17 Great eBooks ! ! ! (eBook Compilation) ! ! !

material included:

1. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition (3rd Edition) - Joy Bauer

This book should be titled "Total Guide to Nutrition AND Fitness". Ms. Bauer does a great job of explaining nutrition and it's role in maintaining one's health. She also covers exercise, pregnancy, eating disorders, and dieting. Quite a complete book. Don't let the "Idiot's" title fool you--this book goes into detail with many topics and serves as much more than just an intro

Not only does it come across clearly and easy to understand. It is well written covering nutrition for infants to elderly people for lazy people to physically active people.

2. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Herbal Remedies - by FRANKIE AVALON WOLFE 1999

customer opinions

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Herbal Remedies is a "must have" for any home health library- for those who deal with herbs regularly or for those just starting out. Frankie's humorous writing makes this book easy to read and the herbal applications easy to use. She guides you through the book in taking care of yourself and those around you with basic herbal care.

This is the best herbal book i have ever used. Its easy to understand with everyday words. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand. My best fried read the book and had to order one for herself. Since I have read the book I am back on the road to better health. I recommend anyone who is interested in herbs to get this book. You won't be sorry. Worth every cent.The herb store I go to also said this was a great book. I actually went to the dr and came back with a clean bill of health and I know it is from going by this book

3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw - Mark Reinfeld 2008

More people than ever are turning to a raw food diet. In this guide, readers will find the secrets to raw food weight loss; how raw foods can heal the body and boost energy and enthusiasm; information on the anti-aging properties of raw food; and 100+ recipes that show how raw foods can be combined into delectable meals.

*Fully explains the benefits of this increasingly popular diet choice, plus presents a mini cookbook that gets readers started on their new regimen
*Recently published studies indicate that rheumatoid and fibromyalgia patients—who number in the millions—can benefit from an uncooked vegan diet rich in antioxidants, lactobacilli, and fiber

4. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living - by Gilles; McClain, Gary R.; Adamson, Eve Van Grasdorff 2000

Many books on Zen fall into one of two categories: the "jump on the cool buzzword bandwagon" books that really have nothing to do with Zen, and the very dry and overly rigid books that are filled with many words and yet very little that a person would find helpful in everyday life. I am pleased to say this book falls into neither of those categories, and instead fits into a more enjoyable one: the kind of book that helps you learn to live better.

This is not a book about Zen history, or extensive rules for how to "properly" meditate. As the title states, this is a book about Zen *living*. It is like a flash light, which you can shine into the darkest corners of your mind and use as a guide to simplifying the psychological and emotional clutter therein. The authors have filled this book with many practical examples of how a Zen perspective can ease your mental burden and allow you to get more out of each moment.

If you're looking for lots of dry, philosophical blather, this is not the book for you. But if you are genuinely interested in gaining a new perspective on life, and learning how simple it can be to live in a more satisfying way, you've definitely come to the right place. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to clean out the dusty attic of the mind.

5. Black Holes - by Don Nardo

The remains of collapsed stars, black holes possess enormous gravities that pull in and annihilate any matter that strays too close. The latest evidence and theories for these bizarre objects are presented in this intriguing book, including how black holes were first predicted, how they form, their physical properties, and how scientists detect them. Also covered are the giant black holes now known to lurk at the centers of most galaxies and the possibility of using these objects as cosmic gateways.

6. Water and Ritual: The Rise and Fall of Classic Maya Rulers - Lisa J. Lucero 2006

In the southern Maya lowlands, rainfall provided the primary and, in some areas, the only source of water for people and crops. Classic Maya kings sponsored elaborate public rituals that affirmed their close ties to the supernatural world and their ability to intercede with deities and ancestors to ensure an adequate amount of rain, which was then stored to provide water during the four-to-five-month dry season. As long as the rains came, Maya kings supplied their subjects with water and exacted tribute in labor and goods in return. But when the rains failed at the end of the Classic period (AD 850-950), the Maya rulers lost both their claim to supernatural power and their temporal authority. Maya commoners continued to supplicate gods and ancestors for rain in household rituals, but they stopped paying tribute to rulers whom the gods had forsaken.In this paradigm-shifting book, Lisa Lucero investigates the central role of water and ritual in the rise, dominance, and fall of Classic Maya rulers. She documents commoner, elite, and royal ritual histories in the southern Maya lowlands from the Late Preclassic through the Terminal Classic periods to show how elites and rulers gained political power through the public replication and elaboration of household-level rituals. At the same time, Lucero demonstrates that political power rested equally on material conditions that the Maya rulers could only partially control. Offering a new, more nuanced understanding of these dual bases of power, Lucero makes a compelling case for spiritual and material factors intermingling in the development and demise of Maya political complexity.

7. Advances in Biological and Chemical Terrorism Countermeasures - Ronald J. Kendall, Steven M. Presley, Galen P. Austin, Philip N. Smith 2008

Biological and chemical weapons are a growing terrorist threat to the United States and other nations and countermeasures continue to evolve as a national and global priority issue. To keep up with this rapidly changing and vital field we must establish the current state-of-the-science on countermeasures to form a platform from which to offer perspectives, policies, and procedures that will assist the United States and other nations to defend themselves from future threats.
An up-to-date assessment of the technologies and strategies for providing countermeasures to biological and chemical terrorism, Advances in Biological and Chemical Terrorism Countermeasures integrates vastly disparate disciplines, calling on authors that are directly and currently involved in the research to present their own data as well as their educated opinions and advice. It draws heavily on the findings and conclusions from research conducted through the Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. National Program for Countermeasures to Biological and Chemical Threats, which is partially funded through the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command.
This book focuses on four general areas of research: modeling, simulation, and visualization; environmental protection; personal protection and therapeutics; and the mechanistic and toxic effects of weapons. Individual chapters discuss the relationship between risk and vulnerability, threat agent dispersal through the environment, threat agent sensor development, the use of phage display for detection and therapeutic intervention, and an overview of recognized threats and their toxic effects.
Heavily referenced, this science-based work is an excellent tool to assist military and homeland security personnel and first responders to improve their ability to develop and implement countermeasures to the potential biological and chemical threat agents that continue to emerge.

8. The Ascent of Babel: An Exploration of Language, Mind, and Understanding - By Gerry T. M. Altmann

With The Ascent of Babel, psycholinguist Gerry Altmann takes us on a journey of discovery, illuminating how, through the workings of the brain, we use language to reach out and touch each other's minds. Here, he explores the ways in which the mind produces and understands language: the ways in which the sounds of language evoke meaning, and the ways in which the desire to communicate causes us to produce those sounds to begin with.

Altmann begins even before we are born, revealing that the fetus in the last trimester is already listening to the language of its parents and that, within days of birth, it can distinguish its parents' language from other languages. From how babies learn language and how we discriminate between different sounds, through comprehension of the sounds and structures of language (and the pitfalls along the way), to the production of spoken and written language, the effects of brain damage on language, and finally the ways in which computer simulations of interconnecting nerve cells can learn language, Altmann offers a wide-ranging, engaging tour. Up to date, authoritative, and engagingly written, The Ascent of Babel is must reading for everyone curious about the mysteries of language or of the mind.

9. Medieval Ireland - Sein Duffy 2004

Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia brings together in one authoritative resource the multiple facets of life in Ireland before and after the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169, from the sixth to sixteenth century. Multidisciplinary in coverage, this A-Z reference work provides information on historical events, economics, politics, the arts, religion, intellectual history, and many other aspects of the period. Written by the world's leading scholars on the subject, this highly accessible reference work will enable students, researchers, and general readers alike to explore topics such as

* The development of the city of Dublin from the early Irish settlement of Áth Cliath(ford of hurdle-work) in the sixth century C.E. to a thriving medieval city

* The history of kings and kingships in medieval Ireland including political structure, royal dynasties, and historical roots

* Different literary genres including historical tales, satire, aideda, and Irish poetry as well as the outside influence on medieval Irish literature by the Carolingian dynasty, the Anglo-Saxons, the Scottish, and others

* The literary, political, and religious people from the Irish middle ages such as Marianus Scottus, Strongbow, Brian Boru, St. Brigit, and Richard FitzRalph

* The culture and society of the era including music, games, craftwork, role of women, fraternities, and bardic schools

With over 345 essays ranging from 250 to 2,500 words, Medieval Ireland paints a lively and colorful portrait of the time.

10. Us Spyplanes (Warbirds Illustrated 24) - By Erik Simonsen 1985

Ever since the first aerial photograph was taken, from a military observation balloon, commanders have been fascinated with this capability, and over the years systems have evolved into extremely sophisticated devices, capable of gathering all forms of data, from low-level tactical observation to Earth-orbit, high-resolution photography. Today's satellite systems afford facilities for very high quality elint (electronics intelligence! and photographic reconnaissance, but, complementing the data returned from space, that collected by the manned aircraft is still vital, and the need for immediate, accurate information has led to the development of stable and flexible reconnaissance platforms known as 'spyplanes'.

11. Caledonia to Pictland Scotland To 795 - Professor James Fraser 2008

From Caledonia to Pictland examines the transformation of Iron Age northern Britain into a land of Christian kingdoms, long before 'Scotland' came into existence. Perched at the edge of the western Roman Empire, northern Britain was not unaffected by the experience, and became swept up in the great tide of processes which gave rise to the early medieval West. Like other places, the country experienced social and ethnic metamorphoses, Christianisation, and colonization by dislocated outsiders, but northern Britain also has its own unique story to tell in the first eight centuries AD. This book is the first detailed political history to treat these centuries as a single period, with due regard for Scotland's position in the bigger story of late Antique transition. From Caledonia to Pictland charts the complex and shadowy processes which saw the familiar Picts, Northumbrians, North Britons and Gaels of early Scottish history become established in the country, the achievements of their foremost political figures, and their ongoing links with the world around them.It is a story that has become much revised through changing trends in scholarly approaches to the challenging evidence, and that transformation too is explained for the benefit of students and general readers. Key Features: *The only detailed political history to treat the first eight centuries AD as a single period of Scottish history. *Redresses the imbalance created by an existing literature dominated by archaeologists. From Caledonia to Pictland provides a narrative history of the period. *Bridges a traditional disciplinary divide between the Roman and early medieval periods. *Locates this phase of Scotland's history within a European context, emphasising what is unique and what is not.

12. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology - Leslie Shepard 2000

The Most Comprehensive Occult/Parapsychology Encyclopedia
This review is from: Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (Hardcover)
This is a synthesis of two one-volume works: Fodor's Encyclopaedia of Psychic Science and Spence's Encyclopaedia of Occultism. But it also surpasses them by revisions and additional up-to-date information. Although I haven't read the entire two volumes, I must say that I'm impressed by the comprehensive nature of the set. It includes articles about modern occult magicians like Isaac Bonewits and doesn't leave out critics of the paranormal such as James Randi. Also check out the 4-vol. Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 24-vol. Man, Myth & Magic (Cavendish, editor), 2-vol. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry by Albert Mackey, and Bernard McGinn's series of books on Western Mysticism. All recommended.

A wealth of Knowledge
It is hard to describe the feeling I encountered when I first came across this incredible reference in the halls of a high school library while working as a substitute and having some free time. At first I was rightly amused that such a tome would be present in a collection of that scope surely limited and censured by the schools board, but upon a closer examination it occurred to me that this was no mere book of odd facts and superstitions, but a source of immense wealth and startling detail. I began to test the volume by thinking of some place, person or order of which I had personal knowledge and looking it up to see how ridiculous the entry might be, only to be startled by the accuracy and sheer amount of information that vastly eclipsed my own very limited understanding.

In all honesty I began hatching a plan by which I might pilfer these amazing volumes, feeling a sense of anger upon realizing that the books, untouched by so much as a smudgy fingerprint were going to waist in a library of this computer age where students enter only to instant message their friends in study hall, until it occurred to me that the volumes were there for some purpose unbeknownst to me, that some student might wander across the volumes on accident while doing a research paper on Egypt and finding themselves attracted to the figure of Tutankhamen, and be introduced to a world view and appreciation of varied ways in which people come to term with the subtleties of matter, and awake to a new understanding of their environment, rich with color and significance, perhaps even being inspired to do further study on their own. After considering this possibility any thought of taking the texts for my own of course vanished.

Later I was able to procure the volumes at the right time and price from this very website, and have come to accept them as an indispensable tool supporting my own scholarly endeavors.

Bare in mind that the name Encyclopedia is accurate, and this collection is not, nor does it claim to be the start and finish of information on any subject covered, but as a beginning place for knowledge about the figures and events within, I have not seen it's equal. But don't take my word for it. See if you can find one in your cities library or university and take a look yourself. If you are a serious student of the mysteries or even a casual dabbler of many disciplines, you will see the value in them, and understand my high praise.

13. UFOs and Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Myth - James R. Lewis 2000

Are extraterrestrials providing the military with alien technology in exchange for carte blanche abduction rights? Are crop circles the pranks of drunken Englishmen or just alien graffiti? Who, really, are Men in Black, and why are they making movies? UFO culture has penetrated America with a vengeance and UFOs and Popular Culture: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Mythology examines these questions and more.

Is the human race the result of a breeding experiment carried out by ancient astronauts? Are satanists, extraterrestrials—or both—mutilating cattle? Whimsical and fascinating, UFOs and Popular Culture explores a rich facet of Americana and its impact on contemporary society. The UFO phenomenon is put into folkloric and psychological perspective, revealing much about our collective psyche. From religious beliefs and legends to movies and TV shows; from advertising and celebrities to Internet sites and photo ops; this illustrated A–Z encyclopedia is your first stop resource for understanding UFO beliefs and their impact on contemporary America. Topics explored include Music and UFOs, Naked Aliens, Reincarnation, Roswell, Brad Steiger, Heaven's Gate, War of the Worlds, and UFO Conventions.

14. Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings around the World, A Study in Comparative Mythology - Gary R. Varner 2007

Folklore around the world reflects mankind’s abiding interest in other-worldly creatures including vampires, werewolves, giants, fairies, and spirit beings. This easy-reading compendium will have a broad appeal among the general public.

Varner brings together a medley of stories, myths, and folklore, sharing a fascination and respect for humankind's early and contemporary cultures and wondering at similarities across the board. Here, he focuses on "Little People" and giants, animals and were-creatures, and the odd, helpful or threatening ways imputed to our earthly companions including dogs and cats, bats and spiders, and the stories people have told each other about them since time immemorial.

15. The Gnostic Gospels - Elaine Pagels 1989

In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, the sacred books of one of the earliest Christian sects. This landmark study, a winner of both the National book Award and the National book Critics Circle Award, draws on those texts to illuminate the world of the first Christians and to examine the different ways in which both Gnostics and the orthodox constructed God, Christ, and the Church. Did Jesus literally rise from the dead? Was there only one God, and could He be both Father and Mother? Whose version of Christianity came down to us and why did it prevail? Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical yet accessible reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

16. Apocalypse Then: Prophecy and the Making of the Modern World - Arthur H. Williamson 2008

While few intellectuals today accept the notion that the world is literally about to end through a prophesied supernatural act, between 1500 and 1800 many of Europe's and America's most creative minds did believe it. Perhaps most surprisingly, apocalyptic expectations played a central role during this period in creating secular culture--arguably the signal achievement of the post-medieval west. The topic is much with us still, as many on the religious right look to the end of days, a goal that seems closer than ever Apocalyptic ideas and expectations shaped the world in profound and enduring ways. In the Early Modern era, a deeply religious set of ideas proved instrumental in enabling people to see their world through prisms other than that of religion. The apocalypse underwrote the Reformation in the 16th century, the English Revolution in the 17th century, and the American Revolution in the 18th century.

This book explores such themes through an examination of a range of major figures and events from the period. Why was the apocalypse--so alien to us today--so pivotal to the creation of our culture and to what we are? Only by seeing its central and often creative role historically within western civilizations can we meaningfully assess its significance to the current world. Only by grasping apocalypse then, can we truly understand apocalypse now.

17. The Roots of Tantra - Katherine Anne Harper & Robert L. Brown 2002

Among the many spiritual traditions born and developed in India, Tantra has been the most difficult to define. Almost everything about it—its major characteristics, its sources, its relationships to other religions, even its practices—are debated among scholars. In addition, Tantrism is not confined to any particular religion, but is a set of beliefs and practices that appears in a variety of religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. This book explores one of the most controversial aspects of Tantra, its sources or roots, specifically in regard to Hinduism. The essays focus on the history and development of Tantra, the art history and archaeology of Tantra, the Vedas and Tantra, and texts and Tantra. Using various disciplinary and methodological approaches, from history to art history and religious studies to textual studies, scholars provide both broad overviews of the beginnings of Tantra and detailed analyses of specific texts, authors, art works, and rituals.