Popular culture Books

Book SynopsisWhy has music so often served as an accomplice to transcendent expressions of gender? Why did the query 'is he musical?' become code, in the twentieth century, for 'is he gay?' Why is music so inherently queer? For Sasha Geffen, the answers lie, in part, in music’s intrinsic quality of subliminal expression, which, through paradox and contradiction, allows rigid gender roles to fall away in a sensual and ambiguous exchange between performer and listener. Glitter Up the Dark traces the history of this gender fluidity in pop music from the early twentieth century to the present day.Starting with early blues and the Beatles and continuing with performers such as David Bowie, Prince, Missy Elliot, and Frank Ocean, Geffen explores how artists have used music, fashion, language, and technology to break out of the confines mandated by gender essentialism and establish the voice as the primary expression of gender transgression. From glam rock and punk to disco, techno, Trade ReviewGeffen’s 2020 book is a gem...Their arguments about the music of the last 60 years—from the Beatles to Prince and David Bowie to Frank Ocean and Perfume Genius—are revelatory. The gender binary, they argue, is not simply worth breaking; it has always been broken...Geffen creates one of the most helpful and useful things a writer can give: hope for a more inclusive future. Anyone interested in gender would benefit from reading Glitter Up the Dark, and music obsessives can find a plethora of new interpretations of music history as well. Ultimately, that is what the best music books can do. * PopMatters, "12 Contemporary Books That Will Have You Rethinking Music History" *A must-read for all those interested in the politics of sound. * The Guardian *This is how Glitter Up the Dark, and all of Geffen’s writing, works: Once you start reading it, you’ll hear the world through new ears. You’ll devour Glitter Up the Dark with eyes wide and mind racing, drawing connections to whatever music you listen to. It’s exciting. And if you’re a queer or trans listener, it’s validating reading about how generations of us have found a haven in music. * Vulture *An ecstatic celebration of freedom through sound and movement, Glitter Up the Dark makes pop history feel thrillingly new. * Kirkus/Rolling Stone, "Best Music Books of 2020" *[Glitter Up the Dark] speaks to pop music’s effect on future generations of norm-breaking artists, but also on public perceptions of gender and its engagement with race and class politics. It’s an essential contribution to the modern music-book canon, made all the more intimate in Geffen’s hands. * Pitchfork, "Our 15 Favorite Music Books of 2020" *[Glitter Up the Dark] is a unique examination of gender fluidity and queerness across genres of popular music; a must-read for music lovers. * Ms. Magazine *[Glitter Up the Dark] doesn't just discuss various subversions of typical masculine and feminine gender roles—it discusses how we came to accept the full gender spectrum with non-binary and third gender identities. Geffen chronicles gender fluidity in music from the 20th century to the present, discussing everyone from early blues artists and David Bowie to Missy Elliot and riot grrrl bands. * Paste Magazine *From Little Richard and Elvis to David Bowie and Prince, Glitter Up The Dark shows how artists have used music and its accompanying fashion and technology to subvert traditionally accepted forms of sexual identity—including what Geffen calls “audio drag,” wherein musicians inhabit shifting personas through vocal manipulation. While Geffen is more than comfortable digging into headier gender theory, the book remains accessible and well-crafted. * The A.V. Club *Through deft yet largely accessible analysis, Glitter Up the Dark feels like a revelatory unearthing, as Geffen carefully exposes threads of queerness that typical histories may choose to ignore or erase. * them *Glitter Up the Dark is not just a chronicle of the transgressive possibilities of pop music but also a history of Geffen’s listening and a demand that we regard pop culture in explicitly political terms. * The Nation *Without attempting a comprehensive overview of queerness in music, Glitter Up the Dark nevertheless traces a clear path from the Beatles onwards...Whether it's the time-shifting energy of '70s New York clubs like the Loft, the 'sapphic androgyny' of Prince, or the gay masculine identification channeled through Grace Jones's 'I Need A Man,' Geffen makes clear that performers and their listeners have always been engaged in a lively, flirtatious exchange, constructing vibrant, expressive, and more fluid worlds in the space between each reverberating sound wave. * Nylon *An essential contribution to the modern music-book canon, made all the more intimate in Sasha Geffen’s hands. * Pitchfork *This slim yet sprawling volume...overturns traditional approaches to pop-music history by revisiting popular stars, songs and genres through a gender-expansive, queer lens * Westword *[Glitter Up the Dark] tells the story of queer artists and fans carving out space for their self-expression in an industry that capitalizes on pieces of the queer aesthetic, while simultaneously writing off those artists who are deemed too subversive or political. * Jezebel *[An] ambitious first book...with Geffen’s boundless love for music, deep listening skills, and expansive knowledge, they have queered the map of pop in language as accessible as a yellow brick road. * Lambda Literary *Geffen’s clear love and deep knowledge of the subject, along with insightful historical and critical arguments about the intertwining of gender and music, make this a deliciously necessary read for anyone interested in either pop culture or gender studies. * Library Journal, Starred Review *Glitter Up the Dark is Geffen's definitive love letter to the power of music to inspire acceptance and transformation—both within ourselves, and in the world around us. * Foreword Reviews *In an expansive and exuberant history Sasha Geffen celebrates music's liberatory potential to break down binary gender roles. * The Wire *Geffen drags a shimmering thread that connects transgressive music histories that have defined not just queer culture but all of pop culture for decades...Geffen’s book feels like the most fabulous tasting menu that will inspire readers to fall down the rabbit holes of so many of these stories. * Autostraddle *Geffen provides detailed insight into the ways queer and gender non-conforming artists shaped pop music—including punk and its antecedent, glam rock. * Chicago Reader *[Glitter Up the Dark] details, era by era, just how much popular music has done to break down the gender binary...one of the things I loved about the book is how Geffen celebrates the way that challenging the binary is inherent to the appeal of pop music for all people who approach it with open ears and hearts: it clears a space for all of us to more truly understand the human experience. * The Current *Geffen invokes canonical artists with wan mischief…and keeps finding curious historical details…Glitter Up the Dark lovingly describes the affinities drawn together by the act of listening. * Hazlitt *[An] incisive first book…[Geffen's] lucid prose is frequently enlivened by small, passing insights into music I’ve encountered a million times but will now forever hear refracted through their imagery and words…What I found most valuable about Glitter Up the Dark was the lens through which it looks back and invites us to notice how such seeming 'subversions' have always been present beneath the surface of even the most popular music...Reading this book often gave me the sensation that I was looking at a familiar scene through a kaleidoscope, suddenly seeing smeared borders and tiny, winking rainbows everywhere. * Bookforum *Glitter Up the Dark is less a straightforward narrative of pop music gender play and nonconformity than a spiraling, exhilarating dance through its more and less famous manifestations...This prism of a book reflects a rainbow on all it touches. * Boston Globe *Glitter Up the Dark helps readers understand and contextualize gender performance in popular music. It might change the way you listen to and engage with your favorite records. * The Arts Fuse *From disco to techno, punk rock to hip-hop, Geffen digs deep to explore the way popular music can facilitate exchange between listeners and performers, loosening the grip of gender roles and providing fertile ground for asking questions, seeking liberation and creating change. * NPR, "NPR's Best Books of 2020" *A brilliant, highly accessible, and timely testament to the power of music to shatter the status quo. * Library Journal, "Best Arts Books of 2020" *This exploration of queerness and pop is ridiculously comprehensive...Geffen’s examination of gender ambiguity’s relationship to artistic reinvention is a fascinating read. You’ll never listen to classic genre-staples in the same way again. * NME, "The 20 best music books of 2020" *Geffen's genuine enthusiasm for transgressive pop music is clear and infectious, and the chapters on punk and glam rock...are true standouts. [Glitter Up the Dark] is full of insightful observations, such as the pivotal role that Wendy Carlos and Pauline Oliveros played in the development of electronic music...A helpful guided tour that shows how music is the perfect art form in which to 'dance between genders.' * Kirkus *Glitter Up the Dark...asks a fascinating question, one the author turns over and over for 264 fascinating pages. What is it about popular music that makes it such a uniquely freeing space for artists to explore the gender spectrum? Geffen takes a fascinating walk through music history from the queer pioneers of rock and blues; to the Beatles and their matching mop tops; to 21st century artists like Perfume Genius and Fever Ray. * The Current, "Best music books of 2020" *From the castrati of mid-sixteenth century Italy to 'Ma' Rainey’s lesbian blues to SoundCloud’s shape-shifting stars, Geffen takes readers on an illuminating journey in lyrical, punkish prose. * Elle, "The 63 Best Books of 2020" *Table of ContentsIntroduction: An Alternate Ribbon of Time 1. Screaming the Beatles: The First Boy Band Breaks the Gender Mold 2. Oh! You Pretty Things: The Glitter Revolution 3. Whining Is Gender Neutral: Punk’s Adolescent Escapism 4. Wreckers of Civilization: Post-punk, Goth, and Industrial 5. Soft Machines: Women, Cyborgs, and Electronic Music 6. Not a Woman, Not a Man: Prince’s Sapphic Androgyny 7. The Fake Makes It Real: Synthpop and MTV 8. Infinite Utopia: Queer Time in Disco and House 9. Funky Cyborgs: Time, Technology, and Gender in Hip-Hop 10. Butch Throats: Women’s Music and Riot Grrrl 11. God Is Gay: The Grunge Eruption 12. No Shape: The Formless Internet Coda: Whole New World Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisBen-Hur (1959), Jaws (1975), Avatar (2009), Wonder Woman (2017): the blockbuster movie has held a dominant position in American popular culture for decades. In American Blockbuster Charles R. Acland charts the origins, impact, and dynamics of this most visible, entertaining, and disparaged cultural form. Acland narrates how blockbusters emerged from Hollywood''s turn to a hit-driven focus during the industry''s business crisis in the 1950s. Movies became bigger, louder, and more spectacular. They also became prototypes for ideas and commodities associated with the future of technology and culture, accelerating the prominence of technological innovation in modern American life. Acland shows that blockbusters continue to be more than just movies; they are industrial strategies and complex cultural machines designed to normalize the ideologies of our technological age.Trade Review“Charles R. Acland has written an astute, masterful genealogy of the film critic's kryptonite: the blockbuster. Bringing clarity to the massive films that hide from scholars in plain view, Acland shows just how complex and unstable ostensibly self-evident genre and trade terms can be. Beyond a film history, this wide-ranging book offers a prototype for multi-modal historiographic method and incisive film analysis in an era of big data and digital humanities. Far more than an origin story, Acland's reverse engineering lays bare the struggles behind the management of Hollywood's blockbuster category, the fabrication of overdone artlessness. A must-read in film and media studies.” -- John Thornton Caldwell, author of * Production Culture: Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television *“No other book traces the emergence of the stabilization of Hollywood's blockbuster strategy as deftly as American Blockbuster. Charles R. Acland's powerful synthesis of historical analysis and cultural theory, along with his assessment of Hollywood's blockbuster economy—and of the studios’ prevailing blockbuster aesthetic—will have a significant impact.” -- Thomas Schatz, author of * The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era *“This is a stunningly insightful and comprehensive study of the blockbuster that contributes new historical, cultural, and critical perspectives on a definitive phenomenon in American cinema. Through impeccable research and lucid writing, Charles R. Acland ultimately shows us how movie blockbusters have functioned to drive and to legitimate the ‘technological exhibitionism’ that lies at the heart not only of the film industry but also of society more broadly, offering a rich assessment of why these films are among the most consequential popular art forms in modern times.” -- Barbara Klinger, Indiana University"A crucial addition to the burgeoning scholarship on contemporary Hollywood cinema, this deeply researched, densely reasoned book explodes a number of well-worn myths about the blockbuster film while advancing a provocative new thesis about its role in modern society. Drawing on a wealth of historical data, Acland demonstrates conclusively that the origins of blockbuster cinema lie not in the 1970s—as critics pointing to the mammoth success of movies like Jaws have often argued—but in the 1950s with the creation of such Hollywood super-productions as Ben-Hur. . . . [T]his landmark book illuminates much about US cinema and culture. Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." -- I. Olney * Choice *"Acland’s intelligent and unexpectedly absorbing book is the origin story of a World War II weapon that became synonymous with a postwar Hollywood economic strategy. . . ." -- Carrie Rickey * Film Quarterly *“American Blockbuster is an important study.... Acland successfully links midcentury Hollywood production history to today’s big budget spectacles and convincingly demonstrates their related appeal to audiences.” -- Richard Ravalli * Business History *"Acland's examination of the blockbuster film reveals much about not only the genre itself, but about the culture that produces and consumes this form of entertainment. For these reasons, and since the blockbuster has long-remained such a vital part of popular culture, Acland's American Blockbuster makes an important contribution to an ongoing dialog about the film category and its cultural impacts." -- Heather Duerre Humann * Journal of Popular Film and Television *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Part I. The Spectacle Industry 1. Blockbuster Ballyhoo 3 2. Industrial Regimes of Entertainment 35 Part II. The Rise of the Blockbuster 3. Delivering Blockbusters 87 4. The Business of Big 124 5. Hollywood's Return 160 6. Cosmopolitan Artlessness 191 Part III. The Technological Sublime of Entertainment Everywhere 7. The End of James Cameron's Quiet Years 233 8. The Technological Heart of Movie Culture 266 Epilogue. Exhausted Entertainment 296 Notes 305 Filmography 337 Bibliography 347 Index

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Book SynopsisArgues that the Delmer Daves' work warrants sustained scholarly attention. Examining all of Daves' films, his screenplays, scripts that were not filmed, and personal papers, Douglas Horlock argues that Daves was a serious and enlightened filmmaker whose work confronts the general conservatism of Hollywood in the mid-twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisPresents a collection of stories, poetry, art, and essays divining the contemporary intersection of Latinx and Indigenous cultures from the American Southwest, Mexico, and Central and South America.Trade ReviewThis truly innovative book amasses creative and research-based writing that illustrates a connection between historical indigenous communities and contemporary Chicanx identified peoples." - Rachel González-Martin, author of Quinceañera Style: Social Belonging and Latinx Consumer Identities

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Book SynopsisOffers an interdisciplinary consideration of myriad social, cultural, and aesthetic connections. Drawing on work in literary studies, art history, film studies, philosophy, and material culture studies, contributors attend to the dynamic relationship between avant-garde art, literature, and comics.

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Book SynopsisMarvel Comics in the 1970s explores a forgotten chapter in the story of the rise of comics as an art form. Bridging Marvel''s dizzying innovations and the birth of the underground comics scene in the 1960s and the rise of the prestige graphic novel and postmodern superheroics in the 1980s, Eliot Borenstein reveals a generation of comic book writers whose work at Marvel in the 1970s established their own authorial voice within the strictures of corporate comics.Through a diverse cast of heroes (and the occasional antihero)Black Panther, Shang-Chi, Deathlok, Dracula, Killraven, Man-Thing, and Howard the Duckwriters such as Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, and Don McGregor made unprecedented strides in exploring their characters'' inner lives. Visually, dynamic action was still essential, but the real excitement was taking place inside their heroes'' heads. Marvel Comics in the 1970s highlights the brilliant and sometimes gloriously imperfect creations thatTrade ReviewMarvel Comics in the 1970s is a detailed, wonky examination of a significant period in the history of Marvel Comics for die-hard comics fans and scholars of the graphic novel. * Kirkus Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Best Marvel Comic of the 1970s 1. Inside Out: Stan Lee and the Drama of the Visible Self 2. Everyday Transcendence: Steve Englehart and the Quest for Selfhood 3. Crouching Tiger, Running Commentary: Doug Moench on the Margins of Marvel 4. Blood Will Tell: Marv Wolfman's Tomb of Dracula 5. Bodies and Words: Don McGregor's Tortured Romantic Individualism 6. Subjectivity and Its Discontents: Steve Gerber and the Uses of Disenchantment Coda: Claremont Rising

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Book SynopsisAnyone who has ever experienced a sporting event in a large stadium knows the energy that emanates from stands full of fans cheering on their teams. Although "the masses" have long held a thoroughly bad reputation in politics and culture, literary critic and avid sports fan Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht finds powerful, as yet unexplored reasons to sing the praises of crowds. Drawing on his experiences as a spectator in the stadiums of South America, Germany, and the US, Gumbrecht presents the stadium as "a ritual of intensity," thereby offering a different lens through which we might capture and even appreciate the dynamic of the masses. In presenting this alternate view, Gumbrecht enters into conversation with thinkers who were more critical of the potential of the masses, such as Gustave Le Bon, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, José Ortega y Gasset, Elias Canetti, Siegfried Kracauer, T. W. Adorno, or Max Horkheimer. A preface explores college crowds as a uniquely specific phenomenon of American culture. Pairing philosophical rigor with the enthusiasm of a true fan, Gumbrecht writes from the inside and suggests that being part of a crowd opens us up to an experience beyond ourselves.Trade Review"A wild, entertaining ride from Maradona to Nietzsche, from the Russian Revolution to the Boston Tea Party, from Jesus to Karl Marx." —Neue Zürcher Zeitung"[Gumbrecht's] new book takes an empathetic look at the elation of fans like me, on nights like the one I experienced eight years ago [at the Pittsurgh Pirates playoff game against the Cincinnati Reds]. In a synoptic history, Gumbrecht explores both fear of crowds, of their violence and unreason—going back, via Freud and José Ortega y Gasset, to Gustave Le Bon's Psychologie des Foules in 1895—and implausible hopes for their political efficacy, from the French Revolution to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Arab Spring."—Keiran Setiya, Times Literary Supplement"Seamlessly weav[es] together philosophy, theology, history, politics, and culture with ethnographic participant observation and personal experience... What the book lacks in length, it more than makes up for in its ability to advance readers' theoretical and conceptual understanding of what transpires in so many of the grand settings in which culture is experienced, expressed, consumed, and re-created. As people accept that COVID-19 is here to stay but nevertheless feel the urge to return to normal life and reconvene againen masse, the lessons articulated in this book will be invaluable to sociologists, historians, philosophers, and all scholars who study sport spectatorship and popular-culture fandom. Highly recommended."—J. R. Mitrano, CHOICE"This small, delightful, and passionate book didn't require the evacuation of crowds from sports stadiums in 2020 to come into being and to make its case. But the ghostly and ghastly memory of empty stadiums during the early pandemic supplies any reading of Gumbrecht's series of energetic essays with a lens that magnifies most of his at once playful and utterly serious claims."—Lutz Koepnick, The German QuarterlyTable of ContentsAbout the Present and the Presence of Crowds: Preface to the English Translation of a German Book 1. Empty Stadiums 2. Stadium-Masses 3. The Contempt for the Masses 4. Masses of the Past 5. In the Crowd—Laterally: Swarms, Mirror Neurons, Primates 6. In the Crowd—Vertically: Mystical Bodies, Intensity, Transfiguration 7. The Stadium as Ritual of the Crowd 8. "You'll Never Walk Alone": Dortmund, March 13, 2016

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Book SynopsisFrom The Hobbit to Harry Potter, how fantasy harnesses the cultural power of magic, medievalism, and childhood to re-enchant the modern world Why are so many people drawn to fantasy set in medieval, British-looking lands? This question has immediate significance for millions around the world: from fans of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones to those who avoid fantasy because of the racist, sexist, and escapist tendencies they have found there. Drawing on the history and power of children’s fantasy literature, Re-Enchanted argues that magic, medievalism, and childhood hold the paradoxical ability to re-enchant modern life.Focusing on works by authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, Philip Pullman, J. K. Rowling, and Nnedi Okorafor, Re-Enchanted uncovers a new genealogy for medievalist fantasy—one that reveals the genre to be as important to the history of English studies and literary modernism as it is to shaping beliefs across geographies and generations. Maria Sachiko Cecire follows children’s fantasy as it transforms over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—including the rise of diverse counternarratives and fantasy’s move into “high-brow” literary fiction. Grounded in a combination of archival scholarship and literary and cultural analysis, Re-Enchanted argues that medievalist fantasy has become a psychologized landscape for contemporary explorations of what it means to grow up, live well, and belong. The influential “Oxford School” of children’s fantasy connects to key issues throughout this book, from the legacies of empire and racial exclusion in children’s literature to what Christmas magic tells us about the roles of childhood and enchantment in Anglo-American culture.Re-Enchanted engages with critical debates around what constitutes high and low culture during moments of crisis in the humanities, political and affective uses of childhood and the mythological past, the anxieties of modernity, and the social impact of racially charged origin stories.Trade Review"Re-Enchanted is essential for the study of the fantastic. While other recent critical studies have focused on fantasy’s origins before 1900 or the genre’s place in the contemporary literary landscape, Maria Sachiko Cecire focuses the reader on the influence of the Oxford School fantasists, also known as the ‘Inklings,’ who mapped the world of story through perspectives influenced by their times. Thus, fantasy was left behind while the rest of the world changed. Re-Enchanted reminds us of the ways that English-language fantasy is, was, and can continue to be an instrument of empire. Engaging, thorough, and absolutely necessary."—Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games"Full of revelatory scholarship on J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Phillip Pullman, and their heirs, Re-Enchanted makes the case for scholarship itself at the heart of fantasy. No one will read The Lord of the Rings or His Dark Materials again without realizing just how much Oxford itself—its libraries and its landscape—scripted their imaginations and how its syllabi inspire, to this day, Harry Potter, The Magicians, and beyond."—Seth Lerer, author of Children's Literature: A Reader's History, from Aesop to Harry Potter"In the twenty-first century, fantasy has become a way of speaking, in fiction (adults or children's) and outside it. Here Maria Sachiko Cecire interrogates the Oxford roots of something that has become, like wallpaper, part of our world, and helps us to see the landscape of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, of Diana Wynne Jones and Philip Pullman, and understand how that landscape became universal, the ways it buoys us up and the ways that it fails us."—Neil Gaiman "Cecire calls upon readers to acknowledge the dangers of the Oxford School’s project while recognizing the cultural power its members harnessed. She encourages us to embrace and explore new ways of expanding the scope of the tropes of children’s fantasy to become more inclusive in the ways it reaches into the past to find magic in a difficult contemporary world."—Medievally Speaking"Effectively, Cecire proves that in terms of modern children’s fantasy literature, all roads lead to the Oxford School."—CHOICE"Cecire illustrates brilliantly how Tolkien and Lewis took the building blocks of medieval literature and historical linguistics and created alternative worlds."—Times Literary Supplement"An important and endlessly engaging book that will provoke much further thought and discussion."—Mythlore"A compelling case both for training our critical attention on medieval and medievalist literature and for expanding the texts we read, teach, study, and share."—The Medieval Review"Re-Enchanted reveals how magic mystifies ideologies, embedding antimodernist, nationalist, colonialist ideas in children’s fantasy, concealing them in an invisibility cloak of (white) childhood innocence. It’s an essential book for anyone who wants to unlearn the hidden assumptions of our own childhood reading and find better stories for the next generation. "—ALH Online Review

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Book SynopsisDo you find yourself sat at home wishing you could be in your favourite video game? Or dream of a time when you pretended you were Sailor Moon? Or do you want to embody your Dungeons and Dragons character for real? What's holding you back? Maybe you need to introduced to cosplay! Cosplay is a phenomenon that is taking over the world. If you haven't seen it yet, have you not been looking at social media? Cosplay is a mix of exciting craft skills, heady escapism and passion for pop culture that lets you be whoever you want, whenever you want. Cosplay has made its way into TV shows and documentaries, been included as part of film premieres and video game launches, it's even referenced in the comics, manga and media it comes from! Talk about meta. But what is this super popular hobby? Well, pick up this book, and it's twin A Guide to Movie and TV Cosplay, to get all the answers. Because it's more than just dressing up, promise. With a little bit of help from this handy, dandy guide to cosplay, you can get stuck in. Learn about the history of the hobby (it's been around longer than you'd think!), where it came from and how it got to be the way it is now, get your head around making and designing costumes, find out how about all the amazing skills people are using to make these costumes, and perhaps even try a few yourself. Who knows, you might be rocking out as Astro Boy, Chris Redfield or All Might at the next big comic con! So why not give it a try and play make believe for a day.

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Book SynopsisCreated specifically for fans of Japanese cool culture, A Geek in Japan is one of the most iconic, hip, and concise cultural guides available. Reinvented for the internet age, it is packed with personal essays and hundreds of photographs and presents all the touchstones of traditional and contemporary culture in an entirely new way. A Geek in Japan decodes the mysteries of the Japanese language, Japanese social values and daily habits, business and technology, the arts, and symbols and practices that are peculiarly Japanese. This revised and expanded edition contains many new pages of materials on all sorts of topics including Kyoto, Japanese architecture, and Japanese video games. It also features a guide to author Hector Garcia's favourite Tokyo hangouts and tips on visiting many secret places around Japan. Highlighting the originality and creativity of the Japanese, debunking myths, and answering nagging questions such as why the Japanese are so fond of wearing face masks, Garcia has written an irreverent, insightful, and highly informative guide for the growing ranks of Japanophiles around the world.Trade Review"Everyone who is interested in Japan will find this book fascinating." --Larry Ellison, cofounder and CEO, Oracle Corporation"One of the funniest and yet most accurate descriptions of modern Japanese culture that I've ever seen. Highly recommended!" --Joichi Ito, director, MIT Media Lab"Hector and I share a deep interest and affection for all things Japanese. But in my case, I only get to enjoy Japan on my business trips. Back in Spain, I like to keep in touch. And that I do reading kirainet, 'A geek in Japan.' Now you can do the same. And in book format. Enjoy!" --Martin Varsavsky, entrepreneur, founder of Fon and Safe Democracy Foundation

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Book SynopsisThis guide takes you on a tour of the "home of the brick," the official LEGO® House, so you can experience it for yourself at home!With photos, interviews, essays, and art from the LEGO archives, The Secrets of LEGO House explores the visual wonders and the themed "zones"—yellow for emotions, blue for problem solving, green for social interaction, and red for creativity—within the iconic LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.The Secrets of LEGO House offers an insider''s look at the creative philosophy behind the iconic brand. On each page, discover the true "secret" hidden among the 25 million LEGO bricks—that everything in the house is purposefully designed around nine core principles of learning through play.A joy for those who aren''t able to visit in person, and just as exciting for those who have, The Secrets of LEGO House is a bright, colorful celebration of the endless experiences possible with LEGO bricks.• EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: This book is a perfect gift or self-purchase for avid collectors and super fans seeking new, never-before-published content.• BROAD APPEAL: This book is not only perfect for longtime LEGO collectors, but also a broader audience of fans looking to explore the history of the toy they know and love.• BELOVED BRAND: For decades, the LEGO brand has inspired billions of people to stretch the limits of their imaginations. This book captures the creativity and joy at the heart of the LEGO brand, taking readers behind the scenes to reveal the brand''s core ethos and ideals.

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Book Synopsis33 1/3 is a new series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the last 40 years. Focusing on one album rather than an artist's entire output, the books cut to the heart of the music on each album. Joy Division only released two albums but they led the way out of punk rock and towards Madchester.Trade ReviewChris Ott writes about the record with a chilly elegance that evokes the austerity of the music itself. The Boston Phoenix, 7/8/04 -- Mike Miliard * The Boston Phoenix, 7/8/04 *Once Ott forgoes the facts and gives in to his passion, he brings the reader closer to the band's 'unparalleled gravity and grandeur. * San Francisco Bay Guardian, 5/19/04 *New fans will find it to be a useful introduction to the band as it details their story from the very beginning to the tragic end. Even the more dedicated fan might be interested in reading another person's opinions about the different songs, the importance of JD's music, and why the band still plays an important role in the history of alternative music." * Joy Division website, 5/24/04 *Compelling and so despairing that at one point I had to stop reading it for a bit. * Alternative Weekly, 6/10/04 *Joy Division's gestation period is competently recounted in the narrative and each important individual is dealt with fairly. Including Hannett and Wilson. Ott's approach and reaction to his subject is commendably unflinching. Well written. -- Jason Dropor * Record Collector, October 2004 *Though the recording of the album is naturally the centerpiece of the book, (Ott) delves enough into the evolution of the band and background events leading up to the recording of said album (as well as certain post-album events leading up to Ian's suicide) to properly provide context for said rekkid....you don't have to be a regular gear-rag reader to understand what he's talking about....overall recommended. -- David Hill * Shredded Paper Magazine *Throwing format to the wind, "Pleasures" goes to town on the ban's entire oeuvre. Ott is admiring, but his love for the group doesn't keep him from letting them look the fool when appropriate--and it's his way into the head of bandleader Ian Curtis, who might have survived his all-great-artists-die-young illusions if some concrete afflictions (epilepsy and the drugs required to tame it, for instance) didn't piggyback onto the ones he invented for himself. A- * Austin American-Statesman, 10/17/04 *

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Book SynopsisFrom antiquity to the Middle Ages, the bear’s centrality in cults and mythologies left traces in European languages, literatures, and legends. Michel Pastoureau considers how this once venerated creature was deposed by Christianity and continued to sink lower in the symbolic bestiary before rising again in Pyrrhic triumph as the teddy bear.Trade ReviewPastoureau brings erudition and expertise to his subject as he traces how the bear was a venerated figure in pagan Europe, but dethroned as king of beasts by Christianity. He makes an important contribution by providing a long history of the bear, an animal whose symbolic importance is unknown by many. Readers will be treated to an elegant review of medieval history and theology, as well as informed discussions about the art on cave walls, the boundary between humans and animals in Greek myth, the philosophical foundations of natural history from Aristotle to Buffon, and a wealth of information about popular culture during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. -- Matthew Senior, Oberlin CollegeThe scholarship displayed in this groundbreaking study is the best kind: deep, broad, imaginative. Medievalist Pastoureau takes on the history of the bear, that exceptional animal once said to most resemble man. Once king of the beasts in the West, at times even god, the bear was hunted down in Europe from the time of Charlemagne (d. 814) and its image systematically degraded. By the end of the 12th century, the bear's place as king of the beasts had been usurped by the lion. Henceforth the bear was largely a figure of ridicule. How did this happen? What purposes did the change serve? Pastoureau uses evidence from history, textual analysis, heraldry, anthropology, and iconography to produce an eclectic study that not only reads like a dream but opens avenues for future research. -- David Keymer * Library Journal *William Kotzwinkle (The Bear Went Over the Mountain) and Bella Pollen (The Summer of the Bear) have already demonstrated the appeal of ursine protagonists. But their treatment of our bruinish cousins is nowhere near as encyclopedic as that of Michel Pastoureau, who starts his survey in prehistory and rambles down to the present, tracing the biology, allure, and legends of bears right up to the cuddly teddy bear that represents a hearthside version of the former king of beasts. * Barnes & Noble Review *The animal that dominated the forests of prehistoric and early medieval Europe--and the collective unconscious of Europeans--was, naturally, the largest and strongest creature there, the brown bear...Uncannily human-like in its diet, supposed sexual tastes and ability to stand upright, the bear was seen as an intermediary creature dwelling between the human and animal worlds. It appears in countless myths: Paris, who stole away Helen and sparked the Trojan War, was raised by a she-bear whose milk gave him a taste for abduction. And it has always provided personal names in various European languages, from the epic hero Beowulf (meaning bee-wolf, meaning honey-loving bear) to tennis ace Bjorn (Bear) Borg. What drove Europe's king of beasts from his throne and demoted him to the pitiful dancing entertainer of the late Middle Ages is the core of Pastoureau's engrossing book. And the short answer is Christianity. -- Brian Bethune * Maclean's *The chief subject of Pastoureau's fascinating book...is not the prominent place bears once held in the human imagination but the manner in which they fell from that place. -- Christopher R. Beha * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisThe second volume of two in a new, updated edition of the 2012 book Playing at the World, which charts the vast and complex history of role-playing games.This new edition of Playing at the World is the second of two volumes that update the 720-page original tome of the same name from 2012. This second volume is The Three Pillars of Role-Playing Games, a deep dive into the history of the setting, system, and characters of Dungeons & Dragons—the three pillars indicated by the volume’s title. (The first volume of the new edition is The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons, which explores the publication and reception of that iconic game.)In this second volume, Jon Peterson covers the medieval fantasy setting—the first pillar—and addresses why the first role-playing game evolved around fantasy and medieval settings as opposed to some other historical setting. In the second pillar, the author explores how the rules

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Book SynopsisThis complete guide provides lessons and insights from 100 professional artists!Imagine an art class taught by 100 professional Japanese manga and anime illustrators. In much the same way, this essential guide gathers the collective knowledge, tips and techniques from over 100 anime and manga artists. The lessons cover everything from the basics of figure drawing and posing to advanced cutting-edge digital illustration and coloration techniques.The 200 step-by-step lessons include: Anatomy and body structure Facial features and expressions Drawing clothing and accessories Digital painting and coloration techniques Composition and narrative structure And much more! Learn to Draw Exciting Anime & Manga Characters features full-color examples that focus on the fine details as well as the big-picture, broad-stroke basics. With over 600 sample illustrations to guide the reader, this book offers tips and techniques for traditional hand-drawing and digital design alike. This is the anime and manga drawing guide that all aspiring artists need!

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Book Synopsis Hundreds of books have been written about The Beatles. Over the last half century, their story has been mythologized and de-mythologized and presented by biographers and journalists as history. Yet many of these works do not strictly qualify as history and the story of how the Beatles'' mythology continues to be told has been largely ignored. This book examines the band''s historiography, exploring the four major narratives that have developed over time: The semi-whitewashed Fab Four account, the acrimonious breakup-era Lennon Remembers version, the biased Shout! narrative in the wake of John Lennon''s murder, and the current Mark Lewisohn orthodoxy. Drawing on the most influential primary and secondary sources, Beatles history is analyzed using historical methods.Trade Review"Weber’s book should be a set text for a course in popular music studies, lucidly demonstrating an approach transferable to the reception history of any number of artist studies." - Dai Griffiths, Popular Music

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Book SynopsisCultural Strategy provides a step-by-step guide for managers and entrepreneurs to building businesses based upon innovative ideologies: ideas that leverage social change and needs. Analyzing classic cases such as Nike, Starbucks, Marlboro, Jack Daniels, and Ben & Jerry's, Holt and Cameron show how the theory works as an actionable strategy.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition May well be one of the most important books on advertising and branding in the past ten years. * Richard Huntington Adliterate.com 15.10.10 *Table of ContentsPART I: CULTURAL INNOVATION THEORY; PART II: APPLYING THE CULTURAL STRATEGY MODEL; PART III: ORGANIZING FOR CULTURAL INNOVATION

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Book Synopsis"Dusty in Memphis", Dusty Springfield's beautiful and bizarre magnum opus, remains as fine a hybrid of pop and rhythm and blues as has ever been made. In this book, Zanes explores his own love affair with the record.Trade ReviewWarren Zanes was the lead guitarist of the Del Fuegos,a band praised by, among others, the inventor of rock & roll, Sam Phillips. After the Fuegos self-immolated, Warren entered into an academic career and is now Dr. Zanes. Never mind-he still knows what counts. What counts? Genuine feeling, which this shapely small volume is full of...Warren is a greatly gifted good heart, and I love him. Read his book, listen to his record, and you will too. * Stanley Booth, author of The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones *Sure, there are informative interviews with producer Jerry Wexler, and of course Zanes parses songs like ‘Son of a Preacher Man' and ‘Breakfast in Bed.' But it's the twists and turns, the oddly illuminating vagaries in between, that make the book such a compulsive read. Zane's approach is apropos for a record that was something of a masquerade—but was no less authentic or affecting for it. -- Mike Miliard * The Boston Phoenix, 7/8/04 *A heartfelt dive into the world of 60s R&B...dazzling. * Pop Culture Press *Zanes' dry analysis of Dusty Springfield's classic white soul album is coupled with revealing interviews with Jerry Wexler, the man behind the song selection, and Stanley Booth, the album's original liner notes writer. * Uncut *The inaugural volume, Dusty in Memphis by Warren Zanes, sets the template for the series beautifully. -- Joe Pettit * Ugly Things, Issue 25 *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisAs early as the eighteenth century, white Americans and Europeans believed that people of African descent could not experience nostalgia. As a result, black lives have been predominately narrated through historical scenes of slavery and oppression. This phenomenon created a missing archive of romantic historical memories. Badia Ahad-Legardy mines literature, visual culture, performance, and culinary arts to form an archive of black historical joy for use by the African-descended. Her analysis reveals how contemporary black artists find more than trauma and subjugation within the historical past. Drawing on contemporary African American culture and recent psychological studies, she reveals nostalgia’s capacity to produce positive emotions. Afro-nostalgia emerges as an expression of black romantic recollection that creates and inspires good feelings even within our darkest moments. Original and provocative, Afro-Nostalgia offers black historical pleasure as a remTrade Review"Part Afrofuturistic, part academic, this book will make you rethink how you understand Black history and storytelling." --BookRiot"Essential." --Ms. Magazine"Author Badia Ahad-Legardy finds unique ways to explore the beauty, positivity, and triumph of people descended from Africa, creating an archival collection of visual art and culture, literature and performance to demonstrate how the Black experience is not just a depressing string of incidents that drives us through our lives. " --New York Amsterdam News"If you’ve been waiting for a book that steps out of trauma-time and the perpetual present of slavery clear-eyed and with its critical faculties alight, you’ve found it. Badia Ahad-Legardy breathes gentle and sweet smelling fresh air into stale corners in her book on Afro-Nostalgia, which cogently analyzes and affectively affirms Black cultural producers and chefs who treat the past less as an ongoing traumatic wound and more as a surrealistic space of black historical regenerative possibility and happiness. A gem."--Avery Gordon, author of Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination"An important dissection of looking beyond the traumas of the past to find the happiness that existed (and exists) within the Black community. " --Library Journal"This thoroughly researched book seeks and sheds light on the spaces where Black joy can live and flourish. Though its tone is academic, its insights reach far beyond the classroom.... a worthy addition to any multicultural studies library and to readers interested in American culture." --Museum of Americana"Afro-Nostalgia does an excellent job of making visible the operation of Afro-nostalgia in contemporary Black culture as a counter to the negative affect produced by Black history as trauma." --American Literary HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction. Ten Thousand Recollections: Afro-Nostalgia and Contemporary Black Aesthetics 1. (Nostalgic) RETRIBUTION: The Power of the Petty in Contemporary Narratives of Slavery 2. (Nostalgic) RESTORATION: Utopian Pasts and Political Futures in the Music of Black Lives Matter 3. (Nostalgic) REGENERATION: Absent Archives and Historical Pleasures in Contemporary Black Visual Culture 4. (Nostalgic) RECLAMATION: Recipes for Radicalism and the Politics of Soul (Food) Postscript: A Future of Black Nostalgia Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCulture Smart guides help travellers have a more meaningful and successful time abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on values, attitudes, customs, and daily life will help you make the most of your visit, while tips on etiquette and communication will help you navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.Trade ReviewCulture Smart! has come to the rescue of hapless travellers...' Sunday Times Travel, ' the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries.' Global Travel, ' full of fascinating, as well as common sense, tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas.' Observer, ' as useful as they are entertaining.' Easy Jet Magazine, ' offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world.' New York TimesTable of ContentsBrief History Politics - Economic Life Traditions - Friendships & Family Relationships Bureaucracy Religion Humour - Local Holidays Taboos Invitations Gifts Dress - Business etiquette - Punctuality & Appointments - Team working Communication Negotiating - Women in Society Tips - Eating Out - Traditional Food - Dos and Don t - Making Friends

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Book SynopsisMany books have sought to introduce the writings of the infamous and influential philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, but Get Over Yourself puts matters the other way round. Rather than simply explaining his thought, it instead asks: what would Nietzsche make of us? What would he think of our 21st-century, digital age? In our time of identity politics, therapy culture, ''safe spaces'', religious fundamentalism, virtue-signalling, Twitterstorms, public emoting, dumbing-down', digital addiction and the politics of envy, the book introduces Nietzsche by putting the man in our shoes. Get Over Yourself both uses Nietzsche's philosophy to understand our society, and takes our society to explain his philosophy.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of the Economist.com “Wise Words 2017 Books of the Year” in Culture"

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Book SynopsisWinner of 2019 British Book Design & Production Award for Scholarly, Academic & Reference BooksThis beautiful book charts the development of the circus as an art form around the world, from antiquity to the present day.Using over 200 circus related artworks from the French National Library's private collections, celebrated cultural historian Pascal Jacob tells the story of travelling entertainers and their art and trade. From nomadic animal tamers of the Dark Ages to European jugglers and acrobats of the 1800s, from the use of the circus as Soviet propaganda to the 20th-century Chinese performance art renaissance, this is an exhaustive history with a uniquely international scope.Jacob draws on both rare and famous artworks, including prints dating from the 13th century, and paintings by Picasso and Doré. In doing so he demonstrates the circus to be a visual and physical masterpiece, constantly moving and evolving, and just as exciting an experience for audiences now as it was 1,Trade ReviewLike the circus, this magnificent volume offers a cavalcade of color and dynamism, dizzying the eye with photographs, posters, and reproductions of ephemera from the “living spectacle.” Drawing heavily on the holdings at the French National Library, Jacob—a circus scholar, historian, and director—contextualizes the stunning kaleidoscope of images, many of which have never been previously published, with an accessible overview of circus development ... Ideal for both scholars and aficionados of the circus, as well as those looking for a vibrant, engaging introduction to the form, this text moves from the circus's origins through its integrations with equestrian forms, to its triumph as a major mode of entertainment in the 1800s. Twentieth-century excursions include the Soviet circus, Chinese performers, Fellini’s fascination with circus through cinema, and circus arts schools of today ... [This] brilliant volume (rendered at times poetic by Augusta Dörr’s translation from French) will be appreciated by all, regardless of their background. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. * CHOICE *The book is a wonderful romp through to the present day, richly illustrated with artworks, photographs, prints and posters, showing how this very particular form of entertainment continues to evolve. * Evening Standard *The Circus: A Visual History is 'one to watch' in August 2018 * The Guardian *The book is a beautiful object, brimming with archive images from the Bibliothèque nationale, it paints a world drenched in colours and filled with flying trapezes, leaping tigers and sumptuous costumes. Jacob's choice of illustrations proves that circus is above everything a visual art that constantly draws on tradition to reinvent itself... the book is a stunning and essential visual resource for anyone interested in the evolution of Western circus. * Times Literary Supplement *A distinguished circus promoter and cultural historian, Jacob has donated his vast private collection to the French National Library. Most of the illustrations in this beautiful book — vibrant posters, architectural drawings of circus buildings and group photographic portraits of performers — come from there ... [Jacob] herds his facts like a ringmaster in a series of fabulous stories loosely held together by the arresting and colourful images. * The Spectator *Spectators seated in circles stare up at trapeze artists who, as Pascal Jacob puts it in his new book, The Circus: A Visual History, re-enact the mythical flight of Icarus and hope to demonstrate that grounded human beings can enjoy the aerodynamic privileges of the gods. * The Observer *Stunning circus sights: Tom King recommend a visual history of one of the oldest forms of entertainment… a hefty and vibrant collection of images depicting the age-old spectacle… Immediately apparent in Jacob’s book is that the circus has been infinitely adaptable, with space in its cavernous tent for an endless variety of people. * The Morning Star *This book tells the story of both traditions, and it does so in impressive detail and with an infectious sense of fun. Examples tumble over each other like acrobats; big ideas are paraded around like elephants. * V&A Magazine *A rich, visual feast of archival wonders. Prepare to be amazed by this impressive performance history. * National Fairground and Circus Archive *The book has a 'mosaic effect', which Jacob also identifies as the defining trait of a circus performance. He herds his facts like a ringmaster in a series of fabulous stories loosely held together by the arresting and colourful images. * Oldie Magazine *An important and compelling tale of the international history of the circus, full of enchanting images and wonderful stories. * Professor Vanessa Toulmin, University of Sheffield, UK *With circus arts thriving and evolving internationally, the English-language publication of Jacob’s magnificent, authoritative survey is cause for celebration. * Dr Rolf Hughes, Newcastle University, UK *This book tells the story of both traditions [permanent and travelling circuses], and it does so in impressive detail and with an infectious sense of fun... [Jacob offers] an evocative account of a popular art form that has an unmatched ability to snag in our senses. * Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Professor of English Literature at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, UK *Are you looking for a Christmas present for yourself or a loved one? Look no further... it is without doubt one of the best of the new publications worldwide to celebrate [the 250th anniversary of the modern circus]. The author... is a renowned circus expert, famous for his collaborative work with the Big Apple Circus of New York, the mighty Ringling Bros, Barnum and Bailey Circus and the French circus company Cirque Phenix... the book is printed on fine paper with exemplary hard overs and its 240 pages are jam-packed with circus history from around the world, along with a wealth of over 200 fine illustrations... Visually it is a sheer delight, and Augusta Dorr's translation into English from the original French is excellent... This is a formidable volume, well-worthy of your Christmas stocking wishlist. * Don Stacey, King Pole magazine (December 2018) *The magic of the circus is captured in this stunning book, along with its evolution from the 13th century to present day Cultural historian Pascal Jacob has plundered the French National Library's archives to collate more than 200 artworks which chart a story of travelling entertainers, jugglers, acrobats, nomadic animal tamers and the iconic clown. The result is a visual feast you'll return to again and again. -- Katie Ekberg * The Australian Women's Weekly *Table of ContentsForeword by Marius Kwint ORIGINS: ANTIQUITY - 1770 THE GRAND HIGHWAY A Day at the Circus The Foundations of the 'Grande Banque d’Occident' Jugglers, Entertainers and Acrobats Priests, Gypsies, Merchants: Travellers’ Tales Fairs, Construction Sites and Rostrums: The First Performance Venues Preparing the Ground and Codes for Western Acrobatics IMPACT AND DOMINATION: 1770-1880 THE WEST CONQUERS THE WORLD It All Began with a Circle Families and Troupes: The Great Dynastic Ventures The Franconi Dynasty A Huge Building Site: The Circus Joins the City Equestrians Triumph Throughout Europe Pauline Cuzent Pantomimes and the Emergence of Narrative in the Circus Circus Bodies: The Advent of Spectacular Gymnastics Jules Léotard Whiteface and Auguste Clowns Foottit and Chocolat CHANGES:1880-1930 OF MEN AND BEASTS Exoticism, Wild Beasts and Splendour, German-Style Hans Stosch-Sarrasini Men and Beasts Claire Héliot Setting a System for Mobility: The Big Top America, America The Towering Figure of America and its Influence in Europe Phineas Taylor Barnum “Monsieur Loyal”: The Spoken Word Enters the Circus Roger Lanzac INFLUENCES: 1930-2015 THE BIG PLUNGE The Soviet Circus: State Circus and Vehicle for Propaganda Margarita Nazarova Karandash The Chinese Acrobatic Theatre: a Renaissance Xia Ju Hua The End of a World: The American Circus in Turmoil John Ringling North The Circo Fellini: A Fresh Perspective on the Ring, In Italy and Elsewhere The Revival of the Circus Arts in France, Quebec and Belgium Annie Fratellini FINALE: A Circus for Today and Tomorrow Glossary Bibliography Index of Names

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Book SynopsisIan F. Svenonius's cult-classic debut essay collection, reissued and expanded with brand new writing.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating investigation into what defines 'heavy' in music and how heaviness transfuses culture.Trade ReviewFascinating . . . powerful -- Elif Shafak * The Spectator *A weighty discussion of metal, for both passionate fans and neophytes . . . Yet what elevates Heavy from being a simple love letter to metal is the way in which Franklin situates heaviness within the "iron-rich bloodline running through the bedrock of culture" . . . a book that pulls off the trick of offering something to both passionate fans and neophytes -- Keith Kahn-Harris * Guardian *Heavy opens an ornate portal into a murky subculture, illuminating the marginalia as well as the big beasts -- Victoria Segal * Sunday Times *A wildly entertaining journey into the heart of musical darkness -- Liam Cagney * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThe sea shanties, YOLO’ s, and red bandanas aren’ t even half of the GameStop story.Did you know Robinhood didn’ t initiate their infamous trading halt?Did you know why Redditors refer to 2021 as the “ sneeze” rather than the squeeze?Did you know that shares in your brokerage account might be counterfeits?If not, buckle up.Witness firsthand the real and utterly ludicrous hivemind that brought Wall Street to its knees in January 2021, and find out why GameStop was only the beginning of an even more unprecedented retail contagion, one which will challenge everything you think you know about our markets (all over again).In a digital world of frequently deleted, revised, and buried information, accurately piecing together events as they occurred is nearly impossible. Other authors and journalists have understandably struggled, but not author Rob Smat, who has been a witness to every part of the GameStop phenomenon, having lived it himself.Trade ReviewA truly monumental tale of retail investors and their battle against the Goliaths of modern American finance. The story is far from over." — Peruvian Bull, Financial Analyst"The history and facts in this book clearly describe the ongoing events of this saga, unlike the mainstream media’s feeble attempts. I am honored to be a part of this community and would recommend this to anyone who wants to travel down the rabbit hole!" —Wooch, Musician, Artist, & Superstonk Advocate

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Book SynopsisSince its small screen debut in 1982, Macross has remained one of most influential mecha anime of all time. Longtime franchise illustrator Hidetaka Tenjin captures the high-flying action of the series’ iconic “variable fighters” like no other artist through his hyper-realistic illustrations for model kits, magazines, promotional materials, and more. This volume gathers Tenjin’s illustrations from the eras of the Macross Frontier Films and Macross Delta, plus a special Archives section covering art from video games, manga, novels, and more. ©2009, 2011 BIGWEST/MACROSS F PROJECT·MBS ©2015, 2017, 2021 BIGWEST

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Book SynopsisFrom King Kong to Candyman, the boundary-pushing genre of horror film has always been a site for provocative explorations of race in American popular culture. This book offers a comprehensive chronological survey of Black horror from the 1890s to present day.In this second edition, Robin R. Means Coleman expands upon the history of notable characterizations of Blackness in horror cinema, with new chapters spanning the 1960s, 2000s, and 2010s to the present, and examines key levels of Black participation on screen and behind the camera. The book addresses a full range of Black horror films, including mainstream Hollywood fare, art-house films, Blaxploitation films, and U.S. hip-hop culture-inspired Nollywood films. This new edition also explores the resurgence of the Black horror genre in the last decade, examining the success of Jordan Peeleâs films Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), smaller independent films such as The House Invictus (2018), anTrade Review"Demons, ghosts, slavery, magic. These are just a few provocative subjects covered in Horror Noire. Means Coleman reveals that what scares some people the most is Black people imagining themselves as heroes, antiheroes, villains, and monsters. Attending to the ways Black people’s imagination is activated—that is the value and power of Horror Noire. "John Jennings, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of California-Riverside, USATable of Contents1. The Birth of the Black Boogeyman: Pre-1930s 2. Jungle Fever—A Horror Romance: 1930s 3. Horrifying Goons and Minstrel Coons: 1940s 4. Black Invisibility, White Science: 1950s 5. A Night with Ben: 1960s 6. Scream, Whitey, Scream—Retribution, Enduring Women, and Carnality: 1970s 7. We Always Die First—Invisibility, Racial Red-Lining, and Self-Sacrifice: 1980s 8. Black is Back! Retribution and the Urban Terrain: 1990s 9. Growing Painz: 2000s 10. Representation, Recognition, and Renaissance: 2010s to present 11. Conclusion: Black Horror Today and Tomorrow

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Book SynopsisHorror movies can reveal much more than we realize about psychological disorders—and clinical psychology has a lot to teach us about horror. Our fears—mortality, failure, loneliness—can be just as motivating as our wishes or desires. Horror movie characters uniquely reveal all of these to a wide audience. If explored in an honest and serious manner, our fears have the potential to teach us a great deal about ourselves, our culture, and certainly other people. From psychologist, researcher, and horror film enthusiast Brian A. Sharpless comes Monsters on the Couch, an exploration into the real-life psychological disorders behind famous horror movies. Accounts of clinical syndromes every bit as dramatic as those on the silver screen are juxtaposed with fascinating forays into the science and folklore behind our favorite movie monsters. Horror fans may be obsessed with vampires, werewolves, zombies, and the human replacements from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but even many medical professions may not know about the corresponding conditions of Renfield's syndrome, clinical lycanthropy, Cotard's syndrome, and the misidentification delusions. Some of these disorders are surprisingly common in the general population. For instance, a number of people experience isolated sleep paralysis, a disorder implicated in ghost and alien abduction beliefs.As these tales unfold, readers not only learn state-of-the-art psychological science but also gain a better understanding of history, folklore, and how Hollywood often—but not always—gets it wrong when tackling these complex topics.Table of ContentsIntroductionPart I: Movie Monsters from the Early Days of Cinema 1. Clinical Lycanthropy: The Werewolves and Were-Gerbils Among Us 2. You Suck, or, A (Diagnostic) Interview with the Vampire: Vampire Movies and Renfield’s Syndrome 3. I Am the Walking Dead, or, The Whiter Shade of Pale: Cotards Syndrome and Zombie MoviesPart II: Modern Day Movie Marvels 4. One Two the Dab Tsob’s Coming for You . . . : The Real-Life Mystery Behind A Nightmare on Elm Street 5. This Is Not My Beautiful House, This Is Not My Beautiful Wife: Horror Movies Related to the Misidentification Syndromes 6. Demons, Aliens, and Shadow People: The New Horror Subgenre of Sleep ParalysisPart III: Monstrous Behaviors 7. Are You Gonna Eat That? Cannibal Movies and Vorarephilia 8. Shuddersome Sex in the Movies: Attracted to the Big Sleep/Stillness of Death: Necrophilia and Somnophilia Conclusion: Better Living Through Horror Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"White Terror is a much-needed, original, and provocative analysis of race and the American horror film in the early 2000s."—Aviva Briefel, author of Horror after 9/11: World of Fear, Cinema of Terror"Given the rising awareness of entrenched racism and the accompanying resistance to white supremacy that marks the current moment, this book couldn't come at a better time. A welcome addition to the growing body of work assessing the racial dynamics of the horror genre, the book offers a cogent assessment of Obama era horror, especially as it pertains to normative conceptions of family, home ownership, gender, and socio-economic class."—Natalie Wilson, author of Willful Monstrosity: Race and Gender in 21st Century Horror"A chilling look not only at the horrors we can't stop watching on screen — demonic possession, evil children, home invasions, and ghostly forces, to name a few — but also at the horrors we can't stop living off screen. Meeuf deftly weaves together economic forces, political realities, and Hollywood strategies in order to demonstrate how the three of them work together to shape the way we see the world, as well as how we choose to live in it. Don't make the mistake of thinking that what happens on screen is purely entertainment. As Meeuf demonstrates, there is no such thing."—Dahlia Schweitzer, author of Going Viral: Zombies, Viruses, and the End of the World"Through a thematic overview of mainstream horror films divided into six cycles, Meeuf evokes the simmering discontent that boiled over with the rise of MAGA rhetoric and the election of Trump. Despite early-Obama era media speculations that the US had reached a post-racial turning point, horror films told a different story."—Marc Olivier, author of Household Horror: Cinematic Fear and the Secret Life of Everyday Objects"Ably dissecting a dizzying range of recent horror films, White Terror makes a strong contribution to the scholarship on horror films in general and race in horror in particular. Its focus on whiteness is something long overdue, and Meeuf's book will be of interest to academics and to fans of the horror genre alike."—Murray Leeder, author of Horror Film: A Critical IntroductionTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Whiteness, Politics, and Horror1. Whiteness Under Siege, Part 1: Haunted House Films2. Whiteness Under Siege, Part 2: Home Invasions3. American Dreams: Fantasies and Social Mobility in Dream House and Drag Me to Hell4. Sad White Men and Their Demons: Possession Films5. Suffering and Reluctant Mothers Meet Their Match: Horrific Children6. Motor City Gothic: White Youth and Economic Anxiety in It Follows and Don't Breathe7. Surveilling Whiteness: The Horrific Technology Film8. Making Horror Great Again: The Horror RemakeConclusion: Horror in the Trump EraBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Harrison White Book Award, Mathematical Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association"

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest entertainers of his generation, Ronnie Barker was loved by millions for his roles in classic shows Open All Hours, Porridge and The Frost Report. Born in Bedford in 1929, Ronnie Barker began writing and performing in radio shows such as The Navy Lark. Barker met his comedy partner Ronnie Corbett while working on The Frost Report. Legend has it that they were signed up by the BBC after they impressed producers by filling in when a technical hitch occurred during the BAFTA awards. A gifted character actor as well as comedy writer, Barker went to star in classic sitcoms Open All Hours and Porridge.

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Book SynopsisIn Bit Rot, Douglas Coupland explores the different ways in which twentieth-century notions of the future are being shredded, and creates a gem of the digital age. Reading the stories and essays in Bit Rot is like bingeing on Netflix . . . you can''t stop with just one.Bit rot' is a term used in digital archiving to describe the way digital files can spontaneously and quickly decompose. As Coupland writes, bit rot also describes the way my brain has been feeling since 2000, as I shed older and weaker neurons and connections and enhance new and unexpected ones'. Bit Rot the book explores the ways humanity tries to make sense of our shifting consciousness. Coupland, just like the Internet, mixes forms to achieve his ends. Short fiction is interspersed with essays on all aspects of modern life. The result is addictively satisfying for Coupland's legion of fans hungry for his observations about our world. For almost three decades, his unique pTrade ReviewCoupland adopts…an Andy Warholish mode, somewhere between mocking, lamenting, celebrating even the most troubling aspects of postmodernity. * Times Literary Supplement *[Coupland’s] new collection has its basis in that rarefied literary form, the art catalogue … [he] is at his best when he muses on new opportunities and challenges presented by technology. * The National *[T]he Vancouver-based tech-seer, critic, author and artist again proves himself to be one of the most entertaining and thoughtful futurologists on the planet. * The Herald *Bit Rot is wry and wise, terrifying and hilarious, and it makes us LOL while still using “LOL” correctly. * i Paper *Every page is full of wit, surprise and delight * Dluxe Magazine *

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Book SynopsisA captivating look at the history of the pure females of Islamic paradise known as the houriThe fascination with the houri, the pure female of Islamic paradise, began long before September 11, 2001. Beauty of the Houri: Heavenly Virgins, Feminine Ideals demonstrates how the ambiguous reward of the houri, mentioned in the Qur?an and developed in Islamic theological writings, has gained a distinctive place in the cultural eye from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century.The houri had multiple functions in Islamic texts that ranged from caretaker, to pure companion, to personal entertainment. French, English, and American writers used the houri to critique Islam and Muslim societies, while also adopting the houri as a model of feminine beauty. Unlike earlier texts that presented different forms of the houri or universalized the houri for all women, writings about the houri after September 11th offer contradictory messages about Islam. In the twenty-first century, the image of the houri has come to symbolize a reward for violence and the possibility of gender parity.As a cosmic figure that inspires enduring questions about the promise of paradise and the idealized feminine form, the houri has a singular past and broad potential for future interpretation. The Beauty of the Houri narrates an intellectual history of the houri and offers a contemporary account of how theological ambiguity has led to different interpretations of this powerfully enduring Islamic concept.Trade ReviewThe Beauty of the Houri is a meticulously researched, elegantly written gem that offers much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and Hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, Rustomji weaves analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. * J. Hammer, CHOICE *In this revealing history... the overall sweep convinces. This comprehensive work will help scholars of Islam understand the evolving history of a powerful image. * Publishers Weekly *In the Jesuit Spiritual Exercises, one reflects on the teaching that 'The profane is not divorced from the spiritual.' Rustomji has created a small masterpiece, meticulously researched and beautifully written, which helps us to understand both the spiritual and the profane elements of the Houri. * Amir Hussain, Chair and Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles *In The Beauty of the Houri, a meticulously researched and elegantly written book, Rustomji offers us much more than a survey of houris in the Muslim past. Drawing on sources from the Qur'an and hadith, European poetry, and Islamist recruitment videos to US news items, the author weaves together analysis of texts with profound theoretical insights into gender constructions, changing eschatological expectations, text criticism, and contemporary US and Muslim politics. Highly recommended. * Juliane Hammer, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Chapel Hill *This vivid, enthralling study offers readers a unique point of entry into a fascinating global history of feminine ideals of beauty, imagined by men and women, for this world and the next. The author traces the fluidity of this image, not just among Muslims, but also as it once impacted European -- and American -- Christians. A rare treat for those intrigued by gender and religion within and beyond the Islamic world. * Denise A. Spellberg, author of Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. The Letter Chapter 2. The Word Chapter 3. The Romance Chapter 4. A Reward Chapter 5. The Promise Chapter 6. The Question Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis study looks at the relationship between popular recreations and the spaces in which they took place, and in doing so it provides a history of how England enjoyed itself during the long eighteenth century.Because the poor lacked land of their own, public spaces were needed for their sports and pastimes. Such recreations included: parish wakes and feasts; civic fairs and celebrations; football, cricket and other athletic sports; bull- and bear-baiting; and the annual celebrations of Shrove Tuesday and Guy Fawkes.Three case studies form the core of this book, each looking at the recreations and spaces to be found in different types of settlement: first, the streets and squares of provincial market towns; then the diverse vacant spaces to be found in industrialising towns and villages of the west Midlands and West Riding of Yorkshire; and finally the village greens of rural England. Through a detailed examination of contemporary books, diaries and newspapers, and records in over fortyTrade ReviewA masterly piece of scholarship, based on assiduous and detailed research, yet written in an accessible style. * Roger Munting, Sport in History *This monograph builds upon Emma Griffin's excellent 2001 Cambridge PhD thesis and offers a cultural history of parish wakes and feasts; civic fairs and celebrations; football, cricket and other athletic sports; bull - and bear - baiting; and the annual celebrations of Shrove Tuesday and Guy Fawkes day in the long eighteenth century. [It is] an important and useful, as well as an entertaining, read. * Continuity and Change *...an important and useful, as well as an entertaining, read. * Patrick Driscoll, Cambridge University Press, Continuity and Change *

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited follow-up to Garland-Thomson''s field-defining book Freakery, Freak Inheritance illuminates the convergence of the freak show era with the eugenics era, explicating the cultural work of the freak show as a compelling range of performances of cultural and social Others that emerge as eugenic targets from the late 19th century into the 20th century and beyond. This book explores the wildly popular performances that told compelling stories about categories of people that scientific and social-scientific discourses increasingly described - and sometimes still describe - as biologically inferior. Although much work has emerged recently about the history of eugenics, this collection highlights the specific ways that modes of exaggerated commercial popular performances create a public conversation that mirrors pathological narratives of human difference that are now firmly established as the categories of normal and abnormal, healthy and diseased, beneficial and harmful. This

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Book SynopsisAn optimistic and nuanced portrait of a generation that has much to teach us about how to live and collaborate in our digital world.Trade Review"This extraordinarily rich and empathetic account of Gen Z offers a groundbreaking understanding of this generation's habits and motivations without reducing them to the sum of their posts and tweets. This work excels in unpacking the subtle ways that identity formation and presentation of self are seamlessly interwoven with digital communication for zoomers. Parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about our future as a society should read this deeply informed contribution to the research on Gen Z."--Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive and Survive in Their Digital WorldTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Technology Shapes Postmillennial Life Chapter 2: Fine-Grained Identity Chapter 3: Being Authentic Chapter 4: Finding My Fam Chapter 5: OK Boomer Chapter 6: The Difficulty of Being a Gen Zer Chapter 7: Conclusion: The Art of Living in a Digital Age Acknowledgments Methodological Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis timely collection provides high-quality interdisciplinary essays which address lesbian and bisexual representation in popular television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, E.R., Queer as Folk, Sex and the City, The L Word and The O.C.Trade Review'This collection is a welcome and timely addition to the growing library of academic texts exploring the complex and politically-charged intersections between television and queer identities. The essays gathered within its pages offer entertaining and provocative insights into a range of recent and contemporary US TV series. As a collection, the book highlights not only the variety of individual responses to multivalent texts, but also the ongoing importance of detailed interrogation of lesbian, bisexual and queer characters and programming.' - Glyn Davis, University of Bristol, UK; Author of Queer as Folk (2007) and co-editor of Queer TV (2008) 'From Ellen to AfterEllen.com the L Word is finally being spoken on US television, and these smart and sassy essays help us see where things are changing and where they are still la même chose. Nobody said it would be easy, and the scholars represented here are neither sentimental nor simply celebratory in their approach to the new lesbian visibility.Their cool and careful readings will help us all locate ourselves in the contemporary landscape of mediated queerness.' - Larry Gross, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, USATable of ContentsA Critical Introduction to Queer Women on Television Resisting, Reiterating, and Dancing Through: The Swinging Closet Doors of Ellen DeGeneres' Televised Personalities; C.Moore Mommy's Got a Gal-pal: The Victimized Lesbian Mother in the Made-for-TV-Movie; K.Kessler Complicating the Open Closet: The Visual Rhetoric of Buffy the Vampire Slayer 's Sapphic Lovers; T.Cochran 'Can You Just Be Kissing Me Now?': The Question(s) of Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; C.Masson States of Emergency: The Labors of Lesbian Desire in ER; D.Heller Mapping Lesbian Sexuality on Queer as Folk; R.Beirne A Label Like Gucci, Versace, or Birkenstock: Sex and the City and Queer Identity; T.Adkins 'Going Native on Wonder Woman's Island': The Exoticization of Lesbian Sexuality in Sex and the City; M.M.M.Hidalgo 'This Is the Way We Live…and Love!': Feeding on and Still Hungering for Lesbian Representation in The L Word; M.Pratt '[E]verything else is the same': Configurations of The L Word; M.C.Jonet & L.Anh Williams 'Shades of Grey': Articulations of Bisexuality in The L Word; J.Moorman Paradigmatically Oppositional Representations: Gender and Sexual Identity in The L Word; F.Davies Pink Heels, Dildos, and Erotic Play: The (Re)Making of Fem(me)ininity in Showtime's The L Word; E.Douglas There's Something Queer Going on in Orange County: The Representation of Queer Women's Sexuality on The O.C.; A.Burgess

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Book SynopsisBrought to you by Penguin.The highly anticipated new book from Malcom Gladwell, host of the chart-topping podcast Revisionist History. With original archival interviews and musical scoring, this enhanced audiobook edition of Talking to Strangers brings Gladwell''s renowned storytelling to life in his unparalleled narrating style. The routine traffic stop that ends in tragedy. The spy who spends years undetected at the highest levels of the Pentagon. The false conviction of Amanda Knox. Why do we so often get other people wrong? Why is it so hard to detect a lie, read a face or judge a stranger''s motives?Through a series of encounters and misunderstandings - from history, psychology and infamous legal cases - Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual adventure into the darker side of human nature, where strangers are never simple and misreading them can have disastrous consequences.No one challenges our shTrade ReviewI love this book . . . reading it will actually change not just how you see strangers, but how you look at yourself, the news - the world. Reading this book changed me. * Oprah Winfrey *Fascinating . . . you should read the book . . . He's tackling the dark side of human nature - what do we ever know about other people? -- Sathnam Sanghera * The Times Magazine *Now that practically everybody seems to be spoiling for a fight, I have found Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers invaluable . . . His moral - to approach new people with caution and humility - has become my motto. * Evening Standard *Taut, provocative, smart . . . Gladwell's cool, playful intelligence has made him one of our leading public thinkers * New Statesman *A book examining the ways we misinterpret or fail to communicate with one another could not feel more necessary . . . the page-turning urgency of a thriller -- Chris Barton * Los Angeles Times *Superb writing. Masterful . . . bears all the marks that have made Gladwell one of the most successful non-fiction authors of his generation. -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *A dazzling book . . . Gladwell is a rock star of nonfiction . . . ideas are slowly revealed until the reader arrives at a conclusion they didn't expect. Gladwell is advancing ideas and, sure, they are all open to challenge . . . but they are stimulating and convincing - and you won't regret a minute you spend mastering them * The Times *A wonderful provocation which Gladwell delivers like no other, an awakening to just one of the fascinations that lie in ordinary human experience . . . as ever, Gladwell's genius is in the telling. * Spectator *Malcolm Gladwell made his name bringing intellectual sparkle to everyday subjects, and his new book - about how strangers talk to each other - is no exception. -- Sean O’Hagan * Observer *

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Book SynopsisEnter a hidden world of mysteries, scandals, secrets, and liesPerhaps it is human nature to believe there is more to the world than meets the eye - that the greatest secrets and truths are hidden from us. Whatever the reason, conspiracy theories are a global phenomenon. Conspiracies Uncovered delves into some of the most pervasive theories, from the The assassination of John F. Kennedy to the moon landings, showcasing the evidence for and against each one, revealing the surprising truths behind some and the bizarre inspirations for others.

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to be Californian? To find out, Mina Yang delves into multicultural nature of musics in the state that has launched musical and cultural trends for decades. In the early twentieth century, an orientalist fascination with Asian music and culture dominated the popular imagination of white Californians and influenced their interactions with the Asian Other. Several decades later, tensions between the Los Angeles Police Department and the African American community made the thriving jazz and blues nightclub scene of 1940s Central Avenue a target for the LAPD''s anti-vice crusade. The musical scores for Hollywood''s noir films confirmed reactionary notions of the threat to white female sexuality in the face of black culture and urban corruption while Mexican Americans faced a conflicted assimilation into the white American mainstream. Finally, Korean Americans in the twenty-first century turned to hip-hop to express their cultural and national identities.A compelTrade Review“A fascinating and groundbreaking glimpse into a complicated musical geography.”--Journal of American History"[A] compelling new study . . . Yang successfully demonstrates that many elements can and must be taken into account when addressing the formation of any modern musical identify."--American Music Review"Mina Yang offers a musical message of social hope without stepping back from fierce historical inequities. She shows how the meeting grounds and collisions marking California's racial landscape add up to far more than accidents. California Polyphony will sit on my bookshelf between Mike Davis's City of Quartz and George Lipsitz's Dangerous Crossroads."--Deborah Wong, author of Speak It Louder: Asian Americans Making Music"A landscape of California's musical history that draws upon sociocultural and political forces that led to the creation, innovation, and appropriation of musical styles, genres, and forms. This welcome addition to music and cultural studies combines the musical contributions of African Americans, East Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans in a unique and refreshing way."--Cheryl L. Keyes, author of Rap Music and Street Consciousness

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