Cosimo's Newest Release, One Monk, Many Masters, is Now Available!

We are very excited to present the newest addition to our Cosimo Books imprint One Monk, Many Masters: The Wanderings of a Simple Buddhist Traveler by Paul Breiter!

One Monk, Many Masters is an account of Breiter's life as a monk and his ongoing search for enlightenment after leaving the monastic robes. Breiter's spiritual wanderings weave through the Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions under such great teachers as Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Sumedho, Kobun Chino, Lama Gonpo, and the 16th Karmapa. After being out of print for a  number of years, Cosimo Books is proud to make Paul Breiter's biography available again.

Early reviews are in!

"Breiter's knack for unadorned observation takes the reader on a worthwhile trek through modern Buddhism as journeyed by a Western layman turned monk and back again."
—Sakula Mary Reinard, Spiritual Director, Portland Friends of the Dhamma

"Breiter's experience with Buddhist teachers, expressed in this book with honesty and insight, is a pleasure to read."
–Angie (Zuiko Enji) Boissevain

About the Author
Paul Breiter was born in Brooklyn in 1948. In 1970, he became ordained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, where he met Ajahn Chah and became his student. After disrobing in 1977, Breiter returned to the US and continued Buddhist study with masters in the states. Breiter's other books include Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah (from Paraview Special Editions), A Still Forest Pool, Being Dharma, and Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away.

To read the full press release, please click here. 

December Quote of the Month: "Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents!"

"Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents!"
—Louisa May Alcott in Little Women

It is one of the most beloved novels in the English language, and its protagonists among the best friends a reader can have. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women—inspired by her own childhood with three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts—is the simple, elegant tale of tomboy Jo March, who strains against the limitations of women of her time, and dependable Meg, compassionate Beth, and spoiled Amy. Their childhood adventures and squabbles as well as their adult romances and travels continue to enthrall and delight readers a century and a half after the novel was first published, and have inspired stage plays, comic books, and countless film adaptations. Timelessly classic, this is an essential work for any library of 19th-century literature.

 

About the Author

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), one of the most well-known American novelists of the 19th century, was born on November 29, 1832 to transcendentalist educator Amos Bronson Alcott and his wife, Abigail May Alcott. She was the second of four sisters (like Jo, her literary corollary), and grew up in a family that encouraged and sympathized with her abolitionist and feminist leanings. As a child she received instruction from noted literary figures such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, all family friends. In addition to the Little Women series, which included four novels, she wrote 28 other works, three under the pen name A.M Barnard. Though Alcott had chronic health problems in her later years, most likely attributed to an autoimmune disease, she continued to write until her death at 55 in 1888.

December eBook of the Month: Quiet Talks on Prayer by Samuel Dickey Gordon

This month Cosimo presents Quiet Talks on Prayer by Samuel Dickey Gordon as our December eBook of the Month in honor of the Christmas holiday.

"You see sin is slapping God in the face. It may be polished, cultured sin. Sin seems capable of taking quite a high polish. Or it may be the common gutter stuff. A man is not concerned about the grain of a club that strikes him a blow. How can He and I talk together if I have done that, and stick to it-not even apologized. "
— from "Why the Results Fail"

What is prayer? Can humans influence God's will? Why does it seem that many prayers go unanswered? The mysteries of the communication between God and his faithful are explored in this 1904 guide to the power and puzzle of prayer: how God heeds our entreaties, the ideal spirit with which to pray, and even what prayer means in the grand scheme of The Universe. Those who pray will find this a source of comfort and enlightenment even today, a century after it was first published.

About the Author
American lay-preacher Samuel Dickey Gordon (1859-1936) was a devotional speaker in high demand throughout the early 1900s, as well as a prolific author of inspirational works. His "Quiet Talks" series includes Quiet Talks on Power and Quiet Talks About Jesus.

Purchase this eBook at any of the retailers below.

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December Classic of the Month: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

Cosimo is celebrating all things Christmas this month by curling up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa and our Classic of the Month, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum!

How did Santa Claus invent the first toy? Why does he travel by night and enter homes via chimney? How did he come to travel with eight reindeer? Beloved writer L. Frank Baum introduces us to a fantastical Father Christmas raised by a fairy queen among the magical denizens of an enchanted forest, a mortal among immortals who outwits evil Awgwas in his quest to share gifts and spread love around the world. First published in 1902, this is a beautiful, mythic tale, one that will charm children of all ages.

About the Author
Beloved writer Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was the creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and author of 13 other Oz novels; plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts.

December Book of the Month: The Joy of Ritual by Barbara Biziou

As many of us get into the holiday spirit in preparation for Christmas and Hanukkah, the Cosimo staff will be reaching for The Joy of Ritual by Barbara Biziou to help us celebrate. 

Ritual is a universal language that gives substance and meaning to our lives. People are eager to honor the significant moments in their lives and Barbara Biziou, one of America's foremost ritual experts, teaches us how to restore ritual to its rightful place as food for the soul through practical, easy-to-use ritual recipes that are inspiring and fun.

Rituals can enhance daily routines, enrich milestones, and guide us through difficult transitions. Whether you're releasing fear, bringing deeper meaning to a family or community gathering, or celebrating an important event, The Joy of Ritual is like a wise best friend that reconnects us to our hearts and souls.

About the Author
Barbara Biziou is an interfaith minister, motivational speaker, and a life-strategy coach. She is the author of The Joy of Ritual & The Joy of Family Rituals, as well as a Huffington Post blogger, executive consultant, dynamic public speaker, and national TV personality. Biziou has a deep commitment to integrating practical spirituality into people's lives, both personally and professionally. She is a frequent guest on radio and television and has appeared in the New York Times, Body and Soul, Harper's Bazaar and Parent's Magazine.

Cosimo offers this title in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and also as an eBook.

Upcoming author event alert! Barbara Biziou will present her favorite rituals and ways to prepare for 2018 at her event Navigate 2018: Rituals and Astrology on December 16th in New York City. For more information about the workshop (cohosted with Rebecca Gordon), tickets, and location, please visit the event site.

December Series of the Month: History of the American People

"What with adventurers who were ungovernable and men of industry and ability who wished to be let alone, it was not an easy or a promising place in which to set up the authority of proprietors who were in England and had done nothing to help the men whom they meant to govern. Sir William Berkeley, nevertheless, being himself one of the proprietors, took the first step towards making good the rights of the new masters in 1664, when, by the authority of his associates, he commissioned William Drummond to act as governor among the people at Chowan and Perquimans."
       —from Chapter VIII: “New Jersey and Carolina”

Cosimo is lighting the birthday candles this month for Woodrow Wilson, born on December 28th, 1856! Help us in wishing him a happy birthday by picking up our December Series of the Month, A History of the American People.

It was during his tenure at Princeton that Wilson penned this five-volume history of the United States, and it reflects many of his ideas and biases he later brought to national politics. This beautiful replica of the 1902 first edition features all the original halftone illustrations. Students of Wilson and of the ever-changing lens through which history is told and retold will find this an enlightening and illuminating work.


About the Author: 

Before he served as the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921, before he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919, Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) was a lawyer and an academic: a university professor of history and politics, and president of Princeton University.

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

The hardcover retail list price for the series is $154.95, but now:our price: $119.99  (you save $35 or a 22 percent discount)The paperback retail list price: $64.95, but now: our price: $49.99 (you save $15 or a 23 percent discount) including free shipping.

Author Loren Coleman Comments on 'Yetis are "Just Bears"'

The crypto world was rocked last week when scientists announced that Yeti DNA very much resembled the DNA of polar bears. Cosimo Author Loren Coleman commented on the article on his blog saying:

"For decades, cryptozoologists have pointed to there being three kinds of Yetis – a small Yeti, a human-sized Yeti, and a quite large bear-like Yeti. Explorer Tom Slick investigated these three types in the Himalayas in the 1950s. Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson in the late 1950s and 1960s, as well as modern researchers this century, including myself, Mark A. Hall, and Patrick Huyghe, called this variety the Dzu-Teh. The recent Bryan Sykes’ study confirmed there were bear artifacts behind some of the so-called Yeti samples he studied and which were highlighted by Icon Films."

Coleman was also interviewed by The Huffington Post to get his take on the matter, saying: “Until we discover a yeti, we’ll never have a sample of yeti DNA, so the only matches that come up will be from samples of bear."

Read up on all things Yeti by checking out our cryptozoology page online, reading more of Loren Coleman's work, or paying a visit to the International Cryptozoology Museum.