A witty and erudite love letter to a bygone age, from one of Europe's last great humanists. "A sparkling slice of eighteenth-century life" Paul Bailey, Independent In August 1785 Paris buzzed with scandal. It involved an eminent churchman, a notorious charlatan, a female fraudster, a part-time prostitute and the hated Queen herself. At its heart was the most expensive diamond necklace ever assembled and the web of fraud, folly and self-delusion it had inspired. In Szerb's last major work, a witty and often surprising account of events, the story is used as a standpoint from which to survey the entire age. Written in war-torn Hungary in the early 1940s,it constitutes a remarkable gesture of defiance against the brutal world in which the writer lived and died. Antal Szerb (1901-1945) was born in Budapest. Though of Jewish descent, he was baptised at an early age and remained a lifelong Catholic. He rapidly established himself as a formidable scholar, through studies of Ibsen and Blake and histories of English, Hungarian and world literature. He was a prolific essayist and reviewer, ranging across all the major European languages. Debarred by successive Jewish laws from working in a university, he was subjected to increasing persecution, and finally murderedin a forced labour camp in 1945. Pushkin Press publishes his novels The Pendragon Legend , Oliver VII and his masterpiece Journey by Moonlight , as well as the historical study The Queen's Necklace and Love in a Bottle and Other Stories .

In the 16th century, there was great interest in the kind of magic that is in fact science. But the scientists were ahead of their time. There was no machinery. Da Vinci had already drawn plans for a submarine and an airplane, but it was impossible to have them built. Legends began to grow. Soon it was told, as absolute truth, that a living being had been created out of clay. Was there reason to believe this? Who can say? But one of the most enduring of all these legends was the story that a great rabbi, by the power of his mystic wisdom, had been permitted by God to create a manlike being in order to save the Jews from destruction. This was the Golem. Now Sulamith Ish-Kishor has written an exciting novel, based on this legend, told through the eyes of an orphan boy, Gideon ben Israyel. By a strange series of events, the High Rabbi of the city of Prague entrusts him with an awesome task. Brave, strong, and loyal, Cideon wants to do right. But he makes one fateful mistake.

Magister Coelus, the College's young and brilliant theorist, has finally found a student capable of learning theoretical magery at the level at which he can teach it. He invites her to help him with his current research project, which promises to funnel through the hands of one mage more power than any mage has ever had. Ellen, who knows more about both the theory and practice of magic than a first year student should know, refuses, arguing that the Cascade will do more harm than good. When news of the project reaches Prince Kieron, brother and heir of the king and Royal Master of Mages, he insists that it be completed in secret and employed, if at all, only under royal authority. Word has also reached Lord Iolen, Kieron's competent, cold-blooded, and ambitious nephew, with his own ideas of how the Cascade should be used, by whom and for what purpose. Ellen and Coelus must together face the conflicting threats and demands of two arrogant and powerful men, the peril posed by the very existence of the Cascade, and their feelings for each other. Forty years earlier Olver, one of the founders of the College, took the first steps in converting magery from a craft to a science. It is for his successors to deal with the consequences.

Set in Quebec at the turn of the 19th to 20th century, the story of Agnes White, a lonely orphaned girl fascinated by the "wrong" things--microscopes, dissections, and anatomy instead of more ladylike interests--who rises to the status of one of the world's most celebrated pioneering women doctors. Not only does she break through patriarchal academic barriers; she masters the science of the human heart, becoming a scholar of international fame, all in a place and time inimical to intelligent women. Inspired by the career of Maude Abbott, one of Canada's first female physicians.

"A sophisticated challenge to mainstream international relations theory . . . defines the theoretical bases on which governing elites in the Third World, especially democratic elites, could sustain effective and development-oriented foreign policies."--Juan M. del Aguila, Emory University Carlos Escud� explains the rationale for dramatic changes in Argentina's foreign policy following the inauguration of President Carlos Menem in 1989. After decades of confrontation with the West, Argentina has abandoned an intermediate-range ballistic missile project, left the nonaligned movement, thrown in with the U.S. in the Gulf War, reestablished friendly relations with Britain, and undertaken a course of unilateral disarmament. Escud� argues that these changes reflect Argentina's recognition that citizens of poor and vulnerable nations are asked to pay the price of attempts to engage in power politics and that those attempts often endanger the nation's citizens and increase its subordination in world affairs. Moreover, he argues that mainstream international-relations theory tends to obscure such processes by dealing with states as if they were individuals whose ultimate priority is "survival," or political independence. The state-as-person fiction generalized in I-R discourse obscures the fact that in a democracy the citizens and not the state are paramount. Following this distinction to its logical consequences, Escud� undertakes a thorough deconstruction of I-R theory from a "citizen-centric" perspective--the perspective, he argues, that has inspired the Menem government's dovish foreign policies. This project was written under the auspices of the Center for International Affairs, Harvard University. Carlos Escud� is professor of international relations at Di Tella University and the Argentine Foreign Service Academy and was advisor to the foreign minister of Argentina on matters related to foreign policy strategy. His publications include Gran Breta�a, Estados Unidos y la Declinaci�n Argentina, 1942-1949; El Fracaso del Proyecto Argentino: Educaci�n y Desarrollo ; and Realismo Periferico .

Ingredients: A trashy beginning, Leon Zeisel, a bully, a purple nurple, a wet Willie, 2 Howlitzers, 3 best friends, a Lumpkin Dunkin', 5 half-baked schemes, 2 Wedgies (1 Turbo; 1 Atomic), a hotel full of animals, a jug of Poop-B-Gone, a bald science teacher, 36 types of potato chips, 12 potato chip experiments, a potato chip museum, 1 human hot fudge sundae, an explosive ending.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The Black Flame by Stanley G. Weinbaum Thomas Connor pits ancient knowledge and daring against immortals who have ruled a strange new world for centuries! Like a Phoenix, this adventurer from the past rises to view the land of the time to come... The Eternal Man by D.D. Sharp Science Island by Eando Binder

The hero of Paul Ableman's Vilp (1962) is Clive Witt, a novelist in search of a hero for his new novel. He advertises for suitable applicants, and from seventy-three replies he selects three: Professor Guthrie Pidge, a zoologist; Pad Dee Murphy, an Irish-Burmese peasant; and Harry Glebe, the inventor of the renowned earth-borer. Clive's novel, though, progresses slowly. His three heroes refuse to mix their very disparate elements into a harmonious whole. Eventually, Clive scraps it and harnesses his team of heroes to a new work, an exciting science fiction tale called The Silver Spores . In this, mankind meets the Vilp! The novel ends with the 5,000 strong Vilp Galactic Council communing in space at an incredibly high telepathic level. 'Excellent... vital, taut, brilliantly imaginative' Anthony Burgess

Following in the footsteps of the landmark collection, Dreaming Down-Under, this new book brings together Australia's greatest fantasy writers and cutting-edge new authors 35 new stories celebrating the wild side of Australian fantasy writing Welcome to the energy, invention and imagination of Australia's finest writers of speculative fiction - from acclaimed international bestsellers to the freshest new voices. ten years ago, Dreaming Down-Under captured the excitement of the wild side of Australian fiction and won a coveted World Fantasy Award. Now it's time to start Dreaming Again ... CONtRIBUtORS: Peter M. Ball, Lee Battersby, John Birmingham, Jenny Blackford, Russell Blackford, Adam Brown, Simon Brown, trudi Canavan, Isobelle Carmody, Paul Collins, Rowena Cory Daniells, Cecilia Dart-thornton, Rjurik Davidson, Stephen Dedman, Sara Douglass, terry Dowling, Jason Fischer, Ben Francisco, Christopher Green, Richard Harland, trent Jamieson, Margo Lanagan, Rosaleen Love, Chris Lynch, Sean McMullen, Jason Nahrung, Garth Nix, Cecily Scutt, Angela Slatter, Aaron Sterns, Dirk Strasser, Lucy Sussex, Janeen Webb, Kim Westwood and Kim Wilkins And including a previously unpublished story from the late great A. Bertram Chandler 'Dreaming Again is at once quintessentially Australian and enticingly other. If you read short fiction you'll want this collection. If you don't, this is a reason to start.' Bookseller + Publisher

In this sequel to the hilarious science fiction novel No Small Bills, the aptly named DuckBob Spinowitz is settling into his new job as Guardian of the Matrix and his new friendship with the Man in Black he dubbed Tall. But when a gift/bribe from Tall has an unexpected effect on the dour government agent, it's up to DuckBob to figure out what's going on and save his friend-and possibly the entire human race! Again! And all without leaving his couch!

With SOME UNKNOWN GULF OF NIGHT, Wilum Pugmire continues his aesthetic exploration of the prose-poem and vignette sequence, many of which may be found in his last collection, THE TANGLED MUSE. With this new title from Arcane Wisdom Press we have a book-length sequence of semi-interconnected pieces, all of which are inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's superb sonnet sequence, FUNGI FROM YUGGOTH. Each numbered segment is an imaginative response to that numbered sonnet in Lovecraft's sequence, and Pugmire's Lovecraftian influence is the main force that drives this present work; yet other influences burrow from his fevered brain - Oscar Wilde, Edgar A. Poe, Baudelaire and the Decadents. Like some freakish soul who has lost his place in modern time, Pugmire's style is like that from another era, and yet it too is tainted by his neoteric experience as a punk rock queen and street transvestite. Like his literary heroes such as H. P. Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti and Henry James, Pugmire strives to create what he does not hesitate to call "literary art" - prose pieces that are beautifully poetic and imaginatively deranged. This perverse concoction is best when sipped slowly, occasionally, and this is not a book to rush through in one sitting. Let it plant its poisoned fungi gradually upon your innocent brain, and thus blemish forever your paltry soul.

This is a book of strange tales about strange people and sometimes stranger places. It includes Weinbaum's novel The Dark Other, in which Nicholas Devine and his girlfriend Pat are deeply in love, but before they can fulfil their dreams they must exorcise a demonic presence that threatens both their future together and their lives. Also included is another love story that takes place in a tranquil world of beauty and innocence that can only be seen through the lenses of "Pygmalion's Spectacles", and several other surprising tales.

The stories collected here, written between August of 1987 and May of 1990, demonstrate that I still believe in the classical unities. Of course, what seems to us a unity now might not have appeared that way when H.G. Wells was writing his wonderful stories in the nineteenth century. Wells might have argued that my 'To the Promised Land' is built around two speculative fantastic assumptions, one that the Biblical Exodus from Egypt never happened, the other that it is possible to send rocketships to other worlds. But in fact we've sent plenty of rocketships to other worlds by now, so only my story's alternative-world speculation remains fantasy today. Technically speaking the space-travel element of the plot has become part of the given; it's the other big assumption that forms the central matter of the story. --Robert Silverberg, from his Introduction

In 'Promised Land', Jack Dann returns to the alternate America of his acclaimed 2004 novel 'The Rebel'.

It's a spoof..... It's a look into today's tomorrow. In 1944 and 1946 Hugo Gernsback was publishing an electronics magazine that was titled Radio-Craft. You may or may not remember it. During this time, that same Hugo Gernsback send to many friends, associates, advertisers and others he deemed worthy, his forward looking little mini-magazines, which were takeoffs on his own publication. The first one, Mini Radio Craft, doubled was issued as a promotion for the Electronic Distribution Show. The second one, Radio-Cracy served as his 1944 Christmas Card. Both are fun, both predict things to come, and both are assembled here for those of us who did not have the honor of being on his mailing list. Enjoy!!!

Prince Alban finds his curse of unrequited love fulfilled, when his quest for Lady Ursula takes him into the realm of the deadly Morgeld. This is the sequel to Mustapha and His Wise Dog (1985).

Bob Spinowitz was an average guy--until aliens abducted him and gave him the head of a duck. Then they asked "DuckBob" to save the universe, since their modifications meant he could. Talk about a backhanded compliment! Amazingly, though, DuckBob did it. And thus became Guardian of the Matrix, which protects the cosmos from further invasion--as long as he's plugged in. Literally.But alien techie pal Ned just made the Matrix User Interface wireless. Suddenly, DuckBob is free again--the whole universe is at his alien-altered, webbed feet! Only problem is, could being unplugged mean he's out of a job?As a pick-me-up, Ned takes DuckBob to his homeworld--which looks just like Brooklyn. Odd changes are afoot, there, however--ones with potentially cosmic repercussions. Soon DuckBob finds himself struggling to stay alive. And to find lunch, which is equally important.Can DuckBob conquer his doubt, rein in his freedom, and help save Ned's world? Or will our avian-esque hero's first unrestricted flight be the last--not just for him but for us all?

MR3971XJKA-also known as Mary-is the Grays' scout, liaison, diplomat, and translator. Along with her boyfriend DuckBob and their friends Tall and Ned she has saved the universe from invasion by beings from another reality. Twice.DuckBob loves her and trusts her without question. Still, he doesn't actually know anything about her past. Which is why, when Mary asks him to accompany her to her college reunion, he jumps at the chance.That tense reunion is interrupted by a distress call-from the Grays themselves. It seems the invaders are back, and this time they're determined to finish the job.Mary and DuckBob quickly find themselves overwhelmed. To pull this one off, they're going to need help. A lot of it.Can they get their disparate allies to work together, though? Or will rivalries, dissension, and distrust do the invaders' work for them, once and for all?

Science fiction-roman