Our brand-new holiday catalog is in the mail, but we’re giving you a sneak preview this morning—click here for great holiday gift ideas before the catalog hits your mailbox!
And, because it’s never too early to start your holiday shopping, we’re offering our biggest sale of the year! Get 30% off your purchase of two or more books when you enter the coupon code HOLIDAY2015 at checkout!
We’re exhibiting at the Northeast Popular Culture Association’s 2015 meeting on the campus of Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH this week! Adam Phillips is on campus displaying books about popular culture, and is available to discuss book proposals.
We’re exhibiting at the biennial North Carolina Library Association conference in Greensboro, North Carolina this week! Our own Dylan Lightfoot and Stephanie Nichols are exhibiting books, and several McFarland authors are among the NC librarians attending the convention.
We’re exhibiting at the sold-out New York Comic Con this week! NYCC—the East Coast’s largest pop culture event–is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and McFarland is celebrating its fifth year exhibiting. Stop by booth 2104 to browse the best pop culture scholarship and to chat with our Lisa Camp.
We’re exhibiting at the PCAS/ACAS meeting in Wilmington, North Carolina this week. Visit our booth at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside through Saturday, October 3, to browse our scholarly books about popular culture and to discuss your nonfiction book proposal.
Multiple award-winning author and chess grandmaster Andy Soltis discussed Bobby Fischer and the current film Pawn Sacrifice with NPR’s Robert Siegel on Wednesday, September 16. Listen to the full interview below!
Books by Andy Soltis:
Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion
Frank Marshall, United States Chess Champion: A Biography with 220 Games
The United States Chess Championship, 1845–2011, 3d ed.
The Steinitz Papers: Letters and Documents of the First World Chess Champion
The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century, Ranked
Los Voraces 2019: A Chess Novel
Congratulations to Peter J. Monté, whose The Classical Era of Modern Chess received honorable mention in this year’s Chess Journalists of America Awards! This study examines chess from the late 15th century into the 1640s, paying special attention to key developments in the medieval period and later. At 616 pages, with a glossary, appendices, bibliography, an exhaustive index and more than 150 illustrations, it is the definitive overview of a transformative era in the history of chess.
New on our bookshelf today:
Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography
by Tim Harding
It’s that time of year again! McFarland is in Indy for Gen Con: the original, longest-running, and best-attended gaming convention in the world! It’s no small thing to keep up with gamers from all 50 states and more than 40 countries, but we’ll do our best.
Stealing Sisi’s Star: How a Master Thief Nearly Got Away with Austria’s Most Famous Jewel by Jennifer Bowers Bahney
Osage and Settler: Reconstructing Shared History through an Oklahoma Family Archive by Janet Berry Hess
Ezzard Charles: A Boxing Life by William Dettloff
Of Tribes and Tribulations: The Early Decades of the Cleveland Indians by James E. Odenkirk
Samuel Lipschütz: A Life in Chess by Stephen Davies
McFarland is exhibiting at the annual conference of the Origins game Fair June 3rd-7th in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to our book display and sale, editors will be on hand to discuss manuscript ideas. Click here to browse McFarland’s books about popular culture.
The Sexy Science of The Big Bang Theory: Essays on Gender in the Series by Nadine Farghaly
The Supernatural Cinema of Guillermo del Toro: Critical Essays by John W. Morehead
Children of the Streets of Richmond, 1865–1920 by Harry M. Ward
Finnish Video Games: A History and Catalog by Juho Kuorikoski
The Politics of The Hunger Games by Jamey Heit
Internet Lesbian and Gay Television Series, 1996–2014 by Vincent Terrace
It’s no secret that we at McFarland are fans of sf and fantasy (and horror, gaming, cosplay, and all the rest!). So we’re very excited to attend this year’s ConCarolinas in Concord, NC., May 29-31. Klingon Karaoke, anyone? See you there!
This week, put down your Atari paddle and pick up one of Brett Weiss’s fantastic reference books while they’re all on sale: through March 15, 2015, get 20% off with the coupon code VIDEOGAME!
Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide
Classic Home Video Games, 1985–1988: A Complete Reference Guide
The Health of the First Ladies: Medical Histories from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama by Ludwig M. Deppisch, M.D.
Game Love: Essays on Play and Affection by Jessica Enevold
Shakespeare’s Authentic Performance Text: The Case for Staging from the First Folio by Graham Watts
Congratulations to Andrew Soltis whose Mikhail Botvinnik was named by the English Chess Federation as Book of the Year 2014!
“There are many chess biographies which concentrate on the games and chess personality of a player, but very few which focus on the player’s life and the historical circumstances in which he or she played. This year’s winner is a notable addition to this rare genre and features one of the most influential players of all time.“
Rice Paddy Recon: A Marine Officer’s Second Tour in Vietnam, 1968–1970 by Andrew R. Finlayson
Larry Cohen: The Radical Allegories of an Independent Filmmaker, rev. ed. by Tony Williams
James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of the Fictional Superspy by Michele Brittany
Soviet Chess 1917–1991 by Andrew Soltis
The Fighting Fifteenth Alabama Infantry: A Civil War History and Roster by James P. Faust
This week, through October 26, 2014, get 20% off the following books when you use the coupon code HAVANA!
A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864–2006
Cuban Americans and the Miami Media
Raúl Castro and the New Cuba: A Close-Up View of Change
An Air War with Cuba: The United States Radio Campaign Against Castro
Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History, 1878–1961
Contemporary Dance in Cuba: Técnica Cubana as Revolutionary Movement
Encyclopedia of Cuban–United States Relations
Cuban Exiles on the Trade Embargo
Who’s Who in Cuban Baseball, 1878–1961
The Cuban Filmography: 1897 through 2001
Versos Sencillos: A Dual-Language Edition
Armando Marsans: A Cuban Pioneer in the Major Leagues
The Cuban Family: Custom and Change in an Era of Hardship
The Culture of Conflict in Modern Cuba
What to Listen For in Opera: An Introductory Handbook by Charles R. Beck
The Revolutionary War Memoirs of Major General William Heath by William Heath
Vicksburg and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy by Jack H. Lepa
Chess Results, 1978–1980: A Comprehensive Record with 855 Tournament Crosstables and 90 Match Scores, with Sources by Gino Di Felice
Creating Books for the Young in the New South Africa: Essays on Authors and Illustrators of Children’s and Young Adult Literature by Barbara A. Lehman
Vote Yes for some good books about Scotland! Through September 28, 2014, use the coupon code SCOT and get 20% off the list price of the following books:
Scotland as We Know It: Representations of National Identity in Literature, Film and Popular Culture
British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary, 449–2006
Monarchs of the Renaissance: The Lives and Reigns of 42 European Kings and Queens
Culture Wars in British Literature: Multiculturalism and National Identity
British Fortifications Through the Reign of Richard III: An Illustrated History
Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle Locations: A Visitor’s Guide
Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824–1987
Caledonian Jews: A Study of Seven Small Communities in Scotland
Gothic Kings of Britain: The Lives of 31 Medieval Rulers, 1016–1399
The Scotch-Irish: From the North of Ireland to the Making of America
Lockerbie and Libya: A Study in International Relations
The Thistle and the Brier: Historical Links and Cultural Parallels Between Scotland and Appalachia
The Infamous Burke and Hare: Serial Killers and Resurrectionists of Nineteenth Century Edinburgh
The Transgressive Iain Banks: Essays on a Writer Beyond Borders
Robin Hood: A Cinematic History of the English Outlaw and His Scottish Counterparts
John Buchan: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction
The Father of Virginia Military Institute: A Biography of Colonel J.T.L. Preston, CSA by Randolph P. Shaffner
The Elijah Enigma: The Prophet, King Ahab and the Rebirth of Monotheism in the Book of Kings by Hillel I. Millgram
Chivalric Stories as Children’s Literature: Edwardian Retellings in Words and Pictures by Velma Bourgeois Richmond
Chess Results, 1971–1974: A Comprehensive Record with 966 Tournament Crosstables and 148 Match Scores, with Sources by Gino Di Felice
Chess Results, 1975–1977: A Comprehensive Record with 872 Tournament Crosstables and 147 Match Scores, with Sources by Gino Di Felice
In its article about gamer-storytellers, the New York Times points out the influence tabletop roleplaying had on such luminaries as George R. R. Martin, Sharyn McCrumb, Stephen Colbert, Matt Groening, China Miéville and Cory Doctorow. Jennifer Grouling, an assistant professor of English at Ball State University, studied D&D players for her book, The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games. Grouling, who in her book gives particular attention to the narrative and linguistic structures of gaming sessions and the ways that players and gamemasters work together to construct narratives, is quoted extensively in the Times article.
Go here for the full article.
Go here for more about The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games.
Founders of American Industrial Design by Carroll Gantz
Pitcairn Island, the Bounty Mutineers and Their Descendants: A History by Robert W. Kirk
Baseball’s First Colored World Series: The 1924 Meeting of the Hilldale Giants and Kansas City Monarchs by Larry Lester
The Classical Era of Modern Chess by Peter J. Monté
The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science by Mike Silver
American Plays and Musicals on Screen: 650 Stage Productions and Their Film and Television Adaptations by Thomas S. Hischak
The Tragic Life and Short Chess Career of James A. Leonard, 1841–1862 by John S. Hilbert
African Placenames: Origins and Meanings of the Names for Natural Features, Towns, Cities, Provinces and Countries, 2d Ed. by Adrian Room
Liberty Records: A History of the Recording Company and Its Stars, 1955–1971 by Michael “Doc Rock” Kelly
Early American Detective Stories: An Anthology by LeRoy Lad Panek
Television Fright Films of the 1970s by David Deal
Discworld and the Disciplines: Critical Approaches to the Terry Pratchett Works by Anne Hiebert Alton
Historicism, Originalism and the Constitution: The Use and Abuse of the Past in American Jurisprudence by Patrick J. Charles
Renegade Hero or Faux Rogue: The Secret Traditionalism of Television Bad Boys by Ashley M. Donnelly
Adolf Albin in America: A European Chess Master’s Sojourn, 1893–1895 by Olimpiu G. Urcan
The latest from GM Andy Soltis, Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion, has received a glowing review from GM Lubomir Kavalek in The Huffington Post:
“Soltis tells a fascinating story of a man who seemed cold, unapproachable, and rather boring. Botvinnik was a devoted and convinced communist with ties to highest Soviet officials, including Stalin. He was the world champion for a span of 15 years and the leading Soviet player for more than 30 years. Generations of talented players, such as the world champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, learned from him how to play the game…Soltis says his book is an attempt to explain Botvinnik in the context of today. It is a brilliant account, the best book written on Botvinnik by far. Soltis did extensive research, using mainly Soviet sources. Both Botvinnik’s friends and critics have a voice in the book.”
H. Beam Piper: A Biography by John F. Carr
Games in Libraries: Essays on Using Play to Connect and Instruct by Breanne A. Kirsch
Luminous: The Spiritual Life on Film by Mike King
Television Program Master Index: Access to Critical and Historical Information on 2,273 Shows in Books, Dissertations and Journal Articles, 3rd Ed. by Charles V. Dintrone
Gothic in Comics and Graphic Novels: A Critical Approach by Julia Round
Interested in game design? Have a listen to our author Lewis Pulsipher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdbAUZ-Bd4I.
Are Libraries Obsolete? An Argument for Relevance in the Digital Age by Mark Y. Herring
Mikhail Botvinnik: The Life and Games of a World Chess Champion by Andy Soltis
The American Military Mission to China, 1941–1942: Lend-Lease Logistics, Politics and the Tangles of Wartime Cooperation by William G. Grieve
The Alienated War Veteran in Film and Literature by Emmett Early
Over on GeekDad, contributor John Booth writes about how Dungeons & Dragons came to Saturday morning cartoon land 30 years ago. The cartoon was beloved by gamers and non-gamers alike. Regarding the D&D game the cartoon was adapted from, Booth says:
“I loved it. I was 12 years old, and, although I had a Fiend Folio and several AD&D modules, I never really learned to play the game for real. My friend Mike and I rolled up characters — often cheating terribly: You’ve never seen so many 18s — and took turns guiding each other through adventures in a manner that would be an insult to the term “DMing.” But we had fun, and our imaginations were sparked by the books and settings.”
Read more at GeekDad.
For McFarland books about gaming and gaming culture, browse here.
Calling all gamers! We’re getting excited to travel up to Indy this week for GenCon! http://www.gencon.com/
Thunder at Sunrise: A History of the Vanderbilt Cup, the Grand Prize and the Indianapolis 500, 1904–1916 by John M. Burns
Chess Results, 1968–1970: A Comprehensive Record with 854 Tournament Crosstables and 161 Match Scores, with Sources by Gino Di Felice
Ballplayers in the Great War: Newspaper Accounts of Major Leaguers in World War I Military Service by Jim Leeke
Baseball’s Creation Myth: Adam Ford, Abner Graves and the Cooperstown Story by Brian Martin
They Sing the Wedding of God: An Ethnomusicological Study of the Mahadevji ka byavalaas Performed by the Nath-Jogis of Alwar by John Napier
Chess Results, 1961–1963: A Comprehensive Record with 938 Tournament Crosstables and 108 Match Scores, with Sources by Gino Di Felice
Spring Training Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grapefruit and Cactus League Ballparks, 2d ed. by Josh Pahigian
Mad for Speed: The Racing Life of Joan Newton Cuneo by Elsa A. Nystrom
Surviving Andersonville: One Prisoner’s Recollections of the Civil War’s Most Notorious Camp by Ed Glennan
The Shutout in Major League Baseball: A History by Warren N. Wilbert
Terms of Play: Essays on Words That Matter in Videogame Theory by Zach Waggoner
American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s: An Illustrated Study of Their Characteristics and Construction by William L. Crothers
Writings on Writing: A Compendium of 1209 Quotations from Authors on Their Craft by Thomas H. Brennan
Boxing in New Mexico, 1868–1940 by Chris Cozzone
Punch and Judy in 19th Century America: A History and Biographical Dictionary by Ryan Howard
Albert Beauregard Hodges: The Man Chess Made by John S. Hilbert
When Scotland Was Jewish: DNA Evidence, Archeology, Analysis of Migrations, and Public and Family Records Show Twelfth Century Semitic Roots by Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman
The manuscript and letters from Gerald M. Levitt’s writing of The Turk, Chess Automaton will be accepted into the John White Special Chess Collection of the Cleveland Public Library.
The Wizard of Oz Catalog: L. Frank Baum’s Novel, Its Sequels and Their Adaptations for Stage, Television, Movies, Radio, Music Videos, Comic Books, Commercials and More by Fraser A. Sherman
Greatness in Waiting: An Illustrated History of the Early New York Yankees, 1903–1919 by Ray Istorico
Blindfold Chess: History, Psychology, Techniques, Champions, World Records, and Important Games by Eliot Hearst
Oglethorpe and Colonial Georgia: A History, 1733–1783 by David Lee Russell
The Rodeo and Hollywood: Rodeo Cowboys on Screen and Western Actors in the Arena by Jim Ryan
The Jerry Lewis Films: An Analytical Filmography of the Innovative Comic by James L. Neibaur
Woody Allen’s Angst: Philosophical Commentaries on His Serious Films by Sander H. Lee
Cauldron of Changes: Feminist Spirituality in Fantastic Fiction by Janice C. Crosby
Frank Marshall, United States Chess Champion: A Biography with 220 Games by Andy Soltis
Pearl Harbor: Selected Testimonies, Fully Indexed, from the Congressional Hearings (1945–1946) and Prior Investigations of the Events Leading Up to the Attack by Roland H. Worth, Jr.
Funny You Should Ask: Oral Histories of Classic Sitcom Storytellers by Scott Lewellen
The Japanese Administration of Guam, 1941–1944: A Study of Occupation and Integration Policies, with Japanese Oral Histories by Wakako Higuchi
Game On, Hollywood!: Essays on the Intersection of Video Games and Cinema by Gretchen Papazian
Screening Text: Critical Perspectives on Film Adaptation by Shannon Wells-Lassagne
“there are very few chess books published which have become classics…a masterpiece…you will marvel at [this book’s] excellence…scrupulously detailed…the book is simply wonderful”—Chess Life
On January 21st, get 20% off Capablanca when you enter the coupon code CAPABLANCA. This discount will be applied in the shopping cart prior to checkout.
Every weekday, McFarland offers one title at 20% off the list price. Check back every day and follow us on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter for more Daily Deals!
John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood: Pioneers of Mayan Archaeology by Peter O. Koch
The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 2011–2012 by William M. Simons
The Science of the Fastball by William Blewett
Japanese Aesthetics and Anime: The Influence of Tradition by Dani Cavallaro
Anti-Foreign Imagery in American Pulps and Comic Books, 1920–1960 by Nathan Vernon Madison
The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962–2012, 2d ed by Matt Fox
It is Teach Your Kids to Game Week over at DriveThruRPG. DriveThruRPG is offering both free and discounted ebook downloads from numerous game and book publishers.
For digital, get McFarland gaming ebooks from DriveThruRPG.
For print, browse McFarland gaming books in our catalog.
Herman “Baron” Lamm, the Father of Modern Bank Robbery by Walter Mittelstaedt
Individualist Feminism of the Nineteenth Century: Collected Writings and Biographical Profiles by Wendy McElroy.
The Absolute Correspondence Championship of the United States Chess Federation, 1976–2010 by Alex Dunne
The 1912 Stockholm Olympics: Essays on the Competitions, the People, the City by Leif Yttergren
“A conclusive counter to the false notion that motivation for game playing is all about winning and losing.”—Lewis Pulsipher, Ph.D., Game Designer
On Oct 26, get 20% off Eurogames when you enter the coupon code EURO. This discount will be applied in the shopping cart prior to checkout.
Every weekday, McFarland offers one title at 20% off the list price. Check back every day and follow us on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter for more Daily Deals!
On October 18, get 20% off From Game Design when you enter the coupon code DESIGN. This discount will be applied in the shopping cart prior to checkout.
Many aspiring game designers have crippling misconceptions about the process involved in creating a game from scratch, believing a “big idea” is all that is needed to get started. But game design requires action as well as thought, and proper training and practice to do so skillfully.
Every weekday, McFarland offers one title at 20% off the list price. Check back every day and follow us on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter for more Daily Deals!
The American Novel of War: A Critical Analysis and Classification System by Wallis R. Sanborn, III
Making It in the Minors: A Team Owner’s Lessons in the Business of Baseball by Arthur P. Solomon
Correspondence Chess in America by Bryce D. Avery
The Battle of the Crater: A Complete History by John F. Schmutz
Fantasy role-playing games, anyone? Come visit author Michael Tresca this weekend as he discusses the topic and signs copies of his book, The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games. Check here for details: http://talienstower.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-first-book-signing.html
Michael J. Tresca, author of The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, will be a speaker at Modern Myths in Northampton, MA Saturday, September 22 at 1 p.m.
Aron Nimzowitsch: On the Road to Chess Mastery, 1886–1924 by Per Skjoldager was covered recently in John Elburg’s Chess Book reviews.
“Wonderfully written…the Nimzowitsch family has supported the two historians with unique photo material from their private photo albums…included is an impressive bibliography, index to games by opponent, and index to openings ECO codes.”—John Elburg’s Chess Book reviews.
New books released today:
Soap Operas Worldwide: Cultural and Serial Realities by Marilyn J. Matelski.
Rick Nelson, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer by Sheree Homer
The Sister Fidelma Mysteries: Essays on the Historical Novels of Peter Tremayne by Edward J. Rielly
Tris Speaker and the 1920 Indians: Tragedy to Glory by Gary Webster
Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games by Stewart Woods
Aron Nimzowitsch is a biography of one of the greatest chess legends ever, who played at the beginning of the 20th century. The book begins with a great quote from IM Jens Enevoldsen “Besides playing chess, there is nothing more delightful than reading about chess.” McFarland has a very large chess book line and Aron Nimzowitsch is another great biographical work filled with tables, charts and chess board illustrations to accompany the games being analyzed.
Check out the McFarland Chess Page to find other in depth and authoritative chess works.
One of our best titles, Game Addiction is a study of gaming addiction from a neutral point of view covering media and psychological studies. A very well written and immersive book, Game Addiction is a great read for anyone interested in gaming, psychology or popular culture in general.
Three more new books this week, De la Bourdonnais versus McDonnell, 1834, Walter Penn Shipley, and Perry Como. DLB vs. McD is a history of the players’ matches against each other in the 1834 London Westminster Chess Club, which includes 85 different games played. Walter Penn Shipley is a history of Shipley’s crucial part in the U.S.’s 19th and 20th century chess development. Perry Como is a biography of the American singer and TV personality, including a year by year chronology of his life.
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/De-la-Bourdonnais
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/Walter-Penn-Shipley
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/Perry-Como
The Legacy of the Goddess
$39.95
Tibetan Nomad
$29.95
Naomi “Omie” Wise
$29.95
