A collection of quotations from Canada’s greatest literary theorist. "There is no Canadian writer of whom we can say … that their readers can grow up inside their work without ever being aware of a circumference." Northrop Frye came to that conclusion after a detailed study of the imaginative achievements of Canada’s writers from the earliest period to 1965, when that sentence from his study first appeared in print. Over the decades since then, the statement has come to be regarded as a benchmark of individual and national literary achievement. The Northrop Frye Quote Book is a specialized dictionary of quotations on all subjects that is based on the thoughts and writings of one person. It is the handiwork of a single contributor, albeit the cogitations of a remarkable one. It is also evidence that there is a Canadian writer of whom it may be said that we can grow up inside his work "without ever being aware of a circumference." John Robert Colombo has written, translated, edited, or compiled over two hundred books, including seven dictionaries of quotations. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and a Fellow of the Frye Centre at Victoria University. Jean O’Grady, a graduate of the University of Toronto, served as the associate editor of The Collected Works of Northrop Frye. She is also the author of the biography of Margaret Addison, the first dean of women at Victoria College.

Inspiring couples to plan their wedding in a way that is meaningful to them, The New Wedding Bookdebunks the 'traditions,' makes sense of realistic budgets, and confronts the crushing pressure for weddings to be perfect.

From the creator of the popular blog The Monsters Know What They're Doing comes a compilation of villainous battle plans for Dungeon Masters. In the course of a Dungeons & Dragons game, a Dungeon Master has to make one decision after another in response to player behavior-and the better the players, the more unpredictable their behavior! It's easy for even an experienced DM to get bogged down in on-the-spot decision-making or to let combat devolve into a boring slugfest, with enemies running directly at the player characters and biting, bashing, and slashing away. In The Monsters Know What They're Doing, Keith Ammann lightens the DM's burden by helping you understand your monsters' abilities and develop battle plans before your fifth edition D & D game session begins. Just as soldiers don't whip out their field manuals for the first time when they're already under fire, a DM shouldn't wait until the PCs have just encountered a dozen bullywugs to figure out how they advance, fight, and retreat.

“Did you see the big fight this weekend?” The question used to be about boxing matches, when the giants of the fight world were Mike Tyson and Roy Jones. Now fans are leaving the sweet science in droves for the combat sport of the future: mixed martial arts (MMA).

MMA has drawn millions on cable and network television, as well as out-performed professional wrestling and boxing on pay-per-view. Fans are attracted to the sport, but unlike boxing (where strategy and technique are limited to using both your left and right hands), an MMA fight can be surprisingly complicated.

The MMA Encyclopedia puts the fighters, the facts, and the fundamentals of the world’s fastest growing sport at your fingertips as the definitive reference guide to mixed martial arts. The encyclopedia will break the MMA language barrier for those who don’t know a wristlock from a wristwatch, while at the same time offering perspective and analysis that will entertain the hardcore fan who already has the basics down pat. With three appendices that detail the results of every MMA fight in history, this the ultimate reference book for the ultimate sport.

The sixth in our popular Words of Wisdom series, The Inventor Says invites readers to a gathering of history's most brilliant creative minds, where inventors past and present jostle, compete, contradict, and compliment each other. Groundbreakers such as Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Ada Lovelace, the Wright Brothers, and Sejong the Great converse with the twentieth century's most ingenious tinkerers and thinkers, from Buckminster Fuller, Ruth Handler (creator of the Barbie doll), Nikola Tesla (who cuts Thomas Edison down to size for his lack of scientific discipline), and Apple's Steve Wozniak to contemporary figures like Lisa Seacat DeLuca, IBM's most prolific female inventor. These intrepid innovators discuss their childhood, inspirations, working habits, failure as a productive stage in the creative process, and much more, in a collection that will inspire readers to hatch a few brilliant ideas of their own. As Edwin Land advised: "Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible."

Eschewing the usual mathematical explanations for physics phenomena, this approachable reference explains complicated scientific concepts in plain English that everyone can understand. Tackling the big issues such as gravity, magnetism, sound, and what really happens in the Large Hadron Collider, this engaging look at physics also spells out why cats always land on their feet, why people appear to have red eyes in photographs, and the real danger of looking at an eclipse. For everyone who ever wondered how a light bulb works or how squirrels avoid electrocution on the power lines, this handbook supplies answers on the physics of everyday life and examines the developments in the exploration of subatomic particles. In addition to the question-and-answer section, an addendum of facts about physicists explains what the Nobel prize is and who has won it, and tells the story of the scientist who was incarcerated for agreeing with Copernicus. Answers more than eight hundred questions about physics, ranging from everyday life applications to the latest explorations in the field.

From planetary movements and the exploration of our solar system to black holes and dark matter, this comprehensive reference simplifies all aspects of astronomy with an approachable question-and-answer format. With chapters broken into various astronomical studies-including the universe, galaxies, planets, and space exploration-this fully updated resource is an ideal companion for students, teachers, and amateur astronomers, answering more than 1,00 questions, such as Is the universe infinite' What would happen to you if you fell onto a black hole' What are the basic concepts of Einstein's special theory of relativity' and Who was the first person in space'

Did a Canadian kill famed escape artist Harry Houdini? Are the streets of Yellowknife really paved with gold? What was Canada’s connection to those famous "Paul McCartney is dead" rumours of the late 1960s? And just how long does it take a drop of water to flow from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean? The Great Canadian Trivia Book II brings you all these answers and more. In the much-anticipated sequel to their bestseller, The Great Canadian Trivia Book, award-winning writers Mark Kearney and Randy Ray dig even deeper into Canada’s curious characters, storied past, natural phenomena, cultural idiosyncrasies, and the peculiarities of our leisurely pursuits. In the pages of this intriguing book, you’ll discover the Canadian who was responsible for introducing the glove to professional baseball, the story behind Canada’s blue two-dollar bill, how the robbery phrase "hands up" was connected to Canada, and whether a goalie can take a face-off in a hockey game. Think it’s unlikely a Canadian might have been president of the United States? That Sir John A. Macdonald was the only one in his family to achieve political fame? Or that a Canadian rock group would turn down a chance to play at the famous Woodstock festival of 1969? The Great Canadian Trivia Book II will have you thinking again. And again.

Who were Canada’s ten most romantic couples of the twentieth century? What were this country’s worst disasters, its ten best beers, and its most controversial works of art in the past one hundred years? Where will you find the most haunted places in Canada and who are Canada’s greatest heroes, its most accomplished athletes, and its most despised criminals? The Great Canadian Book of Lists chronicles a century of achievements, trends, important and influential people, and fascinating events that have shaped this country as it heads into a new millennium. Award-winning writers Mark Kearney and Randy Ray, who have delighted readers with their bestselling books The Great Canadian Trivia Book and The Great Canadian Trivia Book 2, turn the spotlight on the twentieth century to determine the best, worst, and most significant happenings in our lives. Not content with supplying a shopping list of items about Canada, Kearney and Ray provide plenty of details to support why certain people and events are included on the lists. And their statistical snapshots comparing a variety of societal trends over different years show readers how Canada has changed in the course of the past century. You’ll also learn how experts from the worlds of science, sports, lifestyle, literature, and politics rate the personalities and events that have made Canada what it is today. And several guest celebrities weigh in with lists they’ve created exclusively for The Great Canadian Book of Lists. Enlightening, controversial and fun, The Great Canadian Book of Lists is bound to start as many arguments as it settles. Was Guy Lafleur a better hockey player than Rocket Richard? Why are rower Silken Laumann and actress Margot Kidder on the same list? What were the best Canadian novels of the twentieth century? And what are some key milestones achieved by Canadian women, medical doctors, inventors, and musicians? Innovations and flops, successes and failures, comebacks and breakthroughs, record setters and trend setters: You’ll find them all in The Great Canadian Book of Lists.