One of the most profound events in sixteenth-century North America was a ferocious battle between the Spanish army of Hernando de Soto and a larger force of Indian warriors under the leadership of a feared chieftain named Tascalusa. The site of this battle was a small fortified border town within an Indian province known as Mabila. Although the Indians were defeated, the battle was a decisive blow to Spanish plans for the conquest and settlement of what is now the southeastern United State...

Broad-scale conservation of habitats is increasingly being recognized as a more effective means of protecting species and landscapes than single-species preservation efforts. While interest in the approach has grown tremendously in recent years, it remains controversial and the science behind it has yet to be fully developed.In The Science of Conservation Planning, three of the nation's leading conservation biologists explore the role of the scientist in the planning proce...

Comprehensive assessment of global agricultural on-farm energy costs, such as lighting and ventilation systems, operation and maintenance of farm machinery, as well as water and irrigation managementExplores the development of alternative, renewable energy systems, such as agrivoltaics, biomass heat technologies and anaerobic digestion for producing biogas from organic wasteConsiders the practical application and implementation of energy-smart farming technologies...

What accounts for the power of stories to both entertain and illuminate? This question has long compelled the attention of storytellers and students of literature alike, and over the past several decades it has opened up broader dialogues about the nature of culture and interpretation. This third edition of the bestselling Essentials of the Theory of Fiction provides a comprehensive view of the theory of fiction from the nineteenth century through modernism and postmodernism to th...

In Michael Murphy’s action-packed Prohibition-era novel of suspense, a mystery writer returns to the bright lights and dark alleys of New York City—uncovering a criminal conspiracy of terrifying proportions.In 1933, America is at a crossroads: Prohibition will soon be history, organized crime is rampant, and President Roosevelt promises to combat the Great Depression with a New Deal. In these uncertain times, former-Pinkerton-detective-turned-bestselling-author Jak...

In Michael Murphy’s rollicking new Jake & Laura mystery, the hard-boiled writer and the aspiring movie star head for sun-drenched Los Angeles, where a cold-blooded murderer lurks behind the scenes.Just arrived from New York, Broadway actress Laura Wilson is slated to star in Hollywood’s newest screwball comedy. At her side, of course, is Jake Donovan, under pressure to write his next mystery novel. But peace and quiet are not to be had when an all-too-real murder p...

Witty and stylish in the classic Dashiell Hammett tradition, Michael Murphy’s latest high-flying Jake & Laura mystery features a Hawaiian honeymoon that’s interrupted when their friend Amelia Earhart is accused of murder.Hawaii, 1935. Mystery novelist Jake Donovan and actress Laura Wilson are in gorgeous sun-soaked Hawaii, but their best-laid plans for canoodling on the beach are interrupted by a summons from famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart. It seems a local business...

After years away, Ragnar returns to his home of Oslo, Norway, with a pregnant Sayiina. Wanting to retire from sailing, set his roots down, and raise a family, he finds gainful employment as Oslo’s new harbor master.But trouble soon finds him when his authority is challenged by the notorious gangs infesting the docks of Oslo.Unpredictably, his return also reignites an old family feud with a sea witch, and drops Ragnar and Sayiina in the midst of the ancient Norse practice of...

After Morgan Wells’s wife leaves him, a postcard from France arrives. It is addressed to a Morgan Wells—but not the Morgan Wells who receives it. Desperate to be led out of his despair, Morgan decides to read the postcard as a sign and embark upon a surreal journey to find, observe, and meet the other Morgan Wellses in the city of Toronto. On the day that a 2003 citywide power outage submerges Toronto in darkness, a teenage boy finds a missive of his own: a copy of Margaret Cavendish’s The...

By the author of the acclaimed Eat Dat, a brand-new guide to New Orleans's scary side, from Voodoo rituals to historic cemeteries and haunted mansionsFear Dat New Orleans explores the eccentric and often macabre dark corners of America’s most unique city. In addition to detailed histories of bizarre burials, ghastly murders, and the greatest concentration of haunted places in America, Fear Dat features a “bone watcher’s guide” with useful...

A ruthless, greedy ship captain.An assassin’s intrigue.A ferocious battle with the Tlingit.In 1795, Russia dominates the Pacific fur trade. Cultures clash on every shore as explorers sail the unknown waters of Pacific North America.Brothers Grigori and Mikhail Romanukski, born to early American settlers of Spanish-Russian heritage, join the crew of the Russian brigantine Phoenix. Their journey along untamed shores takes them to ancient China and a shapeshifter...

Michael Murphy, bestselling author of Golf in the Kingdom, explains the power of athletics to transform the body, mind, and spiritAthletes and coaches often say they feel "in the zone" while participating in sports or other endeavors, and Esalen Institute cofounder Michael Murphy carefully documents this phenomenon in one of the most comprehensive works of its kind. Murphy and coauthor Rhea A. White categorize twenty types of extraordinary athletic feats, ...