THIS book contains 20 Czech and Slovak folk and fairy tales translated and retold in English by Parker Fillmore, with excellent illustrations and decorations by Jan Matulka. Drawn from original Slavic sources, and chosen for their variety of subject and range of interest with tales like: The Twelve Months, Zlatovlaska The Golden-Haired, The Shepherd's Nosegay, Smolicheck, The Nickerman's Wife, Batcha And The Dragon, Vitazko The Victorious and many more. Unlike stories from the Grimm brothers, here are fairy tales conceived with all the gorgeousness of the Slavic imagination; charming little nursery tales that might be told in nurseries the world over; folk tales illustrative of the wit of a canny people; and rollicking devil tales as surprising to the Anglo-Saxon imagination as they are entertaining. They are not in any sense academic translations, but vivid renditions by a man who, besides being a student of folklore, was an accomplished story-teller in his own right. The stories are further embellished by Jan Matulka’s exquisite illustrations which capture the essence of the region’s culture. Added to this Matulka commences each story with a vignette which have a distinct Picasso-esque style to them. So, get yourself a warm drink, snuggle in to a comfy chair and sit back and enjoy folklore and tales from the Heart of Europe.

Shoe making. Old and new. A short history of the American Shoe Manufacturing Industry. The marvelous progress that has been made.

Historical nonfiction genre has been widely divergent in subject matter and approach. There is no reason to believe authorial creativity will dry out anytime soon. The history of food preparation’s attire gives the overall and –long narrative swift movement through time and events in both commercial and domestic kitchens. “I am a Librarian: I bring history in my research, and history of fashion accessories into my books.” (Tomshinsky, 2014) Since ancient times, aprons have been used as the simplest ways of covering the human body while preparing food. Aprons evolved into a practical way of shielding one’s body from more just prying eyes. Aprons were frequently included in the chefs’ uniforms, household servants’ wardrobe, from cooks to maids. From a simple garment to an essential protective layer, from the staid to the designer fashions, aprons have come a long way. They are currently at the center of the Renaissance of chic and practicality of the kitchen attire for chefs and modern women who like to cook and entertain.

Updated and expanded edition of the fullest ever collective investigation into Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders. This volume collects not just all the key factual evidence but also 20 different arguments as to the identity of Jack the Ripper, such as that advanced by Patricia Cornwell. Contributions are from the world's leading Ripperologists, including William Beadle, Melvyn Fairclough, Martin Fido, Shirley Harrison, James Tully and Colin Wilson. The identity of Jack the Ripper has plagued professional historians, criminologists, writers and amateur enthusiasts. The many suspects include Montague John Druitt, Walter Sickert, Aaron Kosminski, Michael Ostrog, William Henry Bury, Dr Tumblety and James Maybrick. The only certainty is that Ripperologist have not found an invididual on whom they can all agree. The essays are supported by a detailed chronology, extensive bibliography and filmography.

Since ancient times the Amber Road has been a trade route for the transfer of amber from coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and ports beyond. We invite you to journey along the Amber Road from Russia through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Slovenia to Italy and sample twenty folk tales and stories to be found enroute. This book contains but a sliver of the rich tapestry that is European folklore. Herein you will find perennial favourites like BABA YAGA AND THE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE KIND HEART, THE FROG PRINCESS and THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN. Also included are less well known tales like THE AMBER WIZARD, THE GOLD AXE, MANNIKIN LONG BEARD, THE NIXY, VITAZKO THE VICTORIOUS, THE GLUNKEZER GIANT, BEAUTY AND THE HORNS and THE MYRTLE and many more. The PIED PIPER of HAMELIN is supported by two poems by Robert Browning. The allegorical nature of this story is also brought to light. More than a few of these tales and stories have been collected and translated by Parker Fillmore who between 1907 and 1922 specialised in collecting and publishing eastern European forlklore. Teamed with Czech born illustrator, Jan Matulka, no less than seventeen volumes of Czech, Slovakian, Moravian and Finnish folklore were produced. So, find a comfy chair, sit back and enjoy the twenty authentic stories in this unique volume.

T.D. Kokoszka grew up in Texas with a Jewish mother and a Polish-American father. While he was aware of roots going back to Eastern Europe from both families, he found it hard to learn very much about them. He knew that Polish people would whack one another with palm leaves around Easter, and he knew that his great-grandmother purportedly believed in forest spirits known as borowy. However, it wasn't until he was in his teens that he became vaguely aware of an ancient people known as the Slavs who gave rise to the Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Slovakian, Slovene, and Czech languages. It quickly became clear to him that this was a family of cultures currently under-represented in popular culture, and even in western scholarship. Not simply a regurgitation of scholarship from the Soviet period - and presenting new analyses by using previously neglected resources - Bogowie: A Study of Eastern Europe's Ancient Gods offers one of the most painstaking scholarly reconstructions of Slavic paganism. These new resources include not only an overview of folklore from many different Slavic countries but also comparisons with Ossetian culture and Mordvin culture, as well as a series of Slavic folktales that Kokoszka analyzes in depth, often making the case that the narratives involved are mythological and shockingly ancient. Readers will recognize many European folktale types and possibly learn to look at these folktales differently after reading this book.

Colonial America was a place of new beginnings. From the first settlement in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia, to the formation of the thirteen colonies, people arrived to start a new life and build their community. Caring for the ill was important in the building of the American colonies. In The Apothecary, explore the daily life of these medical specialists and discover their importance to the colonial community. Book jacket.