Philo Vance, the snobbish art collector who happens to be the longtime friend of District Attorney John Markham, once more finds himself drawn into a criminal investigation. Margaret Odell, the beautiful and talented theatrical singer nicknamed “The Canary,” has been strangled during the night, and from the very beginning there are signs that nothing in the case is quite what it appears to be. Accompanied once more by Sergeant Heath, the unlikely trio struggle to make sense of the evidence. S. S. Van Dine found even more success with this novel, his sophomore outing as a mystery writer. Spending months on the bestseller lists, it was also the first of his books to be made into a movie, with William Powell starring as Philo Vance. At a time when a majority of successful mystery writers were English, Van Dine’s novels evoked an atmosphere that was distinctly American, with Vance’s cultured perspective colliding with Markham’s pragmatic sensibilities and Heath’s no-nonsense street smarts. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Eknath Easwaran believed that meditating on words from the mystics and spiritual traditions of the world drives them deep into one's consciousness, where they take root and create positive life change. Featuring personal examples from daily life and resonant with Easwaran's characteristic humor, these talks show how to transform thinking and acting to harness natural capabilities for kindness, joy, and wisdom; offer step-by-step instructions on every aspect of meditation; and explain how to use these time-tested tools to support meditation and bring one's highest principles into daily life. Free of dogma or any particular religious tradition, these talks lovingly guide the seeker toward self-realization.

First published in 1987. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Croxton Play of the Sacrament, which survives in a single sixteenth-century copy, dramatizes the physical abuse by five Muhammad-worshipping Syrian Jews of a Host, the bread consecrated by a priest during the Christian Mass. The text is the work of a playwright possessed of a tremendous theatrical imagination, notwithstanding his choice of subject matter.

Meditation outlines a unique approach to tapping inner resources by training concentration on inspirational passages. Eknath Easwaran’s practical Eight Point Program offers specific, systematic tools to sharpen concentration, deal effectively with stress, release deep reserves of energy, and transform anger and other destructive emotions. This book offers tested techniques for strengthening our ability to meditate. It is a complete guide to a program of meditation that fits naturally into your life, even complementing an active religious practice.