Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Brought to you by Penguin. A Sunday Times bestseller The next book in Stephen Fry's acclaimed internationally bestselling Greek myths series telling the story of The Odyssey. Sometimes the hardest journey is the way back home . . . Wily Odysseus, King of Ithaca, has won Troy for the Greeks –...

Sometimes, the questions can be more interesting than the answers. The Search in Extraterrestrial Intelligence [SETI] has recently hotted up, with a whole new wave of research going to show that we will always be fascinated by what we don't understand. Was 'The Wow Signal' a radio transmission from deep space? Or was it the resonating frequency of a passing comet? Often, it can feel as if professional explainers of all stripes want to put an end to anything mysterious in life.

Embark on a cultural odyssey to explore the impact of Homer’s iconic poem, from its creation in the eighth century to Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film adaptation in 2026. Since it was first circulated in Ancient Greece, The Odyssey has influenced literature, film, art, and much...

Finally Understand Greek Mythology Without the Confusion, Family Trees, or Boring LecturesYou’ve heard the names. Zeus. Medusa. Hercules. Athena. But if someone asked you to explain who they were, how they’re connected, or what actually happened in the Trojan War… would you be able to? Greek mythology is everywhere. It appears in movies, books, video games, psychology, and everyday language. Yet for many people, the stories feel tangled, overwhelming, or only half-remembered from school. This audiobook was written for people who want clarity.

In We Who Wrestle with God, Jordan Peterson guides us through the ancient, foundational stories of the Western world, analyzing the Biblical accounts of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering and triumph that stabilize, inspire and unite us, culturally and psychologically.

First published three years before the print edition of Women Who Run With the Wolves made publishing history, this original audio edition quickly became an underground bestseller. For its insights into the inner life of women, it established Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés as one of the most...

"One of the few places left to look for meaning in our contemporary culture is in story and myth," suggests Michael Meade. Weaving rhythm and words, this master storyteller, drummer and scholar of mythology, takes us on a compelling journey of self-discovery down the "roads of fire and water."...

When the travel bug bit, J. Maarten Troost took on the world's most populous and intriguing nation. As Troost relates his gonzo adventure - dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) - he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think.

Crushed by the Romans in the first century A.D., the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind. Historian Ronald Hutton shows how this lack of definite information has allowed succeeding British generations to reimagine, reinterpret, and reinvent the Druids. Hutton's captivating book is the first to encompass two thousand years of Druid history and to explore the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes toward the forever ambiguous figures of the ancient Celtic world.

At festive gatherings celebrating summer's peak, in reflective moments as winter gave way, Rebecca Tamás began to hear another rhythm. A faint hint that, underneath the rush of clocks and calendars, another, richer kind of time might exist. As she suffered from grief and burnout, Tamás sought a deeper connection to the movement of the seasons through an immersion in old folkways. She set out on a journey across the UK guided by the Pagan wheel of the year, marking each solstice, equinox and the midpoints between them with a ritual drawn from ancient traditions.

Western folklore and mythology are rife with brilliantly creative, fulfilled, feisty, and furious role models for aging women, despite our culture's focus on youthfulness. In her exciting new book, mythologist and psychologist Sharon Blackie explores these archetypes, presenting them in a way sure to appeal to contemporary women. Drawing inspiration from these examples, women can reclaim midlife as a liberating, alchemical moment rich with possibility and their elder years as a path to dynamic power.

Unveil the secrets of an ancient civilization renowned for its mystique and splendor through E.A. Wallis Budge’s unabridged collection. This expertly curated trilogy, featuring Legends of the Gods, Egyptian Magic, and The Book of the Dead, invites you to explore the depths of Egyptian mythology, magic, and the afterlife.

In this third volume of The Masks of God - Joseph Campbell’s major work of comparative mythology - the preeminent mythologist looks at the pagan religions of Greece, Rome, and the Celts, as well as the Abrahamic religions - Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Exploring the West’s shift from female-centered to male-centered mythology, Campbell examines the distinguishing characteristics and the shared root concepts of these mythologies. The Masks of God is a four-volume study of world religion and myth that stands as one of Joseph Campbell’s masterworks.

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's history. The witch came to prominence - and often a painful death - in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In this landmark book, Ronald Hutton traces witchcraft from the ancient world to the early modern state.

'Jeffs narrates these interconnected tales with warmth, intimacy and a subtle undercurrent of menace' Guardian (Audiobook of the Week) Enriched for audio with specially commissioned music based on traditional melodies, Old Songs fuses short stories, histories, lyrics and music in an enthralling...

A mythological journey through 10 archetypes of psychedelic healing: ancient stories, tangible tools, and depth psychology insights Designed for a new generation of psychedelic facilitators and seekers, Psychedelics and the Soul invokes the traditions of Jungian depth psychology, mythology, and...

The 10 enlightening (and often humorous) lectures of Medieval Myths and Mysteries will show you how far from the “dark” times of legend these centuries were. Uncover the facts about the Knights Templar. Reveal the truth behind the tales of legendary creatures like the Questing Beast and the unicorn. Trace the events of the Black Death and the ways it altered the world in its wake, and much more. With Professor Armstrong, you will dig deep into the ways that later generations reshaped the narrative of the medieval years and perpetuated the myths.

World-renowned volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer has worked at the crater's edge in the wildest places on Earth. He's faced down AK47s, learned from tribal elders, and watched red hot rocks shoot into the sky. More people have been into space than have set eyes on the fiery depths of Mount Erebus in Antarctica, where he has measured the Earth's powerful forces. In Mountains of Fire, he paints volcanoes as otherworldly, magical places where our history is laid bare, and shows us just how entangled volcanic activity is with our climate, economy, politics, culture and beliefs.

Captivatingly read by the author, Natalie Haynes. Get ready to meet the goddesses, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind and Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes. These are the stories of the Greek goddesses. As fearsome, powerful and beloved as their male counterparts, it’s time...

Brought to you by Penguin. From “one of the greatest storytellers we have” (Robert Bly), an urgent invitation to allow the oldest stories — and the Greatest Story — to reshape our own. There’s an old Irish belief that if you aren’t wrapped in a cloak of story you will be unprepared...