A guide to getting the best deal on a variety of items from antiques to consumer goods and services to real estate.

Covers "American furniture, 1870-1960. Where to find it, how to judge its quality and price, and how to repair and finish it."

This is the third book to be published from the vaults of the Van Helsing family library and presents the accumulated wisdom of Adelia Van Helsing. The first female Van Helsing to take up the sword and do battle with the denizens of Hell, Adelia lived some seven centuries ago. Dragon Hunter’s Handbook is in fact a prequel to both Demon and Vampire Hunter, and like these two books it weaves practical advice about combating dragons with a journal of Adelia's most terrifying encounters. Within these pages are notes on identifying different types of dragon, proven tactics for defeating them, effective weaponry and armor, and how to find their lairs. Interwoven with this useful information is the tale of Adelia’s battle against the most terrifying foe of her career, a dragon simply known as “The Ancient.” Traveling to a remote Tibetan village she discovers that far from being a dwindling threat, dragons are regrouping and are about to unleash monstrous revenge on the human race. Faced with a power even she cannot resist, she summons the dragon’s most fearsome opponent, the servants of hell. But no Van Helsing makes a pact with the devil without consequences, and in the final act of dispatching The Ancient, her brother Caspar, is dragged through hell’s portal to a life of torment. wordcount:

When it comes to food, Americans seem to have a pretty great deal. Our grocery stores are overflowing with countless varieties of convenient products. But like most bargains that are too good to be true, the modern food system relies on an illusion. It depends on endless abundance, but the planet has its limits. So too does a healthcare system that must absorb rising rates of diabetes and obesity. So too do the workers who must labor harder and faster for less pay. Through beautifully-told stories from around the world, Kevin Walker reveals the unintended consequences of our myopic focus on quantity over quality. A trip to a Costa Rica plantation shows how the Cavendish banana became the most common fruit in the world and also one of the most vulnerable to disease. Walker’s early career in agribusiness taught him how pressure to sell more and more fertilizer obscured what that growth did to waterways. His family farm illustrates how an unquestioning belief in “free markets” undercut opportunity in his hometown. By the end of the journey, we not only understand how the drive to produce ever more food became hardwired into the American psyche, but why shifting our mindset is essential. It starts, Walker argues, with remembering that what we eat affects the wider world. If each of us decides that bigger isn’t always better, we can renegotiate the grand food bargain, one individual decision at a time.

So you have decided to give up the rat race for the life of an international treasure hunter, but you are not quite sure where to start. Well then, this book is for you! Fortune and Glory tells you all you need to know in order to set off on an epic quest for the great lost treasures of history. Starting with a quick exploration of the history of treasure hunting and a look at the gear that you will need, it then delves into a survey of the 'lost' treasures that are out there just waiting to be claimed. Continent by continent, the book covers the legends of hidden locations like El Dorado and King Solomon's Mines, as well as covering the most illustrious lost artifacts such as the Holy Grail, the Hanjo Masamune, and the Irish Crown Jewels. If your interest lies with the loot rather than the history, the book also discusses Nazi gold, pirate treasure, and the treasure hordes of the Copper Scrolls. This book is your first step towards becoming the pistol-toting, fedora-wearing international tomb robber and treasure hunter you've always dreamt of being!