John Swain's gritty novel SMITHY IS..., is not only brutally insightful and hard hitting, but also crucial to the issues that young people have faced and continue to face. Set in the northern town of Leeds, we see a young boy progressing to adulthood, who experiences and is privy to several disturbing issues such as: mental abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, racism and an overall tumultuous number of years growing up. What is especially appealing is the narrative in which it is written that will almost certainly appeal to a younger audience. It will completely resonate with the teenager of today! A must read for both young people and any professional carer or educator of today.

"This original haunted house tale, with a unique plot and compellingly vivid characters, moves from uneasy to creepy to all-out 'keep the lights on' terror." —Library Journal, starred review. In the tumultuous summer of 1974, in the shadowy rooms of a rundown mansion in Rhode Island, renowned psychologist Dr. Piers Preis-Herald brings together a group of seven collegiate researchers to study the inner lives of man’s closest relative―the primate. They set out to teach their subject, who would eventually be known to the world as Smithy, American Sign Language. But as the summer deepens and the history of the mansion manifests, the messages signed by their research subject become increasing spectral. Nearly twenty-five years after the Smithy Project ended in tragedy at Trevor Hall, questions remain: Was Smithy a hoax? A clever mimic? A Rorschach projection of humanity’s greatest hopes and fears? Or was he indeed what devotees of metaphysics have claimed for so long: a link between our world and the next?

From a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has inspired musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace. Music, community, and tradition influence all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy. Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music from the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it to others. Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Melvin's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history. Wine has spent almost all of his ninety-two years in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Melvin's music and his approaches to performance. Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Melvin's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Melvin's life. While his music is tied to community and family traditions, Melvin is a unique and complex person. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time.

Report on the excavations within the castle between 1988-1991 which uncovered structures and finds from medieval and later contexts: pottery, architectural fragments, remains of a Smithy and coins.

This vintage book contains a practical treatise on the common methods of production for blacksmiths, apprentice blacksmiths, engineers, and others. Profusely illustrated and full of helpful tips, this volume provides a elementary introduction to the tools and techniques of the workshop, and is highly recommended for those with little previous experience. Contents include: “Forges for Hearths”, “Cast-Iron Forge”, “Brick Forge”, “Hearths”, “Pot Fire”, “Tools”, “Anvils”, “Hand Hammer”, “Tongs”, “Hand Tools”, “Anvil Tools”, “Clippers, etc.”, “Anvil Swages”, “Small Anvil”, “Angle Bar Tools”, “Cutters”, “Side Set Tools”, “Radius Tools”, “Spring Swages”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing “Blacksmith's Manual Illustrated” now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on blacksmithing.