Books about Rediscoveries from Amazon.com

In 1951 John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having “all the reality of a vividly realized nightmare.”

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. Wyndham chillingly anticipates bio-warfare and mass destruction, fifty years before their realization, in this prescient account of Cold War paranoia..
Price: $7.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

While accompanying eight high–spirited Jewish delegates to Dharamsala, India, for a historic Buddhist–Jewish dialogue with the Dalai Lama, poet Rodger Kamenetz comes to understand the convergence of Buddhist and Jewish thought. Along the way he encounters Ram Dass and Richard Gere, and dialogues with leading rabbis and Jewish thinkers, including Zalman Schacter, Yitz and Blue Greenberg, and a host of religious and disaffected Jews and Jewish Buddhists.

This amazing journey through Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism leads Kamenetz to a renewed appreciation of his living Jewish roots.

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Price: $8.53 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Includes 33 stories that represent Cordwainer Smiths entire SF works except for the novel Norstrilia These stories are "classics" of the field such as "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," "The Game of Rat and Dragon," "Scanners Live in Vain," and "A Planet Named Shayol." Appearing for the first time in print are "Himself in Anachron" and the completely rewritten adult version of his high school story "War No. 81-Q." Introduction by John J. Pierce..
Price: $19.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Would you like to:

 Make great decisions?
 Be a savvy consumer?
 Take charge of your life?
 Learn to be more organized?
 Free up time to have more fun?
 Discover your multiple intelligences?
 Create an exciting future for yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you have selected the right book!
This book is a practical guide to teach you critical thinking skills. You will learn concepts, methods, and resources to make informed decisions, complete tasks quickly and effectively, shop smarter and create a fun life for yourself!

Critical thinking is the ability to make and carry out informed decisions. It involves efficiently utilizing your lifetime knowledge, experience, common sense, reasoning, intuition, feelings and confidence..
Price: $11.29 [Notify me when price goes down.]

On Having No Head was first published in 1961. Since then, it has become a modern spiritual classic. "Headlessness" is the feeling of no-self, which mystics of all times have aspired to. It is an instantaneous way of "waking up" and becoming more aware of one's true self. Simple exercises help meditators shift their focus from the mind to pure awareness, the true goal of meditation.

In this revised edition, Douglas conveys the immediacy, simplicity, and practicality of what he calls the "headless way," placing it within a Zen-like context. Douglas also draws parallels to practices in other traditions.

"Reason and imagination and all mental chatter died down....I forgot my name, my humanness, my thingness, all that could be called me or mine. Past and future dropped away....Lighter than air, cleaner than glass, altogether released from myself, I was nowhere around."--the author.
Price: $7.20 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, Rebecca Haile's Held at a Distance shines a bright and unique light on Ethiopia, a country in whose fortunes we as Americans and Westerners have been concerned for some time, but which remains in large part a mystery to many of us. . . . Today, Ethiopia, for far too many people, is synonymous with poverty and warfare; but for generations of African Americans, it was the font of black civilization itself, the spiritual source of visions of a united and prosperous Pan-Africa, the living testament to the glories that were Black Africa. In her bold new book, Haile moves far beyond the one-dimensional headlines that encapsulate Ethiopia in the Western press to provide as rich and nuanced a portrait of her native land as I have seen. It's an important and beautifully written volume."--HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Harvard University

"This is the story of an Ethiopian child who became an American adult, and then returned to rediscover her country of origin after 25 years. What she discovers is the difficulty and dangers of defining identity in our contemporary world, a well-nigh universal problem. This is a memoir that reads like a novel, and encourages thoughtful reflection on our dilemmas."--IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN, Yale University

In this first hand account of a woman's journey back to her homeland, Rebecca Haile's Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia gives readers a powerful and unique glimpse into a fascinating African country. Haile was born in Ethiopia in 1965 and lived there until she was eleven years old. When the Emperor was deposed by a military coup, Haile's father, a leading academic in Addis Ababa, was shot while "resisting arrest." Barely surviving, he escaped with his family and settled in central Minnesota where they struggled with the cultural and financial strain of their drastically changed circumstances.

Haile grew up in America harboring her precious childhood memories, but in time saw herself as more American than Ethiopian. She attended Williams College and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. In 2001, she was the first member of her family to return to Ethiopia. Her trip profiles key family members who are still living in the country, and she writes movingly about Ethiopia's recent past and its ancient history.

Few books have dealt with the millions of Ethiopians affected by war and strife in their country. Rebecca Haile's book brings into focus the challenges and consequences of three decades of political upheaval in Ethiopia. She offers a clear-eyed analysis of the country today, and her keen observations and personal experiences will resonate with readers..
Price: $9.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $5.34 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Boris Karloff will forever be Frankenstein's Monster, but is that any reason for us to overlook his later great horror film Isle of the Dead (1945)? An Oscar was George Clooney's reward for Syriana (2005), but isn't the underrated war film Three Kings (1999) still his best movie? Woman of the Year (1942) introduced the team of Tracy and Hepburn, yet didn't their later Pat and Mike (1952) resoundingly surpass it? Jeff Bridges has long been one of our best actors, so why didn't anyone take notice of his sleeper Bad Company (1972)? The lasting impact of Psycho (1960) unfairly overshadows Anthony Perkins's great work in the darkly comic thriller Pretty Poison (1968), while Stanley Kubrick's later work keeps his terrific caper The Killing (1956) from attaining classic status. Can you really say you love Audrey Hepburn if you haven't seen her at her most radiant in Stanley Donen's gem Two for the Road (1967)?

Screen Savers: 40 Remarkable Movies Awaiting Rediscovery puts the spotlight on these and other superb yet underappreciated movies spanning the twentieth century. Essential stars and directors are represented here, not for their undisputed marvels but for other equally wonderful films that warrant overdue or renewed recognition: Cover Girl, They Came to Cordura, Portrait of Jennie, The Seventh Cross, The Lusty Men, Hail the Conquering Hero, Rambling Rose, Time after Time, and many others.

Author John DiLeo offers full-bodied appraisals of each of his selections, breezily combining scholarly acumen with a film fanatic's passion. DiLeo utilizes his lively, accessible style and sharp, insightful critical eye, venturing beyond obvious choices and whetting our appetites to see these vital movies. Be they underseen, dismissed, or taken-for-granted in their day, the films in Screen Savers deserve a place of honor in our film heritage.

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Price: $24.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This highly readable, spectacularly illustrated compendium is an ecological journey into a wondrous land of extremes The California Deserts explores the remarkable diversity of life in this harsh yet fragile quarter of the Golden State. In a rich narrative, it illuminates how that diversity, created by drought and heat, has evolved with climate change since the Ice Ages. Along the way, we find there is much to learn from each desert species-- whether it is a cactus, pupfish, tortoise, or bighorn sheep--about adaptation to a warming, arid world. The book tells of human adaptation as well, and is underscored by a deep appreciation for the intimate knowledge acquired by native people during their 12,000-year desert experience. In this sense, the book is a journey of rediscovery, as it reflects on the ways that knowledge has been reclaimed and amplified by new discoveries. The book also takes the measure of the ecological condition of these deserts today, presenting issues of conservation, management, and restoration. With its many sidebars, photographs, and featured topics, The California Deserts provides a unique introduction to places of remarkable and often unexpected beauty..
Price: $17.24 [Notify me when price goes down.]