The Farmers Almanac is an annual publication published every year since 1818. It is the only publication of its kind which generations of American families have come to trust. Its longevity speaks volumes about its content which informs, delights, and educates. Best known for its long-range weather predictions, the Farmers Almanac provides valuable information on gardening, cooking, fishing, and more.
Founded in 1971 by Elizabeth Pepper, the art director of Gourmet magazine for many years, The Witches' Almanac is a witty, literate, and sophisticated publication that appeals to general reads as well as hard-core Wiccans. At one level, it is a pop reference that will fascinate anyone interested in folklore, mythology and culture, but at another, it is the most sophisticated and wide-ranging annual guide available today for the mystic enthusiast. Modeled after the Old Farmers' Almanac, it includes information related to the annual Moon Calendar (weather forecasts and horoscopes), as well as legends, rituals, herbal secrets, mystic incantations, interviews and many a curious tale of good and evil. Although it is an annual publication, much of the content is both current and timeless - not specific to the date range of each issue. The theme of Issue 39 (Spring 2020 - Spring 2021) is Stones - the Foundation of Earth. Also included are articles on: Celestial Powers: Lightning Gods, Bolts from the Blue; Gargoyles; How to work with the Spirits of the Land; The Art of Embodying Godforms in Ritual; Holey Stones; Borges Beasts and much more.
John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, imparts his abundance of horticulture knowledge, specifically focusing on how to garden using the moon’s cycles. Humans and the world around us have been governed by the waxing and waning of the moon since the planet came into being. Over the centuries different civilizations have embraced these natural cycles, and so lunar gardening has been around for as long as man has pulled food from the soil; once practiced by the Incas and Native Americans, this tried and trusted method has been largely forgotten. John Harris, head gardener at Tresillian Estate in Cornwall, has been using Moon Gardening for over forty years. The methods he uses can be implemented anywhere. You do not need fancy tools, expensive seeds, or substantial acreage; instead, you simply need time, patience, and care to create breath-taking results. This is gardening at its most natural and organic. The Natural Gardener charts John’s story from a rudderless young lad in a Cornish village to being charged with the salvation of the long-neglected gardens at Tresillian. As he shares how to follow the simple principles of moon gardening, he imparts his abundance of horticultural knowledge from years spent working in harmony with the soil, providing a timely link back to nature and the reassuring regularity of the seasons.
Founded in 1971 by Elizabeth Pepper, the long-time art director of Gourmet magazine, The Witches’ Almanac is a witty, literate, and sophisticated publication that appeals to general readers as well as hard-core Wiccans and magicians. On one level, it is a pop reference that will fascinate anyone interested in folklore, mythology, and culture, but on another, it is the most sophisticated and wide-ranging annual guide available today for occultists and mysticism enthusiasts. Modeled after the Old Farmers’ Almanac, it includes information related to the annual moon calendar (weather forecasts and horoscopes), as well as legends, rituals, herbal secrets, mystic incantations, interviews, and many a curious tale of good and evil. Although it is an annual publication, only about 15 percent of the content is specific to the date range of each issue. The theme of Issue 38 (Spring 2019 to Spring 2020) is Animals: Friends and Familiars. Also included are the following articles: “Beer and Witches,” “Gargoyles,” “Horseshoes,” “Transgender in the Craft,” and “Coefficient of Weirdness, Part 3.” New authors include Sorita d’Este, Lon Milo DuQuette, David Rankine, and Mat Auryn.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted."--Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 The Appalachian region is deeply rooted in customs that have been handed down for generations. "Planting by the signs," a practice predicated on the belief that moon phases and astrological signs exert a powerful influence on the growth and well-being of crops, is considered superstitious by some but has been essential to gardeners and farmers for centuries and is still in use today. Sown in the Stars brings together the collective knowledge of farmers in central and eastern Kentucky about the custom of planting by the signs. Sarah Hall interviews nearly two dozen contemporary Kentuckians who still follow the signs of the moon and stars to guide planting, harvesting, canning and food preservation, butchering, and general farm work. Hall explores the roots of this system in both astrology and astronomy and the profound connections felt to the stars, moon, planets, and the earth. Revealed in the personal narratives are the diverse interpretations of the practice. Some farmers and gardeners believe that the moon's impact on crop behavior is purely scientific, while others favor a much wider interpretation of the signs and their impact on our lives. Featuring photographs by Meg Wilson, this timely book bridges the past, present, and future by broadening our understanding of this practice and revealing its potential to increase the resiliency of our current agricultural food systems.
This book is a superposition of two distinct narratives: the first is historical, discussing the evolution of astronomical knowledge since the dawn of civilizations; the second is scientific, conveying mathematical and physical content of each advancement. Great scientists of antiquity, Middle Ages and modern times until the 18th century, are presented along with their discoveries, through short biographies and anecdotes. Special care is taken to explain their achievements using mathematical and physical concepts of their time, with modern perspective added only when ancient methodology is too cumbersome or its language hardly understandable to contemporary readers.The book conveys a lot of astronomical facts and data in a pleasant and accessible manner. Almost all findings and discoveries made in ancient times are followed by simple mathematical exercises using basic knowledge, so that the reader can check the assertions himself. The book contains a lot of inedited illustrations. Geometrical schemes are given extra attention to make the examples clear and understandable. The language is simple and accessible to the young audience.
Material Hermeneutics explores the ways in which new imaging technologies and scientific instruments have changed our notions about ancient history. From the first lunar calendar to the black hole image, and from an ancient mummy in the Italian Alps to the irrigated valleys of Mesopotamia, this book demonstrates how revolutions in science have taught us far more than we imagined. Written by a leading philosopher of technology and utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, this book has implications for many fields, including philosophy, history, science, and technology. It will appeal to scholars and students of the humanities, as well as anthropologists and archaeologists.
From award-winning Wall Street Journal reporters, “a startling portrait of one of our greatest tech visionaries, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh” (Robert Kolker, author of Hidden Valley Road), reporting on his short life, untimely death, and what that means for our pursuit of happiness. Tony Hsieh—CEO of Zappos, Las Vegas developer, and beloved entrepreneur—was famous for spreading happiness. He lived and breathed this philosophy, instilling an ethos of joy at his company, outlining his vision for a better workplace in his New York Times bestseller Delivering Happiness. He promoted a workplace where bosses treated employees like family members, where stress was replaced by playfulness, and where hierarchies were replaced with equality and collaboration. His outlook shaped how we work today. Hsieh also aspired to build his own utopian cities, pouring millions of dollars into real estate and small businesses, first in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada—where Zappos is headquartered—and then in Park City, Utah. He gave generously to his employees and close friends, including throwing notorious Zappos parities and organizing gatherings at his home, an Airstream trailer park. When Hsieh died suddenly in late 2022, the news shook the business and tech world. Wall Street Journal reporters Kirsten Grind and Katherine Sayre discovered Hsieh’s obsession with happiness masked his darker struggles with addiction, mental health, and loneliness. In the last year of his life, he spiraled out of control, cycling out of rehab and into the waiting arms of friends who enabled his worst behavior, even as he bankrolled them from his billion-dollar fortune. Happy at Any Cost sheds light on one of our most creative, yet vulnerable, business leaders. It’s about our intense need to find “happiness” at all costs, our misguided worship of entrepreneurs, the stigmas still surrounding mental health, and how the trappings of fame can mask all types of deeper problems. In turn, it reveals how we conceptualize success—and define happiness—in our modern age.
