George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire has sparked a renewed interest in things medieval. The pseudo-historical world of Westeros delights casual fans while offering a rich new perspective for m
James Gunn—one of the founding figures of science fiction scholarship and teaching—wrote in 1951 what is likely the first master’s thesis on modern science fiction. Portions appeared in the short-live
Featuring interviews with the creators of 36 popular video games—including Deus Ex, Night Trap, Mortal Kombat, Wasteland and NBA Jam—this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of
You can abandon rote learning with this middle and high school teaching guide. Encouraging both students and teachers to unlock their creativity, the authors provide guidance in lesson planning and id
The Marvel Cinematic Universe—comprised not only of films, but also comic books, televisions series and shorts—has generated considerable fan engagement with its emphasis on socially relevant characte
For millennia people have held folk beliefs about the existence of the doppelgänger—"double walker" in German—a look-alike second self that is often the antithesis of one's identity and is usually con
Mixed martial arts or MMA is widely regarded as the fastest growing sport. Events fill stadiums around the world and draw vast television audiences, earning strong revenue through pay-per-view at a ti
Poet and literary and social religious Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) was a prominent educator. One of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Elementary Schools for 35 years, he travelled abroad to report on foreign
From Rosemary’s Baby (1968) to The Witch (2015), horror films use religious entities to both inspire and combat fear and to call into question or affirm the moral order. Churches provide sanctuary, cl
Recent advances in baseball statistical analysis have made it possible to assess the totality of contribution of each player to team success or failure. Using the metric Wins Above Average (WAA)—the n
? Fanny Brice, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Barbra Streisand, Alan Menken, Stephen Sondheim—Jewish performers, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers and producers have made an indelible mar
Bette Davis as a madam. Orson Welles hosting The Twilight Zone. Mae West voicing a cartoon character. Shirley Temple playing a social worker. While Hollywood stars like Lucille Ball, Loretta Young and
Many modern readers are intimidated by the language and literary conventions of medieval and Renaissance verse—lyrical works written at a time before poetry was assumed to be about personal expression
International vaudeville star and Broadway prima ballerina Jeanne Devereaux performed for millions across America and Europe from age 11 until her retirement at 40. A headliner at Radio City Music Hal
Following Pearl Harbor, Admiral Husband Kimmel, commander of the Pacific Fleet, and General Walter Short, commander of the U.S. Army’s Hawaiian Department, were accused of dereliction of duty and reli
"This book provides fresh insight into various practices of managerial control from the 1880s to present and their effects on work organization and quality, and worker skill requirements. The author h
"This book tells the story of the largely unheralded golf professionals who came to America at the turn of the 20th century. These early members of the "Scottish Invasion" struggled to earn a living a
As mid–19th century America erupted in violence with the invasion of Mexico and the outbreak of the Civil War, Irish immigrants joined the fray in large numbers, on both sides. They sometimes were dis
The sixth in a series documenting Union army colonels, this biographical dictionary lists regimental commanders from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A brief sketch of each is included—many pu
? In December 1883, five outlaws attempted to rob the A.A. Castaneda Mercantile establishment in the fledgling mining town of Bisbee in the Arizona Territory. The robbery was a disaster: four citize
Mysterious nighttime lights near Brown Mountain in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest have intrigued locals and visitors for more than a century. The result of a three year investigation, this bo
This volume details the history of the 18th New York Infantry from 1861 to 1863 during the Civil War, based on unpublished letters, diaries, and other sources. The infantry saw combat early, suffer
"Robert E. Burns, a World War I veteran coerced into taking part in a petty crime, was sentenced to hard labor on a chain gang in 1922. This book traces the making and influence of the film--which lau
Drawing on interviews and other sources, Pearson, a writer and editor for newspapers, relates the stories of about 100 fans whose teams haven't (at the time of publishing) won a championship in at
Part of Alice's appeal is her ambiguity, which makes possible a range of interpretations in adapting Lewis Carroll's classic Wonderland stories to various media. Popular re-imaginings of Alice and h
"Major George Lucas, recalled to Antigua to join his regiment, left his daughter Eliza in charge of his three plantations in South Carolina. While her accomplishments were rare for a young lady of the
"Dominating the Windy City for decades, the Chicago Democratic Machine has become a fixture in American political history. Under Mayor Richard J. Daley, it acquired almost mythical (perhaps notorious)
In this book, author Erin Torkelson Weber presents readers with a comprehensive examination of the historiography of the Beatles, focusing on the four major narratives that have emerged in writings ab
Frederick Dannay (1905–1982) was—with his partner Manfred Bennington Lee—the creator of the Ellery Queen detective novels and short stories, a literary historian and critic, and the editor of the reno
To the casual observer, similarities between fan communities and religious believers are difficult to find. Religion is traditional, institutional, and serious; whereas fandom is contemporary, individ
In 1938, Superman debuted, jumping off the pages of Action Comics #1. In the cultural context of the Great Depression and World War II, the U.S. would see the rise of the superhero not only in comic b
[Comics and the punk movement are powerfully and inextricably linked. Each has a do-it-yourself ethos and a rebellious spirit to defy authority that complements the other. Though this link seems obvio
In an era of unique baseball stadiums, the Polo Grounds in New York stood out from the rest. With its horseshoe shape, the Polo Grounds had extremely short distances down the foul lines and equally lo
Charges of “fake news” tend to be politically motivated whether they are made by Republicans or Democrats. Yet the potential for media bias is real and deserves an honest assessment. Using an audit
The field of information ethics (IE)—a subdivision of ethics—was developed during the 1980s, originating and maturing in library science and slowly working its way into other disciplines and practical
“Wizard rock”—music based on the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling—is an idiosyncratic subgenre, with band names like Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys and The Whomping Willows. Drawing
A new category of crime fiction is emerging in which women characters, often stereotypically portrayed as victims, are instead the physically and intellectually capable heroes—lawyers, police officers
With the Constitutional Convention in 1787, America was set on a course to develop a unique system of law with roots in the English common law tradition. This new system, which had its foundations in
The cultural fantasy of twins imagines them as physically and behaviorally identical. Media portrayals consistently reproduce the spectacle of twins who share an insular closeness and perform a suppos
