The Haida world is a misty archipelago a hundred stormy miles off the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska. For a thousand years and more before the Europeans came, a great culture flourished in these islands. The masterworks of classical Haida sculpture, now enshrined in many of the world's great museums, range from exquisite tiny amulets to magnificent huge housepoles. Classical Haida literature is every bit as various and fine. It extends from tiny jewels crafted by master songmakers to elaborate mythic cycles lasting many hours. The linguist and ethnographer John Swanton took dictation from the last great Haida-speaking storytellers, poets and historians from the fall of 1900 through the summer of 1901. His Haida hosts and colleagues had been raised in a wholly oral world where the mythic and the personal interpenetrate completely. They joined forces with their visitor, consciously creating a great treasury of Haida oral literature in written form. Poet and linguist Robert Bringhurst has worked for many years with these century-old manuscripts, which have waited until now for the broad recognition they deserve.

In the Fall of 1900, a young American anthropologist named John Swanton arrived in the Haida country, on the Northwest Coast of North America, intending to learn everything he could about Haida mythology. He spent the next ten months phonetically transcribing several thousand pages of myths, stories, histories and songs in the Haida language. Swanton met a number of fine mythtellers during his year in the Haida country. Each had his own style and his own repertoire. Two of them—a blind man in his fifties by the name of Ghandl, and a crippled septuagenarian named Skaay—were artists of extraordinary stature, revered in their own communities and admired ever since by the few specialists aware of their great legacy. Nine Visits to the Mythworld includes all the finest works of one of these master mythtellers. In November 1900, when Ghandl dictated these nine stories, the Haida world lay in ruins. Wave upon wave of smallpox and other diseases, rapacious commercial exploitation by fur traders, whalers and miners, and relentless missionization by the church had taken a huge toll on Haida culture. Yet in the blind poet’s mind, the great tradition lived, and in his voice it comes alive. Robert Bringhurst’s eloquent and vivid translations of these works are supplemented by explanatory notes that supply the needed background information.

A searing memoir of a political life that took the Telugu literary world by storm. Well-known as the widow of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah (KS), founder of the Maoist movement in Andhra Pradesh, Koteswaramma’s life spans a tumultuous century of the Independence movement, the Communist insurrection and the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh. A dedicated worker for the Communist Party, she went underground in the difficult years of the late forties, living a secret life, running from safe house to safe house. Throughout, it was the support and companionship of her husband, Seetharamaiah, that gave her strength. And then, everything changed when he deserted her. Refusing to be cowed down, Koteswaramma rebuilt her life step by painful step. She educated herself, took up a job, raised her grandchildren, wrote poetry and prose and established herself as a thinking person in her own right. This moving memoir is a testimony of her courage and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds, as well as her understanding of the frailties of human beings and political institutions. That women in India often face incredible suffering is known. That they can fight back and emerge winners is exemplified in Koteswaramma’s life. Published by Zubaan.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book exposes Andrew Jackson's failure to honor and enforce federal laws and treaties protecting Indian rights, describing how the Indian policies of "Old Hickory" were those of a racist imperialist, in stark contrast to how his followers characterized him, believing him to be a champion of democracy. Early in his career as an Indian fighter, American Indians gave Andrew Jackson a name-Sharp Knife-that evoked their sense of his ruthlessness and cruelty. Contrary to popular belief-and to many textbook accounts-in 1830, Congress did not authorize the forcible seizure of Indian land and the deportation of the legal owners of that land. In actuality, U.S. President Andrew Jackson violated the terms of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, choosing to believe that he was not bound to protect Native Indian individuals' rights. Sharp Knife: Andrew Jackson and the American Indians draws heavily on Jackson's own writings to document his life and give readers sharp insight into the nature of racism in ante-bellum America. Noted historian Alfred Cave's latest book takes readers into the life of Andrew Jackson, paying particular attention to his interactions with Native American peoples as a militia general, treaty negotiator, and finally as president of the United States. Cave clearly depicts the many ways in which Jackson's various dishonorable actions and often illegal means undermined the political and economic rights that were supposed to be guaranteed under numerous treaties. Jackson's own economic interests as a land speculator and slave holder are carefully documented, exposing the hollowness of claims that "Old Hickory" was the champion of "the common man."

It's the cruellest story ever told.One day you are 17 years old and told that you have your whole life ahead of you, "Don't rush!" they say, "You've got plenty of time," and in blissful ignorance you believe them, carrying on the illusion of unlimited time.And as the words, 'future', and 'plans' fall loosely from your lips, you become winded by the news that goes against everything you have ever been told.Suddenly, the meaning of life begins to fade and the promise of time shows itself to be nothing but an ugly, merciless lie.This is my story.The story I share with Death.17 year old Darcey Dawson was promised time. Time to grow, time to learn and most importantly, time to live. Even after she is diagnosed with AML, Darcey believed in the future she had spent the majority of her life planning. But that all comes to a crashing halt when Death appears in the form of Noah White with the unwelcome news of her limited time.

Wife and mother. Teacher and musician. Marathoner and rock climber. At 66, Dierdre Wolownick-Honnold became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan in Yosemite--and in The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story, she shares her intimate journey, revealing how her climbing achievement reflects a broader story of courage and persistence. Dierdre grew up under the watchful eyes of a domineering mother and realized early on that her parents’ plans for her future weren’t what she wanted for herself. Later, what seemed like a storybook romance brought escape, with new experiences and eye-opening travel, but she quickly discovered that her husband was not the happy-go-lucky man he had first appeared. Adapting as best she could, Dierdre juggled work and raising two young children, encouraging them to be fearlessly confident. She noted with delight how her “little lady” Stasia took it upon herself to look out for her baby brother, and watched in amazement as Alex (Honnold of "Free Solo" fame) started climbing practically before he could crawl. After years of struggle in her marriage and her ultimate divorce, Dierdre found inspiration in her now-adult children’s passions, as well as new depths within herself. At Stasia’s urging, she took up running at age 54 and soon completed several marathons. Then at age 58, Alex led her on her first rock climbs. A world of friendship and support suddenly opened up to her within the climbing “tribe,” culminating in her record-setting ascent of El Cap with her son. From confused young wife and busy but lonely mother to confident middle-aged athlete, Dierdre brings the reader along as she finds new strength, happiness, and community in the outdoors--and a life of learning, acceptance, and spirit.