Leonard R N Ashley

Leonard R. N. Ashley delights readers with a collection of facts and folklore of the people of Queen Elizabeth I's era. He describes sports and pastimes, religion and superstition, cooking, life in town and country, and the rising bourgeois class. In chapters titled ""Cakes and Ale,"" ""The Playhouse and the Bearbaiting Pit,"" and ""Hey nonny nonny,"" Ashley paints an enlightening portrait of a time made memorable by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Sigmund Freud said that dreams are a window into the subconscious. This book is not only a valuable guide to the interpretation of dreams, but also goes much further than typical dream books to include a vast array of literature, folklore and film references about dreams, proving that while dreams may be a window on the soul, they are also a lens through which we can understand society and culture as well. This marvelously researched illustrated volume contains sections covering: a sampler of dreams and dreaming; dreams and science: religion, magic and dreams: dreams in art, literature and folklore: dreams and cinema: a treasury of short stories about dreams: and a section on the interpretation of dreams. As always Dr. Ashley's unique prose style will appeal to both scholarly and popular audiences alike.

Do you want to cast a spell on a suitor, banish a ghost, cure a toothache, or harvest protective herbs? If so, this is the book for you. The Complete Book of Spells, Curses, and Magical Recipes explains how men and women throughout history have invoked the supernatural for specific uses and provides information about the history of witchcraft, magical recipes, and occult practices from ancient to modern times. Here is a comprehensive and enlightening guide to the rites, rituals, and magic of cultures throughout time.