The Universe: A Historical Survey Of Beliefs, Theories, And LawsOn the cover: Theories and beliefs about the cosmos have been nearly as vast as the universe itself, covering everything from the birth of a single star to the discovery of objects such as the Galaxy Triplet ARP 274 (pictured).

From uttering a prayer before boarding a plane, to exploring past lives through hypnosis, has superstition become pervasive in contemporary culture? Robert Park, the best-selling author of Voodoo Science, argues that it has. In Superstition, Park asks why people persist in superstitious convictions long after science has shown them to be ill-founded. He takes on supernatural beliefs from religion and the afterlife to New Age spiritualism and faith-based medical claims. He examines recent controversies and concludes that science is the only way we have of understanding the world.

Here is a rich compendium of hundreds of legends, stories, beliefs, and magic collected from oral sources in preindustrial Scandinavia. In this rural society, the people lived close to nature and believed themselves an integral part of it. This volume focuses on beliefs that illustrate the central aspects of a traditional worldview, rather than on prose narratives considered for their literary value.

Inside this tome of ancient lore you will find a vast sampling of common mythological and folk belief from all across the region of Scandinavia and Iceland. The subject matter varies from superstitions, magical practices, supernatural beings, and regional and national legends.
The subject matter is vast, there is only brief discussion of the historical and cultural significance of the topics and tales within, but this book would become an entire encyclopedia of Nordic folklore, if that were the case. This is the type of book which will surely spark your interest for further research into the subject.

Ranging over foodways and folksongs, quiltmaking and computer lore, Pecos Bill, Butch Cassidy, and Elvis sightings, more than 500 articles spotlight folk literature, music, and crafts; sports and holidays; tall tales and legendary figures; genres and forms; scholarly approaches and theories; regions and ethnic groups; performers and collectors; writers and scholars; religious beliefs and practices. The alphabetically arranged entries vary from concise definitions to detailed surveys, each accompanied by a brief, up-to-date bibliography.

Norse Mythology explores the magical myths and legends of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Viking-Age Greenland--outlining along the way the prehistoric tales and beliefs from these regions that have remained embedded in the imagination of the world.