The definitive collection of Missouri's odd, wacky, and most offbeat people, places, and things, for Missouri residents and anyone else who enjoys local humor and trivia with a twist.

Myths and Mysteries of Missouri dispels any notion that the Show Me State is a boring place harboring little unknown. Thirteen diverse chapters, each a story unto itself, probe dark secrets, unexplained phenomena, legendary individuals and actual events which leave people incredulous to this day. Much in this well-researched book has been largely forgotten, but the author's lively and amusing style will awaken curiosity in lifelong residents and armchair visitors alike

Contrary to popular belief, death is not a moment in time, such as when the heart stops beating, respiration ceases, or the brain stops functioning. Death, rather, is a process--a process that can be interrupted well after it has begun. Innovative techniques, such as drastically reducing the patient's body temperature, have proven to be effective in revitalizing both the body and mind, but studies show they are only employed in approximately half of the hospitals throughout the United States and Europe.

In Erasing Death, Dr. Sam Parnia presents cutting-edge research from the front line of critical care and resuscitation medicine that has enabled modern doctors to routinely reverse death, while also shedding light on the ultimate mystery: what happens to human consciousness during and after death. Parnia reveals how medical discoveries focused on saving lives have also inadvertently raised the possibility that some form of "afterlife" may be uniquely ours, as evidenced by the continuation of the human mind and psyche in the first few hours after death. Questions about the "self" and the "soul" that were once relegated to theology, philosophy, or even science fiction are now being examined afresh according to rigorous scientific research.

With physicians such as Parnia at the forefront, we are on the verge of discovering a new universal science of consciousness that reveals the nature of the mind and a future where death is not the final defeat, but is in fact reversible.

"If I had a talent for anything, it was a talent for knowing who was talented."

Mike Medavoy is a Hollywood rarity: a studio executive who, though never far from controversy, has remained well loved and respected through four decades of moviemaking. What further sets him apart is his role in bringing to the screen some of the most acclaimed Oscar-winning films of our time: Apocalypse Now, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, and Sleepless in Seattle are just some of the projects he green-lighted at United Artists, Orion, TriStar, his own Phoenix Pictures.

"The ultimate lose-lose situation for a studio executive: to wind up with a commercial bomb and a bad movie."

Of course, there are the box office disasters, and the films, as Medavoy says, "for which I should be shot." They, too, have a place in his fascinating memoir -- a pull-no-punches account of financial and political maneuvering, and of working with the industry's brightest star power, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Meg Ryan, and countless others.

"Putting together the elements of a film is a succession of best guesses."

Medavoy speaks out on how movie studio buyouts have stymied the creative process and brought an end to the "hands-off" golden age of filmmaking. An eyewitness to Hollywood history in the making, he gives a powerful and poignant view of the past and future of a world he knows intimately.

Influential designer Harris Reed explores the world of gender-defying fashion in this richly illustrated monograph. In Fluid, revolutionary fashion designer Harris Reed introduces the world to a new era in fluid fashion. At the centre of Reed’s sartorial journey has always been his desire to change the way people express their identities through clothing. Fluidity’s essence is adaptable, evolutionary, and dynamic, and Reed’s work constantly disrupts the divide between men’s and women’s clothing. Reed’s pieces have been worn by Harry Styles, Adele, Sam Smith, Iman, and Beyoncé, and with each piece, he has generated an instantly iconic cultural moment, pushing conversations about gender expression into the mainstream. Fluid examines historical antecedents of fluidity, questions old power structures, and urges people to find their authentic selves in this new avenue of fashion. With stunning photography, resplendent fashion, and illustrations of Harris’s design process, Fluid takes readers beyond the idea of clothes as mere garments, positing that clothes are a nexus of art, philosophy, and history that can be used to help shape our culture and challenge understandings of gender. With this book, Reed affirms that fluid is the future of fashion.