Join cultural and social anthropologist Max Carocci as he explores an eclectic array of shamanic artefacts and images, decoding the symbolism and explaining their extraordinary shamanic ritual practices. Marvel at the adornments of a Siberian shaman’s coat; examine the prehistoric rock art that depicts mystical transformations of shamans into animals; and discover the psychotropic plants that open our minds to interdimensional journeys of healing and wisdom.

Carocci makes the manifold meanings encoded in the forms, colours and purposes of shamanic images and objects clear, painting a vibrant and in-depth picture of shamanic cultures past and present.

Other updates for this edition include an expanded first chapter on the Trecento, and a new ‘Techniques and Materials’ appendix that explains and illustrates all of the major art-making processes of the period. Richly illustrated with high-quality reproductions and new photography of recent restorations, it presents the classic canon of Renaissance painting and sculpture in full, while expanding the scope of conventional surveys by offering a more thorough coverage of architecture, decorative and domestic arts, and print media.

Campbell e Cole, stimati insegnanti e attivi ricercatori, attingono a studi tradizionali e contemporanei per presentare complesse interpretazioni in questa nuova edizione del loro avvincente resoconto dell’arte rinascimentale italiana. L’esclusiva struttura decennale del libro è di facile consultazione e permette agli autori di raccontare la storia dell’arte non solo nei grandi centri di Roma, Firenze e Venezia, ma anche in una serie di altre città e siti in tutta Italia, tra cui, in questa edizione, Napoli, Padova e Palermo. Questo approccio permette alle opere d’arte di essere al centro dell’attenzione, a differenza delle opere concorrenti, organizzate per luogo o per artista.

Tra gli altri aggiornamenti di questa edizione figurano un primo capitolo ampliato sul Trecento e una nuova appendice “Tecniche e Materiali” che spiega e illustra tutti i principali processi creativi del periodo. Riccamente illustrato con riproduzioni di alta qualità e nuove fotografie di recenti restauri, il libro presenta integralmente il canone classico della pittura e della scultura rinascimentale, ampliando al contempo la portata delle indagini convenzionali offrendo una trattazione più approfondita di architettura, arti decorative e domestiche e della stampa.

There are few books which explain how these different legends fit into Rome’s overall narrative and none which explore the range of myths Matyszak describes. Some of the legends are well known, from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of the Sabines, whilst others are more obscure such as the story of the praetor Cipus, who grew horns and became a King of Rome. Whether renowned or unfamiliar, all are significant in their own way and have had a profound impact on the Romans.

Even today these myths continue to reverberate throughout western culture as films, TV shows and plays. Matyszak dissects these myths, investigating hard-to-find texts, such as the historical texts of Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Plutarch’s Roman Questions sources, as well as classic texts like Livy’s From the Founding of the City and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, revealing that Rome’s illustrious mythological past is not quite as it might seem.

Key symbols are identified and examined close up, and key rituals and practices are explained to provide new insights into the philosophies and beliefs of occultists from antiquity to today. Occult begins with an introduction that clarifies what we mean by ‘occult’. It traces the pre-Christian origins of esotericism in Hermeticism, Gnosticism and Neoplatonism, and its development as the occult sciences during the Renaissance to its rebirth in the 19th century with spiritualism, theosophy and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the 20th-century’s anthroposophy, ‘New Age’ and occulture movements.

The book is then organized into three sections exploring Occult Foundations, Occult Philosophy and Occult Revival – each one containing three themed chapters. For each of the nine chapters, illustrated narrative text is interspersed with double-page presentations decoding the key practices, figures and symbols relevant to that theme. From rare, ornate tarot decks to the paintings of Leonora Carrington and Ernst Fuchs, artworks and artefacts are examined in detail: the practices depicted are identified and explained and the hidden symbolism decrypted.

As the book progresses, readers will not only come to understand the mysterious practices and secret ciphers of the occult but will also discover the beliefs, philosophies and rituals of occultists around the world, from their origins in the early esoteric traditions of the ancient Greeks to their reinterpretation in modern occultism.

But this year is going to be different. Thanks to an amazing man named Mr. Ponzio, something incredible is going to happen on Harold’s birthday – and it’s going to be absolutely extraordinary