An award-winning historian’s examination of impossible events at the dawn of modernity and of their enduring significance   Accounts of seemingly impossible phenomena abounded in the early modern era—tales of levitation, bilocation, and witchcraft—even as skepticism, atheism, and empirical science were starting to supplant religious belief in the paranormal. In this book, Carlos Eire explores how a culture increasingly devoted to scientific thinking grappled with events deemed impossible by its leading intellectuals.   Eire observes how levitating saints and flying witches were as essential a component of early modern life as the religious turmoil of the age, and as much a part of history as Newton’s scientific discoveries. Relying on an array of firsthand accounts, and focusing on exceptionally impossible cases involving levitation, bilocation, witchcraft, and demonic possession, Eire challenges established assumptions about the redrawing of boundaries between the natural and supernatural that marked the transition to modernity.   Using as his case studies stories about St. Teresa of Avila, St. Joseph of Cupertino, the Venerable María de Ágreda, and three disgraced nuns, Eire challenges readers to imagine a world animated by a different understanding of reality and of the supernatural’s relationship with the natural world. The questions he explores—such as why and how “impossibility” is determined by cultural contexts, and whether there is more to reality than meets the eye or can be observed by science—have resonance and lessons for our time.

Worn out by poverty, Lettie Radley and her miner husband Tommy grasp at the offer of their very own smallholding - part of a Government scheme to put the unemployed back to work on the land. When she comes down to Essex to join him, it's not Tommy who greets her, but their new neighbours. Overbearing and unkempt, Jean and Adam Dell are everything that the smart, spirited, aspirational Lettie can't abide. As Lettie settles in, she finds an unexpected joy in the rhythms of life on the smallholding. She's hopeful that her past, and the terrible secret Tommy has come to Foxash to escape, are far behind them. But the Dells have their own secrets. And as the seasons change, and a man comes knocking at the gate, the scene is set for a terrible reckoning. Combining a gothic sensibility with a visceral, unsettling sense of place, Foxash is a deeply original novel of quiet and powerful menace, of the real hardships of rural life, and the myths and folklore that seep into ordinary lives - with surprising consequences.

“Carnalis is a poetic feast, a lean yet satisfying contribution to the cannibal subgenre. This addictive novella hums with a primal energy that reminds you how animalistic and predatory society can be. Frightening, prescient, and vibrating with an all consuming intensity, Carnalis will be savored for years to come.” -Grant Wamack, author of God’s Leftovers “Don't dismiss Carnalis as 'merely' a cannibal novella—it positively sizzles with commentary on class, race, gender identities, sexuality, eating disorders, mental health, religion, late-stage capitalism, and more, all delivered in a beautiful, lyrical, haunting prose that leaves you hungry for more. But of course it does; it's from Tiffany Morris. I'm not sure a steak will ever taste the same.” -Lauren McMenemy of HorrorTree and the Writing the Occult event series “Carnalis, by Tiffany Morris, is immediately engaging, fun and gross, every sentence a fleshy nod to the human body, and you'll worry more for Alex as Lauren becomes increasingly unpleasant to be around (the ending had me biting my nails). Also is it wrong that I got hungry despite being vegetarian? And not a cannibal?” -Madeleine Swann, author of Reality but More Fun “In delicious prose, Tiffany Morris delves deep into the horrors of toxic relationships. A masterful investigation of embodied trauma, class exploitation, and cultural colonialism, this all-meat story gives the reader plenty to chew on. As tender as it is disturbing, Carnalis will leave you hungry for more.” -Brittni Brinn, author of Misplaced

"When the Death of Mountains came for us, we had been aching for a long time. There is so much loss in being a mountain; it is a terribly long time to live. Yet something awoke within us when they arrived, their face a stone skull, their hands obsidian bones that cracked and crackled like fracking. It made us hurt to hear their earthquake step across the ground as they arrived. Their breath was like coal dust, the stuff their cloak was made from. They left a trail of oil behind them as they walked. When they spoke, their breath was hot, volcanic; it made us wither at first. We, however are a middling hilld of the Appalachians. And we have seen much worse. Far worse than death."

From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruellest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

Famous paintings are celebrated for their beauty and depth, but they’re also a treasure trove of ridiculous faces. From bewildered angels to screaming cats, stunning paintings are chock-full of weird expressions. In Stupid Faces in Stunning Paintings, Matthijs Van Mierlo takes you on a journey to the strangest corners of the art world, uncovering the stories behind 50 wacky faces―stories about religion, love, vanity, and just one very confused unicorn. Why does Vermeer’s The Girl with the Wine Glass look so bug-eyed? Who let Frida Kahlo paint a disturbingly dazed toddler? And why does baby Jesus look like he’s about to file your taxes? This is the art history book to answer those questions and more, perfect for anyone who loves a great painting and a good laugh.

This remarkable collection of stories, first published in 1872, includes Green Tea, The Familiar, Mr. Justice Harbottle, The Room in the Dragon Volant, and Carmilla. The five stories are purported to be cases by Dr. Hesselius, a 'metaphysical' doctor, who is willing to consider the ghosts both as real and as hallucinatory obsessions. The reader's doubtful anxiety mimics that of the protagonist, and each story thus creates that atmosphere of mystery which is the supernatural experience. This new annotated edition includes an introduction, notes on the text, and explanatory notes. NB: The Familiar is a revision of The Watcher; Mr. Justice Harbottle is a revision of An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street.

Famous paintings are celebrated for their beauty and depth, but they’re also a treasure trove of ridiculous faces. From bewildered angels to screaming cats, stunning paintings are chock-full of weird expressions. In Stupid Faces in Stunning Paintings, Matthijs Van Mierlo takes you on a journey to the strangest corners of the art world, uncovering the stories behind 50 wacky faces―stories about religion, love, vanity, and just one very confused unicorn. Why does Vermeer’s The Girl with the Wine Glass look so bug-eyed? Who let Frida Kahlo paint a disturbingly dazed toddler? And why does baby Jesus look like he’s about to file your taxes? This is the art history book to answer those questions and more, perfect for anyone who loves a great painting and a good laugh.