Collection: Adult

We all want to be known. Most of us just don't know how to begin.

When Jess Janz found herself craving deeper conversations--but trapped in a world of small talk--she took a leap. What started as a casual idea in a hair salon soon became Dinner With Strangers: a growing movement where guests gather around a table, introduce themselves without ever mentioning work, and share who they are beyond the job title. No scripts, no expectations--just curiosity, courage, and a seat at the table.

In The Table Where We Meet, Jess reflects on what she's learned from hosting dinners with more than a thousand strangers across North America. With essays that are both tender and practical, she explores what it means to belong, how to ask better questions, and why connection requires us to risk being truly seen. Alongside her insights are unforgettable stories--funny, heartbreaking, deeply human--that reveal how much we all have in common when we finally let our guard down.

This is a book for anyone who's ever felt alone in a crowd, tired of surface-level chatter, or unsure how to bridge the gap between isolation and intimacy. The Table Where We Meet is a guide, a memoir, and a quiet revolution--one dinner at a time.

The classic Gundam series now in a premium Deluxe Edition hardcover!

PRAISE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES

"It's a good book. Very good, actually. Very good war comics, requiring no prior experience with anime or mecha or Gundam--just a well-made, old-fashioned war comic, full of thrills and spills and lucky breaks and narrow escapes and preening villains you'll love to hate and pigheaded heroes you may hate to love, and expert drawings by a master craftsman, and hard, sturdy violence." --Joe McCulloch, The Comics Journal

"One of the best drawn and told manga works of recent memory... If you want to understand the fuss around the original Gundam, or even read one of the better manga works out there, then Gundam: The Origin is definitely worth checking out." --Ollie Barder, Forbes

"WINNER: BEST MANGA [2013] This manga was penned by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko--and who better to handle the transformation of the show from screen to page than the man who had key roles in the original series, from character design, to illustration, to layout?" --NEO Magazine (U.K.)

"Yasuhiko's work is just really strong throughout. Fights between mobile suits are exciting, and manage to stay clear despite an impressive amount of detail... These releases deserve as much love as was put into them."--Joseph Luster, Otaku USA

"While it goes without saying that Gundam fans should enjoy these books, they are also a good read for those who simply like a science fiction or a war story that is well-written, nicely illustrated, and full of interesting characters... [S]eriously good literary entertainment." --Anime News Network

"No real knowledge or understanding of the original MSG is needed... What follows are hundreds of pages of suspenseful war drama and sci-fi explosiveness, all of which is well and good (seriously good, actually; this is an intensely fun sci-fi epic), but it's the visuals that you are truly getting this book for." --Graphic Novel Reporter

"A compelling coming-of-age story. It spins personal and political drama together in a way that is both engaging and satisfying... This is a series you will want to put into a teen's hands, even if they don't know it yet. Once they start reading, they won't want to put it down." --School Library Journal Blog Network

The storied Gundam franchise's "First Season" that set new standards of verisimilitude for televised sci-fi animation returns in comics form at the hand of one of the initial creators! The definitive account expands on the classic narrative with the same sense of purpose that lit up the screen more than four decades ago.

This new edition collects the original bestselling twelve-installment English release into six oversized volumes. All of the many color pages--unusually numerous for Japanese comics--have been retained...only at a larger size. The master's artwork has never looked so grand!

(Does not include essays and illustrations from the original release that are not the author's own)

An incisive examination of free speech's global decline and a framework for preserving expression in democratic societies.

The Future of Free Speech confronts a stark truth: the right to speak freely is under siege. Once celebrated as a cornerstone of democratic societies, free expression is now met with growing suspicion and retaliation across the globe. Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff present a panoramic view of how we arrived at this pivotal moment.

The authors examine a century in which speech rights expanded dramatically--including postwar democratic revolutions and the sweeping protections of the First Amendment--only to find those rights unraveling in the face of new political, technological, and cultural pressures. Today, liberal democracies are imposing speech controls, authoritarian regimes are cloaking censorship in democratic language, and digital platforms wield unprecedented power over global discourse. This book examines the backlash against free speech from all sides: governments criminalizing dissent in the name of national security; lawmakers and activists demanding tighter controls on misinformation, hate speech, and offensive content; and AI systems removing speech at a scale and speed that dwarfs historical forms of censorship. At the same time, faith in free speech itself is waning, even in the very societies that once championed it.

The Future of Free Speech argues for a reinvigorated, global commitment to open dialogue. Mchangama and Kosseff advocate nonpartisan, civic-minded solutions that resist both government overreach and corporate silencing. They offer a compelling case for how free speech can meet modern challenges without abandoning its foundational role in sustaining democracy, human rights, and shared understanding.

Memoirs can tell all or tell nothing. And while some memoirs recite successes, honest memoirs often chronicle setbacks, frustrations, and failures. For Peter J. Solomon, documenting his successes as well as his failures was a way to show us how a perseverance to achieve is paramount in life, and that family, friends, health, a sense of humor, and luck are powerful allies. Peter J. Solomon's Wasting Time Constructively is much more than a memoir. It is a fascinating collection of stories about his life complete with insightful business tips, riveting accounts of bygone eras, a constant willingness to learn, and candid descriptions of failures as well as successes. Solomon not only shares memories about his business career and his political involvement; he also details a uniquely engaging journey built on his family's roots, his passions, and his quest for a balanced life. Wasting Time Constructively is told with vivid and compelling prose, creating an emotional bond between the reader and Peter.

In a world where 82 percent of managers struggle to lead effectively, this international bestseller reveals the one secret that separates great leaders from the rest.

"What do I need to do to be a great leader?" Every person in authority wonders this question sooner or later. Ken Blanchard, whose books have sold over 25 million copies, and Mark Miller, who rose from line worker to Chick-fil-A vice president, uncover the secret great leaders already know in this international bestseller.

Using a classic business fable, newly promoted executive Debbie Brewster asks her mentor the crucial question: "What is the secret of great leaders?" His reply--"Great leaders serve"--confuses her, but he reveals five fundamental ways leaders succeed through service. Debbie discovers why great leaders focus on the future, how teams determine success or failure, what three arenas need continuous improvement, why leadership success has two essential components, and how to strengthen--or destroy--credibility.

This fourth edition includes the proven SERVE model plus breakthrough content on leadership's most critical element--a leader's heart. Discover these new features:

• Revised chapters
• New chapter with five HEART habits that form the foundation for great leadership
• Comprehensive facilitator's guide for groups and teams
• Expanded resources for teams and organizations

Translated into twenty-nine languages with over 700,000 copies sold, The Secret delivers proven wisdom in an unforgettable story that anyone can understand and apply immediately.

Discover the powerful, magickal properties of herbs in this practical A-Z guide for modern witches.

Whether you're looking to attract abundance, banish negativity, or invite love into your life, The Herb Dispensary shows you how to harness the vibrational energy of herbs to manifest your desires. Arranged alphabetically for ease of use, this beautifully presented hardback is a must-have addition to any witch's bookshelf.

Building on the success of The Witch-ionary and The Spell Dispensary, this latest installment in the Magickal Library focuses on the magickal - rather than medicinal - uses of herbs. Featuring spells, rituals, and recipes for magickal herbs and plants, this book makes herb magick accessible, empowering and fun.

Written by Deb Robinson of the popular subscription box Witch Casket with a dedicated online following and direct connections to the WitchTok community, The Herb Dispensary offers modern guidance grounded in traditional wisdom.

• A clear A-Z structure makes the book easy to navigate and consult at a glance
• Focuses on the spiritual and magickal uses of herbs, with practical rituals and spellwork
• Created by renowned witch, and popular witchcraft influencer, at the heart of the online witchcraft community.

Empower your witchcraft practice - tap into the magick of herbs and transform your life with The Herb Dispensary.

"When they're old enough, I'm going to give my two daughters this book. They need to read Khadijah's extraordinary story and learn how courage, positivity, and sheer willpower can overcome any obstacle." -- Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author; host, Revisionist History podcast.

A stirring account of how to gain--and own--your power.

From growing up in 1980s Harlem to working at entertainment giants such as BET, MTV, and Nickelodeon, Khadijah Sharif-Drinkard has spent her life redefining what real power looks like.

In Power Reimagined, she dismantles the myths we've been taught about power. Through raw, behind-the-scenes stories from both her childhood and her trailblazing career, she reveals that real power isn't handed to you--it's forged through strategy, courage, and an unshakable belief in your own worth.

She takes readers inside high-stakes situations where she refused to settle for less and pivotal moments where audacity became her greatest asset. From her earliest dreams of success to the executive offices where she made those dreams real, Sharif-Drinkard reveals the moments that shaped her and the strategies that helped her lead with impact and integrity.

Part fearless memoir, part inspirational guide, Power Reimagined is for anyone who's ever been overlooked, undervalued, or told they didn't belong. This book will inspire you to own your power and use it without apology.

A mini tattoo mood board in a book--plus, two sheets of temporary tats in the back to try 'em out before you commit!Illustrated by tattoo artist McKenna Lah (@pokingyou.softly), Itty Bitty Ink is your sign to get that teensy tattoo you've always wanted. Full of sweet, charming illustrations--from bunnies in bows and fresh farmer's market vegetables to delightful mini cowboy boots and beautiful blooming roses--this little book is bursting with inspiration.

Plus, there are two sheets of temporary tattoos at the back, perfect whether you're looking to get a real tattoo and want to take a design for a test drive, or aren't quite ready to take the leap and just want to have some fun. Take a peek! Something in here is sure to make you smile.ON TREND: Tiny tattoos are all the rage! Seen on icons like Zoë Kravitz and Hailey Bieber, there's something so beautifully chic about a little tattoo. Use this book for inspiration!

MULTIPURPOSE ART INSPO: Whether you're looking for a real tattoo or want a little coffee table candy, this book is it!

ADORABLE PACKAGE: Not only are the illustrations insanely cute, but with a padded case and sprayed edges, this book is irresistible for browsing or displaying in your home, office, or dorm room.

TEMPORARY TATTOO EXTRAS: The back of the book contains two temporary tattoo sheets that bring these designs to life.Perfect for:

• Tattoo lovers and dreamers
• Tattoo artists
• Anyone who likes cute, mini things
• Fans of tiny tattoo style icons like Rihanna and Sabrina Carpenter
• Gift-giving for birthday, graduation, bachelorette party, Galentine's Day, or any special occasion

How a once-forgotten Dutch painter inspired generations of artists, writers, and filmmakers

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) is one of the most beloved painters in the world. But when an enterprising French journalist and art critic set out to recover his work in the mid-nineteenth century, both his name and achievement were virtually forgotten. Vermeer's Afterlives tells the remarkable story of how one of the great masters of the Dutch Golden Age was lost to obscurity until the rise of art history as a new discipline introduced his work to modern audiences and asks why his art compels so many other artists to respond with works of their own.

Ruth Bernard Yeazell traces the cultural ascendency of this extraordinary painter, whose enigmatic subjects and quiet, introspective interiors, transfigured by light and color, continue to captivate viewers far removed from his native Delft. We meet the critics who first welcomed Vermeer into the canon along with the painters who sought to imitate him, the forgers who tried to pass off their work as his own, and the contemporary artists who openly repurpose it. The enquiry concludes by looking at Vermeer's paintings through the eyes of the poets and novelists who have attempted to translate his silence into words and give voice to the stories he left untold. Along the way, Yeazell interrogates the changing assumptions that govern art history, while demonstrating how paintings live on not only in later paintings but in poetry, fiction, photography, and film.

Marking the 350th anniversary of Vermeer's death, this beautifully illustrated book explores the variety of ways in which Vermeer's art has been interpreted through the centuries and shows how his paintings take on afterlives of their own in the imaginations of those who view them.

An exquisitely illustrated collection of historical guides to creating pigments from flowers and plants

Flowering currant, ivy, Portuguese laurel, and woad might all have grown in a medieval garden, but it would have taken special expertise to extract and create rich blue and purple pigments from them. Humans have been extracting dyes and inks from natural materials for millennia, and the practice was firmly established during the medieval era, recorded in manuscripts that survive today. Gold from Newton's Apple Tree brings together recipes for making natural colors according to season, method, and ingredients.

This unique book takes its title from an ink recipe derived from a descendant of Sir Isaac Newton's apple tree, in which ingredients extracted from the bark are transformed, seemingly by magic, from brown to a yellow gold. But gold pigments can also be extracted from cornflower, crocus, greater celandine, myrrh, and turmeric. Nabil Ali shares his own accessible adaptations for preparing these and other recipes rooted in medieval craft traditions. Along the way, he provides an engaging and informative natural history of the plants used, alongside the broad spectrum of marvelous colors they produce.

Presenting original translations of medieval recipes taken from painters' and illuminators' technical manuscripts from the third century BCE through to the twenty-first century, alongside stunning botanical illustrations, Gold from Newton's Apple Tree is a captivating celebration of colors derived from nature.

From basil and calendula to turmeric and yarrow, learn how to grow your own medicinal herbs at home. This practical home apothecary guidebook teaches you the growing basics as well as the necessary techniques for turning those plants into natural remedies like salves, teas, and tinctures.

From echinacea to ease cold symptoms to calendula to soothe and heal, herbs offer a wealth of all-natural benefits. In How to Grow Medicinal Herbs, discover how to cultivate your own backyard apothecary and create tinctures, teas, and salves that support your health--naturally.

This beautifully illustrated guide features fifty versatile herbs that can thrive in any garden. Learn how to identify your climate zone; plan your growing space; and master simple techniques for planting, harvesting, drying, and preparing herbal remedies. Each plant profile highlights key healing properties, medicinal uses, and growing tips to help you get the most from every leaf and bloom.

Perfect for anyone exploring herbalism, this book makes crafting natural healing remedies simple and approachable. From easing rashes and nausea to calming headaches and inflammation, How to Grow Medicinal Herbs gives you everything you need to nurture wellness from the ground up.

Blowing a kiss back through time and space from Aaliyah to Jill Rae Zurborg, 1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018 is a love letter to both the stars and the often-invisible women who have made the genre what it is today. From Classical Hollywood to alt-Nollywood, mumblegore to J-horror, this book offers a tiny global snapshot of the vast number of women who have worked in the creation of dark and spooky movies for well over a century, both behind and in front of the camera, and in films both widely known and comparatively obscure.

Featuring a selected filmography of over 700 feature films directed or co-directed by women, this book also features interviews with Rutanya Alda, Tara Anaïse, Tonjia Atomic, Anna Biller, Axelle Carolyn, Aislinn Clarke, BJ Colangelo, Mattie Do, Julia Ducournau, Jordan Hall, Catherine Hardwicke, Katherine Kean, Karen Lam, Izzy Lee, Barbara Magnolfi, Marsha Mason, Donna McRae, Patrushkha Mierzwa, Hannah Neurotica, Alexandra Paul, Isabel Peppard, Cassandra 'Elvira' Peterson, Debbie Rochon, Mia'Kate Russell, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Elizabeth Shepherd, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Brinke Stevens, Barbie Wilde and Silvana Zancolò.

About the Author: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is a film critic from Melbourne, Australia. She has written eight books on cult, horror and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics, including Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study (2011), books on Dario Argento's Suspiria (2015), Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 (2017) and Robert Harmon's The Hitcher (2018), and the Bram Stoker Award nominated book Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces (2019). She is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the Australian Film Critics Association. Alexandra holds a PhD in Screen Studies from the University of Melbourne and is an Adjunct Professor at Deakin University and a Research Fellow at RMIT University.

Named to the shortlist for the 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award in the Leadership category

Are you ready to lead? Will you pass the test?

Despite all the effort through the years to understand what it takes to be an effective leader, the challenges of leadership remain enormously difficult and elusive; even today, most CEOs don't last five years in the job. The demands to deliver at a consistently high level can be unforgiving.

The loneliness. The weight of responsibility. The relentless second-guessing and criticism. The pressure to build all-star teams. The 24/7 schedule that requires superhuman stamina. The tough decisions that often leave no one happy. The expectation to always have the right answer when it can be hard just to know the right question.

These challenges are brought into their highest and sharpest relief in the corner office, but they are hardly unique to chief executives. All leaders face their own version of these tests, and the authors draw on the distilled wisdom, stories, and lessons from hundreds of chief executives to show how every aspiring leader can master these challenges and lead like a CEO. These foundational leadership skills will make all aspiring executives more effective in their roles today and lift the trajectory of their careers.

The CEO Test is the authoritative, no-nonsense insider's guide to navigating leadership's toughest challenges, brought to you by authors uniquely qualified to tell the stories. Adam Bryant has conducted in-depth interviews with more than 600 CEOs. Kevin Sharer spent more than two decades as president and then CEO of Amgen, where he led its expansion from $1 billion in annual revenues to nearly $16 billion. He has served on many boards and is a sought-after mentor for CEOs of global companies.

Leadership is getting harder as the speed of disruption across all industries accelerates. The CEO Test will better prepare you to succeed, whether you're a CEO or just setting out to become one.

From the co-author of the international bestsellers Ikigai and The Ikigai Journey comes a tender, thought-provoking novel of love, mystery, and cultural discovery.

"Could a message from the past rewrite the story of your life?"

When mysterious postcards from Japan arrive out of the blue, Samuel--a university lecturer once featured in Francesc Miralles's novel Love in Lowercase--is profoundly disillusioned with life. At the same time, his girlfriend leaves him and he is heartbroken.

Encouraged by his friend Meritxell, Samuel travels to Kyoto, a city whose classical beauty becomes a character of its own. Amid temples, gardens, and unforgettable meals, he nearly forgets to search for the sender of the postcards--until he meets the captivating Mizuki and begins a journey of self-discovery he had never imagined.

Written with Miralles's signature insight and wit, Postcards from Japan is a healing, cozy novel about second chances, cultural connection and the beauty of imperfection. Perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, it will appeal to anyone drawn to Japanese culture and the quiet hope of new beginnings.

The follow-up volume to Atlas of Perfumed Botany continues the exploration of nature's most captivating scents, focusing on the botanical elements that shape the world of perfumery.

This volume presents a selection of woods, leaves, flowers, fruits, gums, resins, seeds, and roots, each contributing unique aromatic qualities. From the deep, rich notes of rosewood and oud to the fresh, green scents of mint and rosemary, this book by Jean-Claude Ellena, the ''nose'' for Hermès for more than a decade, unveils the diverse origins of fragrance ingredients.

Illustrated with vibrant images, this atlas serves as an essential guide for both fragrance enthusiasts and professionals, offering insights into the natural sources of perfumery's most treasured aromas.

Occultism has long been associated with the visual and literary arts, the wild and the avant--garde, and nowhere was this more embodied than in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Founded in London in the 1880s by Freemasons, it was the world's most famous secret society. In this fresh and invigorating narrative history, Felix John Taylor recounts its rise and fall through those for whom the Order represented both an alternative to traditional Victorian religious values and a space for imaginative exploration.

Devoted to the study of ceremonial magic, the Order attracted a long list of eminent writers, actors, and visual artists to its ranks, including W. B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley, as well as lesser--known key figures. It envisioned a "golden age" of spiritual enlightenment, with progressive ideals---class and gender were no barriers to entry--and teachings from tarot to alchemy and astral projection guided its ten hierarchical "grades."

While its temples were formally spaces to practice magic, Taylor finds that the Golden Dawn was at times more an arts club or society of writers. Political schisms and sex scandals ensured that it was short-lived, yet for many members its occult practices came to determine the nature of their work and influence the wider culture over a much longer period.

The Golden Dawn, with its influence on Wicca and modern magic, is a vital thread connecting Victorian esotericism to the present day occult revival. This visually arresting, meticulously researched literary history uncovers these connections, while offering a compelling account of the Order and its members.