The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Penguin Dictionary)
by J. A. Cuddon
from Penguin (Non-Classics)
The latest installment of this trusted literary companion covers all aspects of literary theory, from definitions of technical terms to characterizations of literary movements. Geared toward students, teachers, readers, and writers alike, The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory explains critical jargon (intertextuality, aporia), schools of literary theory (structuralism, feminist criticism), literary forms (sonnet, ottava rima), and genres (elegy, pastoral) and examines artifacts, historic locales, archetypes, origins of well-known phrases, and much, much more. Scholarly, straightforward, comprehensive, and even entertaining, this is a resource that no word lover should be without.
"Some entries accomplish cameo wonders of literary history. Others are funny . . . generously and urbanely compiled." --The New York Times
Childrens Writers Word Book (Children's Writer's Word Book)
by Alijandra Mogilner
from Writers Digest Books
This title's unique design ensures that writers speak to their audience with a vocabulary and style they both understand and find appealing. A fast-reference guide meant to be used along with a dictionary, thesaurus and yellow pad of paper, it will help fulfill the dream of becoming a published children's writer.
A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum) And of Cognate Instituted Mysteries: Their Rites, Literature and History (Combined Edition: Two ... Rites Literature and History/2 Volumes in 1)
by Arthur Edward Waite
from Wings
Provides a complete view of the history, literature and myths surrounding Freemasonry. Comprehensive explanations of their secret rituals and symbolism. Including alchemy, astrology, Kabbalism, ceremonial magic, animal magnetism and more.
Patrick O'Brian's Navy
by Richard O'Neill
from Running Press
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived: How Characters of Fiction, Myth, Legends, Television, and Movies Have Shaped Our Society, Changed Our Behavior, and Set the Course of History
by Dan Karlan
from Harper Paperbacks
From Santa Claus to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from Uncle Sam to Uncle Tom, here is a compelling, eye-opening, and endlessly entertaining compendium of fictional trendsetters and world-shakers who have helped shape our culture and our lives. The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived offers fascinating histories of our most beloved, hated, feared, and revered invented icons and the indelible marks they made on civilization, including:
# 28: Rosie the Riveter, the buff, blue-collar factory worker who helped jump-start the Women's Liberation movement
# 7: Siegfried, the legendary warrior-hero of Teutonic nationalism responsible for propelling Germany into two world wars
# 80: Icarus, the headstrong high-flyer who inspired the Wright brothers and humankind's dreams of defying gravity . . . while demonstrating the pressing need for flight insurance
# 58: Saint Valentine, the hapless, de-canonized loser who lost his heart and head at about the same time
# 43: Barbie, the bodacious plastic babe who became a role model for millions of little girls, setting an impossible standard for beauty and style
The Great Encyclopedia Of Faeries
by Pierre Dubois
from Simon & Schuster
They are known as the Little People, the Beautiful Maidens, the Godmothers, the Blessed, the Ageless Ones...for it is dangerous to say the name "faeries" without good reason. Ruling over earth, air, fire, and water, they protect forests, animals, and children, and in their hands lie the dreamy souls of all creatures.
The faeries rose from the mist long, long ago, in the time of the Golden Age -- well before the creation of gods and men. In their magical fancy they created the singing grasses and the reflection of springs, the music of legends and the far side of the mirror. From the Valkyries of Valhalla to the Babouchka of Russia, Banshees, Dryads, Bogey Beasts, Sirens, and their ilk populate the imaginations and the forests of every culture.
In this comprehensive celebration of the world of faery, renowned French elficologist Pierre Dubois describes the extraordinary richness of the faery kingdom, presenting dozens and dozens of lushly illustrated entries on the most powerful and enchanting denizens of this magical world. Dubois provides readers with authoritative information detailing the customs, habitat, and activities of these Little People. Faery Godmothers, we discover, were originally tall, distinguished, and rather severe; only recently have they taken up the magic wands and cheerful smiles we know them for today. We learn that the favorite foods of the Arthurian faery Viviane are the blackberries that surround Merlin's tomb. And among the customs and activities of the Bogey Beast, the prime goal is indeed to scare little children...if only for their protection.
Dubois's entrancing descriptions are accompanied by Roland and Claudine Sabatier's marvelous illustrations, which depict the appearance of the faeries, the places where they are found, and their familiar objects. Without revealing any faery confidences (which must never be betrayed), Dubois and the Sabatiers have created a comprehensive and utterly enchanting survey of a magical world as old as time.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
from Three Rivers Press
"I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story."
Amy Krouse Rosenthal, one-time Might magazine columnist and self-confessed hater of the segue has written a snappy, random, remarkable memoir--the first of its kind to give readers an honest flaws-n-all perspective of what it's like to be...ordinary. Initially inspired by the "bizarre, haphazard arrangement" of The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, Rosenthal has collected a lifetime of thoughts, observations, and decisions, and created an alphabetized personal encyclopedia, complete with cross-referenced entries and illustrations. Rosenthal reveals the minutiae of her life, from pumping gas ("Every. Single. Solitary. Time I go to get gas I have to lean out the window to see which side the tank is on"), to witnessing her son's accident ("I saw with front-row-seat clarity, just how quickly, randomly, and mercilessly your child can be taken away"), and in turns both playful and poignant, engages the reader in effortless and stimulating conversation. Whether you are laughing aloud or nodding along, reading Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is like being introduced to a new friend--one that you automatically connect with and feel compelled to share. Fans of Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, and shows like Arrested Development and Scrubs will appreciate Rosenthal's quirky, conversational humor and dead-on observations. Writers will see the book as a contemporary portrait of the fledgling artist, and should enjoy her aptly named, "Evolution of this Moment"--a timeline tracking her growth as a writer from her first word ("more") to publication of her fourth book. Modesty prevents Rosenthal from acknowledging herself as anything other than ordinary--that, and the fact that she has not "survived against all odds"--but that certainly does not mean she has nothing to say, or to share. Her delightful memoir is a reminder that life is not always an adventure, but it can be full of sad, silly, and important moments that make it worth living. Witness the generosity of an author who is willing to reveal so much of herself, not just as a writer, but also as a person--share this delightfully quirky, utterly enjoyable book with family and friends with a note, "Here is someone I think you should meet." --Daphne Durham Amazon.com Exclusive Content The Lost and Found Project Watch the "Lost and Found" video directed by filmmaker Steve Delahoyde, documenting Rosenthal's test run and featuring her theme song, "This is My Story."
Between January 25th and February 1st, hundreds of copies of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life were intentionally left in random places (taxis, public bathrooms, laundromats) in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Each book was inscribed with a note from the author, and the finder was encouraged to report back to Rosenthal's website (www.encyclopediaofanordinarylife.com) when and where the book was discovered.
Listen to the theme song written by Tony Rogers.
How do you interview a smart, creative, clever author like Amy Krouse Rosenthal? You agree to let her start with the questions, and hang on for the ride. Find out more about Amy and sneak a peek behind-the-scenes at Amazon.com with this decidedly ordinary email correspondence between Ms. Rosenthal and senior editor Daphne Durham. 
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom
from Scribner
Harold Bloom's urgency in How to Read and Why may have much to do with his age. He brackets his combative, inspiring manual with the news that he is nearing 70 and hasn't time for the mediocre. (One doubts that he ever did.) Nor will he countenance such fashionable notions as the death of the author or abide "the vagaries of our current counter-Puritanism" let alone "ideological cheerleading." Successively exploring the short story, poetry, the novel, and drama, Bloom illuminates both the how and why of his title and points us in all the right directions: toward the Romantics because they "startle us out of our sleep-of-death into a more capacious sense of life"; toward Austen, James, Proust; toward Thomas Mann, Toni Morrison, and Cormac McCarthy; toward Cervantes and Shakespeare (but of course!), Ibsen and Oscar Wilde.
How should we read? Slowly, with love, openness, and with our inner ear cocked. Then we should reread, reread, reread, and do so aloud as often as possible. "As a boy of eight," he tells us, "I would walk about chanting Housman's and William Blake's lyrics to myself, and I still do, less frequently yet with undiminished fervor." And why should we engage in this apparently solitary activity? To increase our wit and imagination, our sense of intimacy--in short, our entire consciousness--and also to heal our pain. "Until you become yourself," Bloom avers, "what benefit can you be to others." So much for reading as an escape from the self!
Still, many of this volume's pleasures may indeed be selfish. The author is at his best when he is thinking aloud and anew, and his material offers him--and therefore us--endless opportunities for discovery. Bloom cherishes poetry because it is "a prophetic mode" and fiction for its wisdom. Intriguingly, he fears more for the fate of the latter: "Novels require more readers than poems do, a statement so odd that it puzzles me, even as I agree with it." We must, he adjures, crusade against its possible extinction and read novels "in the coming years of the third millennium, as they were read in the eighteenth and nineteenth century: for aesthetic pleasure and for spiritual insight."
Bloom is never heavy, since his vision quest contains a healthy love of irony--Jedediah Purdy, take note: "Strip irony away from reading, and it loses at once all discipline and all surprise." And this supreme critic makes us want to equal his reading prowess because he writes as well as he reads; his epigrams are equal to his opinions. He is also a master allusionist and quoter. His section on Hedda Gabler is preceded by three extraordinary statements, two from Ibsen, who insists, "There must be a troll in what I write." Who would not want to proceed? Of course, Bloom can also accomplish his goal by sheer obstinacy. As far as he is concerned, Don Quixote may have been the first novel but it remains to this day the best one. Is he perhaps tweaking us into reading this gigantic masterwork by such bald overstatement? Bloom knows full well that a prophet should stop at nothing to get his belief and love across, and throughout How to Read and Why he is as unstinting as the visionary company he adores. --Kerry Fried
Information is endlessly available to us; where shall wisdom be found?" is the crucial question with which renowned literary critic Harold Bloom begins this impassioned book on the pleasures and benefits of reading well. For more than forty years, Bloom has transformed college students into lifelong readers with his unrivaled love for literature. Now, at a time when faster and easier electronic media threatens to eclipse the practice of reading, Bloom draws on his experience as critic, teacher, and prolific reader to plumb the great books for their sustaining wisdom.
Shedding all polemic, Bloom addresses the solitary reader, who, he urges, should read for the purest of all reasons: to discover and augment the self. His ultimate faith in the restorative power of literature resonates on every page of this infinitely rewarding and important book.
Bibliophile's Dictionary: 2054 Masterful Words and Phrases
by Miles Westley
from Writer's Digest Books
The ultimate reference tool for word lovers, The Bibliophile's Dictionary compiles the most challenging words readers are ever likely to encounter in great literature. This invaluable guide:
-Shares comprehensive definitions for more than 3,600 words, more than twice the words found in competing titles
-Provides examples of how each word is used by classic and contemporary authors
-Is uniquely organized by theme, giving it a fun, browsable feel, and includes an alphabetical index for those looking up words traditionally
Avid readers, booksellers, editors, and other word-based professionals will welcome having a wealth of words at their fingertips, thanks to this masterful tool.
Edgar Cayce Encyclopedia of Healing (Edgar Cayce)
by Reba Ann Karp
from Grand Central Publishing
From Acne to Xeroderma, almost any health problem you are likely to experience has been addressed by Edgar Cayce (the sleeping prophet). I trust Cayce's information and the remedies in the Encyclopedia of Healing are 99 percent common sense: eat healthy, exercise, and reduce the stress in your life. If you're looking for some magic cure, though, you'll likely be disappointed. Keep in mind that most of these remedies were prescribed for individuals with several ailments. For this reason, I wouldn't go swallowing any strange concoctions before getting a professional opinion, but I would trust these case studies as a guide for better living.
From Acne to Xeroderma, almost any health problem you are likely to experience has been addressed by Edgar Cayce (the sleeping prophet). I trust Cayce's information and the remedies in the Encyclopedia of Healing are 99 percent common sense: eat healthy, exercise, and reduce the stress in your life. If you're looking for some magic cure, though, you'll likely be disappointed. Keep in mind that most of these remedies were prescribed for individuals with several ailments. For this reason, I wouldn't go swallowing any strange concoctions before getting a professional opinion, but I would trust these case studies as a guide for better living.
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