The Complete Idiot's Guide to Voodoo


Book Description

Voodoo is a religion of charms and rituals intended to empower life and bring good fortune to those who practice it. This book separates fact from fiction, tracing voodoo's roots back to its African origins and its full development in the West Indies.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires


Book Description

Vampires are the hottest topic in popular culture today. From the now classic novels of Anne Rice, to the mega-selling series by Stephanie Meyer to the hit HBO series True Blood based on the bestselling novels of Charlaine Harris, the undead are certainly not dead in terms of books sales. Now, those curious about the history and lore of these creatures can get up to speed in the refreshed edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vampires. It provides a detailed explanation of the origins of vampires and insight into the fascination they hold in literature and belief. • Complete history and origins of this mythic creature • An explanation of the various rules that vampires exist by • A lively and exhaustive literary discussion of vampires and their importance in fiction




The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Paranormal


Book Description

An otherworldly examination of the unknown that will keep fright fans reading all night From any strange experience that can't be defined by science to psychic phenomena to monsters and weird creatures, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to the Paranormal focuses on the most interesting and bone-chilling aspects of the paranormal the supernatural including: • Ghosts and spirits • Angels, demons, and spellcasters • Unexplained phenomena




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zombies


Book Description

The "New Vampire" . . . The Complete Idiot's Guides® have explored the world of vampires, werewolves, the paranormal, and now the latest book in the "creepy" series is The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Zombies. This book brings the world of zombies chillingly to life—in a manner of speaking—covering everything readers need to know about them. The book includes: • The voodoo zombie, the viral zombie, and the whole zombie family. • What zombies and the delicious fear of them say about human psychology. • Zombies in American culture: in film, from the Romero classics to the Living Dead flicks that are so bad they're good, and in fiction, video games, comics, and more! • The zombie survival phenomenon—of course they're not real, but that doesn't stop people from having loads of fun pretending they are.




Haunted Cemeteries


Book Description

Everybody knows better. Yet from the days of ancient Greece, people have hurried their steps as they passed by—or, heaven forbid, walked through—a cemetery after dark. Indeed, over the centuries there have been countless stories of ghost encounters at churchyards, secular cemeteries, ancient burial grounds, and isolated graves. The second edition of Haunted Cemeteries exhumes more than 200 haunted happenings from restless graveyard ghosts in cemeteries across each of the fifty states and Washington, DC, including: Nevermore!: At least four entities, including the spectre of Edgar Allan Poe, haunt Westminster Burying Ground in Baltimore. And just who is the mysterious Man in Black that shows up every year on January 19, the writer’s birthday?. The Resurrection Apparition: A “hitchhiking ghost” outside Justice, Illinois, vanishes from the car she’s riding in as it passes Resurrection Cemetery—earning her the nickname Resurrection Mary. The Queen of Voodoo: The restless spirit of Marie Laveau, the nineteenth-century Queen of Voodoo, is said to appear in New Orleans’s St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in the form of a gigantic black crow or a phantom black hellhound—when she’s not walking through the French Quarter.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spiritual Healing


Book Description

Promotes awareness of mind/body/spirit connection and provides techniques for healthier living.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ventriloquism


Book Description

The art of "bellyspeaking" isn't for dummies The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Ventriloquism teaches everyone to speak from their bellies, create and substitute sounds, use all the registers of their voice, and create diversions to attract the listener's ear—whether they invest in a fancy puppet or create their own figure out of a sweat sock. • Includes tips for making, manipulating, and talking with their dummy and for it—both at the same time • Advice for getting an act together and taking it on the road-getting gigs, getting paid, and how to improve performances • How to write dialogue and jokes and rehearsal techniques




Mysterious Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen


Book Description

Raymond J. Martinez’ book on legends, lore, and unvarnished truths surrounding New Orleans’ most famous Voodoo mistress also features other tales from surrounding parishes of days long gone by, an illustrated guide to palm-reading, humorous asides, and over 30 fascinating drawings and images. In addition to facts and folklore about Laveau, including revealing research into some debunked myths and unanswered questions, the book offers entertaining stories of her life and the people around the New Orleans area.




The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology


Book Description

The dictionary defines mythology as a collection of ancient tales handed down over millennia, mainly dealing with gods and goddesses, that explains the way the world works, from natural events to society at large. Many people think of the deities of Greece and Rome when they think of mythology, forgetting that almost every culture has its own set of myths to interpret and explain its distinct worldview, often showing striking and fascinating similarities to the classical myths most people are familiar with. The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythologyexplores the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, monsters and angels of the myths from every corner of the globe - the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, Asia, and more. Additionally, it explores the parallels between every culture, including Greece and Rome - striking similarities in mythic figures and the structure, action, wording, and result of the stories themselves.




The Book of Voodoo


Book Description

This guide discusses the events of the menstrual cycle and how it affects women's lives. Discusses puberty and the menopause, and also various myths, rituals and taboos relating to women and the menstrual cycle. Includes information on contraception, menstrual disorders and pelvic diseases and disorders. Includes a bibliography and an index. Fraser is the professor of reproductive medicine, University of Sydney, Farrell is head of the Menopause Unit, Monash Medical Centre, and co-author of 'The HRT Handbook. Grimwade is a technical writer.