Books published by publisher Skyhorse Publishing (2014-05-06)

Life isn’t black-and-white, and neither is meditation. Now, you can have your Zen moment in the full vibrancy of color. Part of the Peaceful Adult Coloring Book Series, this book is overflowing with inspirational symbols of wisdom and serenity. Lotus flowers, ornate hamsas, and yoga poses grace these pages with their divine patterns and enchanting intricacies. Proven to be a beneficial exercise for the mind, coloring is a wonderfully easy way to center yourself and expand your imagination. Let your creativity flow as you envision the possibilities for these meditative designs. The soothing sweep of the lines and delightfully absorbing details will envelop and calm your mind. Swirling scrolls and floral patterns entrance the eyes and gladden the heart. Your sense of whimsy will be invigorated by the fanciful elephants and poised yogis. As you peruse the designs, meditate on your color combinations and visualize the endless possibilities for these pages. Stretch your artistic senses to achieve a higher level of relaxation. In this book, you’ll find:An introduction on the cognitive benefits of coloringThirty-seven black-and-white designs for you to colorPalette grids to help you envision your color combinationsPerforated pages so your finished artwork can be removed and displayedThe designs of this coloring book were intentionally selected for their meditative quality and beautiful ornamentation. Whether you need a moment to decompress or simply enjoy artistic pursuits, these pages are sure to provide hours of soothing entertainment. Gather your colored pencils, or whatever medium you prefer, and color in peace.

A wide-ranging travel memoir and inspiring guide by a woman who overcome her fears and set out for her dream destinations. Writing down the things you’d like to see and do before you die is one thing—actually doing them is another. After years of allowing her anxieties to keep her from pursuing the adventures she dreamed of, Annette White has now made a second career out of writing her bucket list—and then crossing things off of it. On her popular blog, she has chronicled her adventures on virtually every continent—from walking among wildebeests in Africa to climbing an active volcano in Guatemala to swimming in a lake in Palau surrounded by thousands of jellyfish. In Bucket List Adventures, she takes you along for the ride, and shows you how to live your adventures, too. Bucket List Adventures is not only a practical travel book—sharing detailed information on lodging, helpful resources, etc.—but also an inspiration for people to step out of their comfort zones. An extensive appendix includes information about fifty additional places to consider for your future adventures.

As students gain confidence and skills in guided reading, what is the next step to helping them become strong, independent readers? Small-group reading sessions. By working in small groups, students will be able to explore longer text and build their literacy skills with confidence. Literacy expert Gail Saunders-Smith demonstrates through the methods in this book how educators can advance students from small-group reading to silent reading, all while building reading comprehension.Ideal for teachers of emergent readers, The Ultimate Small-Group Reading How-To Book demonstrates how to develop successful readers through step-by-step, small-group reading instruction that focuses on vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Inside are tools for teachers to help them:Set up small-group mini-lessons and discussion of textsProvide tools for students to help investigate narrative textsEngage students to evaluate expository textsDevelop students’ skills in defining literary elements such as characters, setting, and plotAnd much moreHelp students become independent readers with these strategies for use before, during, and after guided reading!

Ever since humans first began to communicate, we’ve had secrets to keep — secrets of state, war, business, or the heart. From the moment the first secret message was sent, others were busy trying to decipher it. By rearranging, substituting, or transposing symbols, any message can be encoded or decoded — if you know how.Secrets of Making and Breaking Codes is a practical field manual designed to teach you the basic mechanics of enciphering and deciphering communications. The author has used his extensive knowledge of and experience in electronic communications and languages — as well as his decades of fascination with secret codes — to demystify the field of cryptology.Hamilton Nickels uses plain, uncomplicated English and simple, workable systems that rely on neither advanced mathematics, nor on ethereal philosophies. This is the only hands-on guide to both the simplest cipher schemes — that need little more than scratch paper and a pencil to crack — as well as more sophisticated codes that use one-time code books, pocket calculators, and the most advanced computer-based systems used by the military and diplomatic corps of most governments.Letting the wrong eyes see a secret message can often make the difference between victory and defeat, success and failure, life and death. Secrets of Making and Breaking Codes will make mastering codes easier.

By the director of the hit documentary Behind the Burly Q comes the first ever oral history of American Burlesque--as told by the performers who lived it, often speaking out here for the first time. By telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women (and men!) who lived it, Behind the Burly Q reveals the true story of burlesque, even as it experiences a new renaissance.Burlesque was one of America's most popular forms of live entertainment in the first half of the 20th century. Gaudy, bawdy, and spectacular, the shows entertained thousands of paying customers every night of the week. And yet the legacy of burlesque is often vilified and misunderstood, left out of the history books.By telling the intimate and surprising stories from its golden age through the women (and men!) who lived it, Behind the Burly Q reveals the true story of burlesque, even as it experiences a new renaissance. Lovingly interviewed by burlesque enthusiast Leslie Zemeckis who produced the hit documentary of the same name, are former musicians, strippers, novelty acts, club owners, authors, and historians--assembled here for the first time ever to tell you just what really happened in a burlesque show. From Jack Ruby and Robert Kennedy to Abbott and Costello--burlesque touched every corner of American life. The sexy shows often poked fun at the upper classes, at sex, and at what people were willing to do in the pursuit of sex. Sadly, many of the performers have since passed away, making this their last, and often only interview. Behind the Burly Q is the definitive history of burlesque during its heyday and an invaluable oral history of an American art form. Funny, shocking, unbelievable, and heartbreaking, their stories will touch your hearts. We invite you to peek behind the curtain at the burly show.Includes dozens of never-before seen photographs: rare backstage photos and candid shots from the performers' personal collections.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Here renowned trainer Mark Rashid introduces us to his revolutionary method for training horses. His sensitive, thoughtful approach emphasizes the importance of balance, and has led some to refer to him as a real-life horse whisperer.“It has always been my contention that working with horses is, or at least should be, a delicate balancing act between finding how much or how little direction it will take to help the horse we are working with understand whatever it is we are trying to teach. Too little direction and our efforts might become ineffective. Too much direction and we may develop resistance and animosity between our horse and us.”With this sensitive, thoughtful approach, Rashid challenges the conventional wisdom of “alpha leadership” and teaches the reader to become a “passive leader”—a human counterpart to the kind of horse other members of a herd choose to associate with and to follow. Applying Rashid’s principles and techniques helps cultivate horse personalities that are responsive and dependable regardless of the rider. Reliving Rashid’s experiences with him, you will come to feel the same sort of compassion and appreciation for your horses that you do for the people in your life.This edition features additional notes at the end of each chapter that contribute to a more complete understanding of Rashid’s methods and philosophy.

“Before Magic, before Ali, before Jesse Owens, there was Major Taylor” (Bob Roll, NBC cycling analyst and former professional cyclist). At the turn of the century, one of the world’s most popular athletes was a black bicycle racer named Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor. Known throughout the country, he was the fastest man in America and the first African American cyclist to achieve the level of world champion. But he still faced the virulent racism and belittling treatment that was a daily occurrence for so many.Major Taylor is the story of a truly remarkable man and athlete, from his humble beginnings in Indianapolis riding a bike and performing stunts for money to his incredible victories despite widespread discrimination—and cruelties that included having ice water thrown on him and nails tossed in his bike’s path, as well as being physically attacked during a race. With a foreword by three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, this spellbinding saga of fortitude, grace, forgiveness, and one man’s unyielding will to win against the greatest of odds is sure to become a classic.

“[A] boisterous account of four of Hollywood’s wildest leading men” (The Times, London). “I don’t know what people expect when they meet me. They seem to be afraid that I’m going to piss in the potted palm and slap them on the ass.” —Marlon Brando “I should have been dead ten times over. I believe in miracles. It’s an absolute miracle that I’m still around.” —Dennis Hopper “You only lie to two people in your life: your girlfriend and the police.” —Jack Nicholson “The best time to get married is noon. That way, if things don’t work out, you haven’t blown the whole day.” —Warren Beatty They’re the baddest bad-asses Hollywood has ever seen: Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty, and Jack Nicholson. They are men to whom rules did not apply; normal standards of behavior were simply too wearisome to worry about. These are men who brawled, boozed, snorted, and screwed their way into celebrity legend—but along the way they changed acting and the way movies were made forever. Hollywood Hellraisers is a whistle-stop tour of jaw-dropping sexual activity, misbehavior of an Olympic standard, all-out excess, and genuine madness. It’s a wonder Hollywood survived.

Pulitzer-Prize-winner and bestselling author C. Vann Woodward recreates the gripping account of the battle for Leyte Gulf—the greatest naval battle of World War II and the largest engagement ever fought on the high seas. For the Japanese, it represented their supreme effort; they committed to action virtually every operational fighting ship on the lists of the Imperial Navy, including two powerful new battleships of the Yamato class. It also ended in their greatest defeat—and a tremendous victory for the United States Navy. Features a new introduction by Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder.

This fascinating third volume in the Britannia’s Fist alternate history series will have you pondering how easily history could have been swayed differently. The winter of 1863 lowered a white curtain on the desperate struggle for North America. The United States and Great Britain fought each other to a bitter draw. On both sides of the Atlantic, the forges of battle glowed as they poured out new technologies of war. British and French aid transformed the ragged Confederate armies and filled them with new confidence. Both sides strained to be ready for the coming campaign season. Both sides seek to anticipate each other. The British strike suddenly at Hooker’s strung-out army in winter quarters in upstate New York in a brutal, swirling, late battle across frozen fields and streams. Besieged Portland shudders relentless assault. The French attack Fort Hudson on the Mississippi. At Lincoln’s direction, two great raids are launched at the United Kingdom itself as Russia enters the war on the side of the Union to raid the Irish Sea. These are only preliminaries to the great gathering of modernized armies and ironclad fleets, and with them are deadly submersibles and balloons. Battles rage from Maine to northern Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, down to steamy Louisiana. And far away across the sea, Dublin stands siege as Russia simultaneously eyes Constantinople. For Americans (blue and gray), Britons, Irish, Frenchmen, and Russians, the summer of 1864 is the crescendo battle of destinies and dreams.

In the second year of the American Civil War, near Richmond, Virginia, seven days and six battles changed the course of history. In the early spring of 1862, the Army of the Potomac invaded Virginia in the hopes of capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond and ending the war. Led by the lauded Gen. George McClellan, the Union forces landed in March—and the Confederates led by Joseph E. Johnston slowly but surely retreated toward Richmond. Defeat seemed inevitable. But when Johnston was wounded and taken out of action, an intelligent but little-considered officer named Robert E. Lee replaced him—and nothing would ever be the same. Taking advantage of McClellan’s slow reactions and overconfidence, Lee went on the attack, turning the tide with a combination of feints, harassing attacks, and tactical genius that soon had the Union army falling back. Over the course of one week, during which six battles were engaged, Lee outfought and out-thought his opponent at every turn, turning the great Peninsular Campaign into a humiliating defeat for the Union, proving his brilliance as a military leader—and dooming the nation to three more years of bloody warfare. Here, those fateful days and Lee’s astounding generalship are explored as are the actions in military and political circles that ended the Union’s hope for quick victory, and unleashed one of the most brilliant military minds of all time onto the Civil War battlefields—and into history.