For the first time ever, award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan has assembled the best science fiction and the best fantasy stories of the year in one volume. More than just two books for the price of one, this book brings together over 200,000 words of the best genre fiction anywhere. Strahan's critical eye and keen editorial instincts have served him well for earlier best of the year round-ups in the Best Short Novels, Science Fiction: Best of and Fantasy: Best of series, and this is his most impressive effort yet.

Award-winning painter Alex Ross has stunned fans time andagain with his painted artwork. Now he turns his attention to the JusticeLeague of America.The greatest criminal masterminds of our time have joined forces and seemto be achieving more good than the JLA ever could. Discover what theirultimate goal really is and whether the heroes will be able to stop theirevil plans.

Anthony C. Yu’s celebrated translation of The Journey to the West reinvigorated one of Chinese literature’s most beloved classics for English-speaking audiences when it first appeared thirty years ago. Yu’s abridgment of his four-volume translation, The Monkey and the Monk, finally distills the epic novel’s most exciting and meaningful episodes without taking anything away from their true spirit. 

These fantastic episodes recount the adventures of Xuanzang, a seventh-century monk who became one of China’s most illustrious religious heroes after traveling for sixteen years in search of Buddhist scriptures. Powerfully combining religious allegory with humor, fantasy, and satire, accounts of Xuanzang’s journey were passed down for a millennium before culminating in the sixteenth century with The Journey to the West. Now, readers of The Monkey and the Monk can experience the full force of his lengthy quest as he travels to India with four animal disciples, most significant among them a guardian-monkey known as “the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.” Moreover, in its newly streamlined form, this acclaimed translation of a seminal work of world literature is sure to attract an entirely new following of students and fans. 

“A new translation of a major literary text which totally supersedes the best existing version. . . . It establishes beyond contention the position of The Journey to the West in world literature, while at the same time throwing open wide the doors to interpretive study on the part of the English audience.”—Modern Language Notes, on the unabridged translation

Survival Wisdom is a large-scale practical guide, jam-packed with information on every aspect of outdoor life and adventure.

Survival Wisdom & Know-How is the most complete, all-in-one volume on every aspect of outdoor adventure and survival ever, from orienteering to campfire cooking to ice climbing and beyond. Culled from dozens of respected books from Stackpole, the industry's leader in outdoor adventure, this massive collection of wilderness know-how leaves absolutely nothing to chance when it comes to surviving and thriving in the wilderness—and appreciating every minute of it.

Topics include Building Outdoor Shelter, Tracking Animals, Winter Camping, Tying Knots, Orienteering, Reading the Weather, Identifying Edible Plants and Berries, Surviving in the Desert, Bird Watching, Fishing and Ice Fishing, Hunting and Trapping, Canoeing, Kayaking, and White Water Rafting, First Aid, Wild Animals, Cookery, and much more. Useful illustrations and photos throughout make it easy to browse and use. With contributions by the experts at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) as well as the editors of Stackpole's Discover Nature series, Survival Wisdom & Know-How is the definitive, must-have reference for the great outdoors.

** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED **   This thought-provoking examination of The Matrix explores the technological challenges, religious symbolism, and philosophical dilemmas the film presents. Essays by renowned scientists, technologists, philosophers, scholars, social commentators, and science fiction authors provide engaging and provocative perspectives. Explored in a highly accessible fashion are issues such as the future of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The symbolism hidden throughout The Matrix and a few glitches in the film are revealed. Discussions include “Finding God in The Matrix,” “The Reality Paradox in The Matrix,” and “Was Cypher Right?: Why We Stay in Our Matrix.” The fascinating issues posed by the film are handled in an intelligent but nonacademic fashion.

Not Applicable (Na )

Dragon's world a.g.

Roger Abrahams Nearly 100 stories from over 40 tribe-related myths of creation, tales of epic deeds, ghost stories and tales set in both the animal and human realms.

Lesley Abravanel You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Florida is much more comprehensive and detailed than its major competitor. It is simply the most reliable guide you can buy. Our author has inspected countless accommodations and selected the very best: lavish golf resorts, spas, stunning B&Bs, beachfront motels, and family-friendly condos. No matter what your budget, this guide can help you design a memorable Florida vacation.

Frommer's covers all the highlights: the sizzling South Beach club scene, the state's best restaurants, dive sites in the Keys, baseball spring training, theme parks, the Kennedy Space Center, world-class golf courses, and beaches, water sports, and beach bars galore. You'll learn about all the latest developments at Disney and Universal Studios, and get lots of insider tips about airfare bargains and package deals. You'll even get a free color fold-out map that makes trip-planning a snap!

Mario Acevedo The first and only vampire book to be declassified
by the federal government . . .

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier. He came back a vampire.

Now he finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue when an old friend prompts him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at the secret government facilities in Rocky Flats. He'll find out the cause of all these horny women or die trying! But first he must contend with shadowy government agents, Eastern European vampire hunters, and women who just want his body . . .

Skewering sexual myths, conspiracy fables, and government bureaucracy, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats reveals the bizarre world of the undead with a humorous slant and a fresh twist.

Mario Acevedo Felix has survived Operation Iraqi Freedom, being turned into a vampire, and a ravenous horde of nymphomaniacs. Now he faces his toughest task ever—navigating the corrupt world of Los Angeles politics to solve the murder of a distinguished young surgeon turned porn star. But both human and vampire alike have reasons to want the secret to stay buried. . .

Lisa Adams Delicious new takes on the classic campfire dessert

Scott Adams In The Dilbert Principle and current bestseller Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook, Scott Adams skewers the absurdities of today's corporate world. Now he takes the next step, turning his keen analytical focus on how human greed, stupidity and horniness will shape the future.

With this book, Adams follows in the footsteps of other great futurists, i.e., sitting at home making stuff up that can't be proven wrong for many years. Featuring the same mix of essays and cartoons that made The Dilbert Principle so uniquely entertaining, The Dilbert Future offers predictions on business, technology, society and government. Nobody is spared this time. Some predictions:

Children: They are our future, so we're pretty much hosed. Tip: Grab what you can while they're still too little to stop us.

Human Potential: We'll finally learn to use the 90 percent of the brain we don't use today, and find out that there wasn't anything in that part.

Longevity: We'll all live to 140. The Olympics will expand to include new events such as Complaining and Slow Driving.

Computers: Technology and homeliness will combine to form a powerful type of birth control.

Peter Adkison

Matthew White Jaffer Ali

David Allen In today's world, yesterday's methods just don't work. In Getting Things Done, veteran coach and management consultant David Allen shares the breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introduced to tens of thousands of people across the country. Allen's premise is simple: our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential. In Getting Things Done Allen shows how to:

€ Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty
€ Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
€ Plan projects as well as get them unstuck
€ Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
€ Feel fine about what you're not doing

From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Done can transform the way you work, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down.

Jerry Uelsmann John Ames

Nigel D. Findley Stephen Atkins

Myles H. Bader If they are flying, crawling, burrowing or sneaking in to your home or garden, this book has the solution.

Do you hate spiders?

Has your house been invaded by ants, termites or cockroaches?

Is your garden a feeding ground for caterpillars, aphids, mites or grasshoppers?

Are you tired of rabbits or deer eating from the vegetable garden you worked so hard to create?

Are raccoons after your trash or tearing up your lawn?

Is your property infested with mice or moles?

Does your neighbor’s dog or cat cause you problems every day?

Or would you simply like to enjoy your summer evenings without mosquitoes, flies or yellow jackets?

This book offers powerful, all-natural solutions to these problems — and hundreds more. Every bug, pest, critter and animal related problem you can think of is covered in this comprehensive, detailed and creative book. And every one of the 1001 solutions in this book avoids the use of any kind of pesticide or other poison that could potentially cause harm to our families, our communities, and our natural environment.

There are over 2 billion pesticides manufactured in the United States every year. In 2002, more than 3.2 million people suffered medically related side effects from the use of pesticides. By using the simple, tried and true solutions provided in 1001 All Natural Secrets to a Pest-Free Property, you can make a significant contribution to reducing the damage caused by pesticides and other poisons.

This book has been designed to make it easy for you to find the information you need and gives you precise and clear answers to all your pest control questions. Protect your property and your family’s health today!

No one knows more about natural pest control than world renowned Dr. Myles H. Bader. He has spent countless hours over more than ten years of research to find the answers you need to know in order to keep your home, garden and grounds free of insects and critters of all kinds. Most importantly, Dr. Bader shows you how to do this without the use of poisons and toxic preparations.

Chuck Barris Suspense, excess, danger, and exuberant fun come together in Chuck Barris's unlikely autobiography- the tale of a wildly amboyant '70s television producer nationally known as the host of The Gong Show. What most people don't know is that Barris also spent close to two decades as a decorated covert assassin for the CIA, claiming to have killed over thirty people. Honestly. Barris, who achieved tremendous success as the creator of the hit game shows The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, joined the CIA as an agent in the early 1960s. He inltrated the Civil Rights movement, met with militant Muslims in Harlem, and was sent abroad to kill enemies of the American state, even as his game shows began to soar to ratings success. Originally published in 1982, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has been out of print for a number of years, but interest in Barris is about to reach an all-time high, with a major movie based on the book coming from Miramax Films in December 2002. The all-star cast includes Sam Rockwell, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Drew Barrymore. Barris will be covered extensively in the media this fall. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a wild and improbable tale spiced with intrigue, sex, bad behavior, and plenty of one-liners.

Max Barry Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card—as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale—and everything must go.

A wickedly satirical and outrageous thriller about globalization and marketing hype, Jennifer Governmentis the best novel in the world ever.

Philip Baruth A masterful blend of political satire and edgy social commentary, here is a wildly entertaining trip through recent American history and into the impending future. An incisive look at how we love and hate our political leaders, and how they love and hate us back, The X President touches the very heart of what it means to be president—and what a president means to America.

It is the year 2055 and America is entangled in a devastating world war—and losing badly. As the threat of homeland invasion grows stronger, the United States is desperate to change the tide, anyway it can.

Enter Sal Hayden, official biographer of a former president known as BC, now 109 years old and all but forgotten. Charismatic, controversial, and always willing to feel another person’s pain, BC’s political career, like his personal life, is marked by both uncanny triumphs and key blunders—some of which may have doomed the U.S. to defeat. Recording his story has not always been easy, but it has been straightforward. That is, until the day Sal is asked to rewrite it—and not just on the page. For Sal will be granted a biographer’s most fantastic dream, one that will thrust her into the greatest moral dilemma of her life—and the world’s most daring, dangerous, and spectacular spin job. . . .

Olivia De Berardinis You've seen her art in the pages of Playboy and in dozens of other publications, on calendars, book covers, limited edition prints, greeting cards, and movie posters. Now, for the first time, Olivia's work has been compiled into one deluxe book. Included are over 100 drawings and paintings, many previously unpublished, spanning the past fifteen years.

Olivia De Berardinis The sequel to Olivia De Berardinis' first book Let Them Eat Cheesecake, this mongraph contains all-new art created, primarily, in the 4 years since Olivia's cheesecake book was published. Printed in a unique format, part portrait/vertical and part landscape/horizontal, this book has 2 front covers (and no back cover). Not a gimmick, this new twist allows the horizontal art to be shown to maximum effect.

Paul Beyerl Outstanding in its completeness, The Master Book of Herbalism fulfills a need that has long been felt by students of the magickal arts. In his sincere and gentle manner, Paul brings over 15 years experience as he writes about: the medicinal use of herbs, including illustrations of plants easily found in the wild; history and religious lore with specific background information on individual herbs; herb gathering and storage the magickal way; the herbalist as a magickal practitioner; incenses, oils, amulets, elixirs, balms and fluid condensers including detailed information on how to create them; herbs and their relationship with gemstones, etc.; herbal links with astrology and the tarot; rituals; the use of herbs in seasonal festivals, initiations, handfastings, purifications, etc. Over 50,000 sold!

Leon Bing Do or Die is the first insider account of teenage gangs—the lives, loves, and battles of children who kill—from the only journalist ever allowed inside this closed and dangerous world.

This is no West Side Story. Welcome to a world where teenagers wear colostomy bags and have scrapbooks filled with funeral invitations; where a young man, after being shot in the chest, drives himself to the hospital; where another youngster, caught in crossfire, uses his girlfriend as a human shield; where teenage gangsters are kidnapped, tortured, and held for six-figure ransoms; where kids hum the latest movie's theme music while killing people. It's a world of clickheads, sherms, bangers, ballers, and mummyheads; a world where the strongest feelings of family come from other gang members; a world where the most potent feelings of self-worth come from murder.

Thomas Bokenkotter This critically acclaimed history covers the events and doctrines that have shaped Catholic thought and action over the past two millennia. A singularly useful reference book, updated and expanded for the student of the 1990's.

Jonny Bowden A complete guide to the healthiest foods you can eat - and how to cook them!

Why get your nutrients from expensive supplements when you can enjoy delicious, nourishing foods instead? From almonds to yucca, readers will find out what nutrients each of the 150 featured foods contains, what form contains the most nutrients, if it's been recommended to combat any diseases, where to find it, how to prepare it, and how much to eat - plus wonderful recipes using these sometimes obscure foods! Indexes by nutrient, by disease, and by food make finding what you need a snap, and the at-a-glance format makes the information as easy to digest as the foods themselves.

Alan Alexander Rebecca Borgstrom Carl Bowen Epic Fantasy Reimagined
It is an Age of Sorrows in a world of glorious ruin. While mortals toil and perish, Exalted heroes stride among the bones of a vast, long-forgotten empire, waging war for the destiny of all Creation. There is might, there is beauty, there is wonder, and there is death as well. This is the world of the Exalted.

A Core Rulebook for Exalted®
* Updates and simplifies the Exalted rules, without making older supplements invalid
* A slick-looking book with exciting combat inspired by anime, CCG and CRPG mechanics
* Appeals to both young and hip anime fans and to fans of more traditional fantasy and mythology
* An excellent one-book introduction to epic fantasy roleplaying

FASA Corporation Steve Kenson Robert Boyle Meet the new boss... The corporate war is over, but the corps need the shadows now more than ever as they scramble for position in the new power structure. Fuchi is dead, Novatech has risen from its ashes, and Wuxing and Cross have elbowed their way onto the Corporate Court. The corps have ceased their open conflict, but the guns are still drawn under the table ... Corporate Download describes the history, power players and business interests of the ten top megacorps. Corporate Download focuses on information that runners need: the latest security trends, secret plans, dirty tricks, people to know and how to use them. Players will learn what working for each corp means for their characters, and gamemasters will find new rules for using and rating the megacorps in their campaigns.

Sam Braids A concise and meticulously researched guide to Texas Hold’em Poker. Teaches the rules of Texas Hold’em, basic strategy, and how to play in a cardroom. More advanced players will benefit from statistical charts, vignettes from actual poker games, and detailed information on how the social and psychological aspects of the game determine strategy.

Readers also get a comprehensive analysis of online poker, including how to use your computer to play poker on the Internet, and concise profiles and addresses of 15 online cardrooms.

Alton Brown Eight years ago, Alton Brown set out to create a cooking show for a new generation. The result was Good Eats, one of Food Network’s most popular programs. Four years ago, Brown set out to write a cookbook for people who would rather understand their food than follow a recipe. A mix of cutting-edge graphics and a fresh take on preparing food, I’m Just Here For the Food became one of the bestselling cookbooks of the year—and received the James Beard Foundation/KitchenAid Book Award as best reference book.

This year, to commemorate and celebrate this success story (more than 300,000 copies in print), STC is pleased to announce I’m Just Here For the Food: Version 2.0.. This special edition features 15 brand-new recipes, 20 pages of additional material, and 4 removable refrigerator magnets—along with everything that made the original a classic instruction manual for the kitchen. Each of the book’s 15 sections is a module on a given cooking method—from pan searing to pressure cooking, stewing to steaming—with a “master” recipe and a varied selection of recipes that epitomize the technique. The text is accented throughout with food facts, history and lore, and science.

Steven Brust The time is the Beginning.

The place is Heaven.

The story is the Revolt of the Angels-a war of magic, corruption and intrigue that could destroy the universe.

E. A. Wallis Budge Sums up all that is known about magic in Ancient Egypt: the role of magic in controlling the gods, powerful amulets that warded off evil spirits, scarabs of immortality, use of wax images, formulas and spells, the secret name, much more.

E. A. Wallis Budge Volume 1 of the work providing thorough coverage of numerous gods of ancient Egypt by foremost Egyptologist. Information on evolution of cults, rites and gods; the cult of Osiris; the Book of the Dead and its rites; the sacred animals and birds; Heaven and Hell; and more.

E. A. Wallis Budge Volume 2 of the work providing thorough coverage of numerous gods of ancient Egypt by foremost Egyptologist. Information on evolution of cults, rites and gods; the cult of Osiris; the Book of the Dead and its rites; the sacred animals and birds; Heaven and Hell; and more.

E. A. Wallis Budge 9 of the most interesting and important Egyptian legends in hieroglyphic texts with literal translations on facing pages. Included are The Legend of the Creation, The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind, The Legend of Isis and Osiris, and more, enhanced with 19 illustrations from Egyptian art.

Geoffrey Budworth

Rich Burlew This book follows the comic strip adventures of 6 stick figure heroes as they brave the perils of your favorite fantasy role playing game. It lampoons role playing games and the fantasy genre itself in hilarious fashion weekly on the internet, and now even the echnophobic can enjoy their antics in convenient book format.

Rich Burlew Like all great stories in the history of the universe, this one begins in a tavern. The Order of the Stick: On the Origin of PCs reveals the secret character backgrounds of your favorite band of webcomic adventurers, the Order of the Stick. Spinning out of the popular online comic (and subsequent book collections), On the Origin of PCs presents 72 pages of all-new, never-seen- before-or-since OOTS action and comedy that detail what each of the six members of the Order were doing with their lonely and pathetic lives before they joined forces to become a less lonely (but no less pathetic) team. Presented in nostalgic greyscale that we like to call "Past-O-Vision", On the Origin of PCs is a vital part of your Order of the Stick collection. From new DBD publisher Paizo Publishing!

Rich Burlew

Richard Burlew The epic battle between good and evil becomes more epic-y than ever in the long-awaited third volume in The Order of the Stick story, War and XPs. Follow the continuing adventures of Roy, Haley, Elan, Durkon, Vaarsuvius, and Belkar as they persevere prophecies, revenge, true love, heroic battles, villainous treacheries, tragic falls, and one swingin' party. Read in white-knuckled edge-of-your-seat anticipation as the Order leads the charge in a massive siege that makes the Battle of Thermopylae look like a sorority car wash. Continuing directly from the story in the award-winning No Cure for the Paladin Blues, this book is a must-have for those who have been collecting the entire The Order of the Stick story in print format. Only slightly briefer than its namesake, War and XPs is a mammoth 288-page comic book that weighs in at over 2 pounds of comedy and covers all of the OOTS comics between #302 and #484but we didn't stop until we crammed more than 30 pages of never-before-seen bonus material into this book, too!

Robert Byrne Drawing from diverse personages — Goethe to Churchill to Woody Allen — Robert Byrne has mined a collection of wit and wisdom that deserves a special place on every humor lover's bookshelf. These unique, witty, and outrageous quotations, previously published in four separate volumes, are now gathered together in a seemingly limitless trove of pithy and often irreverent one-liners, retorts, put-downs, jokes, and last words that cover every conceivable subject and will appeal to every taste. Highlights include:

"Start every day with a smile and get it over with." — W. C. Fields

"Men read maps better than women because only men understand that an inch can

equal a hundred miles." — Roseanne Barr

"Happiness is having a large loving family in another city." — George Burns

George G. Lord Byron She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes...
—From "She Walks in Beauty"

Satirical, shocking, romantic and dramatic, Lord Byron remains a stellar figure as a poet and as a man. His most celebrated poems appear in this magnificent compilation, from “Inscription on the Monument of a Newfound Dog,” in which man contrasts unfavorably with his canine companion, to excerpts from “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,” “Beppo,” and “Don Juan.”

Michael Cader

Italo Calvino Enchanting stories about the evolution of the universe, with characters that are fashioned from mathematical formulae and cellular structures. “Naturally, we were all there, - old Qfwfq said, - where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time either: what use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?” Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Bruce Campbell What you're reading right now is known as the “flap copy.” This is where the 72,444 words of my latest book, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, are cooked down to fit in a 3 ½-by-9 ½-inch column.  But how does one do that with a fictional story about a B movie actor’s disastrous attempt to finally star in a big-budget Hollywood movie? Do you tantalize readers with snappy zingers like the one in chapter six where Biff the Wonder Boy says, “You may be bred in ol’ Kentucky, but you're only a crumb up here”? Or do you reveal pivotal plot points like the one at the end of the book where the little girl on crutches points an accusing finger and shouts, “The killer is Mr. Potter!”
I have too much respect for you as an attention-deficient consumer to attempt such an obvious ruse. But let’s not play games here. You’ve already picked up the book, so you either:
A.     Know who I am
B.     Like the cool smoking jacket I’m wearing on the cover
C.     Have just discovered that the bookstore restroom is out of toilet paper 
Is this a relationship book? Well, if by “relationship book” you mean that the characters in it have relationships or are related to someone, then yes, absolutely. Will you learn how to pick up chicks? Good heavens, I can only hope so, though for best results in that department you should both read this book and be Brad Pitt.
Is it a sequel to my autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor?  Sadly, no, which made it much harder to write. According to my publisher, I haven't “done” enough since 2001 to warrant another memoir.
Is it an “autobiographical novel”? Yes. I'm the lead character in the story and I'm a real person and everything in the book actually happened, except for all the stuff that didn’t.
Mostly, the action revolves around my preparations for a pivotal role in director Mike Nichols’s A-list relationship film Let's Make Love!, starring Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger, and Christopher Plummer. This is the kind of break most actors can only dream of. But my Homeric attempt to break through the glass ceiling of B-grade genre fare is hampered by a vengeful studio executive and a production that becomes infected by something called the “B movie virus,” symptoms of which include excessive use of cheesy special effects, slapstick, and projectile vomiting.
When someone fingers me as the guy responsible for the virus, thus ruining my good standing in the entertainment industry (hey, I said it was fiction, okay?), I become a fugitive racing against the clock, an innocent patsy battling the shadowy forces of the studio system to clear my name, save my career, and destroy the Death Star. In a jaw-dropping twist worthy of Hitchcock (page 274), you'll gasp as I turn the tables on Hollywood and attempt to salvage my reputation in a town where you’re only as good as your last remake.
From a violent fistfight with a Buddhist to a life-altering stint in federal prison, this novel has it all. If you like John Grisham, Tom Clancy, or one too many run-on sentences, you'll absolutely love Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. And if the 72,444 words are too time-consuming, there are lots and lots of cool graphics.
Regards,
Bruce “Don't Call Me Ash” Campbell
~
Bruce Campbell's first book, If Chins Could Kill, was a major sleeper hit
and became a New York Times and national bestseller.  His immense energy and
sharp wit are in evidence again in Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, a novel that will
have readers laughing out loud.

Mike Carey From the pages of Neil Gaimans THE SANDMAN, comes the story of Lucifer Morningstar, the former Lord of Hell, who is unexpectedly called back into action after he receives a mission from Heaven. Now as his enemies unite to stop his reemergence, Lucifer gathers his forces as he prepares to launch his new revolution.Forces in Hell and on Earth prepare for a final struggle for supremacy in this volume that ventures through space and time and the places outside both, weaving a sweeping saga out of multiple character threads mortal and immortal alike.

Mike Carey From the pages of Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN comes the story of Lucifer Morningstar, the former Lord of Hell, who is unexpectedly called back into action after he is given amission from Heaven. This tenth volume in the series sees the war in Heaven reach its universe-shaking conclusion as Lucifer gathers together the forces of Heaven, Hell and everyone in between for a final battle.

Edward Castronova From EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours—and dollars—partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are starting to spend more time online than at their day jobs.

In Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the everyday lives of the gamers—outlining what they do in their synthetic worlds and why. He then describes the economies inside these worlds to show how they might dramatically affect real world financial systems, from potential disruptions of markets to new business horizons. Ultimately, he explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, then how can the real world ever compete? Will a day ever come when we spend more time in these synthetic worlds than in our own? Or even more startling, will a day ever come when such questions no longer sound alarmist but instead seem obsolete?

With more than ten million active players worldwide—and with Microsoft and Sony pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into video game development—online games have become too big to ignore. Synthetic Worlds spearheads our efforts to come to terms with this virtual reality and its concrete effects.

“Illuminating. . . . Castronova’s analysis of the economics of fun is intriguing. Virtual-world economies are designed to make the resulting game interesting and enjoyable for their inhabitants. Many games follow a rags-to-riches storyline, for example. But how can all the players end up in the top 10%? Simple: the upwardly mobile human players need only be a subset of the world's population. An underclass of computer-controlled 'bot' citizens, meanwhile, stays poor forever. Mr. Castronova explains all this with clarity, wit, and a merciful lack of academic jargon.”—The Economist
 
“Synthetic Worlds is a surprisingly profound book about the social, political, and economic issues arising from the emergence of vast multiplayer games on the Internet. What Castronova has realized is that these games, where players contribute considerable labor in exchange for things they value, are not merely like real economies, they are real economies, displaying inflation, fraud, Chinese sweatshops, and some surprising in-game innovations.”—Tim Harford, Chronicle of Higher Education

E.R. Chamberlin

John Chambers 1St In A 3 Book Limited Series. Pc'S Discover They Are The Child Of A God And Must Embrace Their Destiny.

Sir Nicolas Cheetham

John Layman Fabiano Neves June Chung This is it true believers, the cross-over of the century begins here! The Marvel Zombies come face-to-face with Dynamite Entertainment's Ash from the Army of Darkness! Ash has faced legions of the undead before, but never like this... as he lands in the heart of New York just as the Zombie outbreak begins! See how his actions help turn more heroes and villains into Zombies! Under the watchful eye of Marvel Zombie guru Robert Kirkman, this might just be the comic event of 2007! Plus: The entire series will feature classic "homage" covers from painter Arthur Suydam! Collects Marvel Zombies/Army Of Darkness #1-5.

Robert R. Coenraads Uncover the intriguing world beneath our feet

Rocks and Fossils reveal the state of the planet now and what the future may bring, including clues about the shifting, changing nature of the continents, mountain ranges, oceans, and islands.

Rocks and Fossils is a beautifully illustrated book that brings life to the seemingly timeless landscape. It explains geological concepts in relevant and familiar terms. Lively illustrations reveal a vast, hidden world via cross-sections and cutaways with explanatory captions.

The book explores the internal engine of our planet — the liquid iron core unique among terrestrial planets, which is the catalyst for the creation and destruction of land, mountain, and oceans.

Rocks and Fossils is organized in six main sections: The Dynamic Earth: the ever-changing nature of the worldAncient Worlds: life from the Precambrian era to the age of humansKey Features: how rocks and fossils formRocks and Fossils in the Landscape: where to find fossilsMinerals: How they form and why some are preciousFossils: signs of life from single-cell organisms to dinosaurs.

Rocks and Fossils explains the fossil record to show how prehistoric lifeforms are linked to plants and animals still on Earth. Why did some species survive and others perish? What does the future hold?

Carl Sargent Tom Dowd Mike Colton

Michael E. Colton

Steve Kenson Mike Colton

Jonathan Szeto FASA Coporation

Fasa Corporation

FASA Corporation

Fasa Corporation

FASA Corporation

FASA Corporation

FASA Corporation

FASA Corporation The Chaotic state of the UCAS! The United Canadian and American States is in turmoil. In the past year, the great dragon Dunkelzahn won a special presidential election - and was assassinated on the night of his triumph. Savage riots broke out and have barely subsided: inexplicable magical phenomena have triggered a vicious anti-Awakened backlash; and corporate backstabbing and political intrigue are reaching new lows as everyone who can makes a play for the big time. And nowhere in the UCAS are the aftershocks as fierce as in three of its greatest cities: Boston, Detroit and Chicago. Target: UCAS contains a wealth of information for players and gamemasters: adventure frameworks that allow gamemasters to jump right into these explosive cities, rules for ghoul player characters and free bug spirits, and more. Target: UCAS is intended for gamemasters and players of all experience levels.

Jennifer Brandes Chris Hepler Michael Mulvihill FASA Corporation

Tom Dowd Fasa FASA Corporation

Chris Davis Dominic Covey Darwin's World 2nd Edition is a revised and expanded version of the GenCon/Ennie award nominated post-apocalyptic d20 RPG. All the new rules are revised for compatibility with the Modern d20 System. This new edition is focused on separating the mechanics from the setting, making Darwin's World the definitive guide to building post-apocalyptic campaigns, whether you are playing in the Twisted Earth or your own preferred post-Fall setting.

R. H. Cravens A towering figure in twentieth-century photography, Edward Weston sought to lead viewers to "see through their eyes, not with them." His restless quest for beauty and the mystical presence behind it created a body of work unrivaled in the medium. This book offers Weston masterpieces spanning more than four decades. Included are his early Pictorialist images, industrial studies of Armco Steel, portraits from his Mexican period, the still lifes and landscapes of the thirties, and the sometimes acerbic images of the later years. R. H. Cravens's essay draws upon Weston's writings and recollections by sons, lovers, and friends. What emerges is the profile of "a thoroughly American genius—courageous, pure, troubled, unorthodox, and utterly sure of its purpose."

Aleister Crowley

L Cunningham

S. Peter Dance Identify the shells you find with this handy reference guide.

The Dorling Kindersley Handbooks are the most visually appealing guides on the natural world in the book marketplace. Featuring more than 500 full-color illustrations and photographs, along with detailed annotations, Dorling Kindersley Handbooks make identification easy and accurate.

World of Darkness Welcome to the Danse Macabre

Since time immemorial, the Kindred — vampires — have stalked their prey, unseen by the mortal masses. Their world is a xenophobic nightmare, populated by tyrannical despots, wildeyed heretics, bloodthirsty rogues and scheming manipulators, all unified by the mysterious curse of vampirism. And you would join them? You would live forever? To play the lusts of mortals like a violinist plays the strings? Then beware, the price is steep to enter the neofeudal hell that the Damned have wrought.

Welcome to Undeath

Join the revival of the Storytelling tradition. Vampire: The Requiem invites you to tell your own stories set within the world of the Kindred. This book includes rules for using vampires in World of Darkness® chronicles, covering everything from the five clans to covenants to Disciplines, bloodlines, storytelling advice and a complete spread of game systems governing the undead. Hardcover. Requires the World of Darkness rulebook for play.

World of Darkness Where the Shadows Grow Long

We live our days completely ignorant of the true terrors lurking around us. Only rarely do our experiences draw back the veil of shadows and reveal the horror in our midst. These glimpses into the supernatural can cause us to retreat into comforting lies — "There are no such things as monsters" — or stir our morbid curiosity. Only a few, however, can overcome their fear and dare to look deeper.

Abandon Hope All Who Enter

The World of Darkness Rulebook introduces a version of our contemporary world where the supernatural is real. Players join to tell tales of mystery and horror, where theme, mood and plot are more important to a character's experiences than his weapons or equipment. Inside are rules for character creation, task resolution, combat and any activity your character attempts as he delves into the shadows.

James Doohan Peter David

Jared Diamond In his million-copy bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examined how and why Western civilizations developed the technologies and immunities that allowed them to dominate much of the world. Now in this brilliant companion volume, Diamond probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to collapse into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates?

As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Moving from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe. Environmental damage, climate change, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of these societies, but other societies found solutions and persisted. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.

Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?

Reader's Digest

Tom Dowd

Tom Dowd

Tom Dowd The streets are a violence place, as dangerous as any battlefield. And the lessons men and women learn on those fields of fire can save their reputations - and their lives - in any combat situation. Fields of Fire is the mercenary sourcebook for Shadowrun. Information on how to act like a professional merc, and pages of new weapons, support gear, and optional combat-rules clarifications and expansions make this book something no merc, or runner, should live without. Fields of Fire is a sourcebook for Shadowrun, second edition.

Steven D. Levitt Stephen J. Dubner Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much heralded scholar who studies the stuff and riddles of everyday life-;from cheating and crime to sports and child rearing-;and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: freakonomics.

Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives-;how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of ... well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.

What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and-;if the right questions are asked-;is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking. Steven Levitt, through devilishly clever and clear-eyed thinking, shows how to see through all the clutter.

Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. It is true that readers of this book will be armed with enough riddles and stories to last a thousand cocktail parties. But Freakonomics can provide more than that. It will literally redefine the way we view the modern world.

Roger Ebert Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for nearly forty years. And during those four decades, his wide knowledge, keen judgment, prodigious energy, and sharp sense of humor have made him America’s most celebrated film critic. He was the first such critic to win a Pulitzer Prize—one of just three film critics ever to receive that honor—and the only one to have a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His groundbreaking hit TV show, At the Movies, meanwhile, has made “two thumbs up” one of the most coveted hallmarks in the entire industry. 

No critic alive has reviewed more movies than Roger Ebert, and yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume—until now. With Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Ebert’s work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of this indispensable critic’s numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history, from the dramatic rise of rebel Hollywood and the heyday of the auteur, to the triumph of blockbuster films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to the indie revolution that is still with us today. 

The extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time—Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman—but also some of the silver screen’s most respected and dynamic personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep. Ebert’s remarkable essays play a significant part in Awake in the Dark as well. The book contains some of Ebert’s most admired pieces, among them a moving appreciation of John Cassavetes and a loving tribute to the virtues of black-and-white films. 

If Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris were godmother and godfather to the movie generation, then Ebert is its voice from within—a writer whose exceptional intelligence and daily bursts of insight and enthusiasm have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark, therefore, will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic, but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.

(06/01/2006)

Umberto Eco Eco displays in these essays the same wit, learning, and lively intelligence that delighted readers of The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum. His range is wide, and his insights are acute, frequently ironic, and often downright funny. Translated by William Weaver. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Reader's Digest editors

Helen Ellerbe

Ellis

Warren Ellis

Steve Ettlinger A pop-science journey into the surprising ingredients found in most common packaged foods

Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he didn’t have a clue as to what most of the ingredients on the labels mean. So when his young daughter asked, “Daddy, what’s polysorbate 60?” he was at a loss—and determined to find out.

From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the oil fields in China, Twinkie, Deconstructed demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients— where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they’re often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.

An insightful exploration of the modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter a food-grade equivalent of plaster of paris), this book is for you.

Fanpro "What's that you say? Never deal with a dragon? Chummer, if a wizworm involves you in its intricate plots, you'll have no choice in the matter. You'll either deal or be it's next meal." Dragons of the Sixth World gets under the scales of the world's most dangerous and manipulative reptiles. It provides details on the life cycle, biology, magic and culture of dragons, and investigates their servants, allies and pawns. Dossiers are provided on ten of the world's foremost great dragons, with shorter bios given on over a dozen others. The Draco Foundation, pursuing the schemes of its founder, the dead dragon Dunkelzahn, is also described. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro A New World in the Shell of the Old "Clash of cultures. That's what Europe is, term. You can't cross the road without finding yourself in a completely different country, with its own history, laws, cultural traditions, prejudices and shadow scene. It's a friggin' maze of people and places, all acting like a big dysfunctional family. The Euro shadows are treacherous to navigate, but believe me, chum, the opportunities are unbelievable." Shadows of Europe details over a dozen European countries, from the fractured Allied German States to the mysterious elven nation of Tir na nog. Each entry covers the prime locations, people to know and buzz on the street, all from a shadowrunner's point of view. The New European Economic Community is also described, as are corporations, criminal organizations and magic unique to Europe. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro The Map Is Not The Territory There's nothing worse than dropping into some backwater sprawl in the country next door to quietly take care of some job, then realizing too late that your sprawl studs and street lingo stick out like a troll's thumb. North America ain't what it used to be, chummer-every time you cross a border, you enter a different world. Ask an anglophone in Quebec, an ork in San Fran, or a mage in the NAN. The rules are different, both in the shadows and in the sunlight. If you don't keep up with the local game, you're gonna lose. Shadows of North America tells shadowrunners what they need to know about the 13 countries and city-states of North America, including the Native American Nations and the dragon-ruled city of Denver. Each state is covered in detail, from hot spots to power players, all from a shadowrunner's point of view. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro Street Smart? New to the sprawl kid? Wise up fast, cuz wiz wires or spell juice alone won't save your ass on the hungry streets. You flash your credstick in the wrong alley, drop a name in the wrong company, or flick out a spur at a gunfight, and your organs will be next up for auction. Reps are built on etiquette and connections, not just chill attitude and piles of corpses. You need to know when to deal and when to wheel, or you'll be just another skidmark on the sprawl streets. The Sprawl Survival Guide details daily life in 2063, from home amenities to nightlife to coffin clubs and cred accounts. It also exposes the ins and outs of the shadowrunners' lifestyle how they operate, who they deal with and how they survive. This information is essential for both gamemasters and players, detailing the world of Shadowrun and bringing it to life. Also includes expanded rules for lifestyles, travel and fake identities. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro Nothing to Fear if You've Got the Gear In this day and age, things change so fast that the centrifugal force of progress will shear your head right off. Shadowrunners like us need to keep up with the latest developments. When you run a B&E, you need to know what nasty new security feature might try to cut you in two as much as you need to know which nova new magic formula is worth snatching. It's the state of the art, chummer-it'll make you cred or get you dead." State of the Art: 2063 covers groundbreaking developments in the year 2063. It details the current state of genetics technology and corporate security, and describes advances in metamagic and mercenary operations. It also provides briefs on the latest trends in mainstream culture, sports and entertainment, with an eye towards shadowrunning opportunities. These sections include a selection of new gear, vehicles, techniques and rules for both players and gamemasters. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro The Shadows Never Stop New toys hit the street every week, omae. Wiz new tech to exploit security holes, flashy new guns to drill your opponents, wicked new adept fu to kick some major hoop. To keep up with the Johnsons, ya gotta scan what s coming down the pipe, otherwise you ll end up as the unfortunate example in a field-test report. State of the Art: 2064 examines the latest groundbreaking developments in five aspects of the Shadowrun world. It explores the current state of police technology, tactics and prisons and details the murky world of spycraft and political espionage. It also delves deeper into both adept characters, discussing new path, powers and metamagic, and European-specific magical traditions such as street witches. Finally, it provides briefs on the latest trends in mainstream culture, sports and entertainment, with an eye towards shadowrunning opportunities. These sections include a selection of new gear, techniques and rules for both players and gamemasters. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fanpro

Fanpro

Fanpro

Fanpro The Sky is Falling! The year 2061 marks the return of Halley's Comet and the 50th anniversary of the Awakening—do you celebrate or run for cover? Each day brings a new surprise. Will you transform into a genetic changeling or fall prey to a doomsday cult? Will you be in Denver when the dragon runs amok or in Japan when the Ring of Fire deals death to the Empire? Will you fight toxic spirits in the Yucatán or run from the walking dead? Year of the Comet shakes and stirs the world of Shadowrun, describing a series of events around which gamemasters and players can build entire adventures and campaigns. It details a new dragon, new spirits, and new genetic expressions that can affect your character. Year of the Comet is intended for gamemasters and players of all experience levels. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Fasa

Fasa Roleplaying Made Easy With the Shadowrun Quick Star Rules, you need nothing more than a vivid imagination and a handful of dice to jump into the world's most popular science-fiction/fantasy universe. An introduction for new players to the Shadowrun game system, Shadowrun Quick Start Rules provides all the rules you need to start playing. This book features background material, advice for beginners, eight pre-generated characters and a complete adventure so you can learn as you go. Shadowrun Quick Start Rules lets you dive right into the action. Welcome to the shadows, chummer!

Fasa

Fasa

W.G. Armintrout Tom Dowd Jerry Epperson John Faughnan Paul R. Hume James D. Long Lester W. Smith Ken St. Andre FASA

Stefan Fatsis Drawing on rare access to an NFL team’s players, coaches and facilities, the author of The New York Times bestseller Word Freak trains to become a professional-caliber placekicker. As he sharpens his skills, he gains surprising insight into the daunting challenges—physical, psychological, and intellectual—that pro athletes must master

In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis infiltrated the insular world of competitive Scrabble® players, ultimately achieving “expert” status (comparable to a grandmaster ranking in chess). Now he infiltrates a strikingly different subculture—pro football. After more than a year spent working out with a strength coach and polishing his craft with a gurulike kicking coach, Fatsis molded his fortyish body into one that could stand up—barely—to the rigors of NFL training. And over three months in 2006, he became a Denver Bronco. He trained with the team and lived with the players. He was given a locker and uniforms emblazoned with #9. He was expected to perform all the drills and regimens required of other kickers. He was unlike his teammates in some ways—most notably, his livelihood was not on the line as theirs was. But he became remarkably like them in many ways: He risked crippling injury just as they did, he endured the hazing that befalls all rookies, he gorged on 4,000 daily calories, he slogged through two-a-day practices in blistering heat. Not since George Plimpton’s stint as a Detroit Lion more than forty years ago has a writer tunneled so deeply into the NFL.

At first, the players tolerated Fatsis, or treated him like a mascot, but over time they began to think of him as one of them. And he began to think like one of them. Like the other Broncos—like all elite athletes—he learned to perfect a motion through thousands of repetitions, to play through pain, to silence the crowd’s roar, to banish self-doubt.

While Fatsis honed his mind and drove his body past exhaustion, he communed with every classic athletic type—the affable alpha male, the overpaid brat, the youthful phenom, the savvy veteran—and a welter of bracingly atypical players as well: a fullback who invokes Aristotle, a quarterback who embraces yoga, a tight end who takes creative writing classes in the off-season. Fatsis also witnessed the hidden machinery of a top-flight football franchise, from the God-is-in-the-details strategizing of legendary coach Mike Shanahan to the icy calculation with which the front office makes or breaks careers.

With wry candor and hard-won empathy, A Few Seconds of Panic unveils the mind of the modern pro athlete and the workings of a storied sports franchise as no book ever has before.

Boy F., Jr. Petersen John Faughnan

Timothy Ferris From the second-century celestial models of Ptolemy to modern-day research institutes and quantum theory, this classic book offers a breathtaking tour of astronomy and the brilliant, eccentric personalities who have shaped it. From the first time mankind had an inkling of the vast space that surrounds us, those who study the universe have had to struggle against political and religious preconceptions. They have included some of the most charismatic, courageous, and idiosyncratic thinkers of all time. In Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris uses his unique blend of rigorous research and captivating narrative skill to draw us into the lives and minds of these extraordinary figures, creating a landmark work of scientific history.

Timothy Ferris

Nigel Findley

Nigel Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Nigel D. Findley

Tom Wong Nigel D. Findley "A run in Hawaii, paradise of sun and surf, should be the answer to every shadowrunner's dream. But when runners need to track down a piece of valuable, stolen tech in the island kingdom, they find that bright, cheerful Hawai'i hides dark intrigues and darker dangers. Paradise Lost introduces player characters to the Kingdom of Hawai'i in 2055, and includes a sourcebook section describing Hawai'ian life."

Jean Pierce Brenda Fine This new and exciting guide will help both novice and experienced divers plan the underworld trip of their dreams. All types of diving environments are included, from coral reefs and kelp forests to shipwrecks, caverns, and caves. It includes exciting dives for advanced divers and also features:The best places to get certified and the top-rated dive centers worldwideDiver-friendly lodging from affordable to luxurious, plus other adventures to take while on shore

William Shatner David Fisher “It is now Bill Shatner’s universe—-we just live in it.”—-New York Daily News

After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. And it seems as if Shatner is everywhere. Winning an Emmy for his role on Boston Legal. Doing commercials for Priceline.com. In the movie theaters. Singing with Ben Folds. He’s sitting next to Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s practically a regular on Howard Stern’s show. He was recently honored with election to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. He was a target on a Comedy Central’s Celebrity Roast entitled “The Shat Hits the Fan.” In Up Till Now, Shatner sits down with readers and offers the remarkable, full story of his life and explains how he got to be, well, everywhere.

It was the original Star Trek series, and later its films, that made Shatner instantly recognizable, called by name—-or at least by Captain Kirk’s name—-across the globe. But Shatner neither began nor has ended his career with that role. From the very start, he took his skills as an actor and put them to use wherever he could. He straddled the classic world of the theater and the new world of television, whether stepping in for Christopher Plummer in Shakespeare’s Henry V or staring at “something on the wing” in a classic episode of The Twilight Zone. And since then, he’s gone on to star in numerous successful shows, such as T.J. Hooker, Rescue 911, and most recently Boston Legal.

William Shatner has always been willing to take risks for his art. What other actor would star in history’s first—-and probably only—-all-Esperanto-language film? Who else would share the screen with thousands of tarantulas, release an album called Has Been, or film a racially incendiary film in the Deep South during the height of the civil rights era? And who else would willingly paramotor into a field of waiting fans armed with paintball guns, all waiting for a chance to stun Captain…er, Shatner?

In this touching and very funny autobiography, William Shatner reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and how he’s become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.

R. C. Flannagan Retelling the Judeo-Christian story of creation, Milton provides an otherworldly look into the dialogue of God, Satan, and human beings. His subject is Adam's first disobedience to God and the loss of Eden. This dense classic has permeated and influenced thought for centuries.

Franklin Foer Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross–currents of today's world, with all its joys and its sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide–ranging work of reportage, Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between. How Soccer Explains the World is an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.

Al Franken

Arthur Frommer Don't gamble with your vacationbring along the Unofficial Guide!

Neil Gaiman Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident.

Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible.

He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever he the same...

Neil Gaiman All's not well in the Marvel Universe in the year 1602 as strange storms are brewing and strange new powers are emerging! Spider-Man, the X-Men, Nick Fury, Dr. Strange, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Black Widow, Captain America, and more appear in the waning days of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. As the world begins to change and enter into a new age, Gaiman weaves a thrilling mystery. How and why are these Marvel stars appearing nearly 400 years before they're supposed to? Collects Marvel 1602 #1-8.

Beth Moursund Richard Garfield In association with Wizards of the Coast, the creators of Magic: The Gathering, and the Magic experts at The Duelist (Wizards' official trading-card game magazine), Thunder's Mouth Press presents the next book in this reference series: Magic: The Gathering - The Official Encyclopedia Volume 4. With full-color reproductions of over 1,700 new Magic cards, it includes the full Urza's Saga and its two expansions. The new basic set, Sixth Edition, and Wizards of the Coast's "broken" expansion, Unglued, are also featured.

John Fisher Geoff Garvey The Rough Guide to Crete is the biggest, most detailed and most comprehensive guide to Crete available. Established leader in its field, now in its sixth edition. Knowledgeable yet accessible coverage of the famous sites, with historical background on the island''s Minoan past, including recent discoveries. It also illustrates Crete''s place in ancient Greek myth. The guide includes the lesser-known beaches and stretches of coastline and gives unrivalled detail on the mountains – including walking routes and unspoilt mountain villages. Sound coverage on wildlife and the environment, on Crete in literature, and on the island''s traditional music. It also includes all the practical information Rough Guides are so highly regarded for - full details of how to get there, how to get around – including local buses and boats – where to stay, and what to eat.

Carl Sargent Mark Gascoigne

Robin Gauldie The island of Crete is divided into three regions. Highlights of the central region include Crete's capital, Irakleio, as well as the archaeological sites of Knosos, Phaestos, Gortys and the resorts of Malia and Chersonisos. The western region profiles Rethymno, Chania, and Samaria Gorge while the eastern region focuses on the holiday resort of Agios Nikolaos.

Brain Campbell Scott Gearin A Geographical sourcebook for play in the Five Nations of the Eberron world. Five Nations™ offers players a rich source of information about playing and dealing with characters from the Five Nations of the Eberron world. As any play in the Eberron world is likely to involve the Five Nations or characters from them, the book is useful to anyone involved in an Eberron campaign. The individual nation chapters include information on culture, geography
(including maps), guilds and factions and, new prestige classes, equipment, creatures, spells, magic items, and adventure sites.

Alan Moore Dave Gibbons Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control—indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the finepace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up—it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. —MarkThwaite

Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid Keith Giffen After the INFINITE CRISIS, the DC Universe spent a yearwithout Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — a year in which those heroeswere needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance.52 combines the brightest and best talents from the comic book writingfield, Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STAR SUPERMAN),Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME), working togetherwith the world's finest artists to tell the tale of a world awakening froma nightmare to face a new day.The DC Universe's most eventful year continues in this latest volume of theacclaimed series with Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, Black Adam, TheElongated Man, Animal Man, Lobo, Starfire and Adam Strangetaking center stage.

Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid Keith Giffen

Ben Bova Dr. Sheldon Glashow

Bernard Goldberg The number one New York Times bestselling author of Bias delivers another bombshell—this time aimed at . . .

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

No preaching. No pontificating. Just some uncommon sense about the things that have made this country great—and the culprits who are screwing it up.

Bernard Goldberg takes dead aim at the America Bashers (the cultural elites who look down their snobby noses at "ordinary" Americans) . . . the Hollywood Blowhards (incredibly ditzy celebrities who think they're smart just because they're famous) . . . the TV Schlockmeisters (including the one whose show has been compared to a churning mass of maggots devouring rotten meat) . . . the Intellectual Thugs (bigwigs at some of our best colleges, whose views run the gamut from left wing to far left wing) . . . and many more.

Goldberg names names, counting down the villains in his rogues' gallery from 100 all the way to 1—and, yes, you-know-who is number 37. Some supposedly "serious" journalists also made the list, including the journalist-diva who sold out her integrity and hosted one of the dumbest hours in the history of network television news. And there are those famous miscreants who have made America a nastier place than it ought to be—a far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place.

But Goldberg doesn't just round up the usual suspects we have come to know and detest. He also exposes some of the people who operate away from the limelight but still manage to pull a lot of strings and do all sorts of harm to our culture. Most of all, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is about a country where as long as anything goes, as one of the good guys in the book puts it, sooner or later everything will go.

This is serious stuff for sure. But Goldberg will also make you laugh as he harpoons scoundrels like the congresswoman who thinks there aren't enough hurricanes named after black people, and the environmentalist to the stars who yells at total strangers driving SUVs—even though she tools around the country in a gas-guzzling private jet.

With Bias, Bernard Goldberg took us behind the scenes and exposed the way Big Journalism distorts the news. Now he has written a book that goes even further. This time he casts his eye on American culture at large—and the result is a book that is sure to become the voice of all those Americans who feel that no one is speaking for them on perhaps the most vital issue of all: the kind of country in which we want to live.

Justo L. Gonzalez

Ron Goor More than 300 scrumptious, heart-healthy recipes from the kitchen of the best-selling authors of Choose to Lose and Eater's Choice. Long acclaimed as the nation's leading authorities on healthful eating, Dr. Ron and Nancy Goor have assembled, for the first time under one cover, the finest recipes in their repertoire: appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, and desserts so delicious you won't believe they are actually good for you. To help you monitor dietary fat and cholesterol, each recipe is accompanied by a full analysis of calories and fat, and every one bears the user-friendly stamp that runs through all the Goors' books—and has made them million-copy bestsellers. The instructions are foolproof and clear, so even beginners will have no trouble turning our luscious, heart-healthy meals. Techniques have been streamlined, prep times have been minimized, and ingredients are available in any supermarket. Everyone can now eat well.

Rene Goscinny When the Romans take Huevos y Bacon’s son hostage, they discover that Little Pepe is a terrible handful. So maybe the legionnaires won’t mind so much when Asterix and Obelix save him. But along the way there’s lots of adventure, with Asterix inventing the art of bullfighting.

Robert Greene Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention—grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded—or been victimized by—power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

Matt Groening Painstakingly assembled and rigorously organized by that master of clutter, Matt Groening, this is not another mini-jumbo, hard-to-read, abbreviated compendium in that seemingly endless series of discourses on hell but a gargantuan historical extravaganza of ten years' worth of the everpopular "Life in Hell "RM" " cartoon strip, which still mysteriously appears weekly in several hundred newspapers tricoastally. Read the whole story of "Life in Hell "RM" ," from early prehistory to late last night.

Inc Alderac Entertainment Group "Over 900,000 words and 16 full color 22x17 in poster maps of adventure in the largest dungeon gaming has ever known!"

The dungeon adventure has been a staple of gaming since its earliest days. Now, AEG brings you the ultimate incarnation of this adventure classic: the World's Largest Dungeon! This colossal epic will take characters from neophyte dungeon crawling all the way to epic levels. Miles of passageways — filling a map the size of your living room - hold enough danger and excitement for years of adventuring. Every monster in the monster manual is included within its confines, all gathered into logical ecologies and never before seen diabolical hierarchies and encounters. If your group is serious enough to fight its way to the top, the World's Largest Dungeon is a challenge you can't pass up!

* The largest d20 system book ever made.
* Every monster in the SRD is included.
* Over 1,600 rooms and encounters.
* Unique encounters with tactics and advice for keeping the PCs on their toes.
* More gaming than you'll ever need.

Knopf Guides This opening fold-out contains a general map of Crete to help you visualize the 6 large districts discussed in this guide, and 4 pages of valuable information, handy tips and useful addresses.

Discover Crete through 6 districts and 6 maps

Héraklion/ Mount Ída
Haniá/ Lefká Óri
Western Crete
Réthymnon/ Messará Plain
Ágios Nikólaos/ Mount Díkti
Eastern Crete

For each district there is a double-page of addresses (restaurants — listed in ascending order of price — cafés, bars, markets, music venues and stores) followed by a fold-out map for the relevant area with the essential places to see (indicated on the map by a star *). These places are by no means all that Crete has to offer but to us they are unmissable. The grid-referencing system (A B2) makes it easy for you to pinpoint addresses quickly on the map.

Transportation and hotels in Crete
The last fold-out consists of a transportation map and 4 pages of practical information that include a selection of hotels.

A thematic index lists all the sites and addresses featured in this guide.

Daniel Yergin Thane Gustafson 2010: Russia disintegrates as its frontier regions rebel or drift into the orbit of neighboring countries. 2010: Russia is invigorated by an economic chudo — "miracle" — that turns it into a thriving exemplar of the free market. 2010: Russia becomes a grim military dictatorship, bent on expansion.

This brilliant and visionary book, which is based on a confidential report by the international consulting firm CERA, offers several persuasively detailed scenarios of Russia's future. Using the management technique of "scenario planning" and drawing on an extensive knowledge of Russia's political and economic history, Daniel Yergin and Thane Gustafson have produced a study that is already shaping the investment strategies of major corporations and that will become an essential text in the policy debates about the next century. Russia 2010 captures in a timely way the changes shaking Russia and the former Soviet Union after Communism. The result is one of those rare books that not only predict the future but have the power to change it.

Peter Hall

Peter F. Hamilton Peter Hamilton's space opera saga, which began with the RealityDysfunction, Part 1: Emergence and Part 2: Expansion, continues in The Neutronium Alchemist, another two-volume novel.Now the battle lines are clearly drawn, and more than half a dozen plot lines are charging ahead as humanity's galaxy-spanning culture faces a terrifying revelation: souls of the dead are returning from the beyond to possess the living.The living, though competent and brave in the best science fiction tradition, must contend with history's greatest generals and leaders, as well as some unexpected champions.Al Capone, it seems, makes an excellent interstellar emperor.How do you fight an enemy whose every soldier is also a hostage and who, if killed, will simply return to possess someone else?The dilemmas are not just technical, but moral, as people face the first real proof of life after death.This conflict is far broader, though, than a simple apocalyptic battle of good versus evil.Among the possessors are some good souls who fight the risen dead even though it's against their best interest.Conversely, plenty of the living see siding with the dead as an opportunity to further their own interests.Action, wonders, and mystery continue to characterize this high-quality series. —Brooks Peck

Peter F. Hamilton This is space opera on an epic scale, with dozens of characters, hundreds of planets, universe-spanning plots, and settings that range from wooden huts and muddy villages to sentient starships and newborn suns. It's also the first part of a two-volume book that is itself the first book of a series.There's no question that there's a lot going on here (too much to even begin to detail the plot), but Hamilton handles it all with an ease reminiscent of E. E. "Doc" Smith. The best way to describe it: it's big, it's good, and luckily there's plenty more on the way.

HarperCollins

Sam Harris An impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith.

This important and timely book delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world. Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes-heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of weapons of mass destruction, we can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion—an accommodation that only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach to solving the problems of this world.

Natalie Angier wrote in the New York Times: "The End of Faith articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated….Harris writes what a sizable number of us think, but few are willing to say."

Tony Hart The hidden dangers surrounding us.

Despite the confident strides of modern science, the threat of deadly unseen organisms such as viruses, bacteria and fungi still grip the imagination with their ferocious intensity.

For instance, resistant strains of bacteria can now survive the strongest antibiotics and deadly new biological weapons are being cooked up in laboratories worldwide.

Microterrors explores these threats as well as humanity's greatest living rivals that have been on the planet far longer than we have.

The introduction covers terms, definitions and a brief natural history, including the role of viruses in human evolution, as well as bioengineering and biological weapons. Microterrors then presents the truly terrifying rogues' gallery of invisible killers.

Dramatic life-like digital illustrations and computer-colored electron images provide mug book profiles of hundreds of naturally occurring and bioengineered microterrors, including: Ebola, bubonic plague, cholera, malariaBacteria: pneumonia, anthrax, botulismViruses: HIV, hepatitis, common coldFungi and blood and tissue diseases.

Each entry includes concise facts such as date of discovery and place of origin, period of incubation, symptoms and length of suffering, likelihood of death, treatments, vaccines and cures. (20041115)

Dale Henson

Will Hindmarch, Jeff Tidball "An unholy mixture of helpful guidebook and jabbing provocation, [Things We Think About Games] will earn its right to rattle around your brain. It is essential reading for designer, critic, and straight-up rank 'n' file gamer alike."
—Robin D. Laws, creator of HeroQuest and Feng Shui

Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball think a lot about games. At their commentary website, Gameplaywright.net, they think out loud about what it means to play games, make games, sell games, and love games. They are gamers.

Here, with fellow game designers and notable game players, they think out loud on paper in the first Gameplaywright book. Things We Think About Games collects dozens on dozens of bite-sized thoughts about games. From the absurd to the magnificent, the demonstrable to the dogmatic, this collection spans both the breadth of games—board, card, roleplaying and more—and the depth of gaming, offering insights about collecting, playing, critiquing, designing, and publishing.

Forward by Robin D. Laws
Introduction by Wil Wheaton

Includes the contributions of John August, Pat Harrigan, Fred Hicks, Kenneth Hite, John Kovalic, Michelle Nephew, Philip Reed, S. John Ross, Mike Selinker, and Noah Wardrip-Fruin.

Douglas Hofstadter Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this book applies Godel's seminal contribution to modern mathematics to the study of the human mind and the development of artificial intelligence.

John Hogue A new study of the papal prophesies of St. Malachy that reveals the fate of the final Pope . . . and of the Catholic Church.

The 12th century Irish seer St. Malachy prophesied an end to the Roman Catholic Church and predicted the fates of the Popes until Judgment Day. After John Paul II dies only two Popes remain on the Doomsday list . . . will this forbidding prophetic coda of a Catholic apocalypse be fulfilled?

In 1139 St. Malachy set out from Ireland on a harrowing pilgrimage to Rome. On sighting the Eternal City he fell to the ground and began murmuring cryptic Latin phrases, each signifying the future destiny of the Popes.

For four hundred years the manuscript was locked in the labyrinth of the Vatican. On its rediscovery in 1595 it was rejected by the Church authorities as fraudulent but the content of the prophecies remains remarkably and chillingly accurate: to this day 90 per cent have come true.

In examining the context of St. Malachy's life, his pilgrimages and his miracles, John Hogue presents a fascinating account of the fates of the Popes and eight hundred years of Catholic prophecy: including contemporaries, St. Hildegard von Bingen, Joachim de Fiore and Nostradamus, whose vision of the papal succession closely resembles that of St. Malachy.

In this first complete study of the prophecies in almost a hundred years, Hogue brings his expertise to new revelations regarding the authenticity of the mottoes. As the Roman Catholic Church continues to witness an eclipse in papal power this masterly work uncovers the truth about St. Malachy's prophecies and reveals their significance as an account of the papal progression which Vatican policy makers have found too threatening to acknowledge.

Dr. Susanna Holt This book introduces the glycemic index (GI) and shows how it can help you achieve good health through diet. Eating the specially selected low-GI recipes from this book on a daily basis will keep your heart healthy, help maintain glucose levels and in combination with a moderate amount of exercise, lead to healthy, sustained weight loss. This special selection of 150 delicious low-GI recipes is perfect for any occasion.

Dave Howell

Joyce Huber Jon Huber

Paul Hume

Paul R. Hume

Paul R. Hume

M.D. Mark Hyman For many, losing weight is a never-ending struggle — especially since our bodies are designed to keep weight on at all costs; it's a matter of survival. But a medical revolution is under way, showing us how to work with our bodies instead of against them to ignite the natural fat-burning furnaces that lie dormant within us. Drawing on the cutting-edge science of nutrigenomics — how food talks to our genes — Dr. Mark Hyman has created a way of losing weight by eating the right foods, which in turn sends the right messages to our bodies.

In this easy-to-follow eight-week plan based on each individual's unique genetic needs, Dr. Hyman explains how to customize your personal weight-loss program with menus, recipes, shopping lists, and recommendations for supplements and exercise. Ultimately, you will rebalance and stabilize your metabolism — an UltraMetabolism — to maintain weight loss and enjoy lifelong health.

Ice-T

David Icke David Icke's most powerful and explosive book so far. Every man, woman and child on the planet is affected by the stunning information that Icke exposes. He reveals in documented detail, how the same interconnecting bloodlines have controlled the planet for thousands of years. How they created all the major religions and suppressed the spiritual and esoteric knowledge that will set humanity free from its mental and emotional prisons.

Salvador Dali Salvador Dali Foundation Inc. Outrageous and enigmatic, Dal remains one of the twentieth centurys most popular artists. This book presents the complete paintings of the Salvador Dal Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, which houses the most comprehensive collection of Dals art in the world. It provides a unique overview of Dals career from his student days to his postwar fascination with history, science, and mysticism, and finally, his later, more cryptic works.

Lloyd Newman Lealan Jones David Isay Through two award-winning National Public Radio documentaries, and now thispowerful book, LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman have made it their mission to be loud voices from one of this country's darkest places, Chicago's Ida B. Wells housing project. Set against the stunning photographs of a talented young photographer from the projects, Our America evokes the unforgiving world of these two amazing young men, and their struggle to survive unrelenting tragedy. With a gift for clear-eyed journalism, they tell their own stories and others, including that of the death of Eric Morse, a five-year-old who was dropped to his death from the fourteenth floor of an Ida B. Wells apartment building by two other little boys.

Sometimes funny, often painful, but always charged with their dream of Our America, LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman reach out to grab your attention and break your heart.

James Jacobs Here There Be Monsters! For 24 years, Dragon Magazine's monster ecologies have detailed the fiercest and most fantastic creatures in the Dungeons & Dragons game. This compilation collects more than a dozen of the most popular ecologies from Dragon's recent history, including more fiendish details, vivid new art, an index of every ecology every published, and monster memories from some of the best-known designers and authors in fantasy, including China Mieville, R.A. Salvatore, Margaret Weis, Ed Greenwood, Monte Cook, and E. Gary Gygax. Monster lovers and adventures take heed! The details within might just save your life!

Paul Jaquays

Tim F. LaHaye Jerry B. Jenkins When the trumpet sounds, where will you be? Passengers in an airborne Boeing 747 find out in this riveting novel by renowned Christian speaker Tim LaHaye and master storyteller Jerry Jenkins. Without any warning, passengers mysteriously disappear from their seats. Terror and chaos slowly spread not only through the plane but also worldwide as unusual events continue to unfold. For those who have been left behind, the apocalypse has just begun. This fictional account of life after the Rapture delivers an urgent call to today's readers to prepare their own hearts and minister to others.

Lawrence E. Joseph Don’t look up

It won’t help. You can’t get out of the way, you can’t dig a hole deep enough to hide. The end is coming, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

So why read this book?
Because you can’t look away when not just the religious fanatics are saying we’re all going to be destroyed but the scientists are in on the act too. Here’s what they’re saying:

• We’re a million years over due for a mass extinction.

• The sun at radiation minimum is acting much worse than at solar maximum, and one misdirected spewing of plasma could fry us in an instant.

• The magnetic field—which shields us from harmful radiation—is developing a mysterious crack.

• Our solar system is entering an energetically hostile part of the galaxy.

• The Yellowstone supervolcano is getting ready to blow, and if it does, we can look forward to nuclear winter and 90 percent annihilation.

• The Maya, the world’s greatest timekeepers ever, say it’s all going to stop on December 21, 2012.

So, see? There’s nothing you can do, but you might as well sit back and enjoy the show.

That’s why you should read this book.

*****

Dear Reader,

If there were a chance that opening this book could set off a chain of events that would lead to Apocalypse, to the end of Life as we know it, would you be tempted? Finger poised uncertainly above the flashing red button? How about if the Apocalypse promised to result in a new age of enlightenment, a Heaven on Earth like never before?

Personally, I’ll take the security of my cozy life over a chance at nirvana. But status quo may no longer be an option, for any of us. This book will convince you that there is a nonnegligible chance that the year 2012 will be more tumultuous, catastrophic, and, quite possibly, revelatory, than any other year in human history.

Parts of this book are best read with a bowl of popcorn: looking into the jaws of a great white shark in search of the meaning of death; touring a picturesque Guatemalan town with Mayan shaman just weeks before it is utterly destroyed. Other sections go better with a tranquilizer, such as the impending eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano, or the mass extinction headed our way—on the scale of the great collision that destroyed the dinosaurs and 70 percent of all other species, our best scientists contend that it’s now overdue. Nail-biters should beware the fact that the next peak in the sunspot cycle, due in 2012, is widely expected to set records for the number and intensity of solar storms pummeling the Earth with radiation and igniting natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and Katrina-sized hurricanes. And that our entire solar system appears to be moving into a dangerous interstellar energy cloud.

Is it a coincidence that the burgeoning war between Christianity and Islam seems hell-bent for Armageddon? Or that numerous other religions, philosophies, and cultural traditions are signaling that the end is near, with 2012 emerging as the consensus target date? A new era is about to be born, with all the pain and blood and joy and release that birth naturally entails.

Facing oblivion, or at least mega-metamorphosis, is something that few of us are emotionally prepared to do. Thus my excuse for the gallows humor that pervades this story. In a memorable Mary Tyler Moore episode, Mary cracks up laughing at the funeral of Chuckles the Clown who, dressed as a peanut while marching in a parade, was shucked to death by an elephant. If Mary can giggle in the face of death, so can we.

With kind regards,
Lawrence E. Joseph

Thomas Kane

David Chart John Kasab Magic Reigns Supreme

Magic is the supreme power of Mythic Europe, and this tome of knowledge contains a whole host of new directions for magic. It features new templates for player character magi, essays that examine topics of concern to the wizardly class, rules for improving laboratories in a myriad of ways, sample magic items that demonstrate possibilities and save storyguide time, more than a hundred new spells for use in your Ars Magica saga, and much more.

As a revised edition, though, this supplement isn't just a reprint. In addition to updating the original Wizard's Grimoire for the Fourth Edition, this book includes a substantial portion of all new material. Completely new rules for faerie magic and a sizable expansion to the Fourth Edition's new book rules only scratch the surface. Truly, this is a must-have item for all players and storyguides who play Ars Magica Fourth Edition.

Andrew L. Kaufman Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, unarguably one of the most outstanding judges of the twentieth century, is a man whose name remains prominent and whose contributions to the law remain relevant. This first complete biography of the longtime member and chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals and Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States during the turbulent years of the New Deal is a monumental achievement by a distinguished interpreter of constitutional law.

Cardozo was a progressive judge who understood and defended the proposition that judge-made law must be adapted to modern conditions. He also preached and practiced the doctrine that respect for precedent, history, and all branches of government limited what a judge could and should do. Thus, he did not modernize law at every opportunity.

In this book, Kaufman interweaves the personal and professional lives of this remarkable man to yield a multidimensional whole. Cardozo's family ties to the Jewish community were a particularly significant factor in shaping his life, as was his father's scandalous career—and ultimate disgrace—as a lawyer and judge. Kaufman concentrates, however, on Cardozo's own distinguished career, including twenty-three years in private practice as a tough-minded and skillful lawyer and his classic lectures and writings on the judicial process. From this biography emerges an estimable figure holding to concepts of duty and responsibility, but a person not without frailties and prejudice.

Fanpro Rob Boyle Steve Kenson Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here "An old fixer once told me that shadowrunning is about going places you're not supposed to go. That's what gives us the buzz, right? The excitement of traveling to exotic and secret places, meeting interesting people, and extracting or killing them. Believe me, chummer, sometimes shadowrunning takes you to places you really don't want to go-and that you're lucky to get out of alive." Target: Wastelands is about hostile environments-places that are not just difficult for shadowrunners to penetrate, but dangerous to live in. This book details desert hideouts, toxic zones, Polar stations, deep sea aquacologies and orbital platforms, including information on how shadowrunners can get in, get out, and survive. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.

Stephen Kenson

Kraig Blackwelder Michael Goodwin Michael Kessler

J. Michael Straczynski Brian Michael Bendis Alex Maleev Ron Garney Mike McKone Tyler Kirkham Ripped from the pages of New Avengers, the Eisner Award-winning team of Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev present an explosive hidden story of Marvel's secret past, the secret history of Marvel's most secret team - how they came together and how they are ripped apart. Plus: Spidey's got a new lease on life, new powers and a new costume, courtesy of his new best friend Tony Stark. So what could possibly go wrong? With clouds quickly building on the horizon, the bonds that Spider-Man now forges may very well determine his capacity to withstand a coming storm. The Marvel Universe is about to split down the middle, and the line is drawn here! You will be asked: whose side are you on? Collects New Avengers: Illuminati; Amazing Spider-Man #529-531; Fantastic Four #536 & 537.

Robert Kirkman Torn from the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four! On an Earth shockingly similar to the Marvel Universe's, an alien virus has mutated all of the world's greatest super heroes into flesh-eating monsters! It took them only hours to destroy life as we know it - but what happens when they run out of humans to eat?! Follow their search for more food, and witness the arrival of the Silver Surfer! Collects Marvel Zombies #1-5.

Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar, Reginald Hudlin At last - experience the birth of the Marvel Zombies as told by the creative team of the best-selling limited series, and then witness their rise as they attempt to slake their hunger across two universes! First, Kirkman and Phillips pull out all the stops as they reveal the secret story of the day the Marvel Heroes became brain-eating monsters in Marvel Zombies: Dead Days! Next, follow the Marvel Zombies into the pages of Millar and Land's Ultimate Fantastic Four! When Reed Richards uses his scientific genius to contact an Earth in a surprisingly familiar parallel dimension, nothing could have prepared him for the world he's about to enter! And when the zombiefied FF escape from their Baxter Building prison in the wake of Dr. Doom's return, get ready for the deadly debut of the Frightful Four! Finally, in Hudlin and Portela's Black Panther, the mainstream Marvel Universe's New Fantastic Four just made a wrong turn on the dimensional super highway, and they've landed in the middle of Zombie-verse! Collects Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-23 and #30-32, and Black Panther #28-30.

Ed Brubaker Paul Jenkins Dan Slott Michael Avon Oeming Matt Fraction Robert Kirkman Ty Templeton Marc Guggenheim Lee Weeks Tom Raney Paul Smith Leinil Francis Yu David Aja Phil Hester Scott Kolins Civil War is encompassing the entire Marvel Universe, and the effects of the war are being felt by every hero, villain and civilian. In Civil War: Choosing Sides, five stories shine a spotlight on the wildcards and impact players whose part in the Civil War has yet to be told - including Daredevil/Iron Fist, U.S.Agent, the Irredeemable Ant-Man, Venom and even... Howard the Duck? Then in Winter Soldier: Winter Kills, James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America's one-time partner Bucky, faces his first Christmas of the 21st century - and the truth of the terrible things he was forced to do as the Winter Soldier. And with Cap caught in a conflict he can neither take a side of - or understand - what moves can he make to try to redeem himself? Later, in Civil War: The Return, two of the universe's greatest heroes are confronted with pasts they can't leave behind in two heart-rendering tales. On Earth, the Sentry confronts his inner demons as the shadows of past and future battles tear him apart. Within The Negative Zone, the walls of 42 are pulled back to reveal the return of one of the Marveldom's greatest heroes. And in She-Hulk, Civil War threatens the rights of every American super hero. So whose side will Marvel's top superhuman lawyer fight for? And how can she possibly choose, when she feels one way as She-Hulk, and another as Jen Walters? Collects Winter Soldier: Winter Kills, Civil War: Choosing Sides, Civil War: The Return and She-Hulk #8

Keith Giffen Christos Gage Stuart Moore Andrea Divito Giuseppe Camuncoli Mike McKone Scott Kolins The epic collection of the cosmic event concludes! One empire has fallen. Two heroes are dead. It all comes together here! Individually, the Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, Ronan and Nova have faced down the Annihilation Wave...and lost! Now, they must unite those who remain or die by Annihilus' hand! The Annihilation has only begun! Plus: Get caught up on all the players in the Annihilation event - Annihilus, Nova, Ronan, the Silver Surfer, the Super-Skrull, Thanos and more - courtesy of the Xandarian Worldmind files of the Nova Corps! Collecting Annihilation #1-6, Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus #1-2, and the Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files handbook.

Michael Konik A fearless gambler who got breast implants to win a $100,000 bet. A hard-core dice shooter who turned a borrowed stake of $10,000 into $17 million. A marketing genius who developed a "900" line for selecting winners of NFL football games-and had his 4-year-old son make the picks. These are some of the characters that populate Michael Konik's The Man With the $100,000 Breasts and Other Gambling Stories, a collection of the renowned gambling writer's best magazine pieces.

Konik, the long-time gambling columnist for Cigar Aficionado, ushers readers into the arena of risk and reward, introducing them to the subculture of high rollers, hustlers, professional card counters, horse handicappers, and poker champions. These stories take you to the final table of the World Series of Poker where a $1 million prize awaits the winner, to a secret golf course reserved for the biggest gamblers in Las Vegas, and to the inner sanctum of an international bookmaking operation.

Konik profiles America's greatest golf hustler and most accomplished blackjack cheat. He reveals the best and worst games in the casino. And he shares some of his own hilarious attempts at achieving gambling nirvana. Entertaining and stylish, The Man With the $100,000 Breasts and Other Gambling Stories is a literary look inside the world of gambling.

Michael Konik is the gambling columnist for Cigar Aficionado. His work has also appeared in more than 100 magazines and newspapers worldwide, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, GQ, Elle, Travel and Leisure, Forbes FYI, and Men's Journal. He is an editor of Delta Air Lines Sky, where his monthly column, "Tee Time," has been honored by the Golf Writers Association of America. A resident of Los Angeles, Konik is a regular visitor to Las Vegas and has won numerous blackjack and poker tournaments, as well as the occasional sports bet.

Melvin Konner First published twenty years ago to great acclaim, The Tangled Wing soon became a must-read for anyone interested in the biological roots of human behavior and emotions. Since then however, revolutions have taken place in the biological sciences—not only in genetics but molecular biology and neuroscience as well. All of these innovations have been brought into account in this vastly expanded edition of a book originally called an "overwhelming achievement" by the Times Literary Supplement.

In a masterful synthesis of biology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, Konner delves unabashedly into the seat of human emotions. He shows what is "natural" and what is merely construct. His discussion and analysis are both sensitive and straightforward, ranging from such compelling topics as brain differences between the sexes to the roots of mental illness. Finally, in a stirring tribute to the human spirit, he demonstrates how our tremendous capacity for change illuminates our prospects for the future.

Notes and References
Complete notes and references for The Tangled Wing are available online in either PDF or HTML format, at www.henryholt.com/tangledwing

Jim Krueger Eisner Award-winning painter Alex Ross has stunned fanstime and again with his artwork in books including KINGDOM COME andTHE WORLD'S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES. Now one of comics' greatestartists turns his attention to the greatest heroes of the DC Universe: theJustice League of America! In this volume, a conspiracy of villains has found a way to defeat theJustice League, while looking like heroes to the public. Will the JLA'sreserve members be enough to turn the tide against the villains?

Tom Dowd Chris Kubasik

George Frederick Kunz Foremost gemologist presents definitive study of the magical abilities and strange characteristics of precious stones. Wide range of sources — Greek, Latin documents, medieval lapidaries, Eddas, Egyptian writings, Oriental gem books, the Bible — reveal magic, occult, medicinal and religious uses of dozens of gems. 65 plates, 8 in color.

Mark Kurlansky Mark Kurlansky, the bestselling author of Cod and The Basque History of the World, here turns his attention to a common household item with a long and intriguing history: salt. The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities, provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Kurlansky's kaleidoscopic history is a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.

Theodore Lau Now in its fourth edition, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes remains the definitive, classic work on this fascinating subject and artfully combines the Eastern lunar calendar with Western solar-based astrology.

Discover which of the twelve animal signs you are and how "the animal that hides in your heart" influences your outlook on life and your relationships with others. Find out the effects of the five elements, the four seasons, and the ascendant signs based on the hour of your birth. Look to the future and learn how you are likely to fare in each of the years well into millennium. Read the personality profiles of East and West combinations, as well as the chapter on the 144 marriage combinations to see the relationships between the twelve lunar signs.

Theodora Lau makes it simple to understand and to chart your own horoscopes. Featuring a new chapter on choosing the right wedding date, this updated edition will continue to delight seasoned astrologers and interested novices alike, as it has done for the past twenty years.

Tanith Lee

Annie Leibovitz

Alex Ross Jim Krueger John Paul Leon Great epics come along only once in a long while. Stories that push the normal boundaries and force the reader to think. Stories so powerful in message and so grand in scale that the guidelines by which such tales are usually judged are completely rearranged. Spawned from the brilliant creative mind of Alex Ross, Earth X is one such epic. Along with writer Jim Krueger and artist John Paul Leon, Ross breathes life into and gives amazing detail to every facet of the Earth X mythos - made evident by everything from his early conceptual pencil sketches to each of his fourteen beautifully painted covers. Earth X explores the depths and heights of the Marvel Universe, from the roots of its humble beginnings to the peak of its ultimate potential. Collects Earth X #0, 1-12.

Jimmy A. Lerner A memoir of astonishing power–the true story of a middle-class, middle-aged man who fell into the Inferno of the American prison system, and what he has to do to survive.

It is your worst nightmare. You wake up in an 8' x 6' concrete-and-steel cell designated "Suicide Watch #3.." The cell is real. Jimmy Lerner, formerly a suburban husband and father, and corporate strategic planner and survivor, is about to become a prison "fish," or green new arrival. Taken to a penitentiary in the Nevada desert to begin serving a twelve-year term for voluntary manslaughter, this once nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn ends up sharing a claustrophobic cell with Kansas, a hugely muscled skinhead with a swastika engraved on his neck and a serious set of issues. And if he dares complain, the guards will bluntly tell him, "You got nothing coming."

Bringing us into a world of petty corruption, racial strife, and crank-addicted neo-Nazis, Jimmy Lerner gives us a fish’s progress: a brash, compelling, and darkly comic story peopled with characters who are at various times funny, violent, and surprisingly tender. His rendering of prison language is mesmerizingly vivid and exact, and his search for a way not simply to survive but to craft a new way to live, in the most unpropitious of circumstances, is a tale filled with resilience, dignity, and a profound sense of the absurd. In the book’s climax, we learn just what demonic set of circumstances–a compound of bad luck and worse judgment–led him to the lethal act of self-defense that landed him in a circle of an American hell.

Electrifying, unforgettable, bracingly cynical, and perceptive, You Got Nothing Coming is impossible to put down or shake off. What the cult favorite Oz is to television, this book is to prose–and all of the events are real.

David Letterman

David; O'Donnell, Steve Letterman

Mark Leyner In this fiendishly original new novel, Mark Leyner is a leather-blazer-wearing, Piranha 793-driving, narcotic-guzzling monster who has potential rivals eliminated by his bionically enhanced bodyguards, has his internal organs tattooed, and eavesdrops on the erotic fantasies of Victoria's Secret models — which naturally revolve around him.

Leyner's jet-propelled roller derby through the cultures of celebrity, cyberpunk, and rabid egotism is exhilaratingly bizarre, exhaustingly funny — and you'd better hope it's just fiction.

Alan Moore David Lloyd

John Mitchinson John Lloyd Think Magellan was the first man to circumnavigate the globe, baseball was invented in America, Henry VIII had six wives, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong again.

Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flawed facts finally get the heave-ho in this humorous, downright humiliating book of reeducation based on the phenomenal British bestseller. Challenging what most of us assume to be verifiable truths in areas like history, literature, science, nature, and more,

The Book of General Ignorance is a witty “gotcha” compendium of how little we actually know about anything. It’ll have you scratching your head wondering why we even bother to go to school.

Revealing the truth behind all the things we think we know but don’t, this book leaves you dumbfounded about all the misinformation you’ve managed to collect during your life, and sets you up to win big should you ever be a contestant on Jeopardy! or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Besides righting the record on common (but wrong) myths like Captain Cook discovering Australia or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone, The Book of General Ignorance also gives us the skinny on silly slipups to trot out at dinner parties (Cinderella wore fur, not glass, slippers and chicken tikka masala was invented in Scotland, not India).

Thomas Edison said that we know less than one millionth of one percent about anything: this book makes us wonder if we know even that much.

You’ll be surprised at how much you don’t know! Check out THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE for more fun entries and complete answers to the following:

How long can a chicken live without its head?
About two years.

What do chameleons do?
They don’t change color to match the background. Never have; never will. Complete myth. Utter fabrication. Total Lie. They change color as a result of different emotional states.

Who invented champagne?
Not the French.

How many legs does a centipede have?
Not a hundred.

How many toes has a two-toed sloth?
It’s either six or eight.

How many penises does a European earwig have?
a)Fourteen
b)None at all
c)Two (one for special occasions)
d)Mind your own business

Which animals are the best-endowed of all?
Barnacles. These unassuming modest beasts have the longest penis relative to their size of any creature. They can be seven times longer than their body.

What is a rhino’s horn made from?
A rhinoceros horn is not, as some people think, made out of hair.

Who was the first American president?
Peyton Randolph.

What were George Washington’s false teeth made from?
Mostly hippopotamus.

What was James Bond’s favorite drink?
Not the vodka martini.

John Loengard

The Onion Scott Dikkers Mike Loew The Onion has quickly become the world's most popular humor publication, misinforming half a million readers a week with one-of-a-kind social satire both in print (on newsstands nationwide) and online from its remote office in Madison, Wisconsin.

Witness the march of history as Editor-in-Chief Scott Dikkers and The Onion's award-winning writing staff present the twentieth century like you've never seen it before.

James D. Long

Simon Lovell Gambling is more popular than ever, with multi-million dollar poker tournaments on television, gambling themed movies like Rounders gaining in popularity, and casinos opening in just about every state of the U.S. How to Cheat at Everything is a roller-coaster ride through bar bets, street hustles, carnivals, Internet fraud, big and small cons, card and dice games and more. You'll even find the exact frauds that the NYPD regard as the most common and dangerous today, and learn top tips on how to avoid each one. This inside information comes from Lovell's lifetime of experience in the field, along with additional information from both sides of the law. Not just a "here's how the con works" book; this guides you through the set up, the talk, the sell, everything about the con, and how you can be suckered into one. If you think that you can't be conned; then you are already halfway to being so! There is no preaching here, just a fun ripping ride through a world so few know about. You'll meet wild, eccentric and larcenous characters and you'll learn how they work their money-making deeds, all without having to risk a penny of your own money.

James Lowder In Hobby Games: The 100 Best, the top designers, authors and publishers in the hobby games field write about the most enjoyable and cleverly designed games of the last 50 years. Their essays cover the spectrum of the hobby market, from role-playing games to collectible card games, miniatures games to wargames to board games, with titles both familiar and esoteric. Writers include such legendary designers as Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons; Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering and Larry Harris, creator of Axis and Allies; best-selling authors R. A. Salvatore, Tracy Hickman, Ed Greenwood, and Michael Stackpole; computer industry notables Bruce Shelley of Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) and Jack Emmert of Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes); as well as dozens of other noteworthy and award-winning creators. Hobby Games: The 100 Best also features a foreword by board game legend Reiner Knizia and an afterword by wargame legend James F. Dunnigan.

Brian Lowry Don't hide from the truth — you'll find it in here

For inside information on TV's hottest show, turn to this unique compendium of The X-Files facts and figures. Everything you must know is in here, including:

* A complete and detailed episode guide

* Scores of never-before-seen photos

* A look behind the scenes and on the set

* Fascinating stories that trace the show's origin, including interviews with creator Chris Carter, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson — everyone in front of and behind the camera that brings The X-Files to life

* Biographies of cast and crew

* A detailed look at the extraordinary special effects, who creates then, and how they are done

* Character studies of Mulder and Scully — as well as detailed breakdowns of favorite villains and recurring characters

* Plus, intriguing trivia and sidebars of "Mulderisms" and "Scullyisms"

Your passport to the unknown is here.

Bruce Baugh Rebecca Brogstrom Bradley Kayl Michelle Lyons Ex Machina d20 is the ultimate cyberpunk genre and setting book for the d20 System! In addition to an extensive treatment of cyberpunk role-playing rules and options, this hardcover book features four dynamic and distinct settings that range from the grim-and-gritty far future to a dystopian world 90 minutes from now.

Mark C. MacKinnon Featuring a scalable system, point-based character creation, and intuitive combat and task resolution, Tri-Stat: Core System is an inexpensive exploration into essential and advanced role-playing techniques and methods.

Joao Magueijo What if the speed of light—now accepted as one of the unchanging foundations of modern physics—were not constant? Brilliant young physicist João Magueijo puts forth the heretical idea that light once traveled faster, in the very early days of the universe—an idea that may dethrone Einstein and forever change our understanding of the universe. Solving the most intractable problems of cosmology in one brilliant leap, Magueijo’s varying-speed-of-light theory (VSL) could have truly marvelous implications for space travel, black holes, time dilation, and string theory—and could help uncover the grand unified theory that ultimately eluded Einstein. Faster Than the Speed of Light tells the remarkable story of Magueijo’s struggle to understand how the universe works, to challenge long-established ideas, and to fight to have his bold new vision accepted.

Malhavoc

Malachi Martin In The Jesuits, Malachi Martin reveals for the first time the harrowing behind-the-scenes story of the "new" worldwide Society of Jesus. The leaders and the dupes; the blood and the pathos; the politics, the betrayals and the humiliations; the unheard-of alliances and compromises. The Jesuits tells a true story of today that is already changing the face of all our tomorrows.

Steve Martin

Steve Martin Steve Martin has always been one of the most intelligent of comedians (you won't find Adam Sandler writing a play about Einstein and Picasso anytime soon), but this intelligence is manifested in gymnastically absurdist flights of fancy, rather than the politically informed riffs typical of performers like Lenny Bruce. Pure Drivel is a collection of pieces, most of them written for the New Yorker, that demonstrate Martin's playful way with words and his unerring ability to create a feeling of serendipitous improvisation even on the printed page. Here's a passage from a piece that announces a shortage of periods in the Times Roman font: "Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts—and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry—resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side—and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!" Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations. —Simon Leake

Martin E. Marty

Philip McGregor

Sean McMullen It is the fortieth century. In McMullens glittering, dynamic, exotic future a faint mirrorsun hangs in the night sky, a mysterious siren Call lures people to their death, and an ancient, forgotten device threatens the world with a new ice age. Only one man knows whats behind it all and how to stop it, but he has mysteriously disappearedand time is running out.

Andy Meisler One of the most popular and critically acclaimed TV shows in recent years, The X-Files, created by Chris Carter and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, continues to break new ground in dramatic series television. I Want to Believe is the authoritative, fact-packed episode guide to the fourth season of this Emmy award-winning series no X-phile can be without. Inside fans find:

Greatly expanded, richly detailed synopses for each episode—including plot twists, dialogue, and action sequences

Exclusive interviews with Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson, and David Duchovny—plus dozens of writers, producers, guest stars, and crew members

Complete cast and credit lists

Air dates and Nielsen ratings for each episode

An international X-FIles viewing guide

The most up-to-date information on The X-Files'intricate, fascinating "Mythology"

Plus hundreds of behind-the-scenes insights into the series' creative process, popularity, growth, and its influence on popular culture around the world

A four-color foldout poster detailing The X-Files mythology as revealed over the past four seasons

Johann Baptist Metz Johann Baptist Metz, founder of political theology in Europe, is one of the most significant Roman Catholic theologians working since the Second Vatican Council. In A Passion for God, J. Matthew Ashley edits and translates the most important of Metz's recent essays previously unavailable in English. This compelling and diverse collection reflects on such issues as the crucial place of memory in Christian faith and in society as a whole, the role of religious in the Church, the meaning of the mystical virtue of poverty of spirit and the relationship between Christianity and politics in modernity. A Passion for God includes an introduction by Ashley that surveys Metz's career in the context of postconciliar Catholic theology and offers the reader helpful advice for understanding Metz's work. Those interested in the various aspects of North American liberation as well as political or public theology will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

Ben Mezrich It's Friday night and you're on a red-eye to the city of sin. Strapped to your chest is half a million dollars; in your overnight bag is another twenty-five thousand in blackjack chips; and your wallet holds ten fake IDs. As soon as you land in Las Vegas, you are positive you are being investigated and followed. To top it all off, the IRS is auditing you, someone has been going through your mail — and you have a multivariable calculus exam on Monday morning. Welcome to the world of an exclusive group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the casinos for over three million dollars — while still finding time for college keg parties, football games, and final exams.

In the midst of the go-go eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic MIT students joined a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world. While their classmates were working long hours in labs and libraries, the blackjack team traveled weekly to Las Vegas and other glamorous gambling locales, with hundreds of thousands of dollars duct-taped to their bodies. Underwritten by shady investors they would never meet, these kids bet fifty thousand dollars a hand, enjoyed VIP suites and other upscale treats, and partied with showgirls and celebrities.

Handpicked by an eccentric mastermind — a former MIT professor and an obsessive player who had developed a unique system of verbal cues, body signals, and role-playing — this one ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars from corporate Vegas, making them the object of the casinos' wrath and eventually targets of revenge. Here is their inside story, revealing their secrets for the first time.

Master storyteller Ben Mezrich takes you from the ivory towers of academia to the Technicolor world of Las Vegas, where anything can happen — and often does. Bringing Down the House launches you into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas — deep into the realm of back rooms, ever-present video cameras, private investigators, and the threats and tactics of pit bosses and violent heavies. Equipped with twenty different aliases and disguises, the group of young card counters struggles around these roadblocks to live the high life — until one fateful day when Vegas violently follows them home to Boston. Suddenly, there can be no more hiding behind false identities; the high life folds like a bad hand of cards.

Filled with tense action and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a real-life mix of Liar's Poker and Ocean's Eleven — and it's a story Vegas doesn't want you to read.

Mark Millar This CD Contains a Collection of Superman Radio Shows.

Mark Millar A teenager is climbing walls in Manhattan. Mutants are attacking the White House. Nick Fury, head of the elite espionage agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., knows the only way to combat these strange new threats is with a team of hisown superhumans. Backed by a billion-dollar budget, Fury recruits Giant Man, the Wasp, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. And while the team is strong enough to engage in a ferocious battle with the Hulk, will they implode under the weight of their internal conflicts? Rising above their own agendas, the Ultimates forge ahead with the introduction of new allies and face a major global threat. Collects THE ULTIMATES VOL.1: SUPER-HUMAN and THE ULTIMATES VOL. 2: HOMELAND SECURITY. PLUS: A hefty helping of DVD-Style extras!

Dennis Miller There's good news for those that rage at the  evening news, shake their heads at Washington's  business-as-usual, or watch as politicians carom from  social crisis to political crisis to economic  crisis: Dennis Miller is back, and he means to shake the  nation by its lapels.

Miller respects no  boundaries. Whether the subject is dope-addled  baseball players who can no longer swing their bats,  do-nothing politicians who devote their careers to  creating meaningful sound bites, or the nation's  resigned acceptance of violence as a way of  American life, these thematically arranged monologues are  funny and angry. More significantly, they shatter  the conventions of comedy by simultaneously making  us laugh, think, and seethe.

Frank Miller Criminals have always called the shots in Sin City, whether bootleggers, gamblers, or politicians. But ever since the first dame set up shop in Old Town, those side-streets have been run by the women who walk the night. It's been a delicate truce, but now there's a messy body and the mob's looking to reclaim those licentious streets. They're going to have to put down a tight band of dangerous women and a guy named Dwight to do it. Now Dwight, he knows something that the mob's gotta learn the hard way: sometimes standing up for your friends means killing a whole lot of people...

Frank Miller The most diverse volume of Sin City material available, Booze, Broads, & Bullets, showcases Frank Miller's vignettes and color experiments from throughout the years of his groundbreaking crime series, and includes art created especially for the original collection. A good entry point for new readers wondering what Sin City is all about - or longtime readers who can't get enough - Miller has painted a gritty, decadent, and gloriously dirty portrait. Have a taste of the city ... just one little taste. Just one.

Frank Miller It's one of those hot nights, dry and windless. The kind that makes people do sweaty, secret things. Dwight's thinking of all the ways he's screwed up and what he'd give for one clear chance to wipe the slate clean, to dig his way out of the numb gray hell that is his life. And he'd give anything. Just to cut loose. Just to feel the fire. One more time. And then Ava calls.

Frank Miller Marking a departure for Miller from an entire career of serialized stories, this 128-page epic spilled out of him all at once... and you can't help but read it the same way! Family Values is a milestone among Miller's work, allowing him enough room to tell this classic story of grit and revenge exactly the way he wanted to. With deadly Miho running on roller-blades, Dwight running on adrenaline, and the Sin City mob on clean-up detail, this yarn from the Town Without Pity is not to be missed.

Frank Miller Legendary artist Frank Miller opened a noir opus in Sin City. This critically-acclaimed triumph-honored by both an Eisner Award and the prestigious National Cartoonists' Award-combines the pulp intensity of writers like Spillane and Cain with the gritty graphic storytelling that only Miller can deliver. Sin City is the place-tough as leather and dry as tinder. Love is the fuel, and the now-infamous character Marv has the match ... not to mention a "condition." He's gunning after Goldie's killer, so it's time to watch this town burn! Frank Miller is one of modern comic's first talents to publish a comic book that he created, crafted, and owned. That book is Sin City, which grew from the wellspring of Miller's passionate desire to create a comic book with two distinct qualities - it wouldn't be a superhero comic, and it had to be a crime comic. Enter Marv and Goldie. And a psychotic killer. And a crime-drenched town. And a corrupted diocese. Sin City is a town like no other, but most places resemble it in one way or another. In real life, thugs live everywhere and women sell their bodies all the time, but if everyday life is a storm, Sin City exists in the eye of a hurricane.

Frank Miller In the Town Without Pity, good men are hard to find. Enter Wallace, a man of mystery. He's a nice guy who's very good at killing people. Out for an evening drive along the beach, he meets the woman of his dreams - and she's trying to kill herself. Why? And who are the shadowy cabal of power brokers who wrench her from his arms? When will all hell break loose? Comics legend Frank Miller, creator of the groundbreaking Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, pounds out his longest Sin City graphic novel to date - a bare-knuckle barrage of brutal action, dark secrets, and heroic sacrifice. What the hell - it's a love story! The most recent story in Miller's gritty crime saga, Hell and Back includes color sections and pinups by a who's who of comics luminaries.

Frank Miller Just one hour to go. Hartigan's polishing his badge and working himself up to kissing it goodbye, it and the thirty-odd years of protecting and serving, tears, blood, and triumph that it represents. He's thinking about his wife's smile, about the thick, fat steaks she's picked up at the butcher's, about the bottle of champagne she's got packed in ice, about sleeping in 'til ten in the morning and spending sunny afternoons flat on his back. But with one hour left to go, he gets word about that one loose end he hasn't tied up: a young girl who's helpless in the hands of a drooling lunatic. Just one hour to go ... and Hartigan's gonna go out with a bang.

John Milton John Milton's Paradise Lost reveals much about the relationship between God, the world, and the human race. For Milton, the human condition consists of a tension between demonic and sacred vices. Thus, the human race stands divided against itself and is forever expelled from Eden.

The title, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Interpretations series, presents the most important 20th-century criticism on John Milton’s Paradise Lost through extracts of critical essays by well-known literary critics. This collection of criticism also features a short biography on John Milton, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

Michael Moore Americans today are working harder, working longer and yet for most of us, in this time of ruthless downsizing and political cronyism, job security, a decent standard of living and a comfortable retirement are becoming harder and harder to find. In this brilliantly funny and right-on-target diatribe, irreverent everyman Michael Moore gives his own bold views on who's behind the fading of the American dream.

Whether issuing Corporate Crook trading cards, organizing a Rodney King Commemorative Riot, sending a donation to Pat Buchanan from the John Wayne Gacy fan club (which was accepted) or trying to commit former right-wing congressman Bob Dornan to a mental hospital, the in-your-face host of TV Nation and director/star of Roger & Me combines an expansive wit with biting social commentary to make you think and laugh at the same time.

In hardcover, Downsize This! stormed the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle and others. Given Michael Moore's enormous — and growing — constituency, this trade paperback edition brings his unique perspective on the nation to an even greater audience.

Chris Moriarty From a stunning new voice in hard science fiction comes the thrilling story of one woman’s quest to wrest truth from chaos, love from violence, and reality from illusion in a post-human universe of emergent AIs, genetic constructs, and illegal wetware...

Spin State

UN Peacekeeper Major Catherine Li has made thirty-seven faster-than-light jumps in her lifetime—and has probably forgotten more than most people remember. But that’s what backup hard drives are for. And Li should know; she’s been hacking her memory for fifteen years in order to pass as human. But no memory upgrade can prepare Li for what she finds on Compson’s World: a mining colony she once called home and to which she is sent after a botched raid puts her on the bad side of the powers that be. A dead physicist who just happens to be her cloned twin. A missing dataset that could change the interstellar balance of power and turn a cold war hot. And a mining “accident” that is starting to look more and more like murder...

Suddenly Li is chasing a killer in an alien world miles underground where everyone has a secret. And one wrong turn in streamspace, one misstep in the dark alleys of blackmarket tech and interstellar espionage, one risky hookup with an AI could literally blow her mind.

Beth Moursund The Official Encyclopedia Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off. This collector's edition cover features Ivory Charm from the Mirage series.

Beth Moursund

Beth Moursund

Michael Muevihill Reality is for those who lack imagination Connect to the world-wide net known as the Matrix and create a universe of your own. No matter what your status in the real world - megacorp president or synthmeat street vendor - you can be the lord of all you can imagine. Access virtual clubs and test your skills in total-reality games. Ransack massive databases and pillage corporate systems for paydata - and try to stay alive long enough to enjoy the results. Matrix expands on the basic decking rules provided in Shadowrun, Third Edition, and offers advanced rules for programming, deck construction, system security and accessing the Matrix. Matrix includes rules for information searches and new updates on artificial intelligences and otaku characters.

Michael Mulvihill Sharon Turner Mulvihill Rigger 3, the advanced vehicle book revised for Shadowrun, 3rd Edition, offers rules for designing unique vehicles, using state-of-the-art sensors and electronic countermeasures, running a smuggling operation, and everything else that can be done in or with a vehicle. This rules supplement replaces Rigger 2.

Steve Kenson Cruz Diane Piron-Gelman Sharon Turner Mulvihill

Zach Bush Jennifer Brandes Chris Hepler Chris Hussey Jonathan Jacobson Steve Kenson Linda Naughton Brian Schoner Michael Mulvihill

Patrick Nagel

James Nohrnberg

William F. Nolan

Robert Siegel Onion Staff The Onion “The Onion is laugh-out-loud, go-tell-your-friends, get-angry-you-didn’t-think-of-it funny.”
–Conan O’Brien

“Outside of maybe Dario Fo, an Italian who few are sure exists, the Onion people make the most consistently perfect and excoriating social commentary we currently have. But will those Nobel bastards honor them, too? Only God, our merciless and just God, knows.”
–Dave Eggers

“The funniest publication in the United States.”
–The New Yorker

“This publication is tasteless and destructive to our shared values. Read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean. Seriously, what else could make me laugh–much less laugh uproariously–while being offended week after week after week?”
–Al Gore

“The Onion is the funniest thing in news since Dan Rather’s spooky stare.”
–Matt Groening

“Brutal satire that rushes into the far reaches of race, class, sexuality, and culture where many publications–and critics–fear to tread.”
–Chicago Tribune

“The Onion, unlike any other entity in our media culture, offers a refreshingly honest look at our complicated life.”
–Ken Burns

Richard Erdoes Alfonso Ortiz Gathering 160 tales from 80 tribal groups to offer a rich and lively panarama of the Native American mythic heritage. 100 drawings.

George Orwell In 1936 Orwell went to Spain to report on the Civil War and instead joined the fight against the Fascists. This famous account describes the war and Orwell’s experiences. Introduction by Lionel Trilling.

Milorad Pavic A national bestseller, Dictionary of the Khazars was cited by The New York Times Book Review as one of the best books of the year. Written in two versions, male and female (both available in Vintage International), which are identical save for seventeen crucial lines, Dictionary is the imaginary book of knowledge of the Khazars, a people who flourished somewhere beyond Transylvania between the seventh and ninth centuries. Eschewing conventional narrative and plot, this lexicon novel combines the dictionaries of the world's three major religions with entries that leap between past and future, featuring three unruly wise men, a book printed in poison ink, suicide by mirrors, a chimerical princess, a sect of priests who can infiltrate one's dreams, romances between the living and the dead, and much more.

Mark Pendergrast Of all human inventions, the mirror is perhaps the one most closely connected to our own consciousness. As our first technology for contemplation of the self, the mirror is arguably as important an invention as the wheel. Mirror Mirror is the fascinating story of the mirror's invention, refinement, and use in an astonishing range of human activities—from the fantastic mirrored rooms that wealthy Romans created for their orgies to the mirror's key role in the use and understanding of light. Pendergrast spins tales of the 2,500year mystery of whether Archimedes and his "burning mirror" really set faraway Roman ships on fire; the medieval Venetian glassmakers, who perfected the technique of making large, flat mirrors from clear glass and for whom any attempt to leave their cloistered island was punishable by death; Isaac Newton, whose experiments with sunlight on mirrors once left him blinded for three days; the artist David Hockney, who holds controversial ideas about Renaissance artists and their use of optical devices; and George Ellery Hale, the manic-depressive astronomer and telescope enthusiast who inspired (and gave his name to) the twentieth century's largest ground-based telescope. Like mirrors themselves, Mirror Mirror is a book of endless wonder and fascination.

Steve Kenson Ramon Perez Mutants & Masterminds has been called "the best, most exciting superhero RPG in years." It sets "new standards in design and presentation." It has won multiple ENnie and Pen & Paper Awards and it appeared on every critic's "best of" list for 2002. Now the World's Greatest Super-hero Roleplaying Game is even better! Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, takes the best of the original edition and supercharges it to make it the most complete, detailed, and fun super-hero game yet! In this 256-page hardcover with a stunning new cover by Ramon Perez, you'll find a complete roleplaying game that's a perfect starting point for your own comic book adventures. Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, has everything you need to create your own super-heroes and villains. It also offers more than a dozen ready-made super-hero archetypes and even more ready-to-use super-villain archetypes, plus two introductory adventures so you can start playing right away. Don't let your super-powers fall behind! Mutants & Masterminds, Second Edition, will take your game (and your heroes) to the next level!

Centre National De La Photographie

Centre National De La Photographie

Centre National De La Photographie

Henry F. R. S. Gray T. Pickering Pick An indispensable hardcover version of our bestselling edition of GRAY'S ANATOMY, with 827 illustrations. The essential text for medical students, health-care professionals, artists, and anyone else interested in learning about the intricacies of the human body.

FASA Corporation Diane Piron-Gelman

Giant in the Playground From the depths of time comes a story of wicked villains, terrible secrets, and monumental screw-ups! The Order of the Stick: Start of Darkness reveals for the first time the secret origins of Xykon, Redcloak, the Monster in the Darkness, heck, even the demon cockroaches. Containing 112 pages of all-new never-published-online comics in dramatic black-and-white, Start of Darkness is full of villainy goodness for any fan of the OOTS. Learn such secrets as: How did Xykon and Redcloak meet? How did Xykon became a lich? Why did Eugene Greenhilt swear revenge on Xykon? What ever happened to Lirian's Gate, anyway? How did Redcloak discover the Monster in the Darkness? Why on earth does Redcloak put up with Xykon's crap??? The Order of the Stick: Start of Darkness is presented primarily in black-and-white, similar to our bestselling On the Origin of PCs, but features a special full-color insert detailing the Secret Lore of the Crimson Mantle—in the popular crayon format, first seen in No Cure for the Paladin Blues. Featuring introductions by the author and Miko Miyazaki, paladin of the Sapphire Guard, this book is a flat-out must have for fans of the OOTS plotline, as it fills in missing details in the story of who these evildoers are and why they do evil. Wallowing in unrepentant villainy has never been this much fun (legally)!

Jolly R. Blackburn; David S. Kenzer; Brian Jelke; Steve Johansson; Jennifer Kenzer; Mark Plemmons Welcome to the Shattered Frontier. With a tooled leather-style cover and 400 full color pages crammed with beautiful period artwork for only $49.99, the Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontier RPG is the highest quality, most complete western ever marketed in the adventure game industry. Just be sure to keep plenty of tissue nearby - the drool-factor on this product is through the roof! First, there s the innovative and visual Shot Clock game aids, which eliminate the abstraction and complexity of other RPGs a player can actually see the cover, position and location of his or her target! Of course, the Shot Clock game aids aren t the only innovation in the Aces & Eights game. For instance, the game has a new poker chip-based brawling system that solves the problem of temporary damage; characters actually become winded, tired or knocked senseless in the fight. The realistically deadly combat supports an overall game system that rewards characters for pursuing professions, giving players the in-game incentives to do much more than follow the outlaw trail. In addition, the Aces & Eights RPG is the first western to not just allow, but focus on, the rest of the major western movie adventures beyond the gunfight. Prospecting, cattle drives, frontier justice, and so on, all have a complete mini game system tailored for that type of adventure. In fact, the Aces & Eights game has over two score available professions covering the full range of possibilities in the Wild West! With no levels or classes (and only gaining experience in skills used), characters can change professions at will, just like the Old West! The full-color maps and 24 pages of history provide such details as minor politicians and military officers (based on real historical figures), making the background spring to life like no other game has. And with the USA, CSA, Republic of Texas, Deseret, Mexico, France, England and dozens of Indian nations all vying for control of this alternate history setting, the Shattered Frontier is far wilder than the historical Wild West ever was! Yes, this is one RPG you absolutely cannot afford to miss!

Michael Pollan A national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.

Kate Poole Eyewitness Travel Guides are the original illustrated travel guidebooks-and they're still the best. Since 1993, the Eyewitness brand has established itself as one of the industry leaders, with sales of more than 6.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Featuring more than 70 worldwide destinations, new titles are being added to the best-selling Eyewitness Travel Guides series each year. In 2003, to mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Eyewitness Travel Guides, DK is re-launching the entire series, fully updated, and with a brand-new look.

Neil Gaiman Terry Pratchett According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter—the world's only totally reliable guide to the future—the world will end on a Saturday.  Next Saturday, in fact.  Just after tea...

Terry Pratchett The alchemists of the Discworld have discovered the magic of the silver screen. But what is the dark secret of Holy Wood Hill? It’s up to Victor Tugelbend (“Can’t sing. Can’t dance. Can handle a sword a little”) and Theda Withel (“I come from a little town you’ve probably never heard of”) to find out.

DK Publishing The 1000 most remarkable individuals of the last 1000 years! Doers and thinkers, movers and shakers, rulers and writers, inventors and rebels, they're all here. Organized chronologically and covering the entire world for a truly multicultural approach, 1000 Makers of the Millennium tells the fascinating stories of the men and women who shaped the world we live in today. Lavishly illustrated in the best DK style, 1000 Makers of the Millennium also features thematic boxed features and a running timeline to place the biographies in their proper historical context. 1000 Makers of the Millennium will inform and delight young people and grown-ups alike as the dawn of a new millennium approaches.

DK Publishing Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.

Steve Jackson Sean Punch David Pulver GURPS Basic Set: Characters combines information from the Third Edition GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Compendium I, plus hundreds of new and updated rules! This 336-page, full-color hardcover contains everything you need to create and play a GURPS Fourth Edition character.

Sal Quartuccio

Gerard Chaliand Jean-Pierre Rageau

Thomas, S.J. Reese There are one billion Catholics in the world today, spread over every continent, speaking almost every conceivable language, and all answering to a single authority. The Vatican is a unique international organization, both in terms of its extraordinary power and influence, and in terms of its endurance. Popes come and go, but the elaborate and complex bureaucracy called the Vatican lives on. For centuries, it has served and sometimes undermined popes; it has been praised and blamed for the actions of the pope and for the state of the church. Yet an objective examination of the workings of the Vatican has been unavailable until now.

Drawing on more than a hundred interviews with Vatican officials, this book affords a firsthand look at the people, the politics, and the organization behind the institution. Reese brings remarkable clarity to the almost Byzantine bureaucracy of congregations, agencies, secretariats, tribunals, nunciature, and offices, showing how they serve the pope and, through him, the universal church. He gives a lively account of how popes are elected and bishops appointed, how dissident theologians are disciplined and civil authorities dealt with. Throughout, revealing and colorful anecdotes from church history and the present day bring the unique culture of the Vatican to life.

The Vatican is a fascinating institution, a model of continuity and adaptation, which remains constant while functioning powerfully in a changing world. As never before, this book provides a clear, objective perspective on how the enormously complex institution surrounding the papacy operates on a day-to-day level, how it has adapted and endured for close to two thousand years, and how it is likely to face the challenges of the next millennium.

Rebecca Borgstrom Eric Brennan Genevieve Cogman Michael Goodwin John Snead Mark Rein

Jason Blair Jamais Cascio Phil Masters Jo Ramsay Elizabeth Rich Introducing the ultimate urban fantasy genre and setting book for the Tri-Stat System. Ancient gods and modern myths rub shoulders in night clubs, ghosts and goblins ride the subway, and the fairies are ready to rock and roll! This hardcover book features complete rules for playing and game mastering urban fantasy games, an informative guide to the genre, and four original settings that range in scope from the darkly comedic lives of the wee folk to an epic conflict between immortal powers.

James Riordan

Mary Roach "One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."—Entertainment Weekly

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

John M. Roberts AN AMAZING JOURNEY FROM THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF MAN TO THE BLOODSHED IN THE FORMER YOUGOSLAVIA AND LATEST CHAPTER IN EXPLORATION OF SPACE. ROBERTS SURVEYS TEH MAJOR EVENTS DEVELOPMENTS AND PERSONALITIES THAT HAVE SHAPED THE CIVILIATIONS FO THE WORLD FORM THE ARTS POLITICS AND RELIGION TO SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL BREAKTHROUGHS.THROUGHOUT THE BRILLIANTLY TELLS THE STORY OF THE GROWING POWER OF HUMANS TO REMAKE THEIR WORLD AND CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY. eFFORTLESSLY DRAWING TOGETHER THE GREAT THEMS OD CIVILIZATION WITH DETAILS FROM EVERYDAY LIFE HE BRINGS READERS FACE TO FACE WITH THE ECITING DRAMATIC OFTEN TRAGIC STORY THAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

Warren Ellis Darick Robertson

Barb Rogers

Sean Kelly Rosemary Rogers Hilarious and comprehensive, the ultimate guide to the universe of saints—and what each one means. Cross-referenced by birthdays, professions, and ailments, this is a must-have for any true believer with a proper sense of fun. Illustrated throughout. The authors will appear on Today.

Michael Immig Thomas Romer Germany in the shadows Forged in the chaos ... ... of the Awakening and the Euro-Wars, the German Alliance is a land torn by strife, rebellion, political turmoil and powerful magic. From the towering glass-and-chrome skyscrapers of Frankfurt to the anarchy of Berlin, from the Green War camps of the Rhine-Ruhr megaplex to the Troll Kingdom of the Black Forest, 21st-century Germany teems with opportunities and unseen dangers for the shadowrunner. The Germany Sourcebook is a Shadowrun game supplement that describes the politics, society, economics, and shadowworld of Germany, 2054.

Neil Gaiman John Romita Jr. You are thousands of years old. You have amazing powers. You have watched civilizations rise and fall. So why does no one remember any of this? Bestselling Author Neil Gaiman (Marvel: 1602, Anansi Boys, Sandman) is joined by superstar artist John Romita Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine) to present a tale that will change the Eternals and the Marvel Universe forever! Collects Eternals #1-7.

Alex Ross Eisner Award-winning painter Alex Ross has stunned fans timeand again with his artwork in books including KINGDOM COME and THE WORLD'SGREATEST SUPER-HEROES.Now one of comics' greatest artists turns hisattention to the greatest heroes of the DC Universe: the Justice League ofAmerica!In this final volume of the series, the Justice League must storm thestronghold of their greatest foes in order to free the world from theirgrasp.

Mark Waid Alex Ross

Stephane Rossini Clear, easy-to-follow text tells absolute beginners how to transcribe hieroglyphs by presenting and explaining 134 phonetic elements. Included are an explanatory introduction, section on word analysis, newly enlarged pronunciation guide, tables of phonetic and figurative (or determinative) signs, and much more. Unusually large, clear illustrations.

Luis Royo An artist of the spectacular. Each collection sparkles with pieces seen on book covers from around the world. Fantasy, science fiction, eroticism, etc... Royo has devised a special personal mix of media that makes his work so uncannily real, so beguilingly engaging as to make him a best-selling star.

Heather Chaplin Aaron Ruby The movie business celebrates its creators: Spielberg, DeMille, Scorsese, Hitchcock. But what about the “ names” behind Doom, The Sims, Donkey Kong, Grand Theft Auto—the games that spawned a ten-billion-dollar industry whose revenues surpassed the domestic movie box office take five years ago? Videogames are no longer a quirky, boom-or-bust subculture, but a bona fide mainstream industry revolutionizing the way we teach, the way we learn, the way we communicate.

Smartbomb goes into the epicenter of the videogame explosion, where computer technology is fused with artistic creativity. From the hackers at MIT in the 1960s to the Ferrari-driving developers of the modern-day industry to professional “cyberathletes,” we meet the celebrities of the gaming world. It’s a dizzying trip through the trade conventions, gaming competitions, and design labs of the men who are the Spielbergs of their field. Startling and revelatory, this is an up-close and personal look at the egos, the battles, the one-upmanship, and the love of the chase fueling these innovators who are creating the worlds in which we’re going to live and play for the next century.

Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games..

Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance.

Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.

Carl Sargent

Marshall T. Savage

Brian Schoner

Simon & Schuster Practical, concise, and easy to use, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals contains everything that the rock and mineral enthusiast needs to know. This field guide is divided into two large sections — one devoted to minerals and one to rocks, each prefaced by a comprehensive introduction that discusses formation, chemistry, and more. All 377 entries, beautifully illustrated with color photographs and helpful visual symbols, provide descriptions and practical information about appearance, classification, rarity, crystal formation, mode of occurrence, gravity of mineral, rock chemistry, modal classification fields, formational environments, grain sizes of rocks, and much more.

Whether you are a serious collector or an information-seeking amateur, this incomparably beautiful, authoritative guide will prove an invaluable reference.

Gustav Schwab From fire-stealing Prometheus to scene-stealing Helen of Troy, from Jason and his golden fleece to Oedipus and his mother, this collection of classic tales from Greek mythology demonstrates the inexhaustible vitality of a timeless cultural legacy.

Here are Icarus flying too close to the sun, mighty Hercules, Achilles and that darn heel, the Trojans and their wooden horse, brave Perseus and beautiful Andromeda, wandering Odysseus and steadfast Penelope. Their stories and the stories of the powerful gods and goddesses who punish and reward, who fall in love with and are enraged by the humans they have created, are set forth simply but movingly, in language that retains the power and drama of the original works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Homer. In Gustav Schwab’s masterful retelling, they are made accessible to readers of all ages.

Robert Wachter Kaveh Shojania Imagine an epidemic that kills over one hundred Americans every day. Now stop imagining.

Each year doctors and nurses kill nearly one hundred thousand Americans. By mistake. They operate on the wrong patients, prescribe the wrong drugs, and leave instruments inside body cavities after surgery. Meanwhile, hospitals spend billions on new gadgets, marble lobbies, and slick billboards even as safety continues to be ignored.

Until now.

Internal Bleeding exposes the dark secrets behind the glistening facade of modern medicine. Doctors Robert Wachter and Kaveh Shojania, professors at one of America's leading medical schools and two of the world's foremost authorities on medical mistakes, shatter the silence to tell the dramatic and compelling stories of real patients betrayed by a system they trusted to save them.

Through these stories, the authors reveal the inner workings, gut-wrenching dilemmas, and heartbreaking tragedies of our overburdened, understaffed health care system. Internal Bleeding provides an insider's view of how professional caregivers think, feel, and operate-facts that every patient and family must know to avoid becoming just another "mistake."

In the groundbreaking tradition of Fast Food Nation, Internal Bleeding paints a vivid and unforgettable picture of a system gone terribly wrong, and what doctors, nurses, hospital CEOs, and policy makers must do to make it right.

Jon Stewart The Writers of The Daily Show Amazon.com ExclusivesFeaturing a foreword by Thomas Jefferson, a Dress the Supreme Court layout, and, oddly enough, a profile of George "The Iceman" Gervin, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, from Jon Stewart and the writers of the Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show, is by far one the most irreverent and wittiest (and may we add smartest) political book you're likely to encounter. Amazon.com spoke with Jon Stewart a few days before the 2004 publication of America (The Book) and they discussed bald eagles, magical talking cats, Thor Heyerdahl, and much more #8226 Read the Amazon.com Interview with Jon Stewart #8226 Listen to the Amazon.com Interview with Jon Stewart #8226 Watch a "vintage" Amazon.com Exclusive Video from Jon StewartMore from Jon Stewart Naked Pictures of Famous People America (The Book) [Audio CD] The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004 [DVD]

Kevin Siembieda

Pyotr Simonov

Simon Singh Codes have decided the fates of empires, countries, and monarchies throughout recorded history. Mary, Queen of Scots was put to death by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, for the high crime of treason after spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham cracked the secret code she used to communicate with her conspirators. And thus the course of British history was altered by a few sheets of cryptic prose. This is just one link in humankind's evolutionary chain of secret communication, and just one of the fascinating incidents recounted in The Code Book, written by bestselling author Simon Singh.

Combining a superb storyteller's sense of drama and a scientist's appreciation for technical perfection, Singh traces the evolution of secret writing from ancient Greek military espionage to the frontiers of computer science. The result is an epic tale of human ingenuity, with examples that range from the poignant to the peculiar to the world-historical.

There is the case of the Beale ciphers, which involves Wild West escapades, a cowboy who amassed a vast fortune, a buried treasure worth $20 million, and a mysterious set of encrypted papers describing its whereabouts—papers that have baffled generations of cryptanalysts and captivated hundreds of treasure hunters.

A speedier end to a bloody war was the only reward that could be promised to the Allied code breakers of World Wars I and II, whose selfless contributions altered the course of history; but few of them lived to receive any credit for their top-secret accomplishments. Among the most moving of these stories is that of the World War II British code breaker Alan Turing, who gave up a brilliant career in mathematics to devote himself to the Allied cause, only to end his years punished by the state for his homosexuality, while his heroism was ignored. No less heroic were the Navajo code talkers, who volunteered without hesitation to risk their lives for the Allied forces in the Japanese theater, where they were routinely mistaken for the enemy.

Interspersed with these gripping stories are clear mathematical, linguistic, and technological demonstrations of codes, as well as illustrations of the remarkable personalities—many courageous, some villainous, and all obsessive—who wrote and broke them.

All roads lead to the present day, in which the possibility of a truly unbreakable code looms large. Singh explores this possibility, and the ramifications of our increasing need for privacy, even as it begins to chafe against the stated mission of the powerful and deeply secretive National Security Agency. Entertaining, compelling, and remarkably far-reaching, this is a book that will forever alter your view of history, what drives it, and how private that e-mail you just sent really is.

Included in the book is a worldwide Cipher Challenge—a $15,000 award will be given by the author to the first reader who cracks the code successfully. Progress toward the solution will be tracked on The Code Book website.

Simon Singh In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logisitical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy.

Throughout the text are clear technical and mathematical explanations, and portraits of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world's most difficult codes. Accessible, compelling, and remarkably far-reaching, this book will forever alter your view of history and what drives it.  It will also make yo wonder how private that e-mail you just sent really is.

Alan Alexander Kraig Blackwelder Michael Goodwin John Snead

Hajime Sorayama

Hajime Sorayama

Lewis Spence This superb in-depth survey explores animism, totemism, fetishism, creation myths, Egyptian priesthood, cult of Osiris, numerous deities, Book of the Dead, alchemy, Egyptian art and magic, legends, and a host of other fascinating topics. An erudite, clearly written work, enhanced with over 50 photographs and illustrations.

Tom Standage From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

For Tom Standage, each drink is a kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again.

Greg Stolze What do you get for the man who wants everything?

How about his own clandestine network of tricked-out magick-workers, cold-blooded psycho-killers, and that guy you knew in third grade who did trigonometry with frog's legs and always smelled like broccoli? Eccentric billionaire Alex Abel hired them, gave them new identities, and sent them into the occult underground to stir up trouble. If trouble is your middle name, The New Inquisition wants YOU!

This sourcebook by Unknown Armies co-creator Greg Stolze covers UA's biggest cabal like a snitch jacket: history, structure, high-tech equipment, magickal gear, sample agents, intelligence dossiers, secrets Alex Abel doesn't want you to know, and two missions that will smear your face across the walls of infinity if you aren't smarter, tougher, and weirder than the next guy. Psych up, punk, and get ready to get dangerous.

Theodore Sturgeon All alone: an idiot boy, a runaway girl, a severely retarded baby, and twin girls with a vocabulary of two words between them. Yet once they are mysteriously drawn together this collection of misfits becomes something very, very different from the rest of humanity. This intensely written and moving novel is an extraordinary vision of humanity's next step.

James Surowiecki “No one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.”  —H. L. Mencken
 
H. L. Mencken was wrong.

In this endlessly fascinating book, New Yorker columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications: large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant—better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.

This seemingly counterintuitive notion has endless and major ramifications for how businesses operate, how knowledge is advanced, how economies are (or should be) organized and how we live our daily lives. With seemingly boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, economic behaviorism, artificial intelligence, military history and political theory to show just how this principle operates in the real world. 

Despite the sophistication of his arguments, Surowiecki presents them in a wonderfully entertaining manner. The examples he uses are all down-to-earth, surprising, and fun to ponder. Why is the line in which you’re standing always the longest? Why is it that you can buy a screw anywhere in the world and it will fit a bolt bought ten-thousand miles away? Why is network television so awful? If you had to meet someone in Paris on a specific day but had no way of contacting them, when and where would you meet? Why are there traffic jams? What’s the best way to win money on a game show? Why, when you walk into a convenience store at 2:00 A.M. to buy a quart of orange juice, is it there waiting for you? What do Hollywood mafia movies have to teach us about why corporations exist?

The Wisdom of Crowds is a brilliant but accessible biography of an idea, one with important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, conduct our business, and think about our world.

James Surowiecki “No one in this world, so far as I know, has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.”  —H. L. Mencken
 
H. L. Mencken was wrong.

In this endlessly fascinating book, New Yorker columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea that has profound implications: large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant—better at solving problems, fostering innovation, coming to wise decisions, even predicting the future.

This seemingly counterintuitive notion has endless and major ramifications for how businesses operate, how knowledge is advanced, how economies are (or should be) organized and how we live our daily lives. With seemingly boundless erudition and in delightfully clear prose, Surowiecki ranges across fields as diverse as popular culture, psychology, ant biology, economic behaviorism, artificial intelligence, military history and political theory to show just how this principle operates in the real world. 

Despite the sophistication of his arguments, Surowiecki presents them in a wonderfully entertaining manner. The examples he uses are all down-to-earth, surprising, and fun to ponder. Why is the line in which you’re standing always the longest? Why is it that you can buy a screw anywhere in the world and it will fit a bolt bought ten-thousand miles away? Why is network television so awful? If you had to meet someone in Paris on a specific day but had no way of contacting them, when and where would you meet? Why are there traffic jams? What’s the best way to win money on a game show? Why, when you walk into a convenience store at 2:00 A.M. to buy a quart of orange juice, is it there waiting for you? What do Hollywood mafia movies have to teach us about why corporations exist?

The Wisdom of Crowds is a brilliant but accessible biography of an idea, one with important lessons for how we live our lives, select our leaders, conduct our business, and think about our world.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives.

Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don’t know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the “impossible.”

For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we actually do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world. Now, in this revelatory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don’t know. He offers surprisingly simple tricks for dealing with black swans and benefiting from them.

Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to probability theory. The Black Swan is a landmark book–itself a black swan.

Justin Achilli John Snead Scott Taylor

R. Sean Borgstrom Adam Tinworth Scott Taylor

Dennis Tedlock Popol Vuh, the Quiché Mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the Quiché kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands. Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century.

This new edition of Dennis Tedlock's unabridged, widely praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations.

Frank J. Tipler Is there a higher power in the universe? What happens to us when we die? Leading physicist Frank J. Tipler tackles these questions and more in an astonishing and profoundly important book that scientifically proves the existence of God and the physical resurrection of the dead.

Keith Giffen Javier Grillo-Marxuach Simon Furman Renato Arlem Jorge Lucas Greg Titus A gathering of forces! The Annihilation Wave has scoured the galaxy for the one-time heralds of Galactus - forcing the Silver Surfer to seek out his former master and prepare for a cataclysmic battle with primordial foes! As the Annihilation Wave spreads into Kree and Skrull space, witness the Super-Skrull's personal quest to combat Annihilus from the Negative Zone for the life of his son! And the recently ousted Ronan the Accuser sets to clear his name, only to come face-to-face with an army of powerful women led by Gamora! Meanwhile, Thanos and Annihilus have forged an alliance - but what do they seek? Collecting Annihilation: Silver Surfer #1-4, Annihilation: Super-Skrull #1-4 and Annihilation: Ronan #1-4.

William Tracy The word is out, chummer. If you want blazing rock and roll, there's only one band to see: The Elementals. The buzz is they're about to become the next local band to hit the big time. There's just one problem. The Elementals have broken their recording contract, and in the world of corporate domination, nobody goes solo. The runners' job? Find the band and bring them home. Alive.

Inc. TSR

Inc. TSR

Inc. TSR

Edward R. Tufte

Alice K. Turner A “lively...generously illustrated” (Washington Post Book World) survey of how, over the past four thousand years, religious leaders, artists, writers, and ordinary people in the West have visualized Hell-its location, architecture, purpose, and inhabitants. Illustrations; full-color inserts.

Jonathan Tweet Come to a land of adventure and mystery, of falling empires and rising nations, of legendary creatures and incredible myths. This is Ars Magica's Mythic Europe, where the power of magic is real and exists alongside historical figures and locations.

Stories revolve around the covenant: one part mystical college, one part magical laboratory, one part Hermetic fortification, one part bastion of secrecy.

Your Role: Grog, Companion, Magus

You'll take many roles. At times, you may be a grog, a stalwart guard of the covenant, well-paid for your labors with a life far more exciting than that of the common folk. At other times, you may be a companion, a respected friend of the covenant, using your professional skills for a share of the glory and the reward. You'll also take on the role of a magus, a wizard of legendary power, a leader of the covenant, a member of one of the Houses of Hermes. With each role you play, however, you have knowledge few others possess. You know of Ars Magica, the art of magic.

A Magical Game

The first edition of Ars Magica set the benchmark for magic in fantasy roleplaying. It pioneered the storytelling style of roleplaying that has become so popular today. Its setting, Mythic Europe, sparked the imaginations of fantasy fans and history enthusiasts alike.

The fourth edition of Ars Magica's core rulebook introduces improved systems in several key areas such as combat, character advancement, and covenant generation. This version of the game retains and improves upon Ars Magica's powerful and flexible magic system — widely regarded as the best rules for magic in all of gaming. Ars Magica Fourth Edition also remains compatible with the game's previously released supplements.

Ars Magica won the Gamer's Choice Award for Best Fantasy Roleplaying Game of 1988; the Fourth Edition was nominated for the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1996.

Royall Tyler A dazzling selection of over 200 tales from medieval Japan, including stories of miracle, visions of hell, jokes, fables and historical legends.

Greg Stolze John Tynes What will you risk to change the world?

In Unknown Armies, players take the roles of movers and shakers in the occult underground, fighting a battle for the ultimate prize: ascension to a higher plane and a hand in creating the next incarnation of reality. Loathsome monsters, bizarre supernatural forces, mind-bending magic, warring cults, and ten thousand bullets it's a pulp apocalypse, and the players have front-row seats for the steel-cage death match of all eternity.

Greg Stolze John Tynes What will you risk to change the world?

The acclaimed RPG of modern occult intrigue returns in a stunning new hardcover edition. Completely reorganized, largely rewritten, and jam-packed with new art, the second edition of Unknown Armies isn't just better. It kicks metaphysical ass!

We've remixed the book based on the level of campaign you want to play: Street, Global, or Cosmic. At street level, you're outsiders to the secret world of magick, ordinary people entering a land of mystery and peril. At global level, you're mojo-wielding cabalists in the occult underground, pursuing your arcane agendas and plotting against your rivals. At cosmic level, you're in tune with the cosmos itself, fighting to shape the next incarnation of reality. Background material is divided up as well, so new players in a street-level campaign only read what the

GM wants them to know.

But the beats don't stop there:

Much more information for new players, to get them into the mindset of the game and help them make better characters and stronger campaigns.

* New character-creation options, including Trigger Events, Paradigm Skills, and power levels scaled to match the level of campaign you're playing.

* Numerous rules tweaks, including a new initiative system, Fuzzy Logic skill checks, player-directed combat modifiers, amped-up martial arts rules, a new experience system, and more, all dedicated to upgrading UA's innovative percentile system into a lean and precise tool for fast play and player empowerment.

* More magick for non-adepts: Authentic Thaumaturgy, new rituals and artifacts, and revised versions of Proxy Magick and Tilts allow the freewheeling use of symbolic, sympathetic magick by anyone with the will to make it happen.

* Twelve schools of magick (up from seven in UA1) for obsessed adepts, including revised versions of published schools (Bibliomancy, Personamancy, and Urbanomancy) and two new schools (Videomancy and Narcotic Alchemy).

* Fourteen avatars (up from eight in UA1) for archetypalists, including revised versions of published avatars (The Messenger, The Mother, The Mystic Hermaphrodite, and the True King) and two new avatars (The MVP and The Warrior).

* More resources for the GM, including specific guidance on combat, wounds, skill checks, campaign building, and other critical issues.

* New cover art and design, new interior art and design, and a hardcover binding to keep this game in line.

John Tynes If I die in my sleep, at least I'll know who did it. The Sleepers are the bedtime-story bogeymen of the occult underground. They keep the existence of magick a secret from the mundane world, lest the sleeping tiger wake and devour us all. If you make too much unnatural noise, if you leave witnesses to your workings, or if you just can't shut your pie hole about how you can melt your face on command, the Sleepers will come for you in the deeps of night and tell it you straight: hush hush, little mage, for dead men cast no spells. Listen close and you can hear their secrets: stories of the sleepers, true and otherwise; recruitment, training, and ops; safehouses, personnel, resources, and case files. But keep it to yourself — or else.

John Tynes Post-Modern Magick, The Unnatural Sourcebook

STOP MAKING SENSE

Let it go make it stop sixteen free-falling red-headed stepchildren gyrating through the stages of grief. If this makes any sense to you, you'll never know the secret of magick. Magick is what happens when reality refuses to follow your commands until you beat the righteous crap out of it with the force of your unknowable, unstoppable will. Stuff Schroedinger's cat in a burlap bag and throw it off the bridge screaming, already, we've got higher orders of uncertainty to deal with. This book may contain one or more of the following things: recipes for soup * new schools of magick * the love letter you should have mailed * new underground cabals * how to make semtex * new artifacts, unnatural creatures, GMCs * all the ways in which you hate yourself * the secret history of magick * the secret history of your mother * and more, including a secret toy surprise with an occurrance margin of error of +/- 1. Get your sister's teddy bear and your grandfather's aftershave; your lesson begins in three, two, one, GO!

John Tynes NEVER PLAY AGAINST THE HOUSE

From the flip of a coin to a glance in a bar to the trajectory of a bullet — every step we take is a function of all the steps we took before and the infinity of choice that lies between. But free will caries a price. The invisible clergy, humans ascended into archtypes, reside in the statosphere where probabilities large and small flow like water through their fingers. Oppose them and coincidence itself can turn against you ... not to mention the terrible agents of the House of Runciation, where they take you to become your own worst enemy. Deal the cards if you're ready to play: new archetypes * godwalker rules * le Comte de Saint-Germain * invisible clergy lore * secrets of the House of Renunciation * and a pack full of trouble.

RECOMMENDED FOR MATURE READERS

HF Ullmann Discover the sheer pleasure of the freshness and variety of Mediterranean cuisine. In the Mediterranean Cuisine series, master chefs from eight countries divulge their best recipes. How to cook a feast fit for a French king? With the Mediterranean Cuisine series, it's no problem! In each book, eleven renowned master chefs demonstrate the preparation of the recipes in steps that are described in detail, so that even cooks with little experience can be assured of success.

Bruce Baugh Werner Hagen Lizard Doug Oglesby Greg Stolze Chad Underkoffler

Mellie Uyldert

DORIS VALLEJO From the winner of numerous awards, including Hugos and Nebulas, comes another exciting tale of fantasy. The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Merek's farm.

Michael Lummis Danielle Vanderlip BradyGames' World of Warcraft Official Strategy Guide includes the following: Maps of each city and region, with call outs for characters, quest locations, dungeons, and more.Essential stats and strategies for each of the 8 races and 9 classes for both the Horde and Alliance factions.Must-have quest data - - contacts, quest type, item rewards and more.Profession sections provide data on products, requirements and item components.Weapon, armor and item tables, ability and spell lists, and bestiary.
Platform: PC

Genre: MMORPG

This product is available for sale worldwide.

Various

Brian K. Vaughan

Brian K. Vaughan The saga of Yorick Brown, the last man on Earth, continues in PAPER DOLLS, writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra's award-winning VERTIGO series. In addition to catching up on the adventures of Yorick's monkey Ampersand (whose body holds the key to stopping the male-killing plague) and telling the origin of Agent 355, PAPER DOLLS chronicles Yorick and 355's search for Yorick's fiancee Beth in Australia — a search that yields a large dose ofunwanted publicity for the Last Man, and deadly consequences for those he cares for!

Brian K. Vaughan If you're looking for a comic book that falls outside of the usual superhero fare, Y: The Last Man is one of the top choices around.A creation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerrera, it's a post-apocalyptic story in which a mysterious virus has wiped out every male on Earth, except a young man named Yorick and his monkey, Ampersand.In the eighth trade paperback, Kimono Dragons (issues 43-46), Yorick, Agent 355, Allison, and Rose are in Japan on the trail of the abducted Ampersand.Yorick and 355 find themselves mixed up with the Japanese mafia led by a former Canadian pop star named Epiphany, while Allison and Rose hope to find some answers in Allison's mother's lab.The remaining two issues (47-48) are standalone stories, "The Tin Man" and "Gehenna" (Goran Sudzuka takes over the pencils from Guerrera, with Jose Marzan Jr. still doing the inking), which explore the histories of Allison and Israeli solder Alter.Y: The Last Man is part of DC's Vertigo line and has some mature content, including nudity and graphic violence.—David Horiuchi

Gore Vidal

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders Gore Vidal Now in paperback, a provocative look at todays leading porn stars combined with insightful, offbeat, and amusing texts by an all-star literary lineup. XXX, by renowned photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, features cleverly paired portraits (one clothed and one nude) of the top stars in pornographic film. A cross section of straight and gay men and women is represented, from porn legends to rising stars. Performers in the book include celebrities like Jenna Jameson (the leading porn star of our time), Ron Jeremy, and Nina Hartley, as well as fast-rising names like Sunrise Adams, Belladonna, and Chad Hunt. The book also features short essays on the intersection of pornography and culture by a wide range of distinguished writers, including Salman Rushdie, Francine du Plessix Gray, John Malkovich, Nancy Friday, and John Waters. XXX is a landmark artistic work that will contribute to the ongoing debate about the pornification of the culture at large.

Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid After the INFINITE CRISIS, the DC Universe spent a yearwithout Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — a year in which those heroeswere needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance.This is 52, a four volume collection of the unprecedented, criticallyacclaimed weekly series of death, danger, romance, terror and thenever-ending search for heroism in the DC Universe's most eventful yearever. The series features the best and brightest writers from the comic-bookfield: Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STARSUPERMAN), Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOMCOME), working together to tell the tale of a world awakening from anightmare to face a new day.With their leaders gone, which heroes willstand tall?Who will fail at the most critical moment? Who will live —and who will die?

Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid After the INFINITE CRISIS, the DC Universe spent a yearwithout Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.A year in which those heroeswere needed more than ever as the fate of the world hung in the balance.The story of 52 continues in this incredible second volume as BoosterGold's dubious heroism comes under fire, Lex Luthor's scheme for givingordinary citizens super-powers explodes, and The Question heads intohostile territory to confront Black AdamThe series combines the brightest and best talents from the comic bookwriting field: Geoff Johns (INFINITE CRISIS), Grant Morrison (ALL STARSUPERMAN), Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN) and Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME).

Keith Giffen Dan Abnett Andy Lanning Mitch Breitweiser Scott Kolins Ariel Olivetti Kev Walker The Annihilation Wave has come! Annihilus, lord of the Negative Zone, has declared war! Hordes of loyal soldiers swarm from the center of the universe, and only a handful of heroes can resist destruction! As the Xandarian Nova Corps meet its doom, only Richard Rider - the man called Nova - survives. Now the sole custodian of the Worldmind, the Zandarian's database of knowledge and experience, can he rediscover himself in time to lead the war effort against the Annihilation Wave? Drax the Destroyer returns from exile on Earth to mentor Nova - but wait until you see his dangerous new persona! Guest-starring Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, the Super-Skrull and Thanos! Collecting Drax the Destroyer #1-4, Annihilation Prologue and Annihilation: Nova #1-4.

Alan Weisman A penetrating, page-turning tour of a post-human Earth
 
In The World Without Us, Alan Weisman offers an utterly original approach to questions of humanity’s impact on the planet: he asks us to envision our Earth, without us.In this far-reaching narrative, Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, radio waves, and some man-made molecules may be our most lasting gifts to the universe. The World Without Us reveals how, just days after humans disappear, floods in New York’s subways would start eroding the city’s foundations, and how, as the world’s cities crumble, asphalt jungles would give way to real ones. It describes the distinct ways that organic and chemically treated farms would revert to wild, how billions more birds would flourish, and how cockroaches in unheated cities would perish without us. Drawing on the expertise of engineers, atmospheric scientists, art conservators, zoologists, oil refiners, marine biologists, astrophysicists, religious leaders from rabbis to the Dali Lama, and paleontologists—-who describe a prehuman world inhabited by megafauna like giant sloths that stood taller than mammoths—-Weisman illustrates what the planet might be like today, if not for us. From places already devoid of humans (a last fragment of primeval European forest; the Korean DMZ; Chernobyl), Weisman reveals Earth’s tremendous capacity for self-healing. As he shows which human devastations are indelible, and which examples of our highest art and culture would endure longest, Weisman’s narrative ultimately drives toward a radical but persuasive solution that needn't depend on our demise. It is narrative nonfiction at its finest, and in posing an irresistible concept with both gravity and a highly readable touch, it looks deeply at our effects on the planet in a way that no other book has.

H. G Wells

Mark Wheelis Illustrates, simplifies, and humor-coats the important principles of classical and modern genetics and their experimental bases, with amusing anecdotes about how the ancients tried to explain inheritance and sex determination.

Suzanne White Though the practice of astrology is many centuries old, it is only perhaps once in a generation that a thoroughly new, totally original way of looking at the zodiac is discovered. The New Astrology is such a system.

For those convinced that there is nothing new under the sun—or the stars—Suzanne White offers a startling and provocative thesis: There are not 12 but 144 signs of the zodiac, each distinct, each unique, each vital to everyone's quest for self-understanding.
By combining the astrological systems of the traditional Chinese (terrestrial) with that of the Occident (celestial), Suzanne White demonstrates that each of us is governed by two signs. Hence, a Capricorn Tiger is likely to be quite different from a Capricorn Cat, as is a Leo Dog from a Leo Dragon, and so on. This unique blend of Western and Chinese Astrology gives detailed analyses of each of the 144 signs, including individualized sections of love, sex and romance, business, money, careers, home life and compatibility (or lack of it) with other signs.
Already a best-seller in France, The New Astrology is a massive undertaking and the result of more than a decade of research and study of the two systems. It offers insights into not only our own lives, but also those of all who are close to us. Suzanne White's prose is lucid, candid, and suffused with a sense of fun, but The New Astrology is above all a serious tool for self-awareness and understand the rich variety of human nature all around us.

Felice Frankel George M. Whitesides Using innovative photographic technology, Felice Frankel finds startling abstract beauty on the surfaces of objects all around us. Chemist George M. Whitesides explains each photograph, describing why and how each of these phenomena occur.

Rose Williams A collection of the writings of Rome's great poets, statesmen, and saints.

White Wolf

Karl Wu

Keith Baker Bill Slavicsek James Wyatt An entirely new campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons® roleplaying game.

During the spring and summer of 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc., put out a request to the gaming community for proposals for a new D&D game setting. 11,000 proposals and two years of development later, the Eberron Campaign Setting is the result of that search. This brand-new setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game is an avenue for any D&D fan to experience swashbuckling adventure and explore mysterious new territories.

Designed to introduce a new, fresh world with unlimited possibilities for exploration, the Eberron Campaign Setting includes everything needed to develop characters and run campaigns in this exciting new arena. It includes new character races, monsters, prestige classes, feats, organizations, and equipment unique to the world, and it introduces a new base class to the D&D game. It contains substantial information on new elements of magic, including spells, domains, items, artifacts, and more. Also included are historical and cultural details of the world, along with extensive illustrations and a wealth of maps that put the setting into vivid context. This title will also include both adventure hooks and a full adventure so that players and Dungeon Masters can immediately begin enjoying everything this rich new setting has to offer.

Keith Baker James Wyatt The first sourcebook detailing the central metropolis of the Eberron campaign setting.
Sharn: City of Towers illustrates and characterizes the most important city in the entire Eberron setting. The city of Sharn is a source of great intrigue and adventure on Eberron, making it the launching point for most campaigns and adventures. Sharn: City of Towers describes how Sharn looks and works, from power and politics to trade and commerce, and with four-color illustrations throughout. There are detailed geographical descriptions of every part of the city, with a complement of maps for visual reference. Monsters and villains prevalent in the city make an appearance, and there is detailed information on what characters can do and obtain in Sharn to improve their adventuring skills. Dungeon Masters will find a wealth of information on running campaigns in Sharn, and adventure hooks are provided for immediate gameplay.

Alfred Znamierowski

Andrew Zolli From medicine to the movies, from computers to the climate, change is everywhere around us, transforming the way we will live, work, play, and learn. We will likely experience as much change in the next three decades than we have in the two previous centuries.

In such a world, how do we make sense of our future, and our place within it?

TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow offers an exciting glimpse at the new trends and technologies that will shape our lives, our society and our planet in the next 15-20 years. Nearly one hundred topics are showcased, in a clearly written and visually arresting style that provides an overview of current and future developments, with timelines, statistics, and pointers to online resources. Deeply researched and beautifully designed, TechTV's Catalog of Tomorrow is more than a book: it's a tool for thinking about the future.

Numerous futurists, visionaries, and technology commentators have added their insights and visions of the future to the book, including: Paul Saffo, leading futurist and director of the Institute for the Future,Howard Rheingold, technology visionary and author,Craig Venter, co-decoder of the human genome,Jef Raskin, designer of the original Macintosh computer,Christine Peterson, expert on nanotechnology and president of the Foresight Institute,Nathan Shedroff, leading digital media designer,Stefano Marzano, CEO of Philips Design,Richard Garriott, legendary video game designer,Clement Bezold, president of Alternative Futures,Douglas Rushkoff, cultural critic, commentator, and author,William McDonough, architect and environmental champion,Alex Marshall, urban planning theorist, journalist, and author,Martin Siegel, professor of education and informatics at Indiana University,John Arquilla, leading military theorist on the future of war,Maurice Strong, Senior Advisor to the United Nations and World Bank and organizer of the Rio Earth Summit,Rory Stears, CEO of Freeplay, pioneers in human-powered devices,Frank Drake, astrophysicist and chairman of the SETI Institute

This book is edited by Andrew Zolli, a futurist working at the intersection of technology, design, innovation, and futures research.

This book encourages your participation in thinking about the future — and in shaping your own. It is a book to ponder, argue with, revisit often, and use as a platform for your own speculation. It helps you stay connected to the coming changes in your world, and serves as a gateway to a world of infinite possibilities. The future is in your hands literally.

TechTV is the cable television network for those excited by and curious about all things related to technology. By using technology as a backdrop to entertain, amaze, and engage viewers, TechTV is the lifestyle network that showcases how the latest trends, products, and events enhance our lives. Check your local television for TechTV.