A collection of Jewish stories, set in Europe and America, some presented with magic realism. Subjects include relations with Christians and conflict between religion and the secular.

Fools have been a feature of virtually every recorded culture in the history of civilization, making significant contributions to the development of early theatre and literary drama. This book offers a reign by reign chronicle of English court fools.

In this lively work, Beatrice K. Otto takes us on a journey around the world in search of one of the most colorful characters in history—the court jester. Though not always clad in cap and bells, these witty, quirky characters crop up everywhere, from the courts of ancient China and the Mogul emperors of India to those of medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. With a wealth of anecdotes, jokes, quotations, epigraphs, and illustrations (including flip art), Otto brings to light little-known jesters, highlighting their humanizing influence on people with power and position and placing otherwise remote historical figures in a more idiosyncratic, intimate light. Most of the work on the court jester has concentrated on Europe; Otto draws on previously untranslated classical Chinese writings and other sources to correct this bias and also looks at jesters in literature, mythology, and drama. Written with wit and humor, Fools Are Everywhere is the most comprehensive look at these roguish characters who risked their necks not only to mock and entertain but also to fulfill a deep and widespread human and social need.

Events jolting and stirring, historic and whimsical, come to life thick and fast in The Jester's Bells. Filled with irony, satire, and caricature, it is the story of Carol Enid Abraham, a Depression Baby, growing up in Brooklyn during the lean, war-torn 1940s and the A-bomb scare of the 1950s. It reflects the pendulous swing of morals and ethics, gender and racial advances, radical religious thinking, inspired silliness and profound creativity that shaped her life, leaving permanent yet invisible scars. Live in the atmosphere of this vibrant, hard-charging century as her family comes full circle from its origin in the shtetls of Europe to an American generation of assimilation.

"In the 25 years since [Stern] published his first book, younger Jewish writers have run with a similar shtick . . . But Stern was there first." —The Toronto Globe and Mail The Book of Mischief triumphantly showcases twenty-five years of outstanding work by one of our true masters of the short story. Steve Stern's stories take us from the unlikely old Jewish quarter of the Pinch in Memphis to a turn-of-thecentury immigrant community in New York; from the market towns of Eastern Europe to a down-at-the-heels Catskills resort. Along the way we meet a motley assortment of characters: Mendy Dreyfus, whose bungee jump goes uncannily awry; Elijah the prophet turned voyeur; and the misfit Zelik Rifkin, who discovers the tree of dreams. Perhaps it's no surprise that Kafka's cockroach also makes an appearance in these pages, animated as they are by instances of bewildering transformation. The earthbound take flight, the meek turn incendiary, the powerless find unwonted fame. Weaving his particular brand of mischief from the wondrous and the macabre, Stern transforms us all through the power of his brilliant imagination.

The tale begins as Arthur, trying to take a fast buck, is accused of poaching by the Black Knight. He attacks the king and--even though Arthur defends himself valiantly with a rubber chicken--defeats him. In order to keep his kingdom, Arthur must answer the most difficult riddle ever: What do women most desire?

You are about to begin the most thrilling James Patterson novel yet. Hugh De Luc returns from the Crusades to discover that his terrifying nightmare has just begun. Merciless killers have slain his young son, kidnapped his wife, Sophie, and destroyed his town in their search for a priceless relic from the Crucifixion. Hugh's quest to find Sophie is one of the most pulse-pounding adventures, mysteries, and unforgettable love stories in all of thriller fiction.