UFO Conferences this Summer with Cosimo Authors

The next few months are full of activities for those interested in learning more about UFOs and extraterrestrial life!

The MUFON Symposium
The MUFON Symposium was first founded in 1970 to discuss the latest UFO developments and MUFON’s vision for the future. This event will bring together MUFON's own field investigators with UFO researchers, enthusiasts, and experts from around the world, including none other than our very own author, Stanton Friedman.





Friedman will be holding a lecture entitled: "Press Coverage of Flying Saucers a Study in Laziness and Misrepresentation" on Sunday, July 20th.






The symposium will focus on UFO attention in the media, including discussions on:
- film making
- media personalities including, Anderson Cooper
- UFOs in TV series
- Reports from the Internet, the government, and the United Nations
- cover ups, and much more

The Symposium will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey from July 17 to July 20, 2014. Pricing for various packages including single events, day passes, or all weekend passes are now available for both MUFON members and non-members. For more information about acomodations, pricing, events, and speakers, please visit the MUFON site or the event page.

About the Author
Stanton T. Friedman is a nuclear physicist and has appeared on Larry King, Unsolved Mysteries, and Nightline and was involved with the documentaries UFOs Are Real and Flying Saucers Are Real. He has given more than 700 lectures on the subject of UFOs. Friedman cowrote Crash at Corona: The U.S. Military Retrieval and Cover-Up of a UFO with Don Berliner, he also wrote introductions for two other titles published by Cosimo, The Roswell Report: Fact versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert and The Roswell Report: Case Closed.


Contact in the Desert Conference
The Contact in the Desert Conference will keep those interested in extraterrestrials in the know with lectures, workshops, and intensives, and will be featuring a wide array of panelists, experts, researchers and celebrities, including one of our very own authors, Nick Redfern. 

Redfern will be hosting a lecture entitled "The Pyramids and the Pentagon" and leading a workshop called "The Real Men in Black." He will discuss topics such as government coverups, disappearances conspiracies, and national security.

The conference boasts a packed weekend of information and details on:
- exploration into ancient astronauts
- extraterrestrial life
- human origins
- crop circles
- UFO sightings
- contact experiences, and much more


The conference will be held at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center in California from August 8 to 11, 2014. Discounted advanced passes for the conference and workshops are currently for sale. For more information about the schedule, speakers, location, and tickets, please visit Contact in the Desert.

About the Author
Nick Redfern is the author of more than twenty books on UFOs, Bigfoot, lake-monsters, the Chupacabras, and Hollywood scandal, including four Cosimo/Paraview titles: A Covert Agenda, Three Men Seeking Monsters, Body Snatchers in the Desert, and Strange Secrets. 

June Organization of the Month: 1% for the Planet

Cosimo is proud to announce 1% for the Planet as our Organization of the Month for June.

Cosimo joined 1% for the Planet in 2012, an organization of over 1,200 companies in 48 countries that support sustainable causes by donating 1% of their sales to a network of almost 3,700 approved environmental organizations worldwide. To date over $100 million has been donated to this network of environmental organizations.

As Cosimo's mission is to create a smart and sustainable society by publishing books covering personal development, environment and social responsible business, it was a natural step to join 1% for the Planet. In recent years, Cosimo has helped support the following organizations:


- EcoHealth Alliance
- charity:water
- Green Map System
- ioby
- Just Food
- Oceana
- Solar One
- The Turtle Conservancy
- World Monuments Fund
- and more!



About 1% for the Planet
Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet is a growing global movement of member companies that donate to environmental organizations worldwide. As a network, the 1% community has become a front runner in funding the work of environmental groups around the world. Readers can find out more, straight from Yvon and Craig, in this video.

1% is Looking Ahead

This summer, 1% will be launching their first consumer-facing campaign to inspire individuals to take measurable actions on behalf of our planet. Watch their Facebook page for the latest news and updates.

About Cosimo
Cosimo, Inc., is a New York based specialty publisher of books and publications that inspire, inform and engage readers. Cosimo's mission is to create a smart and sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. In Cosimo's catalog, one can find a wide range of books describing innovative ways towards achieving a sustainable society, including Water, the Blood of the Earth by Allerd Stikker, Our National Parks by John Muir, and The Tierra Solution -Resolving the Climate Crisis Through Monetary Transformation by Frans Verhagen and many more. In addition, Cosimo has a history of dedicating proceeds of specific books to non-for-profit organizations, such as A Dream Come True by David Kahn and We're Global Citizens by Steffi Schütze benefiting respectively The Aid for Traumatized Children Project and International House of New York.

June is International Crime Month!

International Crime Month is upon us again! In honor of all things mysterious, horrible, scary, curious, and creepy, Cosimo would like to showcase some of our fantastic crime titles from abroad.



The Middle East

The Tragedy of the Korosko by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
A group of Westerners on holiday in the Middle East are taken hostage while on a cruise down the Nile. What do their captors want? The terrorists will either kill them, or forcibly convert them to Islam. This novel from 1898 sounds earily similar to current events in the Middle East.




The United Kingdom

The Wisdom of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
Chesterton is best remembered, perhaps, as a spinner of mystery tales, and for his recurring character of Father Brown. This 1914 collection of stories includes some of the crime-solving priest's greatest cases.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Hercule Poirots First Case by Agatha Christie
The mystery begins with the death of Emily Inglethorp at Styles, a manor in the English countryside. Captain Hastings, a guest at the house, calls upon his friend Poirot to help investigate. The obvious suspect is Emily's husband, who stood to inherit a large fortune upon her death. But the timeline doesn't quite work out, and Poirot must delve further into the lives and motivations of the family living at Styles to uncover who committed the crime.





Canada

An African Millionaire: Episodes in the Life of the Illustrious Colonel Clay by Grant Allen 
Though Allen published what is considered one of the first Canadian science fiction books, The British Barbarians, in 1895, he is best remembered today for his creation of Colonel Clay: the first great thief of short mystery fiction. This series of witty, ironic tales (the complete adventures of the gentleman rogue) come complete with the charming original illustrations.


World Wide

The Lock & Key Library Series edited by Julian Hawthorne 
This unique 10 volume series contains a classic overview of the history of the genre. Here adventurous readers will find tales from ancient times, the first detective story of modern literature (Voltaire, Volume IV), and classic and beloved--but often hard-to-find--writings by the likes of Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, and other luminaries of fiction. For more information about this series or to purchase either the paperback or the hardcover volumes, please contact us.


For a complete list, please browse all of our mystery titles here.



This month-long initiative (started by four American publishers—Grove Atlantic, Akashic Books, Melville House, and Europa Editions) features international crime fiction authors, editors, critics, and publishers who will appear together in a series of readings, panels, and discussions during June. For upcoming events and for more information about this project, visit the International Crime Month Magazine.

June Series of the Month: The Ante-Nicene Fathers

Cosimo is showcasing our handsome religious texts with our June Series of the Month, The Ante-Nicene Fathers by Reverend Alexander Roberts et al.

One of the first great events in Christian history was the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, convened to organize Christian sects and beliefs into a unified doctrine. The great Christian clergymen who wrote before this famous event are referred to as the Ante-Nicenes and the Apostolic Fathers, and Cosimo offers their writings in a ten-volume set. 

The Ante-Nicenes lived so close to the time of Christ that their interpretations of the New Testament are considered more authentic than modern voices. But they are also real and flawed men, who are more like their fellow Christians than they are like the Apostles, making their words echo in the ears of spiritual seekers. This 10-volume collected works of the Ante-Nicenes were first published between 1885 and 1896. 


Cosimo offers this 10 volume series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full set in hardcover or paperback, especially of interest to readers of interest in religion, collectors who like to expand their personal library, or professional librarians. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.


Readers will find the writings of:
 - Gregory Thaumaturgus
 - Dionysius, pope of Alexandria
 - Julius Africanus, a Christian historian who wrote a history of the world from Creation to 221
 - Bishops Antolius of Constantinople, Archelaus of Carchar, and Peter of Alexandria
 - Alexander of Cappadocia, bishop of Jerusalem until he was taken prisoner by the Romans
 - Theognostus, Pierius, and Thenas of Alexandria
 - Phileas, a philosopher from Thmuis
 - Pamphilus, patron of the library at Caesarea
 - Malchion, a rhetorician from Antioch
 - And many, many more


The hardcover retail list price for this series: $469.90, but now: our price: $379.99  (you save $90 or a 20 percent discount)
The paperback retail list price for this series: $218.91, but now: our price: $174.99 (you save $44 or a 20 percent discount)


Cosimo also offeres Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers First Series (in both paperback and hardcover) as well as Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Second Series (in both paperback and hardcover).

Ladders, Black Cats, Broken Mirrors, and Open Umbrellas, Oh My!

While Tuesday the 13th and Friday the 17th are unlucky in other cultures, today is Friday the 13th, a day that brings bad luck for many of those who are superstitious in the Western culture. There can be as many as three Friday the 13ths in a single calendar year or as little as one in 14 months.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day making it the most feared day and date in history. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed (called paraskevidekatriaphobia).

To help and assist those readers out there who may be affected by the date today, we have scoured our titles for some ways to deal with the bad luck and superstitions of Friday the 13th.

Were You Born Under a Lucky Star?  by A. Alpheus

This 1901 guide to casting a horoscope and interpreting the stars introduces the reader to the Ptolemaic roots of astrology and explains everything the amateur forecaster needs to know: how to determine the exact place and time of your birth, necessary for astrological calculations, how to formulate predictions from cast horoscopes, and more.

Napoleon's Lucky Dream Book: A Book of Fate by Unknown 

This "Book of Fate" is said to be a perfect facsimile of the one used by Napoleon, and was supposedly consulted by him on every important occasion. It permits fortune telling by dice; fortunate and unfortunate days; behaviors; the lines and forms of the face, hair, and eyes; as well as fortune telling by cards, palms, and coffee grounds in a cup. Last but not least, it provides spells, charms, and incantations, as well as signs of a speedy marriage, and ways to choose good husbands and wives.

Psyche's Task: A Discourse Concerning the Influence of Superstition by Sir James George Frazer

According to Frazer, superstition may have been responsible for some terrible misunderstandings and even worse misdeeds, but in lending strength to the core institutions of government, private property, marriage, and respect for human life, superstition has played an invaluable role in the increased civility of man. 

The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients: A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting by Lexa Rosean

Lexa Rosean provides beginner and experienced practitioners of spellcasting with a quick, easy, and accurate guide to the magickal powers and properties of herbs, spices, flowers, vegetables, fruits, metals, and colors -- more than 500 ingredients in all. With this info at your fingertips, you can craft spells for specific desires or needs -- whether it's love, luck, fertility, or even next month's rent!

Fear not all ye who are superstitious, studies have shown no correlation between things like increased accidents or injuries and Friday the 13th, in fact, there seem to be less!  So breathe and think soothing thoughts, today might not be so unlucky after all.

June Classic of the Month: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects

Cosimo is proud to present the June Classic of the Month, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects: The Original 1956 Edition by Edward J. Ruppelt with an introduction by UFO expert and investigative writer Colin Bennett. It was in June of 1947 (67 years ago on the 24th!) that the phrase "flying saucer" gained national attention when a pilot named Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine unidentified objects flying in formation near Mount Rainier in Washington State.


The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects was the first serious, unbiased account written about UFOs by anyone connected with the official government investigations of UFO phenomena. Ruppelt, who coined the term "unidentified flying objects" and headed Project Blue Book from 1951 to 1953, includes his personal investigations and findings in his extensive research on UFOs. He discusses both well-publicized UFO sightings and lesser-known accounts, as well as the inner workings of Air Force UFO research. 

About the Author
Edward J. Ruppelt (1923-1960) served at the Air Technical Intelligence Center, where he took over Project Grudge, a formal investigation by the U.S. military with the goal of debunking extraterrestrial and UFO activity. Under Ruppelt's supervision, the project, later named Blue Book, experienced its most fruitful years, when investigations were properly conducted without judgment or disdain. 


For more books by Colin Bennett or other UFO titles, please visit our UFO webpage or our UFO bookshelf.

June Book of the Month: Crash at Corona about the Roswell Incident

Cosimo is highlighting UFOs this month with the upcoming 67th year anniversary of the the Roswell Incident. To celebrate, our June Book of the Month is Crash at Corona: The U.S. Military Retrieval and Cover-Up of a UFO - The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident by Don Berliner and Stanton T. Friedman. 


The crash happened near Corona, a tiny town not far from Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Berliner and Friedman sifted through once-classified government documents, interviewed military and civilian witnesses, pieced together evidence, considered alternative theories, and concluded that a UFO crashed near Corona-and the U.S. government knew it and covered it up. 

Praise for Crash at Corona
"One of the more credible books arguing the existence of UFOs...Most arresting of all is the testimony of those who handled the debris, who had no opportunity to compare notes, yet have described the materials ...in almost identical language." -- Publishers Weekly 

About the Authors
Don Berliner has written more than 300 magazine articles and 25 books on aviation history and space and was also a staff writer for the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). He is board chairman of the non-profit Fund for UFO Research, Inc., and is a delegate to the UFO Research Coalition. 

Stanton T. Friedman is a nuclear physicist and is also the author of Top Secret/Majic. He has appeared on Larry King, Unsolved Mysteries, and Nightline and was involved with the documentaries UFOs Are Real and Flying Saucers Are Real. He has given more than 700 lectures on the subject of UFOs. Friedman also wrote introductions for two other titles published by Cosimo, The Roswell Report: Fact versus Fiction in the New Mexico Desert and The Roswell Report: Case Closed.

Cosimo is proud to offer both an affordable paperback and handsome hardcover edition of Crash at Corona at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback, hardcover, and eBook), and Amazon (paperback, hardcover, and eBook).

Book Expo America: Book Sales, Amazon & John Grisham

Over the last week, I attended BookExpo America,  America's annual book trade show, held at New York's Jacob Javits Center, where everyone who does anything with books gathers. Even though the book business has been under pressure in recent years: people read less or seem to buy fewer books, the rise of eBooks has put more pressure on bookstores, book chains disappear, such as Border's, or face difficult times, such as Barnes & Noble, the atmosphere this year seemed optimistic. Still, some of the numbers presented in the daily BEA publication are not indicative of a healthy industry. The Codex research found that:

- Amazon's share of new book unit purchases in March was 41%, dominating 65% of all online new book units, print and digital;
- Amazon is the largest channel for eBooks, with a 67% market share in March;
- Amazon has a commanding slice of the sale of print books online, with a 64% share in March.

Nielsen Market Research found that online outlets accounted for 41% of book purchases in 2013, while bookstore chains accounted for 22%. In other words, the only two booklets with a meaningful share of eBook and print markets are Amazon (by far) and Barnes & Noble. (with a faltering eBook operation.)  If that's reason to be optimistic, then probably only if the book business would be dead that would be a worse outcome. Against this backdrop, people in the hallways of Jacob Javits were discussing the pricing dispute between Amazon and Hachette, one of the big five trade publishers in the U.S. (although Hachette itself is a French company.) This dispute about new terms for selling Hachette's eBooks between these two giants has now become front page news, as apparently the negotiations are not going well and Amazon seems to delay shipments and prevent pre-orders of certain Hachette books.  This is not just about Hachette, as the outcome of these negotiations will most likely influence the other big five publishers as well, whom I'm sure are holding their breath while waiting for the outcome of this dispute.

I'm ending this post with acknowledging a few authors at this BEA:  Lynnda Pollio, writer and friend of Cosimo's, has won the 2014 Nautilus Gold Award in fiction with her novel, Trusting the Currents. Last year’s Gold award winner in Fiction was Barbara Kingsolver’s bestseller, Flight Behavior. Previous Nautilus Award recipients include The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, Desmond Tutu and Marianne Williamson. We congratulate Lynnda with this award. Last but not least, on the last day of BEA, I attended a conversation between two Southern U.S. bestselling authors, Carl Hiaasen and John Grisham, where Grisham was asked why he does not tweet. While explaining that he couldn't imagine interrupting his daily activities to write a tweet, or follow someone else's tweets, he said:" I don't want you to know what I'm doing, and I definitely don't care what you are doing." I couldn't have said it better, hear, hear!