Death may be bleak but - rest in peace - there is nothing gloomy about this curious compendium of tales of the departed. Here is a book that looks at the funny side of one of life's certainties (the other being taxes ... about which nothing is amusing). With advice on planning your big finish and how to attract the crowds at your funeral, as well as inspirational anecdotes involving extremely wealthy animals, no headstone is left unturned in the quest for hilarity. From funeral facts and f...

From the ice-age recordings of moon cycles and the earliest calendars, to modern wristwatches and quantum clocks, time and its effects have always enthralled mankind. We've spent centuries developing new ways of measuring time, describing it and quantifying it, and such methods have given rise to some of the most technically and aesthetically beautiful devices ever invented. This book is a tribute to timekeeping in its many forms and takes in the most significant creations as well as count...

The entertaining and accessible guide to the life and work of Shakespeare, celebrating over 400 years of his legacy.Known the world over and translated into innumerable languages, Shakespeare’s plays are as eloquent and as relevant today as they were more than 400 years ago. His works have been a permanent feature on school curricula for years, but with thirty-eight plays, over 150 sonnets and numerous other poems, there’s such a wealth of material it’s no wonder w...

Today's parents are increasingly replacing nursery rhymes with the latest pop songs, and fairy tales - now thought too scary for little ones - with cute stories about farmyard animals and talking trains.Until recently, weird tales of fairy curses and flesh-eating ogres were considered suitable bedtime reading. And the strange-sounding and sometimes violent rhymes we learned by rote were often taught to us in school. But have you ever asked yourself what on earth they were about? And what e...

Read these four paranormal stories of erotic temptation & paranormal thrills!THE IMMORTAL LONGING OF BRENNA BANG by Liz EverlyWhen a vampire materializes through her computer, successful vampire-romance romance author Brenna Bang finds herself marked for inescapable passion with a tech savvy bloodsucker.THE LYING, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE by C. Margery KempeChristina tries to figure out how to unlock her gra...

The Irish struck out across America's frontiers, built its railroads, fought on both sides of the civil war, captured its major historic moments in print, paint and bronze, led many of its religious denominations, policed its streets, set up its banks, educated its masses, entertained America on its stages and screens and in its sporting arenas, and made ground-breaking contributions in science and engineering. This collection documents fifty Irish people who made an indelible mark on Amer...

An "incisive and original" history of the 19th-century Irish secret society that instigated America's first labor wars in Pennsylvania Coal Country (Peter Quinn, author of Looking for Jimmy).A secret society of Irish peasant assassins, the Molly Maguires reemerged in Pennsylvania's hard-coal region, organizing strikes, murdering mine bosses, and fighting the Civil War draft. Their shadowy twelve-year battle with coal companies marked the beginning of class...

"Africa’s Children is a testament to one’s heritage, a belief in one’s ancestors, and a record of truth … no told!" – Dr. Henry V. Bishop, chief curator, Black Cultural Centre, Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaChronicling the history of Black families of the Yarmouth area of Nova Scotia, Africa’s Children is a mirror image of the hopes and despairs and the achievements and injustices that mark the early stories of many African-Canadians. This extensively researched history t...

Established in 1876, Mount Pleasant Cemetery has a rich and textured history. It is the keeper of thousands of stories, each of which has contributed to the history of our city, province, and country.Many of Canada's most beloved figures rest there - William Lyon Mackenzie King, Foster Hewitt, Glenn Gould, and Timothy Eaton are just a few. Other, less known historical figures are buried there also - the first Canadian soldier killed in First World War and victims of the 1949 Noroni...

An updated edition of this definitive history of Harper—a fascinating look into the history of American letters from the unique perspective of one of the country's most distinguished and enduring publishers—now with a new introduction that brings the book up to the present day. From Moby Dick to Huckleberry Finn—but not Alice in Wonderland, which was rejected— The House of Harper is a sweeping trip through American letters, offering anecdotes and stories...

Belleville, on the shores of the Bay of Quinte, traces its beginnings to the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists. For 30 years the centre of the present city was reserved for the Mississauga First Nation. White settlers who built dwellings and businesses on the land paid annual rent to them until the land was "surrendered" and a town plot laid out in 1816. The new town quickly became an important lumbering, farming, and manufacturing centre. Early influences include the Marmora Iron Wor...

Here is the first-ever celebration of all things—and all people—of Scottish descent.While relatively few in number, the Scots have certainly made their mark on the world:· More the seventy-five percent of all American presidents have had Scottish ancestors, although fewer than five percent of the American population is of Scottish descent.· Almost eleven percent of all the Nobel Prizes ever awarded have involved Scots and their descendants—even though fewer than one ...