Popular culture Books

Book SynopsisOlly Moss has quickly become, according to Slashfilm, "one of the most in demand and influential pop culture artists today". For his simple but brilliant first book, Olly has put his own twist on the Victorian art of silhouette portraits. While this gorgeous gift volume might look as if it's from the 1890s, its pages contain today's favourite cult characters from movies, TV, comics and videogames.Trade Review"Olly is very special. A new Brit great who straddles the cool of Banksy, the humour of Shrigley and a wit all of his own." (Duncan Jones (director of Moon and Source Code), from his Foreword) "His stuff sells out immediately, is worth a ton on the secondary market and is just plain cool." (Ain't It Cool News) "His minimalist musings on movie and pop-culture themes are always things of beauty." (Empire)"

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Book SynopsisThe big screen romantic comedy has captured and dominated the popular and scholarly imagination. As a result, scant critical attention has been paid to its poor relation, the television version. In Love Wars Mary Irwin seeks to rectify this imbalance and provides the first international overview dedicated to the genre. She builds upon the tradition of film studies to offer a thorough, critical analysis of how televisual romantic comedy has taken its current shape. From classics such as Moonlighting to the social commentary of Sex and the City to Gavin and Stacey, Irwin's work charts the form's evolution and the changing attitudes to love, sex, class, feminism and the family that it represents. Her central focus is women's changing experiences and as such she contributes crucial new scholarship to feminist television studies. Her immersion in the socio-cultural context also means that it is a valuable tool for students and scholars in the fields of television, media, culture and gender studies.

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Book Synopsis'All men must die’: or ‘Valar Morghulis’, as the traditional Essos greeting is rendered in High Valyrian. And die they do – in prodigious numbers; in imaginatively varied and gruesome ways; and often in terror within the viciously unpredictable world that is HBO’s sensational evocation of Game of Thrones. Epic in scope and in imaginative breadth, the stories that are brought to life tell of the dramatic rise and fall of nations, the brutal sweeping away of old orders and the advent of new autarchs in the eternal quest for dominion. Yet, as this book reveals, many potent and intimate narratives of love and passion can be found within these grand landscapes of heroism, honour and death. They focus on strong relationships between women and family, as well as among the anti-heroes, the ‘cripples, bastards and broken things’. In this vital follow-up to Winter Is Coming (2015), acclaimed medievalist Carolyne Larrington explores themes of power, blood-kin, lust and sex in order to draw entirely fresh meanings out of the show of the century.Trade ReviewAll Men Must Die interrogates and analyses the eight-season arc of HBO’s Game of Thrones on its own terms—not as an adaptation. Carolyne Larrington succeeds in explaining how, in spite of the glaring flaws of the latter seasons, the ‘narrative, themes, and characters’ of the show nonetheless represent a compelling version of contemporary medievalist storytelling. Incisively argued and deftly written, this is a worthy follow-up to her earlier, impressive, exploration of the world of Game of Thrones, and an enjoyable read in its own right. * Kavita Mudan Finn, Lecturer in Medieval Literature, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA *A thorough and insightful dive into various aspects of the worldbuilding in Game of Thrones. * Dr. Shiloh Carroll, PhD, Tennessee State University, USA. *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Episodes Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Institutions and the Family 2. Identity 3. Power and Knowledge 4. Love, Desire and Hate 5. Gods, Demons and Monsters 6. Us and Them: Gender and Marginalization Afterword Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSeeing play as an important and vital element of life for children and adults alike, this book addresses the ways in which practitioners take account of and act responsibly with moments of children's play and playfulness.Working with the Playwork Principles, the book draws on alternative concepts to traditional approaches, including ideas from materialist and posthuman philosophy and human geography, to explore playing as process rather than product. Topics covered include play and wellbeing, play and space, and the micro-politics of playing, critical cartography and adult account-ability and response-ability. It concludes by considering the implications for professional practice and offering ways that professionals can develop practices that maintain and co-create favourable conditions in which children's play can flourish.Trade ReviewThis book is a 'must read' for those working/researching/studying the field of play/child/childhood. Stuart Lester puts into play Deleuzian posthumanist theories and in so doing he intellectually and practically departs from standard accounts of play and (professional) practice. The book exemplifies how change must and can occur so that normative, hierarchical and inequitable systems of organisation that currently circumscribe children's play can both be resisted and reconfigured. -- Liz Jones, Emeritus Professor, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityIn this skillfully-edited and wonderfully-crafted book, Stuart Lester outlines a critical cartography of play. Weaving empirical and applied insights together with theories of urbanity, enchantment, politics, space and far more besides, he offers no less than an exciting, open-ended, generative and typically generous theorisation of play. Ultimately, this book should interest anyone who wants to know more about why else, how else, and where else play matters. -- Peter Kraftl, Professor of Human Geography, University of Birmingham, UKThis is an extraordinary book which encourages you to think differently about children, their play and playwork practice. It is a joy to take a nomadic wandering and wondering walk with Stuart Lester paying attention to small moments of play and playfulness. Covering a wide and diverse range of perspectives Stuart's is a voice that sparkles. -- John Fitzpatrick and Bridget Handscomb, Gwealan Tops Adventure PlaygroundTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Foreword: Jeremy Lester; Foreword: Wendy Russell; Preamble; 1. An Introduction; 2. Play: A Different Line Of Enquiry; 3. Some Thoughts On Play And 'Well-Being'; 4. Play And Space; 5. The Micro-Politics Of Playing; 6. Cartography And Account-Ability; 7. Critical Cartography And Response-Ability; 8. And Ending That Is Not An Ending; References

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Book SynopsisTake one tent. Fill with 12 amateur bakers. Garnish with one venerable cookery writer, one blue-eyed bread-maker, and two comedy queens with a love of innuendo. And there you have the recipe for the most popular show of our times. When The Great British Bake Off made its debut in August 2010, it had the makings of a modest hit. But nobody – not the programme-makers and certainly not those first contestants – could have predicted what was to come. Here was a show in which the biggest weekly drama was whether or not a sponge cake would sink in the middle. And oh, how we loved it. Here is the ultimate Bake Off fan book: from bread lion to bin-gate; heart throbs to Twitter trolls; soggy bottoms to sticky buns. This is the celebration of Britain's most popular cookery contest.Trade ReviewFrom soggy bottoms to "bin-gate", this biography of our beloved Bake Off is sure to satisfy even the pickiest of giftees * Red magazine *Singh charts their rise and rise with warmth and humour... as colourful and sparkling as the show itself' * Daily Express *

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Book Synopsis“Around the world and from coast to coast, How We Roll stays smoking.” —Snoop Dogg “[A] spirited guide to finding one’s high…Green and seasoned smokers alike will inhale this edgy endeavor.” —Publishers Weekly From rolling techniques to ast-roll-ology, interviews to do's and don'ts, quizzes to charts, this lively illustrated guide to all things joints has something for potheads and casual cannabis smokers alike. From the classic joint to The Scorpion, The Braid, The Holy Cross and beyond, How We Roll brings you the best and most important rolling techniques for your favorite herbal blend. Exploring the many unique approaches to rolling through clever illustrations and clear instructions, How We Roll offers something new for every kind of smoker. Featuring interviews with notable cannabis lovers like Wiz Khalifa, Dawn Richard, and Tommy Chong, insight into rolling culture around the world, and tips and tricks for rolling an exceptional j, How We Roll is the perfect book for any weed connoisseur.

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Book SynopsisThe Golden Age of Bullshit.Welcome to the golden age of bullshit, a wiki-wild world knee deep in half-truths and alternative facts, spin and bias, influence and insincerity, little white lies and tall tales, falsehoods and propaganda, and all sorts of other baloney designed to disguise fact from fiction. We live in a post truth, fake news, world where nothing is quite as it seems and everything you read should be seen before believed. But isn't.From Brexit buses to Donald Trump, the University of Google to misleading advertising claims, and everything in-between, the bullshit keeps getting bigger and stronger and the lies are turning truer every day. It's time to call bullshit on bullshit!The Little Book of Bullshit is the ideal antidote everybody needs to fight the influx of excessive lying and cheating and defrauding that has come to define the 21st century, a tiny tome stuffed with delightfully witty snack-sized nuggets of facts and stats and quotes and boasts all related to the ever-expanding world of bullshit."The first rule of bullshit is that it must be believable." Nassim Nicholas Taleb"I'm almost finished..." All of us, at some point in our livesTable of ContentsAlternative Facts - Famous and historic lies in disguise and falsehoods that fooled the world! • The Unbelievable Truth - Stranger-than-fiction facts that are actually true! • Won't Get Fooled Again - The world's biggest bullshit artists, scoundrels, cheats, liars, phoneys and frauds exposed! • We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boast - Quotes and boasts too good to be true! • Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics - World-renowned statistics and irrelevant facts and figures that just don't add up! • Fake News - 'Post truth' stories and news reports that prove you shouldn't believe everything you read.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the world's greatest record-breaking feats, stunts and tricks in this interactive celebration. YouTube is the world's most-visited video sharing site, where more than 1 billion hours of content are viewed every day. It's packed with seemingly endless amazing clips, many documenting incredible feats of human endeavour and endurance. YouTube World Records 2022 is the original and best interactive celebration of these heroic and often jaw-dropping efforts.Super-powered with on-the-page QR code links to more than 250 amazing videos, YouTube World Records 2022 showcases the greatest feats ever recorded on the internet. From the tallest and smallest to the greatest and maddest, this sensational collection covers music, sport, technology and everything in between – including pancake tossing. fiery-hot pepper eating, mega-quick drumming and unbelievable basketball slam-dunks. Vibrantly illustrated and incredibly entertaining, this is the ultimate celebration of the world's greatest records.Table of ContentsIntroduction • Amazing Human Feats • The Biggest! • The Smallest! • Speed Demons! • Super Sports Stars • Food Feats • Gross Out Records • Power Strength • Earth & Nature • What a Pain! • Amazing Machines • How to Become a World Record Holder.

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Book SynopsisRichard Dyer is a foundational figure for the critical study of cinema and popular culture. Across a career spanning five decades, he has made path breaking contributions to our understanding of stardom and celebrity, gay and queer politics and cultural history, film music, race and whiteness and the pleasures of popular entertainment. The Richard Dyer Reader brings together for the first time key writings by this vital and influential figure, many of which are not otherwise available. The anthology guides readers through Dyer’s prolific and rich output through six thematic selections of essays and extracts, each centred on a key theme in Dyer's work: stardom and the image; entertainment and ideology; gay politics and representation; whiteness; the pleasures of popular entertainment, and textual analysis. A seventh section comprises a selection of interviews conducted across the span of his career, as well as a new interview with editors Glyn Davis and Jaap Kooijman. The book will provide an introduction for those new to Dyer’s writings, as well as offering a fresh perspective for readers with a more comprehensive knowledge of his work. The collection includes archival and recent pieces of writing never previously anthologised, newly commissioned essays, a substantial introduction to Dyer’s life and work and framing introduction to each section.Trade ReviewRichard Dyer is one of the most important film scholars in the world – establishing the fields of star and sexuality studies while exercising a huge influence on the analysis of race and gender in popular culture. It is remarkable that his work has not yet been collected in this kind of volume – perhaps because he is rightly careful about how to do it. In Glyn Davis and Jaap Kooijman, he has the perfect anthologists. -- Mandy Merck, Royal Holloway, University of London, UKFor half a century, Dyer has been one of the most important, impassioned and insightful observers in film/media and cultural studies. The Richard Dyer Reader’s selections – on action film, musicals, politics, gay pornography, whiteness, television, disco, stardom and much more – showcase Dyer at his blissfully jargon-free best. -- Chris Holmlund, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction - Glyn Davis and Jaap Kooijman I: A STAR IS BORN and other essays on stardom and image 1. A Star is Born and the construction of authenticity (1981) 2. The meaning of Tom Jones (1971) 3. Gene Kelly (1972) 4. Jane Fonda (1979) 5. The way she is (1981) 6. Diana Ross (1982) 7. Never too thin (1993) 8. Charles Hawtrey (1994) 9. Between parturition and manufacture (2018) II: IN DEFENCE OF DISCO and other essays on entertainment and ideology 10. In defence of disco (1979) 11. Views of Nationwide go wide (1980) 12. Coronation Street (1981) 13. Tea and cocoa tele (1982) 14. Bad for a laugh (1982) 15. Taking popular television seriously (1985) 16. The colour of entertainment (1995) 17. Jurassic World and procreation anxiety (2015) III: GETTING OVER THE RAINBOW and other essays on gay liberation 18. Getting over the rainbow: identity and pleasure in gay cultural politics (1981) 19. Notes on gays and class (1976) 20. Pasolini and homosexuality (1977) 21. Taxi zum Klo (1982) 22. Vito Russo, The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies (1983) 23. Rock: the last guy you’d have figured? (1985) 24. Nice young men who sell antiques: gay men in heritage cinema (2001) 25. The idea of a gay icon (2009) IV: WHITE and other essays on representation and visibility 26. White (1988) 27. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the right to love oneself (1968) 28. The role of stereotypes (1979) 29. Of rage and despair (1981) 30. Don’t look now: the instabilities of the male pin-up (1982) 31. Heterosexuality (1997) 32. Is the camera racist? (1997) 33. White enough (2013) 34. The president’s hair (2018) V: COMING TO TERMS and other essays on bodies and affect 35. Male gay porn: coming to terms (1985) 36. Scorpio Rising (1981) 37. Why dance? (1981) 38. Old briefs for new (1989) 39. Dracula and desire (1993) 40. Idol thoughts: orgasm and self-reflexivity in gay pornography (1994) 41. ACTION! (1994) 42. The same over and over (2015) 43. Fond of little tunes: the sissiness of music in Rope and Tea and Sympathy (2023) VI: THE PERSISTENCE OF TEXTUAL ANALYSIS and other essays on form and meaning 44. The persistence of textual analysis (2023) 45. The television situation (1973) 46. The Towering Inferno (1975) 47. Notes on textual analysis (1981) 48. The space of happiness in the musical (1998) 49. Sound in Seven (1999) 50. The talented Mr Rota (2004) 51. Far from Heaven (2007) 52. Going Italian (2011) 53. Eisenstein’s penis (2023) VII: MASCULINITY IS SO BORING and other conversations with Richard Dyer 54. Masculinity is so boring (1985) (with Joe McElhaney) 55. To be reel (1997) (with Matthew Rettenmund) 56. Pleasure | obvious | queer (2016) (with Catherine Grant and Jaap Kooijman) 57. Writing out of love or politics (2023) (with Glyn Davis and Jaap Kooijman) Index

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Book SynopsisCapturing the world of Tommy Shelby and his racketeering gang in over 20 locations. ‘Peaky Blinders’ is set in the heartland of Britain's industrial revolution, the West Midlands. But to perfectly capture the world of Tommy Shelby and his gang, the producers have used locations right across Britain. This illustrated guide reveals over 20 locations, along with episode references, so viewers can check out exactly which stations, mills, factories and grand house were featured on screen. Locations include: • The Black Country Living Museum: Situated on the canal in Dudley and open all year round to the public, this museum shows West Midlands’ industrial heritage. • Manchester’s impressive 1877 town hall: Used when Sam Neill’s character meets Churchill; while the city’s Grade II-listed Edwardian swimming pool, the Victoria Baths, was mocked up for a horse fair. • Port Sunlight: A model industrial village on the Wirral that has been preserved thanks to its single ownership and strict leaseholds, which sets the backdrop for Aunt Polly’s Sutton Coldfield House. • Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire, which once served mills and villages in the Worth valley is used as one of the locations for the Blinder’s many train station scenes.

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Book SynopsisMargaret Atwood, Derek Walcott, Seamus Heaney and Salman Rushdie feature in this collection of over forty interviews with award-winning authors. This is a genre-crossing collection of interviews and essays that recounts in intimate detail encounters with many of the world’s foremost writers. Interspersed are photos as well as a charismatic commentary, provided by editor and veteran journalist Ciaran Carty, revealing a surprising, often unexpected interconnectedness between these otherwise distinct figures. Individually, these pieces provide a rare glimpse inside some of the world’s most creative minds; collectively, they address topics such as history, politics, sexuality, and class, while also reflecting the distinguished and wide-ranging career of one of Ireland’s leading critics and broadcasters. Filled with laugh-out-loud anecdotes, personal confessions, and passionate declarations, this book is the definitive collection for literature enthusiasts and aspiring writers alike.Trade ReviewIn Writer to Writer - The Republic of Elsewhere, veteran arts journalist Ciaran Carty brings great acuity to his interviews with some of the prime exponents of 20th-century literature. -- Paddy Kehoe * RTE *Clearly positioned as a book for our times, the array of writers here gives weight to Carty’s overarching idea that literature (and those who create it) exist outside borders, are (to reappropriate Theresa May’s infamous phrase) “citizens of everywhere”. Literature, Carty suggests, exists in a separate country: the land of the imagination, “a republic of elsewhere”. -- Sean Hewitt * The Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis"The L Word" captured international attention when it first appeared on American screens in January 2004. The groundbreaking primetime drama from Showtime is about a group of lesbian and bisexual friends living and loving in Los Angeles, and challenges traditional notions of relationships, queer life styles, gender identities, race and ethnicity and sex and sexuality. "Reading the L Word" is the first book about this television phenomenon. With an introduction by Sarah Warn, the founder of premier lesbian entertainment website, AfterEllen.com, and a foreword by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, the collection brings together leading academics, feminist critics, scholars and award-winning journalists to discuss "The L Word". There is also a complete episode guide, as well as a series of interviews with the actors Erin Daniels, Katherine Moennig, and the writer, Guinevere Turner. Analytical, often humorous and sometimes provocative, "Reading the L Word" uncovers what makes this show both so compelling and groundbreaking.Trade Review'A must-read book about the must-see lesbian sex drama that everybody loves but some love to hate.' --Jane Feuer 'Interesting and provocative.'- TLS

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Book SynopsisA cultural history of global electronic dance music countercultures, "Technomad" explores the pleasurable and activist trajectories of post-rave. The book documents an emerging network of techno-tribes, exploring their pleasure principles and cultural politics. Attending to sound system culture, electro-humanitarianism, secret sonic societies, teknivals and other gatherings, intentional parties, revitalisation movements and counter-colonial interventions, "Technomad" investigates how the dance party has been harnessed for transgressive and progressive ends, for manifold freedoms. Seeking freedom from moral prohibitions and standards, pleasure in rebellion, refuge from sexual and gender prejudice, exile from oppression, rupturing aesthetic boundaries, re-enchanting the world, reclaiming space, fighting for 'the right to party', and responding to a host of critical concerns, electronic dance music cultures are multivalent sites of resistance. Drawing on extensive ethnographic, netographic and documentary research, "Technomad" details the post-rave trajectory through various local sites and global scenes, with each chapter attending to unique developments in the techno counterculture: example Spiral Tribe, teknivals, psytrance, Burning Man, Reclaim the Streets, Earthdream. The book offers an original nuanced theory of resistance to assist understanding of these developments. This cultural history of hitherto uncharted territory will be of interest to students of cultural, performance, music, media, and new social movement studies, along with enthusiasts of dance culture and popular politics.Table of ContentsIntroduction; The Rave-olution? 1. Sound System Exodus: Tekno-Anarchy in the UK and Beyond 2. Secret Sonic Societies and Other Renegades of Sound 3. New Tribal Gathering: Vibe-Tribes and Mega-Raves 4. The Technooccult, Psytrance and the Millennium 5. Rebel Sounds and Dance Activism: Rave and the Carnival of Protest 6. Outback Vibes: Dancing Up Country Conclusion: Hardcore, You Know the Score

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Book SynopsisPublishing alongside the world premiere of Christopher Nolan's third Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises", Will Brooker's new book explores Batman's twenty-first century incarnations. Brooker's close analysis of "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" offers a rigorous, accessible account of the complex relationship between popular films, audiences, and producers in our age of media convergence. By exploring themes of authorship, adaptation and intertextuality, he addresses a myriad of questions raised by these films: did "Batman Begins" end when "The Dark Knight began? Does its story include the Gotham Knight DVD, or the 'Why So Serious' viral marketing campaign? Is it separate from the parallel narratives of the Arkham Asylum videogame, the monthly comic books, the animated series and the graphic novels? Can the brightly campy incarnations of the Batman ever be fully repressed by "The Dark Knight", or are they an intrinsic part of the character? Do all of these various manifestations feed into a single Batman metanarrative? This will be a vital text for film students and academics, as well as legions of Batman fans.Trade Review'A fascinating and incredibly detailed analysis of comic fiction's most powerful and successful hero.' - Pat Mills, author of Batman: The Book of Shadows 'Through the prism of poststructuralism, Will Brooker casts dazzling new light on Batman as myth, brand, and canon. Hunting the Dark Knight is, quite simply, a brilliant study of the Batman and contemporary processes of rebooting, franchising and shaping a cultural icon.' - Matt Hills, author of Triumph of a Time LordTable of ContentsPrologue Chapter 1 The Nolan Function: Authorship Chapter 2 The Batman Matrix: Adaptation Chapter 3 Dark Knight Lockdown: Realism and Repression Chapter 4 Carnival on Infinite Earths: Continuity and Crisis Chapter 5 The Never-Ending War: Deconstruction and the Dark Knight Epilogue: Time and the Batman Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisVampires and werewolves; phantoms and phantasms: looming out of the fog leaps the menacing spectre of the lycanthrope, ghoul or blood-crazed zombie. Intrigued by some of the most sinister, yet at the same time most compelling, legends of western civilization, Gregory L Reece dusts down his stake and crucifix, loads his silver bullets and takes off into the wilds in search of answers and fresh adventures. Rummaging around in crumbling tombs and cobwebbed sarcophagi, his latest quest leads him into the haunted realm of the dead and the undead: of those carnivorous, nocturnal hunters that might perhaps better be left undisturbed. Why, he asks, is our culture obsessed by the eerie and the macabre? Why, despite its horrors, does the 'dark side' of the supernatural - its seances and ghost-hunting, demonic possession and the occult - call to us with such dangerous allure? Whether tracking night-stalking werewolves, chanting black magic mantras with Satanists, or interviewing a funereal modern-day Count Dracula, Reece is determined to uncover the truth. A wry exploration of a secret and secretive subculture, "Creatures of the Night" is at the same time a bold and startling journey into a wraithlike world that has so often seemed to lie beyond the limits of rational comprehension - until now.Trade ReviewPraise for "UFO Religion: Inside Flying Saucer Cults and Culture" "Both insightful and humorous ... Reece travels to the Mojave Desert to join a group scanning the night sky for alien visitors, considers reports of the so-called Men in Black and Tall Whites identified by many ufologists, and visits the twin ground zeros of U.S. UFO culture, Area 51 in Nevada and Roswell, New Mexico ... Consider this book an excellent introduction to its genuinely spacey subject." -- "Booklist" 'In Creatures of the Night Gregory Reece takes us on a fascinating journey: into the dark forests of our imaginations and through the haunted castles of our deepest fears. Searching for the things that have terrified us for centuries, he peels back the pop culture skin of fantasy to reveal the flesh and bones of myth and history. Vampires, demons, and werewolves are just some of the creatures we encounter in his very entertaining book. More than them, though, he reveals how we meet ourselves, albeit in the oft-warped mirror of literature, film, and the everyday stage.' - Douglas E Cowan, Professor of Religious Studies, Renison University College/University of Waterloo; author of Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen and Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1998, 'Inventing Ruritania' achieved a rare combination of critical success, broad readership and enduring academic influence. It is now recognised as a key contribution to the study of Balkan and European identity. Offered by Hurst in a long-awaited and updated paperback edition, 'Inventing Ruritania' is just as topical in the context of Europe's current turmoil as it was when it first appeared. Vesna Goldsworthy explores the origins of the ideas that underpin Western perceptions of the Balkans, the 'Wild East' of Europe. European and Oriental at the same time, the Balkans are tantalisingly ambiguous: simultaneously attracting and repelling outsiders, an exciting alternative to the familiar ennui of the West, both completely different from 'us' and exactly as 'we' used to be. Writers and filmmakers in Western Europe and America have found in the peninsula a rich mine of images for literature and the movies. In her prodigiously researched but very readable volume, Goldsworthy shows how this lucrative exploitation of Balkan history and geography by the entertainment industry has affected attitudes toward the region. She considers the religious, national, and sexual taboos and fears projected onto Balkan lands, and discusses the political exploitation and media uses of the Balkan archetypes.Trade Review‘Goldsworthy has done enough research to found an academic department… ‘Inventing Ruritania’ is a sober, thoughtful and perceptive examination of an entertainment industry.’ -- Washington Post‘Goldsworthy has certainly chosen a glorious topic. … There is a rich literary vein to be mined here, and Goldsworthy has a nice critical eye.’ -- Tony Judt, The New Republic‘Goldsworthy seeks to explain the peculiar form of literary and ideological imperialism visited on the Balkans. [She] explores this history of Western perceptions and prejudices by tracing the development of Balkan images in English literature from Byron through the Prisoner of Zenda, Dracula, Olivia Manning’s Balkan Trilogy and beyond. It is thoroughly enjoyable and peppered with hilarious or hair-raising quotations from some of Britain’s most admired authors. … Remarkable.’ -- Misha Glenny, London Review of Books‘A wonderful study, which incisively analyses Western stereotypes about the region.’ -- Carlin Romano, Chronicle of Higher Education‘Her argument is energetically sustained, meticulous and gripping in its detail.’ -- Times Literary Supplement‘A stimulating book. … Goldsworthy’s subject is a fascinating one, and she has done scholars and commentators preoccupied with contemporary events in the region considerable service in identifying and assessing a lost or at least neglected body of literature. … Goldsworthy’s study stands out as a distinctive contribution to a host of urgent cultural and political debates.’ -- Brian Phillips, Literary Review‘A beautifully written and heavily researched book … that consistently makes connections between earlier and contemporary constructions of the Balkans. … Correspondences between literature and contemporary politics in Goldsworthy’s book are provocative, suggestive, and sparkling with knowledge of both British and Balkan history and culture, making ‘Inventing Ruritania’ a bold example of an engaged literary criticism.’ -- Goran V. Stanivukovic, ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature

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Book SynopsisUntil the 1930s no woman could perform in public and retain respectability in India. Professional female performers were courtesans and dancing girls who lived beyond the confines of marriage, but were often powerful figures in social and cultural life. Women's roles were often also taken by boys and men, some of whom were simply female impersonators, others transgender. Since the late nineteenth century the status, livelihood and identity of these performers have all diminished, with the result that many of them have become involved in sexual transactions and sexualised performances. Meanwhile, upper-class, upper-caste women have taken control of the classical performing arts and also entered the film industry, while a Bollywood dance and fitness craze has recently swept middle class India. In her historical on-the-ground study, Anna Morcom investigates the emergence of illicit worlds of dance in the shadow of India's official performing arts. She explores over a century of marginalisation of courtesans, dancing girls, bar girls and transgender performers, and de- scribes their lives as they struggle with stigmatisation, derision and loss of livelihood.Trade Review'Anna Morcom's extraordinarily compelling book represents one of the most significant interventions in the study of dance in contemporary South Asia. Masterfully bridging discourses on class, gender, globalization, economics, morality, and aesthetics, it effectively foregrounds the forms of inequality and power at work in the production, consumption, and politicization of dance in today's India.' - Davesh Soneji, McGill University, author of Unfinished Gestures: Devadasis, Memory and Modernity in South India 'This is a remarkable book, of great originality, rigour, and importance in the study of modern Indian popular culture. Combining extensive fieldwork, archival research, and astute interpretation, Morcom presents a rich exploration of the contradictory effects of modernity, nationalism, and bourgeois values on a diverse range of Indian dance traditions, old and new.' - Peter Manuel, Professor, Graduate Center of the City University of New York 'A hugely valuable addition to the literature on the performing arts in India, focusing as it does on communities of highly marginalized dancers who have received scant academic attention. Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance deals with a wide-ranging set of dance sectors including female hereditary performers, bar dancers, transgender erotic performers and kothi dancers, interpreting the author's rich ethnographic detail through a variety of theoretical lenses. On all counts, a very welcome and timely scholarly contribution.' - Prabha Kotiswaran, Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law, King's College London, and author of Dangerous Sex, Invisible Labor: Sex Work and the Law in India

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Book SynopsisA new, updated edition, with a new foreword of Andrew Keen's witty and provocative polemic against the rise of user-generated content and the anything goes standards of much online publishing, which set the blogosphere and media alight on publication. Dubbed the 'anti-christ' of Silicon Valley and a dot-com apostate, Andrew Keen is the leading contemporary critic of the Internet. and The Cult of the Amateur is a scathing attack on the mad utopians of Web 2.0 and the wisdom of the crowd. Keen argues that much of the content filling up YouTube, MySpace, and blogs is just an endless digital forest of mediocrity which, unconstrained by professional standards or editorial filters, can alter public debate and manipulate public opinion.Trade ReviewAndrew Keen has had the temerity to point out that our search for instant wisdom through, say, Google and Wikipedia provides not necessarily what is most true or reliable—merely what is most popular. I read it in one sitting then went outside to fish for our supper, firmly believing that the poor fish that swallows my squirming worm on a barbed hook is infinitely smarter than the idiot on the other end holding the rod. -- Ralph Steadman * The Observer - “That’s the best thing we’ve read all year” *A staggering new book by Andrew Keen. He is an English-born digital media entrepreneur and Silicon Valley insider who really knows his stuff and he writes with the passion of a man who can at last see the dangers he has helped unleash. His book will come as a real shock to many. It certainly did to me. -- A. N. Wilson * Daily Mail *Keen deserves to be taken seriously... I admire his bravery in arguing against the vociferous IT crowd. -- Luke Johnson * Management Today - Books of the Year *The Cult of the Amateur needed to be written and it needs to be read. * Management Today *This is a powerful, provocative and beautifully written stop-and-breathe book in the midst of the greatest paradigm shift in information and communications history. -- Chris Schroeder, CEO, Health Central Network and former CEO, WashingtonPost/Newsweek onlineAndrew Keen is a brilliant, witty, classically-educated technoscold—and thank goodness. The world needs an intellectual Goliath to slay Web 2.0’s army of Davids. -- Jonathan Last, online editor, The Weekly StandardImportant... will spur some very constructive debate. This is a book that can produce positive changes to the current inertia of web 2.0. -- Martin Green, VP of Community, CNETFor anyone who thinks that technology alone will make for a better democracy, Andrew Keen will make them think twice. -- Andrew Rasiej, founder, Personal Democracy ForumVery engaging, and quite controversial and provocative. He doesn’t hold back any punches. -- Dan Farber, editor-in-chief, ZDNetThank you so much for your virtual BIBLE. It is the only thing I have come across that is uncompromising and clear. The computer is a wonderful piece of machinery, but it is in danger of becoming a barometer of our moral stance, a law maker for our shared values and a bulwark against the sheer essence of beauty that has gone before. It must never be the annihilator of human effort, the touchstone of ingenuity or the simple pleasure of making something that may have been made for a thousand years. -- Ralph SteadmanA shrewdly argued jeremiad against the digerati effort to dethrone cultural and political gatekeepers and replace experts with ‘the wisdom of the crowd’. Keen writes with acuity and passion. * The New York Times *My initial reaction to the book was: ‘Geez, I have a lot of things to think about now.’ For people immersed in the social communities of Web 2.0, this is bound to be a thought-provoking and sobering book. While I don’t agree with everything Keen says, there is page after page of really interesting insight and research. I look forward to the much-needed debate about the problems that Keen articulates—which can’t be lightly dismissed. -- Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia and founder of Citizendium

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Book SynopsisCO2, essential to photosynthesis, is often teh most overlooked element limiting plant growth. Shows how to safely fertilise the air in a greenhouse with CO2 to shorten growing time and double plant yield.

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Book SynopsisStep-by-step guidance on growing perfect cuttings, including information on rooting hormones, disease prevention and temperature, light and humidity control.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive work on high intensity discharge (HID) lighting and plant growth, overflowing with all the latest information on high-tech lights. Any grower who uses HIDs needs this book.

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Book SynopsisContains everything the grower needs to know on how to garden in rockwool. Includes specific advice and tips from pro growers and an overview of all the latest tools.

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Book SynopsisA controversial and eyewitness account of the rise and fall of the porn industry.

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Book SynopsisRejected by the Freemasons? Not bright enough for the Illuminati? Burnt by the Hell Fire Club? No friends in high places to get you into the Bilderberg or the Bohemian Grove? Feeling isolated and powerless? Fear not. There is an answer... Why not start your own secret society to add an air of mystery to your life and instantly alter the way you are perceived by family, friends and society at large. Learn the secrets of how to really influence people in business and politics by creating your own elitist fraternity. Discover the basic requirements for creating a clandestine sister or brotherhood with the ability to control, govern and influence events at the local or global level. Develop your own secret knowledge and hidden agenda while you plot to overthrow the powers that be through revolution and political or religious intrigue. Pierre Plantard and the Priory of Sion failed but you can avoid making the same mistakes they did by understanding what it really takes to maintain and develop a secret society. This book will show you all the requirements needed from choosing regalia to setting up a lodge, from electing a grand master to illustrating basic initiation ceremonies. It will also guide you on how to take historical events, great works of art and famous names to mould them into your desires for global domination. Don\'t feel left out again... Start a secret society and be part of the conspiracy...

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Book SynopsisChronicles the meteoric rise in popularity of the denim jean, showcasing styles, infinitely varied modifications and interviews with jeans aficionadoes.

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Book SynopsisFrom punks and teddy boys to mods and rockers, the last fifty years has seen the British Isles overrun with the iconic styles and attitudes - youthful 'tribes' changing the world with their bold new ideas. Britain's youth movements are regarded worldwide as pinnacles of musical, fashion and artistic expression. As a reaction to post-War austerity and social conservatism, the youth of Britain have consistently broken the mold, pioneering counter-culture movements across the world and shrugging off the shackles of old authority. The authors have amassed a wealth of exclusive interviews with key players from all the iconic groups, as well as stunning unpublished photographs from personal collections. The result is a beautifully produced visual and literary tribute to Britain's vibrant young underbelly and the passionate cauldron of creativity they continue to stir up.

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Book SynopsisCan classical music change lives? In Soul Music, novelist Candace Allen embarks on a personal journey that takes her from the streets of London and Scotland to Venezuela, where the Sistema scheme has offered thousands of young people a route out of the ghetto mentality through virtuoso musical training, bringing global fame to the charismatic conductor Gustavo Dudamel; to Ramallah, and Daniel Barenboim's East-West Divan Orchestra in which young Israelis and Palestinians play side-by-side.Trade Review'How it feels to be free... So powerful... She reveals much about what lies at the heart of any journey into so-called classical music.' Guy Dammann, New Statesman 'Formidable.' Evening Standard 'Intriguing and sometimes disturbing series of reflections on the interplay of race and music, particularly western music... Enthralled by her grasp of the educational subtleties of El Sistema... There is much food for contemplation and much for confrontation.' Norman Lebrecht 'Thoughtful and passionate and needs to be read.' Alan Davey, Chief Executive Arts Council England. 'The most interesting book to date on the subject of social music projects... passion, zeal and candour...will appeal and infuriate.' Marshall Marcus, Director Southbank Centre's Sistema Research ProgrammeTable of ContentsWe moved from Boston's negro enclave... 'This is a show tune...' 'You don't have to live next to me...' 'To be young, gifted and black...' On the market front... 'We can deal with rockets and dreams...' 'How beauteous mankind is!...' Entr'acte 'What fruit it bears...' Darkness into Light Opera in the Streets A Brief Pause to Take Stock Manna from the South 'Change is the only certainty...' The Purpose of Music Codas Diminuendo con amore Acknowledgements Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisThis book encourages a rethink of the urban youth movement that came to be known as la movida through a close analysis of the monthly arts magazine La Luna de Madrid (1983–1988). It analyses La Luna's urban reimaginings and its destabilization of fixed identity categories.Table of Contents1. Introduction: La Luna de Madrid and la movida madrileña 2. La Luna de Madrid and the City of Madrid: Reimagining and Reclaiming Urban Space 3. La Luna de Madrid's Destabilization of Identity: Gender, Nationality, and the Individual 4. Modernity and Postmodernity in and of La Luna de Madrid 5. Conclusion: Towards a New Critical Approach to la movida

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Book SynopsisThis book covers a dramatic decade in the fortunes of Britain’s quirkiest broadcaster. It opens in 2009, with the realisation that Channel 4’s biggest money spinner, Big Brother, had become a toxic asset and would have to be discarded, at the same time as advertising revenues were shrinking in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. Maggie Brown’s compelling narrative, which draws on interviews with key players in Channel 4’s story and unique access to the broadcaster’s archives, takes us inside the boardroom battles, changes in senior management and commissioning teams, interventions by the media regulator Ofcom, and the channel’s response to a rapidly-changing media and political landscape. Brown describes how the channel, under its new chief executive David Abraham, successfully fought off the threat of privatisation, which became a reality after the Conservatives’ general election victory in 2015. The price for remaining publicly funded was a substantial relocation of Channel 4’s operations, with Leeds announced in 2018 as a new ‘regional hub’. The Channel 4 story is also one of ambitious and innovative programming, with a new director of content, Jay Hunt, instigating radical changes in commissioning and scheduling. Brown traces programming hits and losses during this period, with the departure to competitors of celebrity chefs, Black Mirror and Charlie Brooker, horse racing and Formula 1, and a reappraisal of the remit of institutions such as Channel 4 News and Film 4. But there were successes too, with the 2012 Paralympics helping to restore a public service sheen, and new programmes such as Gogglebox in 2013 connecting with younger audiences, and, in 2016, the coup of taking The Great British Bake Off from its home at the BBC.Trade ReviewAs enthralling as the best Channel 4 drama and as searching as the best of its documentaries, this is the definitive account of a unique British institution's difficult, dramatic second act. -- Andrew Billen, Feature Writer, The Times, UKMaggie Brown has done it again. She has breathed life into years of complex negotiations and hugely difficult decisions that went on trying to keep Channel 4 intact in its original form against strong political and financial pressures. A major achievement, as well as a terrific read. It's an important record of the most turbulent time in the Channel's history. -- Roger Graef OBE, filmmaker and founding Board Member of C4Everyone in British television talked to Maggie Brown and this account of the key years of Channel 4’s history is as thorough, detailed and meticulously reported as you would expect from her notebook. Told with her eye for juicy detail and ability to pick out the big narrative, it is as compelling for its revelations of the behind the scenes backstabbing as the onscreen drama. Whether you were there or not, Maggie saw and heard it all. -- Janine Gibson, Assistant Editor, Financial TimesTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Alex Mahon and Ian Katz - New Brooms Appointed, and the Relocation Decision 2. No Escape From Big Brother’s Embrace Yet 3. Radio Adventure 4. The Rise of Fixed Rigs 5. Channel 4’s Online adventures 2007-2010 6. The Andy Duncan Sacking. Luke Johnson over ruled. 7. The David Abraham appointment 8. After Chucking Out Chintz, and Bidding For Channel Five 9. The Challenge as Abraham picks Jay 10. Jay Hunt in charge 11. Attack The Hunt - Advertising Revolt Foiled 2011-13/14 12. Gogglebox and Success, Factual and Onwards 13. Paralympics 14. Racing 15. Data 2010-2017 and how 4oD became All 4 but not all right. 16. Drama Hopes Dashed 17. Comedy and no Black Mirror 18. Film4 19. News 20. Current Affairs 21. Privatisation 22. 2016 – The Great British Bake Off snatch, the Hunt for CEO? 23. The Big Move North 24. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisSo you think you know the 90s?These 450+ questions will put your knowledge of the raddest decade to the test!Who shot Mr Burns? What did the first ever text message say? Who is the youngest Hanson brother? On what movie did Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow meet?This interactive trivia book is the ultimate chance to flex your knowledge of the decade that gave us Friends, NKOTB and the Tamagotchi, with more questions than you can shake a flip phone at.

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