Best Selling Books by John Matthews

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This companion to Celtic folklorist John Matthews'' The Song of Taliesin (Quest 2001) features seventeen stories never before published in book form, interspersed with the author''s original poetry in the style of the ancient past whence the tales spring. The book is a stunning retelling of legends, myths, and folktales drawn from the Welsh Mabinogion, the Taliesin tradition, The Book of Leinster, the story of Perceval, Malory''s Morte d''Arthur, and other traditional sources. The stories are accompanied by excellent endnotes explaining sources and elucidating points of difficulty, but they stand beautifully on their own. Taken as a whole, they present the characters, themes, and events of Celtic, Grail, and Arthurian lore in an authentic literary voice that makes for great reading and great telling. The Ancient Wisdom flows forward in many forms. One of its streams is surely found in the Arthurian "quest for the Grail"---which is, at its core, the quest for enlightenment and spiritual mastery. Matthews'' lucid refashioning of these tales is informed by his deep understanding of their esoteric center. Through them, the reader may clearly see the Ancient Wisdom shine.

Adolphus Pringle lived a relatively normal life before he met Henry Hunter, but being the best friend of a twelve-year-old millionaire genius certainly makes life interesting. He has accompanied Henry on adventures all over the world and encountered dozens of supernatural creatures. Henry has a penchant for paranormal mysteries, and he never fails to drag his trusty sidekick, Dolf, into adventures to track down the truth in these mystical legends. Henry announces one morning that he and Dolf are going to go in search of a creature more terrifying than Dracula himself: the Beast of Snagov. The pair of supernatural investigators travel from where Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby to Transylvania. Along the way they come across some strange things such as Dracula’s daughter, Bella, and an organization called the Order of the Dragon that wants to sacrifice Henry Hunter to the Beast of Snagov. When Henry is taken, it’s up to Dolf and Bella to team up and rescue him! Will Henry survive this supernatural adventure? Get ready to discover the world of the supernatural through the eyes of our spooked narrator as he tags along on the first adventure in the Henry Hunter series! Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

This up-to-date guidebook covers Israel today--from the broad green valleys of Ilulah in the north to the deserts of the Negev and the savannah of Eilat in southern Israel--including the great cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 250 maps.

Discover a system of magical work based on the stories of Arthur and his legendary realm. With meditations, rituals, visualizations, and pioneering shamanic techniques, Arthurian Magic leads you on a profound soul journey designed to raise consciousness and unleash deep levels of wisdom. Discover dozens of exercises and a complete twelve-month course of study that will bring the mysteries alive and open your inner awareness to the mystical power of these profound legends. Dozens of magical groups and countless individuals have turned to the Arthurian tales for inspiration, instruction, and initiation. This book is a guide for beginners and experienced practitioners to cultivate the spiritual power of these influential myths. Explore the sacred sites, songs, blessings, invocations, and festivals. Create incense and oils for magical workings. Meet the most important and influential archetypal figures as you discover how to awaken the knight within.

Teen King Arthur''s origin story is told in a full-color graphic novel.

The fifteen papers in this volume discuss issues of Roman social, cultural and political history from the foundation of the Principate to the age of barbarian settlements of the west. Working imaginatively from within the diverse evidence, they show the institutional continuity of the Roman empire between its early and later periods, and reveal the roots of political behaviour in social practice. Five of the papers, including three of the most substantial, are previously unpublished; others have appeared in collections which are now difficult to find. The author has edited the whole to bring out thematic connections as well as for consistency of presentation.

Looks at myths, legends, and ceremonies that honor the sun, and includes a history of ancient cultures that worshiped the sun and songs, meditations, and activities for various festivals.

Voyages with the Celtic Saints recounts the inspired lives of the Celtic saints, who carried the torch of the new faith of Christianity to the wild tribespeople of Britain and Ireland. Finding many parallels between their own wisdom and that of the Druids and other teachers of the Celtic people, they adapted their own teachings to include and reshape that of the older wisdom. • Features stories from the lives of 14 inspiring Celtic saints who lived between the third and seventh centuries CE • Scholar John Matthews retells and provides commentary on these stories, making them relevant and accessible to modern readers • Meditation notes and questions at the end of each chapter for those wishing to deepen their understanding of the stories and question their own voyage • Updates from prior edition with new illustrations by renowned artist Joe Machine and two additional entries on women saints, St. Gwenfrewi and St. Goibniu • Includes inspiring foreword by David Spangler, one of the founding figures of the modern New Age movement

The Art of Childhood and Adolescence is composed of completely new research on the development of representational thinking from infancy through to adolescence. It makes an important contribution to the theory of children''s development and to practitioners'' understanding, as well as suggesting new paths of inquiry. The book draws on highly detailed longitudinal studies, conducted over 24 years (20 in London and 4 in Singapore). Line drawings and photographs are used to illustrate important concepts. Matthews, highly respected internationally, also sheds light on current debates, such as the opposition of culturally specific and universal development in children the world over.

• Includes the story of Merlin’s birth as the son of a demon, how he was born already able to speak, how his magic ensured he was not killed by his babysitter, and details of his affair with the Lady of the Lake • Shares stories of Percival’s first contact with the Grail and King Arthur’s connection with the legendary mystical king Prester John • Includes early Welsh prophecies attributed to Merlin, prophecies compiled by historian Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the letter of Prester John that inspired Columbus Maarten Haverkamp acquired a French book from 1498 titled The Prophecies of Merlin that claimed to be prophecies given by the legendary magician. The book was really a compilation of documents collected by an unknown 13th century monk. Working with John Matthews, Maarten spent five years translating the mysteries hidden in this obscure book. Presenting their translation and commentary, the authors share forgotten stories of early Arthurian literature and magic. They share the tale of Merlin’s birth from a demon, how he was born able to speak, and how his magic ensured he was not killed by his guardian. Merlin’s affair with the Lady of the Lake is detailed, ending with his imprisonment in a tomb. Other stories include Percival’s first contact with the Grail and King Arthur’s connection with the mystical king Prester John. The authors show how The Prophecies of Merlin sheds new light on the world of King Arthur and the women who learned magic from Merlin. To reveal the esoteric meaning of this work, the authors include Welsh prophecies attributed to Merlin (translated by John and Caitlín Matthews), other prophecies attributed to Merlin that were compiled by Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the original letter of Prester John that inspired the Polo family and Columbus to search for India. Discovering a hitherto lost or forgotten book about Merlin and King Arthur is a rare event these days. Yet here the authors present a virtually forgotten and, to date, untranslated book, which includes much that is new—and exciting—about the legendary king and his magical adviser. Through their translation and insightful passage by passage commentary, they reveal secrets long hidden behind the obscure language of the prophetic utterances.

Defines then explores all aspects of what this tradition represents, its symbolic figures and places.

Describes the historical Arthur and the origins of the Grail legends.