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Newly Published: Prejudice in the Press?

New on our bookshelf:

Prejudice in the Press?: Investigating Bias in Coverage of Race, Gender, Sexuality and Religion
George Yancey and Alicia L. Brunson

Charges of “fake news” tend to be politically motivated whether made by Republicans or Democrats. Yet the potential for media bias is real and deserves an honest assessment.

Using an audit technique—providing journalists with similar scenarios but altering key details—the authors evaluate whether reporters and editors write different narratives depending on the characteristics of the principle issues in the story. The results indicate that race, gender, sexuality and religion have little effect on whether a story will be covered, but do color the story that is written.

Data suggest that news personnel may be operating in ways that promote progressive political leanings. The results of this study are important for journalists seeking to move closer to objective standards of reporting.

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Newly Published: Baseball and Softball Drills

New on our bookshelf:

Baseball and Softball Drills: More Than 200 Games and Activities for Preschool to College Players, 3d ed.
Dirk Baker

Written for coaches, this book—in its expanded third edition—presents more than 200 baseball and softball games and activities for preschoolers through college age, focusing on teaching, improvement of skills and enjoyment. Games emphasizing base running, bunting, catching, fielding, hitting, throwing and pitching are covered. Each section reviews fundamentals, introduces creative skills and drills for group practice, and details the age group, objective, equipment and rules for each activity.

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Newly Published: The Creation of American Law

New on our bookshelf today:

The Creation of American Law: John Jay, Oliver Ellsworth and the 1790s Supreme Court
Jude M. Pfister

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, its foundations in Article III of the Constitution, called for a national judiciary headed by a supreme court—which first met in 1790.

This book serves as a history of America’s national law with a look at those—such as John Jay (the first Chief), James Iredell, Bushrod Washington and James Wilson—who set in motion not only the new Supreme Court, but also the new federal judiciary. These founders displayed great dexterity in maneuvering through the fraught political landscape of the 1790s.

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Newly Published: Ballet Matters

New on our bookshelf today:

Ballet Matters: A Cultural Memoir of Dance Dreams and Empowering Realities
Jennifer Fisher

Part memoir, part dance history and ethnography, this critical study explores ballet’s power to inspire and to embody ideas about politics, race, women’s agency, and spiritual experience.

The author knows that dance relates to life in powerful individual and communal ways, reflecting culture and embodying new ideas. Although ballet can appear (and sometimes is) elite and exclusionary, it also has revolutionary potential.

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Newly Published: After Valkyrie

New on our bookshelf today:

After Valkyrie: Military and Civilian Consequences of the Attempt to Assassinate Hitler
Don Allen Gregory

After Operation Valkyrie—the failed July 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control of the German government—both the Third Reich and Hitler came to a violent end. Hitler promised a classless fatherland before he became chancellor and had covertly been liquidating Germany’s elite officer corps long before Stalingrad. Today it is possible to reconstruct and connect important events and biographies of the principle characters to chronicle the disappearance of Germany’s officer class, its nobility and, for a time, its civilian leadership.

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Newly Published: Kurt Richter

New on our bookshelf:

Kurt Richter: A Chess Biography with 499 Games
Alan McGowan

German master Kurt Richter (1900–1969) made significant contributions to the chess world as a player, and as an editor and author. Unassuming in real life, Richter was a fearsome opponent who expressed himself mainly through his over-the-board results, as well as through his chess journalism and literary output. He was responsible for several innovative openings, some of which gained renewed status in later years.

This overview of his life and games sheds light on a player who should be better known, with much never-before-seen material. Examples of his entertaining writings on chess are included, some featuring his fictitious student opponent, Dr. Zabel. A wide selection of games illustrates the surprising combinations and brilliant style of play that earned him the title “The Executioner of Berlin.”

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Newly Published: Theatre of the Ridiculous

New on our bookshelf:

Theatre of the Ridiculous: A Critical History
Kelly I. Aliano

Theatre of the Ridiculous is a significant movement that highlighted the radical possibilities inherent in camp. Much of contemporary theatre owes this form a great debt but little has been written about its history or aesthetic markers. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the important practitioners, along with critical commentary of their work.

Beginning with Ridiculous’ most recognizable name, Charles Ludlam, the author traces the development of this campy, queer genre, from the B movies of Maria Montez to the Pop Art scene of Andy Warhol to the founding of the Play-House of the Ridiculous and the dawn of Ludlam’s career and finally to the contemporary theatre scene.

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Newly Published: A Life Both Public and Private

New on our bookshelf today:

A Life Both Public and Private: Expressions of Individuality in Old English Poetry
Brent R. LaPadula

The concept of the individual or the self, central in so many modern-day contexts, has not been investigated in depth in the Anglo-Saxon period. Focusing on Old English poetry, the author argues that a singular, Anglo-Saxon sense of self may be found by analyzing their surviving verse. The concept of the individual, with an identity outside of her community, is clearly evident during this period, and the widely accepted view that the individual as we understand it did not really exist until the Renaissance does not stand up to scrutiny.

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Newly Published: Rebel Guerrillas

New on our bookshelf today:

Rebel Guerrillas: Mosby, Quantrill and Anderson
Paul Williams

From the hills and valleys of the eastern Confederate states to the sun-drenched plains of Missouri and “Bleeding Kansas,” a vicious, clandestine war was fought behind the big-battle clashes of the American Civil War. In the east, John Singleton Mosby became renowned for the daring hit-and-run tactics of his rebel horsemen. Here a relatively civilized war was fought; women and children usually left with a roof over their heads. But along the Kansas-Missouri border it was a far more brutal clash; no quarter given. William Clarke Quantrill and William “Bloody Bill” Anderson became notorious for their savagery.

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Newly Published: George Orwell

New on our bookshelf today:

George Orwell: A Literary Companion
Mark Connelly

George Orwell (1903–1950) is one of the most influential authors in the English language. His landmark novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) have been translated into many foreign languages and inspired numerous stage and film adaptations. His well-known essays “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant” are widely anthologized and often taught in college composition classes. The writer is credited with inventing the terms “Big Brother,” “thought crime,” “unperson” and “double think.” His name itself has become an adjective—“Orwellian.”

Seventy years after its publication, Nineteen Eighty-Four remains very popular, its sales surging in an era of enhanced surveillance and media manipulation. This literary companion provides an extensive chronology and more than 175 entries about both his literary works and personal life. Also included are discussion questions and research topics, notable quotations by Orwell and an extensive bibliography of related sources.

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Newly Published: Movie Magick

New on our bookshelf today:

Movie Magick: The Occult in Film
David Huckvale

“Magick” as defined by Aleister Crowley is “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.” This book explores expressions of movie magick in classic occult films like Hammer’s adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out and modern occult revival movies. These films are inspired by the aesthetics of fin de siècle decadence, the symbolist writings of Villiers de l’Isle Adam, Wagnerian music drama, the Faust legend, the pseudo-science of theosophy, 1960s occult psychedelia, occult conspiracy theories and obscure aspects of animation.

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Newly Published: A Spear-Carrier in Viet Nam

New on our bookshelf today:

A Spear-Carrier in Viet Nam: Memoir of an American Civilian in Country, 1967 and 1970–1972
Michael E. Tolle

There was another war in Vietnam, one that mostly did not make the headlines: the campaign to “win the hearts and minds” of the Vietnamese people.

Fought not with artillery and helicopters but with food, medicine and shelter for civilians devastated by the conflict, the effort was unprecedented in U.S. history, involving both military and civilian personnel working together in widely spread areas of the countryside.

Part history and part memoir, this book chronicles an overlooked aspect of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, with a focus on the war victims and refugees who were most tragically affected by the carnage. The author recounts his two years “in-country” as an aid worker and tells how the humanitarian effort was conducted and why it failed.

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Newly Published: Stopping by Woods

New on our bookshelf today:

Stopping by Woods: Robert Frost as New England Naturalist
Owen D.V. Sholes

Robert Frost was a practicing farmer, a skilled naturalist and one of America’s best-loved poets. His body of work provides a vivid and compelling narrative of New England’s changing environment—though it can be hard to discern when its parts are scattered through hundreds of different poems, voices and moods.

This book pieces together Frost’s environmental commentary, examining his poems thematically and in a logical order. In them, homesteads are carved out of the forest, families make their living from an obdurate land, property is abandoned when it fails to sell, and plants and animals reclaim deserted farms. Frost bemoaned the loss of people from the land but also celebrated the flora and fauna that thrived in fallow fields and empty barns.

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Four New Titles Reviewed in November Issue of Choice

Ultra-Large Aircraft, 1940–1970: The Development of Guppy and Expanded Fuselage Transports
“This work is an important contribution to the history of aviation and a fine treatment of these enormous, ungainly looking airplanes. A worthwhile read for all interested in transport aircraft and the history of aviation…recommended.”

Tiger Stadium: Essays and Memories of Detroit’s Historic Ballpark, 1912–2009
“The editors of this text do an excellent job…a richly informative and entertaining resource for sports history collection…recommended.”

Exploring Our Dreams: The Science and the Potential for Self-Discovery
“Written in an easy to read, conversational tone, this book is easily accessible to the general reader…recommended.”

Early Bicycles and the Quest for Speed: A History, 1868–1903, 2d ed.
“Highly detailed…richly illustrated…[illustrations] provide a fascinating view of the late 19th century.”

 

 

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Newly Published: Manager of Giants

New on our bookshelf today:

Manager of Giants: The Tactics, Temper and True Record of John McGraw
Lou Hernández

For decades prior to the rise of Babe Ruth, the most recognized name in baseball was John McGraw. An outstanding player in the 1890s, McGraw—nicknamed “Mugsy”—was molded in the rough and tumble pre–20th century game where sportsmanship and fair play took a back seat to competition. Later, he became the successful manager of the New York Giants, dominating the National League in New York City for more than 30 years.

McGraw led the Giants with authoritarian swagger—earning another moniker, “Little Napoleon”—from 1902 through 1932, before illness forced his retirement. In his 31 seasons in New York, his teams won three world championships and 10 pennants and rarely finished out of the first division. He was a trailblazer in the use of bullpen and position player substitutions, and pushed hit-and-run strategies over the then prevalent dictums of sacrifice bunting. An unconventional leader, McGraw missed considerable bench time during his reign on account of injury, illness and fiery temperament.

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Newly Published: Vying for the Iron Throne

New on our bookshelf today:

Vying for the Iron Throne: Essays on Power, Gender, Death and Performance in HBO’s Game of Thrones
Edited by Lindsey Mantoan and Sara Brady

Game of Thrones has changed the landscape of television during an era hailed as the Golden Age of TV. An adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy A Song of Fire and Ice, the HBO series has taken on a life of its own with original plotlines that advance past those of Martin’s books.

The death of protagonist Ned Stark at the end of Season One launched a killing spree in television—major characters now die on popular shows weekly. While many shows kill off characters for pure shock value, death on Game of Thrones produces seismic shifts in power dynamics—and resurrected bodies that continue to fight. This collection of new essays explores how power, death, gender, and performance intertwine in the series.

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Newly Published: Lovable Crooks and Loathsome Jews

New on our bookshelf today:

Lovable Crooks and Loathsome Jews: Antisemitism in German and Austrian Crime Writing Before the World Wars
T.S. Kord

In the years leading up to the World Wars, Germany and Austria saw an unprecedented increase in the study and depiction of the criminal. Science, journalism and crime fiction were obsessed with delinquents while ignoring the social causes of crime. As criminologists measured criminals’ heads and debated biological predestination, court reporters and crime writers wrote side-splitting or heart-rending stories featuring one of the most popular characters ever created—the hilarious or piteous crook. The author examines the figure of the crook and notions of “Jewish” criminality in a range of antisemitic writing, from Nazi propaganda to court reporting to forgotten classics of crime fiction.

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Newly Published: The Manson Family on Film and Television

New on our bookshelf today:

The Manson Family on Film and Television
Ian Cooper

For half a century the Manson Family has captured the public imagination—the lurid, inexplicable violence in a glamorous Hollywood setting, the bizarre and lengthy trials, and Charles Manson’s strange charisma and willingness to embrace the role of evil icon.

For years, the story has been documented, dramatized and lampooned in dozens of films and television programs. This comprehensive study examines the various on-screen portrayals, from factual accounts based on prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s true crime classic Helter Skelter to prime-time TV dramas to a claymation spoof and even hardcore porn.

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Newly Published: The Rolling Stones in Concert, 1962–1982

New on our bookshelf today:

The Rolling Stones in Concert, 1962–1982: A Show-by-Show History
Ian M. Rusten

This day-by-day chronicle of every live concert by the Rolling Stones from 1962 through 1982 traces their development from a band playing small clubs around London to the global phenomenon we know today. Comprehensive coverage of the shows includes set lists, venues, concert reviews, anecdotes and notable events in the lives of the band members.

A list of the Stones’ radio recordings— some of which were performed before live audiences—and television performances is included, along with never-before-published posters, programs, tickets, handbills and photographs.

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Newly Published: The Star Gate Archives (Vol. 2)

New on our bookshelf today:

The Star Gate Archives: Reports of the United States Government Sponsored Psi Program, 1972–1995. Volume 2: Remote Viewing, 1985–1995
Compiled and Edited by Edwin C. May and Sonali Bhatt Marwaha

During the Cold War, the U.S. government began testing paranormal claims under laboratory conditions in hopes of realizing intelligence applications for psychic phenomena. Thus began the project known as Star Gate. The largest in the history of parapsychological research, it received more than $20 million in funding and continued into the mid–1990s. This project archive includes all available documents generated by research contractor SRI International and those provided by government officials.

Remote viewing (RV) is an atypical ability that allows some individuals to gain information blocked from the usual senses by shielding, distance or time. During the final decade of Star Gate, the emphasis shifted to a support role of a government in-house psychic spying unit at Ft. Meade, MD, and to engage a number of full-time scientists to investigate the physical and biological properties of RV, which proved successful. Results included how to identify the RV-gifted, what constitutes an RV target, some correlations with parts of the nervous system, and an indication of a potential 6th sense. This volume includes numerous examples as well as operational simulations.

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Halloween Sale: Horror Books

We realize that the stores have had their trees and Christmas decorations out for sale for weeks now.  At McFarland though, no one wants to leapfrog past our favorite holiday, Halloween!  McFarland has scheduled a sale for our books about horror – whether on film, television, literature, games, comics, culture or anything else.  When you order direct from our website using the coupon code HORROR25, print editions of all horror books are 25% off Friday, October 26 through Halloween, October 31.  Be prepared to be up late with the lights on…

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Newly Published: “My brothers have my back”

New on our bookshelf today:

“My brothers have my back”: Inside the November 1969 Battle on the Vietnamese DMZ
Lou Pepi

In November 1969, what Time Magazine called the “largest battle of the year” took place less than two miles from the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Three companies of Task Force 1-61 met 2,000–3,000 North Vietnamese. American forces fought for two days, inflicting heavy casualties and suffering eight killed.

Late on November 12, it became evident that the American position could be overrun. Alpha Company was airlifted in darkness to reinforce a small hill in the jungle. Three hours later, well past midnight, the Americans were attacked by 1,500 NVA.
There was a twist: A secret Vietcong document captured near Saigon urged intense action before November 14 in anticipation of the Vietnam War Moratorium Demonstrations set for November 15 in many cities in America. The Vietcong planned to inflict a stunning defeat in “an effort to get the fighting in step with the peace marchers.”

The author, a member of Alpha Company who rode in on the last helicopter, offers unique insights into the story of the men who fought those three days in 1969.

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Newly Published: Ancient Rings

New on our bookshelf today:

Ancient Rings: An Illustrated Collector’s Guide
T.N. Pollio

Ancient finger rings made of base metals and low-grade silver alloys are increasingly being unearthed and sold through a growing assortment of marketplaces worldwide. Reference material on ancient rings has focused mainly on historic and “high-end” pieces—the precious metals and stones of royalty and the wealthy—while little has been written on the evaluation of common rings. This guide describes their composition, structure and imagery, thus providing merchants, collectors and researchers with a comprehensive reference on these ancient artifacts that, until now, have gone unexamined.

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Newly Published: “Bare Knees” Flapper

New on our bookshelf today:

“Bare Knees” Flapper: The Life and Films of Virginia Lee Corbin
Tim Lussier

One of the most popular Hollywood child stars of the late 1910s, Virginia Lee Corbin was well known to fans worldwide. With her mother as her manager, Corbin retained her popularity as she grew older. She performed in vaudeville for a couple of years before continuing her film career. Corbin fit well into the flapper mold of the Jazz Age and appeared in many films throughout the 1920s. As she matured, her mother found it ever more difficult to control her. Corbin led a difficult life. After her mother’s suicide attempt, she found that all the money she had earned was gone. Her marriage (at age 18) failed and she was eventually separated from her children. The flapper struggled to remain relevant in the sound era and was trying to make a comeback when she died at 31 in 1942.

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Newly Published: The Archive Incarnate

New on our bookshelf today:

The Archive Incarnate: The Embodiment and Transmission of Knowledge in Science Fiction
Joseph Hurtgen

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—attempt to use this archive to control society, enforce conformity or turn citizens into passive consumers. Opposing them are protagonists fighting to liberate the collective mind from those who would enforce top-down control.

Archival technology and its depictions in science fiction have developed dramatically since the 1950s. Ray Bradbury discusses archives in terms of books and television media, and Margaret Atwood in terms of magazines and journaling. William Gibson focused on technofuturistic cyberspace and brain-to-computer prosthetics, Bruce Sterling on genetics and society as an archive of social practices. Neal Stephenson has imagined post-cyberpunk matrix space and interactive primers. As the archive is altered, so are the humans that interact with ever-advancing technology.

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Newly Published: Companion to Victorian Popular Fiction

New on our bookshelf today:

Companion to Victorian Popular Fiction
Edited by Kevin A. Morrison

This companion to Victorian popular fiction includes more than 300 cross-referenced entries on works written for the British mass market. Biographical sketches cover the writers and their publishers, the topics that concerned them and the genres they helped to establish or refine. Entries introduce readers to long-overlooked authors who were widely read in their time, with suggestions for further reading and emerging resources for the study of popular fiction.

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Newly Published: Diabolical Possession and the Case Behind The Exorcist

New on our bookshelf today:

Diabolical Possession and the Case Behind The Exorcist: An Overview of Scientific Research with Interviews with Witnesses and Experts
Sergio A. Rueda

Reexamining the purported 1949 exorcism of a 13-year old boy in Mount Ranier, Maryland—the most famous and widely documented case in history—the author explores the subject of demonic possession in the light of science. Eyewitness accounts, unpublished photos and never before published documents from the archives of the Rhine Research Foundation provide fresh perspective on the events that inspired the novel, and later the film, The Exorcist.

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Newly Published: Movements and Positions in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

New on our bookshelf today:

Movements and Positions in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain: The Memoir of Colonel James T. Holmes, 52d Ohio Volunteer Infantry
James T. Holmes

Published here for the first time, the Civil War combat memoir of Lieutenant Colonel James Taylor Holmes of the 52nd Ohio Volunteers presents a richly detailed firsthand account of the action on Cheatham’s Hill during the June 1864 Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Written in 1915, Holmes’ insightful narrative, with original hand-drawn diagrams, differs on key points from the accepted scholarship on troop movements and positions at Kennesaw, and contests the legitimacy of a battlefield monument. An extensive introduction and annotations by historian Mark A. Smith provide a brief yet comprehensive overview of the battle and places Holmes’ document in historical context.

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Newly Published: A NewsHound’s Guide to Student Journalism

New on our bookshelf today:

A NewsHound’s Guide to Student Journalism
Katina Paron and Javier Güelfi

Covering the basics of media arts values and practice, this graphic textbook offers cub reporters a primer on the drama, adventure and ethical conundrums that make journalism rewarding and fun. Using ripped-from-the-headlines examples, the authors challenge students to engage with the big issues. The stories revolve around a diverse newspaper staff at an urban high school who find themselves in a series of teachable moments. Packed with reporting exercises and fundamentals of the craft, woven into engaging narratives, each comic also gives readers a look at the real-life event that inspired the tale.

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Newly Published: The Romanian Cinema of Nationalism

New on our bookshelf today:

The Romanian Cinema of Nationalism: Historical Films as Propaganda and Spectacle
Onoriu Colăcel

Prior to the collapse of communism, Romanian historical movies were political, encouraging nationalistic feelings and devotion to the state. Vlad the Impaler and other such iconic figures emerged as heroes rather than loathsome bloodsuckers, celebrating a shared sense of belonging. The past decade has, however, presented Romanian films in which ordinary people are the stars—heroes, go-getters, swindlers and sore losers. The author explores a wide selection, old and new, of films set in the Romanian past.

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Newly Published: Christopher Nolan

New on our bookshelf today:

Christopher Nolan: A Critical Study of the Films
Darren Mooney

Christopher Nolan is one of the defining directors of the 21st century. Few of his contemporaries can compete in terms of critical and commercial success, let alone cultural impact. His films have a rare ability to transcend audience expectations, appealing to both casual moviegoers and dyed-in-the-wool cineastes.

Nolan’s work ranges from gritty crime thrillers (Memento, Insomnia) to spectacular blockbusters (the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception). They have taken audiences from the depths of space (Interstellar) to the harsh realities of war (Dunkirk). They have pushed the boundaries of possibility in modern movie making. This critical history covers his complete filmography, tracing his career from film student to indie darling to Oscar-nominated auteur.

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Newly Published: Religious Traditions of North Carolina

New on our bookshelf today:

Religious Traditions of North Carolina: Histories, Tenets and Leaders
Edited by W. Glenn Jonas, Jr. for the North Caroliniana Society

This book presents most of the religious traditions North Carolinians and their ancestors have embraced since 1650. Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Jews, Brethren, Quakers, Lutherans, Mennonites, Moravians, and Pentecostals, along with African American worshippers and non–Christians, are covered in fourteen essays by men and women who have experienced the religions they describe in detail.

The North Caroliniana Society is a nonprofit, nonsectarian, membership organization dedicated to the promotion of increased knowledge and appreciation of North Carolina’s heritage through the encouragement of scholarly research and writing and the teaching of state and local history, literature and culture.

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Newly Published: My Own Four Walls

New on our bookshelf today:

My Own Four Walls: A Philadelphia Newspaper Columnist as Homesteader Between the Wars
Don Rose

Don Rose came to the U.S. from England in 1908, when he was 18, entering through Ellis Island like countless other immigrants. By 1941 he was one of Philadelphia’s best-known newspaper columnists. That year he published his gentle, funny memoir My Own Four Walls, the story of the ramshackle farmhouse he and Marjorie, his wife, bought in 1918 for themselves and their 12 children.

One of his grandsons, Neil Genzlinger, himself a journalist at the New York Times, here brings that book back to life, with the original illustrations, a century after his grandfather had signed the deed. Part diary, part DIY manual, Rose’s unsung classic is a tale of smoky fireplaces, leaky ceilings and unruly gardens, at a time when refrigerators were newfangled and suburban homes were furnished at country auctions. Most of all it is a story of how one man, with persistence, slowly put down roots in his adopted country.

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Newly Published: Under Fire with ARVN Infantry

New on our bookshelf today:

Under Fire with ARVN Infantry: Memoir of a Combat Advisor in Vietnam, 1966–1967
Bob Worthington

From 1945 to 1973, more than 100,000 members of the U.S. military were advisors in Vietnam. Of these, 66,399 were combat advisors. Eleven were awarded the Medal of Honor, 378 were killed and 1393 were wounded. Combat advisors lived and fought with South Vietnamese combat units, advising on tactics and weapons and liaising with local U.S. military support.

Bob Worthington’s first tour (1966–1967) began with training at the Army Special Warfare School in unconventional warfare, Vietnamese culture and customs, advisor responsibilities and Vietnamese language. Once in-country, he acted as senior advisor to infantry defense forces and then an infantry mobile rapid reaction force.

Worthington worked alongside ARVN forces, staging operations against Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army units and coordinated actions with the U.S. Marines. He describes a night helicopter assault by 320-man ARVN battalion against a 1,200-man NVA regiment. On another night, the Vietcong ceased fire while Worthington arranged a Marine helicopter to medevac a wounded baby.

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Newly Published: The Hopefuls

New on our bookshelf today:

The Hopefuls: Chasing a Rock ’n’ Roll Dream in the Minnesota Music Scene
Paul V. Allen

Songwriters, performers and producers Erik Appelwick, Eric Fawcett, John Hermanson and Darren Jackson were important players in an early 2000s musical collective. This collective included genres such as folk, power pop, R & B, electro-funk and indie rock. Well-known bands Storyhill, Spymob, Alva Star, Kid Dakota, Vicious Vicious, Tapes ’n Tapes, Olympic Hopefuls and others were part of this movement.

These four men worked for their rock n’ roll dreams, producing well-crafted albums and exciting live performances along the way. Their shared biography draws from dozens of new interviews and hundreds of articles to document their intersecting musical journeys—from playing air guitar to KISS records to rocking gyms in high school cover bands to touring the world with some of pop music’s biggest names. Equal parts celebration and cautionary tale, this book discusses both the rewards and difficulties of life as an independent musician.

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Newly Published: Jean Gabin

New on our bookshelf today:

Jean Gabin: The Actor Who Was France
Joseph Harriss

Jean Gabin was more than just a star of iconic movies still screened in film festivals around the world. To many, he was France itself. During his 45-year career, he acted in 95 French films, including Le Quai des BrumesLa Grande IllusionTouchez Pas au Grisbi and French Cancan.

From his start as a reluctant song and dance man at the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergère, Gabin became a first-magnitude actor under such directors as Julien Duvivier, Marcel Carné and Jean Renoir. This revealing biography traces his involvement in the réalisme poétique and film noir movements of the 1930s and 1940s, his unhappy Hollywood years, his role in the World War II liberation of France, his tumultuous affairs with Michèle Morgan and Marlene Dietrich and his real-life role as a Normandy gentleman farmer.

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Newly Published: Artistic Collaboration Today

New on our bookshelf today:

Artistic Collaboration Today: Profiles of Creative Teams in Diverse Media
Victor M. Cassidy

Most artists work alone, but some find a creative partner and team up for their entire careers. Artistic collaborators testify that their work done jointly is better than what each person could create on his or her own. They say this collaboration is like marriage in the way that both partners benefit from a commitment to shared goals, excellent communication and trust.
Based on studio visits and in-depth interviews, this book reports on more than forty collaborating sculptors, painters, printmakers, photographers and other artists who have worked in tandem with architects and performers.

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Newly Published: Fantasy Literature and Christianity

New on our bookshelf today:

Fantasy Literature and Christianity: A Study of the Mistborn, Coldfire, Fionavar Tapestry and Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Series
Weronika Łaszkiewicz

The debate surrounding the Christian aspects of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter has revealed not only the prominence of religious themes in fantasy fiction, but also readers’ concerns over portrayals of religion in fantasy. Yet while analyses of these works fill many volumes, other fantasy series have received much less attention. This critical study explores the fantastic religions and religious themes in the works of American and Canadian writers Stephen R. Donaldson (Chronicles of Thomas Covenant), Guy Gavriel Kay (Fionavar Tapestry), Celia S. Friedman (Coldfire Trilogy), and Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn) series. References to biblical tradition and Christian teachings reveal these writers’ overall approach to Christianity and the relationship between Christianity and the fantasy genre.

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Newly Published: Edmond O’Brien

New on our bookshelf today:

Edmond O’Brien: Everyman of Film Noir
Derek Sculthorpe

One of the most versatile actors of his generation, Edmond O’Brien made an impact in a series of iconic noir films. From a man reporting his own murder in D.O.A. (1949) to the conflicted title character in The Bigamist (1953), he portrayed the confusion of the Everyman in the postwar world.

His memorable roles spanned genres from Shakespeare to westerns and comedies—he also turned his hand to directing. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the harassed press agent Oscar Muldoon in Joseph Mankiewicz’s bitter Cinderella fable The Barefoot Contessa (1954). This first in-depth study of O’Brien charts his life and career from the Broadway stage to Hollywood in its heyday and the rise of television, revealing a devoted family man dedicated to his craft.

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Newly Published: Baseball Hall of Fame Autographs

New on our bookshelf today:

Baseball Hall of Fame Autographs: A Reference Guide, 2d ed.
Ron Keurajian

Richly illustrated with nearly 1,000 examples of both autographs and forgeries, this new and expanded edition includes signature studies of all Hall of Famers from the 19th century to the present. Collectors can compare signatures to the examples to determine the genuineness of autographs.
Shoeless Joe and the rest of the Black Sox are explored in depth, along with Roger Maris, Gil Hodges and the top 50 non–Hall of Fame autographs.
A new price guide examines values of various signed mediums. A market population grid lists rare and seldom seen signatures.

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Newly Published: Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy

New on our bookshelf today:

Post-Apocalyptic Patriarchy: American Television and Gendered Visions of Survival
Carlen Lavigne

Twenty-first century American television series such as RevolutionFalling SkiesThe Last Ship and The Walking Dead have depicted a variety of doomsday scenarios—nuclear cataclysm, rogue artificial intelligence, pandemic, alien invasion or zombie uprising. These scenarios speak to longstanding societal anxieties and contemporary calamities like 9/11 or the avian flu epidemic. Questions about post-apocalyptic television abound: whose voices are represented? What tomorrows are they most afraid of? What does this tell us about the world we live in today? The author analyzes these speculative futures in terms of gender, race and sexuality, revealing the fears and ambitions of a patriarchy in flux, as exemplified by the “return” to a mythical American frontier where the white male hero fights for survival, protects his family and crafts a new world order based on the old.

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Newly Published: Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018

New on our bookshelf today:

Encyclopedia of Unaired Television Pilots, 1945–2018
Vincent Terrace

Covering the years 1945–2018, this alphabetical listing provides details about 2,923 unaired television series pilots, including those that never went into production, and those that became series but with a different cast, such as The Green HornetThe Middle and Superman.

Rarities include proposed shows starring Bela Lugosi, Doris Day, Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Orson Welles, Claudette Colbert and Mae West, along with such casting curiosities as Mona Freeman, not Gale Storm, as Margie in My Little Margie, and John Larkin as Perry Mason long before Raymond Burr played the role.

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Newly Published: The Relevant Library

New on our bookshelf today:

The Relevant Library: Essays on Adapting to Changing Needs
Edited by Vera Gubnitskaia and Carol Smallwood

At a time when libraries are no longer the leading proprietors of information, many library professionals find themselves rethinking their purpose. In this collection of new essays, contributors share their experiences and ideas for keeping libraries integral to changing communities.
Innovative approaches and best practices are discussed for strategic planning, packaging, branding and marketing, funding issues, physical spaces, collection needs and trends, partnerships, programming and services, professional education, and staffing.

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Newly Published: A Surgeon with Stilwell

New on our bookshelf today:

A Surgeon with Stilwell: Dr. John H. Grindlay and Combat Medicine in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II
Alan K. Lathrop

United States Army surgeon John H. Grindlay served in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II in 1941–1944. Drawing on his unpublished war diary and letters, this book sheds new light on the conduct of battlefield medicine in the tropics and provides a new perspective on such personalities as General Joseph W. Stilwell, the famed “Burma Surgeon” Dr. Gordon S. Seagrave, and Chiang Kai-shek. Stilwell’s famous 1942 “walkout” retreat from Burma to India is covered, along with the 1943 Allied return to Burma to push the Japanese from the Ledo Road connecting northeast India to southwestern China.

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Newly Published: The Music of Charlie Chaplin

New on our bookshelf today:

The Music of Charlie Chaplin
Jim Lochner

Charlie Chaplin the actor is universally synonymous with his beloved Tramp character. Chaplin the director is considered one of the great auteurs and innovators of cinema history. Less well known is Chaplin the composer, whose instrumental theme for Modern Times (1936) later became the popular standard “Smile,” a Billboard hit for Nat “King” Cole in 1954.

Chaplin was prolific yet could not read or write music. It took a rotating cast of talented musicians to translate his unorthodox humming, off-key singing, and amateur piano and violin playing into the singular orchestral vision he heard in his head.

Drawing on numerous transcriptions from 60 years of original scores, this comprehensive study reveals the untold story of Chaplin the composer and the string of famous (and not-so-famous) musicians he employed, giving fresh insight into his films and shedding new light on the man behind the icon.

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Newly Published: Chauncey Yellow Robe

New on our bookshelf today:

Chauncey Yellow Robe: A Biography of the American Indian Educator, ca. 1870–1930
David W. Messer

In 1883, 12-year old Canowicakte boarded a train on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, beginning a journey his friends said would end at the edge of the world. Raised as a traditional Lakota, he found Carlisle Indian School, with its well-documented horrors, was the end of the world as he knew it.

Renamed Chauncey Yellow Robe, he flourished at Carlisle, developed a lifelong friendship with founder Richard Pratt, and went on to work at Indian boarding schools for most of his professional life.

Despite his acceptance of Indian assimilation, he was adamant that Indians should maintain their identity and was an outspoken critic of their demeaning portrayal in popular Wild West shows. He was the star and technical director of The Silent Enemy (1930), one of the first accurate depictions of Indians on film. His life embodied a cultural conflict that still persists in American society.

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Newly Published: The Bite, the Breast and the Blood

New on our bookshelf today:

The Bite, the Breast and the Blood: Why Modern Vampire Stories Suck Us In
Amy Williams Wilson

Central to every vampire story is the undead’s need for human blood, but equally compelling is the human ingestion of vampire blood, which often creates a bond. This blood connection suggests two primal, natural desires: breastfeeding and communion with God through a blood covenant.

This analysis of vampire stories explores the benefits of the bonding experiences of breastfeeding and Christian and vampire narratives, arguing that modern readers and viewers are drawn to this genre because of our innate fascination with the relationship between human and maker.

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Newly Published: Shapers of American Childhood

New on our bookshelf today:

Shapers of American Childhood: Essays on Visionaries from L. Frank Baum to Dr. Spock to J.K. Rowling
Edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Mark I. West

The experience of growing up in the U.S. is shaped by many forces. Relationships with parents and teachers are deeply personal and definitive. Social and economic contexts are broader and harder to quantify.

Key individuals in public life have also had a marked impact on American childhood. These 18 new essays examine the influence of pivotal figures in the culture of 20th and 21st century childhood and child-rearing, from Benjamin Spock and Walt Disney to Ruth Handler, Barbie’s inventor, and Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.

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Four New Titles Reviewed in October Issue of Choice

Freedom Narratives of African American Women: A Study of 19th Century Writings
“Compelling…crucially contributing to feminist recovery work and scholarship in African American studies, Freedom Narratives of African American Women is required reading for those interested in 19th-century America…essential.”

The Postmodern Joy of Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium
“Groundbreaking study…this volume is required reading for RPG and gaming scholars…essential.”

The American Soldier, 1866–1916: The Enlisted Man and the Transformation of the United States Army
“This is a rewarding study of enlisted men in the post–Civil War era…recommended.”

Organized Crime in the United States, 1865–1941
“Challenges widely accepted views…an interesting historical analysis…recommended.”

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Newly Published: New York and the Lincoln Specials

New on our bookshelf today:

New York and the Lincoln Specials: The President’s Pre-Inaugural and Funeral Trains Cross the Empire State
Joseph D. Collea, Jr.

Abraham Lincoln’s presidency was bookended by a pair of dramatic railroad trips through the state of New York. His first term began with a pre-inaugural railway tour—his second ended with a funeral train. Each was a five-day crossing of the Empire State.

These two journeys allowed thousands of ordinary Americans first to celebrate, and later to mourn, the great president, and became indelibly etched in the memories of those who had the opportunity to stand along parade route.

Drawing on newspaper accounts, memoirs and diaries, this book brings to life the two epic and unique moments in both New York’s and the nation’s history.

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Newly Published: An American Town and the Vietnam War

New on our bookshelf today:

An American Town and the Vietnam War: Stories of Service from Stamford, Connecticut
Tony Pavia and Matt Pavia

Hundreds of young Americans from the town of Stamford, Connecticut, fought in the Vietnam War. These men and women came from all corners of the town. They were white and black, poor and wealthy. Some had not finished high school; others had graduate degrees. They served as grunts and helicopter pilots, battlefield surgeons and nurses, combat engineers and mine sweepers. Greeted with indifference and sometimes hostility upon their return home, Stamford’s veterans learned to suppress their memories in a nation fraught with political, economic and racial tensions. Now in their late 60s and 70s, these veterans have begun to tell their stories.

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Newly Published: Stardust International Raceway

New on our bookshelf today:

Stardust International Raceway: Motorsports Meets the Mob in Vegas, 1965–1971
Randall Cannon and Michael Gerry

Professional motorsports came to Las Vegas in the mid–1950s at a bankrupt horse track swarmed by gamblers—and soon became enmeshed with the government and organized crime. By 1965, the Vegas racing game moved from makeshift facilities to Stardust International Raceway, constructed with real grandstands, sanitary facilities and air-conditioned timing towers. Stardust would host the biggest racing names of the era—Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, John Surtees, Mark Donohue, Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney and Don Garlits among them.

Established by a notorious racketeer, the track stood at the confluence of shadowy elements—wiretaps, casino skimming, Howard Hughes, and the beginnings of Watergate. The author traces the Stardust’s colorful history through the auto racing monthlies, national newspapers, extensive interviews and the files of the FBI.

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Newly Published: The Fabulous Journeys of Alice and Pinocchio

New on our bookshelf today:

The Fabulous Journeys of Alice and Pinocchio: Exploring Their Parallel Worlds
Laura Tosi with Peter Hunt

Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871) and Carlo Collodi’s Le Avventure di Pinocchio (1883) are among the most influential classics of children’s literature. Firmly rooted in their respective British and Italian national cultures, the Alice and Pinocchio stories connected to a worldwide audience almost like folktales and fairy tales and have become fixtures of postmodernism.

Although they come from radically different political and social backgrounds, the texts share surprising similarities. This comparative reading explores their imagery and history, and discusses them in the broader context of British and Italian children’s stories.

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Newly Published: Electric Airplanes and Drones

New on our bookshelf today:

Electric Airplanes and Drones: A History
Kevin Desmond

Attempts at electric powered flight date to well before the 19th century. Battery weight and low energy output made it impractical until the 1990s, when the advent of lightweight materials, more efficient solar power, improved engines and the Li-Po (lithium polymer) battery opened the skies to a wide variety of electric aircraft.

The author describes the diverse designs of modern electric flying machines—from tiny insect-styled drones to stratospheric airships—and explores developing trends, including flying cars and passenger airliners.

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Newly Published: Writing for College

New on our bookshelf today:

Writing for College: A No-B.S. Guide
Robert Alden Rubin

This book guides first-year students through the dos and don’ts of composition, from such basic questions as “Can I use ‘I’ in a college essay?” to more advanced points about structure and style. Emphasizing the importance of writing in all majors, the author encourages students to find their own voice and to express themselves without jargon or “academese.” Tips are provided on concision, use of supporting claims, marshaling arguments, researching topics, documenting sources, and revision.

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Newly Published: The International Medical Relief Corps in Wartime China, 1937–1945

New on our bookshelf today:

The International Medical Relief Corps in Wartime China, 1937–1945
Robert Mamlok, M.D.

Both before and during World War II, the Nazis restricted the rights of Jewish and communist doctors. Some fought back, first by fighting against Fascism in the Spanish Civil War and then by helping the Chinese in their struggle against Japan. There were, however, two rival factions in China. One favored Chiang Kai-shek (the nationalists) and the other, the communists—and 27 foreign medical personnel were caught between them. Amidst poverty, war and corruption, living conditions were poor and traveling was hazardous.

This book follows members of the Chinese Red Cross Medical Relief Corps through the war as they became enemy aliens and pursued their work despite the perils. These doctors had a keen sense of public health needs and contributed to the recognition and management of infectious diseases and nutritional disorders, all the while denouncing corruption, inhumanity and inequality.

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Newly Published: The Films of Budd Boetticher

New on our bookshelf today:

The Films of Budd Boetticher
Robert Nott

Budd Boetticher (1916–2001) was a bullfighter, a pleasant madman and a talented journeyman filmmaker who could—with the right material and drive—create a minor Western film classic as easily as he could kill a bull. Yet pain and passion naturally mixed in both endeavors. Drawing on studio archives and featuring insightful interviews with Boetticher and those who worked with him, this retrospective looks at each of his 33 films in detail, covering his cinematic career from his days as an assistant’s assistant on the set of Hal Roach comedies to his last documentary some 45 years later.

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Newly Published: The Echo of Odin

New on our bookshelf today:

The Echo of Odin: Norse Mythology and Human Consciousness
Edward W.L. Smith

The pagan mythology of the Vikings offers a rich metaphor for consciousness. This book presents the cosmography of Norse mythology as a landscape of human inner life. Each of the nine worlds of this cosmography is viewed as a symbol of a distinct type of consciousness that is emblematic of a particular perspective or way of relating to others.

Individual gods and goddesses are considered nuanced personifications of their worlds. The philosophy of pagan mythology is explored by comparing and contrasting the Sayings of Odin from the Norse Edda with the Christian Ten Commandments.

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Newly Published: Bystanders to the Vietnam War

New on our bookshelf today:

Bystanders to the Vietnam War: The Role of the United States Senate, 1950–1965
Ronald Allen Goldberg

Who was most responsible for the Vietnam War? Did President Lyndon Johnson simply continue the policies of his predecessors, Eisenhower and Kennedy, or was he the principal architect? What responsibility did Congress share? Was the Senate a coequal partner in creating the Vietnam policy or a secondary player?

Focusing on the U.S. Senate’s role in the war, this history records the various senators’ views in their own words. The author demonstrates that during the 20-year conflict—as throughout American history—the president was the principal formulator of policy on war and peace, including during the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Newly Published: Video Gaming in Science Fiction

New on our bookshelf today:

Video Gaming in Science Fiction: A Critical Study
Jason Barr

As video gaming and gaming culture became more mainstream in the 1970s, science fiction authors began to incorporate aspects of each into their work. This study examines how media-fueled paranoia about video gaming—first emerging almost fifty years ago—still resonates in modern science fiction. The author reveals how negative stereotypes of gamers and gaming have endured in depictions of modern gamers in the media and how honest portrayals are still wanting, even in the “forward thinking” world of science fiction.

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Newly Published: Pirates in History and Popular Culture

New on our bookshelf today:

Pirates in History and Popular Culture
Edited by Antonio Sanna

This collection of new essays covers the myriad portrayals of the figure of the pirate in historical records, literary narratives, films, television series, opera, anime and games. Contributors explore the nuances of both real and fictional pirates, giving attention to renowned works such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, and the anime One Piece, as well as less well known works such as pirate romances, William Clarke Russell’s The Frozen Pirate, Lionel Lindsay’s artworks, Steven Speilberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, and Pastafarian texts.

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New in Softcover: The Complete Kay Francis Career Record

Now available in softcover:

The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances
Lynn Kear and John Rossman

This book is the definitive guide to the film, stage, radio and television career of Kay Francis, one of the most glamorous stars from the golden age of Hollywood. For each film, the authors provide a thorough synopsis plus cast and crew information (including biographies), opening dates, production notes, behind-the-scenes details, and reviews. In addition, information is provided on her stage, radio, and television appearances, and a section is devoted to collecting Kay Francis memorabilia, including such items as cigarette cards, sheet music and soundtracks. Also covered is the stage and vaudeville career of Kay Francis’ mother, Katherine Clinton. A brief biography of Kay Francis is provided, along with an insightful foreword by film scholar James Robert Parish. Truly a treasure trove for Kay Francis fans and anyone interested in classic filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940s, the book includes more than 130 illustrations, many of them rare.

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Newly Published: Harold Gibbons

New on our bookshelf today:

Harold Gibbons: St. Louis Teamsters Leader and Warrior Against Jim Crow
Gordon Burnside

Harold Gibbons (1910–1982), leader of St. Louis Teamsters Local 688, fought and defeated Communists and mobsters and was instrumental in ending racial discrimination in the union. His many friends included Frank Sinatra and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. For a few years, he was Jimmy Hoffa’s right-hand man—the two fell out after the Kennedy assassination, which Hoffa celebrated and Gibbons mourned. Exploring his day-to-day work, the author reveals the full story of Gibbons’ secret effort with Kissinger and Hoffa to bring an end to the Vietnam War.

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Newly Published: Memory and Identity in Canadian Fiction

New on our bookshelf today:

Memory and Identity in Canadian Fiction: Self-Inventive Storytelling in the Works of Five Authors
Sharon Selby

Covering the works of Canadian authors Alistair Macleod, Michael Ondaatje, Jane Urquhart, Margaret Atwood and Drew Hayden Taylor, the author explores how the themes of memory, storytelling and identity develop in their fiction. For the narrative voices in these works, the past is embedded in the present and a wider cultural history is written over with personal significance. The act of storytelling shapes the characters’ lives, letting them rewrite the past and be haunted by it. Storytelling becomes an existential act of everyday connection among ordinary people and daily (often unrecognized) acts of heroism.

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Newly Published: The Body Burning Detail

New on our bookshelf today:

The Body Burning Detail: Memoir of a Marine Artilleryman in Vietnam
Bill Jones

A poignant memoir that recounts the author’s hair-raising—and occasionally hilarious—experiences as a young, not especially gung-ho Marine artilleryman in Vietnam. Gritty and disturbing, Bill Jones’ unvarnished narrative probes the lasting physical and emotional wounds of war and offers a combat veteran’s wry insight into the influence and relevance of America’s long and indecisive misadventure.

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Newly Published: Original Jethro Tull

New on our bookshelf today:

Original Jethro Tull: The Glory Years, 1968–1980
Gary Parker

Jethro Tull was one of the truly innovative rock bands to emerge from the late 1960s. At their peak the idiosyncratic group, fronted by multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson, resembled a troupe of roving English minstrels.

Crafting a signature progressive rock sound that resisted easy categorization, they were often derided by critics as too British, too eccentric, too theatrical. Over the span of a decade, Tull released a string of sublime albums featuring intricate compositions in a wide range of musical styles, with little regard for the showbiz maxim “give the public what it wants.”

Focusing on the years 1968–1980, this history includes insider accounts based on exclusive interviews with key members and rare photographs from Ian Anderson’s personal collection.

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Newly Published: George Orwell on Screen

New on our bookshelf today:

George Orwell on Screen: Adaptations, Documentaries and Docudramas on Film and Television
David Ryan

British author and essayist George Orwell shot to fame with two iconic novels: the anti–Stalinist satire Animal Farm and the dystopian masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four.

A few years after his death in 1950, the CIA bankrolled screen adaptations of both novels as Cold War propaganda. Orwell’s depiction of a totalitarian police state captivated the media in the 1980s. Today, mounting anxieties about digital surveillance and globalization have made him a hot property in Hollywood.

Drawing on interviews with actors, writers, directors and producers, this book presents the first comprehensive study of Orwell on film and television. Beginning with CBS’s 1953 live production of Nineteen Eighty-Four that mirrored the McCarthy witch hunts, the author covers 20 wide-ranging adaptations, documentaries and biopics, including two lost BBC dramatizations from 1965.

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Newly Published: Shakespeare’s Apprenticeship

New on our bookshelf today:

Shakespeare’s Apprenticeship: Identifying the Real Playwright’s Earliest Works
Ramon Jiménez

The contents of the Shakespeare canon have come into question in recent years as scholars add plays or declare others only partially his work. Now, new literary and historical evidence demonstrates that five heretofore anonymous plays published or performed during his lifetime are actually his first versions of later canonical works.

Three histories, The Famous Victories of Henry the FifthThe True Tragedy of Richard the Third, and The Troublesome Reign of John; a comedy, The Taming of a Shrew; and a romance, King Leir, are products of Shakespeare’s juvenile years. Later in his career, he transformed them into the plays that bear nearly identical titles. Each is strikingly similar to its canonical counterpart in terms of structure, plot and cast, though the texts were entirely rewritten.

Virtually all scholars, critics and editors of Shakespeare have overlooked or disputed the idea that he had anything to do with them. This addition of five plays to the Shakespeare canon introduces a new facet to the authorship debate, and supplies further evidence that the real Shakespeare was Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford.

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New in Softcover: Encyclopedia of Abortion in the United States, 2d ed.

Now available in softcover:

Encyclopedia of Abortion in the United States, 2d ed.
Louis J. Palmer, Jr. and Xueyan Z. Palmer

This now revised and updated encyclopedia comprehensively covers abortion from the founding of the nation through 2007. Since the publication of the first edition, the Supreme Court has issued a number of important opinions on abortion, such as the approval of a federal ban on partial-birth abortion in Gonzales v. Carhart. Along with new entries on these events and other topics, the second edition is also enhanced by more than 40 photographs and more than 300 charts and graphs. The roles of the Supreme Court and other judicial and legislative bodies are covered in great detail. Entries focus on the “voting” position taken by every Supreme Court justice who has ever participated in an abortion decision; provide the actual abortion laws of each state; and summarize individual statutes to help nonspecialist readers understand the laws. Many entries focus on the social, religious, or moral arguments surrounding abortion and identify and describe the leading pro-life and pro-choice abortion organizations. There are entries summarizing the major lawful or unlawful activities that have occurred in support or protest of abortion. Medical issues related to abortion are fully covered: modern contraceptive devices, different methods of abortion, the gestational development of the human fetus, embryonic cloning, assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy, and embryonic/fetal stem cell research.

 

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King Arthur Sales Starts Now

What is known of the legendary King Arthur is mostly derived from folklore and literature.  Though today, one is just as likely to have been introduced to King Arthur by a cartoon boy pulling a sword from a stone.  You’ll find books covering all disciplines in our new King Arthur catalog
For film studies, McFarland’s latest catalog includes such titles as Kevin J. Harty’s groundbreaking Cinema Arthuriana and The Reel Middle Ages.  For students (and professors) of Arthurian literature, William W. Kibler and R. Barton Palmer have brought us a very useful book for the classroom, Medieval Arthurian Epic and Romance.   It offers new translations from Latin, Middle English and Old French of texts that exemplify the most important traditions of Arthurian literature in the Middle Ages.  In addition to Arthuriana in folklore, literature and film, this new catalog also includes our line of popular works debating the evidence about historic sites and figures, including Hengest, Gwrtheyrn and the Chronology of Post-Roman BritainWhen you order direct from our website using the coupon code Arthur25, print editions of all Arthuriana books are 25% off September 15 through September 30.
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Newly Published: The Thirteenth Century

New on our bookshelf today:

The Thirteenth Century: A World History
Richard Bressler

The 13th Century was a fascinating era in world history. Genghis Khan established the largest contiguous land empire in history. The Magna Carta was drafted. Marco Polo travelled through Asia and trade expanded across the Indian Ocean and Baltic Sea, setting the stage for greater expansion in the 15th century. The Native Americans of Cahokia, Mesoamerica and the Chimor State flourished while Mali, Ethiopia and Great Zimbabwe throve in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This world history chronicles the important events in this pivotal century, while exploring many of the relevant figures of the era, including King John of England, St. Francis of Assisi, Balban of India and many others.

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Newly Published: Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s

New on our bookshelf today:

Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s: A Complete Guide
Bob Leszczak

During the “Must See TV” 1990s, Americans enjoyed such immensely popular sitcoms as FriendsSeinfeldHome Improvement and The Drew Carey Show. Shows that did not make the ratings cut numbered in the hundreds—the emergence of new networks and cable channels airing original programming resulted in a vast increase in short-lived sitcoms over the previous decade. Some of these “flops” were actually quite good and deserved a better fate.

The author revisits them—along with the “dramedies” of the day—with detailed entries providing production and broadcast information, along with critical analyses, and recollections by cast and crew members. A subsection highlights sitcoms that returned for an abbreviated second season. Dozens of cast and crew photographs are included.

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Newly Published: Adapted from the Original

New on our bookshelf today:

Adapted from the Original: Essays on the Value and Values of Works Remade for a New Medium
Edited by Laurence Raw

Critics and audiences often judge films, books and other media as “great” —but what does that really mean? This collection of new essays examines the various criteria by which degrees of greatness (or not-so) are constructed—whether by personal, political or social standards—through topics in cinema, literature and adaptation. The contributors recognize how issues of value vary across different cultures, and explore what those differences say about attitudes and beliefs.

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Newly Published: Terrifying Texts

New on our bookshelf today:

Terrifying Texts: Essays on Books of Good and Evil in Horror Cinema
Edited by Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper

From Faust (1926) to The Babadook (2014), books have been featured in horror films as warnings, gateways, prisons and manifestations of the monstrous. Ancient grimoires such as the Necronomicon serve as timeless vessels of knowledge beyond human comprehension, while runes, summoning diaries, and spell books offer their readers access to the powers of the supernatural—but at what cost?
 This collection of new essays examines nearly a century of genre horror in which on-screen texts drive and shape their narratives, sometimes unnoticed. The contributors explore American films like The Evil Dead (1981), The Prophecy (1995) and It Follows (2014), as well as such international films as Eric Valette’s Malefique (2002), Paco Cabeza’s The Appeared (2007) and Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond (1981).

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Newly Published: Doing My Bit Over There

New on our bookshelf today:

Doing My Bit Over There: A U.S. Marine’s Memoir of the Western Front in World War I
Everard J. Bullis

Motivated by patriotism, 21-year old Everard Bullis of St. Paul, Minnesota—the only boy of five siblings from a middle-class family—enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1917 and went to the Western Front. His clear-eyed memoir describes in detail the Fifth Marine Regiment’s desperate stand against repeated German assaults at Belleau Wood, along with actions at Soissons, St. Mihiel and Blanc Mont Ridge. Historical figures appear, including Captain Frank Whitehead, George W. Hamilton (“America’s Greatest World War I Hero”) and General John J. Pershing.

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Newly Published: Storytelling in the Modern Board Game

New on our bookshelf today:

Storytelling in the Modern Board Game: Narrative Trends from the Late 1960s to Today
Marco Arnaudo

Over the years, board games have evolved to include relatable characters, vivid settings and compelling, intricate plotlines. In turn, players have become more emotionally involved—taking on, in essence, the role of coauthors in an interactive narrative.

Through the lens of game studies and narratology—traditional storytelling concepts applied to the gaming world—this book explores the synergy of board games, designers and players in story-oriented designs. The author provides development guidance for game designers and recommends games to explore for hobby players.

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Newly Published: The Elusive African Renaissance

New on our bookshelf today:

The Elusive African Renaissance: Essays on Today’s Critical Development Issues
Edited by George Klay Kieh, Jr.

Africa faces several major development challenges that have adversely affected the political and material well being of the majority of the people living there.

This collection of new essays rigorously analyzes those frontier development issues—including democracy, leadership, the economy, poverty alleviation through microfinance schemes, food security, education, health and political instability—and offers prescriptions that differ from the dominant neoliberal solutions.

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Newly Published: Teens and the New Religious Landscape

New on our bookshelf today:

Teens and the New Religious Landscape: Essays on Contemporary Young Adult Fiction
Edited by Jacob Stratman

How are teenagers’ religious experiences shown in today’s young adult literature? How do authors use religious texts and beliefs to add depth to characters, settings and plots? How does YA fiction place itself in the larger conversation regarding religion?

Modern YA fiction does not shy away from the dilemmas and anxieties teenagers face today. While many stories end with the protagonist in a state of flux if not despair, some authors choose redemption or reconciliation.

This collection of new essays explores these issues and more, with a focus on stories in which characters respond to a new (often shifting) religious landscape, in both realistic and fantastic worlds.

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Newly Published: Redes literarias

New on our bookshelf today:

Redes literarias: Antología del texto hispánico en su contexto histórico-cultural
Compilado y comentado por Mindy E. Badía y Bonnie L. Gasior

Esta nueva antología literaria—dirigida a estudiantes del tercer o cuarto año de un programa de español universitario—abarca poesía, prosa narrativa, drama y ensayo de autores españoles, latinoamericanos, y latinos. Las lecturas están organizadas cronológicamente y cada selección está acompañada por una introducción a su contexto histórico y sus conexiones con otras obras. Redes proporciona un conocimiento básico de la historia literaria del mundo hispano además de una introducción a los aspectos formales del análisis  literario.

This literary anthology—aimed at students in the third or fourth years of a university-level Spanish program—includes poetry, prose narrative, drama and essays by Spanish, Latin American and Latino authors. The readings are organized chronologically, and each selection is accompanied by an introduction to its historical context and its connections to other works. Redes provides a background of the literary history of the Hispanic world as well as an introduction to the formal aspects of literary analysis.

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Newly Published: Ho Chi Minh’s Blueprint for Revolution

New on our bookshelf today:

Ho Chi Minh’s Blueprint for Revolution: In the Words of Vietnamese Strategists and Operatives
Virginia Morris with Clive A. Hills

When Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces on April 30, 1975, the communist victory sent shockwaves around the world. Using ingenious strategy and tactics, Hồ Chí Minh had shown it was possible for a tiny nation to defeat a mighty Western power. The same tactics have been studied and replicated by revolutionary forces and terrorist organizations across the globe.

Drawing on recently declassified documents and rare interviews with Hồ Chí Minh’s strategists and operatives, this book offers fresh perspective on his blueprint and the reasons behind both the French (1945–1954) and the American (1959–1975) failures in Vietnam, concluding with an analysis of the threat this model poses today.

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Newly Published: The Olympic Club of New Orleans

New on our bookshelf today:

The Olympic Club of New Orleans: Epicenter of Professional Boxing, 1883–1897
S. Derby Gisclair

Established in 1883, the Olympic Club catered to a variety of pursuits from target shooting to billiards to boxing—the most popular sport in New Orleans, despite legal prohibitions.

A revised city ordinance and a vague state statute permitting boxing sponsored by chartered athletic clubs were frequently tested at the Olympic, the epicenter of boxing in America. Between 1890 and 1894, the club’s 10,000–seat arena hosted six world championship and seven national or regional title bouts. The 1892 Fistic Carnival featured three world title fights on three consecutive days, culminating in the World Heavyweight Championship between John L. Sullivan and James J. Corbett.

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Newly Published: Czechoslovakia Behind the Curtain

New on our bookshelf today:

Czechoslovakia Behind the Curtain: Life, Work and Culture in the Communist Era
Thomas K. Murphy

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 contributed to social diversity among and within communist systems.

Drawing on interviews with approximately 100 Czechs and Slovaks, the author provides new perspectives on day-to-day life in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Their recollections paint a more complex picture of the life on the other side of the Iron Curtain, from the Sputnik era reforms of the early 1960s, through the tumult of the 1968 Prague Spring and the subsequent Soviet invasion, to the Velvet Revolution, the collapse of the communist regime and the formation of democratic Czechoslovakia in 1989.

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Newly Published: The Loyalist Conscience

New on our bookshelf today:

The Loyalist Conscience: Principled Opposition to the American Revolution
Chaim M. Rosenberg

Freedom of speech was restricted during the Revolutionary War. In the great struggle for independence, those who remained loyal to the British crown were persecuted with loss of employment, eviction from their homes, heavy taxation, confiscation of property and imprisonment. Loyalist Americans from all walks of life were branded as traitors and enemies of the people. By the end of the war, 80,000 had fled their homeland to face a dismal exile from which few would return, outcasts of a new republic based on democratic values of liberty, equality and justice.

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Newly Published: Six Plays of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

New on our bookshelf today:

Six Plays of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Edited by Jamil Khoury, Michael Malek Najjar and Corey Pond

A bold and singular collection of six plays by Arab and Jewish playwrights explores the human toll of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The Admission by Motti Lerner, Scenes From 70* Years by Hannah Khalil, Tennis in Nablus by Ismail Khalidi, Urge for Going by Mona Mansour, The Victims by Ken Kaissar, and The Zionists by Zohar Tirosh-Polk.

Rather than striving to achieve balance and moral equivalency between “competing” narratives, the plays investigate themes of identity, justice, occupation, exile, history and homeland with honesty and integrity. The plays do not “take sides” or adhere to ideological orthodoxies but challenge tribalism and narrow definitions of nationalism, while varying widely in thematic content, dramatic structure, and time and place.

Where politicians and diplomats fail, artists and storytellers may yet succeed—not in ratifying a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine, but in building the sort of social and political connectivity that enables resolution.

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Newly Published: The Politics of Race, Gender and Sexuality in The Walking Dead

New on our bookshelf today:

The Politics of Race, Gender and Sexuality in The Walking Dead: Essays on the Television Series and Comics
Edited by Elizabeth Erwin and Dawn Keetley

From the beginning, both Robert Kirkman’s comics and AMC’s series of The Walking Dead have brought controversy in their presentations of race, gender and sexuality. Critics and fans have contended that the show’s identity politics have veered toward the decidedly conservative, offering up traditional understandings of masculinity, femininity, heterosexuality, racial hierarchy and white supremacy.

This collection of new essays explores the complicated nature of relationships among the story’s survivors. In the end, characters demonstrate often-surprising shifts that consistently comment on identity politics. Whether agreeing or disagreeing with critics, these essays offer a rich view of how gender, race, class and sexuality intersect in complex new ways in the TV series and comics.

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Newly Published: Bombs, Bullets and Bread

New on our bookshelf today:

Bombs, Bullets and Bread: The Politics of Anarchist Terrorism Worldwide, 1866–1926
Michael Kemp

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,” assassinations, bombings and assaults carried out by anarchists—both individuals and conspirators—were intended to incite revolution and established the precedents of modern terrorism. Much has been written about these actions and the responses to them yet little attention has been given to the actors themselves. Drawing on wide range of sources, the author profiles numerous insurgents, their deeds and their motives.

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Four Titles Reviewed in September Issue of Choice

Four new titles are reviewed in the September issue of Choice!

We Rise to Resist: Voices from a New Era in Women’s Political Action
“The volume serves not only as a springboard for classroom discussions but also as a unique documentary source for future generations. We Rise to Resist contextualizes third-wave feminism by highlighting the diversity of women’s experiences while offering a space for reflection and a call for political action…highly recommended.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers Encyclopedia
“Comprehensive…excellent…this is a well-conceived and concise compendium of all things related to this iconic baseball team and an invaluable reference for all libraries…highly recommended.”

Repeating and Multi-Fire Weapons: A History from the Zhuge Crossbow Through the AK-47
“Well illustrated with photographs and diagrams and including a glossary and brief bibliography, this is a thorough treatment the topic and useful for those interested in military history…recommended.”

World Epidemics: A Cultural Chronology of Disease from Prehistory to the Era of Zika, 2d ed.
“Engagingly written…this accessible volume is well suited for popular collections and public libraries…recommended.”

 

 

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Newly Published: Hardcore Horror Cinema in the 21st Century

New on our bookshelf today:

Hardcore Horror Cinema in the 21st Century: Production, Marketing and Consumption
James Aston

The first of its kind, this study examines the exemplars of hardcore horror—Fred Vogel’s August Underground trilogy, Shane Ryan’s Amateur Porn Star Killer series and Lucifer Valentine’s “vomit gore” films.

The author begins with a definition and critical overview of this marginalized subgenre before exploring its key aesthetic convention, the pursuit of realist horror. Production practices, exhibition and marketing strategies are discussed in an in-depth interview with filmmaker Shane Ryan. Audience reception is covered with a focus on fan interaction via the Internet.

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Newly Published: A Lynching in Little Dixie

New on our bookshelf today:

A Lynching in Little Dixie: The Life and Death of James T. Scott, ca. 1885–1923
Patricia L. Roberts

James T. Scott’s 1923 lynching in the college town of Columbia, Missouri, was precipitated by a case of mistaken identity. Falsely accused of rape, the World War I veteran was dragged from jail by a mob and hanged from a bridge before 1000 onlookers.

Patricia L. Roberts lived most of her life unaware that her aunt was the girl who erroneously accused Scott, only learning of it from a 2003 account in the University of Missouri’s school newspaper. Drawing on archival research, she tells Scott’s full story for the first time in the context of the racism of the Jim Crow Midwest.

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Newly Published: Solemn Duty in the Old Guard

New on our bookshelf today:

Solemn Duty in the Old Guard: From Arlington National Cemetery to the Pentagon on 9/11 in America’s Oldest Regiment
Mark Joseph Mongilutz

This candid memoir recounts the author’s nearly four years in the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment—a.k.a. “The Old Guard” or “Escort to the President”—from 2000 to 2004. Beginning with his grueling summertime infantry basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he depicts the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of life in the U.S. Army’s oldest and most storied unit, from the 2001 Presidential Inauguration to the recovery efforts following the September 11 attacks.

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Newly Published: Crime Fiction from a Professional Eye

New on our bookshelf today:

Crime Fiction from a Professional Eye: Women Writers with Law Enforcement and Justice Experience
Lili Pâquet

There is a new category of authors blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction: women who work or have worked in criminal justice—lawyers, police officers and forensic investigators—who publish crime fiction with characters that resemble real-life counterparts. Drawing on their professional experience, these writers present compelling portrayals of inequality and dysfunction in criminal justice systems from a feminist viewpoint. This book presents the first examination of the true-crime-infused fiction of authors like Dorothy Uhnak, Kathy Reichs and Linda Fairstein.

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Newly Published: The Ohio Presidents

New on our bookshelf today:

The Ohio Presidents: Eight Men and a Binding Political Philosophy in the White House, 1841–1923
Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr.

Ohio sent eight presidents to the White House—one Whig and seven Republicans—from 1841 to 1923: William Harrison, U.S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Taft and Warren Harding. Collectively their social policies and beliefs formed a unified philosophy and legacy.

Ohio republicanism—an alliance of Christianity, populism, nationalism, industrialism and conservative economics—dominated politics across America from 1860 to 1930. Initially several factions in search of a party, it morphed from the anti-slavery Whig Party of Abraham Lincoln and swallowed up a group of single-issue parties, including the Abolition and Free Soil parties, under a national banner. The ghost of Ohio republicanism can still be seen today.

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Newly Published: Worlds Gone Awry

New on our bookshelf today:

Worlds Gone Awry: Essays on Dystopian Fiction
Edited by John J. Han, C. Clark Triplett and Ashley G. Anthony

Dystopian fiction captivates us by depicting future worlds at once eerily similar and shockingly foreign to our own. This collection of new essays presents some of the most recent scholarship on a genre whose popularity has surged dramatically since the 1990s. Contributors explore such novels as The Lord of the FliesThe Heart Goes LastThe Giver and The Strain Trilogy as social critique, revealing how they appeal to the same impulse as utopian fiction: the desire for an idealized yet illusory society in which evil is purged and justice prevails.

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Newly Published: Foreign Language Films and the Oscar

New on our bookshelf today:

Foreign Language Films and the Oscar: The Nominees and Winners, 1948–2017
Michael S. Barrett

The Academy Awards—that yearly Hollywood bash that brings together the glamour and glitz of the international film industry—is highly revered yet has been minimally explored beyond the category of Best Picture. Over the last decade, more than 2,000 films have been submitted for the title of Best Foreign Language Film. Of those, 312—including Italy’s 8 ½, Sweden’s Through a Glass Darkly and Mexico’s Pan’s Labyrinth, as well as Denmark’s lesser-known Harry and the Butler, Yugoslavia’s I Even Met Happy Gypsies and Nicaragua’s Alsino and the Condor—have received nominations.

This guide lists each nominee—from the first-honored Shoeshine in 1948 through Iran’s second Oscar winner, The Salesman, in 2017—chronologically and includes synopses, basic facts about personnel and production qualities, and rankings among annual competitors that often differ from those of the Academy.

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Newly Published: Confederate Prisoners at Fort Delaware

New on our bookshelf today:

Confederate Prisoners at Fort Delaware: The Legend of Mistreatment Reexamined
Joel D. Citron

During the Civil War, each side accused the other of mistreating prisoners of war. Today, most historians believe that there was systemic and deliberate abuse of POWs by both sides yet many base their conclusions on anecdotal evidence, much of it from postwar writings.

Drawing on both contemporaneous prisoner diaries and Union Army documents (some newly discovered), the author presents a fresh and detailed study of supposed mistreatment of prisoners at Fort Delaware—one of the largest Union prison camps—and draws surprising conclusions, some of which have implications for the entire Union prison system.

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Newly Published: New York Yankees Openers

New on our bookshelf today:

New York Yankees Openers: An Opening Day History of Baseball’s Most Famous Team, 1903–2017, 2d ed.
Lyle Spatz

The New York Yankees are baseball’s most storied team. They first played at Hilltop Park, then moved to the Polo Grounds, then Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, back to the renovated Yankee Stadium, and now in the new Yankee Stadium.

They also frequently opened the season in Boston’s historic Fenway Park, fondly remembered Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Griffith Stadium in Washington, and all around the expanded leagues after 1961.

This book details every opening-day celebration and game from 1903 to 2017, while noting how each was affected by war, the economy, political and social protest and population shifts. We see presidents and politicians, entertainers, celebrities, and fans, owners, managers, and most of all, the players.

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Newly Published: Finding Monte Cristo

New on our bookshelf today:

Finding Monte Cristo: Alexandre Dumas and the French Atlantic World
Eric Martone

During his lifetime, Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870)—grandson of a Caribbean slave and author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo—faced racial prejudice in his homeland of France and constantly strove to find a sense of belonging. For him, “Monte Cristo” was a symbol of this elusive quest.

It proved equally elusive for those struggling to overcome slavery and its legacy in the former French colonies. Exiled to the margins of society, 19th and 20th century black intellectuals from the Caribbean and Africa drew on Dumas’ work and celebrity to renegotiate their full acceptance as French citizens. Their efforts were influenced by earlier struggles of African Americans in the decades after the Civil War, who celebrated Dumas as a black American hero.

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Newly Published: Chasing Dillinger

New on our bookshelf today:

Chasing Dillinger: Police Captain Matt Leach, J. Edgar Hoover and the Rivalry to Capture Public Enemy No. 1
Ellen Poulsen and Lori Hyde

Indiana State Police Captain Matt Leach led the hunt for John Dillinger during the violent early 1930s. Pushing a media campaign aimed at smoking out the fugitive, Leach elevated Dillinger to unprecedented notoriety. In return, Dillinger taunted him with phone calls and postcards, and vowed to kill him. Leach’s use of publicity backfired, making him a pariah among his fellow policemen, and the FBI ordered his firing in 1937 for challenging their authority. This is the first full-length biography of the man.