The theory of buildings was introduced by J Tits in order to focus on geometric and combinatorial aspects of simple groups of Lie type. Since then the theory has blossomed into an extremely active field of mathematical research having deep connections with topics as diverse as algebraic groups, arithmetic groups, finite simple groups, and finite geometries, as well as with graph theory and other aspects of combinatorics. This volume is an up-to-date survey of the theory of buildings with special emphasis on its interaction with related geometries. As such it will be an invaluable guide to all those whose research touches on these themes. The articles presented here are by experts in their respective fields and are based on talks given at the 1988 Buildings and Related Geometries conference at Pingree Park, Colorado. Topics covered include the classification and construction of buildings, finite groups associated with building-like geometries, graphs and association schemes.

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone-seductress and destroyer. Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco Jose de Goya and Albrecht Durer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare's Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum's iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy. Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we'll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollee and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis. About the series The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.

The transformation of man to beast is a central aspect of traditional pagan rituals that are centuries old and which celebrate the seasonal cycle, fertility, life and death. Each year, throughout Europe, from Scotland to Bulgaria, from Finland to Italy, from Portugal to Greece via France, Switzerland and Germany, people literally put themselves into the skin of the 'savage', in masquerades that stretch back centuries. By becoming a bear, a goat, a stag or a wild boar, a man of straw, a devil or a monster with jaws of steel, these people celebrate the cycle of life and of the seasons. Their costumes, made of animal skins or of plants, and decorated with bones, encircled with bells, and capped with horns or antlers, amaze us with their extraordinary diversity and prodigious beauty. Work on this project took photographer Charles Freger to eighteen European countries in search of the mythological figure of the Wild Man: Austria, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Croatia, Finland, Romania and the UK.

In addition to stamping and stencilling, various relief methods of printmaking, including lino, texture plate and collagraph, the author has included four different types of screen printing and sun and cyanotype print projects as well as how to use rust and plant materials for 'eco' type printing. Transfer methods and altered art prints offer a different take on conventional approaches to this easily accessible art form. But by far the most exciting, and largest section of the book is devoted to monotype prints and monoprinting with the focus on gel printing. Angie Franke uses her gelatine based printing pads (you'll get the recipe) and the commercial Gelli Plate - as well as a fascinating venture into clay bed printing - to explore monoprint methods in many different ways, drawing on other processes in the book to build fascinating results of richly combined layers of colour with stamp, stencil, mask and texture plate tools. Easy to follow instructions with stylish photographs will inspire anyone to give printmaking a go!

Although humble in their function, these carefully crafted barns have shaped the lives of Mainers for centuries. Built long before the days of plastic and plywood, the barns have survived for generations, each with a story to tell. In Bridgton, one barn offered comfort to a sixteen-year-old boy when his father was injured. Another New Gloucester barn was so important to one family that its likeness was engraved on their headstones. Some owners said they would rather see their houses burn than their barns, and others have dedicated their lives and livelihoods to restoring and preserving these buildings. From modest English to grand Victorian, Don Perkins examines the structures, origins and evolution of Maine's barns, demonstrating the vital and precious role they play in people's lives.

The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry-the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill-is a towering figure in our culture. But for over a century, no one knew who the original John Henry was-or even if there was a real John Henry. In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. Nelson even confirms the legendary contest between John Henry and the steam drill (there was indeed a steam drill used to dig the Lewis Tunnel and the convicts in fact drilled faster). Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford. We see how the American Communist Party appropriated the image of John Henry as the idealized American worker, and even how John Henry became the precursor of such comic book super heroes as Superman or Captain America. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song-and a true American legend.