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Most translations of The Odyssey are in the kind of standard verse form believed typical of high-serious composition in the ancient world. Yet some scholars believe the epic was originally composed in a less formal, phrase-by-phrase prosody. Charles Stein employs the latter approach in this dramatic, and in some ways truer, version. Famous episodes such as the sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the Cyclops, are rendered with previously unseen energy and empathy. The poem's second half—where Odysseus, returned home to take revenge on his wife's suitors—has extraordinarily subtle, "novelistic” features that are made more transparent in this version. There is also a special feel for the archaic dimensions of Homer—the world of gods and their complex relations to Fate and Being that other translators tend to deemphasize in order to make the poem feel "modern.” Most versions exclude or minimize the magical aspects of the poem, but Stein gives these elements full play, so that the spirit of a universe predating the classical era shines through. This vibrant version of The Odyssey shows readers not only what the Greeks thought about their gods but the gods themselves. Summaries preceding each chapter and a list of recommended websites help expand the experience.

The workings of the suitable environment for cells—called the extracellular matrix (ECM) and ground regulation—has occupied the European medical tradition since the early part of the 20th century. As it has become more clear that the origin of disease and its first signals register in the connective tissue, or myofascia, cellular pathologists and biochemists have sought to circumscribe networks of cell communication and microcirculation in the ECM. Alfred Pischinger (1899-1982) continued this line of work by further studying, in work published from 1926 through the late seventies, the connections of the ECM to the hormonal and autonomic systems. In the last twenty years Professor and Doctor of Natural Sciences Hartmut Heine and his colleagues have carried on Pischinger's work, here summarized in one volume. Part One encompasses theoretical underpinnings; Parts Two and Three address applications and directions for further research. This updated English-language translation not only is an account of the work of Pischinger's successors—Heine, Otto Bergsmann, and Felix Perger, (the three editors of this volume) and their many colleagues—but notes the positive development of complementary therapies based on this understanding of histology. Acupuncture is referenced directly. Both in Europe and the States the work of manual therapists, including Rolfers, cranio- sacral therapists, and other somatic disciplines have been informed for many years by Pischinger's outsider model of how changes in the EMC register in the central nervous system and the brain, and are conveyed back to the periphery and connected organs. Heine's exciting recent work shows that the regulation and construction of the ECM have relationships to cybernetic non-linear systems and phase transitions.

Although contemporaries, Carl Jung and Wilhelm Reich, two giants in the field of psychoanalysis, never met. What might have happened if they had is the inspiration behind this detailed investigation. Jung and Reich succinctly outlines each man's personality and compares their lives and their work, emphasizing points of convergence between them. John Conger provocatively puts Jung's mystical and psychological approach to spiritual disciplines on the same plane as Reich's controversial theories of "genitality" and character armor. The result is a heady "what if?" bound to intrigue and inspire readers.

Bodywise is based on Joseph Heller's own brand of deep-tissue bodywork, which makes the connection between life issues and natural bodily alignment, and shows how to restore the body's natural balance. The book teaches readers how to regain control and become a full-time owner of their bodies. Part One explains the way the body works, in everyday life as well as in the structures of consciousness. Part Two takes the reader on a guided tour of the Hellerwork experience.

Capoeira is simultaneously a dance, a fight, and a game. Created by the Africans brought to Brazil as slaves beginning in 1500, capoeira was forbidden by law but survived underground. When open practice was allowed in the 1930s it soon became very popular. Capoeira came to America around 1975, and has become widely recognized by dancers and martial artists. The author discusses capoeira's evolution from Brazilian street play into a way of life. The philosophy of capoeira, and the practical and spiritual benefits of this philosophy, are also discussed. Instructions and exercises in intermediate and advanced skills take up where the author's previous book left off. The book includes 100 black-and-white photos and illustrations.