Different styles of martial arts offer contradictoryinformation, philosophies, and techniques for the body in combat. Apractitioner of Judo might advocate grappling, reasoning that mostfights converge into close range after a short time, when anadvocate of Tae Kwon Do would argue that one should strive tomaintain one's distance in an encounter that would allow one to usethe legs, the most powerful weapon on the human body. As a lifelong student and teacher of multiple styles of martialarts, Steven Pearlman has sought to distill from these disciplinesnot a fusion of techniques, but rather a compilation of fundamentalprinciples that can guide the individual martial artist to theideal action. Through his exploration of a set of basic principlesthat range from the physical (spinal alignment, the triangularguard, breathing) to the spiritual (the void, the body-mind, thecharacter), Pearlman arrives at a system open to all martialartists without bastardizing the techniques of the originaldisciplines.

In 1202, zealous western Christians gathered in Venicedetermined to liberate Jerusalem from the grip of Islam. But thecrusaders never made it to the Holy Land. Steered forward by theshrewd Venetian doge, they descended instead on Constantinople,wreaking devastation so terrible and inflicting scars so deep thatas recently as 2001 Pope John Paul II offered an apology to theGreek Orthodox Church. The crusaders spared no one: They raped and massacred thousands,plundered churches, and torched the lavish city. A prostitutedanced on the altar of the ravaged Hagia Sophia. And by 1204,barbarism masquerading as piety had shattered one of the greatcivilizations of history. Here, on the eight hundredth anniversaryof the sack, is the extraordinary story of this epic catastrophe,told for the first time outside of academia by Jonathan Phillips, aleading expert on the crusades. Knights and commoners, monastic chroniclers, courtly troubadours,survivors of the carnage, and even Pope Innocent III left vividac

Raja and Nilu are fated to fall in love. They both have been abandoned—he through his mother’s suicide inthe public pond, she through her mother’s constant escape intodrink. He has grown up on the streets, she in a crumbling mansion.And yet, they find each other, again and again. First when they arechildren. Then when they are young lovers. And finally after theyboth fear they have lost their marriage. But the events of thepast, even those we are ignorant of, inevitably haunt the present.And Raja and Nilu’s story is not only their own. Using Nepal’s political upheavals as a backdrop to demonstratehow we are irreparably connected to past and home, Buddha’s Orphansis an engrossing, unconventional love story, a seductive,transporting read, and further evidence that Samrat Upadhyay is oneof our finest writers, thoroughly deserving of his acclaim as “theBuddhist Chekhov” and comparisons to Amitav Ghosh, William Trevor,and Jhumpa Lahiri.

A unique visual guide to life inside the spiritual centre of the Catholic Church, updated to include Pope Francis The Vatican explores Vatican City, the world's smallest sovereign state and the spiritual heart of one of the world's great religions with worldwide influence. Through the inside knowledge of Father Michael Collins, gain a privileged insight into the 2,000 year history, traditional ceremonies, priceless treasures and spectacular architecture of the Vatican. Find fascinating accounts of the day-to-day running of the state, illustrated by the stories of those who live or work in this extraordinary city within a city; from a priest and a chorister to a gardener. With specially commissioned photographs covering every aspect of life at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church, The Vatican will take you right inside this extraordinary world.

Richly illustrated with fine art, Saints and Angels describes the lives and works of many familiar and unfamiliar saints and angels. Among those included are the apostles, John the Baptist, Joan of Arc and the first native-born American saint, Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. Details of feast days and patronages are also discussed. Coverage includes information about choirs of angels, guardian angels and fallen angels.,