Discusses species of dinosaurs found on the continent of North America 70 million years ago.

In this book, Curtis Gruenler proposes that the concept of the enigmatic, latent in a wide range of medieval thinking about literature, can help us better understand in medieval terms much of the era’s most enduring literature, from the riddles of the Anglo-Saxon bishop Aldhelm to the great vernacular works of Dante, Chaucer, Julian of Norwich, and, above all, Langland’s Piers Plowman. Riddles, rhetoric, and theology—the three fields of meaning of aenigma in medieval Latin—map a way of thinking about reading and writing obscure literature that was widely shared across the Middle Ages. The poetics of enigma links inquiry about language by theologians with theologically ambitious literature. Each sense of enigma brings out an aspect of this poetics. The playfulness of riddling, both oral and literate, was joined to a Christian vision of literature by Aldhelm and the Old English riddles of the Exeter Book. Defined in rhetoric as an obscure allegory, enigma was condemned by classical authorities but resurrected under the influence of Augustine as an aid to contemplation. Its theological significance follows from a favorite biblical verse among medieval theologians, “We see now through a mirror in an enigma, then face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). Along with other examples of the poetics of enigma, Piers Plowman can be seen as a culmination of centuries of reflection on the importance of obscure language for knowing and participating in endless mysteries of divinity and humanity and a bridge to the importance of the enigmatic in modern literature. This book will be especially useful for scholars and undergraduate students interested in medieval European literature, literary theory, and contemplative theology.

Sunni, her stepbrother Dean, and an art-student friend trace the footsteps of a labyrinth built in Blackhope Tower by a sixteenth-century artist, and suddenly find themselves trapped inside his painting, trying desperately to get out.

Fun for the whole family, the book contains more than 100 superb puzzles. Merlin the Magician, Avalon, King Arthur, and other mythical people and places feature prominently.

This book invites the reader on a journey into mystery and wonder. It pursues the great questions that have always troubled humanity: what came before us? What is the history we are unaware of? How did the flourishing civilisations of the past rise and then suddenly disappear? What are the hidden messages that our ancestors left us? This journey will touch on 52 locations, some of which are remote or inaccessible, rich in history and charm. Some host enigmatic presences such as the gigantic prehistoric remains of the English countryside; the underwater ruins off the coast of Japan; the inexplicable Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert; the timeless faces of Easter Island's Moai; the real Count Dracula's castle; and the deep waters of Loch Ness in Scotland that may be home to a prehistoric creature. The author's engaging and comprehensive text, which reflects the time he has devoted to researching the most fascinating mysteries of history, science and archaeology, will guide the reader on a quest to discover the characters, signs and ruins that paint a picture of a planet that is filled with puzzles waiting to be resolved. AUTHOR: Giulio Di Martino has written for Voyager, the successful television program broadcast on Italy's Rai2, since 2003. He has travelled all over the world, producing documentaries about the most fascinating mysteries of history, science and archaeology. One of these, Easter Island, was also published as a book. He also writes film scripts, TV dramas, and articles for the most popular science magazines. 52 colour photos

"What do we fear most? Repetition or difference? The return of a barbarism that is remote and prehistoric or the advent of a barbarism that is technological as post-human?"

The highly eccentric Alfred Dillwyn Knox, known simply as 'Dilly', was one of the leading figures in the British codebreaking successes of the two world wars. During the first, he was the chief codebreaker in the Admiralty, breaking the German Navy's main flag code, before going on to crack the German Enigma ciphers during the Second World War at Bletchley Park. Here, he enjoyed the triumphant culmination of his life's work: a reconstruction of the Enigma machine used by the Abwehr, the German Secret Service. This kept the British fully aware of what the German commanders knew about Allied plans, allowing MI5 and MI6 to use captured German spies to feed false information back to the Nazi spymasters. Mavis Batey was one of 'Dilly's girls', the young female codebreakers who helped him to break the various Enigma ciphers. She was called upon to advise Kate Winslet, star of the film Enigma, on what it was like to be one of the few female codebreakers at Bletchley Park. This gripping new edition of Batey's critically acclaimed book reveals the vital part Dilly played in the deception operation that ensured the success of the D-Day landings, altering the course of the Second World War.