"Prepare for a sampling of Japanese ghosts and spirits, from sources that include the worlds oldest novel, the urban legends of contemporary Japanese schoolchildren, movies both classic and modern, anime, manga, and more." For hundreds of years Japan has lived in a reality consisting of the real world and the spirit world; sometimes the wall between the two worlds gets thin enough for spirits to cross over. In such a reality, ghost stories have been popular for centuries. Patrick Drazen, a...

well-reviewed survey book now updated with current information and reviewsadopted as college text at Vanderbilt in Nashville, and U of Missouri St. Louisone of the few non-academic books that takes a generalist view of the subject, making it ideal for educators and people still new to the genre or looking for a generous overviewall artwork will be accessed via internet links from publisher's website, making hundreds of more illustrations available than the previous ...

Christianity has been in Japan for five centuries, but embraced by less than one percent of the population. It’s a complicated relationship, given the sudden appearance in Japan of Renaissance Catholicism which was utterly unlike the historic faiths of Shinto and Buddhism; Japan had to invent a word for “religion” since Japan did not share the west’s reliance on faith in a personal God. Japan’s views of this “outsider” religion resemble America’s view of the “outsider” Islamic faith. Under...

When George McPherson, an old and gentlemanly Adelaide business man, left a will with very specific instructions, he would neither have guessed nor intended the indirect changes that would happen, as the result of that will, to the lives of at least five others, five people whom he never knew. The changes begin when Richard McPherson and Max Clark fine themselves becoming funeral directors in the Victorian rural city of Horsham. Then, following a tragedy, the same couple become 'parents' t...

**"Impressive, exhaustive, labyrinthine, and obsessive—The Anime Encyclopedia is an astonishing piece of work." —Neil GaimanWith over 10,000 entries nothing comes close . . . from classics to hidden gems, all the anime you love is finally at your fingertips.This 3rd edition of The Anime Encyclopedia brings the landmark reference work up to date with six additional years of information on Japanese animation, its practition...

Edward is the son of the most feared and powerful Triad leader in Hong Kong. And Edward wants very little to do with it. All he ever wanted was to have a quiet life without being involved, but that’s not what his father has planned. Edward is sent to Connecticut with Winston, one of his father’s trusted associates to run a high-end Chinese restaurant. At least until his father could either find something more family involved or until Edward came to his senses. That's until Elana, a restaur...

What happens when the legacy of a father collides with the dreams of his son?Widow Jeeto Gill has spent her life working hard and making sacrifices for her children. Now she looks forward to going back to her land in the Punjab, eating saag and roti on a verandah and letting her tired eyes rest on green fields.Her son Pal seems to have it all but he’s restless. He’s got big plans for his Daddy’s business and a taste for Johnny Walker Black Label. However his kind-hearted wi...

Volume of eight plays by Guan Hanqing, the "Shakespeare of China." Includes Snow in Midsummer, a work which appears on International Baccalaureate Curricula.

A story about Indian (South Asian) immigrants to the United States. Ajay, who has gotten an admission letter to a U.S. University, wants to get advice about life in the states from Rohan, another young man who lives in a neighboring town. He learns that Rohan likes foreign wines, and brings an expensive bottle as a gift. Rohan, however, turns out to be a teetotaler. How did he get that reputation?

Faces of Compassion introduces us to enlightened beings, the bodhisattvas of Buddhist lore. They're not otherworldly gods with superhuman qualities but shining examples of our own highest potential. Archetypes of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism are powerful and compelling images of awakening. Scholar and Zen teacher Taigen Dan Leighton engagingly explores the imagery and lore of the seven most important of these archetypal figures, bringing them alive as psycho...

Sang Thong: A Dance-Drama from Thailand, a beloved treasure of Thailand's classical theater is now available for the first time in English.Composed by King Rama II and his court poets early in the 19th century, this captivating dance-drama blends ribald humor, sharp observation, and graceful poetry. Its incidents are based on age-old Asian legends and on vigorous folk-traditions of the Thai countryside, where King Rama II had been raised as a commoner befo...

Want to create studio-quality work and get noticed? Just coming off Flash and looking for a Toon Boom intro? Are you a traditional pencil-and-paper animator? From scene setup to the final render, learn how to navigate the Toon Boom interface to create animation that can be published on a variety of platforms and formats.Animate to Harmony guides you through Toon Boom’s Animate, Animate Pro and Harmony programs, teaching you how to create high-quality 2D animation of all complexitie...