Stephen Smith is the boy who did not exist.Born out of wedlock in the early 1960s, Steve's parents hid him away from the world by locking him in the cellar...for thirteen years.Starved and beaten, the little boy's world was a darkened room that measured just eight feet by ten with a single makeshift bed, bare light bulb, and a solitary table. Steve would spend his days conjuring up an imaginary world full of monsters he would draw to try an...

In the 1950s Centralia was a small town, like many others in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. But since the 1960s, it has been consumed, outwardly and inwardly by a fire that has inexorably spread in the abandoned mines beneath it. The earth smokes, subsides, and breathes poisonous gases. No less destructive has been the spread of dissension and enmity among the townspeople. The Real Disaster Above Ground tells the story of the fire and the tragic failure of all efforts to c...

From the editor of the award-winning anthology Unfettered comes the newest installment in the science fiction and fantasy series, Unfettered III.Lacking health insurance when he was diagnosed with cancer, Shawn Speakman asked friends in the science fiction and fantasy writing community to donate short stories he could use to counter mounting medical debt. The result was Unfettered, an anthology offering tales from some of the best authors...

The dynamics of trust and distrust are central to understanding modern society, social relations, and development processes. However, numerous studies suggest that societal trust and citizen’s trust in government and its institutions are on the decline, challenging the legitimacy of government and leading to an undemocratic and unsustainable form of development. Recognizing its importance, the authors for the first time situate trust within the context of tourism development and planning.

“Battlestar Galactica meets Master and Commander.”With human civilization on the brink of collapse from famine, privateer Captain Cassandra Farren seeks to escape her troubled military past by signing up for the Avalon Expedition - a desperate multi-national mission to explore a distant nebula in search of life-saving resources, led by the energetic and optimistic Director Elizabeth Ancelet. Cassandra, Elizabeth, and their crews face not only division within the Ex...

The year 2015 marks the fifteenth anniversary of Thomas More’s becoming Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians. Yet during these years no serious answer has been given by a community of scholars as to why More would be the choice of over 40,000 leaders from ninety-five countries. What were More’s guiding principles of leadership and in what ways might they remain applicable? This collection of essays addresses these questions by investigating More through his writings, his political act...

Heh, Heh, Kiddies! They say that you can always tell a GOOD BOOK by its COVER! Well, after you BONE UP on the front of this first BEST OF volume of THE WORLD S LONGEST-RUNNING ANNUAL SHOWCASE OF HORROR AND DARK FANTASY by legendary artist NORMAN SAUNDERS, you ll be left SPELLBOUND by some of the most SIZZLING fiction ever published in this AWARD-WINNING series. Between these covers are DEVILISHLY GOOD STORIES by RAMSEY CAMPBELL, HARLAN ELLISON, CHRISTOPHER FOWLER, NEIL GAIMAN, CAITLIN R. K...

The history of the church is filled with stories. Stories of triumph, stories of defeat, stories of joy, and stories of sorrow. In this book, Dr. Stephen J. Nichols provides snapshots of the church through the centuries. You’ll meet fascinating saints, travel to curious places, examine precious artifacts, and watch as surprising turns of events unfold. This lively and informative journey not only captures the richness of Christian history, but also reveals a record of God’s providence and ...

An up-to-date reference book on phylogenetic methods and applications for evolutionary biologistsThe increasingly widespread availability of genomic data is transforming how biologists estimate evolutionary relationships among organisms and broadening the range of questions that researchers can test in a phylogenetic framework. Species Tree Inference brings together many of today’s leading scholars in the field to provide an incisive guide to the latest pr...

Although the nature of service delivery varies significantly from profession to profession, the way the service is delivered tends to be fairly consistent among professions-or, at least, it should be. A step-by-step guide, Managing Professional Service Delivery-9 Rules for Success describes in detail how to achieve the internal discipline and contr

Reviews key challenges and advances in maize breeding methods;Discusses the development of varieties with enhanced nutritional and other properties such as improved protein content and abiotic stress resistance;Summarises key steps being taken to support smallholders growing maize in developing countries

The rapid evolution of Charlotte, North Carolina, from “regional backwater” to globally ascendant city provides stark contrasts of then and now. Once a regional manufacturing and textile center, Charlotte stands today as one of the nation’s premier banking and financial cores with interests reaching broadly into global markets. Once defined by its biracial and bicultural character, Charlotte is now an emerging immigrant gateway drawing newcomers from Latin America and across the globe. Onc...