A work of monumental research and overwhelming evidence, Case Closed restores the human drama to one of the watershed events in American history, and in the process answers the nagging riddle of how and why Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK.

Did You Know That . . . ?: "Revised and Expanded" Edition: Surprising-But-True Facts About History, Science, Inventions, Geography, Origins, Art, Music, and More is an uncommon compendium of knowledge that will astound, demystify, edify, and debunk. It is a book of ambitious design that is both eminently informative and vastly entertaining. Assiduously researched, it will be the arbiter of disagreements and will stand cherished misconceptions right on their heads. It will also expose factoids, unmask present-day orthodoxy, identify misinformation, clarify the confusing, and present new information. Did You Know That . . . ? is all you need to know . . . for knowledge is power!

More than six centuries ago a stranger stumbled on a village in a remote valley in Northern Italy, seeking refuge from vengeance in the world outside. But there was something different about the valley, something strange about its people. Nothing was as it seemed. Did chance take him there, or were greater forces at work, calling him to play a role? Guided by fate, he would find himself at the center of an ancient mystery--and for a time the heritage of civilizations would rest in his hands. Before he was done, he would devise a gift like none before and vanish into history, leaving behind the seeds of rebirth and hope for future generations...
Sanctuary of the Gods is vividly told, bringing history to life for its readers. The main story takes place at the dawn of the Renaissance, when European civilization was beginning its painful rise back towards the heights it had achieved in the days of Greece and Rome. There are also three detailed flashbacks to earlier periods: -A similar time more than 2,000 years before, when Greek civilization first began -The high point of Greek civilization in the age of Alexander The Great -Rome's decline, in the years following the Empire's conversion to Christianity. Sanctuary of the Gods is a story of survival against all odds, of human triumph over death and annihilation. It shows how a tiny village in Northern Italy became the last secret sanctuary of the old pagan religion, surviving through nine hundred years in hiding only to perish in the Black Death that swept Europe in 1348, and how, in those dark and terrifying days, a handful of survivors created the Tarot cards so that the heart of their religion would not perish with the sanctuary, butwould survive in a hostile world, its origins forgotten, until the time was right for its rediscovery.
For readers who are intrigued by the story and want to get to the heart of it, to discover the truth behind the things they've read, an appendix is provided. There, in 120 pages complemented by numerous illustrations, what at first seems too incredible to be anything but fiction is transformed by the evidence into compelling fact.
Sanctuary is beautifully written with a clarity that brings the past to life and holds the reader's interest from beginning to end. For a Pagan or Tarot enthusiast, or for lovers of historical fiction, its appeal is apparent. But the story is powerful, and even readers who have never been interested in these subjects will find the book hard to put down. It gains the readers's attention because the characters and scenes described are lively and interesting, and because its vision is fresh and new, entirely unexpected. Be prepared for some surprises: the view from the Sanctuary is not like anything you have ever seen before...

The mother of all conspiracy theories is about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Many of its elements have become part of American folklore: the single bullet, the Grassy Knoll shooter, and the mysterious deaths of interested parties. JFK Assassination Logic shows how to approach such conspiracy claims. Studying Lee Harvey Oswald's character and personality, for example, doesn't help determine whether he alone shot the president, and our opinion of bureaucrats can often cloud our judgments. How people view the JFK assassination can be a model for how to (or perhaps how not to) evaluate other conspiracy theories, including those generally considered dubious-such as President Roosevelt's foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor, desert staging of the 1969 moon landing, and U.S. government involvement in 9/11-as well as those based on fact, such as Watergate. John McAdams addresses not only conspiracy theories, but also how to think, reason, and judge the evidence in these cases. How do we evaluate eyewitness testimony? How can there be"too much evidence" of a conspiracy? How do we determine whether suspicious people are really culpable? By putting the JFK assassination under the microscope, McAdams provides a blueprint for understanding how conspiracy theories arise and how to judge the evidence. This book puts the reader into a mass of contradictory evidence and presents an intriguing puzzle to be solved. The solution, in each case, involves using intellectual tools. Eyewitness testimony, the notion of"coincidence," selectivity in the use of evidence, how to choose between contradictory pieces of evidence, the need for evidence to fit a coherent theory, how government works, and basic principles of social theorizing-all provide the elements of how to judge not only the JFK conspiracy but all conspiracies.

When I decided to create a new bathing suit pattern, I searched for a modern book documenting Victorian bathing suits. To my surprise, I couldn't find one. Yet I had quite a few period magazines with engravings of bathing dresses in my collection. While I was doing more research, I fell in love with the traditions and ethics surrounding American, English, and French bathing. This book focuses on the culture of swimming and sea bathing across the decades, and on women's bathing suits, noting their styles, variations, and evolution, all quoted from the original writers of that time. For your enjoyment, I've included descriptions and engravings of men's and children's suits when I could find them, but their clothing was not as well documented as the ladies' dresses. The culture and proper dress of bathing changed radically during Queen Victoria's reign, led, of course, by the French. The accepted ladies' one-piece bathing gown gave way to the two-piece bathing suit, and bathing went from a medical treatment to a social event. Even the French bathing dress was not admired in its early days. It was plain, usually black, and, at best, boring. But once fashion got hold of the bathing suit, the dress evolved rapidly. By 1870, many bathing suits were downright gorgeous. Fashion magazines began to include descriptions and engravings on a regular basis, vying to provide the most up-to-date styles. Bathing went from a quick, unpleasant dip in the ocean to true enjoyment, and even swimming became popular. Victorian Bathing and Bathing Suits has over 125 period illustrations. It is intended for costume historians, bathing enthusiasts, Victorian re-enactors, historical writers and history buffs.