A showcase of pencil works by a master of the medium, this volume explains Paul Calle's process and provides a fantastic gallery of demonstrations and inspiration for artists at intermediate to advanced levels. Calle — whose clients have included NASA, the National Park Service, Ladies' Home Journal, and the U.S. Postal Service — explores pencil...

A comprehensive guide to the exhilarating sport of sailing, this illustrated volume originated in a class taught by author Charles D. White at his local yacht club in the 1940s. Suitable for sailors of all ages, the three-part approach starts with the basics, including terminology, ropes and knots, and bending, hoisting, and trimming the sails. Completion...

According to legend, a mysterious stranger commissioned Mozart to create a requiem mass and the dying composer felt cursed by fate to write his own funeral hymn. Scholars, commentators, playwrights, and novelists have speculated for more than 200 years over the stranger-than-fiction reality behind Mozart's Requiem, and the work remains a favorite with...

"I regard him as right and compassionate on nearly every major issue." — Stephen Jay Gould

A radical argument about the root causes of climate change, The Closing Circle was progressive when it was written in 1971 and its message remains increasingly relevant today. Barry Commoner, the father of modern ecology, claims that production for profit creates...

"The account by Dickson and Allen recalls the subliminal force of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men with gaunt stories of character at the limits of dignity." ― Taylor Branch, New York Review of Books

In the summer of 1932, 15,000 World War I veterans marched on Washington, D.C., demanding payment from the Herbert Hoover administration of the bonus promised to...

“Maisel intimately understands the anxieties of the creative process and the psychological landscape that artists inhabit. Strong on the psychology, he is equally strong on practicalities.” — The Writer Magazine

Are you a painter, writer, actor, dancer, musician, or would-be creative? Are you stuck in the process of creating and sharing your art?
In ...

"Well-plotted, extremely perceptive." — Kirkus Reviews

In Harlem of the 1950s, the age-old dream of sudden wealth centers on the numbers game. Hubert Cooley, an avid gambler, would do anything to get enough money to place a bet. For him, the possibility of a "hit" represents the solution to everything that's wrong with his life and the chance to escape from...

"A compendious, entertaining look at our nation's leaders through words and turns of phrase." — Kirkus Reviews

From George Washington's "New Yorker" and Thomas Jefferson's "pedicure" to Theodore Roosevelt's "lunatic fringe," Richard Nixon's "silent majority," and Donald Trump's "covfefe," this entertaining and eminently readable volume compiles words and...

"In a comic strip of this sort, the spectator, not seduced by a flood of gags, or by any realistic or caricatural reference, or by any appeal to sex and violence, could discover the possibility of a purely allusive world, a pleasure of a 'musical' nature, an interplay of feelings that were not banal." — Umberto Eco

Hailed as the most creative comic strip of...

Naturalist and artist F. Schuyler Mathews observes, "Time progresses and the botanist changes his opinion but the wildflower never changes, and with a little help we can recognize our flower." In this delightful guide to wild and cultivated flowers, Matthews offers a treasury of poetic descriptions that reveal the blossoms' proper names, from violets and...

Whether you are looking for a simple scarf, chic evening wrap, or classic shawl, this book by Louisa Harding, one of the world's most influential designers, will inspire you to create beautiful hand-knitted garments. Harding's signature feminine style is showcased in this beautiful collection. Beginners will appreciate the simple and delicate stitch pieces...

Just as people have different appearances, abilities, and characteristics, crystals possess their own special forms, attributes, and personalities. This beautifully illustrated guide reveals the power of crystals: how they work and how to choose the correct ones in order to employ their unique benefits.
Filled with rich colorful photography, Juliet Madison's...

Chemistry is all about what's happening in the air, under the sea and ground, and inside every living thing — including you! With 46 pages of fun-to-color illustrations and fact-filled captions, children ages 8 to 12 can explore atoms and molecules, why carbon is so important, how our bodies break down food, what is causing global warming, and much more.

Although he worked within the traditions of his day, Maurice Ravel forged a distinctive musical language of his own. This collection of 29 specially arranged pieces offers beginners the pleasure and satisfaction of playing the French composer's most popular works.
Simplified arrangements include Musette, Menuet, Rigaudon, and Prélude from Le tombeau de...

More than 100 colorful pages offer dozens of engaging prompts to help tweens and teens explore ways to maintain a positive outlook on life. With lots of space to make lists, add pictures, and express their thoughts and feelings, kids can identify positive things about themselves and others while journaling on a variety of fun and meaningful topics.

Full-color illustrations and easy-to-follow directions explain basic techniques as well as every step of the crafting process for 29 clay projects — a sloth, flamingo, narwhal, llama, panda, zebra, unicorn, koala, elephant, and other cute critters. Each project includes a list of materials consisting of colored clay and ordinary household items. The...

Many instruction books just teach how to duplicate designs without providing any clues for the next step — making your own! This unique guide features the highly effective Aon method, a technique for creating your own original designs rather than copying examples. It's easy to comprehend, with simple step-by-step instructions that focus on incorporating...

"Lively, instructive, and evocative …  a veritable tour guide of the formative years, and I wouldn't have missed the trip for anything." — Bill Moyers

For many Americans, the five-year period between the end of World War II and the start of the Korean War was a golden era, marked by a booming economy and a national mood of unity and optimism. For others, it...

"A true natural genius of comic art." — Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey

Starting in 1948, Walt Kelly's newspaper-based comic strip Pogo lampooned sociopolitical issues from the Red Scare to the environmental movement. A gifted cartoonist who began his career at Walt Disney Studios, Kelly explored the virtues and follies of human nature with a lively...

From little table tricks to grand illusions, this how-to book by a famed performer and author offers something for every aspiring magician. More than 200 popular illusions — accompanied by simple, well-illustrated explanations — range from several ways to make a handkerchief disappear to dissolving a billiard ball and stage levitation. A wide variety of...

Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi dominated the opera world for most of the nineteenth century, and his works remain a mainstay of theaters around the world. From Rigoletto's sprightly "La donna é mobile" to the rousing "Anvil Chorus" of Il Trovatore, the composer's music is known and loved by people who never set foot in an opera house. Now novice...

One of the ten best self-help books of all time — The Christian Science Monitor

"You can be a bigger person than you are," promises William H. Danforth, "and I am going to prove it to you." The founder of the Ralston Purina company, Danforth envisioned life as a checkerboard and developed a four-square philosophy, in which individuals must balance mental...

Enthralled by the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Victorian readers around the world developed a fascination with eccentric detectives and bizarre crimes. Featuring an international array of authors and characters, this compilation of 16 short stories showcases the best of the mysteries inspired by the Baker Street sleuth. Their heroes range from famous...

With this entertaining activity book, children start at dot number 1 and work their way to 101 to complete pictures of dozens of cool vehicles. Thirty-eight dot-to-dot puzzles include a fire truck, helicopter, train, space shuttle, monster truck, and other more. Each finished drawing can also be colored! Solutions are included.

This ancient text represents one of yoga's most influential and important works. Dating back to India of the second century B.C., the yoga sutras constitute a complete manual for the study and practice of the philosophical system. The sutras, or threads, are aphorisms of wisdom that offer guidelines to living a meaningful and purposeful life. This volume...

In 1718, long before the turbulent years of the American Revolution, life on a Maine sheep farm is a quiet affair. But unbeknownst to 14-year-old Jeremy Swan, his island home is ripe for plundering by sea raiders, who swoop down and drag him away. Once aboard the Revenge, it's all he can do to keep from getting keelhauled by the villainous Pharaoh...

Feathers, pinwheels, flowers, birds, and dozens of other eye-catching designs abound in this treasury of 110 quilting patterns. Linda Macho blends traditional motifs with her own original contemporary forms to offer a rich assortment of full-size templates. They can be used individually or in combinations to create an unlimited number of variations.
Clear...

"One of the more trippy, but very interesting novels among New Wave sci-fi books." — Futurism.com

There's always a fresh new face in Greenwich Village, but this one belongs to someone special — a dude who can create living butterflies out of nothing. The Butterfly Kid shows up at exactly the same time as a powerful new drug: Reality Pills, which transform...

"One of the best blends of SF and mystery yet written." — Science Fiction Chronicle

"Russo's San Francisco is very Bladerunner, though clearly written by somebody who knows that city well … The characters in this book are strong, the writing is solid." — SF Site
In the San Francisco of the not-too-distant future, detective Frank Carlucci agrees to look...

Focus your attention and begin your meditation by coloring in 23 pre-printed designs to customize your own origami paper. Step-by-step directions will provide guidance to begin the soothing process of learning how to fold 10 different origami patterns. Specially selected because they symbolize peace and tranquility, the models include a swan, butterfly...

A comprehensive workshop approach presented by a master watercolorist, this guide features 11 step-by-step demonstrations filled with valuable methods and techniques for achieving striking on-site watercolor compositions. Beautiful examples and locations — including the Greek island of Santorini, a desert oasis, and a Midwest farmhouse — provide a wealth of...

After a trip to San Francisco that led to an odyssey in search of a lost unicorn, time-traveling hippie heroes Chester, Michael, and T.A. return to New York City where they're confronted with duplicates of themselves — and everyone else! To once again save the planet from an evil scheme by invaders from space, they'll have to take on the Hallucitron, a...