Cosimo co-sponsors Sustainable Styles Launch Party at Tesla Showroom in NY

Sustainable Styles, a new magazine venture from sustainable activist Pamela Peeters, held a launch party co-sponsored by Cosimo last Wednesday evening. Among the guests was Frans Verhagen, whose recent book, The Tierra Solution, was being raffled along with Nikola Tesla's autobiography My Inventions. The launch party was held at Tesla's namesake, the Tesla Motors Showroom, where guests were treated to a close-up look at one of the innovative electrical cars, inspired by the works and inventions of Nikola Tesla. 

If you're interested in learning more about Sustainable Styles and Pamela Peeters work, please visit their Facebook page or consider a donation to the magazine.

Danny Schechter on the Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street

Yesterday, September 17, was the anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. News outlets, such as Yahoo! News, noted that the turnout was underwhelming and that police nipped things in the bud almost immediately. Read Danny's take on the first anniversary of #OWS and catch his follow up in today's blog post. Of course, you can also check out his play-by-play of the movement during it's heyday in his book, Occupy: Dissecting Occupy Wall Street.

Dare to Care and The Espresso Book Machine at The American Book Center in Amsterdam

This Saturday and Sunday, Cosimo author Louis Bohtlingk is presenting his climate-conscious finance book, Dare to Care, at American Book Center locations in The Hague and Amsterdam in The Netherlands. In addition, he will be demonstrating the technology of the Espresso Book Machine.

Not only will this be an interesting presentation on the meaning of money in our economies from someone who has worked in finance and with money for years, but copies of Dare to Care will be printed locally at the event by the Espresso Book Machine for fans who want a signed copy.

Dare to Care is just one of thousands of Cosimo titles available on this innovative publishing machine, which is featured in bookstores around the world. In New York City, McNally Jackson in Soho houses its own machine, ready to print any book within the Espresso database at a moment's notice. This device as a fantastic alternative for bookstores who want to offer print-on-demand books, but don't want to carry a large stock, especially for stores in locations where not every single book is available or where online ordering is not always available or fast. For locations of all Espresso Book Machines around the world, click here.

New York Times on Keeping Nikola Tesla's Flame Bright

According to The New York Times, fans of inventor and writer Nikola Tesla are hosting fundraisers to create a museum featuring Tesla's inventions and life in his dilapidated laboratory, Wardenclyffe.

One such method of fundraising is producing a movie about Tesla, which would include the purchase of and subsequently feature the estate. Other plans include online fundraising and philanthropy, but all will contribute to the purchase of the museum, which will educate the public on the largely under-publicized man.

Fans or newcomers to Tesla's work can start with his autobiography, My Inventions, available in both paperback and hardcover. Additionally, you can read about his Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency, also in paperback and hardcover, and The Problem of Increasing Human Energy, an always-hot topic with the discussions of climate change.

Self-publishing is now "validated" by The New York Times

According to a recent article in The New York Times, self-publishing is no longer just about the vanity presses. Of course, we've known this for years, as a sort-of mashup between traditional publishing and typical POD publishers, which are largely self-publishing companies. More than half of the books published last year--somewhere between 150,000 to 200,000 out of 350,000 titles--were self-published. 

Much of this success (or rather, publicity) can be attributed to the Amazon self-publishing boom with CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing. The New York Times' attention can also probably be blamed on Fifty Shades of Grey, which as most people know, started out as a self-published, hastily doctored Twilight fanfiction. After mentioning two self-published books which did well ("Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The Fine Print of Self-Publishing," neither of which apparently warrant correct punctuation for book titles), the article gives the disappointing caveat that most self-published books will only ever sell between 50 and 100 copies, a dismal quantity at best.

Many authors who self-publish might not care, having published the book for various reasons. Often authors don't care about getting their book to a wide audience, but just about getting the book out at all. Of course, many (most) might just be overly-optimistic. As one self-published author whose book got bought by a big house put it, "The biggest thing you have against you in trying to sell your book is that people don't know about it." 

This is true, and not limited to self-publishing. Other articles have been coming out about how difficult it is to get books noticed by the public, through online and traditional marketing methods. But publishers have contacts in the business, and that's why publishing through other methods can be beneficial. Though we publish books through print-on-demand technology, a much more cost effective method than large print runs, we market our books using both traditional and online methods. This can be a great help to authors who don't know where to start. Of course, the author is always the most effective marketer, especially of non-fiction books, since they ideally have an audience and platform already built up and can reach them most easily. Basically, as the article states, it's nothing revolutionary to get people to notice your work, but it does take a lot of effort.

The point is, The New York Times has finally gotten around to noticing that people are self-publishing. That it can be a good choice for some authors, but that many won't make it. That it's hard work. Welcome to the 21st century.

"As the World Burns: Can an Integrated Monetary System Save Us?" - Review of The Tierra Solution

Ethan Goffman, associate editor of the open-access journal for sustainable solutions, Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, has written a thought-provoking review of Frans Verhagen's The Tierra Solution. You can read the original review, along with some enlightening articles about sustainability, here, but see what he has to say below.

Climate change requires an integrated global approach. Solutions cannot be isolated by borders, nor from our economic and social systems. Big thinking is needed. One recent book that thinks big is The Tierra Solution by sustainability sociologist Frans Verhagen, President of the International Institute of Monetary Transformation. The book recommends a global currency called the Tierra based on carbon. Given the severe challenge of climate change, such sweeping proposals are needed to create a larger vision and stimulate discussion. And clearly, a major shift in our monetary system is needed for a stable, sustainable planet. Still, the book is simplistic in its claims for a singular solution and understates the huge political challenges.

The Tierra would abandon our current floating currency, in which dollars, euros, renminbi, pesos, and other currency fluctuate relative to one another, oftentimes wildly so. While such volatility is economically stressful, Verhagen points out that the gold standard, the classical stable unit of currency, suffers from the artificial nature of gold, which itself ebbs and flows in price. As an international currency based on carbon, the Tierra would be both comprehensive and stable. It would also be tied to the environment, encouraging responsible behavior globally. As Verhagen explains, “[T]he proximity of a nation’s decarbonization level to the [Tierra] standard would determine the...value of its currency.”

Alas, the book leaves a hole as to how a transition to such a standard would take place. It does, however, describe a more complete system of which the Tierra is only one part, albeit the central one. Controlled by a global monetary institution, the Tierra would be a credit-based currency integrated with an exchange of wealthy countries’ ecological debts and poorer countries’ financial debt, and working alongside a carbon tax.

Read the rest of the review on the Sustainability blog, here. And don't forget to leave a comment here or there with your own thoughts on the issue!

Left at East Gates's Peter Robbins on Truth Out Radio

Last Friday evening, author Peter Robbins did an interview with Richard Dolan of "Truth Out Radio" about the Rendlesham Forest incident, Britain's most well-known UFO occurrence and the subject of Robbins's book with Larry Warren, Left at East Gate. To listen to the whole three-hour show and the two-hour talk with Peter, check out the Truth Out Radio Archives. The newest shows are at the bottom. In addition, you can watch Peter's recent talk on the subject at Phoenix Mufon on July21st, below, for background information.

“Occupy Wall Street succeeded in making the issue of the 99% versus the 1% big news,” says Schechter in Tehran Times

Danny Schechter, the News Dissector, and author of Occupy: Dissecting Occupy Wall Street, has been interviewed by the Iranian Tehran Times, covering multiple issues. From the role of the media in covering the Middle East, to their role in the run up to the wars in Iraq and  Afghanistan, to the White House and Wikileaks, and much more. Schecher is also frank in his views of Occupy Wall Street; yes, "it succeeded in making the issue of the 99% versus the 1 % big news in a media dominated culture" and no, "it hasn't succeeded in making change." You can read the complete interview online. If you're interested in reading more of Danny's ideas on Occupy and the media, check out his new books, Blogothon: Reflections and Revelations from the News Dissector, and Occupy, now also available as a NookBook.

New Book Release & Cosimo Book of the Month from Life Stories Expert Robert Atkinson

This month we'd like to announce a new title and our August Book of the Month, Mystic Journey: Getting to the Heart of Your Soul's Story, by Robert Atkinson. Mystic Journey is the exploration of who we are at our core and why we are deeply connected to all others on earth. Atkinson, an internationally recognized authority in helping people tell their life stories, explains how universal motifs, archetypes, and patterns tie us all together and emerge time and time again in individuals' life stories, to create one story that establishes who we are during life. Atkinson uses his extensive background in human development and religious studies to show how traditional archetypes and motifs, such as the hero story, shape our daily lives and develop within our own personal stories.

Mystic Journey explores life's greatest adventure, discovering who we are at our core by living consciously, as described in the world's oldest wisdom traditions. We all must explore the path of our soul, uncovering who we are in this life in order to determine who we will be in the next life (i.e. heaven, the great beyond, the afterlife, death). Atkinson uses a multi-faith approach to explain and describe the lifelong process of soul-making, leading to a personal and collective transformation. each chapter of Mystic Journey ends with an exercise to help readers tell their personal story, and each chapter explains not only the process of soul-making, but also how each individual's story connects to that of the whole.

Mystic Journey is an ideal book for those searching for inner peace, spiritual awareness, or who simply want to write down their story for others to read. Mystic Journey guides readers to use their life stories to solidify their identities, live with an eternal perspective in mind, and reclaim a common spiritual heritage. You can read the press release, along with praise and purchasing information, here. The book also received fantastic reviews from The New Maine Times book review and The Publishing Guru. Jean Houston, author of A Mythic Life and The Search for the Beloved, says of Mystic Journey, "In this exquisite exploration of the spiritual craft of soul-making, Robert Atkinson illumines the journey as well as the art and discipline that leads to spiritual transformation. To read this magnificent study is to remember our original birthright and commit again to following the path that leads us home to who and what we really are."

Robert Atkinson is the author of eight books, including several on personal storytelling. He is a professor of human development and religious studies, and the director of the Life Story Center at the University of Southern Maine.  He can be found online at www.RobertAtkinson.net, where you can read his tour schedule, find out more about the book, read Atkinson's blog, connect with him personally,and read a sample of the book. He also has an interactive blog, Remembering Who We Are, featuring 50 ways to tell your soul's story.

Modern Review of a Classic Victorian War Manual

We have some exciting news! In this month's issue of Survival  from The International Institute for Strategic Studies, David Betz has reviewed Small Wars: Their Principles and Practice, by Charles Callwell, one of our Cosimo Classics titles. The August to September volume of Survival is all about global politics and strategy, and Small Wars fits in perfectly.

From the American war in Vietnam to the Russian war in Afghanistan, the British occupation of Northern Ireland to the American occupation of Iraq, "small wars"--which include guerrilla warfare and other asymmetrical combat--have been a constant in the geopolitical arena of the post-WWII globe. But it was a contingency before the World Wars that demanded advanced preparation in the areas of strategy, logistics, and other military concerns. In the classic 1896 Small Wars, Anglo-Irish military writer Major General Sir Charles Callwell (1859-1928) drew on his service in the British army to create the first modern guide to the "small war." From the causes of small wars, which impacts how they will be fought, to the characteristics of guerrilla warfare to nitty-gritty details on the best tactics to employ over various terrain, it is a gripping instruction manual for deploying the "boldness and vigour" required to win a small war.

Betz's article is a frank and detailed review that merges past with present, that reviews which parts of Callwell's Small Wars are applicable in this day and age, and which are absolutely not. Both are a fascinating read, especially for those interested in both ancient and modern warfare. You can check out an excerpt of Betz's article here, or you can order this month's issue in print or for your iPad. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

OCCUPY! Dissecting Occupy Wall Street: Stories from the Field by Danny Schechter the News Dissector

In light of the Occupy Wall Street marches today supporting the ConEdison strike and a country-wide increase of the minimum wage, it seems like a good time to promote July's book of the month, Occupy: Dissecting Occupy Wall Street, by Danny Schechter.

Danny, known popularly as the News Dissector, has long commented on social protests and the ills of Wall Street and the big banks. He predicted the burst of the housing bubble and the collapse of the economy with his book Plunder and the follow-up documentary, Plunder, The Crime of Our Time. He regularly visits South Africa and wrote about the reform that was needed in that country on his blog and in Blogothon. The point is, he has long history of being interested in social and economic reform, the evidence of which can be seen in his many blog posts and articles.

So it's safe to say that Danny knew what he was talking about when he reviewed and participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests that took place last fall and winter. Occupy is a collection of blog posts and articles from September through December of 2011, when Occupy Wall Street was at the height of its campaign. Danny studies how the movement started, what it did well, and how it could improve. He was well-placed to do so, considering his background working with other political reform movements like the March on Washington and Spain's "Tahrir Square" in Madrid's Puerta Del Sol in June of last year.

Occupy is an interesting and in-depth study of the inner-workings of a movement created by regular citizens who just want to make a difference. You can read the press release for more details and check out the ebook version for only $7.99.

Danny Schechter is a writer, television producer, and independent filmmaker who also speaks about media and financial issues. He is the editor of Mediachannel1.org and blogs daily as the News Dissector at NewsDissector.net. Schechter is the author of fourteen books and has produced and directed more than thirty documentaries and television specials. His blog was named the 2009 “Blog of the Year” by the Hunter College Media Department of the City University of New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @dannyschechter and @DISSECTOREVENTS.

In honor of Jeanne Avery, actress, astrologer and author

With sadness we recently heard of Jeanne Avery's passing away earlier this year. After a successful acting career, Jean Avery became a professional astrologer in the 1960s. She wrote a very popular daily astrology column which appeared in hundreds of newspapers in the 1970s and 1980s. She wrote books, the first of which was The Rising Sign: Your Astrological Mask (1982, Doubleday). Followed by five more books, three of which, we are proud to have republished as Paraview titles:

Astrology and Your Health

Astrology and Your Past Lives

and

A Soul's Journey

In all her astrology work, Jean Avery emphasized that astrology is not a crystal ball. "Astrology is like a road map," she frequently said. " It helps us to upgrade the quality of our choices. You can choose to take the superhighway to your destination or you can choose to take the back roads. Either way, you're the one to make the choices. An understanding of astrology gives us more control over our lives, not less."

Jean Avery was a popular speaker and workshop leader at conventions. She was a member of the American Federation of Astrologers, a board member of the National Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and was listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the East, and Who's Who for Women.

Dr. Edward Bruce Bynum and Dark Light Consciousness, A New Book About the Power of Melanin and the African American Tradition

On June 19, psychologist and author Edward Bruce Bynum released a new book on the African tradition with Inner Traditions Press. In Dark Light Consciousness: Melanin, Serpent Power, and the Luminous Matrix of Reality, Dr. Bynum explores the consciousness and the superconsciousness of individuals and the universe, using science and ancient African and Indian traditions to help readers tap into their minds and bodies.

The back cover copy explains,

Within each of us lies the potential to activate a personal connection to the superconscious. Called “Ureaus” in ancient Egyptian texts and “Kundalini” in ancient Hindu yoga traditions, our innate serpent power of spiritual transcendence inhabits the base of the spine in its dormant state. When awakened, it unfurls along the spinal column to the brain, connecting individual consciousness to the consciousness of the universe enfolded within the dark matter of space. At the root of creativity and spiritual genius across innumerable cultures and civilizations, this intelligent force reveals portals that enfold time, space, and the luminous matrix of reality itself. 

Combining physics, neuroscience, and biochemistry with ancient traditions from Africa and India, Edward Bruce Bynum, Ph.D., explores the ancient Egyptian science of the Ureaus and reveals how it is intimately connected to dark matter and to melanin, a light-sensitive, energy-conducting substance found in the brain, nervous system, and organs of all higher life-forms. He explains how the dark light of melanin serves as the biochemical infrastructure for the subtle energy body, just as dark matter, together with gravity, holds the galaxies and constellations together. With illustrated instructions, he shows how to safely awaken and stabilize the spiritual energy of the Ureaus through meditation practices, breathing exercises, and yoga postures as well as how to prepare the subtle body for transdimensional soul travel.

By embracing the dark light of the shining serpent within, we overcome our collective fear of the vast living darkness without. By embracing the dark, we transcend reality to the dimension of light.

Fans of Dr. Bynum's work know that he uses his psychological and scientifc background to assess the human brain, whether it be dreams, humanity's African roots, or the consciousness and the soul. He continues this trend with Dark Light Consciousness, earning praise for his research. Teri Degler, author of The Divine Feminine Fire and the Fiery Muse commented, “In this fascinating book, Edward Bynum throws down a gauntlet to science that may very well result in the most revolutionary research ever done on consciousness. His groundbreaking ideas challenge not just what we know about enlightenment but the very nature of light itself and--more importantly for each and every one of us--our journey toward it.” 

Other of Dr. Bynum's works include Families and the Interpretation of Dreams (Paraview Special Editions, 2003), Why Darkness Matters: The Power of Melanin in the Brain (African American Images, 2005), The Roots of Transcendence (Cosimo Boks, 2006), The Family Unconscious (Cosimo Books, 2006), and The African Unconscious: Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology (republished by Cosimo Books, 2012).

Five Foot Shelf Classics Highlighted in 2009 Memoir about Reading through Pain

As I was scanning some old emails, cleaning out my inbox, I found a link to a New York Times book review someone had sent me when we first started re-publishing the impressive 51-volume Five-Foot Shelf of Classics. The review--for Christopher Beha's The Whole Five Feet: What the Great Books Taught Me about Life, Death, and Pretty Much Everything Else--discusses not only the premise of the book, but also the history of the Five-Foot Shelf.

Christopher was a young, struggling writer, barely employed and in mountains of debt, when he decided to quit his job, move into his parent's Manhattan apartment, and dedicate a year to reading copies of the Harvard Five-Foot Shelf of Classics that were moldering in the attic. What follows is a year fraught with illness, death, depression, and learning. Beha read the books through a favorite aunt's bought with leukemia and subsequent passing, his own battle with Lyme disease, and a torn meniscus. Beha shows how the books helped him through a difficult time in his life, providing candid and thought-provoking reviews of the some of the world's most well-known books.

The Five-Foot Shelf is a collection of books compiled by Harvard president Charles Eliot as a way for people who couldn't attend Harvard to get a literary education with some of the best and most well-known classics around the world. The collection includes titles such as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The Complete Poems of John Milton, Ben-Hur, The Origin of Species, Don Quixote, The Odyssey, and Beowulf. Now anyone can own the set for themselves, to further their education, enrich their mind, and make their own assessment, like Beha. Cosimo offers this unique 51-volume series in paperback and hardcover at attractive pricing, if you don't already own the set or would like a newer version than the one in your parent's basement. You can also order books in the set individually if you simply need to complete your series.

Bookbuzz Blog Radio with Frans Verhangen: Discussing His New Book on Climate Change and the Financial Crisis

Last week, Frans Verhagen, author of The Tierra Solution (Cosimo's June Book of the Month) had a conversation with Susanna Greenberg on BlogTalk Radio about the book and the state of the climate. Verhagen discussed the current climate crisis and what is currently being done to solve those problems, currency problems and moving toward a standard currency, what a carbon standard is and why it is more beneficial than any other standard, and the benefits of the Tierra Fee and Dividend System.


This book and talk comes on the heels of the Rio+20 conference in Brazil, where "world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, [came] together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want."