Strange Landscape

The Middle Ages represented a flowering of spirituality and culture which, in Europe, has not been equalled since. This book examines some of the great writers and thinkers of the period and the events in which they took part.

Manning examines the formation of nineteenth-century intelligentsia print publics in the former Soviet republic of Georgia both anthropologically and historically. At once somehow part of “Europe,” at least aspirationally, and yet rarely recognized by others as such, Georgia attempted to forge European style publics as a strong claim to European identity. These attempts also produced a crisis of self-defi nition, as European Georgia sent newspaper correspondents into newly reconquered Oriental Georgia, only to discover that the people of these lands were strangers. In this encounter, the community of “strangers” of European Georgian publics proved unable to assimilate the people of the “strange land” of Oriental Georgia. This crisis produced both notions of Georgian public life and European identity which this book explores.

For all who yearn to travel to the home of the sagas, a beautifully illustrated companion to the terrain of Iceland—from puffins to ponies, glaciers and volcanoes to legendary trolls. Described by William Morris as “most unimaginably strange,” the landscape of Iceland has fascinated and inspired travelers, scientists, artists, and writers throughout history. This book provides a contemporary understanding of the landscape as a whole, not only its iconic glaciers and volcanoes, but also its deserts, canyons, plants, and animals. The book examines historic and modern scientific studies of the landscape and animals, as well as accounts of early visitors to the land. These were captivating people, some eccentric but most drawn to Iceland by an enthrallment with all things northern, a desire to experience the land of the sagas, or plain scientific and touristic curiosity. Featuring many spectacular illustrations, this is a fine exploration of a most singular landscape.

“Strange Brew” is the title of a 1967 hit song from Cream’s album Disraeli Gears, which featured the most psychedelic cover art ever. The song is what postmodern scholars, influenced by Fredric Jameson, would call a pastiche: its lyrics combine images of love, witchcraft, and getting stoned with a note-for-note rendition of Albert King’s traditional blues song “Oh Pretty Woman.” The song’s title is a metaphor suggesting that words and music can mix to become a kind of magic potion. Strange Brew: Metaphors of Magic and Science in Rock Music traces the evolution of psychedelic music from its roots in rock and roll and the blues to its influence on popular music today, shows how metaphor is used to create the effects of songs and their lyrics, and explores how words and music came together as both a cause and effect of the cultural revolution of the nineteen-sixties.

Shipworld! For John Bandicut, Earth is but a memory. Stranded at the edge of the galaxy in a structure populated with beings from a thousand worlds, Bandicut finds unexpected friends—only to be caught up in a cascade of forces that threaten the Shipworld itself. Confronting an entity known as the boojum, Bandicut discovers greater peril than ever in his journey into the unknown. Volume 2 of The Chaos Chronicles, from the Nebula-nominated author of Eternity’s End. Original print publication by Tor Books. REVIEWS: “A dazzling, thrilling, innovative space opera…probably Carver’s best effort to date.” —Kirkus Reviews “An irresistibly readable story line reinforced by fascinating speculative science. Readers who come this far will be hooked for the series’ duration.” —Booklist “Carver’s latest novel showcases his own fertile imagination and his talent for creating a host of engagingly sympathetic characters.” —Library Journal “Carver is at his rousing best in this wild ride into the heart of an enigmatic world beyond the Milky Way. This is science fiction out at the frontier. Maybe beyond the frontier.” —Jack McDevitt

Describes how the writer and naturalist set about recording in both word and image the birds of North America, and details the legacy his work has left behind.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Strange Beauty provides a new perspective on early Celtic stories of the Otherworld and their relevance to today's ecological concerns, arguing for a contemporary re-reading of the Otherworld trope in relation to physical experience.