Ever since her father died, quirky Gilda Joyce has been working hard to sharpen her psychic skills. She's determined to communicate with spirits from the Other Side and become a crack investigator of spooky, twisted mysteries. After wrangling an invitation to visit relatives in San Francisco, Gilda discovers that her dreary, tight-lipped uncle and his strange, delicate daughter need her help to uncover the terrible family secret that has a tortured ghost stalking their home. From poignant to hair-raising and hilarious, this is a behind-the-scenes, tell-all account of the very first case in the illustrious career of Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator.

Once celebrated as the Main Street of Negro America," Beale Street has a long and vibrant history. In the early 20th century, the 15-block neighborhood supported a collection of hotels, pool halls, saloons, banks, barber shops, pharmacies, dry goods stores, theaters, gambling dens, jewelers, fraternal clubs, churches, entertainment agencies, beauty salons, pawn shops, blues halls, and juke joints. Above the street-level storefronts were offices of African American business and professional men: dentists, doctors, undertakers, photographers, teachers, realtors, and insurance brokers. By mid-century, following the social strife and urban renewal projects of the 1960s and 1970s, little remained of the original neighborhood. Those buildings spared by the bulldozers were boarded up and falling down. In the nick of time, in the 1980s, the city realized the area's potential as a tourist attraction. New bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues opened along the remaining three-block strip, providing a mecca for those seeking to recapture the magic of Beale Street."

Recently bereaved, George Newhouse, is an art historian and newly appointed curator at the National Gallery who becomes increasingly obsessed with a lost minor Dutch masterpiece, The Blue Horse by Van Doelenstraat. The painting’s provenance is disputed and many doubt its existence at all. But Newhouse has uncovered a letter by Rembrandt where the master states, ‘That damned painting vexes my mind’s eye’. As Newhouse struggles with his grief, his grip of reality slowly loosening, he embarks on surreal journey of loss and self-discovery, fuelled by alcohol, drugs and self-destructive behaviour. As the lines between reality and imagination blur, will George lose himself in his obsession or return from the brink of destruction in time? Highly atmospheric and exploiting many of the tropes of art appreciation, this is a compelling literary noir and remarkable debut by one of Scotland’s leading art correspondents. ‘There were times in Philip Miller’s The Blue Horse when I had to look away from the twilight art world his lyrical prose so effectively eviscerates. There is a tremendous sense of darkness here. And yet his strength as a storyteller, his ability to create multiple narratives of greed and grief; of blurred desire, pulled me back. There is an intoxication about this writing, a narcotic lure to its descriptions of ambition and decline but it never strays far from the simple art of a good story well told.’Toni Davidson, author of Scar Culture and My Gun Was As Tall As Me ‘I was disturbed... interesting and convincing’ Alasdair Gray

This anthology was compiled to aid the scholar working on the origins and evolution of jazz. Covering materials published through 1929, it also begins with articles from 1856 which do not concern jazz directly, but will serve to present a solid foundation for understanding the American music scene from which jazz developed. Chronologically listed and well-indexed, the hundreds of articles comprise, in effect, a history of jazz as it evolved. Beginning with accounts of negro music in the pre-jazz era, continuing in an exploration of spirituals, followed by a description of ragtime, we finally learn about the development of jazz from its practitioners and informed audiences of the time.

Fresh from the Second City troupe in Toronto, Gilda Radner created such memorable characters as Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna as a member of the original cast of Saturday Night Live. The wife of Gene Wilder, Gilda was plagued by persistent health problems and two miscarriages, and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986. Brave, funny, and painfully honest, the twentieth-anniversary edition of It's Always Something is the story of Gilda's journey while living with cancer and her determination to continue laughing. "Cancer," she said, "is about the most unfunny thing in the world." But Gilda's gutsy and unique sense of humor never left her as she describes two years of cancer treatment -- surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, as well as the high and low points of her own career. Told as only Gilda could tell it, and newly revised to include a resource guide for those living with cancer, It's Always Something is the inspiring story of a courageous, funny woman determined to enjoy life no matter the circumstances.