Welcome all rascals and tricksters to this marvellous miscellany of mischief and magic! This playful book explores the world of deception and trickery – both the good and the bad.   Learn the secrets of infamous magic illusions and tricks and discover the stories of some of history’s most notorious hoaxes, pranks, and cons. While some are great fun, others contain a serious lesson . . . after all, understanding scams of the past can help protect you in the future. Meet infamous pranksters such as Marcel Duchamp (the French artist who pranked the art world), renowned illusionists and escape artists such as Adelaide Hermann (one of the first female magicians), and cunning con-artists such as George C. Parker (the American who "sold" the Statue of Liberty).  The themed spreads explore a range of topics such as made-up monsters, alien conspiracies, doctored photos, disguises and pseudonyms, April Fool's Day pranks, and much more.   If you’re feeling mischievous, you can even follow the steps and tips spaced throughout the book to try your hand at some pranks and magic tricks of your own! But keep your wits about you, because fake hoaxes are included within the pages for eagle-eyed readers to try to spot!   Perfect for readers young and old who delight in a bit of mischief. 

A captivating new gift title featuring over 100 real-life mysteries that might just give you goosebumps! Does the Loch Ness monster really exist? What ever happened to the crew of the Mary Celeste? And where exactly are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Get ready to be amazed as you uncover the world's greatest mysteries, from Bigfoot to the Bermuda Triangle. Including alien abductions, haunted houses, mind-blowing natural phenomena and much more, this book will explain the extraordinary - unless the extraordinary can't be explained, of course. Then you'll just have to make up your own mind . . . With atmospheric artwork, compelling case studies and a seriously stand-out neon cover, this is a haunting collection of mysteries that you won't be able to put down.

Twenty-four million people wager nearly $3 billion on college basketball pools each year, but few are aware that winning strategies have been developed by researchers at Harvard, Yale, and other universities over the past two decades. Bad advice from media sources and even our own psychological inclinations are often a bigger obstacle to winning than our pool opponents. Profit opportunities are missed and most brackets submitted to pools don't have a breakeven chance to win money before the tournament begins. Improving Your NCAA (R) Bracket with Statistics is both an easy-to-use tip sheet to improve your winning odds and an intellectual history of how statistical reasoning has been applied to the bracket pool using standard and innovative methods. It covers bracket improvement methods ranging from those that require only the information in the seeded bracket to sophisticated estimation techniques available via online simulations. Included are: Prominently displayed bracket improvement tips based on the published research A history of the origins of the bracket pool A history of bracket improvement methods and their results in play Historical sketches and background information on the mathematical and statistical methods that have been used in bracket analysis A source list of good bracket pool advice available each year that seeks to be comprehensive Warnings about common bad advice that will hurt your chances Tom Adams' work presenting bracket improvement methods has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and SmartMoney magazine.

As a favour to an old friend, Hercule Poirot finds himself at a summer fete in Devon, taking part not in a Treasure Hunt, but a Murder Hunt, in this never-before-published novella version of Dead Man's Folly. Now released for the first time in print in this illustrated collector's edition. Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fete, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organise their murder hunt. But at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen... In 1954, Agatha Christie wrote this novella with the intention of donating the proceeds to a fund set up to buy stained glass windows for her local church at Churston Ferrers, and she filled the story with references to local places, including her own home of Greenway. But having completed it, she decided instead to expand the story into a full-length novel, Dead Man's Folly, which was published two years later, and donated a Miss Marple story (Greenshaw's Folly) to the church fund instead. Unseen for sixty years, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is finally published in this collector's hardback edition. The book includes a jacket painting, illustrations and exclusive introduction by Tom Adams, Agatha Christie's most famous cover artist, who is back illustrating Agatha Christie for the first time in more than 30 years.

In the 21st century, a scientist uncovers their Victorian ancestor's notebook in a box. This ancestor is Dr McCreebor - an eminent explorer, philosopher and collector of the very strange and truly creepy. Dr McCreebor's book is filled with the dark and disturbing stories he has collected on his travels around the world. And now, after over 125 years in a dusty attic, Dr McCreebor's writings can be read... by only the bravest. Discover the fascinating stories behind a series of objects, people and placesin every chapter. McCreebor writes from a Victorian perspective - and his descendant isn't afraid to write notes in the margins, bringing the science into the 21st century. Uncover Artificalia (man-made objects), Naturalia (natural creatures and beings), Spiritualis (the spirit world), ScelereSupplicium (crime and punishment), Scientifica (scientific tools), Magicae (magical objects) and Morteum (skulls, bodies and more). Steampunk illustrator Celsius Pictor intricately illustrates McCreebor's sketches, maps, records and photographs. From shrunken heads to witches' charms, saints' blood to graverobbers' remains, hangman's salve to trepanning tools, this book is a peek into our grisly and macabre past.

Twenty-four million people wager nearly $3 billion on college basketball pools each year, but few are aware that winning strategies have been developed by researchers at Harvard, Yale, and other universities over the past two decades. Bad advice from media sources and even our own psychological inclinations are often a bigger obstacle to winning than our pool opponents. Profit opportunities are missed and most brackets submitted to pools don't have a breakeven chance to win money before the tournament begins. Improving Your NCAA (R) Bracket with Statistics is both an easy-to-use tip sheet to improve your winning odds and an intellectual history of how statistical reasoning has been applied to the bracket pool using standard and innovative methods. It covers bracket improvement methods ranging from those that require only the information in the seeded bracket to sophisticated estimation techniques available via online simulations. Included are: Prominently displayed bracket improvement tips based on the published research A history of the origins of the bracket pool A history of bracket improvement methods and their results in play Historical sketches and background information on the mathematical and statistical methods that have been used in bracket analysis A source list of good bracket pool advice available each year that seeks to be comprehensive Warnings about common bad advice that will hurt your chances Tom Adams' work presenting bracket improvement methods has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and SmartMoney magazine.

In 1963, it was unusual for a pop group to have a monthly magazine devoted exclusively to their career. Only Elvis Presley had been considered important enough to warrant such an honour. But then the Beatles were unusual. Within the space of that pivotal year, the Fab Four became the biggest thing in British popular culture and their worldwide fame was soon inescapable. One of the first to astutely recognise their greatness was Sean O'Mahony and the monthly magazine he launched with the full blessing of The Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein - The Beatles Book.Looking Through You presents a selection of over 300 images from the precious Beatles Book photo archive, many unpublished or unseen in their original form from the original negatives, as well as the story behind the success of the regular Beatle bulletin.With each new issue, Beatle fans worldwide would voraciously devour the contents from cover-to-cover, discovering the Fab Four's latest news and activities and most of all, savouring the exclusive B&W photographs, captured by in-house photographer, Leslie Bryce.During the magazine's six-year run only a small fraction of these photographs were printed - and then often altered in some way. The Beatles Book Monthly captured the Beatles' development from British provincial theatres - through foreign tours including their ground-breaking first American visit - and onwards to the band's withdrawal into the recording studio. It was unique in its access - as well as concert tours and television shows, the band were photographed off duty, at their homes and in the studio - locales that were generally out-of-bounds to most Beatle observers. This unique and original photographic record preserves many important moments within the Beatles' career, providing a historically important glimpse into the world's greatest ever entertainment phenomenon.

Kit Monkman directs this experimental British drama following teenager Paul Varderman (Jack McMullen) as he recounts the events leading up to his death. Paul tells how he got mixed up with the wrong crowd while trying to find a place for himself at his new school and how the local bully, Roth (Jamie Shelton), sparked a feud between two rival school gangs which would result in Paul being killed.

Three feature-length Doctor Who adventures. In 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' (1970), Jon Pertwee stars as the third Doctor, who is called to an atomic research station in Derbyshire to investigate a series of mysterious events. His questions uncover a vicious ring of in-house saboteurs and something a bit more slimy. In 'The Sea Devils' (1972), after visiting their old enemy the Master (Roger Delgado) in his remote island prison, the Doctor (Pertwee) and Jo learn of several recent accidents at sea, all of which have been accompanied by reported sightings of strange monsters. The Doctor discovers that the creatures responsible are the Sea Devils, acquatic cousins of the Silurians who are out to reclaim the planet Earth from mankind. In 'Warriors of the Deep' (1983), The Doctor (Peter Davison), Tegan and Turlough arrive at an underwater base on an Earth in the future on the brink of Atomic War. Helping to trigger this war are the planet's original inhabitants, the Silurians and the Sea Devils, aided by their killer pantomime horse, the Myrka.

Mainstreaming Black Power upends the narrative that the Black Power movement allowed for a catharsis of black rage but achieved little institutional transformation or black uplift. Retelling the story of the 1960s and 1970s across the United States-and focusing on New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles-this book reveals how the War on Poverty cultivated black self-determination politics and demonstrates that federal, state, and local policies during this period bolstered economic, social, and educational institutions for black control. Mainstreaming Black Power shows more convincingly than ever before that white power structures did engage with Black Power in specific ways that tended ultimately to reinforce rather than challenge existing racial, class, and gender hierarchies. This book emphasizes that Black Power's reach and legacies can be understood only in the context of an ideologically diverse black community.

As an owner, executive or professional, marketing your business can be daunting. Your market is filled with competitors that not only do what you do, they look like you too. It's hard to stand out - and achieve prominent status - when the services you offer show no appreciable difference from theirs. To succeed, you must do something radically different In this book, Tom Adams describes a compelling opportunity to distinguish your business in the marketplace by becoming its visible, magnetic, personal marketing icon. You'll learn why becoming the face of your business is important - what you need to do to achieve that - and how to do it with personality. This book will provide you: *Persuasive reasons why our current social context confirms timing is right for personal presence marketing * Countless examples of owners, executives and professionals who demonstrate this personality marketing strategy * Eight personal preparations you can undertake in order to be the best possible marketing icon for your business *Six proven models for expressing yourself as the marketing face and voice of your business * Easy to implement activities that position you to attract and engage prospects in your marketing

Mainstreaming Black Power upends the narrative that the Black Power movement allowed for a catharsis of black rage but achieved little institutional transformation or black uplift. Retelling the story of the 1960s and 1970s across the United States-and focusing on New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles-this book reveals how the War on Poverty cultivated black self-determination politics and demonstrates that federal, state, and local policies during this period bolstered economic, social, and educational institutions for black control. Mainstreaming Black Power shows more convincingly than ever before that white power structures did engage with Black Power in specific ways that tended ultimately to reinforce rather than challenge existing racial, class, and gender hierarchies. This book emphasizes that Black Power's reach and legacies can be understood only in the context of an ideologically diverse black community.