Most Popular Books by Byron Preiss

The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People''s treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D''eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.

This renowned museum houses some of the most coveted masterpieces in the world. Illustrated with full-color images, this art ebook details the history of the museum and gives brief overviews of some of its cherished paintings from masters such as Ingres and Delacroix.

What if your dad were president of the United States? Some of the most famous people in the world would visit your house, and you''d have a new room to explore every day of the month. And you might meet some residents of the White House that nobody''s heard of, like the family of bats living in the basement, an anteater named Agatha who lives in the garden shed, and a blue bear. Each season with these new friends would bring new adventures. Perhaps you''d solve a mystery with the help of a Secret Service agent. Or you could take a trip to the spooky Vampire State Building—and hope you live to tell about it! Originally published as The Bat Family. Illustrated.

An Illustrated Novel “A truly fine novel by a truly fine writer.”—Theodore Sturgeon An incredible man from another world stranded on earth searching the stars for a way home. Caliban knew when he opened his faceted eyes that he had been thrust through a bizarre warp to a strange world. But how could he return to his home plant Balthar...to discover the truth about his love Lady Jerilyn? Caliban meets a young woman whose paintings reveal the land of his birth. Her mind holds the secret to Caliban''s struggle—but the government is closing in fast. With his alien strength and the ability to distort perception, Caliban faces the threat of two different worlds.

Some of the world''s best-known authors of the fantastic and the mysterious explore the legend of Bram Stoker''s classic and seductive monster. From Hugo and Stoker Award-winning author Dan Simmons'' extraordinary portrait of life and torture in modern Romania, to W.R. Philbrick''s chilling story of a doctor who meets a vampire in need of a cure, to Karen Robards'' glimpse at the life of the smallest vampire of them all— here are spectacular vampire stories transcending time and space.

After the death of the Batman of 3000 A.D., that era''s Robin and his allies are captured by Batman''s killers, the Skulp, and tricked into helping their plot to control interplanetary civilizations.

Features the complete text of the constitution and its 26 amendments; plus essays and commentary by some of America''s leading statesmen.

It is the year 3000, and the Batman of that era lies dead. Civilization''s only remaining hope against the threat of the group known as the Skulp resides in the boy who survives the Dark Knight...if he can only prevail where his mentor failed. What will the Earth of 3000 A.D. be like...and how will its heroes cope with the otherworldly threats confronting it? ROBIN 3000 is the first Robin Elseworlds story, and the first Elseworlds story in two parts.

Twenty-five writers of mystery fiction present stories featuring Chandler''s introspective private eye and his Southern California milieu.

Consists of essays by astronomers, speculations by science fiction authors, and illustrations by space artists.

In this strange and exciting collection, some of the best-known authors of fantasy explore the intricacies and speculations of human encounters with aliens. THE ULTIMATE ALIEN offers such a variety of stories, from Arthur C. Clarke''s classic tale of the exploration of Venus, to Robert Silverberg''s examination of an interspecies marriage. Mike Resnick and Nicholas A. DiChario''s take a hilarious look at an alien radio broadcast, while to Nina Kiriki Hoffman''s shares an intense study of a woman taken over by a plant-like creature. THE ULTIMATE ALIEN presents some spectacular stories transcending time and space.

In this haunting and provocative collection, some of the best-known authors of the fantastic and the mysterious explore the legends and lore of witches and witchcraft. From Dean Koontz’s tale of a witch’s revenge on a purse-snatcher to Jane Yolen’s story of sorcery in old Scotland, from S.P. Somtow’s eerie look at Magic in modern-day Hollywood to Tanith Lee’s story of enchantment in an exotic land—here are spectacular stories transcending time and place. Stories by Various Authors Introduction by Philip José Farmer Cover art by Bruce Jensen Illustrations by Lars Hokanson

In this mythic and wondrous collection, some of the best-known authors of the fantastic explore the legends and lore of the fire-breathing creatures that have captured the imagination of adventure lovers everywhere – dragons. From S.P. Somtow’s dramatic tale of an ancient dragon owned by a family in modern Thailand to Ursula K. Le Guins’s classic story of the power of a dragon’s naming, from Tanith Lee’s portrait of a dying dragon to Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg’s look at a dragon whose love for a human woman could spell doom for the whole Earth—here are spectacular dragon stories transcending time and place..

Manet, Monet Renoir, Degas—these and other Impressionists are profiled in this accessible ebook. Features full-color images of some of these artists’ best-known works, such as Manet’s Olympia, Monet’s Impression: Sunrise, and Degas’s Orchestra of the Opéra, this guide is sure to make an impression.

A puedo-autobiographical view of the Beach Boys, including interview excerpts, historical narrative, lyrics, photographs and illustrations.