Charms Charming The Charmed

Joseph Epstein takes on that most enchanting (and, alas, increasingly rare) of human gifts, charm. “Almost everyone will recognize when he or she is in the presence of charm,” he writes. “Charm is magic of a kind; it casts a spell. In the presence of charm the world seems lighter and lovelier. A charming person can cause you to forget your problems, at least temporarily, to hold the world’s dreariness at bay. Charm is a reminder that the world is filled with jolly prospects and delightful possibilities. Watching Fred Astaire dance, or listening to Blossom Dearie sing, or reading the poems of C.P. Cavafy, or merely looking at Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner, one recalls that the world can be a pretty damn fine place.”

The Eiffel Tower in miniature, a tiny silver teddy bear, or perhaps a platinum disk engraved with a date: Every charm on a bracelet has special meaning for its wearer: history on a wrist. Tracey Zabar, premier crafter of charm bracelets, explores the enduring appeal of these chic, sweet accessories in Charmed Bracelets. Beginning with the amulets and talismans of ancient times, she discusses the origins of charms, then showcases a selection of exuberant ornaments from the charm-crazed 1950s and concludes with present-day bracelets. Charmed Bracelets includes suggestions for selecting trinkets around a theme, be it foreign cities or favorite movies, and provides instructions on how to maintain the jewelry. Beyond embellishing a bracelet, Zabar also describes other clever applications for charms: to customize a dog collar, for example, or bedeck the ribbons on an exquisitely wrapped birthday present. A guide to buying charms completes this enchanting gift book. With her popular, vintage-influenced charm bracelets, jewelry designer TRACEY ZABAR has put a fresh new spin on a coveted family heirloom. An artist with degrees in photography and textiles, Zabar lives with her husband and four sons. This is her first book.

Bringing together many of today's key scholars of verbal charming, these essays cover vernacular magical texts and practice from Malaysia to Madagascar, and from England to Estonia. As the most comprehensive collection of research on charms, charmers and charming available in the English language, it forms an essential reader on the topic.

This dictionary contains around 80,000 English terms with their Finnish translations, making it one of the most comprehensive books of its kind. It offers a wide vocabulary from all areas as well as numerous idioms. The terms are translated from English to Finnish. If you need translations from Finnish to English, then the companion volume The Great Dictionary Finnish - English is recommended.