Language and Litterature

A fresh retelling of the ancient texts about Ishtar, the world's first goddess. Illustrated with visual artifacts of the period. "A great masterpiece of universal literature."--Mircea Eliade

Following her modern classic and worldwide bestseller A Mutant Message Down Under, Marlo Morgan's long-awaited second novel is a tale of self-enlightenment about aboriginal twins separated at birth and the searchfor roots that reunites them from opposite sides of the globe.

The great Persian poet Hafez is so beloved in Iran that almost every family there keeps his "Divan" close at hand. For some fifteen years, esteemed American poet and author Robert Bly has worked with the great Islamic scholar Leonard Lewisohn to produce this translation, which for the first time captures Hafez's nimbleness, his fierce humor, his astonishing range of thought, and his delight in

Learn how to make unique pen designs using the Slimline pen kit and its strongest attributes with clear, step-by-step instructions and 291 clear color photos. The designs and techniques used in this book include: changing the lengths of the pen’s barrels, eliminating the center band, adding accent rings and center bands made from various materials. Also included are building blanks from sections o

When Odilo Globocnik, SS and police leader in Lublin, Poland, transferred to the Italian OZAK region in late 1943, he took with him a group of around 100 men who had run the notorious Aktion Reinhard extermination camps—Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor—where 1.5 million people (mostly Jews) had been killed. This book describes the little-known activities of this group, known as Abteilung R (Reinhard), i

Reichsführer-SS, Chief of German Police, Reich Commissar for the Consolidation of German Nationhood, Reich Minister of the Interior, Commander of the Replacement Army, and Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Vistula—Heinrich Himmler ultimately combined all of these positions in his person. All of his roles are described and explained in detail for the first time in this comprehensive book. What were

Wilfried Sonnenthal joined the SS Signals Replacement Battalion in Nuremberg in January 1943, and in June 1943, he was transferred to the SS-Karstwehr-Bataillon in Pottenstein. With this battalion he took part in the disarming of the Italian Army in northern Italy in September 1943, and then was assigned to guard the Adriatic Coastland Zone of Operations. He describes combat actions against the ma

Tracing the rise of commercial fetish art from its shadowy beginnings in the 1940s to its acceptance in the 1970s, this illustrated biography explores the unconventional life and art of Eric Stanton, a pioneering sexual fantasist who helped shape the movement. With more than 400 rare images and interviews with Stanton’s family and closest associates, this biography chronicles the infamous circle o

Eighty brave men made a near-suicidal first attack on Japan about four months after Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted a quick response to the Japanese ambush on Hawaii to demonstrate to the Japanese that they were not invulnerable to attack, and to give a much-needed boost to American morale. Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was selected to plan and lead the Raid from the USS Hornet. Much

One of the most important shoe designers of the mid- to late twentieth century, Arsho Baghsarian spent more than four decades working behind the scenes for prestigious companies with men's names on the label, including Christian Dior, Andrew Geller, I. Miller, and Stuart Weitzman, as well as Shoe Biz. Her creative genius is illustrated in this photographic collection of full-page sketches, prototy

John C. Woods, the US Army's hangman during World War II, is known for his role executing ten senior Nazis in 1946. For the first time, learn about Woods's early life in Kansas and his dishonorable discharge before World War II. Discover how volunteering as a military executioner would lead Woods to his career as a hangman.  Award-winning author Colonel French MacClean separates fact from fiction

This historical biography of John Monroe “Hawk” Smith, Navy fighter pilot, is a gripping account of valor, sacrifice, and adventure during one of the most tumultuous periods in carrier aviation.  It was no surprise when Hawk, having completed a stunning tour as commanding officer of TOPGUN, received orders to a frontline F-14 Tomcat squadron—VF-213, the “Black Lions.” Hawk joined the Black Lions p

Germany built the first operational jet aircraft during World War II, the Messerschmitt Me 262. Siegfried Decher was part of the engineering team that designed the engines that powered the 262. At the end of the war, Decher was nearly stranded in the Soviet Occupation Zone, but the US military made contact and offered a way out. As the principal responsible for a control system in the Jumo engine,

Let us rejoice in the genius that is Kevin Smith!This fun and photo-filled biography celebrates the life, films, and fans of the director responsible for such indie cult classics as Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. Movie-industry veteran David Gati has compiled and edited this humorous and insightful look at Smith’s nearly 30-year moviemaking journey. Through Smith's own uncensored storie

Contrary to popular opinion, the automotive industry is not a man's world! Since the early days of General Motors, there have been women—known and unknown—who have had vital roles in design, engineering, manufacturing, and administration. In this follow-up to Damsels in Design, her book on women automotive designers from 1939-1959, Constance Smith presents profiles of and interviews with more than

In this imaginative typographic "dictionary," words are defined by arranging their letters to show what each word means.Generating alternatives is the basis of all creative endeavors. Words in Action is an inventive resource that was developed over decades, one word at a time, by architect and professor Michael Pause. Its 366 graphic images add to the inventory first published in Ivan Chermayeff a

Rolf Fischer was born near Bremen in 1927. At age 15, he and his classmates were called up to serve as auxiliaries at the local antiaircraft defense battery. Here Rolf and his friends experienced Allied bombing raids, death, and killing. Along with the young auxiliaries, the flak battery comprised wounded front veterans and Soviet prisoners of war, referred to as “Hiwis.” Rolf describes in great d

Two Great Knights of Adventure was written by Jacques Mortane in 1936. Mortane was on friendly terms with both Marc Pourpe and Raoul Lufbery and wrote the book as a tribute to the two pilots, both of whom were killed in the First World War. Due to the access that Mortane had to these early aviators, this was the best work on their lives, but it was never translated into English and is long out of

The memoirs of the legendary Skorzeny appear here in its first unabridged English edition. Skorzeny's fame began with the successful raid to free Benito Mussolini from the Gran Sasso, Italy in 1943. His elite commandos surprised Italian guards in a daring daytime raid. Hitler presented Skorzeny with the Knight's Cross for this operation. Not only is this raid explained in minute detail, many of Sk

Pilot, scholar, daredevil, general . . . James "Jimmy" Doolittle was one of America's greatest heroes. In a life filled with adventure and achievement, Doolittle did it all.

As a stunt pilot, he thrilled the world with his aerial acrobatics. As a scientist, he pioneered the development of modern aviation technology. During World War II, he served his country