Bread and Swans follows the life of Pfirsich Rommel, leading man of the long-running drawn book series, The Desert Peach. From their first childhood spats, Pfirsich acts as the conscience and alter-ego of his famous historical brother, the Desert Fox, blending plain fact with pure imagination. We need bread, but there should be swans. Never forgetting that bread nourishes ? and our swans can drown us.

A modern classic unparalleled in scope, this sweeping history unfolds the story of Buddhism’s spread to the West. How the Swans Came to the Lake opens with the story of Asian Buddhism, including the life of the Buddha and the spread of his teachings from India to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and elsewhere. Coming to the modern era, the book tracks how Western colonialism in Asia served as the catalyst for the first large-scale interactions between Buddhists and Westerners. Author Rick Fields discusses the development of Buddhism in the West through key moments such as Transcendentalist fascination with Eastern religions; immigration of Chinese and Japanese people to the United States; the writings of D. T. Suzuki, Alan Watts, and members of the Beat movement; the publication of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki; the arrival of Tibetan lamas in America and Europe; and the influence of Western feminist and social justice movements on Buddhist practice. This fortieth anniversary edition features both new and enhanced photographs as well as a new introduction by Fields’s nephew, Buddhist Studies scholar Benjamin Bogin, who reflects on the impact of this book since its initial publication and addresses the significant changes in Western Buddhist practice in recent decades.

"A touching, life affirming true story that grips you from the time they hatch, until moment they finally leave." Swan Life is the heart-warming account of the trials and tribulations experienced by a pair of mute swans, as they struggle to raise a family on Dorset's River Stour. Gaining the complete trust of the birds, the author reveals rarely seen aspects of a swan's life. Discover the extraordinary level care given to their young and the close relationship forged between the adults. Experience the tension as the family battles with a rival swan, along with the touching moment when the female bird buries one of her own dead cygnets. This is a unique book, it will give the reader a brand new insight into how the swan's graceful nature often belies the tumultuous life they lead. This is not just a wildlife book though, it's a story of a parent's love, devotion and sacrifice. It will change the way you see these birds forever. "Unforgettable - one reading will not be enough."

“Beautiful and instructive, this is the book to tempt you to reach for the flour and butter and gorge yourself silly”—from the James Beard Award–winner (Fork). Whether attempting the elusive perfect tart crust or the ever-vexing handmade puff pastry, making from-scratch pastry is the baker’s pinnacle of achievement—and arguably the most challenging of all skills. In Pastry, renowned British baker Richard Bertinet demystifies the art of handmade pastry for aspiring bakers of all abilities. Using crystal-clear instructions, step-by-step photography, and fail-proof weight measurements for ingredients, Bertinet teaches readers how to make the four different types of pastry—savory, sweet, puff, and choux—and shares 50 rustic, mouthwatering recipes. “A no-nonsense collection of pastry recipes from a career baker, enhanced by terrific step-by-step photography. Bertinet has an amazing ability to get complex ideas across, clearly and simply.” —Financial Times “It’s the kind of introduction to pastry that I wish someone had given me long ago, so I might have avoided all the tart- and pie-crust disasters that have plagued my kitchen over the years.” —Saveur “Richard’s cookery school in Bath is one of the places to learn baking, but if you can’t get there, this book is the next best thing to sharpen up your pastry skills.” —BBC Good Food “Delicious . . . Proving that everyone can cook pastry.” —Homes & Gardens “Since the text runs the gamut from simple how-tos to complex recipes, novice bakers and veterans who know the way around a tart pan will both find a treasure trove of flaky, scrumptious possibilities from a master chef and wise teacher.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers

Winner of the 2016 World Fantasy Award for Best Collection Contains "The Bone Swans of Amandale," 2015 Nebula Award finalist for Best Novella "C. S. E. Cooney is one of the most moving, daring, and plainly beautiful voices to come out of recent fantasy. She's a powerhouse with a wink in her eye and a song in each pocket." —Catherynne M. Valente, New York Times-bestselling author of the Fairyland novels "These stories are a pure joy. C. S. E. Cooney's imagination is wild and varied, her stories bawdy, horrific, comic, and moving-frequently all at the same time. Her characters are wickedly appealing, and her language—O! her language. Lush, playful, poetic, but never obscure or stilted, it makes her magic more magic, her comedy more comic, and her tragic moments almost unbearable." —Delia Sherman, author of Young Woman in a Garden: Stories "Bone Swans is a joy of feathery bones & ghoulish clowns. I adored every word. Like an eyas cries for meat, I cry for more. C.S.E. Cooney's a major talent and these are major talent stories. Who can resist hero rats, pouting swans, feral children, flying carpets and the Flabberghast? So tongue-tied am I with delight I fall back on the usual cliches: gripping, delightful, insightful, rollicking & lyrical—and yet not one cliche is to be found in Bone Swans, only stories of surpassing delicacy and wit, told by a lady of rare talent. Please, ma'am, might I have some more?" —Ysabeau S. Wilce, Andre Norton Award wining author of Flora's Dare A swan princess hunted for her bones, a broken musician and his silver pipe, and a rat named Maurice bring justice to a town under fell enchantment. A gang of courageous kids confronts both a plague-destroyed world and an afterlife infested with clowns but robbed of laughter. In an island city, the murder of a child unites two lovers, but vengeance will part them. Only human sacrifice will save a city trapped in ice and darkness. Gold spun out of straw has a price, but not the one you expect. World Fantasy Award winner Ellen Kushner has called Cooney's writing "stunningly delicious! Cruel, beautiful and irresistible." Bone Swans, the infernally whimsical debut collection from C. S. E. Cooney, gathers five novellas that in the words of Andre Norton Award winner Delia Sherman are "bawdy, horrific, comic, and moving-frequently all at the same time." Cooney's mentor, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Gene Wolfe, proclaims in his introduction that her style is so original it can only be described as "pure Cooney," and he offers readers a challenge: "Try to define that when you've finished the stories in this book." More praise for Bone Swans "Cooney's brilliantly executed collection of five stories is a delicious stew of science fiction, horror, and fantasy, marked by unforgettable characters who plumb the depths of pathos and triumph. ... All of these stories could easily serve as the foundation for novels while also working beautifully at their current length. These well-crafted narratives defiantly refuse to fade from memory long after the last word has been read." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "In five beautifully crafted stories, Cooney builds imaginary worlds full of flying carpets, fairy-tale characters, and children confronted with a postapocalyptic Earth ... Each tale packs in enough plot for a novel, with adventurous characters who brim with wit." —Library Journal, starred review "Writing without ostentation and featuring characters who may be flippant, terse, or even tongue-tied, Cooney produces memorable prose propelled by extraordinary ideas ... Faced with such twisted genius, I'll say no more!" —Locus "A fascinating mashup between the tropes and resonances of the mythic tale with the sensibilities of contemporary action-oriented fantasy: simultaneously lighthearted and serious, full of consequences but also ubiquitous happy endings." —Tor.com

Ankara, the capital city in the heart of Turkey at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, East and West, is a hotspot in the Cold War, torn between communism and conservatism, Western freedoms and traditional ways, with an army fearful of democracy and a government that employs thugs and torture to enforce law and order. In the summer of 1980, tensions are building. Homes of the poor are being burnt down. Armed revolutionaries on college campuses battle right-wings militias in the city's neighborhoods. The lines between good and bad, right and wrong, and beautiful and ugly are blurred by shed blood. Two children, one from a family living in misery and one well-off, form an alliance amid the turmoil. Through their senses, the cityscape unfolds its wonders, its rich smells and colors, as they try to make sense of the events swirling around them. And they hatch a plan. For the first time in generations, mute swans have migrated from Russia to the Black Sea and to a park at the center of Ankara. For the generals, they are an affirmation, and their wings must be broken so they can't fly away. But if the children can save one swan, won't they have saved the freedom of all?