Vampires, zombies, werewolves and mad scientists are just a few of the creatures you will meet in Things In The Basement: A History of Halloween Horrors. From the ancient Celtic rituals of Samhain, through the Salem Witchcraft Trials, to modern Zombie outbreaks, this fascinating book examines the history of all things Halloween. Inside, you'll find the stories of Halloween, Trick or Treating, Aliens, Black Cats, Devils, Fortune Telling, Frankenstein's Monster, Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, Headless Horsemen, Jack O'Lanterns, Mad Scientists, Mad Slashers and Psychos, Men In Black, Mummies, Robots, Scarecrows, Skeletons, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and Zombies. Marketing studies show that seventy percent of Americans celebrate Halloween in some fashion. Overall, it's the third most popular Holiday, behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. In 2011, Americans collectively spent nearly $7 billion on costumes, candy and decorations. And if Halloween reflects a general American love of horror, with all the books, movies and games, the total moves to the tens of billions. The "zombie industry" alone generated some $6 billion in 2011. In many ways, Halloween is the quintessential American Holiday. Halloween's traditions, activities, imagery and stories are -- like American culture in general -- a mishmash of ideas from across the world, brought here by successive waves of immigrants. Add to those a little homegrown American inventiveness and creativity and therein lies the modern Halloween celebration. Things In The Basement: A History of Halloween Horrors is a exploration of Halloween's origins and of the horrors that keep us up at night.

The Five Inch Course: Play better golf with the swing you already have.. In 1960, the average golf score was 100. Fifty years later, with all the innovations in clubs, balls and instruction, the average golf score is ... still 100. In fact, only 20 percent of all golfers will ever (honestly) break that mark. More bad news: Barring a major investment in time and money, you're stuck with the swing you have. Tips from golf magazines, your buddies -- even the occasional lesson from a pro-- aren't going to result in long term improvement. Studies have shown that most players never get better than they are five years into their golfing "career." However, this doesn't mean that lower scores are out of reach. The Five Inch Course offers more than a hundred strategies for improving your golf score without improving your swing. By playing smarter, more strategic golf, even weekend hackers can dramatically improve their scores without improving their swings.