January eBook of the Month: Venerable Father by Paul Breiter

We are showcasing all things Paul Breiter this month with the release of his reprinted book, One Monk, Many Masters. Join in by reading our January eBook of the Month, Venerable Father: A Life with Ajahn Chah!

Available until now only in limited editions, Venerable Father has become an underground classic among Buddhists, especially those practicing the Thai tradition. It details the joys and struggles of Paul Breiter's years with Ajahn Chah, who was perhaps Thailand's best-known and most-loved Buddhist master.

Breiter describes Ajahn Chah as a figure who is at once human yet extraordinary, an orthodox yet unconventional teacher whose remarkable skill, patience, and compassion in training disciples flowed naturally from his deep and joyous realization of the truth. Breiter also explains, quite vividly, the life of a Westerner in a Thai forest monastery and the unique spiritual lessons to be learned there.


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 One Monk, Many Masters, A Still Forest Pool, Being Dharma, and Everything Arises, Everything Falls Away.

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January Quote of the Month: "By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action you receive it"

"By thought, the thing you want is brought to you; by action you receive it."

— Wallace Wattles in The Science of Getting Rich

Continuing January with books that will help readers become the best version of themselves, we present our Quote of the Month, from The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles.

Many people are in need of more money. It is one of the most popular self-help topics and perpetual concern for many people in the United States and around the world. In his book The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles gives readers his program for becoming wealthy.

Originally published in 1910, his method promises to work without failure because it is based upon exact science and infallible scientific laws. Sacrificing an explanation of his philosophy for brevity, Wattles provides readers a stripped-down guide on shaping the universe to their benefit through the power of positive thinking.

About the Author
American author Wallace Delois Wattles (1860-1911) overcame poverty and failure in his life to become a pioneer of the early self-help movement. Among his books are The Science of Being Great and The Science of Being Well.

Astrologer Tamplin on the Wealth of Nations and Transformation of the Global Economy

Ed Tamplin, a respected Australian mundane astrologer, who analyzes political and financial events, wrote this week an interesting horoscope about the Pluto return of the US.  Apparently, at the birth of the US on July 4th 1776, Pluto, the ancient Roman wealth ruler, was placed in the US second house of assets and earning capacity. This placement caused the US to become "the wealthiest nation and the home of modern capitalism."

Tamplin then describes something else important that happened in 1776: "On March 9, a work appeared that would influence financial thinking for centuries after - Adam Smith's classic 'Wealth Of Nations'. Smith was a Scottish philosopher and economist. His magnum opus, appeared at the start of the Industrial Revolution.......This book traces history from the Fall of Rome to the feudal societies, to the mercantile age. Smith argued successfully that wealth was not created by hoarding precious metals, but rather through increasing production and expanding trade. His ideas made gross domestic product, a measure of a country's productive output, part of the fiscal vernacular. Smith also contended that an economy and markets were naturally self-regulating."

So, Tamplin not only links Pluto to the foundation of the U.S., but also to the everlasting influence of this classic book -  by the way while showing the Cosimo Classics cover on Tamplin's website, which is much appreciated. What does this all mean when the US has its Pluto return in 2022? Tamplin believes that this will herald a total transformation of the U.S. and the global economy. Anyone following news events from Brexit to the Trump election, from increasing wealth disparity to unstoppable stockmarkets and the rise of cryptocurrencies, can attest that business as usual no longer applies, and should not be counted on. Brace yourself and be prepared by following websites such as Ed Tamplin's or reading books such as The Wealth of Nations.

Cosimo is proud to offer several editions of The Wealth of Nations, for example two unabridged editions in paperback and hardcover.



And two shorter unabridged editions also in paperback and hardcover.

January Classic of the Month: The Life of P.T. Barnum

Grab your dancing shoes and warm up that singing voice! Celebrate the release of The Greatest Showman by picking up your copy of The Life of P.T. Barnum by P. T. Barnum, our January Classic of the Month!

The Greatest Showman is an original musical film starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Michelle Williams. The story was inspired by P. T. Barnum's life and his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The movie has gotten some fantastic reviews, even landing a Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song, however, the main complaint seems to be that the movie's premise is incredibly fictionalized without being historically accurate whatsoever.

What better way is there to learn more about the story behind the famous politician and businessman than through books? Educate your friends and family before or after seeing the movie with our January Classic of the Month, written by Barnum himself.

Originally published in the United States in 1855, P.T. Barnum recounts "the true history" of his adventures and the many enterprises in which he had engaged. A fascinating and—to say the least—colorful man, Barnum regales us with a storied chronicle of his checkered career, where he had been everything from farmer's boy to small town merchant to bank president and, ultimately, a master showman. 

He had frequented jails and palaces, known poverty and wealth, traveled over a large portion of two continents, and had seen all varieties of people and characters. This light-hearted, intriguing history will endeavor the reader to laugh at the antics of this inimitable showman, who, interestingly enough, never coined the phrase, "There's a sucker born every minute." 

About the Author
Phineas Taylor ("P.T.") Barnum (1810-1891) is one of the most peculiarly famous personalities in American history. A consummate showman and entrepreneur, Barnum was famous for bringing both high and low culture to American audiences. From the melodious opera singer Jenny Lind to the bizarre hoax of the Feejee Mermaid, from the clever and quite diminutive Tom Thumb to Jumbo the Elephant, Barnum's oddities, spectacles, galas, extravaganzas, and events tickled the fancies of Americans of all ages.

Left at East Gate Discontinued

Cosimo announces that we are permanently  discontinuing, effective immediately,  our distribution of the book Left at East Gate, a First-Hand Account of the Rendesham Forest UFO Incident, Its Cover-up and Investigation  by Larry Warren and Peter Robbins.  This step  has been taken  at the request of both of the book’s authors.  In October, 2017 Cosimo had temporarily suspended its distribution of this book.

January Book of the Month: One Monk, Many Masters

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 as our January Book of the Month!

In 1969, Paul Breiter was among the throngs of disaffected youth who traveled to the exotic East, seeking to escape the cultural and spiritual upheavals at home. He traveled first to India, thinking that indulging the senses would be his means of finding God. Instead, he found himself at a monastery in Thailand, taking the precepts of a Buddhist monk. He would spend the next seven years in robes, not indulging the senses, but depriving them.

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.

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.

Happy Birthday to Alice in Wonderland Creator, Lewis Carrol!

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, was born on January 27th in 1832. Without this famous English author, we wouldn't have great poems, literature, photography, or classics like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We raise our glass to you Sir Carrol, happy (almost) birthday!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Original Version

The adventures of Alice (named for one of the little girls to whom the book was dedicated) who journeys down a rabbit hole and into a whimsical underworld realm, instantly struck a chord with the British public, and then with readers around the world. Dodgson's playfulness, with language, with mathematical puzzles, with testy creatures such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, still confounds and teases lovers of fantasy fiction today. 

Through the Looking-Glass - Original Version 

In 1872, in reaction to the universal acclaim Alice's Adventures in Wonderland received, Dodgson published this sequel. Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson's wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters. In many ways, this sequel has had an even greater impact on today's pop culture than the first book. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass 

Here, in one volume, you'll find both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the 1872 sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. Together, this is a masterwork of playful prose in which the author has invented some of the most memorable characters in literature: the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen. The conundrums and delights of these works ensure their ongoing influence over modern pop culture. This unabridged replica edition features the original illustrations by English artist Sir John Tenniel and is a treasured addition to any library.

Alice's Adventures Under Ground: Facsimile of the Original 1864 Author's Manuscript 

Alice's Adventures Under Ground was the little-known first draft of what became the famed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Charles Dodgson, better-known as Lewis Carroll, first composed the story of Alice, it was on a boating trip with the Liddell sisters. It was for Alice Liddell that he told tales of Alice's adventures, and Dodgson eventually promised to write the stories down for her. This edition of Alice's Adventures under Ground is the second recorded version of Alice's tales (the first was destroyed), given as a gift to Miss Liddell for Christmas. Afterward, friends encouraged Dodgson to publish Alice's Adventures, which he did after some revisions with Macmillan & Company in London, as the version we know and love today. This facsimile of the handwritten 1864 manuscript includes additional material from the 1886 version and 37 original illustrations. The original manuscript can be viewed in the British Museum in London.

Thank you for your great works of literature Lewis Carrol!

January Series of the Month: The Personal Power Books

We at Cosimo are starting off the month of January by highlighting books that will help our readers become the best version of themselves. We are happy to present Cosimo's Series of the Month: The Personal Power Books by William Walker Atkinson.

The original 12-volume series, the Personal Power Books are a set of self-help books designed to be carefully studied to develop personal power. In the Foreword to Volume I, personal power is defined as "The ability of strength possessed by the human individual, by which he does, or may, accomplish desired results in an efficient manner, along the lines of physical, mental, and spiritual effort and endeavor." In other words, these books describe the methods to attaining control and power in your own life, whether it be financial, physical, mental, or emotional--certainly a worthy goal for any individual.

About the Author
American writer William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932) was editor of the popular magazine New Thought from 1901 to 1905, editor of the journal Advanced Thought from 1916 to 1919 and proponent of the New Thought movement. He authored dozens of New Thought books under numerous pseudonyms, including the name "Yogi Ramacharaka", some of which are likely still unknown today.

The paperback retail list price for this series is: $179.88 but now our price is: $139.99 (you save $39.89 or a 22 percent discount) and free shipping.

The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $275.88, but now our price is: $219.99 (you save $55.89 or a 20 percent discount) and free shipping.