Mitch Horowitz

It touched lives as disparate as those of Frederick Douglass, Franklin Roosevelt, and Mary Todd Lincoln--who once convinced her husband, Abe, to host a seance in the White House. Americans all, they were among the famous figures whose paths intertwined with the mystical and esoteric movement broadly known as the occult. Brought over from the Old World and spread throughout the New by some of the most obscure but gifted men and women of early U.S. history, this "hidden wisdom" transformed the spiritual life of the still-young nation and, through it, much of the Western world.Yet the story of the American occult has remained largely untold. Now a leading writer on the subject of alternative spirituality brings it out of the shadows. Here is a rich, fascinating, and colorful history of a religious revolution and an epic of offbeat history.From the meaning of the symbols on the one-dollar bill to the origins of the Ouija board, Occult America briskly sweeps from the nation's earliest days to the birth of the New Age era and traces many people and episodes, including:-The spirit medium who became America's first female religious leader in 1776 -The supernatural passions that marked the career of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith -The rural Sunday-school teacher whose clairvoyant visions instigated the dawn of the New Age -The prominence of mind-power mysticism in the black-nationalist politics of Marcus Garvey-The Idaho druggist whose mail-order mystical religion ranked as the eighth-largest faith in the world during the Great Depression Here, too, are America's homegrown religious movements, from transcendentalism to spiritualism to Christian Science to the positive-thinking philosophy that continues to exert such a powerful pull on the public today. A feast for believers in alternative spirituality, an eye-opener for anyone curious about the unknown byroads of American history, Occult America is an engaging, long-overdue portrait of one nation, under many gods, whose revolutionary influence is still being felt in every corner of the globe.From the Hardcover edition.

The winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, Connie Willis capture the timeless essence of generosity and goodwill in this magical collection if Christmas stories. These eight tales-two of which have never before been published-boldly reimagine the stories of Christmas while celebrating the power of love and compassion. This enchanting treasury includes:"Miracle," in which a young woman's carefully devised plans to find romance go awry when her guardian angel shows her the true meaning of love"In Coppelius's Toyshop," where a jaded narcissist finds himself trapped in a crowded toy store at Christmastime"Epiphany," in which three modern-day wisemen embark on a quest unlike any they've ever experienced"Inn," where a choir singer gives shelter to a homeless man and his pregnant wife-only to learn later that there's much more to the couple than meets the eyeAnd moreFrom the Paperback edition.

Available as paperback and e-book from Hard Shell Word Factory. Is Maggie Yates suffering from a complete nervous breakdown or is a naked jinn offering to grant her three wishes? The only alternative she’s willing to consider is she has a nut in her bedroom. In either case, it’s time to panic! Tom has had more names than he can remember and several masters he’d like to forget. The only thing he hates more than granting wishes is returning to the obis to wait for another fool to call him. When he meets his latest master, however, he discovers wishes have their charms, but he can only grant three before his curse separates them forever. Can Tom trick Maggie into forgoing her third wish until she’s an old woman? Or maybe, just maybe, has he found the one person who loves him enough to risk setting him free? Finalist in Affaire de Couer Reader Poll: Best SF/Fantasy Romance of 2002

Darklore is a journal of exceptional observations, hidden history, the paranormal and esoteric science. Featuring contributions from Daniel Pinchbeck, Loren Coleman, Nick Redfern, Robert Schoch, Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince and many others.

"From the millions-strong audiences of Oprah and The Secret to the mass-media ministries of evangelical figures like Joel Osteen and T. D. Jakes, to the motivational bestsellers and New Age seminars to the twelve-step programs and support groups of the recovery movement and to the rise of positive psychology and stress-reduction therapies, this idea--to think positively--is metaphysics morphed into mass belief. This is the biography of that belief. No one has yet written a serious and broad-ranging treatment and history of the positive-thinking movement. Until now. For all its influence across popular culture, religion, politics, and medicine, this psycho-spiritual movement remains a maligned and misunderstood force in modern life. Its roots are unseen and its long-range impact is unacknowledged. It is often considered a cotton-candy theology for New Agers and self-help junkies. In response, One Simple Idea corrects several historical misconceptions about the positive-thinking movement and introduces us to a number of colorful and dramatic personalities, including Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale, whose books and influence have touched the lives of tens of millions across the world." -- from publisher's website.