Toys—those celebrated childhood cohorts and lead actors in children’s imaginative play—have a fantastic history of heroism in fiction. From teddy bears that guard sleeping babies to plastic soldiers a
After the American’s withdrew from the Vietnam War, their Indochinese allies faced imprisonment, torture and death under communist regimes. The Tai Dam, an ethnic group from northern Vietnam, campaign
Universal Studios created the original monster cinematic universe, making Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s monster and The Mummy household names during Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1930s and 194
In this candid memoir, actor and director Lou Antonio recounts his five decades in television, film and theater, from live broadcasts to Broadway to Emmy-nominated Movies of the Week. Antonio describe
Watching the screen version of a classic mystery novel can be disappointing. By necessity or artistic license (or possibly just ego) changes are often made by the filmmakers—many of them ineffective o
"This book focuses on the islanders' tenacious negotiations for independence and control of their land, accomplished as the Republic of the Marshall Islands in a Compact of Free Association with the U
Noble presents readers with a comprehensive investigation of the people and places on the Caribbean island nation of Cuba that were an inspiration to or held influence with novelist Ernest Hemingwa
The single-wire telegraph revolutionized long distance communication but it was not the brainchild of one inventor, Samuel Morse. His colleagues and employees—specifically Ezra Cornell and Joseph Henr
Of the 192 Union military hospitals during the Civil War, nine circulated newspapers written, edited and printed by convalescents. Editorial policies ranged from defanging copperhead Democrats to prov
Pressley-Sanon presents readers with a comprehensive examination of the use of the figure of the zombie in film and throughout culture since the early twentieth century, arguing for a rethinking of zo
With more than 130 films and a career spanning four decades, Klaus Kinski (1926-1991) was one of the most controversial actors of his generation. Known for his wild tantrums on set and his legendary c
The films of the New French Extremity have been reviled by critics but adored by fans and filmmakers. Known for graphically brutal depictions of sex and violence, the subgenre emerged from the French
This volume brings together 10 essays that examine health communication approaches. Communication and other social science specialists from Kenya, India, Europe, Australia, and the US discuss narrativ
Bernthal presents ten interdisciplinary essays on the work of the best-selling, internationally read detective fiction writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976). Broad in scope, this selection of contributio
The essays in this book examine the ideology of motherhood in British and American literature from the 16th to the 21st centuries. This book looks at the institution of motherhood, that is, at various
Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz insisted good ol’ Charlie Brown and his friends were neither “great art” nor “significant.” Yet Schulz’s acclaimed daily comic strip—syndicated in thousands of newspa
This biography of James Edmund Reeves, whose legislative accomplishments cemented American physicians’ control of the medical marketplace, illuminates landmarks of American health care: the troubled i
Henry Neil “Soapy” Castles grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and became involved in its pioneering auto racing scene at an early age. Graduating from soapbox derby cars to midgets and sprints and
[We expect sports to be fair and equal. If one works hard, everyone has a chance to win. But is it really true? In reality, female athletes are paid far less than male counterparts. Youth sports cost
We live in an information economy, a vast archive of data ever at our fingertips. In the pages of science fiction, powerful entities—governments and corporations—seek to use this archive to control so
From the rise of the American Evangelical movement to the introduction of Eastern philosophies in the West, the past century has seen major changes in the religious makeup of Western culture. As one r
Elena Ferrante—named one of the 100 most influential people in 2016 by Time magazine—is best known for her Neapolitan novels, which explore such themes as the complexity of female friendship; the joys
During the Cold War, the West—especially in the popular media—tended to view communism as a monolithic phenomenon, with little variation throughout the Eastern Bloc. Yet culture and geography contribu
Sir Walter Raleigh’s many biographers have given little attention to his relationship with his son Wat (Walter). Yet Raleigh’s bond with his son was perhaps the most enduring commitment of his restles
After four years travelling through Europe and a yearlong romance with Giulia Persiani in Rome, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow returned home in 1829 and fell in love again, this time with Mary Storer Pott
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a wave of political violence swept across the globe, causing widespread alarm. Described by the media of the day as “propaganda of the deed,” assassinati
What do James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces, Margaret B. Jones’ Love and Consequence and Wanda Koolmatrie’s My Own Sweet Time have in common? None of these popular books is what it at first appeared
This collection of H.P. Lovecraft’s most influential works presents several of his most famous stories, a sampling of his poetry and an abridgment of his monograph Supernatural Horror in Literature, w
Many critics and fans refer to the 1990s as the decade that horror forgot, with few notable entries in the genre. Yet horror went mainstream in the ’90s by speaking to the anxieties of American youth
The Incomparable Hildegarde (1906–2005) lived a life of glamour and excitement. She began her career as a pianist in Milwaukee's silent movie theaters, which led to the Vaudeville stage. By the 1930s,
[This book covers the history of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1790 under Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, when the Service was called the U.S. Revenue Marine, to World War I, during which the naval
With the queasy U.S.–Soviet wartime alliance long dissolved into mutual suspicion, the House Un-American Activities Committee launched aggressive investigations of alleged communist activity in the Ho
