Why do some men become convinced—despite what doctors tell them—that their penises have, simply, disappeared. Why do people across the world become convinced that they are cursed to die on a particular date—and then do? Why do people in Malaysia suddenly “run amok”? In The Geography of Madness, acclaimed magazine writer Frank Bures investigates these and other “culture-bound” syndromes, tracing each seemingly baffling phenomenon to its source. It’s a fascinating, and at times rollicking, adventure that takes the reader around the world and deep into the oddities of the human psyche. What Bures uncovers along the way is a poignant and stirring story of the persistence of belief, fear, and hope.

Focusing selectively upon his subjects, Porter here explores the thoughts and feelings of a number of insane people, primarily making use of their own writings. His aim is not to analyze the subconscious motivations of the insane, but to determine the intentions of their conscious minds.

When madness stalks the streets of London, no one is safe...

The Apocalypse has been a war from the dawn of time, and the first horsemans story is shared. Young Abdias finds himself in the middle of this epic battle between the forces of creation and destruction as the first horseman of the end times. Attending a local festival, the youth falls for a lovely, mysterious woman. They enjoyed the stereotypical festival of flowing wine and fornication; however, the party is ruined by the horrifying force of a shadowy figure that topples the marble gods and burns all but two in attendance. With his love stolen by the shadowy figure, he thought his life seemingly meaningless, and his mind in shambles, he stumbles into the path of a wandering stranger. This man shares with him secrets of our world and those that rule it. He tells Abdias of his divine mission to restore balanceto ride against the rebel gods and their leader in the shadows. He must become Conquest.

In his book about the discovery of the structure of DNA, James Watson wrote, “So we had lunch, telling ourselves that a structure this beautiful just had to exist.” Indeed, the quest most often asked by scientists about a scientific theory is “Is it beautiful?” Yes, beauty equals truth. Scientists know, mathematicians know. But the beauties, the truths of mathematics and science were not the truths that inspired the author as a child, and he intuitively knew that the truths he needed come from a different way of knowing, a way of knowing not of the world of logic and reason and explanation (though they have a value), but rather a way of knowing that is of the world expression, a world that enters the truths beyond the grasp of logic. That is what this book is all about. It is an exploration of the greatest minds of human existence struggling to understand the deepest truths of the human condition. This second edition updates the previous one, incorporating new publications on Van Gogh, recent discoveries in neurology, psychology, and the rapid developments in understanding DNA and biotechnology. We’ve come a long way already from that original discovery by Watson and his coauthor Francis Crick.