A renowned authority on the secret world of opium recounts his descent into ruinous obsession with one of the world’s oldest and most seductive drugs, in this harrowing memoir of addiction and recovery. A natural-born collector with a nose for exotic adventure, San Diego–born Steven Martin followed his bliss to Southeast Asia, where he found work as a freelance journalist. While researching an article about the vanishing culture of opium smoking, he was inspired to begin collecting rare nineteenth-century opium-smoking equipment. Over time, he amassed a valuable assortment of exquisite pipes, antique lamps, and other opium-related accessories—and began putting it all to use by smoking an extremely potent form of the drug called chandu. But what started out as recreational use grew into a thirty-pipe-a-day habit that consumed Martin’s every waking hour, left him incapable of work, and exacted a frightful physical and financial toll. In passages that will send a chill up the spine of anyone who has ever lived in the shadow of substance abuse, Martin chronicles his efforts to control and then conquer his addiction—from quitting cold turkey to taking “the cure” at a Buddhist monastery in the Thai countryside. At once a powerful personal story and a fascinating historical survey, Opium Fiend brims with anecdotes and lore surrounding the drug that some have called the methamphetamine of the nineteenth-century. It recalls the heyday of opium smoking in the United States and Europe and takes us inside the befogged opium dens of China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. The drug’s beguiling effects are described in vivid detail—as are the excruciating pains of withdrawal—and there are intoxicating tales of pipes shared with an eclectic collection of opium aficionados, from Dutch dilettantes to hard-core addicts to world-weary foreign correspondents. A compelling tale of one man’s transformation from respected scholar to hapless drug slave, Opium Fiend puts us under opium’s spell alongside its protagonist, allowing contemporary readers to experience anew the insidious allure of a diabolical vice that the world has all but forgotten.

240 pages, inner pocket

240 pages, inner pocket

192 pages, inner pocket

Angelina and her friends have to memorize and recite poems in front of the entire class. Angelina has no trouble with the assignment, but the same can't be said for her best friend Alice, who has a major case of tummy butterflies! Luckily, Angelina is there to help Alice overcome her fear—by putting her poem to a dance,

192 pages, inner pocket

192 pages, inner pocket

240 pages, inner pocket

Once upon a time there was a crocodile not just any old crocodile with big sharp teeth and powerful jaws, but a crocodile with the kindest of hearts that was gentle and sensitive, and dreamed of one day being a beloved pet in a happy family. Through the magic of a picture book and with an irrepressible desire to please, this ferocious-looking crocodile that tidies toys, washes dishes, and even fights monsters in bad dreams makes his own dream come true.

240 pages, inner pocket

Humble Bumbles, the best-selling baby journal in America, has been updated for a 2nd edition, celebrating the joy, love, and adventure surrounding a baby’s first three years. Complete with 100 beautifully illustrated journal pages that include placeholders for mementos, photographs, sonograms, family tree, and more, this edition also includes a full-color growth chart, 24 adorable color photo frames, one large vellum envelope to keep baby’s mementos, two small vellum envelopes for baby’s hospital bracelet and lock of hair.

Maggi and her dog Milo work as partners in perfecting the art of froghunting.

Taking her very smart, very big dog on a frog-hunting venture after reading a book about frogs, little Maggi discovers that hunting frogs is harder than anticipated and welcomes Milo's help. A first book.

192 pages, inner pocket

192 pages, inner pocket

Discover The Incredible Workings Of The Human Body!

192 pages, inner pocket

A green pea plant grows in a garden. Inside one pod, a small green pea decides that he is not going to be like all the other peas; he is going to be different. His journey leads him to meet a beautiful peacock, a ferocious tiger, and a noisy elephant. Each of these animals inspires Little Pea and he takes something from each of them back to the garden—but will the others accept Little Pea’s desire to be different? Full of humor and optimism, this touching story of a little pea is at once an adventure story and a celebration of uniqueness. The simple illustrations reinforce the strength and poetry of Battut’s signature style. Ages: 4–8.