The Leading eBooks Store Online
for your Apple or Android device, Nook, Kobo, PC, Mac, Sony Reader...
Most popular at the top
Signifying Animalsby Roy Willis
Routledge 1994; US$ 62.95A fresh assessment of the workings of animal symbolism in diverse cultures. Reconsiders the concept of totemism and exposes common fallacies in symbolic interpretation. more...
Mayo Ethnobotanyby David Yetman; Thomas Van Devender
University of California Press 2001; US$ 55.00The Mayos, an indigenous people of northwestern Mexico, live in small towns spread over southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa, lands of remarkable biological diversity. Traditional Mayo knowledge is quickly being lost as this culture becomes absorbed into modern Mexico. Moreover, as big agriculture spreads into the region, the natural biodiversity of these lands is also rapidly disappearing. This engaging and accessible ethnobotany, based on hundreds of interviews with the Mayos and illustrated with the authors' strikingly beautiful photographs, helps preserve our knowledge of both an indigenous culture and an endangered environment. This book contains a comprehensive description of northwest Mexico's tropical deciduous forests and thornscrub... more...
The Power of Goldby Peter L. Bernstein
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 2006; US$ 37.50Incorporating myth, history and contemporary investigation, Bernstein tells the story of how human beings have become intoxicated, obsessed, enriched, impoverished, humbled and proud for the sake of gold. From the past to the future, Bernstein's portrayal of gold is intimately linked to the character of humankind. more...
The Healing Heart ~ Communitiesby Allison M. Cox; David H. Albert; Margaret Read MacDonald
New Society Publishers 2003; US$ 19.95The Healing Heart provides powerful examples of the use of stories and storytelling in encouraging resiliency, empathy, respect, and healing. These engaging books contain stories, and narratives about the use of the stories in activities with different populations (children, teens, those with disabilities, seniors, inmates, etc.) or which address specific social or community problems (addictions, poverty, violence, racism, environmental degradation, homelessness, abuse). The books are a collective effort containing the expertise of over 60 storytellers and health professionals who illustrate the power of story in moving others to commitment and action, in building self-esteem and mutual respect. Included are folk tales, personal stories,... more...
The Mythical Zooby Boria Sax
ABC-CLIO 2002; US$ 85.00First thought to be divine, animals have played an active role in human culture since prehistoric times. Even today, animals wield powers as varied as the cultures that embrace them. From ants to tigers, the entries in this volume weave together a tapestry encompassing mythology, history and art. more...
Storytelling in a Liminal Timeby Dr Boria Sax
Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2006; US$ 199.00This e-book discusses the increased emphasis on storytelling in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries. In the post-industrial world, storytelling is again assuming the central role it had in pre-industrial times imposing structure on the chaos of experience. more...
Imagined Statesby Luisa Del Giudice
Utah State University Press 2003; US$ 18.50An international ensemble of folklore scholars looks at varied ways in which national and ethnic groups have traditionally and creatively used imagined states of existence-some idealizations, some demonizations-in the construction of identities for themselves and for others. Drawing on oral traditions, especially as represented in traditional ballads, broadsides, and tale collections, the contributors consider fertile landscapes of the mind where utopias overflow with bliss and abundance, stereotyped national and ethnic caricatures define the lives of "others," nostalgia glorifies home and occupation, and idealized and mythological animals serve as cultural icons and guideposts to harmonious social life. more...
Dictionary of Plant Loreby D.C. Watts
Elsevier 2007; US$ 59.95Knowledge of plant names can give insight into largely forgotten beliefs. For example, the common red poppy is known as "Blind Man" due to an old superstitious belief that if the poppy were put to the eyes it would cause blindness. Many plant names derived from superstition, folk lore, or primal beliefs. Other names are purely descriptive and can serve to explain the meaning of the botanical name. For example, Beauty-Berry is the name given to the American shrub that belongs to the genus Callicarpa. Callicarpa is Greek for beautiful fruit. Still other names come from literary sources providing rich detail of the transmission of words through the ages. Conceived as part of the author's wider interest in plant and tree lore and ethnobotanical... more...
So They Understandby William Schneider
Utah State University Press 2003; US$ 18.50Illustrated with numerous stories collected from Alaska, the Yukon, and South Africa and further enlivened by the author's accessible style and experiences as a longtime oral historian and archivist, So They Understand is a comprehensive study of the special challenges and concerns involved in documenting, representing, preserving, and interpreting oral narratives. The title of the book comes from a quotation by Chief Peter John, the traditional chief of the Tanana Chiefs region in central Alaska: "In between the lines is something special going on in their minds, and that has got to be brought to light, so they understand just exactly what is said." William Schneider discusses how stories work in relation to their cultures... more...
The Mythic Forest, the Green Man and the Spirit of Natureby Gary R. Varner
Algora Publishing 2007; US$ 29.95In this world tour of folklore and ancient art, Varner examines the images we give to the spirit of nature and explores this important aspect of human perception. more...