Detective story writer Antonia Darcy and her husband Hugh Payne are asked to travel to Devon in order to prevent a murder on Sphinx Island, but they are far from enthusiastic as they suspect an elaborate joke. And when they hear that one of the house party guests is Romaine Garrison -Gore, another crime writer, they have no doubt that they will walk into a rather tedious variant of the Murder Weekend. After all, it is their tenth wedding anniversary and Major Payne's aunt, Lady Grylls, has been trying to think of a truly original present for them . . . But then they receive a rather sinister letter signed 'The Riddler' and become curious . . . could the devil speak true?
Detective story writer Antonia Darcy and her husband Hugh Payne are asked to travel to Devon in order to prevent a murder on Sphinx Island, but they are far from enthusiastic as they suspect an elaborate joke. And when they hear that one of the house party guests is Romaine Garrison-Gore, another crime writer, they have no doubt that they will walk into a rather tedious variant of the Murder Weekend. After all, it is their tenth wedding anniversary and Major Payne's aunt, Lady Grylls, has been trying to think of a truly original present for them... But then they receive a rather sinister letter signed 'The Riddler' and become curious... could the devil speak true?
Kids will love this exciting excavation of ancient Egyptian myths as they follow along with the clever Marcy on a quest to save her dad from the belly of the sphinx! Many years have passed since the tale of Arthur and the Golden Rope, and Arthur is now a world-famous adventurer. If only his daughter Marcy shared his enthusiasm for exploration... Determined to bring out Marcy's adventurous side, Arthur sets off to Egypt to bring back the legendary Book of Thoth. When Arthur doesn't return, Marcy must follow in his footsteps. Can she overcome her fears and rescue her father from the clutches of the great Sphinx?
Do plots involving exchanged murders still work and who exactly is the victim? Antonia Darcy never imagined that taking her young grandson to his first day at nursery school would embroil her in a most baffling case of mistaken identity and murder. Major Payne, on the other hand, believed that it was their destiny. Olga Klimt played a dangerous game with the affections of the men in love with her, though she knew perfectly well there might be a high price to pay ... Among the unlikely murder suspects is a rich young heir to a biscuit fortune, his Aconite-addicted mother, his manservant and the headmistress of a prestigious nursery school. In this, their ninth investigation, husband and wife sleuths, Antonia Darcy and Major Payne, search desperately for answers before the killer strikes again.
This is a book of psychoanalysis. However, the patient is not a human, but place and imagination of placing. The islands of Okinawa, placed on the border of Japan and Taiwan, consist of a complex of subtropical islands in the East China Sea with marine life abundantly found in the beautiful emerald ocean. However, Okinawa is a history of deterritorialization starting from colonization of the former Ryukyu kingdom by Japan in 1879, followed by the World War II and the US occupation until 1972. These tiny dots on the Pacific Ocean became subject to the collective fate of the world. However, placing oneself in these tiny dots and looking at the world from within provides a picture that is totally different from looking at them externally. There are numerous accounts by ethnographers and anthropologists who carried out research in this region of carnival masks and costumes, their belief in the oceanic paradise, worship of nature, ancestor and women's spirituality. Psychoanalysis of the anthropological research unfolds complexity of this field and deconstructs dualistic modern mind that separates nature from psyche. What appears is an ecological perspective of the psyche of the new era.
What was the Minotaur? Did a Welsh prince discover America? Did Robin Hood really exist? How does the Star of Bethlehem fit into the science of astronomy? Is the Vinland Map a fake? Can archaeologists use spirit messages to guide their work? For centuries, philosophers, scientists, and charlatans have attempted to decipher the baffling mysteries of our past, from the Stonehenge to the lost continent of Atlantis. Today, however, DNA testing, radiocarbon dating, and other cutting-edge investigative tools, together with a healthy dose of common sense, are guiding us closer to the truth. Peter James and Nick Thorpe, the professional historian and archaeologist team who created the acclaimed Ancient Inventions, now tackle these age-old conundrums, presenting the latest information from the scientific community--and the most startling challenges to traditional explanations of mysteries such as: - The rise and fall of the Maya - A lost cache of Dead Sea Scrolls - The curse of Tutankhamun - The devastation of Sodom and Gomorrah - The Nazca Lines These true mystery stories twist and turn like a good whodunit, as James and Thorpe present the evidence for and against the expert theories, shedding new light on humankind's age-old struggle to make sense of the past. The authors also make dramatic contributions of their own to the fray, demonstrating persuasively that cataustrophic events--including the collisions of comets with the Earth long ago--could explain puzzles that have baffled experts for centuries. Ancient Mysteries will entertain and enlighten, delight the curious and inform the serious.
This work traces the concepts of initiation, transformation and rebirth though Beatrix Potter's personal writings and her children's fiction. Her letters and journals reveal attempts to escape from what she called her "unloved birthplace" and her overbearing parents. Potter felt that her life culminated in her forties, when she was, in effect, reborn through marriage as Mrs. William Heelis, a farmer raising Herdwick sheep and buying land for the National Trust. From her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, through some of the last, such as The Fairy Caravan and The Tale of Little Pig Robinson, central characters undergo processes of initiation during which they mature toward adulthood. The most successful ones move from being helpless children to more mature creatures on their way to independence, while others experience no change or even regression.
In Padraic Colum's captivating tale 'The Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter', readers are transported to a world filled with magic and enchantment. Written in a vivid and evocative style, Colum weaves a compelling narrative that immerses the reader in the adventures of a young boy who becomes an apprentice to a powerful sorcerer. The book is rich in fantastical imagery and fantastical creatures, drawing on Celtic folklore and mythology to create a mystical atmosphere that will enchant readers of all ages. Padraic Colum, a renowned Irish poet and writer, drew on his deep knowledge of Celtic mythology and folklore to create this enchanting tale. His background in Irish literature is evident in the lyrical prose and rich storytelling that make 'The Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter' a classic of children's literature. Colum's own fascination with magic and myth shines through in the intricate world-building and spellbinding narrative. I highly recommend 'The Boy Apprenticed to an Enchanter' to anyone who enjoys fantasy literature and tales of magic and adventure. Padraic Colum's masterful storytelling and deep connection to Irish folklore make this book a must-read for those who appreciate the power of imagination and the enchantment of a well-crafted story.
Poetry has long been regarded as the least accessible of literary genres. But how much does the obscurity that confounds readers of a poem differ from, say, the slang that seduces listeners of hip-hop? Infidel Poetics examines not only the shared incomprensibilities of poetry and slang, but poetry's genetic relation to the spectacle of underground culture. Charting connections between vernacular poetry, lyric obscurity, and types of social relations—networks of darkened streets in preindustrial cities, the historical underworld of taverns and clubs, the subcultures of the avant-garde—Daniel Tiffany shows that obscurity in poetry has functioned for hundreds of years as a medium of alternative societies. For example, he discovers in the submerged tradition of canting poetry and its eccentric genres—thieves’ carols, drinking songs, beggars’ chants—a genealogy of modern nightlife, but also a visible underworld of social and verbal substance, a demimonde for sale. Ranging from Anglo-Saxon riddles to Emily Dickinson, from the icy logos of Parmenides to the monadology of Leibniz, from Mother Goose to Mallarmé, Infidel Poetics offers an exhilarating account of the subversive power of obscurity in word, substance, and deed.
