A rich collection of Arabian folklore about dervishes, sultans, peasants and magicians. These tales of adventure, enchantment and strange twists of fate have been culled from around the campfires of several nomadic tribes throughout the Middle East. Passed down from past generations to the present day, these stories have been collected and retold by Amina Shah, chairwoman of the College of Storytellers in England and descendent of an ancient Afghan family of writers and savants. Anyone who lost themselves in The Arabian Nights will surely enjoy this fine example of the eldest art form known to humankind. MDH

Publisher: Octagon
Paperback: 204 pages

An A-Z of the people, myths and practices of witchcraft from the beginning of time to the contemporary. Featuring over 400 entries and over 100 illustrations, this is a relatively complete guide spanning the last couple thousand years. From “Hecate” to “Hocus-Pocus” there’s everything for the initiated seeker. The best things about this book are the photos and listings of famous contemporary witches: Laurie Cabot looking like Cher from her Vegas days; Z Budapest playing the foxy feminist radio DJ; and Dr. Leo Louis Martello resembling a collared Charles Manson. These biographies alone make this encyclopedia unique because most witches dictionaries list only the gods and goddesses and not the humans who make it all happen. MDH

Publisher: Facts on File
Hardback: 432 pages
Illustrated

If you've ever had a problem with cocaine, the opening pages of this book will send shivers through your blood. It starts with a depiction of a “nice yuppie girl” at the hospital—frozen into in a taut convulsing fetal position by a toxic dose of the evil snow queen. Very, very scary. From there it takes a look at the whys and hows of this insidious drug; unlocking the pleasure centers of the brain, triggering postsynaptic neurons; cocaine and sex; and the chemical manufacturing of alternative “pleasure” drugs. One of the best books I've seen on the drug, giving many facts without filler statistics or dry medical terminology, and managing to broach the area of social degradation without being preachy or political. MDH

Publisher: Citadel
Paperback: 167 pages
Illustrated

This in-depth book on one of the most honest artists of the 20th century gives riveting insight into the age-old issues of sex/death, pain/pleasure and the relationship between life and art. Bob Flanagan lived with the terminal disease cystic fibrosis (he died in early 1996) and spent a lifetime exploring the limits of his own flesh through a sadomasochistic relationship with Mistress and photographer Sheree Rose. Luckily for us, their relationship produced an important and insightful body of art, incorporating poetry, performance, photography and site-specific installations. In these 120 image-packed pages we see most of Bob’s life/work, from the early SM performances with Sheree (such as the Amok-sponsored “Nailed” event) to the seminal “Visiting Hours” exhibit at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Several of his poems are published in full (he had published five books), the interviews are candid with the humor of a man bravely staring death in the face. A book in which the personal illuminates the universal, this is a not-to-be-missed journey of human transcendence through art. MDH

Publisher: V/Search
Paperback: 130 pages
Illustrated

The art of German apocalyptic painter George Grosz. Grosz was a young soldier during World War I but was kicked out without ever having been to the front. After the Russian Revolution he joined the artist’s association November Group, which formed in Berlin in 1918, and co-founded the German faction of the Dada movement. Grosz was a biting political satirist, and his most poignant works, produced throughout the ‘20s, skillfully presented acerbic commentaries on the decadent elite and the ravaging political war machine. Grosz’s cartoons, paintings and drawings (this book includes over 70 illustrations, half of those in full color) demonstrates that scenes from the aftermath of World War I—poverty, corruption, filth and debauchery—are just as likely to be scenes from today. MDH

Publisher: Taschen
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrated

A collection of seminal essays, interviews and texts by and about artists who started the performance movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s. This book includes a complete reprint of The Drama Review’s “Happenings” issue from 1965, excerpts from Allan Kaprow’s essay “Assemblages, Environments and Happenings,” selections from Carolee Schneemann’s book More Than Meat Joy and the first overview of European Happenings written in English by Gunter Berghaus. Invaluable as a complete description and analysis of the Happenings and the Fluxus movement; a great resource book for artists, teachers and anyone interested in the history of performance art. Artists include: Carolee Schneeman, John Cage, La Monte Young, Yvonne Rainier, Claes Oldenburg, Anna Halprin, Joseph Beuys, the Viennese Aktionists, Zero Group and many others. MDH

Publisher: Routledge
Paperback: 397 pages
Illustrated

A well-rounded look at the art and life of this Mexican icon in a large-format book. Frida Kahlo, creator of some of the most intense oil paintings ever made, portrays personal pain and self-reflection with the hand of an ancient goddess. The text provides a fairly complete description of her vigorous life as a political freedom fighter, her tumultuous marriage to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, and her daily battle with her damaged and debilitating body. Includes many images and a chronology that sums up important meetings and affairs at a glance. MDH

Publisher: Taschen
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrated

This is the first in a series of three pocket-size books from Dover reproducing Blake’s famous “Illuminated Books.” By trade Blake was a London engraver, and in 1789, while in his early ‘30s, he developed this technique fusing poetry and images via copper engraving, hand-tinting and organic design. The story behind the creation of these poems is as unique as the images; Blake says that he had been searching for some time for a way to display his poems, and one night his dead brother came to him in a dream and dictated this process. Yes, Blake was a romantic and a visionary. These Dover books are presented in the same size, format and layout as the original 31 plates. Songs of Innocence was the first and most popular of Blake’s “Illuminated Books.” The poems are lightweight and best to read to children: they are joyful, sensitive and full of angels who rush in to save everything. MDH

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 42 pages
Illustrated

Book 2 in a series of three, this volume was published in 1794 following the success of Songs of Innocence. Containing 26 full-color plates, Songs of Experience is meant to be read in conjunction with Songs of Innocence. Whereas the first may leave the reader feeling light and unaffected, Experience’s poems are rich with more meaning and bespeak wisdom, sorrow, earthly powers and animism. Blake continued to publish new editions of Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience throughout his life, constantly making changes to page layout and coloring. This book reflects the choices he made after 1815 when he employed deep color and shading to add texture to the written word. MDH

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 48 pages
Illustrated

Here’s where the reader gets to the wisdom of Blake: “Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained,” “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom,” “Prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by incapacity.” These are a few of the “Proverbs of Hell” and they are sublime. Blake was purported to be a visionary, but it’s not until this book that his raging vision really shone through. It is a subversion of all that is thought to be good and evil. Blake’s been to hell… and he likes it! MDH

Publisher: Dover
Paperback: 43 pages
Illustrated