Light History

Of all the musical developments of rock in the 1960s, one in particular fundamentally changed the music's structure and listening experience: the incorporation of extended improvisation into live performances. While many bands—including Cream, Pink Floyd, and the Velvet Underground—stretched out their songs with improvisations, no band was more identified with the practice than the Grateful Dead. In Get Shown the Light Michael Kaler examines how the Dead's dedication to improvisation stemmed from their belief that playing in this manner enabled them to touch upon transcendence.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, read by Andrew Brooke. Two months before the outbreak of the Second World War, 18-year-old Geoffrey Wellum becomes a fighter pilot with the RAF. Desperate to get in the air, he makes it through basic training to become the youngest Spitfire pilot in the prestigious 92 Squadron. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s.

Rahab, a historical figure, takes center stage in this novel, which seeks to reimagine what her life might have been like, focusing particularly on her journey of transformation. Moving from darkness to light is never easy, and it must have been even more challenging in an era when women had little to no rights. Too often, we are quick to judge the mistakes or circumstances of others, rarely pausing to consider what we ourselves might have done in similar situations. This book dares us to step into a vastly different world through the power of imagination, offering us the chance to glimpse...

Daniel Summerhill gets up one day and walks out of his college class. This novel takes place in the chaotic year of 1970 in Greenwich Village. Daniel is confused. He has to face the draft, angry parents, newly-liberated girlfriends, and total uncertainty about his future. Carefully, he decides to explore being a writer. He gets advice and meets a variety of famous and rebellious people. There is the painter who lives in a treehouse, figures in the music business, writers among the Beatniks and others. Trying to find his self and be true to it, Daniel struggles to write, to find love, and to...

The Boys in the Light follows the parallel journeys of Company D and Eddie Willner, the author’s father, as they experience two sides of World War II. This is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of the bonds forged during war; a must-listen for fans of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile.

Mandy is determined to save the lighthouse that has been in her family for over a hundred years. Hidden inside she finds historical treasures, hidden secrets, and the clues to a possible murder. When her mother is accused of the crime, Mandy's new faith is put to the test. With the help of her old childhood friend, David, and the support of an entire community, she fights to save her family's heritage and find out what happened on that stormy beach those many years ago. Along the way, she finds her faith and true love. You will find an ending you never saw coming.

These passages from the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson on religion and spiritual philosophy reveal a metaphysical thought that is quintessentially American and universally relevant to the spiritual needs of today's world. It is seldom that an American philosopher is found among the gurus, mystics, and masters present in the spiritual milieu. Emerson combined the spiritual intuition of the East with the philosophical acumen of the West.

An Alternate History account of Jack the Ripper: Vampire Hunter. In the fall of 1888, Jack the Ripper cut a swath of blood and terror through the streets of London, in an area known as Whitechapel. The papers called him a monster for attacking innocent women in the night. But if the world only knew the truth behind Jack’s monstrous acts, they would think differently. Jack was a madman, yes, but a madman on a mission to save the world from the foul creatures of the night. Creatures that haunted his soul, tortured his existence, and made every minute of his life a living hell. Only Jack the...

While Christians generally acknowledge that the Bible is God's Word, many of us lack robust confidence in the reality of its trustworthiness. We may not be sure if we really believe what we read. But the more we understand how Scripture came to be, the more we discover its power and truth. Historian Susan Lim unpacks how the history of the Bible bolsters our faith and anchors us through the changing tides of time. The story of Scripture, while messy and complicated at times, is also the story of how God shepherded his people throughout the centuries in and through these writings.

Africa is on the threshold of a changing global environment, with intense competition between those who are part of the so-called Western, liberal, American-led global order and a range of states, illiberal to autocratic, who wish to supplant that order that has been in place since the end of World War II with one that is more to their liking. Living on the youngest continent, Africans find themselves courted by representatives of both blocs. Few understand the significance of this competition or, for that matter, Africa itself. Few know what to do with Africa’s abundant resources, human ...

August 25, 1943. A lone bicyclist transports a cache of explosives, hidden in a beer crate, to a Copenhagen hall being readied to house German troops. In a violent blast, the would-be barracks is reduced to rubble. It's the boldest act yet of Holger Danske and the growing Danish resistance combating the oppressiveness of Hitler's Reich. In 1940, on its way to conquering Western Europe, Germany coerced the Danish government into a "cooperative" agreement that lasted three long years until the increasing brazenness of the Resistance movement prompted a crackdown.

As a U.S. Homeland Security investigator becomes ensnared in a thicket of terrorist puzzles and codes unraveling his troubled past, his counterpart in a parallel Earth without Christianity experiences strange visions of our world after meeting a charismatic preacher with a new message of peace and forgiveness. The two men wade through intolerance, hatred, and terrorism while struggling with their own skepticism as a growing connection between them unwittingly leads toward destruction, redemption, or both.

The origin of a saviour in the guise of a little child is traceable to Child-Horus, who brought new life to Egypt every year as the Messu of the inundation. This was Horus in his pre-solar and pre-human characters of the fish, the shoot of the papyrus, or the branch of the endless years. In a later stage the image of Horus on his papyrus represented the young god as solar cause in creation.

A landmark book that completely transforms our understanding of the crisis of liberalism, from two preeminent intellectuals. Why did the West, after winning the Cold War, lose its political balance? In the early 1990s, hopes for the eastward spread of liberal democracy were high. And yet the transformation of Eastern European countries gave rise to a bitter repudiation of liberalism itself, not only there but also back in the heartland of the West.

The Dark Ages was a millennium, running from approximately 500 (Rome fell in 476) to 1500 AD (Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were written in 1517); being a three-fold darkness: spiritual, physical, and educational. “One must be accustomed to the light, at least in some measure, to be able to judge of the darkness. A blind man can have no idea of the extent of the darkness around him. It is the same as to moral and spiritual darkness. A person must have some acquaintance with the light of scripture in order to discern the darkness around him. Thus, alas, during the ages under consideration, ...

A look at Urban Legends from California, Colorado, and Connecticut. Some of these legends may be well known, but many of them are only known by locals. Inside are eyewitness accounts, directions to some of the locations and legends that are terrifying, shocking and unbelievable.

After destroying William Carpenter, the Master Vampire he followed from London to America, Jack Morrow, also known as Jack the Ripper, finds that his foe had powerful allies in New Orleans who mean to avenge their fallen leader. He soon finds himself tangled in a dangerous web of vampires and Vodou cultists who will stop at nothing to kill Jack the Ripper and end the wrath he has brought upon them. Among the Ripper’s new enemies is a powerful vampire who appears as a nine-year-old southern girl, determined to avenge her fallen Sire. She calls upon Victor, a Vampire Elder and his devious ...

London, 1888 After Jack Morrow boards a steamship to America, the gruesome murders attributed to “Jack the Ripper,” stop as suddenly as they started. Jack is in pursuit of a cunning and dangerous Master Vampire who he has battled before. With his trusted friend, Helena, a gifted physic and practitioner of white magic, they meet the legendary sleuth and partner of Sherlock Holmes, Doctor John Watson. Together, the trio lands in New York City and encounters far more than they expected. Bent on revenge, the Ripper follows the Vampire's trail to the dark streets and mansions of New Orleans,...

Ghost Light: An Introductory Handbook for Dramaturgy offers useful and entertaining answers to the confounding question: "What, exactly, is dramaturgy, and what does a dramaturg do?" According to Michael Mark Chemers, dramaturgs are the scientists of the theater world - their primary responsibility is to query the creative possibilities in every step of the production process, from play selection to costume design, and then research the various options and find ways to transform that knowledge into useful ideas.

Abounding in secluded, atmospheric parks, artists' studios, cafes, restaurants, and streets little changed since the 1800s, Paris exudes romance. The art and architecture, the cityscape, riverbanks, and the unparalleled quality of daily life are part of the equation. But the city's allure derives equally from hidden sources: querulous inhabitants, a bizarre culture of heroic negativity, and a rich historical past supplying enigmas, pleasures, and challenges.