Public speaking is often cited as the foremost fear among humans. Death is clocks in at number 2. But it needn't be this way. Many people are forced into their first public speaking engagement through their career, social commitments, or a funeral. This book is a quick read that will help you not only get prepared for that engagement, but gain confidence for it as well. Even if you are less than eloquent in your own estimation.

In 1966, before they were international sensations, Margaret Atwood and Charles Pachter teamed up to create Speeches for Doctor Frankenstein — now a unique piece of cultural history and available for the first time as an enhanced eBook for iPad. In this imaginative work, only existing as an artist book of fifteen copies until recently, Charles Pachter set the poetry of Margaret Atwood to his beautiful and whimsical artwork. Produced originally on handmade paper made with materials found around his house, this is a rare piece of art that should be read by anyone interested in the origins of these two great artists. This work is now exclusively available for the iPad as an enhanced eBook, and features an introduction by Margaret Atwood, video interviews with Charles Pachter, and an audio narration of Margaret Atwood reading the poems. When you load this enhanced eBook in iBooks, you will find a speaker icon in the info bar at the top of the screen, which is where you can access the enhanced features of this eBook. For the optimal reading experience, turn on these features by tapping on the speaker, turning on the soundtrack, setting pages to turn automatically and tap "Start Reading." For a more traditional reading experience, turn these elements off and change the settings to turn the pages manually. This enhanced eBook contains high-resolution images and embedded audio and video. Depending on the speed of your internet connection this book may take up to 25 minutes to download. Rest assured, it is worth the wait!

A thrilling and gruesome look at the science that influenced Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The year 1818 saw the publication of one of the most influential science-fiction stories of all time. Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley had a huge impact on the gothic horror and science-fiction genres, and her creation has become part of our everyday culture, from cartoons to Hallowe'en costumes. Even the name 'Frankenstein' has become a by-word for evil scientists and dangerous experiments. How did a teenager with no formal education come up with the idea for such an extraordinary novel? Clues are dotted throughout Georgian science and popular culture. The years before the book's publication saw huge advances in our understanding of the natural sciences, in areas such as electricity and physiology, for example. Sensational science demonstrations caught the imagination of the general public, while the newspapers were full of lurid tales of murderers and resurrectionists. Making the Monster explores the scientific background behind Mary Shelley's book. Is there any science fact behind the science fiction? And how might a real-life Victor Frankenstein have gone about creating his monster? From tales of volcanic eruptions, artificial life and chemical revolutions, to experimental surgery, 'monsters' and electrical experiments on human cadavers, Kathryn Harkup examines the science and scientists that influenced Shelley, and inspired her most famous creation.

Sixteen original essays by leading scholars on Mary Shelley's novel provide an introduction to Frankenstein and its various critical contexts.

Playhouse of the Damned is an anthology of short horror plays, hosted by Gus the Ghoul. As Gus says, Welcome to the Playhouse of the Damned. This is the playhouse. Guess what part you play. Heres a hint. In just a few minutes, youll find yourself agreeing with hundreds of theatergoers who have attended our playhouse and said, I'll be damned if I'm going to sit through any more of this!

This book will trace the journey of Shelley's Frankenstein from limited edition literature to the bloodstream of contemporary culture. It includes new research on the novel's origins, with a reprint of the earliest-known version of the creation scene; visual material on adaptations for the stage, in magazines, on playbills, in prints and in book publications of the nineteenth century; series of visual essays on many of the film versions and their inspirations in the history of art; and Frankenstein in popular culture on posters, advertisements, packaging, in comics and graphic novels.