North Atlantic Books Blog

Do you teach martial arts to kids? Ever considered writing about it?

Blue Snake Books, an imprint of North Atlantic Books, is now actively looking for manuscripts in a new area: martial arts books for children. Staying true to Blue Snake’s mission of publishing in-depth books on a wide variety of authentic martial arts traditions, Blue Snake Kids will publish sophisticated, intelligent books to help foster young martial artists. We are especially interested in publishing books on single arts or disciplines (karate, tai chi, aikido, muay thai, jujitsu, etc.) but also encourage submissions on slightly broader topics: grappling arts, internal arts, practical self-defense, etc. Authors are also encouraged to submit books on multiple arts that are closely related.

WHAT WE WANT: Books that speak to kids in a language they can understand—without being condescending; training manuals with illustrations or high-quality photos; books designed to be interactive and entertaining (e.g. suggestions for training games, questions for the reader to think about). We especially want books that are intended to be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, regular training with a teacher.

WHAT WE DON’T WANT: Books that are overly simplistic and broad (e.g. “Respect your teacher; practice your forms every day; bow before entering the dojo.”); fiction, picture, or coloring books; books on obscure or not-widely practiced arts.

If you have a quality manuscript that you’d like to submit, here are our submissions guidelines. Feel free to forward and repost!

Mail a cover letter, proposal, and partial manuscript to:

Blue Snake Books Acquisitions Board
2526 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

Or email Terri in Marketing Communications: tsaul@northatlanticbooks.com

Send a self-addressed stamped envelope for all responses!

The proposal should include:

1. Table of contents
2. At least three sample chapters
3. Sample illustrations or high quality photos
4. A 75-word statement describing the book’s intention
5. Statement of your qualifications in this area
6. A marketing plan
7. Review of comparable titles: What are the two leading titles to which your book will be compared? How do they differ from your book?
8. The length of your manuscript in double-spaced pages
9. A few suggestions for foreword writers, and your ideas for back cover endorsements
10. Your plans for promoting the book, including your ability to travel to workshops or speaking engagements with relevant organizations

We aim to respond to every submission we receive within three or four months. Submissions received without S.A.S.E.s (self-addressed stamped envelopes) may not receive responses.

Best of luck from the Blue Snake Books Acquisitions Team!

CLICK HERE to learn more about Blue Snake Books.

CLICK HERE to visit the Blue Snake Books Blog.

Greetings from sunny Berkeley, California! There is never a dull moment in world of book publishing, and this summer proves no different. This July, the new releases from North Atlantic Books are sure to please with fantastic works in the genres of Martial Arts, Cooking, Fiction, Homeopathy, Channeling, Poetry, and Alternative Health. Happy reading!

To order, please visit www.northatlanticbooks.com
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

On the Warrior’s Path: Second Edition
By Daniele Bolelli

On the Warrior’s Path connects the martial arts with the larger perspective of developing body, spirit, and awareness, and merges subtle philosophies with no-holds-barred competition, Nietzsche with Bruce Lee, radical Taoism and Buddhism with the Star Wars Trilogy, traditional martial arts with basketball and American Indian culture. At the center of all these phenomena is the warrior. Though this archetype seems to manifest contradictory values, Daniele Bolelli describes the heart of this tension: how the training of martial technique leads to a renunciation of violence, and how overcoming fear leads to a unique freedom. On the Warrior’s Path brings fresh insights to why martial arts remains an enduring and widespread art and discipline. This second edition includes two new chapters that focus on spirituality in the martial arts and the author’s personal journey in the field.

$16.95/$20 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-219-2
200 pages, 6 x 9
On Sale July 8, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Homeopathy for Your Cat: Remedies for Common Feline Ailments
By H. G. Wolff

Homeopathy for Your Cat offers detailed, authoritative information on a wide variety of homeopathic treatments available for common cat ailments. This book is written in an engaging, empathetic style by a respected German veterinarian H.G. Wolff, and covers both acute and chronic problems in the ears, nose, and throat, the heart and circulatory system, the digestive organs, the ligaments, tendons, and joints, the reproductive system and urinary tract, and the skin. Homeopathy for Your Cat includes an introduction to basic first aid, diagnostic reviews, and information on how to treat various dangerous viral and bacterial diseases. This is a concise manual that explores everything the concerned cat lover or professional needs to know, from symptoms and illnesses to remedies and general care tips, and addresses a growing market for alternative treatments for pets.

$14.95/$16.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-739-7
136 pages, 8 x 9
On Sale July 15, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Soul Shift: Finding Where the Dead Go
By Mark Ireland

Businessman Mark Ireland’s father was Richard Ireland, a deeply spiritual minister and renowned psychic and medium who counted Mae West among his famous clients. While he loved his father, Mark followed a more conventional path in pursuit of mainstream success—until the wrenching death of his youngest son. This unexpected tragedy plunges Mark into the spiritual world of psychics and mediums in a frantic attempt to communicate with the dead. His defenses and pragmatic mindset begin to fade as he remembers premonitions on the day of his son’s death. He consults a number of well-known mediums and is struck by the remarkably accurate information their readings provide. Mark then enters a new dimension of personal paranormal experience, and his own psychic awareness begins to unfold. Soul Shift is the dramatic story of a father’s unbearable loss and his discovery of life after death.

$16.95/$20 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-251-2
185 pages, 6 x 9
On Sale July 15, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Sweetpea’s Secret
By Renay Jackson

Renay Jackson’s previous books in this series introduced the curious character of Sweetpea, who’s not exactly what he seems. By day he’s Horace Boudreaux, mortgage broker and sometime playboy who likes nothing better than getting down with his girlfriend Harriette. Other times, he’s one of Oaktown’s more successful hitmen. He not only kills for pleasure, he also kills for revenge. Oaktown’s notorious gangster Big Ed Tatum is one of Sweetpea’s clients and normally immune from Sweetpea’s wrath, but Big Ed crosses the line when he courts Sweetpea’s older sister, and his henchman almost kills Sweetpea’s little sister. The hitman is happy to slash Big Ed’s throat in a Vegas parking lot. But Sweetpea soon learns that the dead don’t always stay dead.

$14.95/$16.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-224-6
224 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2
On Sale July 15, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Health Is Simple, Disease Is Complicated
By James Forleo, DC

In this breakthrough book, Dr. James Forleo proposes a return to the body as the site of self-healing. The problem, he says, is that we don’t understand the language of signs and symptoms it uses to communicate its healing messages. Health Is Simple helps readers decipher that language and access the great realms of health and vitality the body contains. The book takes a systems approach to health, and walks readers through the basic design and function of each major organ system, and offers a set of simple practices to boost performance. Forleo emphasizes simple correctives to diet and lifestyle, a new perspective on digestion and elimination, and the alignment of the spine and structural system. Forleo offers case studies to demonstrate successfully resolved conditions from chronic headaches, anxiety, and respiratory disorders to exhaustion, autoimmune disorders, and allergies.

$22.95/$25.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-718-2
400 pages, 7 x 9-1/4
On Sale July 22, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Acupuncture and the Chakra Energy System: Treating the Cause of Disease
By John R. Cross

Acupuncture and the Chakra Energy System is an accessible guide to using the chakra energy system for acupuncture healing. By comparing the traditional approaches of Chinese medicine and modern Western acupuncture with the chakra energy system of Ayurvedic philosophy, author John R. Cross offers clinically proven strategies for treating the causes of conditions, not just the symptoms. The book describes the seven major and twenty-one minor chakras in detail and explains how each is related to the body’s aura, meridians, key points, endocrine glands, autonomic nervous system, and varying symptomatology. Acupuncture and the Chakra Energy System focuses on how one can use the chakras in the treatment of chronic physical and emotional conditions—osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, low back pain with sciatica, insomnia, hypertension, depression, menopausal symptoms, and frozen shoulder, among others.

$22.95/$25.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-721-2
208 pages, 7 x 9-1/4
On Sale July 29, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Belonging: New Poetry by Iranians Around the World
Translated by Niloufar Talebi with Zack Rogow and Daniel O’Connell

Belonging is a rich collection of contemporary poetry by Iranians living throughout the world. Each expertly translated essay varies dramatically in style, tone, and theme. The works include erotic divertissements by Ziba Karbassi, rigorously formal poetry by Yadollah Royaii, experimental poems by Naanaam, powerful polemics by Maryam Huleh, and the personal-epic work of Shahrouz Rashid. These vibrant poems deepen the limited awareness of Iranian identity today by introducing readers to contemporary Iranian poetry, and also expanding the canon of significant writing in the Persian language. To learn more about The Translation Project, whose mission is to bring contemporary Iranian literature to worldwide audiences in multiple languages and media, please visit www.thetranslationproject.org.

$18.95/$22 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-712-0
128 pages, 6 x 9
On Sale July 29, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Zen Retreat Center
By Nadia Natali

The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook blends 126 tasty, healthful recipes with lively tales of the Natali family’s adventures living close to the land—in the wilds of California’s Los Padres National Forest. Each chapter opens with a vivid account of the family’s trials and triumphs at Blue Heron Ranch, followed by a particular category of recipes, arranged in seven groupings. Each page is adorned with whimsical illustrations, and the personal stories are sometimes poignant and often hilarious accounts of raising a family in the wilderness, running a meditation center, and facing nature’s seemingly endless challenges—with the Blue Heron kitchen being the center around which these events unfold.

$21.95/$25.00 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-717-5
224 pages, 8-3/8 x 10
On Sale July 29, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Hurricane Katrina: Response and Responsibilities
Edited By John Brown Childs

A timely re-release, Hurricane Katrina is a collection of insightful essays that shed critical light on this devastating natural disaster and address its far-reaching consequences. From how to make sense of such mythic tragedy, to questions of political and personal accountability, to navigating the complex issues of race, gender, age, and social class—the essayists train a careful and attentive eye on all of these issues. A diverse sampling of authors lend a wide range of thought-provoking perspectives and intriguing suggestions for how American society might move forward and heal. All essays were donated; all proceeds will go to the Follow Your Heart Action Network.

$10.00/$12.00 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-792-2
224 pages, 4-1/2 x 7
On Sale Date: July 29, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger
By Cecil Brown

The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger is a legendary novel that reimagines the Bible’s prodigal son as a young black man in 1960s Europe. George Washington—one of his many aliases—starts out as the classic trickster figure, a blend of con artist, deep thinker, and willing object of white women’s sexual fantasies. Fed up with life in racist America, he leaves the rural South for Denmark on a curious quest, determined to discover if there is “any mother fucker in this despiteful world who ever told himself the truth.” In Denmark he spends his days bantering with fellow black expatriates and his nights bedding a series of white women who project their desires on him. Inevitably, these worlds collide, with Washington, aka Anthony Miller, aka Paul Winthrop, aka Mr. Jiveass Nigger, increasingly alienated in a world of opportunists. A return to America after his self-imposed exile promises transformation, but is Washington too far gone?

$15.95/$18.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-210-9
224 pages, 6 x 9
On Sale July 29, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Paul Pitchford is the author of the bestselling book, Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, as well as the Spanish language edition, Sanando con ailmentos integrales (North Atlantic Books). Pitchford is a leading authority in the field of nutrition and foundational healing. In the following article, Pitchford explains how one can balance their daily diet in order to consume a healthy amount of protein. He also explores the important connection between mind, body, and nutrition.

Protein Perspectives: Modern Nutrition & Eastern Traditions
By Paul Pitchford

There’s been a flurry of media response to the mega-protein diets, and for good reason: the largest selling books worldwide in the past couple years have focused on these diets. And due to this widespread information, virtually everyone I know with an interest in nutrition, both vegetarian and omnivore, has re-assessed personal protein needs. Why has dramatic interest in protein surfaced at this time? We might surmise it’s from stress at this frenetic point in our history, as protein foods antidote stress with stabilizing, relaxing and strengthening therapeutic actions.

Yet despite all the talk about protein, rarely does anyone eat an unrefined food that is more than 25% protein by weight. Thus “eating protein” most often means eating foods that are especially protein rich. Examples of such foods are nuts, seeds, beans, soy products and most meats, including the red meats, pork (sometimes considered a white meat), fish, and fowl as well as eggs.

However, all plants also contain protein, and convincing human studies in the 1950’s by Wm. Rose indicate that when energy needs are met with a food, protein needs are automatically satisfied. For example, potatoes or rice easily meet our protein needs when one simply eats enough to obtain sufficient calories for energy. Nevertheless such foods alone rarely satisfy those who crave “protein.” Research by the world’s foremost protein expert, Dr. Scrimshaw, head of the Nutrition Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, provides an insight. His cross-cultural studies reveal that, given the opportunity, people will consume three times more protein than their true needs. In the poorer countries, this rarely manifests, but in first world countries, protein over-consumption is commonplace, being most easily accomplished with animal products.

If true protein needs are so easily satisfied, even by complex carbohydrates such as grains, what is really being craved? I feel that when meat is craved, it is the rich, highly assimilable matrix of nutrients in meat that is desired. The animal has performed the work of converting vegetal foods into tissues not so different from our own. Thus many individuals will assimilate iron, certain vitamins, and other nutrients from meat more readily than from grains and beans. This is especially true of those with cultural heritages characterized by meat-centric diets. According to the Ayurvedic healing system of India and Chinese traditional healing arts, meat strengthens us, but only when eaten in moderation. And “moderation” generally means 3-4 ounces a day. This figure corresponds to what many nutritionists now suggest for healthful meat consumption.

When meat, seafood and fowl intake exceeds eight ounces a day, the resultant protein can cause more calcium excretion than is assimilated, thus promoting osteoporosis or bone loss. In fact, osteoporosis is widespread in the developed countries, more so than in poorer areas. Thin, underfed people in India often have stronger bones than big, beefy Americans. This is due to our eating patterns: research over the past 40 years has shown that the single greatest contributor to bone loss is the acids from too much dietary protein. Other research over the same time frame suggests that kidney failure is most frequently a result of excessive protein consumption. Interestingly, traditional Chinese medicine unifies these health concerns with the view that the kidney-adrenals rule the bones. Furthermore, the kidney-adrenals are said to rule the brain—sometimes referred to as the “sea of marrow”. Can Alzheimer’s disease also be traced to protein excess?

Perhaps. In Ayurveda, a sticky, toxic residue known as “ama” is associated with eating animal products. Uncannily, recent research finds that a sticky protein polysaccharide called amyloid plaque obstructs brain pathways in those with Alzheimer’s. (The ancient teacher Gautama Buddha suggested that those interested in developing their higher faculties should avoid meat.) This same plaque obstructs the arteries in most forms of heart and vascular disease and is also implicated in the genesis of cancer.

The most comprehensive nutrition studies in history were performed in China in the latter part of the Twentieth Century. These studies, sponsored by Cornell and Oxford Universities and the Chinese government, showed that Americans, particularly American men, had a 1700 percent greater incidence of heart disease than Asians eating a grain and vegetable based diet. Ninety percent of the protein in these diets is from plant sources. Wealthy Chinese eating rich diets had heart disease similar to the Americans. Not surprisingly, other degenerative diseases, including diabetes and cancer, were less likely in those eating traditional Asian fare.

Nevertheless, I find myself, a vegan for 30 years, recommending animal products to some of my clients with signs of deficiency and weakness. For the many who don’t do well with dairy foods, I often suggest a moderate amount (4 ounces or less, several times a week) of quality meats, meaning organic and free range. The negative, ama/amyloid-forming aspects of meat, fish and fowl can be countered with a vinegar-water marinade as well as cooking them into soups and stews with common spices (e.g., marjoram, rosemary, thyme, fennel, ginger, or sage). Cooking or eating animal foods with abundant vegetables and bean sprouts also reduces ama pathology.

Individuals who over-consume meat may have short term weight loss and fewer sugar imbalances (protein controls sugar cravings), but at the risk of bone loss and kidney degeneration. Additionally meat is extremely high in inflammatory prostaglandins of the type PGE2, which greatly contribute to infections and degenerations such as arthritis. Popular books by the late Dr. Atkins and others who recommend protein-rich diets tell us that carbohydrates need to be restricted in order to lose weight and control blood sugar swings. In my experience they are partially correct. Refined carbohydrates should be restricted. These include the “white foods” such as white pastas, pastries and breads that contain white, refined wheat flour and refined sugar. Also included is white rice.

All such foods are not completely utilized as they are missing minerals, fiber, precious oils, enzymes, and a plethora of phytochemicals needed for proper breakdown and metabolism, not to mention their need in supporting vital immunity. Therefore, refined food residues may stay in the tissues and promote weight gain, among other imbalances. Whole carbohydrate foods—brown rice and unrefined grains, whole grain breads, unrefined sugars (e.g., Rapidura)—do not have this effect.

It should be noted that refined oils that constitute hydrogenated fats found in common peanut butter, candy bars, margarine, and shortening also cannot be fully metabolized and thus are often stored in various tissues and organs, setting the stage for cellulite, carcinomas and other degenerations.

One would expect the protein diets to receive support from mainstream dietitians who, over the years, have been promoters of meat-based diets and recipients of funding from the meat industry. Surprisingly, however, even the American Dietetic Association sees the Atkins diet as extreme beyond reason, calling it “a nightmare.”

Many people know to avoid poor-quality foods as well as the non-foods, yet continue to ingest them. This is because our mind, body and nutrition are closely related. A mind full of toxic desires may all too easily crave toxic foods. Therefore the best starting point in our regenerative process is the mind and its intention. Food and awareness practices have historically been unified, e.g., in both the ancient Orient and Occident, prayer and meditation have always accompanied dietary purifications such as fasting. When people begin with real emotional and spiritual healing, dietary upgrades tend to be second nature and effortless. There are few things more dissatisfying than eating a diet that does not match one’s current mental outlook.

Thus the first priority in my nutritional work is to recommend quieting the mind. This brings mindfulness to all we do, and through such self-awareness, one tends to change toward balance in all life activities.

The second priority is activity. In Far Eastern tradition, without adequate exercise our digestive fire becomes weak, and even the best organic foods may not help us. So I feel that one ideally develops good mental and physical habits before undertaking serious dietary change.

A message from Rumi, ancient Middle Eastern poet:
“Let that which we love
Be what we do
There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth.”

Paul Pitchford studied and apprenticed with masters of pre-Revolutionary Traditional Chinese medicine, nutrition, and Tai Ji and Chan (Zen) meditation. His landmark book, Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, forms the foundation of his unique dietary teachings, which unify Eastern and Western therapies. Over the past 12 years, Paul has been a key lecturer with the prestigious Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. His work has become a primary impetus behind the most fundamental, clinically effective and innovative dietary movement today, widely known as “whole foods nutrition.” He sees a universal shift to whole foods nutrition as essential for overcoming ecologic ravages to the Earth as well as quelling pervasive disease and degeneration among her peoples. Paul has been teaching nutrition in the context of foundational healing for 38 years. This approach prioritizes three basic integrative steps in a person’s pathway to enduring health: a) awareness practices, b) mindful movement including yoga, Tai Ji and Qi Gong, and c) nutrition based on regional, unrefined (whole) foods. He has designed and taught programs at Heartwood Institute regularly for the last 25 years. He currently receives invitations to teach worldwide and has given seminars at colleges, schools of acupuncture, nutrition and various healing arts, and on major radio shows.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Paul Pitchford.
CLICK HERE to order a copy of Healing with Whole Foods.
CLICK HERE to order a copy of Sanando con ailmentos integrales.

With summer right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about the books you plan to read as you relax with tasty picnic lunches and embark on weekend adventures. Below you will find a preview of the new June titles at North Atlantic Books from experts in the subjects of herbalism, alternative healing, anatomy, and bodywork. There is also a new book of fiction for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

To order, please visit www.northatlanticbooks.com

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants
By Matthew Wood

The Earthwise Herbal is an authoritative, accessible guide to Old World medicinal herbs, by noted herbalist Matthew Wood, who brings twenty-five years of clinical experience to this first book in a two book series. Organized alphabetically, this book encompasses all of the major—and many of the secondary—herbs of traditional and modern Western herbalism and describes characteristic symptoms and conditions in which each plant has proved useful in the clinic. The Earthwise Herbal offers insight into the “logic” of the plant: how it works, in what areas of the body it works, how it has been used in the past, what its pharmacological constituents indicate about its use, and how all these different factors hang together to produce a portrait of the plant as a whole entity.

$32.95/$37.95 in Canada
Trade paper
978-1-55643-692-5
592 pages, 6 x 9
North Atlantic Books
On Sale June 3, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

The Sacred Path Beyond Trauma: Reaching the Divine Through Nature’s Healing Symbols
By Ellen B. Macfarland, PhD

The Sacred Path Beyond Trauma combines mythology, stories from film and fiction, real-life examples, and Ellen Macfarland’s personal history, to show that healing trauma is indeed possible, using rich resources in nature. The book explores major symbols of healing nature that can provide an impetus for personal transformation. Understanding the book’s nature-based symbols will turn the distressed mind into a fertile field of spiritual awareness, empowerment, and lifelong growth.

$16.95/$20 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-725-0
200 pages, 6 x 9
North Atlantic Books
On Sale June 3, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Guarding Hanna
By Miha Mazzini

Abandoned at birth because he has the face of a “prize boar,” the unnamed narrator of Guarding Hanna knows only a local Berlin gang as family. Patriarch Maestro acts as surrogate father and except for brief moments interacting with the gang, “the beast” spends his life alone, wandering Berlin’s streets and sleeping in its vast housing projects. This changes in a flash when one of Maestro’s sons is implicated in a crime. The only hope of saving him is to protect the sole witness, beautiful but eccentric Hanna Wyoczik. Maestro calls on “the beast” to move in with her until the trial. But never having spent more than five minutes in a social situation with any human being, much less a woman, he quickly finds the basic tasks of human interaction and social intercourse insufferable. Yet Hanna’s unfazed reaction to her guardian, and her witty account of philandering ex-husbands and a nympho mother, soon confound and captivate him.

$15.95/$18.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-726-7
272 pages, 6 x 9
North Atlantic Books
On Sale June 17, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

Cheng Tzu’s Thirteen Treatises on T’ai Chi Ch’uan
By Cheng Man Ch’ing/Translated by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo and Martin Inn

Millions of people worldwide practice t’ai chi, the most popular form of which was codified beginning in the 1960s by legendary master Chen Man Ch’ing. In this scholarly yet practical book, Professor Cheng shows precisely how the postures and moves of t’ai chi work, with examples from anatomy and physics, both internally as energetic principles and externally on opponents. Contrasting Western and Chinese techniques of healing, he explores the relationships of organs to one another in pathology and the necessary dynamics of treatment.

$18.95/$22 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-220-8
224 pages, 6 x 9
Blue Snake Books
On Sale June 24, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

A Practical Guide to Acu-Points
By Chris Jarmey and Ilaira Bouratinos

A Practical Guide to Acu-Points is a clear, informative guide for students, acupuncturists, and bodyworkers that features detailed color illustrations. This user-friendly manual contains current, comprehensive information, with special emphasis on how shiatsu and tuina therapists can best utilize “point knowledge” in their practice. Chris Jarmey and Ilaira Bouratinos give the precise anatomical location of each acu-point and delineate the larger area where the point can be activated by pressure, gua sha, and other means. In addition, A Practical Guide to Acu-Points explains the optimum physical position for treatment via acupuncture, acupressure, and other strategies, as treatment positions can vary according to the method of point stimulation.

$35.00/$40.00 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-696-3
312 pages, 8 3/8 x 10 3/4
North Atlantic Books
On Sale June 24, 2008

____________________________________________________________________

May has finally arrived, bringing the beginning of the North Atlantic Books Spring 2008 season. Our new books this month encompass a wide range of genres including metaphysics, anatomy, martial arts, business, and fiction. Enjoy!

To order, please visit www.northatlanticbooks.com

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

The Fourth Perspective: A CJ Floyd Mystery
By Robert Greer

$14.95/$16.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-223-9
392 pages, 6 x 9
Frog, Ltd.
On Sale May 6, 2008

The building of the transcontinental railroad provides a dramatic setting for murder in this lively thriller by Robert Greer, author of The Devil’s Hatband. When bail bondsman and bounty hunter CJ Floyd opens an antique store, the last thing he expects is to be fingered for murder. But that’s exactly what happens after an immigrant student tries to sell him a rare book. The book contains a hidden photograph as legendary—and valuable—as the Maltese Falcon. The seller quickly turns up dead in an alley, and CJ is the main suspect. Before he knows it, CJ finds himself on the dark side of a historical looking glass that has him following eccentric power brokers, museum curators, art dealers and collectors, and academics down a trail of greed and corruption as they all vie for a picture they’re willing to kill for. The Fourth Perspective is a fast-moving, full-dress whodunit based on the last great American railroad construction project and its priceless photographic history.
____________________________________________________________________

Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening
By Matthew and Terces Engelhart

$14.95/$16.95 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-729-8
152 pages, 6 x 9
North Atlantic Books
On Sale May 6, 2008

Matthew and Terces Engelhart, the owners of Café Gratitude, a popular organic vegan restaurant chain in the San Francisco Bay Area and LA, offer Sacred Commerce as a blueprint for creating a business based on community and spiritual values. Matthew and Terces present the idea that love before appearances is the antidote to our spiritual, environmental, and social degradation. This book explores topics including mission statements, manager as coach, human resources as a sacred culture, and inspirational meetings. Integrating the concept of “Sacred Commerce” into business can provide both financial success and spiritual satisfaction. Sacred Commerce is the ideal mix of the personal and the practical—a guidebook written by people who have felt success, not just spent it.
____________________________________________________________________

Yang Style Traditional Long Form T’ai Chi Ch’uan: As Taught by Master T.T. Liang
By Gordon Muir

$16.95/$20 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-58394-221-5
256 pages, 7 x 9-1/4
Blue Snake Books
On Sale May 13, 2008

Gordon Muir began his martial arts studies at the age of twelve, followed by years of serious study of a wide variety of disciplines including judo, kyokushinkai, karate, kempo, several kung fu styles, and kickboxing. Eventually he discovered the internal martial arts, which led to t’ai chi and Master T.T. Liang, renowned teacher of Yang style. Yang Style Traditional Long Form T’ai Chi Ch’uan is the culmination of the author’s longtime study of this style. It focuses on the revered traditional form rather than the more recently created short form, and describes in depth the type of movement t’ai chi strives for that distinguishes it from other martial arts. Numerous photographs and detailed descriptions showcase and simplify the movements, which include the traditional Yang stances, hand and arm positions, and moving and powering. Written in a simple, engaging style, the book is designed to help new students get started in this rewarding tradition and more advanced practitioners deepen their knowledge of it.
____________________________________________________________________

The Gods’ Machines: From Stonehenge to Crop Circles
By Wun Chok Bong

$26.95 / $32.00 in Canada
Trade paper
978-1-58394-207-9
528 pages, 7-3/16 x 10
Frog, Ltd.
On Sale May 27, 2008

Based on Wun Chok Bong’s decipherment of prehistoric carvings and the application of mathematical measurements, The Gods’ Machines shows how “unknown” phenomena from Angkor Wat to Stonehenge to crop circles are actually powerhouses built by an advanced extraterrestrial civilization for tapping electromagnetic energy. The book traces the development of that civilization on Earth over 5,000 years, and reveals how all of these structures are aligned according to a universal formula. These fascinating theories not only explain our distant past, but also open the door to a future of power technology and space travel. The Gods’ Machines is a comprehensive, illustrated study of the extraterrestrial origins of megalithic structures, based on a provocative “stone angle alignment” theory and is certain to stimulate debate among readers interested in alternative history, ancient civilization, and extraterrestrial intelligence.
____________________________________________________________________

Anatomy of the Moving Body: A Basic Course in Bones, Muscles, and Joints Second Edition
By Theodore Dimon, Jr.

$21.95/$25 in Canada
Trade Paper
978-1-55643-720-5
272 pages, 8 x 9-1/4
North Atlantic Books
On Sale May 27, 2008

By the author of The Undivided Self and The Elements of Skill, Anatomy of the Moving Body is a simple yet complete study of the body’s complex system of bones, muscles, and joints and how they function. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 dynamic images, the book contains 31 lectures that guide readers through this challenging interior landscape. Each part of the body is explained in brief, manageable sections and topics include the etymology of anatomical terms; origins and attachments of muscles and their related actions; discussion of major functional systems such as the pelvis, ankle, shoulder girdle, and hand; major landmarks and human topography; and structures relating to breathing and vocalization. This second edition features all-new illustrations and is ideal for dancers and movement educators, students, therapists, as well as for practitioners of yoga, Pilates, martial arts, and dance.

____________________________________________________________________

Hello. Talia Shapiro here, Publicity Coordinator for North Atlantic Books. All of our authors have been hard at work perfecting their latest masterpieces. I am proud to announce that we have a great selection of new books available this month. Please read on.

To order, please visit www.northatlanticbooks.com

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

Harmonic Healing: A Guide to Facilitated Oscillatory Release and Other Rhythmic Myofascial Techniques

By Zachary Comeaux, DO

$22.95/$29.95 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-694-9
ISBN 10: 1-55643-694-7
160 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 8, 2008

In Harmonic Healing, Dr. Zachary Comeaux introduces Facilitated Oscillatory Release (FOR), connective tissue release techniques that use rhythmic motion as a component of manual therapy. The book reviews the role of oscillatory or vibratory work as an extension of other connective tissue techniques, explains the relevant physiology and the principles of wave propagation in tissue, and then provides illustrated introductory exercises, applications, and cases studies.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Intuitive Body: Discovering the Wisdom of Conscious Embodiment and Aikido - Third Edition
By Wendy Palmer

$17.95/$21.00 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-58394-212-3
ISBN 10: 1-58394-212-2
224 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 8, 2008

The Intuitive Body draws on the principles of the non-aggressive Japanese martial art aikido and meditation and presents a fresh approach to cultivating awareness, attention, and self-acceptance. Wendy Palmer explores exercises from the Conscious Embodiment and Intuition Training program she pioneered, including connection movement, meditation, and breathing. These exercises can help the process of integration, of deepening and unifying the self, and learning to deal with fear and anger.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future
By Mark Borax

$16.95/$20.00 in Canada

Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-58394-208-6
ISBN 10: 1-58394-208-4
248 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 15, 2008

2012 begins in August 1987 on the slopes of Mount Shasta as author Mark Borax witnesses the Harmonic Convergence. This famous astrological event sparked a 25-year countdown to 2012, the year that marks the “end of history” in the Mayan calendar. Borax tells of his apprenticeship with a master astrologer to study how the period between 1987 and 2012 can be used for a cosmic purging of negativity to release humanity’s core forces and restore universal balance. Borax and his fellow students discover truths about life after death, karma, reincarnation, past lives, human evolution, and the purpose of existence on Earth.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Complete Guide to American Karate and Tae Kwon Do
By Keith D. Yates

$18.95/$22.00 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-58394-215-4
ISBN 10: 1-58394-215-7
201 pp, 7 x 9-1/4
On Sale April 29, 2008

The Complete Guide to American Karate and Tae Kwon Do is an Illustrated guide that discusses the origins of karate and tae kwon do, their philosophical underpinnings, and how they evolved in America. Keith D. Yates explains the difference between karate and tae kwon do, the requirements for earning a black belt (and the different kinds of black belts), the best style to learn for self-defense, the significance and effectiveness of forms, and how to find a legitimate school or instructor. This book also features inspiring short biographies of famous figures in American karate.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fresh: The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook
By Sergei Boutenko and Valya Boutenko

$18.95/$22.00 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-708-3
ISBN 10: 1-55643-708-0
216 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 22, 2008

Fresh is a blend of Sergei and Valya Boutenko’s reflective accounts of their family’s journey from doctor predicted catastrophe to a self-prescribed, holistic approach to personal health. This book is a compilation of simple and delicious recipes with over two dozen remarkable full-color photos and a glossary of little known raw cuisine ingredients.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

CranioSacral Therapy: What It Is, How It Works
By John E. Upledger, et al.

$14.95/$16.95 in Canada

Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-695-6
ISBN 10: 1-55643-695-5
118 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 29, 2008

CranioSacral Therapy explains the gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the function of the craniosacral system. This book combines short pieces written by a number of well-known practitioners and experts that explore different aspects of CST: what it is, what it does, how it heals, what the practitioner does during a CST session, CST’s relationship to cranial osteopathy and other healing therapies, and the wide range of medical problems that may be treated with CST.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Bardo of Waking Life
By Richard Grossinger

$15.95/$18.95 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-700-7
ISBN 10: 1-55643-700-5
224 pp, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
On Sale April 29, 2008

An avant-garde set of improvisational essays, Richard Grossinger’s The Bardo of Waking Life is a meditation on the Tibetan Buddhist bardo realm which, in popular culture, is viewed as the bridge between lives, the state people enter after death and before rebirth. This book examines waking life and its history and language as if it were a bardo state rather than ultimate reality, and thus seeks a context for life (and dreams). Bardo takes a new, probing approach to all the important questions of creation, destruction, and existence.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat: The Secret Science Behind Physical Transformation
By Ori Hofmekler

$16.95/$20.00 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-55643-689-5
ISBN 10: 1-55643-689-0
157 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 29, 2008

Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat focuses on the biological principles that dictate muscle gain and fat loss. Ori Hofmekler describes in simple terms how under-eating and fasting can trigger an anabolic switch that stimulates growth and rejuvenation; how to reengineer the body at the cellular level to burn fat and build muscles; and how to naturally manipulate the body’s hormones for rapid muscle fusion and faster fat breakdown.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

War Lessons: How I Fought to Be a Hero and Learned That War Is Terror
By John Merson

$15.95/$18.95 in Canada
Trade paper
ISBN: 978-1-58394-209-3
ISBN 10: 1-58394-209-2
133 pp, 6 x 9
On Sale April 29, 2008

In War Lessons, John Merson interweaves his own experiences in war with thoughtful assessments of how to prevent it. He highlights his personal voyage to understand why young people are drawn to war, how it changes those who fight it, why its destructive effects persist on both sides, how former enemies reconcile, and how soldiers want to be treated and remembered by the citizens who send them to war. War Lessons also offers strategies for young people to help the world reclaim its humanity through healing actions.

*All royalties from the book will be donated to a veterans’ service organization and a Vietnamese scholarship program.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the North Atlantic Books blog. This is Sister Tea from the Blue Snake Books blog. We’ve enjoyed blogging about our martia