Manuela Dunn-Mascetti

This is one of my favorite books about vampire lore. It covers many aspects of vampirism including ancient folklore, fictional stories and Vlad Dracula. The eerie photography by Simon Marsden adds the perfect touch.

Collection of vampire folklore, myths and legends from a variety of world cultures, along with some interesting historical papers purporting to document encounters with the real thing. Lots of photographs, drawings and other artwork. The particular conceit of this book is that all information is presented as if it were true, and that the book itself serves as a "Peterson's guide" to the vampire, with tips on cultivating relationships with vampires as well as providing the "facts" necessary show more to foil them: how to identify, elude, and avoid, as well as how to kill. Fun, and beautifully illustrated. show less

Small in size, easy to take anywhere, this is a pretty book. Plenty of pictures of Ganesha. The mythology and stories presented are interesting. This Western author has researched the traditional 32 forms and sacred symbols associated with this 'Indian' God. But the best part of the book is the Ganesha mantra transliteration from Sanskrit, which is helpful for devotees who do not have knowledge of Sanskrit. The purpose of each mantram is given in English, with a pronunciation and spelling show more note at the end of the book.

The place the book is manufactured is not auspicious. This may bring negative energy to the practice. Devotees who want a Ganesha statue may want to obtain it from elsewhere. show less

This is a small gift book of 56 pages (67 haiku) and very high production value. It's chock-full of beautiful illustrations. It's not a very deep book, neither a good introduction to haiku nor a good introduction to Zen. The haiku selections are from excellent writers, but nothing special about the choice of poems. All of the poems are from other haiku books, most of which should be relatively easy to find. This may be good as a gift book for someone who isn't very interested in haiku and show more wants a quick and elegant overview, but it's really intended more for display than for reading. show less