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Weekly Kindle Spotlight- April 16th

<I>Game of Thrones</I> and the Medieval Art of WarLove e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through April 30th, get these books on Kindle for just $3.99.

Pop Culture

Game of Thrones and the Medieval Art of War

Jack Lord: An Acting Life

Super-History: Comic Book Heroes and American Society

Opening the X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series

Visions of the Future in Comics: International Perspectives

Chivalry in Westeros: The Knightly Code in A Song of Ice and Fire

Keep Watching the Skies!: American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties, 21st Century Edition

Military

Rear Admiral Larry Chambers:, USN: First African American to Command an Aircraft Carrier

Last Man Out: Glenn McDole, USMC, Sole Survivor of the Palawan Massacre in World War II

Sports

The Half-Game Penant of 1908: Four Teams Chase Victory in the American League

Mike Torrez: A Baseball Biography

A Calculus of Color: The Integration of Baseball’s American League

Social Sciences & the Arts

Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore

African-American Women With Incarcerated Mates: The Psychological and Social Impacts of Mass Imprisonment

Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution

Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching in Theory, Research and Practice

 

 

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Newly Published: Girls on Fire

New on our bookshelf today:

Girls on Fire: Transformative Heroines in Young Adult Dystopian Literature
Sarah Hentges

Under the threat of climate change, corruption, inequality and injustice, Americans may feel they are living in a dystopian novel come to life. Like many American narratives, dystopian stories often focus on males as the agents of social change.

With a focus on the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality and power, the author analyzes the themes, issues and characters in young adult (YA) dystopian fiction featuring female protagonists—the Girls on Fire who inspire progressive transformation for the future.

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Newly Published: Death of an Altar Boy

New on our bookshelf today:

Death of an Altar Boy: The Unsolved Murder of Danny Croteau and the Culture of Abuse in the Catholic Church
E.J. Fleming

The tragic death of 13-year-old Danny Croteau in 1972 faded from headlines and memories for 20 years until the Boston abuse scandal—a string of assaults taking place within the Catholic Church—exploded in the early 2000s. Despite numerous indications, including 40 claims of sexual misconduct with minors, pointing to him as Croteau’s killer, Reverend Richard R. Lavigne remains “innocent.”

Drawing on more than 10,000 pages of police and court findings and interviews with Danny’s friends and family, fellow abuse victims, and church officials, the author uncovers the truth—church complicity in the cover up and masking of priests involvement in a ring of abusive clergy—behind Croteau’s death and those who had a hand in it.

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Newly Published: The State of American Hot Rodding

New on our bookshelf today:

The State of American Hot Rodding: Interviews on the Craft and the Road Ahead
David Lawrence Miller

As the automotive world looks towards a future of electric vehicles, driverless technology and anonymous styling, what can be learned from the individuals who resist these trends and cling to their love of street rods and muscle cars? The hot rodding world still exists, but will it continue to hold a place in tomorrow’s automotive culture?

Gearhead and geographer David Miller has crisscrossed America in his custom built 1958 Chevy Apache pickup, interviewing hot rodders about what drives their passions, values and way of life. Their collected stories present a detailed portrait of modern hot rodding—a distinctly American subculture that survives by bucking the trends and attitudes that increasingly shape the transportation landscape.

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Newly Published: British Chess Literature to 1914

New on our bookshelf today:

British Chess Literature to 1914: A Handbook for Historians
Tim Harding

A huge amount was published about chess in the United Kingdom before the First World War. The growing popularity of chess in Victorian Britain was reflected in an increasingly competitive market of books and periodicals aimed at players from beginner to expert. The author combines new information about the early history of the game with advice for researchers into chess history and traces the further development of chess literature well into the 20th century.

Topics include today’s leading chess libraries and the use of digitized chess texts and research on the Web. Special attention is given to the columns that appeared in newspapers (national and provincial) and magazines from 1813 onwards. These articles, usually weekly, provide a wealth of information on early chess, much of which is not to be found elsewhere. The lengthy first appendix, an A to Z of almost 600 chess columns, constitutes a detailed research aid. Other appendices include corrections and supplements to standard works of reference on chess.

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Newly Published: Tiger Stadium

New on our bookshelf today:

Tiger Stadium: Essays and Memories of Detroit’s Historic Ballpark, 1912–2009
Edited by Michael Betzold, John Davids, Bill Dow, John Pastier and Frank Rashid

Built in 1911, Detroit’s Tiger Stadium provided unmatched access for generations of baseball fans. Based on a classic grandstand design, its development through the 20th century reflected the booming industrial city around it. Emphasizing utility over adornment and offering more fans affordable seats near the field, it was in every sense a working class ballpark that made the game the central focus.

Drawing on the perspectives of historians, architects, fans and players, the author describes how Tiger Stadium grew, adapted and thrived, and how it was demolished in 2008—a casualty of racism and corporate welfare. Chronological diagrams illustrate the evolution of the playing field.

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Weekly Kindle Spotlight: April 9th

Egyptian Belly Dance in TransitionLove e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through April 30th, get these books on Kindle for just $3.99.

Egyptian Belly Dance in Transition: The Raqs Sharqi Revolution, 1890-1930

Property and Power in English Gothic Literature

Ghosts and Shadows: A Marine in Vietnam, 1968-1969

The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki

Europe’s Stars of 80’s Dance Pop: 32 International Music Legends Discuss Their Careers

James Arness: An Autobiography

Timothy Matlack, Scribe of the Declaration of Independence

Understanding Sabermetrics: An Introduction to the Science of Baseball Statistics

Women and Poverty in 21st Century America

We Rise to Resist: Voices from a New Era in Women’s Political Action

Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture

The Ages of Wonder Woman: Essays on the Amazon Princess in Changing Times

Rice Paddy Recon: A Marine Officer’s Second Tour in Vietnam, 1968-1970

English Lyric Tradition: Reading Poetic Masterpieces of the Middle Ages and Renaissance 

Escape from Bataan: Memoir of a US Navy Ensign in the Philippines, October 1941 to May 1942

A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series

Urban Renewal and the End of Black Culture in Charlottesville, Virginia: An Oral History of Vinegar Hill

 

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Newly Published: Chasing Charlie

New on our bookshelf today:

Chasing Charlie: A Force Recon Marine in Vietnam
Richard Fleming

Richard Fleming served as a scout with the elite U.S. Marine 1st Force Reconnaissance Company during the bloodiest years of the Vietnam War. Dropped deep into enemy territory, Recon relied on stealth and surprise to complete their mission—providing intelligence on enemy positions, conducting limited raids and capturing prisoners. Fleming’s absorbing memoir recounts his transformation from idealistic recruit to cynical veteran as the war claimed the lives of his friends and the missions became ever more dangerous.

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Newly Published: Melungeon Portraits

New on our bookshelf today:

Melungeon Portraits: Exploring Kinship and Identity
Tamara L. Stachowicz

At a time when concepts of racial and ethnic identity increasingly define how we see ourselves and others, the ancestry of Melungeons—a Central Appalachian multi-racial group believed to be of Native American, African and European origins—remains controversial.

Who is Melungeon, how do we know and what does that mean? In a series of interviews with individuals who claim Melungeon heritage, the author finds common threads that point to shared history, appearance and values, and explores how we decide who we are and what kind of proof we need to do so.

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Newly Published: The Incomparable Hildegarde

New on our bookshelf today:

The Incomparable Hildegarde: The Sexuality, Style and Image of an Entertainment Icon
Monica Storme Gallamore

The Incomparable Hildegarde (1906–2005) lived a life of glamour and excitement. She began her career as a pianist in Milwaukee’s silent movie theaters, which led to the Vaudeville stage. By the 1930s, she was singing in the cabarets of Paris and London, rubbing elbows with royalty, White Russians, and Josephine Baker. Returning to the U.S., she became the darling of the New York City supper club scene. Her name and style became synonymous with high-class entertainment at venues like the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel. She started fashion trends, had her own signature Revlon nail and lip color, and was the first to have hits with many standards of the World War II era.

This first biography of Hildegarde Sill covers her 70–year career, emphasizing her importance in 20th-century American popular culture. The author analyzes her intimate relationship with her manager of two decades, Anna Sosenko.

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Newly Published: Eminent Charlotteans

New on our bookshelf today:

Eminent Charlotteans: Twelve Historical Profiles from North Carolina’s Queen City
Scott Syfert

Inspired by the 2010 “Spirit of Mecklenburg”—a bronze statue of Captain James Jack, “the South’s Paul Revere,” in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina—this history details the lives of 12 Charlotteans who made important contributions to the Queen City, from the early Colonial period to the 20th century. Subjects include Catawba Indian chief King Haigler, Founding Father Thomas Polk, freed slave Ishmael Titus, African American celebrity barber Thad Tate and North Carolina’s first woman physician, Annie Alexander.

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Newly Published: Jessica Jones, Scarred Superhero

New on our bookshelf today:

Jessica Jones, Scarred Superhero: Essays on Gender, Trauma and Addiction in the Netflix Series
Edited by Tim Rayborn and Abigail Keyes

Jessica Jones barged onto our screens in November 2015, courtesy of Marvel and Netflix, presenting a hard-drinking protagonist who wrestles with her own inner (and outer) demons. Gaining enhanced abilities as a teenager, she eschews the “super costume” and is far more concerned with the problems of daily life. But when Jessica falls under the control of a villain, her life changes forever.

Based on the comic book Alias, the show won a large following and critical acclaim for its unflinching look at subjects like abuse, trauma, PTSD, rape culture, alcoholism, drug addiction, victims’ plight and family conflicts.

This collection of new essays offers insight into the show’s complex themes and story lines.

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Newly Published: Repeating and Multi-Fire Weapons

New on our bookshelf today:

Repeating and Multi-Fire Weapons: A History from the Zhuge Crossbow Through the AK-47
Gerald Prenderghast

From the very earliest days of organized warfare, combatants have wanted to develop weapons with more firepower. This has inevitably led to a wide variety of repeating weapons, capable of a degree of sustained fire without reloading.

Based largely upon new research, this book explores the history of repeating and multi-fire weapons, beginning with the Chinese repeating crossbow in the 4th century BCE, and ending with the world’s most common firearm, the Kalashnikov AK-47. The author describes the potency of the machine gun in World War I, the development of the semiautomatic pistol and the role of the submachine gun in improving the effectiveness of the infantryman.

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Newly Published: Roosevelt’s Revolt

New on our bookshelf today:

Roosevelt’s Revolt: The 1912 Republican Convention and the Launch of the Bull Moose Party
John C. Skipper

The presidential election of 1912 was the only one whose candidates included an incumbent president, a former president and a future president. Theodore Roosevelt, in the Oval Office from 1901 to 1909, chose not to run again. When his former Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, took controversial actions as his successor, Roosevelt challenged him for the 1912 Republican nomination. Taft emerged as the nominee and Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate on the Progressive (Bull Moose) ticket, causing a split in the GOP that allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the presidency.

The author examines the election in detail and traces the effects of Roosevelt’s actions on the Republican Party for decades. Appendices detail Republican primary results and all of the parties’ platforms and provide a summary of presidential assassinations and attempts.

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Opening Day Baseball Sale

We have all caught spring fever here at McFarland, and we’re certain that’s the case with many of our readers, as well!  We’re offering a surprise sale coinciding with Opening Day. When you order direct from our website with the coupon code OpeningDay40, print editions of all baseball
books are 40% off beginning Opening Day, March 29 through Easter Monday April 2.

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Weekly Kindle Spotlight: March 26th

Whitey Herzog Builds a WinnerLove e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through March 31st, get these books on Kindle for just $3.99.

Whitey Herzog Builds a Winner: The St. Louis Cardinals, 1979-1982

Superheroines and the Epic Journey: Mythic Themes in Comics, Film and Television

Responding to Call of Duty: Critical Essays on the Game Franchise

Eyes on Havana: Memoir of an American Spy Betrayed by the CIA

Eye of the Tiger: Memoir of a United States Marine, Third Force Recon Company, Vietnam

Tail End Charlie: Memoir of a United States Marine in the Vietnam War

War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film

Extraordinary Dreams: Visions, Announcements and Premonitions Across Time and Place

Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation

The Culture of Sports in the Harlem Renaissance

The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football’s Most Important Decade

Mustang Genesis: The Creation of the Pony Car

Wells, Fargo & Co: Stagecoach and Train Robberies, 1870-1884

Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicide

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Weekly Kindle Spotlight: March 19

Through an Unlocked DoorLove e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through March 31st, get these books on Kindle for just $3.99.

Through and Unlocked Door: In Walks Murder

A Life in Code: Pioneer Cryptanalyst Elizebeth Smith Friedman

Winston Churchill, Myth and Reality: What He Actually Did and Said

Star Wars Heresies: Interpreting the Themes, Symbols and Philosophies of Episodes I, II and III

Gaming as Culture: Essays on Reality, Identity and Experience in Games

Storytelling in Video Games: The Art of the Digital Narrative

The Lost Colony of Roanoke: New Perspectives

African American Doctors of World War I: The Lives of 104 Volunteers

Runway Visions: An American C-130 Pilot’s Memoir of Combat Airlift Operations in Southeast Asia, 1967-1968

North Korea and Myanmar: Divergent Paths

Fascist Lizards from Outer Space: The Politics, Literary Influence and Cultural History of Kenneth Johnson’s V

Evidence for Psi: Thirteen Empirical Research Reports

The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

The Indianapolis Automobile Industry: A History, 1893-1939

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We Rise to Resist Receives Starred Review in Booklist

We Rise to Resist: Voices from a New Era in Women’s Political Action
Edited by Paula vW. Dáil and Betty L. Wells

“For every person who railed in private or public protest against assaults on our nation’s cherished institutions, Dail’s anthology provides essential validation, affirming that dissent eventually works and that one’s outrage need not be in vain.”—Booklist (starred review)

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J.L. Wilkinson and the Kansas City Monarchs Wins 2018 SABR Baseball Research Award

William A. Young’s J.L. Wilkinson and the Kansas City Monarchs has been named a 2018 SABR Baseball Research Award winner.  The judges praised the book for providing “new insights into the relationship between the Negro Leagues and Judge Landis and the leagues’ role in Jackie Robinson’s ascension,” as well as for its focus on “the central role played by Wilkinson in maintaining the institution of Negro League baseball.”  Read the announcement here.

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Weekly Deal: Celtic Studies

This week, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with 20% off all Celtic studies books! Enter the coupon code CELTIC at checkout!

Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and Songs

Celtic Astrology from the Druids to the Middle Ages

The Irish Vampire: From Folklore to the Imaginations of Charles Robert Maturin, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and Bram Stoker

The Druids and King Arthur: A New View of Early Britain

The Other British Isles: A History of Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides, Isle of Man, Anglesey, Scilly, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands

Modern Druidism

Celtic Cosmology and the Other World: Mythic Origins, Sovereignty and Liminality

British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary 449-2006

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Weekly Kindle Spotlight: March 5th

Japan’s Green MonstersLove e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through March 31st, get these books on Amazon Kindle for just $3.99.

Laird Cregar: A Hollywood Tragedy

Japan’s Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema

The Sadist, the Hitman and the Murder of Jane Bashara

Booking Hawaii Five-0: An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series

The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games

Black Slaveowners: Free Black Slave Masters in South Carolina, 1790-1860

The Crouching Beast: A United States Army Lieutenant’s Account of the Battle for Hamburg Hill, May 1969

Hornet 33: Memoir of a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam

Capitol Hill Pages: Young Witnesses to 200 Years of History

Scientifical Americans: The Culture of Amateur Paranormal Researchers

The United States Football League, 1982-1986

Motor City Champs: Mickey Cochrane and the 1934-1935 Detroit Tigers

The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History

Out for Queer Blood: The Murder of Fernando Rios and the Failure of New Orleans Justice

 

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Weekly Deal: The Academy Awards

This week, get 20% off all books about the Academy Awards when you use the coupon code OSCAR!

Oscar’s Favorite Actors: The Winningest Stars (and More Who Should Be)

Foreign Language Films and the Oscar: The Nominees and Winners, 1948–2017

Hollywood Musicals Nominated for Best Picture

Behind the Scenes with Hollywood Producers: Interviews with 14 Top Film Creators

Encyclopedia of Motion Picture Sound

The Films of the Nineties: A Complete, Qualitative Filmography of Over 3000 Feature-Length English Language Films, Theatrical and Video-Only, Released Between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999

Western Film Highlights: The Best of the West, 1914–2001

Feature Films, 1940–1949: A United States Filmography

Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television

Art Directors in Cinema: A Worldwide Biographical Dictionary

The Columbia Checklist: The Feature Films, Serials, Cartoons and Short Subjects of Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1922–1988

Best Songs of the Movies: Academy Award Nominees and Winners, 1934–1958

The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 through 1932

The Fox Film Corporation, 1915–1935: A History and Filmography

 

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Two Books Reviewed in March Issue of Choice

Library World Records, 3d ed.
Godfrey Oswald
“Simply fun to browse…a tremendous resource for researchers and authors wishing to incorporate library facts and statistics into their work…recommended.”—Choice

The Morals of Monster Stories: Essays on Children’s Picture Book Messages
Edited by Leslie Ormandy
“A valuable resource for future analysis…recommended.”—Choice

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Newly Published: Assembling the Marvel Cinematic Universe

New on our bookshelf today:

Assembling the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Essays on the Social, Cultural and Geopolitical Domains
Edited by Julian C. Chambliss, William L. Svitavsky and Daniel Fandino

The Marvel Cinematic Universe—comprised of films, broadcast television and streaming series and digital shorts—has generated considerable fan engagement with its emphasis on socially relevant characters and plots. Beyond considerable box office achievements, the success of Marvel’s movie studios has opened up dialogue on social, economic and political concerns that challenge established values and beliefs. This collection of new essays examines those controversial themes and the ways they represent, construct and distort American culture.

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Weekly Kindle Spotlight: February 19th

Love e-books? Save on several popular titles this week with our Kindle Spotlight! Through February 28th, get these books on Amazon Kindle for just $3.99.

Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History

Goon: Memoir of a Minor League Hockey Enforcer

The Musical Artistry of Rap

The Hippies: A 1960’s History

Becoming a Leader is Becoming Yourself

Diversity in Disney Films

The Age of Netflix: Critical Essays on Streaming Media, Digital Delivery and Instant Access

Understanding Minecraft: Essays on Play, Community, and Possibilities

The Hump: The 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, in the First Major Battle of the Vietnam War 

“Ask the Man Who Owns One”: And Illustrated History of Packard Advertising

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Three New Titles Reviewed in February Issue of Choice

Egyptomania Goes to the Movies: From Archaeology to Popular Craze to Hollywood Fantasy
Matthew Coniam
“Informative and fun…provides much interesting detail…recommended.”

Player and Avatar: The Affective Potential of Videogames
David Owen
“An engaging book…approachable, topical, and well sourced…recommended”

P.D. James: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction
Laurel A. Young
“Recommended”

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Newly Published: The Mistaken History of the Korean War

New on our bookshelf today:

The Mistaken History of the Korean War: What We Got Wrong Then and Now
Paul M. Edwards

Much of the history of the Korean War has been misinterpreted or obscured. Intense propaganda and limited press coverage during the war, coupled with vague objectives and an incomplete victory, resulted in a popular narrative of partial truth and factual omission. Battlefield stories—essentially true but often missing significant data—added an element of myth. Drawing on a range of sources, the author, a Korean War veteran, reexamines the war’s causes, costs and outcomes.

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Newly Published: Harry Potter and Convergence Culture

New on our bookshelf today:

Harry Potter and Convergence Culture: Essays on Fandom and the Expanding Potterverse
Edited by Amanda Firestone and Leisa A. Clark

Since the 1997 publication of the first Harry Potter novel, the “Potterverse” has seen the addition of eight feature films (with a ninth in production), the creation of the interactive Pottermore© website, the release of myriad video games, the construction of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, several companion books (such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), critical essays and analyses, and the 2016 debut of the original stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

This collection of new essays interprets the Wizarding World beyond the books and films through the lens of convergence culture. Contributors explore how online communities tackle Sorting and games like the Quidditch Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, and analyze how Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are changing fandom and the canon alike.

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Weekly Deal: The Olympics

It’s time again for the world’s greatest display of sportsmanship! Celebrate PyeongChang 2018 by receiving 20% off our Olympic titles— use the coupon code “OLYMPICS” at checkout.

A Hurdler’s Hurdle

Encyclopedia of International Games

Jim Thorpe

American Decathletes

The Pan American Games/Los Juegos Panamericanos

The Art of Sprinting

The 1920 Olympic Games

The 1912 Olympic Games

The 1908 Olympic Games

The 1904 Olympic Games

The 1900 Olympic Games

The 1896 Olympic Games

American Women’s Track and Field, 1981-2000

Ellison “Tarzan” Brown

Running Through the Ages, 2nd ed

Playing for Equality

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New in Softcover: The Creature Chronicles

Now available in softcover:

The Creature Chronicles: Exploring the Black Lagoon Trilogy
Tom Weaver, David Schecter and Steve Kronenberg

He was the final addition to Universal’s “royal family” of movie monsters: the Creature from the Black Lagoon. With his scaly armor, razor claws and a face only a mother octopus could love, this Amazon denizen was perhaps the most fearsome beast in the history of Hollywood’s Studio of Horrors. But he also possessed a sympathetic quality which elevated him fathoms above the many aquatic monsters who swam in his wake.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Gill Man and his mid–1950s film career (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature, The Creature Walks Among Us) is collected in this book, packed to the gills with hour-by-hour production histories, cast bios, analyses, explorations of the music, script-to-screen comparisons, in-depth interviews and an ocean of fin-tastic photos.

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True Crime 2018 Catalog Now Available

 

From the swamps of Louisiana, to the shadowy streets of London, our authors show that violence can lurk anywhere. Revisit some of the world’s most infamous and mysterious crimes with our True Crime catalog. Use the coupon code “TRUECRIME” to receive 20% off select titles now through February 28th.

Our True Crime 2018 selection includes tales of high-profile serial killers like Ted Bundy, detailed accounts of unsolved child murders that still haunt the American consciousness, and profiles of the enigmatic Jack the Ripper. Well-researched and energetically narrated, our True Crime books provide interesting and informative reads for those that love to learn about the more unsettling pieces of history.