Bloomsbury Academic UK

Explore the Stories Behind the LegendsThe 1990s and early 2000s were a time of intense change and experimentation for Marvel Comics. Out of this emergedThe Ultimates—a comic that would have an explosive impact on Marvel and the broader pop culture landscape.Writer Mark Millar, with artists Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Paul Neary, reimagined the classic characters that made up Marvel’s premiere super hero team, the Avengers. Looking at them through a modern, post-9/11 lens, the creators treated the characters as super soldiers who reported to the US government.Illustrated with full-color art, Ted Adam’s entry inThe Marvel Age of Comicstakes readers through Marvel of the ‘90s: the Marvel Knights imprint, the creation of the Ultimate universe with Spider-Man and the X-Men, and finally the Ultimates themselves. With its unique blend of grounded realism and over-the-top action,The Ultimatesensured that comic books and pop culture would never be the same.

The Avengers was the comic book of the 1970s. From Civil Rights to Women’s Lib, battles for the soul of America became battles between super heroes. Writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby co-created the all-star group of six super heroes in September 1963. From there, just three main writers chronicled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in that most turbulent of decades: Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, and Jim Shooter, each with differing approaches. The Avengers quickly became the pivot around which the Marvel Universe turned. To look back through its issues is to get a crash course in ’70s pop culture. Illustrated with full-color art from this legendary run, Paul Cornell’s entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS series explores how the Mighty Avengers became icons during a time of immense change and upheaval.

Doctor Strange, one of Marvel’s most fascinating early characters, began at the hands of co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and his ethereal voyages through other dimensions made him an important figure in 1960s culture.From his first appearance in 1963, Strange captivated a wide range of readers. Over his first ten years, a succession of writers and artists—including Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Gardner F. Fox, P. Craig Russell, Marie Severin, and notably Steve Englehart and Frank Brunner—expanded on Ditko’s original mind-bending concepts.This entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS explores Strange’s changing roles as a mystic, super hero, and leader of a chaotic team called the Defenders, and the rise of his popularity, in parallel with the counterculture of the 1960s.

In Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil: Born Again, the comic’s titular hero has his life destroyed after his most menacing enemy learns his real identity. His attempts to rebuild his life and sanity result in one of the most gripping and impactful super hero storylines of all time. Released in 1986, the storyline is an extraordinary exploration of what happens when a hero’s identity is revealed, and his personal life completely annihilated. We see Daredevil reduced to the lowest depths in the character’s history, but we also follow his painstaking path toward redemption.This entry in MARVEL AGE OF COMICS explores Daredevil: Born Again’s gorgeous and unique artwork, the lasting impact of its story and art, and how it forever changed the ways super hero characters and their secret identities have functioned.

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.When you are born, the first thing you do is scream. Be it a response to fear, anger, sadness, or happiness, the scream is a declaration of being alive. The metal vocalist cupping the microphone blares out a deafeningly harsh scream. The drill instructor screams out commands to their soldiers. And then there’s the bloodcurdling screams we know from horror films. A scream has many meanings, but it is an instinctive and reflexive action that, at its core, reveals raw emotion.Investigating popular and alternative cultures, art, and science, Michael J. Seidlinger tracks the resonance of the scream across media and literature and in his own voice. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .

Stigma is a corrosive social force by which individuals and communities throughout history have been systematically dehumanised, scapegoated and oppressed. From the literal stigmatizing (tattooing) of criminals in ancient Greece, to modern day discrimination against Muslims, refugees and the 'undeserving poor', stigma has long been a means of securing the interests of powerful elites.In this radical reconceptualisation Tyler precisely and passionately outlines the political function of stigma as an instrument of state coercion. Through an original social and economic reframing of the history of stigma, Tyler reveals stigma as a political practice, illuminating previously forgotten histories of resistance against stigmatization, boldly arguing that these histories provide invaluable insights for understanding the rise of authoritarian forms of government today.

In the first cultural and political history of the Russian nuclear age, Paul Josephson describes the rise of nuclear physics in the USSR, the enthusiastic pursuit of military and peaceful nuclear programs through the Chernobyl disaster and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ongoing, self-proclaimed ‘renaissance’ of nuclear power in Russia in the 21st century. At the height of their power, the Soviets commanded 39,000 nuclear warheads, yet claimed to be servants of the ‘peaceful atom’ – which they also pursued avidly. This book examines both military and peaceful Soviet and post-Soviet nuclear programs for the long durée – before the war, during the Cold War, and in Russia to the present – whilst also grappling with the political and ideological importance of nuclear technologies, the associated economic goals, the social and environmental costs, and the cultural embrace of nuclear power. Nuclear Russia probes the juncture of history of science and technology, political and c

Come to My Garden (1970) introduced the world to Minnie Riperton, the solo artist. Minnie captivated listeners with her earth-shattering voice’s uncanny ability to evoke melancholy and exultance. Born out of Charles Stepney’s masterful composition and Richard Rudolph’s attentive songwriting, the album fused a plethora of music genres. A blip in the universe of fusion music that would come to dominate the 1970s, Come to My Garden also featured the work of young bandleaders like Ramsey Lewis and Maurice White, thus bridging the divide between jazz and R&B. Despite fairly positive reviews of the album, even in its many re-releases, it never garnered critical attention. Minnie Riperton’s Come to My Garden by Brittnay L. Proctor uses rare archival ephemera, the multiple re-issues of the album, interviews, cultural history, and personal narrative to outline how the revolutionary album came to be and its lasting impact on popular music of the post-soul era (the late 20th to the early 21

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Among the many things expectant parents are told to buy, none is a more visible symbol of status and parenting philosophy than a stroller. Although its association with wealth dates back to the invention of the first pram in the 1700s, in recent decades, four-figure strollers have become not just status symbols but cultural identifiers. There are sleek jogging strollers for serious athletes, impossibly compact strollers for parents determined to travel internationally with pre-ambulatory children, and those featuring a ride-on kick board or second, less “babyish” seat, designed with older siblings in mind. Despite the many models available, we are all familiar with the image of a harried mother struggling to use a stroller of any kind in a public space that does not accommodate it. There are anti-stroller evangelists, fervently preaching the gospel of baby wearing and attachment pa

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.What can underground pipes tell us about human eating habits and the spread or containment of disease, such as COVID-19? Why are sewers spitting out plastic and trash into waterways around the world? How are clogs getting gnarlier and more numerous? Jessica Leigh Hester leads readers through the past, present, and future of the system humans have created to deal with our own waste and argues that sewers can be seen as a mirror to the world above at a time when our behaviors are drastically reshaping the environment for the worse. Sifting through the muck offers a fresh way to approach questions about urbanization, public health, infrastructure, ecology, sustainability, and consumerism― and what we value. Without understanding sewers, any attempt to steward the future is incomplete. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.The haunted doll has long been a trope in horror movies, but like many fears, there is some truth at its heart. Dolls are possessed―by our aspirations. They're commonly used as a tool to teach mothering to young girls, but more often they are avatars of the idealized feminine self. (The word "doll" even acts as shorthand for a desirable woman.) They instruct girls what to strive for in society, reinforcing dominant patriarchal, heteronormative, white views around class, bodies, history, and celebrity, in insidious ways. Girls’ dolls occupy the opposite space of boys’ action figures, which represent masculinity, authority, warfare, and conflict. By analyzing dolls from 17th century Japanese Hinamatsuri festivals, to the ‘80s American Girl Dolls, and even to today’s bitmoji, “Doll” reveals how the objects society encourages us to play with as girls shape the women we become.Object Le

Understanding That's the Way of the World requires appreciating founder Maurice White’s multifaceted vision for Earth Wind & Fire. This vision embodied innovative melodies, sounds, lyrics, and orchestral arrangements manifested by a creative ensemble who were encouraged to embrace their diverse spiritualities, eat healthy, and live right (although not always successful). Some of their instruments were relatively new to music such as keyboardist Larry Dunn’s synthesizer, while White’s African kalimba was brand new to American music. TTWOTW presents hopeful messages about the world to the people of the world. The album instilled self-pride and confidence through innovative musical approaches. TTWOTW did not tell listeners exactly how to live or love, but instead how they can live in a quest for self-actualization. The songs encouraged us to listen, see, learn, yearn, love, and have fun. If art can help mold a better future, than EWF’s musical legacy of empowerment will continue to c

An Independent Book of the MonthFeatured in Vogue Arabia Featured by Vanity Fair Acclaimed writer Elif Shafak writes a letter to Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand after the Christchurch attack. Actress Yasmine AlMassri pens a poem about war for her mother. Activist and TV presenter June Sarpong addresses designer Diane Von Furstenberg.These are a few of the moving and insightful letters that make up From Women to the World, a book by journalist, author and executive Elizabeth Filippouli, which brings together letters from a global group of accomplished women - politicians, royalty, actors, writers, activists and more – every one addressed to a woman who means something to each of them. The results are extraordinary, heartfelt letters to historical figures, mentors, family members or inspiring ordinary people. Each is based on these women's personal histories and experiences, drawing attention to social issues such as homelessness, war, LGBT activism, mental health car

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.How did the skateboard go from a menacing fad to an Olympic sport? Writer and skateboarder Jonathan Russell Clark answers this question by going straight to the sources: the skaters, photographers, commentators, and industry insiders who made such an unlikely rise to worldwide juggernaut possible. Skateboarders are their own historians, which means the real history of skating exists not in archives or texts but in a hodgepodge of random and iconic videos, tattered photographs, and, mostly, in the blurry memories of the people who lived through it all. From California beaches to Tokyo 2020, the skateboard has outlasted its critics to form a global community of creativity, camaraderie, and unceasing progression.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .

Jane Austen's richly textured worlds have enchanted readers for centuries and this neatly organised, playful book provides Austen enthusiasts and students alike with a unique insight into the much-loved writer's way with words. Using a lively A-Z structure, Greaney provides fresh angles on familiar Austen themes (D is for dance ; M is for matchmaking ), casts light on under-examined corners of her imagination (R is for risk ; S is for servant ), and shows how current social and cultural concerns are re-shaping our understanding of her work ( Q is for queer; W is for West Indies). Through this approach, we learn how attention to the tiniest linguistic detail in Austen's work can yield rewarding new perspectives on the achievements of one of our most celebrated authors.Sharply focused on textual detail but broad in scope it broaches questions that, like Austen's work, will intrigue, delight and inspire: Why are children so marginal in her storylines? Who is the best exponent of ma

This book is the first to offer a concise, accessible overview of the evolution of the Soviet Union as a multiethnic empire. It reflects on how the Soviet Union was home to many ethnic minorities, and how their fates, and that of the USSR itself, were bound to the question of how the Soviet state responded variously throughout its existence to the fundamental question of ethnic difference across its vast and diverse territory. The book then examines how the Soviet collapse in 1991 fractured the Union along markedly national lines, leading to a variety of new nation-states – including the Russian Federation – being born. Brigid O’Keeffe explains how and why the Bolsheviks inscribed ethnic difference into the bedrock of the Soviet Union and explores how minority peoples experienced the potential advantages and disadvantages of ethnic politics within the Soviet Union. Ukrainians and Georgians, Jews and Roma, Chechens and Poles, Kazakhs and Uzbeks – these and many other minority groups all

Good evening, I'm Inspector Carter. Take my case. This must be Charles Haversham! I'm sorry, this must've given you all a damn shock...The original version of the global hit play created by Mischief.

The tragic story of Anne Boleyn has been retold over the centuries, yet two key figures in Anne's life-her father Thomas and brother George- are often relegated to the margins of the history of Henry

Prior to becoming a psychiatrist, Frantz Fanon wanted to be a playwright and his interest in dialogue, dramatisation and metaphor continued throughout his writing and career. His passion for theatre d

One is not born a woman, but becomes one, Simone de Beauvoir A symbol of liberated womanhood, Simone de Beauvoirs unconventional relationships inspired and scandalised her generation. A philosopher, w

Gary Cox guides us through 42 of the most misunderstood, misquoted, provocative and significant quotes in the history of philosophy providing a witty and compelling commentary along the way. This ente

Was World War II really the `Good War'? In the years since the declaration of peace in 1945 many myths have sprung up around the conflict in the victorious nations. In this book, Peter Hitchens decons

A series of gruesome murders shakes the city of Casablanca. The killer knows exactly how the police will pursue him and how to obliterate evidence that could lead them to identify his victims. Fear sp

This bestselling workbook provides a resource for students studying towards the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. It has been written for students at intermediate level and a

How many times do we hear the statement 'It's not for me to judge'? It conveys one of the most popular ideas of our time: that to make judgements of others is essentially wrong. In this classic text,

Written in the authoritative and narrative-driven style that made his books The Ascent of George Washington and Jefferson and Hamilton critical and commercial successes, John Ferling'sWhirlwind will b

Between April 22 and May 31, 1915, Western civilization was shocked. World War I was already appalling in its brutality, but until then it had been fought on the battlefield and by rules long agreed b

At the outset of summer in 1990, a Houston gangsta rap group called the Geto Boys was poised to debut its self-titled third album under the guidance of hip-hop guru Rick Rubin. What might have been a

Sleater-Kinney's 1997 album Dig Me Out is built on Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein's competing guitars, Janet Weiss's muscular rhythms, and layered vocals that teeter between an urgent, banshee-lik

Hangin' Tough, the second album by the New Kids on the Block, has sold more than seventeen million copies worldwide since it was released in 1988. But the album and the band have also been dismissed,

Released in 1970, Workingman's Dead was the breakthrough album for the Grateful Dead, a cold-water-shock departure from the Acid Test madness of the late '60s. It was the band's most commercially and

Some poems are better written in flesh . . .After Wall Street and Tahrir Square, after ISIS and the NSA, after Ferguson and Eric Garner: here come the poets.In a downtown poetry slam with a place on t

I drank three glasses of scotch and ginger ale before we'd even cleared Coney Island. I didn't want to come home. It was then that I decided to write you these letters.On a crisp winter day in New Yor

Twenty years after its release, Phish's double-CD collection A Live One has something rare and precious going for it: it still doesn't sound like anybody else. Oversized, perverse, requiring an unusua

It was 1969, and Miles Davis, prince of cool, was on the edge of being left behind by a dynamic generation of young musicians, an important handful of whom had been in his band. Rock music was flying

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.What is silence? In a series of short meditations, novelist and playwright John Biguenet consi

Every single one of you has been chosen for this great moment, you are revolutionary freedom fighters, changingyour future, one day at a time. This is for you, it's all for you and don't you ever forg

One minute I'm in The Elk watching the footie the next minute I'm at the beach with a Polish supermodel. Fucking come on.Lena meets Robbie. Girl meets Boy. Head over heels. Eyes only for each other. T