Corn Dollies have played a significant part in rural folklore all over the world. This book explores some of the ancient myths behind the making of straw figures, such as the belief that making offerings to the gods would ensure a plentiful harvest. Key techniques of straw plaiting are explained and illustrated, and many of the traditional designs of the dolly, as well as some modern examples, are described.
Daniel Woodrell's modern classic is an unforgettable tale of desperation and courage that inspired the award-winning film starring Jennifer Lawrence. Ree Dolly's father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn't show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. Living in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks, Ree learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But, as an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost. "The lineage from Faulkner to Woodrell runs as deep and true as an Ozark stream in this book...his most profound and haunting yet." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
An American classic—and Pulitzer Prize–winning story—that shows the ultimate bond between child and pet. No novel better epitomizes the love between a child and a pet than The Yearling. Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this moving story, a fine work of great American literature.
Secret, strange, dark, impure and dissonant...Enter the haunted landscapes of folk horror, a world of pagan village conspiracies, witch finders, and teenagers awakening to evil; of dark fairy tales, backwoods cults and obsolete technologies. Beginning with the classics Night of the Demon, Witchfinder General, The Wicker Man and Blood on Satan's Claw, We Don't Go Back surveys the genre of screen folk horror from across the world. Travelling from Watership Down to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with every stop inbetween, We Don't Go Back is a thoughtful, funny and essential overview of folk horror in TV and cinema."A beautiful rumination on the dark films and television that shaped me and a generation of odd children, for good or ill, worth a year of your time, because you won't just read the book, you'll feel a burning desire to watch everything mentioned within." - Robin Ince"A comprehensive, accessible and often riotously funny tome weaving together folk horror in all its forms, from British television to the American backwoods, from Eastern European fairytales to the vengeful ghosts of East Asia. Ingham explores uncanny landscapes haunted by things buried, old cultures converging with the reluctance of contemporary reason, that very tension that gives his book its name. He attempts to both define folk horror and free it from definition, creating the ultimate guide to the genre's manifestations on film and offering a convincing argument as to why the genre resonates so compellingly with people today." - Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women
This dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. An engrossing guide to English folklore and traditions, with over 1,250 entries. Folklore is connected to virtually every aspect of life, part of the country, age group, and occupation. From the bizarre to the seemingly mundane, it is as much a feature of the modern technological age as of the ancient world. BL Oral and Performance genres-Cheese rolling, Morris dancing, Well-dressingEL BL Superstitions-Charms, Rainbows, WishbonesEL BL Characters-Cinderella, Father Christmas, Robin Hood, Dick WhittingtonEL BL Supernatural Beliefs-Devil's hoofprints, Fairy rings, Frog showersEL BL Calendar Customs-April Fool's Day, Helston Furry Day, Valentine's DayEL
The Real Parenting Experts Speak Out! For this invaluable book, Tom McMahon mounted a nationwide media campaign and gathered a wealth of tested and proven child raising tips from experienced parents in over three hundred cities across the country. Here are more than one thousand of the best, reflecting every aspect of parenting -- inside tips today's busy parents all too often don't have time to share with their family and friends. Discover fresh, unique, creative ideas that are fun, thrifty, easily accessible and pediatrician-approved for health and safety: PLAYTIME -- from indoor activities to outdoor play to coping with clutter and cleanup MEALTIME -- how to feed baby, deal with your finicky eater and dine out without losing your mind HEALTH AND SAFETY -- taking medicine painlessly, soothing colicky babies, visiting the doctor, and more DISCIPLINE -- three easy steps that short-circuit big problems before they begin! BEDTIME -- from putting baby to bed to quieting bumps in the night ON THE GO -- travel and vacations, errands and shopping made easy SELF ESTEEM AND RELATIONSHIPS -- promoting healthful self-respect and respect for others From baby basics to easy toilet training to teaching your children responsibility and more, here are fast, fabulous "fixes" that work!