Need a smile to break today's depressing reality? Here's an eclectic mix of short stories and essays from an eventful and well-lived life, certain to bring smiles and a few chuckles. Included are adventures – rafting the Grand Canyon; hiking Oregon's wilderness; chasing big salmon, rare birds, and lost friends; debating "the shape of the universe, death, God or not, Big Foot, the condition of your prostate, and that bird you keep hearing across the desert night."You can groan throu...

"Really!? A railroad through the bottom of the Grand Canyon?" Crazy idea, right? But in fact, it came closer to happening than most people realize.This is the little-known story of how hubris killed the railroad's president and saved the world's most beloved canyon. Frank Mason Brown drowned in a whirlpool in the Grand Canyon because he was sure he could build a great railroad through its depths and become rich and famous. He believed he could define reality. Although he died 127 y...

Here is my story, unlikely and unvarnished, of life with Big Green – that is, my nearly three-decade relationship with one of the biggest environmental groups in the U.S., the National Wildlife Federation. Along the way, including thirteen years on NWF's staff, I saw environmentalism from the inside and witnessed firsthand its fundamental failure. I learned why environmental groups will never gain sufficient political momentum to save the earth, however noble their intentions.My tr...

From Hugo-nominated editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Nebula nominated author Robin Wayne Bailey, here are nineteen top-notch science fiction stories guaranteed to make you think and- laugh, featuring such major writers as Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Allen M. Steele, Esther Friesner, Elizabeth Moon, Seanan McGuire, Jody Lynn Nye, James Gunn, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and many more.When Little Green Men Attack, It’s All-out Laugh WarfareFrom the far reaches of outer space th...

A tell-all self-portrait of a private man, chronicling the author's quest for truth, love, and purpose in life.Stories include: "Growing Up with Jesus;" "God Sends Maggots;" "Thank God for LSD;" "Tom Washington Shit in My Hat;" "I Burn Miss Utah at the Stake;" "Saving the Great Lakes;" "I Wore Abbie Hoffman's Coat;" "Fake Fred, Secret Salaries, and Rat-tailed Maggots;" his sordid tale of life as the sixth husband of a white witch; and vignettes of rabble-rousing in the '70s and '80...

Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality presents a variety of perspectives by leading thinkers on contemporary research into the brain, the mind and the spirit. This volumes aims at combining knowledge from neuroscience with approaches from the experiential perspective of the first person singular in order to arrive at an integrated understanding of consciousness. Individual chapters discuss new areas of research, such as near death studies and neuroscience research into spir...

**"Wonderful . . . a moving autobiography, the story of a unique business, and a detailed blueprint for hope." —Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and SteelIn this 10th anniversary edition, Yvon Chouinard—legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.—shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth.**From his ...

"A delight."—New York Herald TribuneA tale beloved by many fans of Robert A. Heinlein, Podkayne of Mars tells the story of a young Marswoman and her inter-planetary adventures with her uncle and her genius brother.Told largely through Podkayne's diaries, the story details her travel to Earth with her two companions. Podkayne has very definite plans on what to do and how to do it, but not everything is as it seems. She is suddenly thrust into the middle of life and death sit...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Provocative and illuminating essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward.“A powerful read that fills one with, dare I say . . . hope?”—The New York Times**NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINEThere is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically femi...

Welcome to The 12th Science Fiction MEGAPACK®! We have another great lineup of stories (and the conclusion of our first serial, Tony Rothman's fine near-future novel, Firebird). No matter whether you like classic, golden age authors (Ray Bradbury, George O. Smith, Poul Anderson), fun pulp fiction (Talmage Powell, Murray Leinster, Keith Laumer), modern authors (Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Smith, John Gregory Betancourt), or authors whose work spans many media (Philip K. Dick, Richard Mathe...

In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma, an extraordinary investigation into the human lives at the heart of the American grocery storeWhat does it take to run the American supermarket? How do products get to shelves? Who sets the price? And who suffers the consequences of increased convenience end efficiency? In this alarming exposé*,* author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry. ...

Embark on a mind-bending journey through the uncharted territories of science fiction in this epic anthology. In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection, the very best...