Daedalus Books

Discover the classics with Looking Glass Library, a series that offers the world's finest literature, with introductions by some of the foremost writers of today. In eight highly imaginative tales, beloved children's author E. Nesbit gives us an extraordinary view of how dragons can shape the fates of princes, queens, and ordinary children alike. With an introduction by Newbery Award winner Ruth Stiles Gannett and line illustrations by H. R. Millar from the original 1901 edition, this middle-grade fantasy classic will enchant all ages. From the Hardcover edition.

One of the most successful and beloved of Victorian fairy tales, George Macdonald's The Princess and the Goblin tells the story of young Princess Irene and her friend Curdie, who must outwit the threatening goblins who live in caves beneath her mountain home. Macdonald's pioneering use of fanstasy as a literary medium had a great influence on Lewis Carroll, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L'Engle, all great admirers of his work, which has remained popular to this day. I write, not for children, he wrote, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five.

The five children find a cantankerous sand fairy or 'psammead' in a gravel pit. Every day 'It' will grant each of them a wish that lasts until sunset, often with disastrous consequences. Five Children and It was first published in 1902, and it has remained in print ever since. The Introduction to this edition examines Nesbit's life and her reading, showing how she was poised between the Victorian world and a new era in which children in literature were no longer mere projections of the adult viewpoint. Sandra Kemp examines how the narrative is structured around the acting out of literary fantasies, which always come down to earth. Nesbit combines wonderfully implausible events with the prosaic and familiar, and Kemp illuminates her exploration of the shifting relationship between imagination, literature, and life.

Welcome to Kittur, India. Of its 193,432 residents, only 89 declare themselves to be without religion or caste. And if the characters in Between the Assassinations are any indication, Kittur is an extraordinary crossroads between the brightest minds and the poorest morals, the up-and-coming and the downtrodden, and the poets and the prophets of an India that modern literature has rarely addressed. A series of sketches that together form a blinding, brilliant, and brave mosaic of Indian life as it is lived in a place called Kittur, Between the Assassinations, with all the humor, sympathy, and unflinching candor of The White Tiger, enlarges our understanding of the world we live in today.

There has never been a more remarkable national leader in modern history than Peter the Great (1672–1725). He was a giant in every way. In physical stature, willpower, enthusiasm, energy, libertinism, and refusal to accept old conventions, he stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries. He grew up in an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, and court rivalries that often assumed violent forms. He only gained power, at the age of seventeen, by ousting his half sister, Sophia, and shutting her up in a nunnery. As a product of the system, Peter was, of necessity, ruthless and tyrannical, personally carrying out the execution of defeated rebels and even effecting the death of his own son. But there his identification with Russia’s past ends. For what has earned Peter his place in history is his tearing his country, kicking and screaming, from its traditional, oriental customs and beliefs and integrating it into the life of Europe. He removed the privileges of the medieval aristocracy, brought the church under state control, and rejected the old Russian calendar in favor of the dating system used in Europe. He even ordered his courtiers and officials to shave their traditional beards and adopt Western dress codes. He avidly studied the latest scientific and technological advances and employed them to build a modern army and to create from scratch a Russian navy. These tools he used to devastating effect by destroying the Swedish Empire and making Russia (with its brand-new capital, St. Petersburg) master of the Baltic.

This conveniently sized journal — just 5 x 8 1/4 inches closed, in a no-nonsense black cover — is ideal for carrying around all day, yet it can contain a voluminous amount of notes, thoughts, anecdotes, poems, or diary entries. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and super-thin rules (about four lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this series of journals encourages industrious, no-fuss writing.

This conveniently sized journal — just 5 x 8 1/4 inches closed, in a flexible black cover — is ideal for carrying around all day, yet it can contain a voluminous amount of notes, thoughts, anecdotes, poems, or diary entries. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and super-thin rules (about four lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this journal encourages industrious, no-fuss writing.

This compact journal — just 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches closed, in a flexible black cover — is perfect for tucking away in a pocket or purse, yet can still accommodate a copious amount of information. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and super-thin rules (about four lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this journal encourages industrious, no-fuss writing.

Presented in a large picture-book format with moving features — opening flaps, pull-tab actions, miniature books and hidden documents — this retelling of Treasure Island, for readers 7 to 10, captures the excitement and adventure of Robert Louis Stevenson's immortal pirate tale. The book also includes a game board and play pieces, so youngsters can make their own pursuit of Captain Flint's fabulous treasure.

In day-to-day speech we use words and phrases without a passing thought as to why we use them or where they come from. Max Cryer changes all that by showing how fascinating the English language really is. Did you know that the former host of Today, Jane Pauley, claims to have coined the term bad hair day, or that a CBS engineer named Charley Douglas invented the name and use of canned laughter for television, or that cold turkey as a term for quitting something immediately was popularized by the novel and movie (starring Frank Sinatra), The Man with the Golden Arm? Here you'll learn the origins of credibility gap, my lips are sealed, the opera's not over until the fat lady sings, supermarket, supermodel, there's no accounting for taste, thick as thieves, and hundreds more. For anyone who loves language, this new book will take the cake.

Recognized by its organic, nature-inspired forms, the international style eventually christened art nouveau represented an endeavor to make everyday objects — and thus everyday life — beautiful. It arose from aesthetic movements in various European cities at the end of the 19th century and continuing through World War I. This substantive volume explores the movement's impact on architecture, interior design, furniture, gold and silversmiths' works, art ceramics and glass, and graphics and painting. It is illustrated with hundreds of color photographs, from a reproduction of Edvard Munch's Madonna to a double-page, 17 x 10-inch image of the magnificent greenhouse dome at the Royal Palace at Laeken. The book tours the various national schools of the style in Scotland, England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Russia, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and the United States, focusing on such major artists and designers as Charles Rennie Mackintosh, René Lalique, Antoni Gaudí, and Louis Comfort Tiffany. It also provides a glossary, capsule biographies of art nouveau designers, and a bibliography.

When is a pop-up book not a pop-up book? When it's also a play space for youngsters 5 to 8, featuring paper models with moving parts and accessories. Paper engineer Robert Crowther presents this celebration of fascinating construction machines — a dump truck, bulldozer, tractor, forklift, and tower crane — each at the center of its own pop-up tableau. The book describes what the machine can do and provides facts about its size, weight, and capacity, while in storage pouches are such accessories as trailers, tractor blades, cargo pallets, and construction materials, which can be unfolded and used with the heavy equipment.

When a hungry fox spies a crow with a piece of cheese in her beak, in this classic fable, he flatters the silly bird until she opens her mouth to sing — and drops the cheese to the ground. One of the best-known tales attributed to Aesop, «The Fox and the Crow» is presented in this board book for prereaders with Martha Lightfoot's simple and charming painted cartoons and her humorous retelling, ideal for reading aloud.

Instead of eating the little mouse who wakes him from his nap, the lion in this tale laughs when the mouse promises to help him one day, and lets him go free. But the mouse does indeed prove his worth, when the lion gets caught in a hunter's net. One of the best-known tales attributed to Aesop, «The Lion and the Mouse» is presented in this board book for prereaders with Martha Lightfoot's simple and charming painted cartoons and her humorous retelling, ideal for reading aloud.

This king-sized journal — a whopping 14 1/2 x 10 inches open, in a no-nonsense black cover — is large enough to swallow the manuscript for your next novel, or any other elephantine project. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and super-thin rules (about four lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this journal encourages industrious, no-fuss writing.

This conveniently sized journal — just 5 x 8 1/4 inches closed, in a no-nonsense black cover — is ideal for carrying around all day, yet it can contain a voluminous amount of notes, plans, thoughts, inventions, poems, diagrams, or diary entries. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and a thin-ruled graph grid (about five lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this journal encourages industrious designing, diagramming, or writing.

Whether you're an artist doing coffeehouse sketches; working on your next great story; or just trying to get things done; one of these notebooks is just what you need. Features a black cover; expandable interior pocket; satin bookmark; and elastic closure. This package contains one medium (8-1/4x5x3/4 inches) notebook with 240 acid free; off-white lined sheets. Imported.

This king-sized journal — a whopping 14 1/2 x 10 inches open, in a no-nonsense black cover — is large enough to swallow the plans for your next invention, the manuscript for your next novel, or any other elephantine project. With a sewn binding, ledger stock paper, and a thin-ruled graph grid (about five lines to the inch), as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, this journal encourages industrious designing, diagramming, or writing.

This conveniently sized blank book — just 5 x 8 1/4 inches closed, in a no-nonsense black cover — is ideal for carrying around all day, yet it can contain a voluminous amount of notes, drawings, thoughts, poems, or diary entries. With a sewn binding and sturdy hard covers, as well as an expanding pocket, elastic closure band, and ribbon marker, it encourages industrious drawing and writing.

From pre-autochrome color on glass to the digital age, «Genius of Color Photography» covers every major technical and artistic breakthrough in the development of color during the past century. It looks at technologies like the Polaroid, Kodak Instamatic, and 35mm film; varying styles in color photography, from World War II documentation to glamorous fashion imagery; and the impact of Photoshop(R) and other software programs. More than 150 photographers are featured with special attention given to Boris Mikhailov, Richard Misrach, Robert Mapplethorpe, and others who have altered our perception of color in the world around us.

Animals from around the globe have gathered for a dance contest in the famous Tower Ballroom in Birmingham. Who will win? Camels dancing the conga? Flamingos dancing flamenco? Or penguins doing the polka? And what are those mischievous monkeys up to? It turns out they have stolen the musical instruments — 26 in all. The 26 musical instruments are hidden throughout the book so readers must go back and find them. Once all of them have been found, the grand finale begins. This is a great alphabet and counting book in one!

The father of Communist Russia, Vladimir Ilych Lenin now seems to have emerged fully formed in the turbulent wake of World War I and the Russian Revolution. But Lenins character was in fact forged much earlier, over the course of years spent in exile, constantly on the move, and in disguise. In Conspirator, Russian historian Helen Rappaport narrates the compelling story of Lenins life and political activities in the years leading up to the revolution. As he scuttled between the glittering capital cities of Europefrom London and Munich to Vienna and PragueLenin found support among fellow migrs and revolutionaries in the underground movement. He came to lead a ring of conspirators, many of whom would give their lives in service to his schemes. A riveting account of Lenins little-known early life, Conspirator tracks in gripping detail the formation of one of the great revolutionaries of the twentieth century.

From the authors of the bestselling «Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar», an uproarious new book on the meaning of death (and life, too) The new book by the bestselling authors of «Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar» is a hilarious take on the philosophy, theology, and psychology of mortality and immortality. That is, Death. The authors pry open the coffin lid on this one, looking at the Big D and also its prequel, Life, and its sequel, the Hereafter. Philosophers such as Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre have been wrestling with the meaning of death for as long as they have been wrestling with the meaning of life. Fortunately, humorists have been keeping pace with the major thinkers by creating gags about dying. Death's funny that way-it gets everybody's attention. Death has gotten a bad rap. It's time to take a closer look at what the Deep Thinkers have to say on the subject, and there are no better guides than Cathcart and Klein.

A voyage of discoveries, a meeting of two remarkable women, and extraordinary time and place enrich bestselling author Tracy Chevalier's enthralling new novel From the moment she's struck by lightening as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has «the eye» — and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man. Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy. Ultimately, in the struggle to be recognized in the wider world, Mary and Elizabeth discover that friendship is their greatest ally. «Remarkable Creatures» is a stunning novel of how one woman's gift transcends class and social prejudice to lead to some of the most important discoveries of the nineteenth century. Above all, is it a revealing portrait of the intricate and resilient nature of female friendship.