Seventeen fantasies by one of the field's most prolific short story authors, including tales of...mad gods, specters returning from the beyond, inexplicable enigmas from outer space, a romantic and surreal interlude of the legendary madman, Tom O'Bedlam, time travel to allow an irate professor to settle the Shakespearean authorship controversy, and the King Arthur legend--plus genuinely frightening horror, including the celebrated story, "The Dead Kid." Mike Ashley calls the author "today's supreme stylist" of fantasy, and Tanith Lee says that "Schweitzer is a story-teller, by whose smoky fire one may sit spellbound." First-rate stories of the fantastic by a World Fantasy Award winner!

New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Kirkus Reviews Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction) Shortlisted for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (History) A San Francisco Chronicle Holiday Gift Guide Selection A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection A sweeping, "magisterial" history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists shows why Rome remains "relevant to people many centuries later" (Atlantic). In SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed by critics as animating "the grand sweep and the intimate details that bring the distant past vividly to life" (Economist) in a way that makes "your hair stand on end" (Christian Science Monitor) and spanning nearly a thousand years of history, this "highly informative, highly readable" (Dallas Morning News) work examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries. With its nuanced attention to class, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, SPQR will to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come.

The inner workings of the jazz “business.” “Off the books” refers to a life lived outside of conventional 9 to 5 society. Jazz music itself is “off the books” as far as much of pop culture is concerned. Many jazz lives have unfolded as marginal existences, as jazz guitarist Peter Leitch attests in this honest memoir. Off the Books: A Jazz Life is the story of a life lived in search of excellence in music and art, but also a life lived battling depression and alienation, and overcoming narcotics addiction. Leitch vividly relates a life lived trying to eke out a living in jazz clubs, nightclubs and studios in Montreal, Toronto and New York. He tells of growing up as an Anglophone in Montreal’s working class and predominantly French-speaking East End refinery district, discovering jazz on CBC radio and learning to play it—outside of the academy.

Our third offering of kitty delights and delectables features 25 cat stories, 2 nonfiction compilations of cat anecdotes, and 9 poems--but the emphasis overall is decidedly more modern than in our previous cat Megapacks. Heading the list this time are: Mary A. Turzillo, who contributes 8 tales and poems; A. R. Morlan, author of 6 stories; Michael Hemmingson, who's penned 3 moving poems; Damien Broderick, writer of 2 otherworldly cat tales; Kathryn Ptacek, contributor of 2 fantasies; Douglas Menville, who provides a couple of kitty poems; and pieces by Darrell Schweitzer, David C. Smith, and Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen--not to mention Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Bram Stoker, and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. So, settle back in your chair, your couch, and your bed, cat-lovers everywhere, and enjoy this new anthology of frisky feline tales! "The Cheshire-Cat," by Lewis Carroll "All in the Golden Afternoon," by Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen "Fat Cat," by Robert Reginald "Alex," by Mary A. Turzillo "The Cat-Tracker Lady of Asad Alley," by A. R. Morlan "A Limp Dead Cat in My Arms," by Michael Hemmingson "The Ruined Queen of Harvest World," by Damien Broderick "Stories of Cat Sagacity," by W. H. G. Kingston "Mau," by Douglas Menville "Cat in the Box," by A. R. Morlan "Purple," by Mary A. Turzillo "Ebenezer Wheezer (c1972-1990)," by Douglas Menville "Concerning the 'Pretty Lady'," by Helen M. Winslow "The Boys," by Kathryn Ptacek "Reverence for Cats," by Mark Twain "'...And Mongo Was His Name-O'," by A. R. Morlan "Tommy's Cat," by David C. Smith "Tatiana," by Mary A. Turzillo "Lin Jee," by Mary A. Turzillo "The Squaw," by Bram Stoker "How the Former Pets Survive or Die," by Michael Hemmingson "Cat Burglar," by Kathryn Ptacek "Puss in Boots: Two Versions," by Charles Perrault and Dinah Maria Mulock "No Heaven Will Not Ever Heaven Be...," by A. R. Morlan "The Queen's Cat," by Peggy Bacon "Chocolate Kittens from Mars," by Mary A. Turzillo "Cats Can Colonize Mars," by Mary A. Turzillo "Cat Anecdotes," edited by Adam White "The Adventure of the Hanoverian Vampires," by Darrell Schweitzer "The Beancounter's Cat," by Damien Broderick "A Little Pinch Is All You Need," by A. R. Morlan "They Always Die," by Michael Hemmingson "Scout," by Mary A. Turzillo "The Cat," by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman "The Hunter's Mothers," by Mary A. Turzillo "Hunger," by A. R. Morlan "Ryah's Guest," by Robert Reginald And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" to see more entries in the series, covering mysteries, westerns, science fiction, adventure -- and much, much more!

This is literally a new voice from the eastern end of the great wall, and an eye opening essay written by a retired physician, who has deep root in the Confucian culture. Interpretation of the ancient Chinese scriptures to modern languages had been tarnished by the Chinese Imperial court, and Confucian culture. Later historian used, and moved on to the next steps without any critical thinking. With this premises, Mosol starts to explore many issues around the Eastern End of the Great wall. He tackled all the disputed issues from the origin and analyzed in depth. The eye witnessed story about the major war conducted by Emperor Wu is the starting point of his essay. Many disputed subjects were discussed, and introduced. It is a “fresh look in academic sense” for others scholars. To get his message through to the others, he inserted lots of Chinese ideograms in the text.

A history of the ancient world, from 6000 B.C. to 400 A.D.

In The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, the emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods. Kaden, the heir to the Unhewn Throne, has spent eight years sequestered in a remote mountain monastery, learning the enigmatic discipline of monks devoted to the Blank God. Their rituals hold the key to an ancient power he must master before it's too late. An ocean away, Valyn endures the brutal training of the Kettral, elite soldiers who fly into battle on gigantic black hawks. But before he can set out to save Kaden, Valyn must survive one horrific final test. At the heart of the empire, Minister Adare, elevated to her station by one of the emperor's final acts, is determined to prove herself to her people. But Adare also believes she knows who murdered her father, and she will stop at nothing—and risk everything—to see that justice is meted out. Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne The Emperor's Blades The Providence of Fire The Last Mortal Bond Other books in the world of the Unhewn Throne Skullsworn (forthcoming) At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.