Notebook journal of the history of the legend, size Black paper is 6 x 9 inches, pages 120.

"An illustrated history of the Mafia, focusing on this highly developed criminal organization both as a cult subject and an important social phenomenon. Movie classics like The Godfather epitomize our fascination with the underworld of the Mafia, conjuring images of cigar-smoking dons and shoot-outs in pizzerias. But behind the romantic myths of 'men of honor' and omertà lies a very real world of murder, racketeering, and organized crime. Marco Gasparini traces the evolution of the Mafia from nineteenth-century Sicily to the streets of twentieth-century New York, to the international cartels that rule the illegal drug and arms trades today. In this authoritative volume he exposes the many secrets of an 'octopus' organization that has remained impenetrable for decades, despite the efforts of heroic crime fighters such as New York police officer Joe Petrosino and the similarly ill-fated Italian judge Giovanni Falcone almost a century later. We discover the Mafia's greatest godfathers, underbosses, and 'soldiers, ' as well as its pentiti (or turncoats) and the most formidable wives of Mafiosi. This book not only focuses on the original Sicilian Cosa Nostra and its various branches--such as Al Capone's Chicago Outfit or the still existent Corleonesi--it also features the equally bloody Neapolitan Camorra, which inspired the compelling documentary Gomorrah, and the Japanese Yakuza, the largest organized crime group in the world today, as well as the ever-growing Russian and Chinese 'mafias.' Mafia reveals the multi-faceted reality behind a phenomenon that has sparked the popular imagination for decades."--Amazon.com.

Written by an international team of historians and scholars with specialized knowledge of the medieval era and illustrated with sumptuous images ranging from manuscript illuminations and PreRaphaelite paintings to photographs of authentic armor, swords, and castles, plus maps and a timeline, this book is at once a detailed history of knights and a chronicle of their cultural creations and legacy. This vividly written and lavishly illustrated large hardcover reference volume describes the origins of knighthood, the training and lifestyles of knights, and the vital role these warriors played in medieval military campaigns. It also explains heraldry and the various military and honorific orders of knighthood, and examines the portrayal of knights and literature and art.

This book investigates who Lady Godiva was, how the story of her naked horseback ride through Coventry arose, and how the whole Godiva legend has evolved from the thirteenth century through to the present day. Traces the erotic myth of Lady Godiva back to its medieval origins. Based on scholarly research but written to be accessible to general readers. Combines history, literature, art and folklore. Focuses on the twin themes of voyeurism and medievalism. Contributes to our understanding of cultural history, medievalism and the history of sexuality.

Resurrecting scores of rare images of the 19th century American West, "Print the Legend" offers engaging tales of ambitious photographic adventurers, and misinterpreted images. Chronicling both the history of a place and the history of a medium, this book portrays how Americans first came to understand western photos and to envision their expanding nation. 138 illustrations.

This bilingual volume (Latin text with English translation) is the second in the series presenting hagiographical narratives from medieval Central Europe. It contains the most important hagiographical corpus of medieval Hungarian history: that of Saint Margaret (1242?1270), daughter of King B‚la IV, who lived her life as a Dominican nun. Margaret?s cult started immediately after her death and the demand to examine her sanctity was first formulated in 1272. The canonization process recommenced in 1276, followed by further initiatives across the centuries. Margaret was eventually canonized only in 1943. Besides the full Latin text and the English translation of her oldest legend, written between 1272 and 1275, this volume contains the acts of the 110 testimonies of the papal investigation concerning her sainthood, recorded between July and October 1276 and prepared from existing source editions. In addition, the editors include a series of recently discovered documents, including a petition by the bishop of V rad (Oradea) to promote the cause, and the notarial records of a set of miracles that occurred at Margaret's grave in the second half of the fifteenth century. The book ends with a selected bibliography of Saint Margaret and of her hagiography.

Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. But the resonance his legend achieved over the next two millennia stretched even farther across foreign cultures, religious traditions, and distant nations. This engaging and handsomely illustrated book for the first time gathers together hundreds of the colorful Alexander legends that have been told and retold around the globe. Richard Stoneman, a foremost expert on the Alexander myths, introduces us first to the historical Alexander and then to the Alexander of legend, an unparalleled mythic icon who came to represent the heroic ideal in cultures from Egypt to Iceland, from Britain to Malaya. Alexander came to embody the concerns of Hellenistic man; he fueled Roman ideas on tyranny and kingship; he was a talisman for fourth-century pagans and a hero of chivalry in the early Middle Ages. He appears in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic writings, frequently as a prophet of God. Whether battling winged foxes or meeting with the Amazons, descending to the underworld or inventing the world s first diving bell, Alexander inspired as a hero, even a god. Stoneman traces Alexander s influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later literatures of east and west. His book provides the definitive account of the legends of Alexander the Great a powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas."