Books published by publisher Main Street

There ought to be a law against making laws this wacky! But since there isn't, why not have fun with the silliest statutes, looniest lawsuits, and dumbest decisions on record? Who ever thought a law book would be funnier than a joke book? Well it is--just take a look at these: Children under the age of seven can't attend college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Anyone flying over Maine should remember: it's illegal there to step out of the plane while it's in the air. And why can't the chicken cross the road in Quitman, Georgia? Because it's "fowl" criminal behavior. That's just the beginning, because this collection also uncovers some of the most incredible, unbelievable lawsuits, government grants, and court verdicts. For example, the United States Navy spent $792 for a designer doormat. A psychic sued doctors because she lost her "aura" after a brain scan. Each fact is stranger than the one before!

Kids will get in touch with Mother Earth-and see how to save her too-with 150 illustrated, truly terrific nature-friendly projects. There are things to do for every season of the year, crafts that use recycled materials, and activities that encourage youngsters to investigate the natural world. Fantastic color photos capture real children happily working on the projects, and every project mixes fun and learning. A cute cat wind vane will show which way the wind blows and a pretty barometer in a painted jar captures changes in air pressure: fabulous facts on weather provide additional interesting information. Or make candies with fresh mint leaves, a pocket sundial, sweet smelling grass mat, a "desert in a jar," and more.

Kids will get in touch with Mother Earth--and see how to save her, too--with 150 illustrated, truly terrific nature-friendly projects. There are things to do for every season of the year, crafts that use recycled materials, and activities that encourage youngsters to investigate the natural world. Fantastic color photos capture real children happily working on the projects, and every project mixes fun and learning. A cute cat wind vane will show which way the wind blows, and a pretty barometer in a painted jar captures changes in air pressure; fabulous facts on weather provide additional interesting information. Take advantage of the great things that grow by making candies with fresh mint leaves or vinegars with just-picked herbs. Plus: a pocket sundial, a sweet smelling grass mat, a "desert in a jar," and more.

Get smart with two tremendous workouts that really train the brain to think sharp. With detectives such as Sherlock Holmes offering a cool series of puzzles, it's no mystery why these whodunits require strong powers of deduction. Join sleuth Thomas P. Stanwick as he examines "The Case of the Dubious Drowning," and Inspector Forsooth as he goes on "A Trail of Two Cities." By the time you're done, you'll know what kind of detective you truly are. Are you an Einstein in the making? Find out, with a series of super-tricky brainteasers, science puzzles, and word games. Go through the "Fabric-ation" grid crossing out every word that names a fabric; use the remaining letters to find the answer to a joke. Do crosswords, crack coded riddles, untangle anagrams, and find lots more to challenge your sleuthing savvy.

In this alternately hilarious and insightful account, named a Best Book of 1998 by Publishers Weekly, >b>Sports Illustrated writer Steve Rushin uses the lens of sports to come to a deeper understanding of America.On the eve of his thirtieth birthday, Steve Rushin decided to revisit the twin pursuits of his youth: epic car trips and an unhealthy obsession with sports. So he jumped into his fully alarmed Japanese S.U.V. and drove to American sports shrines for a year, everywhere from Larry Bird's boyhood home in French Lick, Indiana, to the cornfield just outside of Dyersville, Iowa, where Field of Dreams was filmed. Now in paperback, Road Swing is the story of his journey.

More than 150 awe-inspiring images of the world’s most terrifying rides put readers in the front seat of the largest, fastest, steepest, loopiest coasters ever built. From fifteenth-century Russian slides to the original Coney Island Cyclone to modern-day steel gigacoasters like Cedar Point’s Millennium Force, this breathtaking, fabulously illustrated guide offers a wild trip through the evolution of roller coasters. Inside, there’s coverage of 200 individual examples, including wooden wonders and steel marvels, inverted coasters, floorless coasters, suspended coasters, and modern hypercoasters. Profiles on coaster engineers and an in-depth look at the ever-evolving technology of coaster design and construction round out this fun survey.

Here’s one big baseball book for big fans of the game. They’ll find plenty to enjoy and challenge them: fun facts, questions and answers, cool quotations from the greats, and amusing line drawings. And the trivia covers all the bases, focusing on bats, the pitcher’s mound, the infield, base runners, and the dugout; and even taking a look off the field and into the press box. What does an umpire do when a blackout occurs midway through a game? What team had one of the most potent lineups of all time, with an incredible five men who had more than 100 runs in a season and three eventual Hall of Famers? Perfect for those with baseball on the brain.

Suicide would appear to be the last taboo. Even incest is now discussed freely in popular media, but the suicide of a loved one is still an act most people are unable to talk about--or even admit to their closest family or friends. This is just one of the many painful and paralyzing truths author Carla Fine discovered when her husband, a successful young physician, took his own life in December 1989. And being unable to speak openly and honestly about the cause of her pain made it all the more difficult for her to survive.With No Time to Say Goodbye, she brings suicide survival from the darkness into light, speaking frankly about the overwhelming feelings of confusion, guilt, shame, anger, and loneliness that are shared by all survivors. Fine draws on her own experience and on conversations with many other survivors--as well as on the knowledge of counselors and mental health professionals. She offers a strong helping hand and invaluable guidance to the vast numbers of family and friends who are left behind by the more than thirty thousand people who commit suicide each year, struggling to make sense of an act that seems to them senseless, and to pick up the pieces of their own shattered lives. And, perhaps most important, for the first time in any book, she allows survivors to see that they are not alone in their feelings of grief and despair.

This New York Times bestseller is a stirring photographic tribute to the New York City firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.“Adorned with votive candles, flowers and handwritten prayers, many of New York City’s firehouses seem like red brick chapels since Sept. 11. Brotherhood gives a glimpse into the firefighters’ lives after the tragedy.... A lively introduction by Frank McCourt reflects on the civil connection we feel with firefighters....The personalized spaces within the firehouses resonate as powerfully as the portraits of the firefighters themselves.”—The New York TimesOn September 11, 2001, more than 300 three New York City firefighters perished in the inferno and rubble of the World Trade Center. Brotherhood offers a moving photographic testament to those brave and honorable men, highlighting every engine, ladder and battalion that lost a brother on that fateful, terrible day. Poignant and stirring images, by Albert Watson, Mary Ellen Mark, Mark Seliger, Christian Wittkin, Mark Borthwick, and more than 50 other New York photographers, depict the places where those firefighters worked, the grieving survivors, and the outpouring of gratitude and love from all over the world. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Fire Chief Thomas Von Essen, and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Frank McCourt contribute their deeply felt reflections.

Dear Santa:I desperately need a new computer so I can talk to other cats on the Internet.OK, it's my fault the old one doesn't work. I honestly thought the mouse was a toy so I kind of batted it around. By the time I realized the fish was a screensaver, the monitor was pretty scratched. Sincerely,Einstein Two, CatFeisty felines making very specific Christmas demands: what could be funnier or more appealing to cat lovers? Delightfully illustrated with drawings throughout, this whimsical collection of letters to Santa reveals, for the first time, what kitty just can't do without. From the pretend--innocent pleas of Screwball, who asks for a dozen playmates for the family fish whose companion has "mysteriously disappeared," to the tired scrawl of Sleepy, who wants more naptimes during the day, each note is full of fun.

Vibrantly colorful pictures plus 150 creative crafts and entertaining experiments equal science fun for kids. From a hot air balloon to a primitive kiln, here's the hands-on way for children to learn all about the world around them. Every project will encourage the budding scientist and inventor, and sidebars throughout answer the important questions. This is just some of what they can do:· The bird, bees and animals too: Construct an observation station to study close-to-home wildlife without scaring them away.· Dig into Planet Earth: Create a "fossil" that looks a million years old.· Map and measure: On the ground and up in the sky, chart where things are by making and using maps of all kinds, or assembling a cross staff to measure the altitude of stars just as the early explorers did.They're perfect for science fairs, school projects, or just for the joy of discovery.

Baseball fans can enjoy fascinating stories about great plays and controversial calls on the diamond, all while testing their own knowledge of the game. Is there a limit to a bat’s length and weight? If a batter swings for his third strike and misses, but the ball gets away from the catcher, can he still run to first? Or is he out? And what happens if the wrong batter comes up to hit—and the right player suddenly realizes that they’re out of order? Through a series of true tales, find out about little-known rules of pitching, batting, and fielding, as well as weird situations that have occurred, smart strategies for winning, and funny things have taken place over the years.