England 1327, and after a daring raid, a prisoner is liberated from the imposing Berkeley Castle. Italy, 1334, and at the remote monastery of Sant Alberto, an eminent envoy of Pope John XXII has arrived to speak with a hermit that dwells within the small community. Who then is the hermit, and why would he be of interest to the pope? When the hermit is confronted with the ghosts of a long distant past, together with the envoy and a kindly monk, he relives again a past full of love, triumph, distrust and hate. A life of privilege and a rich ancestry that offered so much would eventually lead to ruin and disgrace. A legacy that would be doomed to failure. His love for two men would bring about the downfall of this man so desperately unsuited to the life of nobility and power to which he was born. Past memories are revealed and days of both triumph and despair are relived as the hermit confronts a former life, laid buried for so long. Can this tortured soul finally find redemption in the confession of grave sins from the past? Victories and defeats, love and death all play a part in the story of a man whom history has designated a foolish ineffectual character. A man whose fall from grace had led him from the glories of the English royal court to a dusty sun-drenched monastery in Lombardy where he had hoped to forget.

This definitive and expertly researched work chronicles the careers and life stories of 61 Worcestershire cricketers who played just a single game of Championship cricket for the county. The breadth and depth of material not only provides the career details of each player, which you would expect to see in such a publication, it reaches way beyond that. It includes at least one photograph of each player, and in several instances, details of births, deaths, schools, universities attended and chosen careers; have been included or corrected based on new information which has come to light. Coupled to that, it provides a fascinating insight into the lives of players and dovetails as a social history of the last 120 years. Due to this research, and because of the thorough work undertaken by the author, the identity of two players has been changed completely. It has; therefore, necessitated the re-writing of existing and hitherto definitive, established cricket records. While many of the players may not be household names, the book celebrates their remarkable lives and careers away from the cricket field, because each has a unique story to tell. Included are great Test cricketers, stalwarts of league cricket and those who excelled in their own professions or served their community and country with dignity. Whether at other sports, within education, business and commerce or during times of conflict - the latter tinged with sadness that two of the players paid the ultimate sacrifice - they all helped to forge a unique place in Worcestershire's cricketing history.

Would you like to be a Happy Depressive? Do you live with chronic depression and face the prospect of living with this condition for the rest of your life? Or do you care for someone who does? Does this sometimes make you feel helpless and alone? Wouldn't it be great to have a good friend who understood how you feel? Who has been through the same struggles and found a way to cope and be happy? You could pull up a chair, put the kettle on or open a bottle, and talk without shame about your shared experiences. It is rare for us to find that person, so let this book be that friend. Steve Richards has lived with depression for almost 40 years and plans to live with it for much longer. In The Happy Depressive he shares his own life experiences with frankness and honesty and explains how depression has affected him along the way. He also describes in detail the coping strategies that have helped him live a happy and fulfilling life. Happy Depressives do exist, and he invites you to join their ranks.

Herskovits's heritage -- Creolization and connaissance -- Notes from Ekitiland -- The blood of mothers -- Ethnogenesis from within -- Afterword: beyond the mirror of narcissus

Long a fascinating but problematic category of religious studies, "syncretism" is an elastic term that describes a wide range of practices characterized by the mixing or overlap of traditions. Syncretism in Religion offers the student a broad selection of essays, both classical contributions to the study of syncretism and new essays commissioned especially for this volume. Some important selections appear here in English for the first time. Also included is a list of references for further reading.

In chess, from the time of Queen Isabella of England, the queen has been considered the most powerful and feared piece on the board. Known to chroniclers as the 'she-wolf', Isabella, daughter of Philip IV of France, married King Edward II of England in 1308 in a union intended to create a lasting peace between the two countries. But after 13 years of enduring her husband's unkind and dissolute nature she fled abroad. With her lover, the exiled Roger Mortimer, she raised an army of mercenaries and invaded England, successfully deposing Edward. Popular belief holds that Edward was murdered in an infamous manner at Berkeley Castle near Gloucester, at the order of his wife and her lover. But after Mortimer's execution a letter arrived at court that cast doubt over Edward's death and raised the possibility of his escape. The evidence remains controversial to this day, and here Paul Doherty examines it in his fascinating detective study, set in one of the most turbulent and exciting periods of English history.