The Divine Comedy (Hell) describes Dante Alighieri 's journey through Hell (Inferno), guided first by the Roman epic poet Virgil and then by Beatrice. Dante called the poem "Comedy" because poems in the ancient world were classified as High ("Tragedy") or Low ("Comedy"). Low poems had happy endings and were of everyday or vulgar subjects, while High poems were for more serious matters. Dante was one of the first in the Middle Ages to write of a serious subject in the low and vulgar Italian language and not the Latin language as one might expect for such a serious topic. "The Divine Comedy" is an allegory where each canto may contain many alternate meanings. Dante's allegory is complex. Guided by the poet Virgil, Dante plunges to the very depths of Hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards God. Together they descend through the nine circles of the underworld and encounter the tormented souls of the damned - from heretics and pagans to gluttons, criminals and seducers - who tell of their sad fates and predict events still to come in Dante's life. In this first part of his "Divine Comedy", Dante fused satire and humor with intellect and soaring passion to create an immortal Christian allegory of mankind's search for self-knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. "The Divine Comedy" is often lauded for its particularly human qualities: Dante's skillful delineation of the characters he encounters in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; his bitter denunciations of Florentine and Italian politics; and his powerful poetic imagination. Dante's use of real characters allowed him the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and to make room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing its variety. "The Divine Comedy" is recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

Dante's "Inferno"

Literature & Fiction

Marcus Dante Alighieri;Sanders

Poetry

Chronicle Books LLC.

Super Storms

Science & Math

seymour-simon

Environment

The End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradise

End of the Game

Beard, Peter H.

Biographies & Memoirs

Lounge Lizard Journal

Chronicle Books

Ahoy there mateys! Caught in the doldrums? Pass the time putting together this Pirates 42 piece jigsaw puzzle from Mudpuppy! Cristian Turdera has illustrated a pirate galleon with many a skull and crossbones sail. Seagulls and fish frolic all around. Why not toss a puzzle to the marooned guy on the desert island!

Pirates 42 Piece Puzzle

Cristian

Turdera

Sweet & Natural Baking: Sugar-Free, Flavorful Recipes

Mani Niall

Apx. 5" x 5" hardcover with lovely dustjacket. A truly pint sized version of the original book, with all of the charm and beauty of the larger one. If you have "Why Paint Cats" or "Why Cats Paint" this will complete your collection!

Dancing with Cats

Humor & Entertainment

Heather Busch

Burton, Silver

Humor

The charm of an old-fashioned children's book is combined with the fun of a scrapbook detailing baby's first years in this engaging journal. Both a record book for new parents and a compendium of classic children's book illustrations by such renowned artists as Jessie Wilcox Smith and Bessie Pease Guttman. Full color throughout.

Baby's Own Book: A Treasury for Special Moments

Lantern Studio, Blue

Save Oregon: An Environmental Resource Directory

Becker, Richard

Brandvig, Ann

Nature & Ecology

Wind, Sand, &amp; Silence is an extraordinary photographic document by world traveler/photographer Victor Englebert. Over a period of twenty-six years - from 1965 to 1991 - Englebert lived and traveled with the nomads of Africa. While accompanying them on their journeys across the vast African terrain, or simply living with them in their camps, Englebert captured stunning images of their daily lives amid the barren beauty of their surroundings. Englebert journeyed across the spectacular Sahara with two men from the Tuareg tribe; he joined a salt caravan traveling on camelback through the Tenere, a desert within the Sahara and one of the bleakest places on earth; he lived with the shy, gentle, and elusive Bororo, whose only wish is to be beautiful and to dance every day; he traveled with the Danakil who, until recently, considered it their duty to kill intruders; and he lived with the fiercely independent Turkana, who are in constant conflict with other nomads over scarce pasture and water on the fringes of their territory. This personal, anecdotal account of Englebert's travels is a captivating story, a documentary of a way of life that is quickly disappearing, and a moving record of a noble and exotic culture.

Wind, Sand, and Silence: Travels With Africa's Last Nomads

Arts & Photography

Englebert, Victor

Photography & Video

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