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Books > Health, Home & Family > Mind, body & spirit > Unexplained phenomena / the paranormal > Monsters & legendary beings
In this landmark work on a subject too often dismissed as
paranormal or disreputable, Jeffrey Meldrum gives us the first book
on Sasquatch to be written by a scientist with impeccable academic
credentials. He gives an objective look at the facts in a field
mined with hoaxes and sensationalism. Meldrum reports on the work
of a team of experts from a wide variety of fields who were
assembled to examine the evidence for a large, yet undiscovered,
North American primate. He reviews the long history of this
mystery--which long predates the "Bigfoot" flap of the late
fifties--and explains all the scientific pros and cons in a clear
and accessible style, amplified by over 150 illustrations. Anyone
who has pondered the mysteries of human evolution will be
fascinated and eager to join Dr. Meldrum in drawing their own
conclusion.
Devon has a long and rich folkloric heritage which has been
extensively collected over many years. This book consolidates more
than a century of research by eminent Devon folklorists into one
valuable study and builds on the vital work that was undertaken by
the Devonshire Association, providing insightful analysis of the
subject matter and drawing comparisons with folklore traditions
beyond the county. The first major work on Devon's folklore since
Ralph Whitlock’s short book published by the Folklore Society in
the 1970s, this volume brings the subject into the twenty-first
century with consideration of internet memes and modern lore,
demonstrating that ‘folklore’ does not equate to ‘old rural
practice’. With chapters covering the history of Devon's folklore
collecting, tales from the moors, the annual cycle, farming and the
weather, the devil, fairies, hauntings, black dogs, witchcraft and
modern lore, this will remain the standard work for many years to
come.
Join the search to examine reports of unidentified and misplaced
creatures-known as cryptids-throughout the Mountain State, from its
earliest history to present day. Included are such famous unknowns
as Bigfoot; Mothman, harbinger of disaster; giant birds and snakes
unrecognized by modern science; anomalous huge human remains
unearthed statewide since the 19th century; extinct cougars that
refuse to die; animals alien to North America, including lions,
tigers, black panthers, kangaroos, and piranha; the ferocious
Dogman and woolly, horned Sheepsquatch; freshwater cephalopods; and
other creatures that defy classification. Wherever you reside or
visit in West Virginia, phantom cryptids have been seen near your
location-terrifying witnesses, baffling investigators, and monsters
sometimes leave evidence behind to mark their passing through our
world. Happy hunting!
Monsters are culturally meaningful across the world. Starting from
this key premise, this book tackles monsters in the context of
social change. Writing in a time of violent upheaval, when
technological innovation brings forth new monsters while others
perish as part of the widespread extinctions that signify the
Anthropocene, contributors argue that putting monsters at the
center of social analysis opens up new perspectives on change and
social transformation. Through a series of ethnographically
grounded analyses they capture monsters that herald, drive,
experience, enjoy, and suffer the transformations of the worlds
they beleaguer. Topics examined include the evil skulking new roads
in Ancient Greece, terror in post-socialist Laos's territorial
cults, a horrific flying head that augurs catastrophe in the rain
forest of Borneo, benign spirits that accompany people through the
mist in Iceland, flesh-eating giants marching through neo-colonial
central Australia, and ghosts lingering in Pacific villages in the
aftermath of environmental disasters. By taking the proposition
that monsters and the humans they haunt are intricately and
intimately entangled seriously, this book offers unique,
cross-cultural perspectives on how people perceive the world and
their place within it. It also shows how these experiences of
belonging are mediated by our relationships with the
other-than-human.
The year's must-read YA fantasy - ancient djinn, an epic adventure,
and one girl's courage to seek her own destiny ... Burn the flame.
Seek the night. 'Highly relevant yet utterly original, I was
utterly entranced by this world of jinn, peris and hot air balloons
that ache for the skies.' LAUREN JAMES, author of THE QUIET AT THE
END OF THE WORLD For Khadija, the only escape from her father's
arranged betrothal is the sky. When she spots a rogue hot air
balloon fighting against its ropes, she leaps at the chance for
adventure. Khadija soon finds an unlikely ally in a poor
glassmaker's apprentice, Jacob. But Jacob is a hari, and Khadija a
Ghadaean. The hari are oppressed and restless - their infamous
terrorist group, the Hareef, have a new fearsome leader. And the
ruling Ghadaeans are brutal in their repression. Soon, a deadly
revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The Hareef
use forbidden magic, summoning jinn - wicked spirits made of fire -
to enact their revenge, forcing Jacob and Khadija to choose what
kind of a world they want to save ... A commercial, thrilling and
uplifting fantasy adventure following sixteen-year-old Khadija, who
flees her home in a stolen hot air balloon to escape an arranged
marriage The debut novel from enthralling new talent,
twenty-four-year-old Aneesa Marufu, which draws on the author's
South Asian heritage Explores racism, misogyny and discrimination
in a highly original fantasy universe Perfect for fans of Noughts +
Crosses, We Hunt the Flame and Rebel of the Sands
Tabitha Plimtock lives in a house at the very edge of the world.
She is a go-getter - that is, a dogsbody forced to go and get
things - for her nasty relatives, Gower, Gristle, Bertha and Cousin
Wilbur. One of Tabitha's endless chores involves descending the
cliff face, via a net that hangs from the back of the house, to
collect eggs, nuts and other things from the inhabitants of the
wall. When rumours begin to circulate of monsters climbing from the
base to gobble up unsuspecting wall-dwellers, Tabitha is worried
for all her friends. Determined to save them, Tabitha seeks out the
elusive and eccentric Dr Sherback. The doctor introduces her to a
whole new world at the base - one that is dark, dangerous and
absolutely thrilling - but not even Dr Sherback's vast knowledge
can slow the terrible creatures climbing to the top of the wall.
With a clever plan, and not a small amount of courage, can Tabitha
stop the monsters and keeps the people she loves safe for good?
Discover the Science of (not so) Imaginary Creatures "The sheer
depth of material covered in its pages is amazing"...." Fortean
Times Magazine #1 Bestseller in the Occult and Unexplained
Mysteries This is a book about monsters. From an early age we are
taught that monsters do not exist. The reality is that monsters
walk the earth today. Explore the world through its most unlikely
creatures. Cryptozoology, the study of hidden, monstrous, and
legendary animals, is truly the art of discovering the unknown.
Richard Freeman, Zoological Director of Centre for Fortean Zoology,
has explored the corners of the five continents on the search for
creatures that many people believe are non-existent. In this book,
he shares the exciting stories of his investigations of the Yeti,
Mongolian Deathworm, Loch Ness Monster, Orang-Pendak, Ninki-Naka,
and more. The line between myth and reality may be more narrow than
you think. Cryptozoologists throughout the years have studied
unknown species of reptiles, lake and sea creatures, apes, and
hominins. The science and history of this field of study includes
examples of creatures that were once thought to be mythological,
but that have since been proven to exist. Our monsters and
ourselves. The history of fabulous beasts and our searches for them
is a history of the cultures of the world and the secrets we keep.
If you're ready to begin your search for Sasquatch and learn to
hunt monsters, Adventures in Cryptozoology is your guide. In these
pages you'll find: Tales of mythical, extinct, and out-of-place
creatures Hints about Bigfoot and other ape-men Tips for equipping
your own cryptozoology adventure, including all the gear, field
craft, and resources you'll need to record your findings You've
read Cryptozoology A to Z, Expedition Unknown, or Chasing American
Monsters? Then you'll want to read Adventures in Cryptozoology
Monstrous textuality emerges when Gothic narratives like
Frankenstein reflect the monstrous in their narrative structure to
create narratives of resistance, and allows writers to
meta-narratively reflect their own poetics and textual production,
and reclaim authority over their work under circumstances of
systemic cultural oppression and Othering. This book traces the
representation of other Others through Black feminist hauntology in
Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) and Love (2003); it explores fat
freak embodiment as a feminist resistance strategy in Angela
Carter's Nights at the Circus (1984) and Margaret Atwood's Lady
Oracle (1976); and it reads Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy (2003-13)
and Shelley Jackson's Patchwork Girl (1995) within a framework of
critical posthumanist and cyborg theory. The result is a
comprehensive argument about how these texts can be read within a
framework of critical posthumanist questioning of knowledge
production, and of epistemological exploration, beyond the
exclusionary humanist paradigm.
'A NEW, ACTION-PACKED, ENCHANTINGLY FUN SERIES' Booklist From New
York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne comes the start of a
hugely entertaining new series set in the world of the Iron Druid
Chronicles - about an eccentric master of magic solving an uncanny
mystery in Scotland . . . Al MacBharrais is both blessed and
cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an
appreciation for craft cocktails - and a most unique magical
talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses
his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various
pantheons, especially the Fae. But he is also cursed. Anyone who
hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al,
so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps.
And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his
personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work,
all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse. But when his
latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al
discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime.
Now Al is forced to play detective - while avoiding actual
detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al.
Investigating his apprentice's death will take him through
Scotland's magical underworld, and he'll need the help of a
mischievous hobgoblin if he's to survive. Packed to the brim with
mystery, magic and mayhem, Ink & Sigil is perfect for fans of
Rivers of London and Rotherweird. Praise for Ink & Sigil: 'You
are in for a great treat. Ink and Sigil is great escape reading,
and I loved every word' Charlaine Harris, New York Times
bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse books 'Will transport
you right in the Scottish realm of fey and fairies . . . The magic
is both familiar and new, believable and extraordinary' Charlie
Holmberg, author of The Paper Magician 'Vividly blends Kevin
Hearne's unique take on urban fantasy with the grit of Scottish
magic' Adam Christopher, author of Empire State 'Ink & Sigil is
filled to the brim with the Hearne-anigans we've all grown to love.
Fans of ribald humor, literary puns and the odd hobgoblin will be
enchanted by this paranormal mystery' Jaye Wells, author of the
Prospero's War series
In this remarkable volume, Dr. Jean-Paul Debenat, a professor of
comparative literature (University of Nantes, France) with a flair
for anthropology, takes us far beyond the realm of documented
research on the Sasquatch / Bigfoot phenomenon. His extensive
travels in North America, skilful investigations, and years of
research on the 'wild man' throughout world history have resulted
in this highly authoritative work. Dr Debenat's handling of the
subject is both unique and exciting, as well as being highly
factual. Rather than a simple presentation of facts and findings,
we are taken to the very 'heart' of the matter with meaningful
insights and knowledgeable interpretations - one experiences the
full spectrum of learning, including emotion. Originally published
in French, the work has been translated, modified, and enhanced for
the English-speaking public. It is a classic work that will
intrigue readers in all walks of life.
***A Best Book of the Year in HARPER'S BAZAAR, BBC, THE NEW YORKER,
GLAMOUR, GAL-DEM and HUFFPOST*** 'Witty and thought-provoking'
Stylist 'Blistering' Glamour 'Unusual, original and strikingly
contemporary' Guardian 'Absolutely brilliant' Ruth Ozeki 'A
gripping contemporary fable about embracing difference' The Times
'A wholly 21st century take on bloodsucking' Observer Lydia is
hungry. She's always wanted to try sashimi and ramen, onigiri and
udon - the food her Japanese father liked to eat - but the only
thing she can digest is blood. Yet Lydia can't bring herself to
prey on humans, and sourcing fresh pigs' blood in London - where
she is living away from her Malaysian-British mother for the first
time and trying to build a career as an artist - is much more
difficult than she'd anticipated. If Lydia is to find a way to
exist in the world, she must reconcile the conflicts within her -
between her demon and human sides, her mixed ethnic heritage and
her relationship with food, and, in turn, humans. Before any of
this, however, she must eat. 'It's Kohda's exploration of Lydia's
inner world, the pain and longing she feels as an outsider, that
makes Woman, Eating such a delicious novel' New York Times Book
Review 'A profound meditation on alienation and appetite, and what
it means to be a young woman who experiences life at an acute level
of intensity and awareness' LISA HARDING 'What Stoker did for the
vampire at the end of the nineteenth century, Claire Kohda does for
for it in our own era' TLS
The Compendium of Magical Beasts is a definitive field guide that
explores the anatomy of mythology's most elusive creatures,
compiling the findings of controversial early twentieth century
cryptozoologist, feminist, and explorer Dr. Veronica
Wigberht-Blackwater. Approaching the fantastic with a scientific
eye, Dr. Veronica explains the history, habits, and biology of each
creature's existence with equal attention to detail. Her research
is accompanied by stunning scientific illustrations of each
specimen's anatomy, providing a comprehensive view of creatures
most often dismissed as pure fantasy. Combining biological fact
with folklore, cultural studies, and history, this volume is
crucial to science both fringe and mainstream. Locked in a dusty
attic for almost a century, Dr. Wigberht-Blackwater's trailblazing
work was recently discovered by writer Melissa Brinks, who spent
months transcribing the journals she found. Brinks joined forces
with artist Lily Seika Jones to digitize the doctor's amazingly
detailed anatomical diagrams in order to share these revolutionary
findings with the world for the first time. The Bestiary: Mermaid,
Unicorn, Wild Man, Gnome, Werewolf, Troll, Fairy, Jackalope, Winged
Horse, Centaur, Minotaur, Vampire, Dragon, Sea Monsters/Loch
Ness/Kraken, Goblin, Sphinx, Phoenix, Harpy, Cyclops, Banshee,
Incubus/Succubus, Nymph, Ghoul, Selkie, Kelpie
Michael Rugg is the curator of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum located
in the Santa Cruz mountains of central California. Its purpose is
to educate the public about the probability of bigfoot and the
current best guesses as to its habits and its place in the natural
world. Rugg has been collecting information and artefacts and
studying unclassified bipedal primates since the early 1950s when
the first photos of mysterious tracks on Mount Everest appeared in
western newspapers.
Bigfoots ARE The Locals. They live here. They were here before we
humans showed up on the continent and they will likely outlast us.
This is a bigfoot book' yet it probes much deeper than a simple
treatment of the hackneyed question of 'Does Bigfoot exist?'. This
book delves into such questions as why bigfoots exist, why they
behave as they do, and why they have not yet been, and may never be
dragged into the spotlight of science and the media. And don't look
to science' for answers, because science is currently unequipped to
shed any light on this profound anthropological mystery.
Monsters. Real or imagined, literal or metaphorical, they have
exerted a dread fascination on the human mind for many centuries.
They attract and repel us, intrigue and terrify us, and in the
process reveal something deeply important about the darker recesses
of our collective psyche. Stephen Asma's On Monsters is a
wide-ranging cultural and conceptual history of monsters-how they
have evolved over time, what functions they have served for us, and
what shapes they are likely to take in the future. Asma begins with
a letter from Alexander the Great in 326 B.C. detailing an
encounter in India with an "enormous beast-larger than an
elephantthree ominous horns on its forehead." From there the
monsters come fast and furious-Behemoth and Leviathan, Gog and
Magog, the leopard-bear-lion beast of Revelation, Satan and his
demons, Grendel and Frankenstein, circus freaks and headless
children, right up to the serial killers and terrorists of today
and the post-human cyborgs of tomorrow. Monsters embody our deepest
anxieties and vulnerabilities, Asma argues, but they also symbolize
the mysterious and incoherent territory just beyond the safe
enclosures of rational thought. Exploring philosophical treatises,
theological tracts, newspapers, pamphlets, films, scientific
notebooks, and novels, Asma unpacks traditional monster stories for
the clues they offer about the inner logic of an era's fears and
fascinations. In doing so, he illuminates the many ways monsters
have become repositories for those human qualities that must be
repudiated, externalized, and defeated. Asma suggests that how we
handle monsters reflects how we handle uncertainty, ambiguity,
insecurity. And in a world that is daily becoming less secure and
more ambiguous, he shows how we might learn to better live with
monsters-and thereby avoid becoming one.
In his moon-shaped park filled with silver moonlight, The Dublin
Vampire wakes to the same familiar sight. 'I've spent so many years
in this creepy old tree, Is there a more spooktacular place to be?'
He agrees with his bat that it's time to explore 'Let's go on an
all-Ireland ghost bus tour!' A spooky bus tour around Ireland, with
our favourite Dublin Vampire! He travels to well-known places all
over the country, including St. Michan's church (where the mummies
sleep!), Kilkenny Castle, the Hill of Tara (where the fairies dance
and spraoi), and visits the giants at the causeway. But, when his
travels are done, he decides that home is the most spooktacular
place to be!
The moon has confounded scientists for many years. It does not obey
the known rules of astrophysics and there is no theory of its
origin that explains the known facts - in fact it should not really
be there. When researching the ancient system of geometry and
measurement used in the Stone Age that they discovered in their
previous book, Civilization One, the authors discovered to their
great surprise that the system also works perfectly on the Moon On
further investigation, they found a consistent sequence of
beautiful integer numbers when looking at every major aspect of the
Moon - no pattern emerges for any other planet or moon in the solar
system. For example, the Moon revolves at exactly one hundredth of
the speed that the Earth turns on its axis; the Moon is exactly 400
times smaller than the Sun and is precisely 400 times closer to the
Earth. They also discovered that the Moon possesses little or no
heavy metals and has no core, in fact many specialists suspect that
the Moon is hollow. If our Moon did not exist - nor would we.
Experts are now agreed that higher life only developed on Earth
because the Moon is exactly what it is and where it is When all of
the facts are dispassionately reviewed, it becomes unreasonable to
cling to the idea that the Moon is a natural object. The only
question that remains is who built it? Thought-provoking - Daily
Mail.
Now safely back at home, Ian and Lilli are free to return to normal
life. Except there's a major problem: Ian keeps seeing the big bad
boss dragon Atreus everywhere, and he can't tell whether it's real
or in his imagination. So the internet is no longer an option.
That's right. Ian, king of online gaming, is out on the soccer
court instead. When Atreus shows up . . . everywhere, he knows he
needs his sister. But he's legally obligated to never say Dra-er,
the name of the game, so how is he supposed to ask for help? When
Ian and Lilli finally sign back online, it's clear that Atreus has
truly been released on the open web-and even worse, Ikumi has been
kidnapped and imprisoned in a video game. It's back into virtual
reality, but this time it's to Mech Ops, a futuristic world of
zombies and evil robots-and the game's not even finished. Will Ian
and Lilli have what it takes to jump through unfinished levels
undetected? Or will they get booted . . . and even worse, are there
do-overs in VR that isn't even built yet?
For over thirty years, two New York State brothers, Robert and Paul
Bartholomew, have methodically researched, documented, and studied
the Bigfoot question in both New York and the New England states.
HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R.R. Martin's
internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the
greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS:
DREAMS AND DUST is the first part of the fifth volume in the
series. 'Characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias'
Guardian Tyrion Lannister, having killed his father, and wrongfully
accused of killing his nephew, King Joffrey, has escaped from
King's Landing with a price on his head. Jon Snow has been elected
Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. But Jon has enemies both
inside and beyond the Wall. And in the east Daenerys Targaryen
struggles to hold a city built on dreams and dust. The future of
the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance. On all sides bitter
conflicts are reigniting, played out by outlaws and priests, nobles
and slaves. The tides of destiny will lead to the greatest dance of
all.
A stunning illustrated edition of the magical bestseller - a
perfect gift for Christmas! Winner of the Waterstones Children's
Book Prize Winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the
Year Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award Shortlisted for the
Jhalak Prize Beautiful, thrilling and magical, Sunday Times
bestselling-author Kiran Millwood Hargrave's critically-acclaimed
first novel is a modern classic. 'Absolutely loved it from start to
finish' TOM FLETCHER 'I read it, I loved it' MALORIE BLACKMAN
'Kiran Millwood Hargrave creates a spellbinding world of magic,
myth and adventure' EMMA CARROLL Forbidden to leave her island,
Isabella dreams of the faraway lands her cartographer father once
mapped. When her friend disappears, she volunteers to guide the
search. The world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland -
and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a fire demon is
stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an
ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to
save the island itself. A beautifully written, multi award-winning
story of friendship, discovery, myths and magic for any age -
perfect for fans of Philip Pullman, Frances Hardinge or Katherine
Rundell A perfect gift for Christmas, illustrated in colour by Olia
Muza, and featuring a bonus chapter From the author of Julia and
the Shark, Leila and the Blue Fox and The Mercies, chosen for the
Richard & Judy Book Club Set in an extensive and
stunningly-imagined parallel world imbued with magical realism
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