Here are the devices of the territorial branches of the Kingdom of Meridies as of the 50th year of the SCA, complete with blazon and populace badge. Clearly depicted and ready to be colored, these images are great for children and adults of all ages.

In this book, Michael Cramer views the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an organization that studies and recreates the middle ages, as a case study for a growing fascination with medieval fantasy in popular culture. He explores the act of medieval re-creation as performance by focusing on the SCA, describing the group's activities, investigating its place in popular culture, and looking at the SCA not so much as a historical society but as an on-going work of performance art; a postmodern counter-culture riff on what it means to be "medieval." Cramer examines the group's activities, from persona and character development to theatrical performance and personal interaction; from the complex official ceremonies to full contact armored combat with mock broadswords. He explores the SCA in detail to discover how its members adapt and employ ideas about the Middle Ages in performance, ritual reenactment, living history, and re-creation, analyzing the performance of identity through ritual, sport, drama, and personal interaction, and he focuses on the reconstruction of the medieval "king game," a game in which a mock king is chosen to reign over a mock court. The book also studies various ideas about medievalism, including the contrast between reenactment and re-creation, and places these activities in the context of contemporary American society. With three appendixes, a bibliography, and a selection of photos, Cramer demonstrates how and why medieval fantasy is increasingly used in popular culture and analyzes the dissatisfaction with contemporary culture that leads people into these realms of fantasy.

Susan Michaels was once the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until a major scandal ruined her life and left her writing stories about alien babies and Elvis sightings. Life as she once knew it is over, or so she thinks, but then she gets a lead on a story that could salvage her extinct career. She heads to the local animal shelter, expecting a hot news tip, which she gets in the form of a major police cover-up . . . for a ring of soul-sucking vampires out to take over Seattle. So much for saving her credibility. And if that isn't bad enough, she gets talked into adopting a cat and finds she's allergic to it. A cat that turns out to be a shapeshifter who claims to be an immortal vampire slayer on the prowl for the same corrupt cops. Her first thought: seek professional help. But as Susan's drawn into Ravyn's dark and dangerous world, she comes to realize that there's a lot more at stake than just her defunct career. Now it's no longer a question of bringing the truth to her readers; it's a matter of saving their very lives and souls. Ravyn's life was shattered over four hundred years ago, when he mistakenly trusted the wrong human with the truth of his existence. He lost his family, his honor, and his life. Now, in order to save the people of Seattle, he's forced to confront that nightmare all over again, and to trust another woman with the secret that could destroy him. In the world of the Dark-Hunters, life is always dangerous. But never more so than now; when a very human woman can shatter their entire world with just one story. The only question is . . . will she?

Traces the maritime expansion of England through descriptions of a multitude of sea voyages from 1480 through 1630. Analyzes exploration, trading enterprise ventures and piracy and reveals how the attempts to create British settlements overseas resulted in the founding of the first New World colonies.

From creative minds worldwide have come fantasy coin issues never listed in any other comprehensive reference. Unusual Coins includes thousands of issues spawned from the non-circulating legal tender boom, but not fitting into the realm of legitimate coinage. Here you'll find coins used by the inhabitants of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings. These are real coins, created by Tom Maringer of Scottsdale, Ark., based on reference to coins in the trilogy. Unusual World Coins features: • Expanded Page Count: to accommodate over 7,000 photos • Clear images of coins • Detailed descriptive listings • Over 12,000 accurate market values About the Author George Cuhaj is an experienced and accomplished numismatist and researcher. An avid collector with a passion for this hobby, he is closely aligned with leaders in the field. A past president of the American Medalic Sculpture Association, he is a frequent instructor at the American Numismatic Association's Summer Seminars. George is also editor for The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money series. Thomas Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Arts degree in economics. He has more than 20 years of experience researching and reporting on world coin prices and market trends.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon has entertained millions of readers with her extraordinary Dark-Hunter series. With over 40 million copies of her books in print, Kenyon was dubbed "the reigning queen of the wildly successful paranormal scene" by Publishers Weekly. Here together for the first time in a fabulous eBook bundle are her popular Dark-Hunter novels: Sins of the Night Alexion and Danger will have to untwist a tangled web of lies and deceit or watch the world of the Dark-Hunters fall apart. Unleash the Night Always an outsider, Wren has never trusted anyone. Now his life and fate are in the hands of a human who threatens his very existence. But Maggie isn't just anyone. She's the daughter of a prominent senator. Dark Side of the Moon Born into a world of predators, Ravyn was betrayed by everyone he knew. Now with the ultimate battle about to begin, one very human woman holds the power to shatter all worlds.