Our spring 2019 new books catalog is now available—click here to browse our forthcoming titles!
Category: Graphic Novels
Holiday 2018 Sale—Get 25% Off All Books!
The holidays are a special time at McFarland—in addition to publishing scholarship, many of us also participate in the tree harvest, as Ashe County produces more Christmas trees than any other county in the United States. If you live in the Southeast, you may have a little bit of McFarland in your living room right now! This season, please consider putting some McFarland under the tree for the readers in your life. To make your holiday shopping easier, we’re offering 25% off of ALL books through the end of the year! On our website, use coupon code HOLIDAY18, or call us at 800-253-2187. For inspiration, browse our new catalog of of gift ideas for readers. Happy holidays from your friends at McFarland!
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…
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.
Fall 2018 New Books Catalog Available Now
Our Fall 2018 catalog is now available—click here to see our authors’ forthcoming books!
Newly Published: Rowena Sunder, Artist in New York
New on our bookshelf today:
Rowena Sunder, Artist in New York
Linda Campbell Franklin
Rowena Sunder, still an artist in 2018, composes a meta auto-biographical book about five years of her life in New York City between 1965 and 1970. She escapes Toledo and her father’s idea that she should marry and paint on Sundays and drives away in her VW bug. She sells one painting on the way, and arrives in the big city during one of its most exciting times. She works at the (invented) Museum of Invention, sublets on E. 94th Street, makes friends, acquires a cat named Kittyhawk, and finds NYC much to her liking.
After selling paintings to a psychotherapist, he listens while she struggles with mixed feelings about focus. She finally rejoices in the swarm of ideas that come to her from everywhere. Now, a half-century later, she draws her book, and talks directly to the reader in a series of vignettes, all connected by her gift of too many ideas. Rowena loves words and puns and little jokes and these add other perspectives to every page.
New Spring 2018 Catalog Available Now
Our Spring 2018 New Books catalog is now available—click to see what our authors have in store for the new year!
New Catalog and Huge Holiday Sale
It’s our biggest sale of the year! Through the holiday season, get 30% off your order of two or more books with the coupon code HOLIDAY17! Need inspiration? Check out our brand new holiday catalog!
HOLIDAY17 is valid through January 2, 2018, and applies to any book on McFarland’s website. Browse our entire online catalog here.
Newly Published: Lotte Reiniger
New on our bookshelf today:
Lotte Reiniger: Pioneer of Film Animation
Whitney Grace
For three years during the 1920s, in an attic in Potsdam, a young woman crafted what is today the oldest surviving animated feature film. Equipped with scissors, cardboard, sheets of lead, glass panes and a camera, animation pioneer Lotte Reiniger filmed Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed) using a technique of frame-by-frame silhouette animation she developed, inspired by Chinese shadow puppetry.
As the result of a number of factors—her gender, her German ethnicity, World War II and a lack of funding—Reiniger became a footnote in animation history. Yet her 60–plus films plainly show her skill and dedication to her craft. This detailed account of her life and work describes her significant contributions to animation, puppetry, Weimar cinema and modern filmmaking.
Gen Con 2017
Gen Con may be sold out, but McFarland is just getting started—visit our booth in the exhibit hall, where the best scholarship on gaming and pop culture is on sale now!
San Diego Comic Con 2017
We’re back in San Diego for another Comic Con—stop by our booth in the exhibit hall for the best in pop culture scholarship!
Fall 2017 New Books Catalog Available Now
Our Fall 2017 New Books catalog is now available—click here to see what’s new from your favorite authors!
New in Softcover: Classics Illustrated
Now available in softcover:
Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 2d ed.
William B. Jones, Jr.
A significant expansion of the critically acclaimed first edition, Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 2d ed., carries the story of the Kanter family’s series of comics-style adaptations of literary masterpieces from 1941 into the 21st century. This book features additional material on the 70-year history of Classics Illustrated and the careers and contributions of such artists as Alex A. Blum, Lou Cameron, George Evans, Henry C. Kiefer, Gray Morrow, Rudolph Palais, and Louis Zansky. New chapters cover the recent Jack Lake and Papercutz revivals of the series, the evolution of Classics collecting, and the unsung role of William Kanter in advancing the fortunes of his father Albert’s worldwide enterprise. Enhancing the lively account of the growth of “the World’s Finest Juvenile Publication” are new interviews and correspondence with editor Helene Lecar, publicist Eleanor Lidofsky, artist Mort Künstler, and the founder’s grandson John “Buzz” Kanter.
Detailed appendices provide artist attributions, issue contents and, for the principal Classics Illustrated–related series, a listing of each printing identified by month, year, and highest reorder number. New U.S., Canadian and British series have been added. More than 300 illustrations—most of them new to this edition—include photographs of artists and production staff, comic-book covers and interiors, and a substantial number of original cover paintings and line drawings.
PCA/ACA 2017
Join us this weekend in San Diego for the 2017 conference of the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association!
ACRL 2017
We’re in Baltimore, Maryland for the Association of College and Research Libraries 2017 conference! Librarians, please join us in the exhibit hall at booth #912.
Newly Published: Superheroines and the Epic Journey
New on our bookshelf today:
Superheroines and the Epic Journey: Mythic Themes in Comics, Film and Television
Valerie Estelle Frankel
Foreword by Trina Robbins
The heroine’s journey echoes throughout ancient legend. Each young woman combats her dark side and emerges stronger. This quest is also a staple of American comic books. Wonder Woman with semi-divine powers gives us a new female-centered creation story. Batgirl, Batwoman and Black Widow discover their enemy is the dark mother or shadow twin, with the savagery they’ve rejected in themselves. Supergirl similarly struggles but keeps harmony with her sister.
From Jessica Jones and Catwoman to the new superwomen of cutting-edge webcomics, each heroine must go into the dark, to become not a warrior but a savior. Women like Captain Marvel and Storm sacrifice all to join the ranks of superheroes, while their feminine powers and dazzling costumes reflect the most ancient tales.
Newly Published: Ponyville Confidential
New on our bookshelf today:
Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981–2016
Sherilyn Connelly
Beloved by young girls around the world, Hasbro’s My Little Pony franchise has been mired in controversy since its debut in the early 1980s. Critics dismissed the cartoons as toy advertisements, and derided their embrace of femininity. The 2010 debut of the openly feminist My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic renewed the backlash, as its broad appeal challenged entrenched notions about gendered entertainment.
This first comprehensive study of My Little Pony explores the history and cultural significance of the franchise through Season 5 of Friendship Is Magic and the first three Equestria Girls films. The brand has continued to be on the receiving end of a sexist double standard regarding commercialism in children’s entertainment, while masculine cartoons such as the Transformers have been spared similar criticism.
Newly Published: Marvel’s Black Widow from Spy to Superhero
New on our bookshelf today:
Marvel’s Black Widow from Spy to Superhero: Essays on an Avenger with a Very Specific Skill Set
Edited by Sherry Ginn
First appearing in Marvel Comics in the 1960s, Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, was introduced to movie audiences in Iron Man 2 (2010). Her character has grown in popularity with subsequent Marvel films, and fans have been vocal about wanting to see Black Widow in a titular role. Romanoff has potent appeal: a strong female character who is not defined by her looks or her romantic relationships, with the skill set of a veteran spy first for the KGB, then for S.H.I.E.L.D. This collection of new essays is the first to examine Black Widow and her development, from Cold War era comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Newly Published: The Ages of the Justice League
New on our bookshelf today:
The Ages of the Justice League: Essays on America’s Greatest Superheroes in Changing Times
Edited by Joseph J. Darowski
The first superhero team from the Silver Age of comics, DC’s Justice League has seen many iterations since its first appearance in 1960. As the original comic book continued and spin-off titles proliferated, talented writers, artists and editors adapted the team to appeal to changing audience tastes.
This collection of new essays examines more than five decades of Justice League comics and related titles. Each essay considers a storyline or era of the franchise in its historical and social contexts.
The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer Reviewed in Booklist
“Pointer’s account of Fleischer’s life and work draws on his own experience in film and animation as well as interviews with Fleischer family members. It is also stocked with previously unpublished photographs and artwork, including trade ads and patent diagrams…The story of this artist-inventor and the early days of animation will appeal to all interested in film history and iconic cartoons.”—Booklist
Newly Published: How He-Man Mastered the Universe
New on our bookshelf today:
How He-Man Mastered the Universe: Toy to Television to the Big Screen
Brian C. Baer
Elaborate cinematic universes and sophisticated marketing tie-ins are commonplace in entertainment today. It’s easy to forget that the transmedia trend began in 1982 with a barbarian action figure. He-Man and the other characters in Mattel’s popular Masters of the Universe toy line quickly found their way into comic books, video games, multiple television series and a Hollywood film. The original animated series (1983–1985) was the first based on an action figure, and the cult classic Masters of the Universe (1987) was the first toy-inspired live-action feature film.
But it wasn’t easy. He-Man faced adversaries more dangerous than Skeletor: entertainment lawyers, Hollywood executives, even the Reagan administration. The heroes and villains of Eternia did more than shape the childhoods of the toy-buying public—they formed the modern entertainment landscape.
Women's Studies
Playing for Equality: Oral Histories of Women Leaders in the Early Years of Title IX
Diane LeBlanc and Allys Swanson
Mammography and Early Breast Cancer Detection: How Screening Saves Lives
Alan B. Hollingsworth, M.D.
The Beyoncé Effect: Essays on Sexuality, Race and Feminism
Edited by Adrienne Trier-Bieniek
Click here to browse McFarland’s complete line of women’s studies titles.
Animation Books
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SWPACA 2017
This week, we’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the 38th annual Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference! Visit our display in the Hyatt Regency Conference Center to browse books and to discuss your book proposal!
New Pop Culture Catalog Available
Our new pop culture catalog is available now, featuring more than 500 of our newest books! Click here to browse!
Weekly Deal: Women's Studies
This week, get 20% off all books about women’s studies—over 300 titles—when you enter the code MARCH! Click here to browse.
American Library Association Midwinter Meeting
We’re exhibiting at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia! Attendees, visit us in booth 1611!
New Books for Spring 2017
Our Spring 2017 New Books catalog is now available—flip through it to see what our authors have in store for the new year!
Be sure to join our mailing list to always receive new catalogs the moment they’re published.
Newly Published: Joss Whedon and Race
New on our bookshelf today:
Joss Whedon and Race: Critical Essays
Edited by Mary Ellen Iatropoulos and Lowery A. Woodall III
Joss Whedon is known for exploring philosophical questions through socially progressive narratives in his films, television shows and comics. His work critiques racial stereotypes, sometimes repudiating them, sometimes reinvesting in them (sometimes both at once). This collection of new essays explores his representations of racial power dynamics between individuals and institutions and how the Whedonverse constructs race, ethnicity and nationality relationships.
New in Softcover: Native Americans in Comic Books
Now available in softcover:
Native Americans in Comic Books: A Critical Study
Michael A. Sheyahshe
This work takes an in-depth look at the world of comic books through the eyes of a Native American reader and offers frank commentary on the medium’s cultural representation of the Native American people. It addresses a range of portrayals, from the bloodthirsty barbarians and noble savages of dime novels, to formulaic secondary characters and sidekicks, and, occasionally, protagonists sans paternal white hero, examining how and why Native Americans have been consistently marginalized and misrepresented in comics. Chapters cover early representations of Native Americans in popular culture and newspaper comic strips, the Fenimore Cooper legacy, the “white” Indian, the shaman, revisionist portrayals, and Native American comics from small publishers, among other topics.
Weekly Deal: Zombie Studies
If you couldn’t wait to see [SPOILER REDACTED] on The Walking Dead last night, then this Weekly Deal is for you! Through October 30, 2016, get 20% off all books about zombie studies when you enter the coupon code SPOILER!
“We’re All Infected” Essays on AMC’s The Walking Dead and the Fate of the Human
How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture: The Multifarious Walking Dead in the 21st Century
Zombifying a Nation: Race, Gender and the Haitian Loas on Screen
Zombies and Sexuality: Essays on Desire and the Living Dead
Unraveling Resident Evil: Essays on the Complex Universe of the Games and Films
The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000–2010
Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture
Race, Oppression and the Zombie: Essays on Cross-Cultural Appropriations of the Caribbean Tradition
Zombies Are Us: Essays on the Humanity of the Walking Dead
American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture
Back from the Dead: Remakes of the Romero Zombie Films as Markers of Their Times
White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film
Weekly Deal: All Hallow's Read
All Hallow’s Read is a new tradition, started by the great Neil Gaiman, that encourages gifting a scary book during the week of Halloween. If you’re curious about its origins, read this blog post, helpfully titled “A MODEST PROPOSAL (THAT DOESN’T ACTUALLY INVOLVE EATING ANYONE).” Rather than selecting a handful of our more than 100 books about horror in popular culture and literature, we’re putting ALL of our horror books on sale, this week only! Order now for delivery in time for your All Hallow’s Read gift, and get 20% off when you use the coupon code HALLOW!
PCA/ACA in the South 2016 Conference
This weekend in Nashville, we’re exhibiting at the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association in the South 2016 conference! Visit our book exhibit to shop and to discuss your book proposal with Dylan Lightfoot.
Fall 2016 Catalog Now Available
Our Fall 2016 catalog is now available—click here to browse our new and forthcoming titles! And be sure to sign up to receive future catalogs directly in your inbox!
Weekly Deal: It Happens at Comic-Con
It’s Comic-Con week, and we’re gearing up with some fan studies essays! Through July 24, 2016, get 20% off It Happens at Comic-Con: Ethnographic Essays on a Pop Culture Phenomenon when you use the coupon code SANDIEGO!
New Book Series about the Whedonverses
We’re excited to announce a new book series on the Whedonverses (official title to be determined).
McFarland seeks proposals for book-length works to be published as part of a new series about the works of Joss Whedon, to be edited by Sherry Ginn. We welcome new perspectives on old favorites as well as explorations of Whedon’s less recognized work.
Proposals should include a detailed outline, a tentative table of contents, draft introduction and sample chapter. Also useful at this stage would be a length estimate (75,000-word to 100,000-word projects are preferred), comments on special elements (such as artwork or photos), and a resume or curriculum vitae.
Please send proposals to:
Sherry Ginn
For general guidelines for prospective authors, please refer to McFarland’s author resource center. For questions not covered there, please contact Natalie Foreman.
Public Library Association 2016
We’re in Denver for the 2016 Public Library Association Conference! Be sure to visit McFarland at booth 1240 in the exhibit hall!
PCA/ACA 2016
This week, we’re in Seattle for the annual Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association conference. Visit our booth in the Sheraton Seattle to browse scholarly books about popular culture, meet our own Karl-Heinz Roseman and Gary Mitchem, and discuss your book proposal!
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo 2016
This week, we’re exhibiting at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. Stop by our booth at C2E2 to browse books about popular culture and to discuss your book proposal with managing editor Lisa Camp!
Newly Published: Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
New on our bookshelf today:
Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television and Games, 2d ed.
Paul Green
Introduction by Cynthia J. Miller
From automatons to zombies, many elements of fantasy and science fiction have been cross-pollinated with the Western movie genre. In its second edition, this encyclopedia of the Weird Western includes many new entries covering film, television, animation, novels, pulp fiction, short stories, comic books, graphic novels and video and role-playing games. Categories include Weird, Weird Menace, Science Fiction, Space, Steampunk and Romance Westerns.
American Library Association Midwinter Conference
We’re exhibiting at the 2016 ALA Midwinter conference in Boston this week! Visit assistant sales manager Adam Phillips in booth 1611 to browse our book exhibit and to discuss your book proposal!
CATALOG: Spring 2016 New Titles
The spring 2016 new titles catalog is now available, covering nearly 200 books being released now and over the next several months.
http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/catalogs-spring-2016-new-titles/
Hurry to take advantage of our holiday sale!
Our big holiday sale is almost over—but there’s still time to order! Use the coupon code HOLIDAY2015 for 30% off any order of two or more books!
Take Advantage of our Holiday Sale!
Still shopping for holiday gift ideas? Check out our holiday catalog, and get 30% off your order of two or more books with the coupon code HOLIDAY2015!
Newly Published: The Ages of the Incredible Hulk
New on our bookshelf today:
The Ages of the Incredible Hulk: Essays on the Green Goliath in Changing Times
Edited by Joseph J. Darowski
The Incredible Hulk is one of the earliest Marvel Comics superheroes. Through the decades, the character and his narrative elements—the causes of Bruce Banner’s transformations, the Hulk’s strength, intelligence and skin color, the stories’ tone, theme and sources of conflict—have been continually reinvented to remain relevant.
This collection of new essays explores Marvel’s more than five decades of Hulk comics. The contributors analyze the Hulk and his supporting cast in their shifting historical contexts, offering insights into both our popular entertainment and our cultural history. Topics include the Cold War’s influence on early Incredible Hulk issues, a feminist reading of She-Hulk and writer Peter David’s focus on the AIDS crisis.
National Women's Studies Association 2015
We’re in Milwaukee for the 2015 National Women’s Studies Association Conference!
New Holiday Catalog—And Our Biggest Sale of the Year!
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!
Northeast Popular Culture Association 2015
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.
North Carolina Library Association 2015 Conference
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.
New York Comic Con
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.
Popular Culture Association in the South Conference
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.
Summer Sale!
Summer’s almost over, and so is our sale! There are only two weeks left to treat yourself to 30% off any order of two or more books – use the coupon code SUMMER at checkout!
Need inspiration? Check out our latest catalogs: New Titles for Fall 2015, Sports, Pop Culture and Transportation.
New Pop Culture Catalog and Summer Sale!
Need some weekend reading? Curl up with our new pop culture catalog – and SAVE 30% on your order of 2 or more books when you use the coupon code SUMMER! But hurry – this coupon expires on Labor Day!
Fall 2015 Catalog Available Now!
Check out our brand-new Fall 2015 catalog, featuring 175 new and forthcoming titles!
CONFERENCE: Gen Con Time!
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.
CONFERENCES: Comic-Con Gallery
EISNER AWARD WINNER Graphic Details: Jewish Women’s Confessional Comics
At Comic-Con, Graphic Details: Jewish Women’s Confessional Comics in Essays and Interviews took home the Eisner Award for Best Scholarly/Academic Work! This is the second award Graphic Details has garnered, with the Eisner following the Popular Culture Association’s Susan Koppelman Best Anthology Award. Congratulations to editor Sarah Lightman, the 18 artists she covers, and to all the women around the world who are bravely making comics about their own lives. #Eisner # SDCC #ComicCon2015
The Mission of Comic-Con
Comic-Con International San Diego is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.
McFarland is getting ready to do its part at Comic-Con this week. Create awareness—check. Appreciate comics and related popular art forms—check. We’ll also copiously document all the spectacle that is this event: stay tuned.
Fan Studies and Comic-Con
With San Diego Comic-Con International commencing in just a few days, it is a timely moment to take another look at recent fan studies explorations by Ben Bolling and Matthew J. Smith (It Happens at Comic-Con), Bill Schelly (Founders of Comic Fandom), Kristin M. Barton and Jonathan Malcolm Lampley (Fan CULTure), and Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse (Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet).
It Happens at Comic-Con: Ethnographic Essays on a Pop Culture Phenomenon
This “engrossing” (Midwest Book Review) collection seeks to expand fan studies, exploring Comic-Con International more deeply than any publication before it. Ben Bolling is a Jacob K. Javits Fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Matthew J. Smith is a professor of communication and director of cinema studies at Wittenberg University, where he teaches courses in media, including television criticism and graphic storytelling.
Founders of Comic Fandom: Profiles of 90 Publishers, Dealers, Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s
In the 1950s and ’60s, a grassroots movement arose to celebrate comic books and strips, which were becoming increasingly important to American popular culture. “Meticulously researched and thoroughly documented” (School Library Journal), profiled here are the people at the heart of the movement. Bill Schelly has been chronicling the history of popular culture since the 1960s, beginning with his magazine Sense of Wonder. He has written or edited several books, and is associate editor of the Eisner Award–winning magazine Alter Ego.
Fan CULTure: Essays on Participatory Fandom in the 21st Century
This “highly recommended” (Choice) collection explores how present-day fans interact with the films, television shows, books, and pop culture artifacts they love. Kristin M. Barton is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication at Dalton State College in Dalton, Georgia. Jonathan Malcolm Lampley is a prolific contributor to many popular-culture periodicals and publications.
Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays
The essays in this “useful and thought-provoking” (SFRA Review) volume explore the world of fan fiction—its purposes, how it is created, how the fan experiences it. Karen Hellekson is a copy editor and independent scholar. She writes book reviews for Publishers Weekly and lives in Jay, Maine. Kristina Busse teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of South Alabama and has previously written about fan fiction and fan culture. She is the founding coeditor of Transformative Works and Cultures.
Ashe County: Where McFarland Resides
Authors, customers, friends, and fans: if you’ve ever wondered what McF’s mountain town is like, have a look at this neat response about our area from a recent vacationer. (A special nod, too, to our Boondocks friends who regularly support us in a number of ways.) We love where we live!
CONFERENCE: American Library Association 2015 Annual Meeting
There is much to celebrate today! Our publishing duty, however, is to equip you with industry intel (some of which is less likely to be in your news feed today). Therefore, as we witness historic decisions in our country, we’d be remiss not to mention the Annual American Library Association conference, which meets over the weekend in San Francisco. Themed “TRANSFORMING our libraries, ourselves, McFarland looks forward to several days’ worth of terrific conversations about all things librarianship.
A happy coincidence—assistant sales manager Adam Phillips has THIS hotel view, providing opportunities to share the goings-on of an historic Pride Week in San Francisco.
CONFERENCE: Origins Game Fair 2015
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.
CONFERENCE: ConCarolinas
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!
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo
Springtime means a lot of things…including a Chicago trip to C2E2. McFarland is looking forward to several days of great people and great conversations. (The costumes aren’t bad, either.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkJ1e7ZOi6Q&feature=youtu.be
CONFERENCE: Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair
April 24-May 3: We’re pleased to have our titles displayed at this year’s Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair, where an estimated 2.5 million visitors will be onsite.
CONFERENCE: London Book Fair
April 14-16: McFarland will be at the London Book Fair in spirit—AND with titles displayed onsite—with the help of our Eurospan partners.
A Library Journal Starred Review: Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century
Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century: Essays on the Novels, Children’s Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works by Tara Prescott
“An intriguing anthology of essays…fascinating…academics and readers who enjoy Gaiman’s books will appreciate the care put into this impressive collection”—Library Journal
Hardball Legends and Journeymen and Short-Timers
The Washington (D.C.) City Paper recently posted an interview with McFarland author Ronnie Joyner (Hardball Legends and Journeymen and Short-Timers), whom the paper said “may be America’s last sports cartoonist.” It’s a fascinating discussion—with several illustrations included—of Joyner’s artwork, his creative process, and his influences.
Pop Culture Association: Photos from Day Two
Day Two at PCA was another busy affair. Authors stopped by to discuss music, tattoos, and all things vampiric. Check out a few photos from the day… #pcaaca15
CONFERENCE: Popular Culture Association
McFarland is exhibiting at the annual conference of the Popular Culture Association April 1-4 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. #pcaaca2015
Association of College & Research Libraries Annual Meeting
McFarland is in Portland! Join us at the Association of College & Research Libraries Annual Meeting.
International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts Conference
McFarland is traveling to Orlando, Florida, for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts Conference.
New Releases for February 17: Braves, Heartland, Urban Transportation, Comic Books, Military
The Miracle Braves, 1914–1916 by Charles C. Alexander
Hard Living in America’s Heartland: Rural Poverty in the 21st Century Midwest by Paula vW. Dáil
Urban Transportation Innovations Worldwide: A Handbook of Best Practices Outside the United States by Roger L. Kemp
The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications by Joe Sergi
American Military Training Aircraft: Fixed and Rotary-Wing Trainers Since 1916 by E.R. Johnson
Southwest Popular/American Culture Association
McFarland is heading out to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the SWPCA meeting.
CATALOG: New Books Spring 2015
Spring is just around the corner! Check out our new books for spring 2015… New Books Spring 2015 Catalog.
ALA Midwinter Meeting 2015
As usual, we’ve had a wonderful experience at the ALA midwinter meeting!
Graphic Details by Sarah Lightman
Congratulations to editor Sarah Lightman whose Graphic Details has been named a 2014 Broken Frontier Awards’ nominee in the Best Book on Comics category!
Le Guin and Gaiman at National Book Awards
At the 2014 National Book Awards, Ursula Le Guin accepted the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Author Neil Gaiman presented the awards. Le Guin said, “I rejoice in accepting [this prize] for, and sharing it with, all the writers who were excluded from literature for so long: my fellow authors of fantasy and science fiction.” NPR covered the award here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/20/365434149/book-news-ursula-k-le-guin-steals-the-show-at-the-national-book-awards
Le Guin-related books from McFarland:
One Earth, One People:
The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle and Orson Scott Card
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Journey to Post-Feminism
Nature and the Numinous in Mythopoeic Fantasy Literature
The Past That Might Have Been, the Future That May Come:
Women Writing Fantastic Fiction, 1960s to the Present
Practicing Science Fiction:
Critical Essays on Writing, Reading and Teaching the Genre
Literary Eats:
Emily Dickinson’s Gingerbread, Ernest Hemingway’s Picadillo, Eudora Welty’s Onion Pie and 400+ Other Recipes from American Authors Past and Present
Gaiman-related books from McFarland:
Feminism in the Worlds of Neil Gaiman:
Essays on the Comics, Poetry and Prose
Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century:
Essays on the Novels, Children’s Stories, Online Writings, Comics and Other Works
The Gothic Fairy Tale in Young Adult Literature:
Essays on Stories from Grimm to Gaiman
CATALOG: Pop Culture Holiday 2014
The Holidays are fast approaching. Get an early start on your shopping with our new Holiday Pop Culture Catalog.
CALL FOR REVIEWERS: Tales of Superhuman Powers
Are you a book review editor, reviewer, or folklorist interested in receiving a media copy of Tales of Superhuman Powers: 55 Traditional Stories from Around the World? McFarland has a supply of review copies available upon request. Contact us via our review copy request form, filling out the form completely, to receive your copy.
Csenge Virág Zalka, a Hungarian storyteller, has collected 55 foltktales from around the world about supernatural abilities like superhuman strength, invulnerability, flying, heightened senses, speed, invisibility, healing, agility, precognition, telepathy, fire manipulation, teleportation, water powers, and shifting. These tales represent powers that people have dreamed of, conjured up and strived for through the ages. Many of the powers are present in popular culture, making the superheroes who wield them the direct descendants of characters such as the princess who could see through walls or the invulnerable Isfandiyar. Zalka excluded stories about magic or about gods with divine powers, and focused on less well-known stories. She included information on similar heroes, the ability in the story, sources of the powers, the origin of the story, teachings in it, the recommended age group, sources, variants, and comments.
#folklore #superheoes #comics #popculture
New York Comic Con 2014
New York Comic Con 2014
Behold! Prince Adam of Eternia and a masked luchador Thundercat pose for a pre-fight picture in the McFarland booth at #NYCC14. By the power of Greyskull! Thunder, thunder, Thundercats, Ho! McWrestleMania 2014! Which will prevail? (If you are wondering, why yes, all of our He-Man action figures were also wrestlers.)
How Dragon-Conners Read
How Dragon-Conners read. #DragonCon2014
It Happens at Comic-Con!
If you can’t hang with us at San Diego Comic-Con (or even if you can), we highly recommend you check out It Happens at Comic-Con!, edited by Ben Bolling and Matthew J. Smith. Let us help you help yourselves with a better understanding of the pop cultural phenomenon that is this event. Enter the coupon code PHENOM in the shopping cart of our online catalog (or call our toll free 800-253-2187 during business hours Friday and Monday) for a 20% discount now through Monday, July 27.
Scottish Highlanders Are Invading San Diego!
With the onset of Comic-Con International, throngs of fans, media companies, celebrities and others are descending upon San Diego. Expect the San Diego Convention Center to be filled to capacity with pop culture providers and seekers.
As usual, McFarland has arrived (snuck in during the night under a “MacFarlane’s Lantern”!) and will be stationed in the exhibit hall, this time in booth #1501. At our book stand, two of the staff have notable middle names…there’s a “McFarland” and a “McRae” at the book stand! We’re not the only ones with a connection to the Scottish Highlands, however. Jamie Fraser and his Outlander fellows are making there way to San Diego, as well.
The Outlander panel takes place Friday, July 25, at 2:15 P.M., in Room 6A. If you haven’t yet acquainted yourself with Outlander, the seven subsequent novels, or the upcoming television series, be assured that they “lavishly evoke the land and lore of Scotland” as the critics put it.
For more about McFarland’s history, go here. For more about the Outlander series, go here.
CONFERENCE: American Library Association Annual
June 27-30, the American Library Association is gathering in Las Vegas for Annual. We’re still trying to get our book display set up in the exhibit hall, with some “help” from early browsers like Allan Greenburg of Diamond Comic Distributors (pictured). McFarland is in Booth #1423, and our friends at Diamond are in Booth #2015.
CATALOG: Popular Culture 2014
Authors, readers and book reviewers: We find ourselves in the unusual yet happy situation of having an overage of popular culture catalogs. Tell us about your organization, journal/magazine, con, or professional society that would be interested in receiving catalogs chockfull of books about pop culture!
New Releases for June 5: Baseball, Up Stairs Lounge, Batman
When in Doubt, Fire the Skipper: Midseason Managerial Changes in Major League Baseball by Gary Webster
The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973 by Clayton Delery-Edwards
Soul of the Dark Knight: Batman as Mythic Figure in Comics and Film by Alex M. Wainer
McFarland Celebrates 35 Years
On April 1st, 1979, founder Robert McFarland Franklin departed Plainfield, New Jersey, heading south in a Volkswagen bug towing a U-Haul. With wife Cheryl behind the wheel, Robert began company operations on a yellow pad in his lap.
Thirty-five years ago, libraries provided almost the sole market (but a robust one!) for the heavily-researched books that McFarland made its specialty. Over the decades, the company won ever-growing numbers of devoted readers who appreciated the care McFarland and its authors lavished on our books. Our authors, a throng of thousands now, teach us something new every day.
We’re having an open house Friday, June 20, from noon until 5:00. Join us for tours, conversation, punch, finger food, art and books.
CATALOG: New Books Spring 2014
For those that may have missed it the first time around, a PDF copy of the print catalog of Spring 2014 New Books is available here.
CONFERENCE: on location at C2E2
The Captain paid a visit to the McFarland booth today, checking out War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film and Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays among the many titles on display.
C2E2
Aaaand McF is in Chi-town for a second week in a row—this time for C2E2. Looking forward to seeing what’s in store at what promises to be an exciting meeting.
PCA 2014 Recap
International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts
We are here, and it is indeed fantastic.
New Releases for February 21: Comic-Con, Baseball, Jackson Purchase, Masher, Three knots
It Happens at Comic-Con: Ethnographic Essays on a Pop Culture Phenomenon by Ben Bolling
Baseball Prodigies: Best Major League Seasons by Players Under 21 by Charles F. Faber
Beware the Masher: Sexual Harassment in American Public Places, 1880–1930 by Kerry Segrave
Three Knots to Nowhere: A Cold War Submariner on the Undersea Frontline by Ted E. Dubay
CONFERENCE: American Library Association Midwinter
CATALOG: New Books Spring 2014
Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s read!” Check out our New Books Spring Catalog!
Celebrate 2014 with the best possible gift: books!
Our holiday sale ends today, Dec. 31st, so don’t delay! Best wishes to all from your McFarland friends…happy reading! Enjoy 20% off your order through today. On the McFarland website, use coupon code HOLIDAY in the cart as you are checking out. Or, call toll-free 800-253-2187 (Mon-Fri 8:00am to 4:30pm Eastern Time). http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/2013/11/holiday-sale/
New Releases for November 19: Rogue's Life, Wonder Women
A Rogue’s Life: R. Clay Crawford, Prison Escapee, Union Army Officer, Pretend Millionaire, Phony Physician and the Most Respected Man in Macon, Georgia by Lewis A. Lawson
This book reveals the life of R. Clay Crawford, his dreams, his schemes, his successes and his failures, as he launched himself into many of the most turbulent episodes of 19th century United States history. Like everyone, he was born with a family history, not just genetic but also cultural determinants; this book reveals the influences on his behavior inherited from his father and his grandfathers. He likewise passed on to his children a model, not just genetic but cultural. Even so, Clay Crawford’s story is not just a family affair. He was a “self-made man” living in an age when such was thought to be a national asset—and thus stands out as a warning that the worship of the “self-made man” may produce more rogues than Rockefellers.
The Ages of Wonder Woman: Essays on the Amazon Princess in Changing Times by Joseph J. Darowski
Created in 1941 by the psychologist William Marston, Wonder Woman would go on to have one of the longest continuous run of published comic book adventures in the history of the industry. More than 70 years after her debut, Wonder Woman remains a popular culture icon. Throughout the intervening years many comic book creators have had a hand in guiding her story, resulting in different interpretations of the Amazon Princess. But the changes in tone, theme or subject matter in Wonder Woman’s fictional adventures are the result not only of new creators. Wars, the feminist movement, politics and evolving social opinions and concerns can be seen influencing the stories found in Wonder Woman’s comic books.
CATALOG: Popular Culture Holiday 2013
Folks, the first couple of Pinterest search options are called: “Popular” and “Everything.” Overwhelming? We think so, too. So here’s our latest popular culture catalog that covers both. You can thank us later with an order.
Speaking of orders, on the McFarland website, use coupon code HOLIDAY in the cart as you are checking out for 20% off your entire order. Or, call toll-free 800-253-2187 (Mon-Fri 8:00am to 4:30pm Eastern Time) and ask for your holiday discount.
