Lovers Griffin and Sabine find their passion tested by new obstacles, including a mysterious intruder, in the conclusion of the best-selling trilogy that began with Griffin & Sabine. and Sabine's Notebook. 300,000 first printing. $100,000 ad/promo.

With a fanciful combination of postcards and letters, author Nick Bantock takes you on a romantic and suspenseful tour of an imagined world. The Gryphon is the delightful follow-up to the wildly popular Griffin & Sabine trilogy. This sequel doesn't disappoint; it's as quixotic and cloaked in mystery as the trilogy, replete with similarly captivating foldouts and handwritten letters. Each illustration is intricately drawn with special attention paid to the tiniest details, like the faded postmarks on exotic stamps. Old-fashioned letters create an atmosphere of adventure, surrounding you with colorful images of ancient symbols. The correspondence between the four players flies off to real and mythical lands conjuring up dark forces and love affairs. It is impossible not to want to know what happens next. If you were charmed by Griffin and Sabine, then it's absolutely unthinkable to miss The Gryphon. —J.P. Cohen

Alexandria will continue to delight the 3 million readers who fell in love with the epistolary romance of Griffin & Sabine. Awash with gorgeous artwork, the mystery of Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem now entwines Matthew Sedon, an archaeologist steeped in Egyptian antiquity, and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris whose vision holds the key to a new reality. Intrigue turns to danger and romance turns to passion as Matthew and Isabella struggle to make sense of a world-and feelings-beyond experience. Only the guidance of Griffin and Sabine, expert navigators of myth and reality, can keep them safe. Author and artist Nick Bantock brings a new sensuality and romance to his vivid dreamscapes and unique visual perspective. Alexandria is a breathtaking new chapter in a saga that has captured hearts, minds, and imaginations the world over.

The mystery that began with a single enigmatic postcard reaches its dramatic conclusion in The Morning Star. Three million readers the world over await this last chapter of the best-selling Griffin & Sabine series, a volume of gorgeous artwork and passionate correspondence that crosses oceans and transcends realms. In these sumptuous pages lies not only the fate of Matthew Sedon and Isabella de Reims, but that of their unexpected kinship with Griffin and Sabine, as the long-distance lovers are drawn ever further from the safe haven of logic into a magical maze beyond the certainty of experience. Author and artist Nick Bantock draws on myth, memory, and his limitless imagination in a saga that has resonated with readers and lovers everywhere. The Morning Star marks the final destination on a journey across fabled landscapes and the uncertain terrain of the human heart-one to be savored and remembered long after the last page is turned. Win a trip for two to Paris or original artwork by Nick Bantock. Log on to the Griffin and Sabine web site and enter The Morning Star Sweepstakes.

A spectacular new pop-up from the creator of Griffin & Sabine. Readers of all ages have been intrigued and delighted by Nick Bantock's gift books. Now Bantock's legendary artwork attains new lyrical expression as he translates Coleridge's classic, opium-inspired poem into exquisite and phantasmagoric pop-up constructions. 6 pop-ups.

Nick Bantock first burst onto the literary scene in 1991 with his remarkable illustrated novel Griffin & Sabine—which was as much art as it was artifice. While chronicling the correspondence between two mysterious lovers, Bantock peppered his book with visual delights—macabre post cards, intricately designed stamps, exquisite envelopes that open to disclose hand-written letters. Sabine's Notebook and The Golden Mean soon followed to complete the trilogy. In many respects, The Museum at Purgatory resembles its predecessors, mixing metaphysics and art in a way meant to both puzzle and delight its readers. The narrator offers the basic premise early on: "My name is Non, and as Curator of the Museum here at Purgatory I am required by statute to facilitate, without judgment, the progress of all collectors assigned to these halls. It is my responsibility to act as their souls' guardian, as well as preserver of their accumulated treasures." Non then goes on to give a brief overview of the layout of Purgatory, a city that "takes a meditative, non-partisan view of reality" and where visitors are "faced with fundamental questions of self-worth" that must be resolved before they can move on.

In other words, this stopping place between heaven and hell is one big analyst's couch. Non's introduction to Purgatory scans like the overly formal, academic language one finds on informational panels in natural history museums—no doubt Bantock's intention. Unfortunately, this can become wearing after a while, and it isn't until the second half of the book when Non tells his own story (as opposed to the histories of the various "collections" under his care) that the prose loosens up somewhat.

But it's the illustrations that make Bantock's books special; it's unfortunate that several of them look as if they've escaped from a Dorling Kindersley guidebook—photographs of objects on stark backgrounds with a caption explaining their significance or use. Yet this museum contains some lovely examples of its author's art. As always, his stamps and postcards are exquisite—and how many cards are postmarked Nirvana or bear stamps from Inferno? This book may not equal the mystery or sheer beauty of the Griffin & Sabine trilogy, but Nick Bantock fans will still find plenty to intrigue and amuse. —Alix Wilber

The newest novel by the acclaimed author/illustrator of the Griffin & Sabine trilogy is part love story, part mystery, and part ghostly tale—an altogether bewitching brew of sensualtiy and lost treasures. A young woman's obsession with a drawing of Shiva, the Hindu god, leads to a curious job offer: to find the few remaining pieces of a 15-th century adventurer's renowed collection of Indian sculptures. 90+ color illustrations.

Nightwood is not only a classic of lesbian literature, but was also acknowledged by no less than T. S. Eliot as one of the great novels of the 20th century. Eliot admired Djuna Barnes' rich, evocative language. Lesbian readers will admire the exquisite craftsmanship and Barnes' penetrating insights into obsessive passion. Barnes told a friend that Nightwood was written with her own blood "while it was still running." That flowing wound was the breakup of an eight-year relationship with the lesbian love of her life.

Fresh, wholesome meals that give little mouths something to smile about...

In The Petit Appetit Cookbook, mother and professional cook Lisa Barnes offers a healthy all-organic alternative to commercially processed, preservative-filled foods to help create delicious menus, nurture adventurous palates, and begin a lifetime of positive eating habits for children.

Includes:

- 150+ easy, fast, child-tested recipes for ages 4 months to 4 years
- Mealtime solutions for even the most finicky eaters
- Nutritional information for each recipe
- Time-saving cooking techniques
- The right age- and stage-appropriate food choices
- How and when to introduce solids to baby's diet
- Adapting family recipes for young children
- Recognizing signs of food allergies and intolerances

Emily Barr's irrepressible first novel follows the trials and tribulations of Tansy, a Londoner who leaves behind her horrible boyfriend, too-trendy friends, and hotshot media job to find herself a continent away.

Adrift in the wake of her long-suffering mum's death, Tansy hopes her modest inheritance will help cast her in the role of glamorous "Englishwoman Abroad," as she flits from Vietnam to China. Instead, she finds ungrateful locals who treat her like the tourist she is, a climate that's hell on her skin, and a motley group of grimy back packers she likes more than she'll ever admit. But when blond Englishwomen in Asia start turning up dead, what began as a grand adventure suddenly becomes a real-life murder mystery . . . and blond Tansy wonders if she'll live long enough to tell the tale of her travels.

Brimming with romance, humor, and a slyly self-deprecating wit, Backpack is Lisa Jewell meets The Beach.

Artfully combining sociology, psychology, and feminist theory, here is a fascinating and entertaining look at how women can use humor to their advantage. This witty—and at times deliciously ribald—book examines women's humor and shows how the proper punchline can work wonders on the street, in the bedroom, and even in the corporate boardroom.

If food dropped like rain from the sky, wouldn't it be marvelous! Or would it? It could, after all, be messy. And you'd have no choice. What if you didn't like what fell? Or what if too much came? Have you ever thought of what it might be like to be squashed flat by a pancake?

What's this elaborate illustration? "Horrible Hairy Hogs Hurrying Homewards on Heavily Harnessed Horses," of course. Graeme Base's astonishingly creative oeuvre begins with Animalia, the 1993 alphabet book that challenges the standard idea of how long reading a book for small kids ought to take. Animalia, like many of Base's books, is a vast puzzle, built with entrancing pictures that unfold into layers and layers of objects—all matched to each page's corresponding letter. Base leaves us stunned and amazed, painting reflections into the oddest surfaces and driving the urge to page-turn. This wonderful picture book works for 2-year-olds, 5-year-olds, and adults alike—something few other alphabet books can manage. —Andrew Bartlett