Language and Litterature

· Explores the shamanic use of healing songs, psychoactive plants and vision quests at the heart of the Odyssey and the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien· Examines odysseus's encounters with plant divinities, altered consciousness, animal shapeshifting and sacred topography - all concepts vital to shamanism· Reveals how the Odyssey emerged precisely at the rupture between modern and primal conscio

Margaret De Wys first became aware of ecstatic trance healing when she was a young girl fascinated by the rapture of the Holy Rollers. However, it would be decades before she would be called to explore that early fascination. At a gathering in Upstate New York thirty years later she was spontaneously possessed by a sacred Zulu necklace—a gift from one of the most powerful shamans in Africa, Vusama

When composer and Bard College music professor, Margaret De Wys, learned she had breast cancer, the diagnosis shattered her comfortable life. Seized by fear, crushed by existential loneliness, she couldn't respond when her loved ones reached out to her. To everyone's concern, the illness propelled her away from her family and deep into the Amazon to work with Carlos, a charismatic Shuar shaman and

What goes on inside a paragraph of printed text? Cyrus Highsmith's Inside Paragraphs is an essential primer on the basics of typography that focuses specifically on the role of printed text within a paragraph

In Black, Brown + Latinx Design Educators, Kelly Walters collects twelve deeply personal interviews with graphic design educators of color who teach at colleges and universities across the United States and Canada.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727) is still regarded by the world as the greatest scientist who ever lived. He invented calculus, discovered the binomial theorem, explained the rainbow, built the first reflecting telescope and explained the force of gravity. In his famous masterpiece, Principia Mathematica, he described the mechanics of the physical universe with unimagined precision, proving the cosmos was

Alejandro Jodorowsky re-creates the incredible adventure of his life as an artist, filmmaker, writer and therapist - all stages on his quest to push back the boundaries of both imagination and reason.Not a traditional autobiography composed of a chronological recounting of memories, THE DANCE OF REALITY repaints events from Jodorowsky's life from the perspective of an unleashed imagination. Like t

Our pagan ancestors knew that every forest has brownies and fairies, every spring its lady and every river malevolent beings in its depths. They told tales of giants in the hills, dragons in the lakes, marshes swarming with will-o'-the-wisps and demons and wild folk in the mountains who enjoyed causing landslides, avalanches and floods. They both feared and respected these entities, knowing the im

Before he became the film maker and graphic novel author known throughout the world today, Alejandro Jodorowsky studied with Zen master Ejo Takata in Mexico City. In THE FINGER AND THE MOON, Jodorowsky recounts how he became Takata's student and offers his interpretations of the teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans and enigmatic haikus he learned at the feet of his great and humble teacher. B

Dr. John Dee (1527–1608), Queen Elizabeth I's court advisor and astrologer, was the foremost scientific genius of the 16th century. Laying the foundation for modern science, he actively promoted mathematics and astronomy as well as made advances in navigation and optics that helped elevate England to the foremost imperial power in the world. Centuries ahead of his time, his theoretical work includ

Superbly told, with the poet's gift for language and observation, Angelou's autobiography of her childhood in racially charged Arkansas in the 1930s brings to vivid life a world which most Americans had no idea existed.

With such bestsellers as A History of God and Islam, Karen Armstrong has consistently delivered "penetrating, readable, and prescient" (The New York Times) works that have lucidly engaged a wide range of religions and religious issues. In Buddha she turns to a figure whose thought is still reverberating throughout the world 2,500 years after his death. Many know the Buddha only from seeing countl

A glorious anthology of writing about books and reading, with one piece for every day of the year.

The Tattoo Chronicles is an illustrated diary that offers an intimate look at a crucial year in the personal and professional life of Kat Von D, the charismatic, no-holds-barred tattooer and star of LA Ink. When Kat does a tattoo, she writes an entry about it in her journal, reflecting not only on the significance of the tattoo for the person who is receiving it but also on how the experience of

This is a wise and compelling exploration of heartbreak, grief, beauty, aging, relationships, re-invention and finding your purpose. In these essays, Porizkova bares her soul.

“The guardian of all style” (The New York Times Magazine) shares stories on life, love, style, and career, from Paris to New York, and inspires readers to cultivate an effortless chic that is all their own.   Garance Doré, the voice and vision behind her eponymous blog, has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her fresh and appealing approach to style through storytelling. This gorgeous

Best known for his Buddhist teachings, Thich Nhat Hanh has lived in exile from his native Vietnam since 1966. These remarkable early journals reveal not only an exquisite portrait of the Zen master as a young man, but the emergence of a great poet and literary voice of Vietnam. From his years as a student and teaching assistant at Princeton and Columbia, to his efforts to negotiate peace and a bet

William Johnston--an authority on fourteenth century spirituality and specifically on the writings of this unknown author--provides a substantive and accessible introduction detailing what is known about the history of this text and its relevance throughout the ages. Also included here is the author's other principal work, The Book of Privy Counseling--a short and moving text on the way to enlight

A cloudspotter's interactive journal. Our interest in clouds is more profound than we ever thought. Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and author of A Cloud A Day has been spreading the word via social media and hugely popular TED talks, and the response has been revelatory. Following on from his very successful A Cloud A Day book, he wants readers to take tim

A compelling collection of anonymous postcards sent during lockdown, revealing hilarious, salacious, relatable and sometimes heartbreaking secret confessions. In the thick of the 2021 coronavirus lockdown, designer and shopowner Eleanor Tattersfield put out a call on Instagram: 'I'll send you a postcard, you send me a secret'. Lockdown Secrets is an astonishing record of what happened next.