures with a vampire who hates blood, a dude who appears only in patches, a cutie who starts as a girl and ends as a snake, a dog that eats EVERYTHING in sight.

“Both timeless and timely, this is a book of wisdom and wonder” (Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March), a deeply personal exploration of what can sustain us through our darkest moments. “What has fascinated and sustained me over these last few years has been the notion that we have the ability to find, nurture, and carry our own inner, living light—a light to ward off the darkness. This is not about burning brightly; it’s about yielding a more simple phosphorescence—being luminous, having stored light for later use. Staying alive, remaining upright, even when lashed by doubt.” After surviving a difficult heartbreak and battle with cancer, acclaimed author and columnist Julia Baird began thinking deeply about how we, as people, persevere through the most challenging circumstances. She started to wonder, when we are overwhelmed by illness, loss or pain, or a tragedy outside our control: How can we keep putting one foot in front of the other? Baird went in search of the magic that fuels the light within—our own phosphorescence. In this stunning book, she reflects on the things that lit her way through the darkness, especially the surprising strength found in connecting with nature and not just experiencing awe and wonder about the world around her, but deliberately hunting it, daily. Baird also writes about crossbeams of resilience: nurturing friendships and a quiet faith, pursuing silence, fighting for what she believes in, the importance of feeling small, learning from her mother's example of stoic grace. She also explores how others nurture their inner light, interviewing the founder of the modern forest therapy movement in Tokyo, a jellyfish scientist in Tasmania, and a tattooed priest from Colorado, among others. Weaving together candid and moving memoir with deep research and reflections on nature and the world around her, Baird inspires readers to embrace new habits and to adopt a phosphorescent outlook on life, to illuminate ourselves and our days—even in the darkest times.

Heres a bitter pill to swallow: sooner or later we are likely to step on one of life's land mines. It will feel like being torn apart. The devastation may be emotional (job loss, divorce, death) or physical (illness or injury). Discover how to access higher wisdom and resources to turn tragedy into the biggest opportunity life has given you. SEL000000

A hilarious read that capitalizes on the humorous potential of the Indian obsession with English 'I am Super Spy Gulabi. I am a belly from the village searching suitable man but finding only head. It is murder most fowl. But never fear, in the backside, I am ending with a blast.' Gulabi from Gayab arrives in the city of dreams armed with fourteen suitcases but without her pet snake, ready to catch a husband before her lease runs out. A spunky young lass with an unusual grasp of English, she manages to capture the heart of everyone she meets. She does, however, have a way of 'forking' things up. She falls out of windows, attacks her landlord more than once and even sets the apartment on fire. When, to her horror, she finds herself in possession of a man's head, she does the only decent thing: she vows to find his killers. The trail leads us through danger and drunken poetry, big laughs and bigwigs. Now if only our brave belle can solve the dead-head riddle, without losing her own.