Popular culture Books

4015 products


  • The Vader Project Auction Catalog

    £22.50

  • 7 in stock

    £15.29

  • The Little Guide to Lewis Hamilton

    Headline Publishing Group The Little Guide to Lewis Hamilton

    £8.50

  • Bachelor Nation

    Penguin Putnam Inc Bachelor Nation

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe first definitive, unauthorised, behind-the-scenes cultural history of the Bachelor franchise, America's favourite guilty pleasure.

    3 in stock

    £13.29

  • The JungKirsch Letters

    Taylor & Francis Ltd The JungKirsch Letters

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis book charts Carl Gustav Jung's 33-year (1928-61) correspondence with James Kirsch, adding depth and complexity to the previously published record of the early Jungian movement. Kirsch was a German-Jewish psychiatrist, a first-generation follower of Jung, who founded Jungian communities in Berlin, Tel Aviv, London, and Los Angeles. Their letters tell of heroic survival, brilliant creativity, and the building of generative institutions, but these themes are darkened by personal and collective shadows. The Nazi era looms over the first half of the book, shaping the story in ways that were fateful not only for Kirsch and his career but also for Jung and his. Kirsch trained with Jung and acted as a tutor in Jewish psychology and culture to him. In 1934, fearing that anti-Semitism had seized his teacher, Kirsch challenged Jung to explain some of his publications for the Nazi-dominated Medical Society for Psychotherapy. Jung's answer convinced Kirsch of his sincerity, anTrade Review‘The Jung and Kirsch letters offer an inner look at the ever-deepening exchange of thoughts, dreams and concepts of early Jungian psychology between these two influential and powerful men. As Kirsch journeys from Nazi Germany to Israel, to England, and finally to Los Angeles, California, we experience his seeking for a homeland, an outer and inner home for his brilliance and commitment to Jungian psychoanalysis, and his personal family. Kirsch’s profound identity with his Jewish roots and his challenge to Jung to understand and integrate the philosophy and history of the Jewish people gives a deeply meaningful insight into the collective and individual struggle of that era, and is equally important today. Reading this book is crucial to our understanding of Jungian psychology.’ - Jacqueline Zeller Levine, Ph.D., Jungian analyst, The C.G. Jung Institute of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA‘The Jung-Kirsch correspondence opens unique insights into their lifelong cooperation and their developing ideas about clinical and cultural issues. James Kirsch was one of the first who explained Jewish culture and identity to Jung. This edition of their letters is a milestone in the study of cultural complexes. It is eye-opening and fascinating to read.’ - Dr. Jörg Rasche, Psychoanalyst IAAP, ISST, C. G. Jung Institute Berlin, Germany‘The Jung-Kirsch Letters belongs to a category of literature where the thoughts and ideas of the psychoanalytic masters are revealed behind their more formal writings. We are here served an exceptional vista of ruminations, theoretical and clinical discussions, dreams and personal emotions, as they crystallize into meaningful ideas. Ann Lammers’ skilful editing renders this correspondence between Jung and one of his most prominent Jewish disciples into a masterful volume of great interest for readers, both professional and lay, interested in depth psychology.’ - Erel Shalit, Ph.D., Jungian psychoanalyst and author, Tel Aviv, IsraelTable of ContentsList of Illustrations. Kirsch, Preface. Acknowledgements. Abbreviations. Lammers, Introduction. The Letters. 1928-1932, Berlin. 1933-1934, Tel Aviv. 1935-1938, London. 1940-1947, Los Angeles. 1948-1949, The Institute. 1950-1952, Aion and Job. 1953, Jungians in L.A. 1954, Habent sua fata . 1955-1958, Zurich/Tokyo. 1959-1961, Mysterium. Appendix A: James Kirsch, 1934, "Then He Will Open the Ears of Men." Appendix B: Letters of C.G. Jung and Hilde Kirsch. Appendix C: James Kirsch, 1954, "'The Red One': A Psychological Interpretation of a Story by Jack London." Appendix D: A Brief History of the AAGP/IAAGP. Addendum: Letter of Aniela Jaffé, 27 May 1961. Editor’s Note. Translators’ Note. List of Letters. Selected Bibliography. Index.

    1 in stock

    £54.14

  • Ugly Hot

    Castle Point Books Ugly Hot

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisHow does he do it?We can't all be drop-dead gorgeous, but we can all be ugly hot! Pete Davidson's unlikely rise from the depths of his mom's basement to the upper echelons of fame and straight into the arms of A-listers like Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, Kim Kardashian, and Emily Ratajkowski gives hope to us all. With meticulous analysis, insightful quotes, scientific-ish studies, admittedly irrelevant trivia, and loads of cheeky humor, Ugly Hot: The Unauthorized Dating-Up Guide for Fans of Pete Davidson holds all the secrets to finding love above your station, just like Pete. Follow the magical journey of a Staten Island everymanturnedHollywood playboy and collect valuable knowledge along the way, including:- How to exude supreme confidence and give off that BDE!- How to use humor and questionable fashion to your advantage- How to be vulnerable in a way that's more sexy than annoying- How to low-key seduce someone who seems way ou

    2 in stock

    £10.49

  • In Our Time

    Picador In Our Time

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisReissued for today's reader with a cover by the renowned artist Seymour Chwast, In Our Time exemplifies Tom Wolfe's writing on 1970s America.In Our Time is a biting collection of Tom Wolfe's essays and illustrations cataloging and critiquing the state of 1970s American society. In this slim but unsparing collection of razor-sharp observations and mordant caricatures, Wolfe reaffirms his role as the great chronicler, debunker, and exuberant plain speaker of American letters. Wolfe's joyriding satirical tour through the emerging American archetypes of the 1970s is an essential portrait of the delirious, maddening decade.

    1 in stock

    £16.15

  • Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Costuming Cosplay

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisTherèsa M. Winge is Associate Professor in Apparel and Textile Design at Michigan State University, USA. She is the author of Body Style (Bloomsbury Academic, 2012), an avid fan of Cosplay, and has judged Cosplay competitions and participated in Cosplay costume panels.Trade ReviewEngages with a variety of issues seated within the realm of cosplay ... Costuming Cosplay celebrates the creative power of cosplay, illustrating the significant effects of play and fun. * Journal of Folklore Research *[A] must-read for scholars of dress and culture or anyone interested in the complex world of cosplay and fandom. Winge’s first-hand accounts and analysis of cosplay costume are insightful and engaging. The book provides a holistic background on cosplay and simultaneously investigates the nuances of the cosplay way of life. Especially intriguing are the detailed discussions on the construction and negotiation of archetype character identities through costume and body modification. -- Jessica Strübel, University of Rhode Island, USAWinge's insider role, as a fan of fandom and as a past judge of Cosplay competitions, contributes authenticity to this valuable guide to understanding the Cosplay subculture and the intimate meanings of their 'looks' or costume. -- Abby Lillethun, Montclair State University, USAWinge’s analysis is full of fresh insight ... Indispensable reading for cosplay scholars it is likely to remain a touchstone for many years to come. * Journal of Textile Science and Technology *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Cosplay Chapter 2: Cosplay Subculture Chapter 3: Dressing the Part Chapter 4: Cosplay is a Way of Life Chapter 5: Girl Power Chapter 6: Cosplay Worlds Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £114.00

  • HipHop Architecture

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC HipHop Architecture

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis book is not for you. It is not for architectural academic elites. It is not for those who have gentrified our neighborhoods, overly intellectualized the profession, and ignored all contemporary Black theory within the discipline. You have made architecture a symbol of exclusion, oppression, and domination rather than expression, aspiration, and inspiration. This book is not for conformistsBlack, White, or other. As architecture grapples with its own racist legacy, Hip-Hop Architecture outlines a powerful new manifestothe voice of the underrepresented, marginalized, and voiceless within the discipline. Exploring the production of spaces, buildings, and urban environments that embody the creative energies in hip-hop, it is a newly expanding design philosophy which sees architecture as a distinct part of hip-hop''s cultural expression, and which uses hip-hop as a lens through which to provoke new architectural ideas.Examining the present and the future of Hip-Hop ArchiTrade ReviewThe book hip-hop architecture deserves—and the one our era of reckoning demands. * Metropolis *This compelling book simultaneously challenges an inherent elitism (and whiteness) in contemporary architectural theory and practice, and embraces and expands the scholarly vocabulary of the canon. * Library Journal *Hip-Hop Architecture is a call for building design to be instated as the fifth pillar of this cultural movement, joining dance, drama, fine arts and music… As idiosyncratic, challenging and genre-redefining as Hip-hop’s other cultural manifestations, Cooke’s book argues for a new approach to urban design that better expresses the Black and African American experience. * Wallpaper* *Cooke's book reminds us how what has been built to date is the result of the application of political, social and cultural ideas and principles that have intentionally excluded certain sections of the population. Architecture is the manifesto of this exclusion and, over time, becomes testimony of the errors of a society that should no longer belong to us. So the author starts from hip-hop to get to the maximum systems, because hip-hop is a culture that binds people, unites them in community, through music, sounds, dances. Its pages describe and reflect the values of a culture linked by sound and words. * Elle Décor Italia *Well-researched, engaging and fresh ... [Cooke] strips the paternalizing aspects off, which often pervade the treatises emanating from the ivory towers of academia. * Scene Point Blank *Hip-Hop Architecture is a meditation on architecture’s intersection with one of the most influential contemporary cultural movements—hip-hop. Cooke’s deft textual and visual riffs merge hip-hop’s sonic and performative modalities—remix, breakdance, graffiti—with traditions and practices that inform black spatiality and design. * Mabel O. Wilson, Columbia University, USA *Cooke’s Hip-Hop Architecture is presented at exactly the time we need a new way to think about form, space, surface, construction, renovation, cities, activism, and the power of a cultural moment that has reshaped the planet. But don’t call this book timely—call it brave, urgent, phresh, and a book that reflects a perspective that the discipline of architecture has needed for a long time. * Ronald Rael, University of California-Berkeley, USA *Hip-Hop Architecture makes the most compelling argument to date for an emerging movement in architecture defined by modalities of practice—deejaying, emceeing, breakdancing, and graffiti writing—rather than by reference to the Western architecture canon. * Michael Speaks, Dean, Syracuse University School of Architecture *As the creative world begins to face its racist legacy, Cooke’s book reflects on the ways in which spaces are created to exclude or include, and the potential of Hip-Hop Architecture to create buildings, spaces, and urban environments that are more inclusive and empowering to the underrepresented and marginalized. * Design Miami *Table of ContentsLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FOREWORD Building Blocks - Michael Eric Dyson ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Shout Outs, Big Ups, and Thank Yous VOLUME I: Ready or Not: An Introduction to Hip-Hop Architecture VOLUME II: Step into A World: Perspectives and Narratives from the History and Theory of Hip-Hop Architecture VOLUME III: As I Manifest: Contemporary Speculations on Hip-Hop Architectural Education and Practice VOLUME IV: Flipping to the B-Sides: Tangents to and Projections from Hip-Hop Architecture APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

    1 in stock

    £25.99

  • Are You Not Entertained

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Are You Not Entertained

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAnglo-American culture is marked by a gladiatorial impulse: a deep cultural fascination in watching men fight each other. The gladiator is an archetypal character embodying this impulse and his brand of violent and eroticised masculinity has become a cultural shorthand that signals a transhistorical version of heroic masculinity. Frequently the gladiator or celebrity fighter - from the amphitheatres of Rome to the octagon of the Ultimate Fighting Championships - is used as a way of insisting that a desire to fight, and to watch men fighting, is simply a part of our human nature. This book traces a cultural interest in stories about gladiators through twentieth and twenty-first-century film, television and videogames.Trade ReviewSteenberg moves deftly across time, space, media and story type, interrogating the gladiator as a powerful archetype of joyous nostalgic violence. This definitive study maps cinema, genre histories and masculinity in new and thought-provoking ways: a truly spectacular achievement. -- Yvonne Tasker, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Leeds, UKAre You Not Entertained offers a comprehensive and meticulously researched account of the figure of the gladiator across visual media. From Ancient Rome to The Hunger Games and The Bachelor, the volume carefully traces the contested place of the gladiator. -- Frances Smith, Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Sussex, UKAre You Not Entertained is a brilliant, engaging, and innovative examination of the archetypal gladiator character, from its origins in Ancient Rome to its depictions in movies and other popular media, and brings timely attention to the complex intersections between gladiatorial masculinity, violence, nostalgia, and eroticism. -- Cynthia Felando, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Barbara, USATable of ContentsList of Figures, Tables and Illustrations Dedication Acknowledgements Introduction: Millennial Masculinity and the Gladiators of Y2k - “Are You Not Entertained?” 1. A Gladiatorial Genealogy: “My Name Is Gladiator” 2. Genre Play: “Playthings of the Crowd” 3. The Arena Fight: “Two Men Enter. One Man Leaves” 4. Nostalgia: “Is Rome Worth One Good Man’s Life?” 5. The Gladiatorial Burlesque: “Do You Like Movies About Gladiators?” 6. Celebrity: “Win the Crowd” Conclusion: We Were Entertained Bibliography Filmography Appendix: Arena Fight Analysis

    1 in stock

    £100.00

  • Globalized Queerness

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Globalized Queerness

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisHas a global queer popular culture emerged at the expense of local queer artists? In this book, Helton Levy argues that global queer culture is indebted to specific, local references that artists carry from their early experiences in life, which then become homogenized by contemporary media markets. The assumption that queer publics live and consume only through a global set of references, including gay parades and rainbow flags, for example, erases many personal complexities.Levy revisits media characters that have caught the attention of the broader public such as Calamity Jane (1953), the Daffyd Thomas character from the BBC comedy Little Britain (2003-2007), Brazilian drag queen Pabblo Vittar, French singer Christine and the Queens, and the Italian-Egyptian rapper Mahmood and argues that they have gradually blended in the public''s perception. This has often obscured the individual struggles faced by these characters, such as immigration, homophobia, poveTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Illustrations and Tables Series Editors’ Introduction Introduction: Globally queer? A tale of two worlds 1. Commodifying, de-commodifying, localising queer media and culture 2. Queer news 3. Queer artists 4. Trans influencers 5. Global platforms, local characters Conclusion: From globalized queerness to possible homecomings Index

    1 in stock

    £80.75

  • The Cinema of Jia Zhangke

    Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Cinema of Jia Zhangke

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisShorlisted for the BAFTSS 2020 Award for Best MonographStarting out as an independent filmmaker, and despite his films being subjected to censorship in his native China, Jia Zhangke has become the country's leading film director internationally. Seen as one of world cinema's foremost auteurs, he has played a crucial role in documenting and reflecting upon China's era of intense transformations since the 1990s..Cecília Mello provides in-depth analysis of Jia's unique body of work, from his early films Xiao Wu and Platform, to experimental quasi-documentary 24 City and the audacious Mountains May Depart. Mello suggests that Jia's particular expression of the realist mode is shaped by the aesthetics of other Chinese artistic traditions, allowing Jia to unearth memories both personal and collective, still lingering within the ever-changing landscapes of contemporary China. Mello's groundbreaking study opens a door into Chinese cinema anTrade ReviewThe tone is serious and scholarly, and the author approaches her subject as if nothing could be as important in a world in which the liberal arts have been almost abandoned … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *Cecilia Mello's study of Jia Zhangke, China's leading independent director, brilliantly counterbalances the impulses towards realism and intermediality she finds in Zhangke's work. Its foreword by Walter Salles backs up Salles's and Mello's claim that Zhangke is the most important world film director of the twenty-first century so far, and Mello's thorough knowledge and understanding of Chinese cultures of this period underpins the book's location of memory between the realist impulse and the impure multilayeredness of Zhangke's films. -- BAFTSS Awards judgesOver the course of the past 25 years, there has been no better cinematic chronicle of China’s dramatic transformation than the films of Jia Zhangke... Cecília Mello digs deep into Jia’s body of work, unveiling a rich tapestry of intermingling songs, landscapes, textures, and intertexts. A must-read for anyone interested in understanding how Jia Zhangke’s films work. -- Michael Berry, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Cultural Studies, UCLA, USACecília Mello’s refined analysis not only unravels Jia Zhangke’s poetics of cinema as a complex aesthetic of in- betweenness contemplating a world in inevitable transience and change, but also proposes an amazingly nuanced intermedial approach that illuminates from different vantage points the deep imbrication of art and life, memory and palpable reality. -- Ágnes Petho, Professor of Film Studies, Sapientia University, RomaniaCecília Mello’s book is a breakthrough. It clears the mists around Jia Zhangke’s famously “impure” realism, showing how it is shot through with Chinese aesthetics drawn from wuxia martial arts, Chinese opera performance, gardening, painting, and more. -- Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies, King’s College London, UKTable of Contents1. 'Introduction: Jia Zhangke, Realism, Memory and Impurity' 2. 'The Walls of China: Between Ephemerality and Permanence' 3. 'Ping Yao’s City Walls: On-Location Filming and the Weight of History' 4. 'Pop Music’s Sonic Memories' 5. 'Landscape Painting, Chinese Philosophy and the Aesthetic Innovation of Still Life' 6. 'Opera, Wuxia and China’s Imagined Civilization' 7. 'Painterly Still Lives and Photographic Poses: Stillness and the Moving Image' 8. 'Garden Heterotopias and the Memory of Space' 9. 'I Wish I Knew’s Cinephilic Journeys (an afterword on intertextuality)' 10. Bibliography

    2 in stock

    £24.69

  • Transnational Culture in the Iranian Armenian

    Edinburgh University Press Transnational Culture in the Iranian Armenian

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisStudies the ways that diasporic Iranian Armenian authors and artists negotiate their identities as minoritized population within a liminal space that includes religious, ethnic, national, racial, cultural, gender, and sexual factors.Trade Review"This book blends scholarly and personal history with literature, film and art, thereby illustrating how questions of identity are navigated by Iranian Armenians, both in Iran and in exile. It is a fresh and nuanced study that approaches the subjects of minorities, race and migration through a non-western lens." -James Barry, Deakin University

    1 in stock

    £80.75

  • Edinburgh University Press Cinema Culture Scotland

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £28.49

  • Edinburgh University Press Nothing Censored Nothing Gained

    5 in stock

    5 in stock

    £90.00

  • Icelandic Men and Me

    Taylor & Francis Ltd Icelandic Men and Me

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA sparsely populated island in the North Atlantic recently made worldwide headlines in the Global Financial Crisis and for volcanic eruptions that caused unprecedented chaos to international air travel. Large contemporary audiences have formed very different images of Iceland through the vocal music and music videos of BjÃrk and Sigur RÃs. Just below the Arctic Circle, Icelandic men engage in more everyday vocal practices, where singing, literally for one''s Self, is an everyday life skill set against a backdrop of unique natural, historical, economic and social phenomena. Their sagas of song and singing are the subject of this book. The original Icelandic Sagas - among the most important collections of medieval European literature - are valued for richly detailed portrayals of individual lives. This book''s principle protagonists and collaborators share a heritage where Sagas remain central to national and local identity. While the oral traditions associated with them were largely ovTrade Review’Faulker's Icelandic Men and Me: Sagas of Singing, Self and Everyday Life has documented the lived experience behind, above, below, and beyond the social organization of men's singing habits, whether they are comforting their child for an evening, keeping themselves company in the barn, or getting out to their choir practices despite weather, pressing chores, and limited transportation. Song glues together the sense of self, the awareness of community, and the tangibility of nation, rendering life itself as a ’musical event’’. American Book Review ’Faulkner’s methods for researching, analysing, and theorizing these topics are impressively interdisciplinary ... The insights garnered from his personal experiences as first conductor and teacher and later researcher in the local musical community give the volume a strong ethnographic feel, which is complemented by brief but engaging sections of auto-ethnography. The integration of these multidisciplinary approaches is highly effective and will probably serve as a model for others’. Music and LettersTable of ContentsContents: Introduction; Telling tales and setting the scene; Baldur’s Saga; Icelandic sagas and songs; Singing social connections; Songworlds: the body and vocal places; Songs, spirituality and self therapy; Singing himself: singing and the construction of gender identity; My saga; Vocal events and singing’s agency in change; Conclusions, closure and the vocal celebration of self; Gallery; Bibliogaphy, sound and film recordings; Index.

    1 in stock

    £137.75

  • Will Eisner Champion of the Graphic Novel

    Abrams Will Eisner Champion of the Graphic Novel

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisA celebration of the life of the acclaimed comic book storyteller through his work as well as interviews with fellow creators.Will Eisner (19172005) is universally considered the master of comics storytelling, best known for The Spirit, his iconic newspaper comic strip, and A Contract With God, the first significant graphic novel. This seminal work from 1978 ushered in a new era of personal stories in comics form that touched every adult topic from mortality to religion and sexuality, forever changing the way writers and artists approached comics storytelling. Noted historian Paul Levitz celebrates Eisner by showcasing his most famous work alongside unpublished and rare materials from the family archives. Also included are original interviews with creators such as Jules Feiffer, Art Spiegelman, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Denis Kitchen, and Neil Gaimanall of whom knew Eisner and were inspired by his wTrade Review“Eisner was not only ahead of his times; the present times are still catching up to him.” * John Updike *“What Will did was and is timeless.” * Neil Gaiman *“Will Eisner is, and remains, one of my precious idols.” * Frank Miller *"He was the greatest.” * Harvey Kurtzman *“Will Eisner is a national treasure.” * Jules Feiffer *“Will Eisner is the heart and mind of American comics.” * Scott McCloud *“Eisner is the single person most responsible for giving comics its brains.” * Alan Moore *“Eisner was unique in feeling from the start that comic books were not necessarily this despised, bastard, crappy, lowbrow kind of art form, and that there wasa potential for real art.” * Michael Chabon *“This is the book that Will Eisner’s life and career deserve . . . informative and entertaining, and belongs in every library collection.” * ICv2 *

    5 in stock

    £21.25

  • The Americanization of France

    Rowman & Littlefield The Americanization of France

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis engaging, knowledgeable book traces the American path France has followed since resolving its searing Algerian conflict in 1962. Barnett Singer convincingly demolishes two pervasive clichés about modern France: first, that the country never has been fit to fight wars, including wars on terror; and second, that the French have always been and remain overwhelmingly anti-American. Drawing on a wealth of archival sources, Barnett Singer clearly demonstrates that a serious and organized France fought strongly until its own divisions, international pressures, and the actions of de Gaulle ended the conflict with tragic consequences. The outcome led to an important sea change, clearing the way for France to embrace American culture, especially rock ''n'' roll, and more generally, an American-style emphasis on personal happiness. The author argues that today's France, wounded by the loss of traditions and stability, is increasingly pro-American, clinging to trends from across the Atlantic Trade ReviewHistorian Singer offers a provocative . . . examination of the changing postwar French national identity, arguing that France stopped being a 'serious' nation when it abandoned its 'noble' colonial enterprise in favor of searching for self-centered American-style 'happiness.' Singer raises interesting questions about how to evaluate the role of de Gaulle, and his focus on the idea of 'happiness,' particularly his insistence on the significance of pop music, brings an important new area of focus to 1960s Americanization. * CHOICE *Countering the notion that France has been and remains intractably anti-American, Singer instead argues that France began a transformation in the 1950s in which it shifted its focus from colonial concern with Algeria toward American-style celebration of personal happiness and an embrace of American culture and values, even suggesting that this embrace of America has proceeded 'too unabashedly in contemporary France.' He brings a biographical approach to the subject, examining key figures that illustrate the turn of soldiers from sober military values to seeking American-style materialism, the development of French rock and roll, and the contemporary 'full anchoring' of Americanization in France. * Book News, Inc. *This elegantly well-written monograph . . . [adds] new layers and new material to the investigation of France’s complicated relationship with the United States during the latter part of the twentieth century, and now, by bringing consideration of the first years of the twenty-first century, to reflect on what case studies (such as, in passing, that of Lance Armstrong) can reveal about France’s ‘Americanization.’ The range of topics that are covered . . . provides stimulating food for thought in easily digestible prose. Apart from its great readability and frequent allusion to thought-provoking case studies, a great strength of this volume is its recourse . . . to direct testimony from actors of the period . . . whose views are combined with clear historical judgment to give intriguing insights. Where analysis is not based on primary research through interviews or archive work, the argument advances through lively, direct, and well-focused consideration of a plethora of topics. . . . An excellent, decent, and plain-speaking study of French culture, society, and politics, which is both intriguingly personal and academically historical, and which should serve to provoke thought amongst students and researchers alike. Highly recommended reading. * Modern and Contemporary France *The Americanization of France will be of interest to scholars of French, American, and Algerian history, foreign policy, and culture. Barnett Singer’s lively, jargon-free prose makes the book accessible to undergraduates and other educated . . . readers. * Journal of American Culture *[Singer draws] on an admirably eclectic reading, observation, and experience. . . .An engaging account of his . . . reflections on the ever-attractive French. * Historian *[T]he book is intriguing, idiosyncratic, [and] entertaining. * Journal of Modern History *[T]he book is well documented and the archival material is impressive. Singer has made real use of departmental archives. . . . The footnotes . . . demonstrate a deep familiarity with the literature on postwar France. . . . [He] does an excellent job describing the way terror deforms civil society. * H-France Review *[I]n this engaging and sometimes brilliant book, Barnett Singer unlocks the mystery [of the enduring popularity of the singer Johnny Hallyday] and provides some very important clues about who Johnny Hallyday is and why he is so important in the story of postwar France.... Singer writes with a light and deft touch, but he is an impressively forensic researcher and his arguments are serious and sometimes groundbreaking.... It is to the great credit of a historian like Singer that he has started the work of excavating what it meant to be young and French at one of the crucial turning-points in the 20th century. * History Today *This is a stimulating, provocative, and unusual book. . . . [Singer] has produced a useful, absorbing, and challenging addition to our understanding of contemporary French culture. * French Politics, Culture, and Society *Compelling and provocative, The Americanization of France describes the shattering impact of the Algerian war on France and, in its wake, the French pursuit of happiness. Singer provides new and critical assessments of the bitter conflict—which divided France more profoundly than any other in its colonial history—as well as fresh and surprising insights into contemporary France. -- William A. Hoisington Jr., University of Illinois at ChicagoIn The Americanization of France, Barnett Singer has created an insightful, provocative reinterpretation of the powerfully moving transition of a nation and people. His characterization of de Gaulle is stunning. . . . And his sharply crafted images of French singers and cultural icons will not only remain with readers long after this sparkling account has been returned to the shelf; they will define those celebrities for anyone who picks up this book. -- John W. Langdon, Le Moyne CollegeFrance today is an enigma, and Barnett Singer’s book is a crucial guide as it searches for its identity. -- Jeremy Black, University of Exeter, author of The World of James Bond: The Lives and Times of 007Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Algerian Challenge in the Last Serious France Chapter 3: De Gaulle, the Algerian Denouement, and the End of an Era Chapter 4: From French Chanteurs to American Yé-Yé Chapter 5: Other Aspects of the “Happiness Revolution” in the 1960s and Beyond Chapter 6: Today’s Americanized France Chapter 7: Conclusion

    1 in stock

    £79.80

  • Ethnomusicologizing

    Rowman & Littlefield Ethnomusicologizing

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn Ethnomusicologizing: Essays on Music in the New Paradigms, composer and musicologist brings together a series of essays on music making in contemporary culture. More specifically, it focuses on the myriad ways we engage with musicas makers, as listeners, as consumers, as producers. Banfield labels this fully engaged process as ethnomusicologizing, as he explores the ways we create, share, teach, and discuss music. Throughout he argues that music is more than the experience of structured sound. It is rather a way of being more critically present as musicians and as citizens of sharing in the world itself. Ethnomusicologizing contains writings on contemporary music and culture studies, offering glimpses on more than just music history through reflective essays, interviews with contemporary artists, and exercises in the analysis and criticism of popular culture. In this work, Banfield instructs readers in the ways by which we may better appreciate and understand creative artistry and pTrade ReviewToday, many young musicians are driven by a short-sighted desire for money, fame, and power. But the purpose of art—true art—remains the search for meaning, purpose, inspiration, and spiritual fulfillment. Banfield is hopeful in this regard: 'Young people feel they are a more integral part of their success story if they are allowed to bring to a product a piece of who they are, what their story is. I think, despite our capitalistic surges, people always return back to the basic humanistic codes'. Such nuanced appraisals make Ethnomusicologizing a provocative and profitable read. * Thinking On Music *Table of ContentsPrelude Keeping the Core Creative Soul-Spirit Part 1: Theory: Music Thinking Theories, Teaching, and Approaches Chapter 1: Ethnomusicologizing: The Way Forward, Cultural Relevancy Chapter 2: Ethnomusicology Studies in Music Culture Chapter 3: Popular Music Culture: How to Teach and Reach within Popular Music Chapter 4: Black Music Matters Chapter 5: Notes From Cuba Chapter 6: The “I Theory” Part 2: History: Backbones, Songs Chapter 7: A Progressive View of American Popular Music History, 1948-2014 Chapter 8: American Mavericks Interviews Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance 1920-1935: Artistry, Aesthetics, Politics and Popular Culture Chapter 10: CBMR Letter Chapter 11: Mom, Dad, and the Making of Symphony 10 with Sweet Honey In The Rock Part 3: Culture: New Standards, Cultural Critique Chapter 12: Wake up! What Time is It Really? Who Turns it Up, Down, and Back?: Values on The Cultural Dial Chapter 13: Does Our Music Still Bring The Good News Of The Day? Chapter 14: On The Crisis of Popular Arts and Society: Steps Ahead Chapter 15: The Problem With Jazz Chapter 16: Review of George Lewis, Les Exercices Spirituels Chapter 17: Don’t Use the “J word”: Jazz in its Connections to Culture and Meaning Chapter 18: From Hip-Hop To Zombie Nation Chapter 19: Critical Culture Concerns Today Chapter 20: The Songs We Need To Be Hearing Again: Music Culture and A Musician’s Credo To Citizenry Postlude: Afterthought on Ethnomusicologizing

    1 in stock

    £45.60

  • Disrobed

    Rowman & Littlefield Disrobed

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisWe may not often think of our clothes as having a function beyond covering our naked bodies and keeping us a little safer from the elements. But to discount the enormous influence of clothing on anything from economic cycles to the future of water scarcity is to ignore the greater meaning of the garments we put on our backs. Disrobed vividly considers the role that clothing plays in everything from natural disasters to climate change to terrorism to geopolitics to agribusiness. Chapter by chapter, Tang takes the reader on an unusual journey, telling stories and asking questions that most consumers have never considered about their clothing. Why do banker's wives sell off their clothes and how does that presage a recession? How is clothing linked to ethanol and starvation on the African continent? Could RFID in clothing save the lives of millions of people in earthquakes around the world? This book takes an everyday item and considers it in a way that readers may not have previously thTrade ReviewCan what you wear save your life, keep you safe, or kill people across the world? Syl Tang shows that, sometimes, it does. You've never read a national security book quite like Disrobed. A fresh perspective about how our individual choices can radically upend societies on the other side of the globe. Do clothes reflect the jagged fault lines between civilizations? Tang's Disrobed makes a compelling case that it just might. -- Aki Peritz, former CIA analyst who tracked the strategy, leadership and international links of Al Qaeda in Iraq; senior fellow at George Washington University's Center for Cyber and Homeland Security; adjunct faculty member at American UniversitySyl Tang’s Disrobed is a powerful thought-starter that articulates the butterfly effect from the mundane to the crucial. The book unveils an undercurrent of what is happening on the other side of the globe and connects the dots to what is right in front of us. Tang uses non-partisan, fact-based occurrences in worldwide events to show us the power of micro-action, and the potential of clothing as a political tool and predictive instrument. -- Yann Marois, Chief Marketing Officer, Grey GooseOur clothes speak, consume, and even save the world in Syl Tang's fascinating and insightful research about fashion and how its much more than just threads. -- Jonathan Woetzel, director and senior partner, McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey and Co.The theory of the interconnectedness of all things, seen through the lens of fashion. Great fun, but raising some important questions - like why my lucky cufflinks always work. -- Paul James, Global Marketing and Branding for Millennium Hotels and Resorts; former Global Brand Leader, Starwood Luxury HotelsThis book defines the bridge between the garment industry and world of finance, industries that most people truly do not understand. The financial markets such as investment, banking and insurance companies rely heavily on the above sources for revenue and investments. Disrobed is the book that will open your eyes to the dynamics of two powerful and profitable industries. -- Salvador Rozenberg, professor, New York University, Tandon School of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Urban SystemsIt is truly amazing how you have linked the issue of clothing with the ecosystem and global challenges. By highlighting the different elements and sectors, I have no doubt the reader will come away fascinated and inspired, with insights of how clothing plays a pivotal role in our lives. Syl Tang's book eloquently describes clothing's effect on our limited natural resources and also provides brilliant ideas and solutions that people can implement to create positive social change in society. Disrobed provides a gateway for the reader to recognize the value of ethical and sustainable clothing which can also address the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and thus help our common humanity. -- Amir A. Dossal, president, Global Partnerships ForumDisrobed was one of the better nonfiction books I’ve read in some time and was so good that I recommended it as a strong resource to one of my students who happens to be a fashion major — I suspect the contents of this book will prove to offer a forward-thinking approach as he continues in degree program…. All in all, Disrobed is a rather succinct but no less potent argument about how fashion is itself an indicator of social mood and social evolution…. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys an alternate paradigm on reading social changes, as it’s often true that the signs are right in front of us if only we’ll pay attention to them. Tang gives us the chance to do so, which could be very useful in what’s likely to be a rollercoaster of a world ahead. * Dwell in Possibility *

    1 in stock

    £35.00

  • Star Wars Memorabilia

    Amberley Publishing Star Wars Memorabilia

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA lavishly illustrated guide to Star Wars action figures, comic books and all other kinds of memorabilia.

    1 in stock

    £19.80

  • Luv Notes

    Union Square & Co. Luv Notes

    Book SynopsisThe winking, rainbow-hued, glee-inducing anthropomorphic hearts illustrations of celebrated artist Chris Uphues are on full display in this book of 20 unique postcards. Printed on durable art card, these postcards are perfect to send or to display as mini inspirational wall art.

    £12.53

  • What Makes Us Human

    Headline Publishing Group What Makes Us Human

    Book SynopsisA dazzling insight into what gives meaning to our life and to us as a species.What makes us human? From Carlo Rovelli on the particles of dust that make us, to Caitlin Moran on the joy of Friday nights, and A C Grayling on how we express ourselves through culture: this illuminating book shares 130 mind-expanding answers to that question.We all want to understand our place in the universe and find a sense of purpose in the life. This book will help the reader navigate that journey with the help of leading names from the worlds of literature, history, philosophy, politics, sport, comedy and popular culture.Originally broadcast as a popular feature on the Jeremy Vine Show, What Makes Us Human? includes short essays from: Andrew Marr, Carlo Rovelli, Marian Keyes, Alain de Botton, Robert Webb, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, and many more.

    £14.24

  • Exploring Morality and Sexuality in Asian Cinema

    Taylor & Francis Ltd Exploring Morality and Sexuality in Asian Cinema

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis ground-breaking book explores the moral dimensions of sexual imagery in contemporary, general-release Asian films. It examines debates that arise over aesthetic styles and the cultural and traditional influences that determine the content and impact of these films. The social and regulatory environments for filmmakers across Asia reflect distinct national and cultural differences. In just the past decade, for instance, Indian cinema has rapidly moved from representations of coy and submissive female protagonists to highly eroticized leading ladies unafraid of flaunting their sexuality. On the other hand, the cinema emerging from the Chinese mainland has been much more circumspect in its representations of overt sexuality, at times in conflict with other Chinese cinemas from Hong Kong and Taiwan. This use of sexual imagery or morally questionable film content raises on-going debates into censorship and the use of state or industry controls to protect certain sectors of society froTrade Review’Pugsley offers fresh perspectives on how contemporary Asian cinemas are transforming by challenging the cultural policy regimes that historically have shaped the ways in which their films represent gender and sexuality on screen. This book is key reading for anyone interested in peering into the rise and transformation of Asia and learning more about a bevy of dynamic filmmakers and films that are pushing the boundaries of self-expression and cultural diversity in the region.’ Brian Yecies, University of Wollongong, Australia; author of The Changing Face of Korean Cinema, 1960-2015Table of ContentsList of Figures viiList of Tables ixAcknowledgements xiIntroduction 11 Indian Cinema’s New Aesthetic 132 Visual Decorum and Chasteness in Chinese Film 413 Maintaining Respectability in Singaporean and Malaysian Cinema 734 An Open Mind: Japanese Cinema’s Sexual Revolution 995 Culture, Tradition and Sexuality in South Korean Cinema 117Conclusion 131Films Cited 141Bibliography 149Index

    1 in stock

    £128.25

  • Hot Feminist

    Hodder & Stoughton Hot Feminist

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe good feminist's guide to being hot. And cool. And fit (all senses). And maybe - just maybe - a little bit thinner. Or firmer (all senses). And definitely extremely well-dressed. And uncompromised. And right.

    5 in stock

    £10.99

  • Wiffle Lever to Full

    Hodder & Stoughton Wiffle Lever to Full

    Book Synopsis''Personal and engaging . . . anyone who agrees that Star Wars was a defining moment of our collective childhood will love this book'' - The Times''Funny and affectionate'' - Time Out''Will have you hitching aboard the Millennium Falcon to a galaxy overflowing with infinite possibilities. ****'' - Metro*************In 1981, the eight-year-old Bob Fischer was entranced by Daleks, Vogons and crack Imperial Stormtroopers. Almost three decades later, Bob decides to rekindle the affair with a tour of the UK''s sci-fi and cult TV conventions. Freewheeling from Doctor Who to Discworld, Star Wars to Star Trek and Robin of Sherwood to Red Dwarf, he combines misty-eyed memories with a terrifying travelogue of terrible, torturous . . . terror. Or something. In space, no one can hear you scream. And don''t expect much sympathy in Peterborough, either.Trade ReviewPersonal and engaging . . . anyone who agrees that "Star Wars; was a defining moment of our collective childhood" will love this book * The Times *Will give anyone from the era of Spam fritters and Blue Riband biscuits a Prustian rush . . . a witty, heartwarming exploration of the light side of SF fandom * SFX magazine *Amiable and amusing . . . a glimpse into the world of fandom cranked up, on holiday, given licence to be sillier than usual * Daily Telegraph *Funny and affectionate * Time Out *Guaranteed to make you yearn for days of yore . . . don't be surprised to find yourself laughing at more in-jokes than you care to admit. **** * Focus *An amiable read * Independent *Will have you hitching aboard the Millennium Falcon to a galaxy overflowing with infinite possibilities. **** * Metro *A joyous, irreverent celebration of Britain's secret love of the bizarre * Gay Times *It's hilarious . . . For anyone who has ever liked any of this stuff, there's laughter and nostalgia aplenty * Nottingham Evening Post *Personal and engaging . . . anyone who agrees that "Star Wars; was a defining moment of our collective childhood" will love this book * The Times *Will give anyone from the era of Spam fritters and Blue Riband biscuits a Prustian rush . . . a witty, heartwarming exploration of the light side of SF fandom * SFX magazine *Amiable and amusing . . . a glimpse into the world of fandom cranked up, on holiday, given licence to be sillier than usual * Daily Telegraph *Funny and affectionate * Time Out *Guaranteed to make you yearn for days of yore... don't be surprised to find yourself laughing at more in-jokes than you care to admit * Focus**** *An amiable read * Independent *Will have you hitching aboard the Millennium Falcon to a galaxy overflowing with infinite possibilities * Metro**** *A joyous, irreverent celebration of Britain's secret love of the bizarre * Gay Times *It's hilarious . . . For anyone who has ever liked any of this stuff, there's laughter and nostalgia aplenty * Nottingham Evening Post *

    £10.99

  • The Return of the Epic Film

    Edinburgh University Press The Return of the Epic Film

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisExplores the return of the 'epic' in 21st century cinema. Why did the epic come back, and why did it fall out of fashion? Are these the same kinds of epics as the 1950s and 60s, or are there aesthetic differences? Can we treat Kingdom of Heaven, 300 and Thor indiscriminately as one genre? Are non Western histories like Hero and Mongol epics, too?

    1 in stock

    £22.79

  • Selling the Splat Pack

    Edinburgh University Press Selling the Splat Pack

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisReveals the history of how the emergence of the DVD market changed cultural and industrial attitudes about horror movies and film ratings. This title presents a re-evaluation of the history of the horror film from an industry studies perspective. It also features an exploration of the relationship between DVDs and film ratings.

    1 in stock

    £22.79

  • Irish Queer Cinema

    Edinburgh University Press Irish Queer Cinema

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis book investigates the different ways gender and sexuality intersect with nationhood and national forms of belonging, and explores the role of queerness within the constitution of an Irish national culture.

    1 in stock

    £85.50

  • Indian Documentary Film and Filmmakers

    Edinburgh University Press Indian Documentary Film and Filmmakers

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisBased on detailed onsite observation of documentary production, circulation practices and the analysis of film texts, this book identifies independence as a 'tactical practice', contesting the normative definitions and functions assigned to culture, cultural production and producers in a neoliberal economic system.

    1 in stock

    £85.50

  • BingeWatching and Contemporary Television

    Edinburgh University Press BingeWatching and Contemporary Television

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisFocuses on binge-watching and its role in contemporary television studies.Trade Review"This book is a welcome addition to research into binge watching. By connecting scholars with each other, it develops a complex picture of what really goes on: that Netflix both disrupts television with its bingeable texts and genres, but that its texts, press coverage and audiences also continue to shape Netflix as television as we know it." -Elke Weissmann, Edge Hill University

    1 in stock

    £23.74

  • Researching Historical Screen Audiences

    Edinburgh University Press Researching Historical Screen Audiences

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisConsiders the challenges of historical audience research in the field of screen studies.Trade Review"Egan, Smith and Terrill have produced an ambitiously constructed, extensively researched and a truly exciting edited volume. The book offers a wealth of invaluable insights into screen audiences and film cultures more broadly, while showcasing a rich and diverse range of methodologies, periods, settings and contexts. An indispensable contribution to audience historiography." -Daniela Treveri Gennari, Oxford Brookes University

    5 in stock

    £18.99

  • Arab Animation

    Edinburgh University Press Arab Animation

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisOmar Sayfo textually analyses around 40 animation productions in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates, from the 1930s until recently, showing how cartoons have engaged in the making and remaking of religious and political identities

    5 in stock

    £90.25

  • The Alternative Modernity of the Bicycle in

    Edinburgh University Press The Alternative Modernity of the Bicycle in

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisExamines the bicycle as a literary device and a cultural phenomenon at the turn of the century in Britain and France.

    1 in stock

    £23.74

  • The Awakening of Islamic Pop Music

    Edinburgh University Press The Awakening of Islamic Pop Music

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisExamines how the making, marketing and performance of new Islamic music genres relate to Islamic discourse and thought, through a case study of Awakening, an Islamic media company formed in London.Trade Review"[...] an excellent example of how popular culture can be taken seriously in the study of contemporary religion [...] opens a rich understanding of a diverse field without diminishing the actors and arguments by forcing them into neat categories easily labelled as liberal or traditional." -Ruth Illman, bo Akademi & Uppsala Universit

    5 in stock

    £19.94

  • ORION WHEN STARS COLLIDE

    3 in stock

    3 in stock

    £14.24

  • Bread

    Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Bread

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Bread is an object that is always in process of becoming something else: flower to grain, grain to dough, dough to loaf, loaf to crumb. Bread is also often a figure or vehicle of social cohesion: from the homely image of breaking bread together to the mysteries of the Eucharist. But bread also commonly figures in social conflict sometimes literally, in the bread riots that punctuate European history, and sometimes figuratively, in the ways bread operates as ethnic, religious or class signifier. Drawing on a wide range of sources, from the scriptures to modern pop culture, Bread tells the story of how this ancient and everyday object serves as a symbol for both social communion and social exclusion.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewScott Shershow is a writer of beautiful sentences that convey the ambiguity of a thing we often take as a bland lump to be smeared with fats and oils. In prose as crystal as bread isn’t, and as sensual as it is, Shershow reveals how deeply political and philosophical issues concerning hospitality (aka the breaking of bread) are fueled and interrupted by bread itself. All other bread books are now toast. * Timothy Morton, Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English, Rice University, USA , and author of Dark Ecology: For a Logic of Future Coexistence *Anyone who spends serious time weighing a name for his starter has crossed over to the other side, but Shershow is comfortable there, too, at home with the philosophers and poets of bread. * Robert Pisor, Founder of Stone House Bread, Leland, Michigan *For Shershow, bread is everywhere because it is a miracle, and miraculous because it is everywhere. To know bread, he argues, one must work with it. Learning to bake teaches the baker just how much is beyond his control. … Shershow’s Bread treats its object much like a critical theorist does language, as a human invention that exceeds human control. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Eye opening. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsBread Book Bread Dance Bread Flower Bread Dread (1) Bread Breakings Bread Line Bread Dread (2) Bread / Dead Daily Bread Acknowledgements Notes

    1 in stock

    £9.49

  • Shopping Mall

    Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Shopping Mall

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.The mall near Mat thew Newton's childhood home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was one of the state's first enclosed shopping malls. Like all malls in their heyday, this one was a climate-controlled pleasuredome where strangers converged. It boasted waterfalls, fish ponds, an indoor ice skating rink larger than Rockefeller Center's, and a monolithic clock tower illuminated year-round beneath a canopy of interconnected skylights. It also became the backdrop for filmmaker George A. Romero's zombie opus Dawn of the Dead. Part memoir and part case study, Shopping Mall examines the modern mythology of the mall and shows that, more than a collection of stores, it is a place of curiosity, ritual, and fantasy.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewA smart and empathetic look at this waning icon of 20th-century American consumer culture. * Pittsburgh City Paper *Matthew Newton evokes the American mall as symbol of white flight, aspirational fantasy, and shop-till-you-drop consumerism of the late 1980s. These are striking tales of suburban isolation in which Newton reveals life from the employee side of the counter to the idealistic architects' designs. Above all, he takes an aging mainstream phenomenon and makes it personal and present. * Yona Harvey, author of Hemming the Water *The best passages are those about the actual idea of the mall, designed by figures such as the Viennese Victor Gruen as a new sort of civic space that could replace the lost town square in a post-WWII America reshaped by the rise of suburbia. Newton wraps up with evocative reflections on instances of violence in shopping malls and questions about a possible renewal for these spaces, the popularity of which has flagged since their heyday nearly 30 years ago. To put it into the vernacular, this book about the mall is at its best when it’s, like, totally about the mall. * Publishers Weekly *Shopping Mall is for anyone who enjoys intelligent, thoughtful writing. It is surprisingly emotional for a book nominally about an impersonal space. It’s safe to say this is the very best book I have ever read about a mall. * Pittsburgh Magazine *This series really gets better and better. Newton linking his own life to the malls he knew growing up, and telling not only his story, but the fall of a very American institution, is engaging and profound. * Jason Diamond, author of Searching for John Hughes *Newton explores the life of the shopping mall from the first ground-breaking, in the 1950s, through the chaos and excess of the 1980s to the present, including the death rattle of many malls … In exploring a personal connection to the mall, he reveals a good bit about himself. The memoir elements of the book are eloquent and intimate, detailing his struggles with depression and anxiety. They also provide a reader with a walking bridge, an avenue for connection to the mall itself. * Pittsburgh City Paper *Newton succeeds in parsing out the different histories of the mall, from both personal and societal perspectives … The mall, like so many other taken-for-granted parts of the built environment, holds memory and nostalgia for millions of suburbanites and shoppers. By leaving a trail of bittersweet crumbs of nostalgia, Newton spares the reader from the doom that others have cast over this cultural change. Rather than focusing on a dystopia of self-absorbed individuals doing their shopping and finding entertainment online, we are able to warmly recall the shopping mall and the lifeways in which it played a central roll [sic], not only for consumption but also for construction of self and community. * PopMatters *Shopping Mall is both history of and paean to the once-ubiquitous American shopping centers. Essayist Matthew Newton combines his fond memories of his local mall, outside Pittsburgh, with anecdotes about the first one built in the United States, the Mall of America and others, using the specific to pull out the larger story of late-20th-century suburban commercialism that these edifices represent … He isn't interested in defending shopping malls, but in showing how his--and many other people's--lives would be entirely different without them. * Shelf Awareness *Matthew Newton lets you know by Page 10 that he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder as a teenager. These days, he’s a productive and well-adjusted married man and dad, doing great work at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and his skills as an inquisitive writer and thinker are evident from his latest work. But knowing that part of his makeup helps the reader accept his obsessive compulsion with shopping malls — particularly Monroeville Mall, the Valhalla of his childhood — and appreciate the insights that spill forth in this brief cultural study/memoir … Newton is the person to write this book because “the shopping mall, more than any other place, electrified my imagination” as a kid. His readers are beneficiaries of his experience seeing the mall “as a sacred place of curiosity and wonder. * Pittsburgh Quarterly *Table of ContentsPrologue Part One: Childhood 1. Eternal Spring 2. Paradise Unknown 3. Spaces Between 4. Shopping is a Feeling Part Two: Adolescence 5. Little Boxes 6. White Denim 7. Mall Madness 8. Neon Hallways 9. Young Love Part Three: Adulthood 10. Homecoming 11. Ghost Malls 12. Utopia Interrupted 13. New Futures Acknowledgments Notes Index

    5 in stock

    £9.49

  • Posh: Perpetual Desk Pad Undated Weekly Calendar

    Andrews McMeel Publishing Posh: Perpetual Desk Pad Undated Weekly Calendar

    Book SynopsisStart your personal planning any time of the year with this stylish, undated weekly calendar. Start your personal planning any time of the year with this undated weekly calendar that features sixty customizable pages. Perfect for home or the office, it has plenty of space each day of the week to schedule appointments and meetings or to jot down important to-dos or notes.

    £12.53

  • Posh: Perpetual Planner Undated Monthly/Weekly

    Andrews McMeel Publishing Posh: Perpetual Planner Undated Monthly/Weekly

    Book SynopsisThe trendy and sophisticated Posh: Planner Undated Monthly/Weekly Calendar is perfect for anyone who needs to stay organized, and prefers the traditional, hands-on method of planning. The fashionable Posh styling is complemented by features that planner users want: Includes 12 monthly and 52 weekly pages Reinforced monthly tabs Customizable Habit Trackers Sticker pages to customize your planner A convenient pocket Beautiful, sturdy cover Blue spiral Pink elastic band closure Sections to jot down notes, things to do, big ideas, contacts, celebrations/anniversaries, and more

    £18.27

  • Posh: Perpetual Desk Pad Undated Monthly Calendar

    Andrews McMeel Publishing Posh: Perpetual Desk Pad Undated Monthly Calendar

    Book SynopsisStart your personal planning any time of the year with this stylish, undated monthly calendar. This desk pad features twelve customizable, perforated pages that offer plenty of room to schedule appointments or meetings each month, and useful space to jot down important to-dos or notes. It's a great way to stay organized throughout the year.

    £12.53

  • 100 Days: How Four Events in 1969 Shaped America

    Rowman & Littlefield 100 Days: How Four Events in 1969 Shaped America

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisSome events that transform a nation are frozen in time. Others pass with little public awareness and we only appreciate their momentous nature long after they occurred. Regardless, these events are few and—almost always—far between. But 50 years ago, in 1969, four such events took place within the span of only 100 days. In this book, cultural historian Harlan Lebo looks back at the first Moon landing, Manson family murders, Woodstock, and the birth of the Internet to tell the story of how each event shaped the nation and how we perceive ourselves. Loaded with captivating anecdotes and insights based on extensive interviews to provide historical insight and contemporary context, 100 Days will fascinate readers who seek a deeper appreciation of how four seemingly unrelated events captured America’s emergence as the nation we have become.Trade ReviewLebo digs deeply into the context and history of each [event]: the political energy behind space exploration, Charles Manson’s psychology, the lives and experiences of Woodstock attendees, and the internet’s technical history and commercial influence. . . . [T]hose new to the period will find this account edifying. * Publishers Weekly *Just as Neil Armstrong rocketed towards the moon in July of 1969, Lebo boldly bursts through the past into the present. . . . As [Lebo] leads the reader through these 100 days, the reader comes to recognize that the many conveniences and ills which impact us today can be traced back to those four historic moments. * Booktrib *How can one author authoritatively and engagingly write about four such disparate events? Harlan Lebo tells the political, scientific, and popular story of how the United States came from behind to be the first nation to put footprints on the moon, then effortlessly shifts to true crime writer, describing how sociopath Charles Manson could suck lost young souls into his web of ultraviolence. Pivot again to Woodstock, the Baby Boom’s symbol of the utopian society that might have been, and finally to—wait for it—the invention of the Internet. Lebo deals with technical subjects with deftness and in a style that is at once succinct and entertaining. And, believe it or not, he connects the dots of these world-changing events that all happened in a span of 100 days in 1969. Far out! -- Wade LawrenceThere have been a number of books focused on the Moon Landing, Woodstock, the Manson Murders and the beginning of the of the Internet. Only Harlan Lebo has weaved those stories together as a master story teller to look at the common themes and how they define the end of the 1960s. Through Lebo's eyes, these events, coming a year after the nation's political and social fabric was torn apart in 1968, represent the beginning of a new age. These events share more than a calendar year; they signify the opening of a new chapter in American history. -- Jeffrey Cole, Director, Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg SchoolTable of ContentsContents Four events that shaped America, with only 100 days from first to last Author’s Note Part I: Moon Chapter 1: Challenging the Impossible Chapter 2: More than Bold Predictions Chapter 3: That Irresistible Charisma Chapter 4: The Sight of Whizzing Flashes Chapter 5: Beep Chapter 6: A Dull Thud Chapter 7: Three Steps ahead of a Pack of Hounds Chapter 8: No Choice but to be Pioneers Chapter 9: Go Chapter 10: A Magnificent Sight Chapter 11: A Sense of Possibilities Counterculture Part II: Manson Chapter 12: Like Moths to a Flame Chapter 13: Mesmerized Chapter 14: A Carnival Ride to the Apocalypse Part III: Woodstock Chapter 15: Grasshoppers in the Grain Fields Chapter 16: Overtaken by the Feeling Chapter 17: Coming from a Dream Part IV: Internet Chapter 18: Color and Flash Chapter 19: “LO” Chapter 20: How to Move the World from the Right Place Chapter 21: Gaining Momentum Chapter 22: On Hold Chapter 23: Pumpkins and Mice Chapter 24: All the Heavy Lifting Chapter 25: Dissolving Containers Epilogue Acknowledgements Resources Bibliography Notes About the Author

    1 in stock

    £17.99

  • Betty and Veronica: The Leading Ladies of

    Rowman & Littlefield Betty and Veronica: The Leading Ladies of

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisWe think we know Betty and Veronica from Archie comics, but we don’t. Far more than just Archie’s girlfriends, this book shows how the girls adapted to be compelling, relevant characters for each new generation over the past eighty years. Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the Riverdale gang appear to be frozen in time in Archie comics. They are perpetual high schoolers, recycling the same basic plotlines over and over in their wholesome, small-town American world. However, there is much more to Betty and Veronica than the broad archetypes and clichéd storytelling suggests. In Betty and Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale, Tim Hanley explores the complexity behind these two iconic characters. We know Betty and Veronica as Archie's girlfriends, but that's just the beginning—they are their own women with evolving motivations and aims. From fighting over Archie to tackling women’s lib to chasing down serial killers on Riverdale, their friendship has endured and grown through decades of shifting characterizations and social change. Exploring their past offers unique insights into the ways life has progressed for young women over the past eighty years, and shows us the hidden strengths and secret depths of these pop culture icons. Featuring full-color comic book cover art that spans nearly eight decades of publishing—along with behind-the-scenes accounts of creative decisions, historical insights, and examinations of their different incarnations—this book provides a vibrant exploration of Betty and Veronica’s many adventures along their long, intriguing journey in popular culture.

    5 in stock

    £30.00

  • The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in

    Little, Brown & Company The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in

    Book Synopsis"Indispensable history." -Sally Jenkins, bestselling author of The Right CallEvery decade brings change, but as Michael MacCambridge chronicles in THE BIG TIME, no decade in American sports history featured such convulsive cultural shifts as the 1970s. So many things happened during the decade-the move of sports into prime-time television, the beginning of athletes' gaining a sense of autonomy for their own careers, integration becoming-at least within sports-more of the rule than the exception, and the social revolution that brought females more decisively into sports, as athletes, coaches, executives, and spectators. More than politicians, musicians or actors, the decade in America was defined by its most exemplary athletes. The sweeping changes in the decade could be seen in the collective experience of Billie Jean King and Muhammad Ali, Henry Aaron and Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Joe Greene, Jack Nicklaus and Chris Evert, among others, who redefined the role of athletes and athletics in American culture. The Seventies witnessed the emergence of spectator sports as an ever-expanding mainstream phenomenon, as well as dramatic changes in the way athletes were paid, portrayed, and packaged. In tracing the epic narrative of how American sports was transformed in the Seventies, a larger story emerges: of how America itself changed, and how spectator sports moved decisively on a trajectory toward what it has become today, the last truly "big tent" in American culture.

    £22.50

  • InstaPrayer: Prayers to Share

    Little, Brown & Company InstaPrayer: Prayers to Share

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisSometimes the hardest part of having a vibrant prayer life is simply getting started. To help start that conversation in a quirky and non-threatening way, these prompts from author/artist Kelly Stanley open the door to creativity and are perfect for sharing on Instagram and other socials. With fun and colourful meme-like images, readers will be encouraged to ask God to shelter someone who is going through a storm, pray for someone who is full of hot air, pray for the last person who texted them and more. Each prayer prompt is designed to get attention on digital and paper pages alike.InstaPrayers includes these prayer prompts:- Pray for someone who crosses paths with you regularly.- Thank God for a mistake you learned from.- Pray for someone with an amazing brain.- Give praise to someone who is doing a great job.- Pray for someone who seems to have the perfect Instagram life.FEATURES:Bite-sized prayer prompts to reignite your prayer lifeFull-colour interior design using fun and vibrant coloursPresentation page for personalisationPerfect gift for hashtag-loving friend

    5 in stock

    £7.82

  • ECW Press,Canada Celebrity Tantrums: The Official Dirt

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Spree: A Cultural History of Shopping

    Arsenal Pulp Press Spree: A Cultural History of Shopping

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £15.29

  • Hello, Cutie!: Adventures in Cute Culture

    Arsenal Pulp Press Hello, Cutie!: Adventures in Cute Culture

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    15 in stock

    £17.09

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