24 Nature


72211 PUFFIN BOOK OF MAGICAL INDIAN MYTHS by Anita Nair


Brings alive a fantastic world of demons, wise sages, demonic asuras, irresistible river deities, arrogant kings, wayward gods and brave princes who inhabit 50 stories from Indian mythology. One tale is about Sage Daksha, who got his daughters married to the moon but later, in a fit of rage, cursed the moon with consumption, which made it wax and wane. 182 pages 21cm x 26cm with over 100 enchanting, brightly coloured illustrations by Atanu Roy.


£12.99 NOW £4.50


72284 THE ANCIENT FABLE: An Introduction by Niklas Holzberg


Here is the first and only one-volume study of the fable’s history in antiquity considering its literary history and individual analysis. Fables used by many Greek and Roman authors were exempla, then the verse fable books of Phaedrus, Babrius and Avianus and finally one Greek and one Latin prose fable book, both dating from the time of the Roman Empire have been attributed to Aesop are studied. With extensive examples and references, the author has picked his way through what remains of this colossal task in unearthing some of the best early short stories for example Horace’s version of ‘Town Mouse and Country Mouse’ from his Satires. With veiled criticisms, beautiful verse and much more. Paperback, 128pp. £10.99 NOW £4


72475 RUNES: Reading, Casting and Divination by Jonathan Dee


The ancient peoples of northern Europe communicated by carving symbols on trees, and these developed into a system of runic forms. Today’s runic alphabet was developed by the Etruscans in northern Italy and the first description of runic divination comes from the Roman historian Tacitus. From the beginning runes were thought to have magical qualities, being used to curse, bless, make love spells and defend warriors when carved into sword blades and shields. Later generations associated runes with witchcraft and condemned occult practices. The author lists the different runes, their association with the Norse gods and the key concepts associated with them. Finally he describes different ways of reading the runes, from the nine rune staves of Tacitus to the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark. 160pp, softback, colour photos, diagrams. £6.99 NOW £3.50


72710 EVERYTHING VAMPIRE BOOK: From Vlad the Impaler to the Vampire Lestat - a History of Vampires in Literature, Film and Legend by Barb Karg, Arjean Spaite and Rikh Sutherland


!


Vampires are amongst the most erotic and exotic creatures on the planet. They are an amalgam of dreams and nightmares, death and everlasting life. In their search for legends, blood symbolism, the un-dead and mythological deities, the authors found themselves back at the very dawn of man. The most notorious was the French nobleman Gilles de Rais, who slaughtered at least 50 young boys in an orgy of blood drinking, cannibalism and monstrous sexual perversions. Here are the best, and worst, vampire books, TV shows, literature and films. 289 paperback pages 20.5cm by 23.5cm, decorated. £9.99 NOW £3.75


NATURE


73635 ARTHUR RANSOME AND CAPTAIN FLINT’S TRUNK


by Christina Hardyment This is the revised softback edition of this classic much-loved account of a voyage in search of Arthur Ransome, published over 20 years after the 1984 original and including a great deal more research plus new drawings and previously unpublished photos. In her fascinating foreword to the new


edition, the author remarks how the popularity of Ransome’s books, particularly the Swallows and Amazons series set in the Lake District and East Anglia, has continued to grow and grow. Spurred by clues found amongst the contents of Ransome’s old trunk which was bequeathed to Leeds University, Christina Hardyment set out to answer the questions that have fascinated and excited Ransome’s fans for generations: Are the people real? Are the places true? Following in their footsteps and sailing in their wakes, she resolves almost all the questions. She spends much time with the Altounyan family, who contributed their names and much more to the Swallows, and tracks down the boats on both sides of the country which Ransome incorporated into the stories. She untangles the mysteries and identifies the myriad influences, incidents and locations upon which Ransome drew to create what has been described as “the Baedeker for Ransome pilgrims of all ages”. A magical transposition of fiction into reality. 130 b/w photos and drawings plus maps, 252pp. £12.99 NOW £5


72353 MONKEYS: A Captivating Look at These Fascinating Animals by Steve Parker


This investigation of the non-human primates is a joy to read and look at. The 13 families, divided broadly into apes, monkeys and lemurs, so endearing and compelling, but not only do they look like us, their


social organisation and behaviour often mirrors our own too. Ranging in size from a silverback male gorilla weighing in at nearly 450lb to the diminutive pygmy mouse lemur which tips the scales at one ounce, here is


a superbly succinct and well-presented portrait, which starts off by explaining the families, their evolutionary pathways and uniting features. Examines primate behaviour, including food and feeding, social life and courtship, breeding and care of young and conservation. Over 100 species are currently on the brink of extinction. The quality and quantity of illustration is astounding. 96pp, colour, 9"×11". £12.99 NOW £5


73059 HISTORY OF ORNITHOLOGY


by Valérie Chansigaud As this charming book reveals, ornithology is an ancient science, yet it also has great relevance in the modern world, where environmental issues such as endangered species, habitat destruction, pollution and avian flu bring the study of birds into the everyday lives of millions


of people. Starting with the very first steps in the study of birds, through the Middle Ages and then the blossoming of science, scientific expeditions and publishing during the Renaissance, and on to the founding work of John Ray and Francis Willoughby in the 17th century, this informative and artistically pleasing volume traces the rise of the Golden Age of ornithology in the 19th century and on into the present day. 239 pages, 250 photos, artworks and diagrams in colour and b/w. Timeline of ornithological events. £17.99 NOW £5


70831 CAMPBELL’S WEATHER COMPENDIUM First we go back to a wealth of folklore and mythology and a thousand homely rhymes and maxims that are still current today. The names of scientists are preserved in the effects, processes and phenomena that they bequeathed to the world from Hadley cells to the Coriolis Effect and the splendidly named Madden-Julian oscillation. The language of weather is a delight and there are charmingly evocative terms like mackerel sky and mares’ tales, the categorisation of clouds to the dustbowls of the American prairies. Stats galore. 166pp.


£9.99 NOW £3.50


71535 THE WHALE: In Search of the Giants of the Sea


by Philip Hoare !


Following in the footsteps of Ishmael, Moby Dick’s narrator/protagonist, Hoare explores the troubled history of the man-whale relationship as he visits such famed whale locations as New Bedford, Nantucket, the Azores and both Poles, and others less celebrated, such as Hull, and traces the whale’s cultural history, from Jonah to Free Willy. There are quite hellish descriptions of the butchering and rendering down of whales in the age of sail, the London whales, descriptions of whales ancient and modern. Photos, woodcuts, drawings and maps. Whale lore, literature, zoology, history and personal opinion. 452pp. $27.99 NOW £4


72162 BIRD SPOTTING by John Holland Featuring 230 known species of British birds, superbly illustrated with watercolours by Rein Stuurman. The birds on the British List belong to 18 orders and the aim of the book is giving their portraits in pictures as well as words and not only giving their Order but also their Family. Enjoy seeing at close quarters the Red Grouse, the Little Grebe, the Capercaillie, the Manx Shearwater, the Ptarmigan, and the Water-Rail. One per page, 292pp with index (Latin names) and list of recorded bird songs.


£6.99 NOW £3.25


72172 COUNTRY LIVES REMEMBERED


by Brian Martin and Ruth Binney


Here is an evocative look at the lives of 12 English countrymen spanning the period from Edwardian England right through to today. Readers come to experience the working and home lives of Ernest Sharp the thatcher to George


Ranger the farrier and from John Furzey the beekeeper to Bill Thomson the hurdle maker. Through these stories, they can learn about rural traditions, and how these can best be celebrated and preserved for future generations. 207 pages, illus. £9.99 NOW £3.50


72190 ILLUSTRATED WISE WORDS AND COUNTRY


WAYS by Ruth Binney Have you ever wondered why it is said that cows lying down in a field mean that rain is on its way? Whether cheese actually gives you nightmares? If eating crusts of bread really makes your hair grow? Here is a unique compilation of


accumulated sayings, mottos and adages, from gardening and kitchen tips to traditional health and beauty tricks. For more than half a century, the author has been collecting old proverbs and remedies, especially in the fields of gardening, cooking, health and natural history. 256 softback pages, illus. £7.99 NOW £3.25


72200 MOST AMAZING BIRDS TO SEE IN


BRITAIN: Reader’s Digest edited by Marion Paull


More than 100 eye-catching species featured. From the delicate avocet to the powerful white-tailed eagle, here dramatic images combine with vivid descriptions and fascinating facts. Both a practical identification guide and an absorbing armchair read, this book features engaging descriptions of the life cycles of each species, details of appearance, size and nesting and feeding habits, clear artworks for easy identification and a list of places where some of the rarer species can be observed. 256 large softback pages. Websites, distribution maps and calendar charts. £14.99 NOW £5


NEW AGE AND OCCULT


73534 THE SYMBOL DETECTIVE: How to Decipher Mystical Motifs and Know


Where to Find Them by Tony Allan


Symbols, as readers will know, are a hidden language working, not by direct reference, but rather by a subtle process of allusion. Understanding them properly requires background knowledge


stretching across cultures and centuries, while tracking them to their source requires careful detective work. This unique volume sets out to act as a guide. In order to tease out the associations of the world’s better known symbols, the book is divided into two principal parts. The first addresses the different types, broken down by their sources - say, in abstract patterns and shapes or in the natural world. Many of the individual emblems are cross-referenced in the book’s second part, which examines their use. This is the section to consult to find out, for instance, why the ancient Egyptians viewed the humble dung beetle as a solar symbol, or to learn about the Gnostic origins of the incantation ‘abracadabra’. An additional section gives details of fraternal societies and secretive cults, such as those of the Cathars, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. 160 pages with more than 250 illustrations in an attractive green colour. £9.99 NOW £5


73548 COMPLETE BOOK OF


DEVILS AND DEMONS by Dr Leonard R. N. Ashley Are you worried about demonic influences in your own life or are you just curious to learn more? In a terrifying journey through the history of the dark side, this shudder-inducing book will answer all your questions and introduce you to the malevolent forces associated with many world religions.


Throughout the centuries, humans have tried to define and combat evil - from demons, fallen angels and monsters of folklore to devil worship and satanic pacts. Peep cautiously within this detailed book to learn about zombies and the undead who prey on the living, voodoo and ritual magic, the princes of hell, possession and exorcism, selling your soul to the devil, and the difference between those demons who should be courted for power, and those who carry deadly diseases. We had no idea that the latter existed - how worrying! 279 paperback pages illustrated in b/w with many ancient woodcuts.


£10.99 NOW £6


71175 THE LURKING FEAR: Collected Short Stories - Volume Four


by H. P. Lovecraft ‘The thing came abruptly and unannounced; a demon, rat-like, scurrying from pits remote and unimaginable, a hellish panting and stifled grunting, and then from that opening beneath the chimney a burst of multitudinous and leprous life - a loathsome night-spawned flood of organic corruption more


devastatingly hideous than the blackest conjurations of mortal madness and morbidity.’ Only the expansive imagination of H. P. Lovecraft could conceive the delicious and spine-tingling horrors you will find within the pages of this unique collection. In addition to such classics as ‘The Picture in the House’, ‘The Music of Erich Zann’ and ‘The Rats in the Walls’, this volume contains some fascinating rarities: examples of Lovecraft’s earliest weird fiction and material unpublished during his lifetime. H. P. Lovecraft’s creation of the Cthulhu Mythos has influenced many modern authors, and still remains at the forefront of supernatural literature. 254pp in paperback. ONLY £3


73390 TIBETAN


RELAXATION by Tarthang Tulku


An innovative and fully illustrated guide to the Kum Nye (pronounced Koom Nyay) holistic system of Buddhist yoga that stems from 8th century Tibetan texts. Connecting with our inner energies brings the benefits of better health and beauty


through the 70 easy-to-follow exercises described here - breathing techniques, sitting postures, self-massage techniques, and movement and stretching exercises. Suitable for all age groups and fitness levels, the exercises are illustrated with over 200 step-by-step colour photographs to show them in practice. 144 pages. Softback.


$14.95 NOW £5


71409 AN A TO Z OF THE OCCULT by Simon Cox and Mark Foster This A-Z takes the broad definition of the word and covers the writings of William Blake, Nostradamus, Pythagoras, the I Ching, Gnosticism, Druidism and Taoism which are freely available for anyone to read. At a more secret level they delve into writings such as the Kabbalah and Tarot, as well as movements like The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Rosicrucianism and the Roman Mystery cults. Additionally we look at Necromancy, Ouija, Satanism, Shamanism, Vampires and Voodoo. 50 entries. 239pp, colour photos. £12.99 NOW £3


71555 DISCOVER YOUR PSYCHIC POWERS by Tara Ward


Subtitled ‘A Practical Guide to Psychic Development and Spiritual Growth’, the book looks at karma and reincarnation, cosmic earth and plant energy, human


energy including feeling an aura, the chakras, creating your own space with happy time and candles, breathing and relaxation, tuning in, connecting with another person, giving an auric reading, psychometry including hand massage, flower reading, self healing using crystals, pendulums and dousing, crystal balls, tarot cards, the runes, palmistry and more. Spiral bound softback, 383pp.


£9.99 NOW £3


72428 ANGELS HANDBOOK by Denise Whichello Brown Archangels Jophiel and Uriel, Gabriel and Chamuel bring love, nurturing, guidance and prophecy, grounding and security to help us protect ourselves and our loved ones. Also looks in depth at sensing the chakras and communing with your guardian angel, dreaming and creating an angelic altar and


more. Colour illus, softback, 160pp. £6.99 NOW £3


71575 THE TAROT ORACLE by Alice Ekrek


Tarot card and playing card reading, numerology, tea- leaf and coffee-ground reading, crystal gazing, I Ching, palmistry, rune casting, astrology and dousing are among the most popular types of fortune telling in use today. With example birth charts, planetary influences, the casting of the runes, a 1480 diagram of the oldest print of right hand planetary positions from Ratdolt’s Chiromantia, an A-Z of shapes in tea leaves, all the origins and history are compiled in this perfect all-round divination compendium. 208pp, 8" x 10". £9.99 NOW £2.75


71870 PARANORMAL WEST YORKSHIRE by Andy Owens


The Pontefract Poltergeist, Spontaneous Human Combustion, The Body on the Coal Pile, Beware Big Cat, The Cottingley Fairies, Ghosbusters, Haunted Halls, A Doll’s House and A Gaggle of Ghosts are among the out-of-this-world chapter headings for these eyewitness accounts of big cats, UFOs, hauntings in pubs, private residences and more. What about the story of BBC Radio Leeds where the Grey Lady and a monk like figure have both been seen at Studio 2? 96 page illus softback. £9.99 NOW £3.50


72234 THE HAND AND ITS MYSTERIES by Karma


Studied by eminent philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and the sages of Egypt, palmistry is one of the most ancient and universal forms of divination. With all 23 original plates plus much line art showing the palm. First published in 1924, the subtitle is ‘An Old Occult Science Explained and Illustrated’ in two books: one, Cheiromancy and two, Ancient Palmistry. In this cult classic, the author provides a reliable system of reading the palm based on ancient methods and practical experience. 254 page facsimile reprinted paperback. £7.99 NOW £2.75


72310 TURN ON TUNE IN DROP OUT by Timothy Leary


The Pied Piper of psychedelia charmed youth worldwide with his mantra ‘Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out’. Written during the psychedelic era, Timothy Leary is here at his best, beckoning with humour and irreverence, a visionary of individual empowerment, personal responsibility and spiritual awakening. He looks at starting your own religion, education as an addictive process, soul session, Buddha as a drop-out, God’s secret agent, a homage to Huxley, the molecular revolution, neurological politics and more. Psychologist, Harvard professor, psychedelic researcher, lecturer, social dissident, freedom fighter, prisoner, exile, trickster, Timothy Leary was a prophet of the global cyberculture. 151pp in paperback. £10.99 NOW £4.50


72335 FACE READING: Secrets of the Chinese Masters by Simon Brown


The shape of our faces and the appearance of its distinctive features can reveal a great deal about our personalities and our state of health. Chinese medicine takes account of how chi moves through the body and in so doing takes on many forms. Master practitioners define five of these forms and name them after the five natural elements; wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Over thousands of years they have developed a guide to how these elements are revealed on the face and in the character to use your intuition, observation to put together a guide to that person. 144pp softback. $14.95 NOW £3.25


PETS 72664 THE RALPH


STEADMAN BOOK OF DOGS written and illustrated by Ralph Steadman


Everybody knows and very many people admire the work of brilliant cartoonist and satirist Ralph Steadman. Here he is again, using


his wicked pen to capture the fierce, furious, whimsical, wistful world of the dog. You will either love or loathe the Saloon Bar Dog, the Antisocial Blot Dog, the Buddhist Dogs Searching for Happiness, the Dog Baby Substitute and Decibelle the Noisy Mongrel, but we can guarantee that, as with all Steadman’s works, you will not be bored. Approx 96 unnumbered pages 21.5cm x 22cm in colour and b/w. $24 NOW £5


71189 LAUREL FOR LIBBY: A Tale with Cuts by Vivien Greene


A beautifully decorated ‘hand written’ edition with woodcuts published by the Bodleian Library written by the wife of Graham Greene. Here is the tale of Libby, preserved in an unpublished manuscript by Vivien


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36