Think of anything bad, from art heists to Genghis Kahn, and it's likely to be included in this wickedly smart and humorous guide to the seedy underbelly of basically everything. The brainiac team at "mental_floss", creators of the hit magazine and last year's Condensed Knowledge, have scoured the darkest, dirtiest corners of history and the globe to gather this ultimate collection of the bad stuff you're not supposed to know and you certainly never...

Want to know which nation is ruled by a dentist-turned-dictator? Where to find taxis shaped like coconuts? And who watches competitive cockroach racing? Then this is the book for you! The Big World of Fun Facts from Lonely Planet Kids is a bumper book of amazing facts and stories from around the world. From countries, food and folklore to sports, flags, animals and more, this fun and fascinating adventure will boggle your mind.

This is the powerful memoirs which an ailing Dmitri Shostakovich dictated to a young Russian musicologist, Solomon Volkov. When it was first published in 1979, it became an international bestseller. This 25th anniversary edition includes a new foreword by Vladimir Ashkenazy, as well as black-and-white photos. "Testimony changed the perception of Shostakovich's life and work dramatically, and influenced innumerable performances of his music." – New...

The geographically distinct American territories of California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest have long sustained a variety of indigenous peoples, including the Miwok, Comanche, and Navajo, respectively. An examination of each of these culture areas yields rich histories filled with steadfast traditions and religious practices, subsistence patterns dictated by geographic location, and social interactions within and between tribes. This absorbing...

The individuals in this film all share a common bond - they were awakened. They awoke to a world that was unfamiliar to them and one that was often terrifying and bizarre. Suddenly those trusted men and women in power became manipulators and power hungry dictators and not the democratic leaders we are led to believe. A unique collection of evidence and theory is set out in this film to reveal a new world order. 911, the Twin Towers and Pentagon deceptions The...

Demonstrating love through deference When you see a yield sign, the traffic laws dictate that you must defer to oncoming cars from another lane or those merging. It is the natural order, and if you choose to disregard this warning, there could be severe consequences or destruction. In certain connotations, the term to yield could also be rephrased as to submit. Much like the yield sign, God's law commands us to be "submitting to one another...

This is the first in a two-volume collection of tales from Scandinavia. There is a clear and rich tradition of storytelling in the north, perhaps dictated by long winter nights and roaring fires. Whenever you read the sagas or pick-up on the wandering collections of Hans Christien Andersen and Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, amongst many others, you tap into a centuries old heritage wrapped in wonder-and-magic and outlandish heroism. In this, volume...

15th Annual National Indie Excellence Award finalist. Eleven surprising sci fi short stories flavored like the lovechild of Ted Chiang and Robert Heinlein. A science fiction anthology that attempts to answer the great questions of humanity: What are we? What do we want? How will it all come crashing down around us? A naked man-droid that asks too many questions... An alien theme park unfortunately filled with humans... A wheelchair-ridden...

Neoliberalism is the dominant ideology shaping our world today. It dictates the policies of governments, and shapes the actions of key institutions such as the WTO, IMF, World Bank and European Central Bank. Its political and economic implications can hardly be overstated. Yet there are obvious problems with the neoliberal project. This book is a perfect introduction to neoliberalism that is ideal for anyone seeking a critical perspective. It...

This Is Your FBI, as the title suggests, was a crime drama that featured true cases from the FBI and was told from an agent's viewpoint. The show's producer and director, Jerry Devine, had once worked for the FBI, so having him for the show would allow each story to be told in the best way possible. J. Edgar Hoover, who was the chief of the FBI at the time, gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air," and gave Devine...