Mysteries and the Unexplained in Credo: Books

From vampires and demons to ghosts and zombies, interest in monsters in literature, film, and popular culture has never been stronger. This concise Encyclopedia provides scholars and students with a comprehensive and authoritative A-Z of monsters throughout the ages. It is the first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market.

Constitutes an essential resource for those interested in the academic study of cultural engagements with paranormality; it will appeal to scholars of cultural and media studies, popular culture, sociology, cultural geography, literature, film and music.

From the cunning, calculating, government-trained warriors to the psychopathic, homegrown freelancers, you can find them all in this text.

Investigates the eerie history of our conversations with the dead, from necromancy in Homer's Odyssey to the emergence of Spiritualism - when Victorians were entranced by mediums and the seance was born.

Covering everything from cryptozoology and the Yeti to witchcraft, earth mysteries, folklore, ghosts, human oddities, the occult, parapsychology, spiritualism, and UFOs, a comprehensive resource looks a wide range of unexplained phenomena in a volume containing objective, informative, and up-to-date entries.

Offers context for the reams of declassified UFO-related documents that have been released in the United States, Brazil, and other countries; explores secret government programs that were revealed in recent years and before; and compiles and explains the UFO phenomena in all its aspects.

Nina Edwards interrogates humanity's various attempts to harness and suppress the dark, from our early use of fire to the later discovery of electricity. She reveals how the idea of darkness pervades art, literature, religion and every aspect of our everyday language.

An illustrated record book of sauropod facts and figures - the hugest, the oldest, the most intelligent, and more.

An illustrated record book of theropod facts and figures - from the biggest to the fastest to the smartest.

This intriguing reference provides detailed entries that define the major conspiracies, both proven and unproven, throughout history. From the "inheritance powder" of the Medicis to the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, this encyclopedia investigates the broad history of conspiracies and their impact on global affairs and everyday life.

The detective genre has explored supernatural and paranormal themes throughout its colorful history. Stories of detectives investigating spiritualists, ghostly apparitions, the occult and psychics have spanned pulp fiction magazines, comic books, novels, film, television, animation and video games. This encyclopedia covers the history of the genre in its multiple forms and informs and adds to the knowledge of either the new or informed reader.

A concise and engaging introduction to magic in world history and contemporary societies.

Vaughn Scribner traces the long history of mermaids and mermen, taking in a wide variety of sources and using striking images.

Provides biographical summaries of more than 100 assassins and terrorists, and aims for a more complete understanding of the motivations behind violent extremism.

The most up-to-date and authoritative illustrated guide to the marvelous flying reptiles that dominated the skies of the Mesozoic for 160 million years.

Brings together the work of scholars from across Europe and North America to provide extensive insights into recent developments in the study of medieval magic between c.1100 and c.1500.

Delves into the global phenomenon of serial and spree murderers.

Featuring a fantastic and ghoulish array of examples from history, literature, film, TV and computer games, Shapeshifters explores our secret desire to become something other than human.

Showing how vampire-like creatures organically formed in virtually every part of the world, this title examines the historic, societal, and psychological role the vampire has played - and continues to play - in understanding death, man's deepest desires, and human pathologies.

Covering 140,000 years of legend, mythology, and fact, this book provides hair-raising evidence of strange and obsessional behavior through the centuries. Learn the basics of becoming a werewolf and the intricacies of slaying the beast.

Long considered the standard reference source for information on holidays and other events, this 6th edition includes more than 3,500 holidays, festivals, commemorations, holy days, feasts and fasts, and other observances from all parts of the world. A key resource for anyone seeking information on different cultures, countries, and ethnic groups.

Encompasses all aspects of archaeology, including the nature and diversity of archaeology as a scientific discipline, the practice of archaeology, archaeology in the everyday world, and the future of the discipline.

Provides a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline, combining anthropological theory and ethnography. Includes substantial entries, short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and glossary items.

An accessible, authoritative, no-nonsense guide to the key concepts in one of the most widely used methodologies in social science: Ethnography.

A comprehensive, authoritative source of information about the calendars and holidays of the world's religions. It also provides concise information about the beliefs, practices, and history of major religions.

Devoted exclusively to the history, culture, mythology and language of the island of Ireland, its 5000 A to Z entries include Celtic gods and goddesses, bards, beasts, literary allusions, proverbial sayings, idiomatic phrases and expressions, characters from Irish literature ancient and modern, resonant place-names, and individuals and events of 'iconic' stature in Irish history. A significant number of entries relate to contemporary Irish life and culture.

From the publishers of the perennially best-selling Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable comes a phrase and fable dictionary for the 21st century. With its unique blend of word and phrase etymology, cultural allusion and general knowledge, and its predilection for the esoteric and the unexpected, this text offers a richly diverse and entertaining exploration of the linguistic and cultural landscape of the modern world.

20th edition; Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, this text takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth, and legend.

Comprehensive, clear, and objective look at a subject that fills most people with fear and dread, one that remains a part of our human experience, our popular culture, and our spiritual understandings.

Provides accessible, informative and authoritative entries to answer any major question about Hinduism, its mythology, practices, customs and laws.

Daniel MacCannell's enlightening, instructive and beautifully illustrated guide to the rainbow is the first of its kind. It describes what rainbows are and how they work, how we arrived at our current scientific understanding of rainbows, and how they have been portrayed in myths, the arts, politics and popular culture.

Exhaustive reference covering the known ancient gods, many heretofore obscure or known only from mythological literature, with a focus on their origins, histories, and functions.

Containing detailed entries on the magical and mythical items from the different folklore, legends, and religions the world over, this encyclopedia is the first of its kind. Each item is described in as much detail as the original source material provided, including information on its origin, who was its wielder, and the extent of its magical abilities.

Covers writers, illustrators, works, characters, countries, and related topics such as film, television, art, the oral tradition, advertising, feminism, and much more.

Myths and legends, with their fantastical settings and parade of exotic creatures and beautiful immortals, have inspired some of the most popular works in the National Gallery Collection. This text leads the modern viewer through these important aspects of Western art.