Best of
Pop-Culture

2008

The Complete Making of Indiana Jones: The Definitive Story Behind All Four Films


J.W. Rinzler - 2008
    The rest is breathtaking, record-breaking box-office history. Now comes an all-new Indiana Jones feature film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Here’s your chance to go on location for an up-close, all-access tour of the year’s most eagerly anticipated blockbuster, as well as the classics. The Complete Making of Indiana Jones is a crash course in movie magic-making–showcasing the masters of the craft and served up by veteran entertainment chroniclers J. W. Rinzler and Laurent Bouzereau. Inside you’ll find:• exclusive on-set interviews with the entire cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, including Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt–plus director Steven Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas, screenwriter David Koepp, and the incredible production team that built some of the most fantastic sets ever.• hundreds of full-color images–from storyboards, concept paintings, and set design schematics to still photos from all four films with candid action shots of the productions in progress• an in-depth chronicle of the making of the first three Indiana Jones movies–Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade–including transcripts of the original concept meetings, cast and crew anecdotes, production photos, and information on scenes that were cut from the final films• never-before-seen artwork and archival gems from the Lucasfilm Archives• and much more!Don’t miss the thrilling new movie or this definitive making-of opus. It’s as essential to fans as that trusty bullwhip is to Indy!

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood


Mark Harris - 2008
    Explores the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967-Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Doolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde-and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood, and America, forever.

Harry, a History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon


Melissa Anelli - 2008
    During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What is was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the potential death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time. And a webmistress of the Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to it all. Whether it was helping Scholastic stop leaks and track down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts at bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters, or traveling to Edinburgh to interview J.K. Rowling personally, Melissa was at the center of the Harry Potter tornado, and nothing about her life would ever be the same. The Harry Potter books are a triumph of the imagination that did far more than break sales records for all time. They restored the world's sense of wonder and took on a magical life of their own. Now the series has ended, but the story is not over. With remembrances from J.K. Rowling's editors, agents, publicists, fans and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon--from his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live the dream.

How To Hustle and Win: A Survival Guide for the Ghetto


Supreme Understanding - 2008
    No other book has explained the game - every part of it quite like this.If you're looking for the keys you need to succeed in this dirty game, they're all here. Nine principles - covering over 120 lessons - emerge from the true stories of Black gangsters, hustlers, pimps, slaves, snitches, rebels, rappers, and revolutionaries. This Survival Guide for the Ghetto combines over 4,000 years of the Black experience with easy-to-follow advice for today. It's all in here: Sex, Lies, Drugs, Crime, Violence, Ignorance, Intelligence, Religion, Racism, and Revolution.If you're looking for answers - to almost any question - you'll find them here. The mind is the worlds most powerful weapon - and this is all the ammunition you need.

Keith Haring


Jeffrey Deitch - 2008
    This is the book Haring wanted to make, based on the outline of a monograph that was never completed due to his untimely death in 1989.

Willie and Joe: The WWII Years


Bill Mauldin - 2008
    Army.Fantagraphics Books brings together Mauldin’s complete works from 1940 through the end of the war. This collection of over 600 cartoons, most never before reprinted, is more than the record of a great artist: it is an essential chronicle of America’s citizen-soldiers from peace through war to victory. Bill Mauldin knew war because he was in it. He had created his characters, Willie and Joe, at age 18, before Pearl Harbor, while training with the 45th Infantry Division and cartooning part-time for the camp newspaper. His brilliant send-ups of officers were pure infantry, and the men loved it. With their heavy brush lines, detailed battlescapes, and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect, Mauldin’s cartoons and captions recreated on paper the fully realized world of the American combat soldier. Their dark, often insubordinate humor sparked controversy among army brass and incensed General George S. Patton, Jr.Presented in a deluxe, beautifully designed two-volume slipcased edition of over 700 pages, this tome is edited by Todd DePastino, Mauldin’s official biographer. Willie Joe contains an introduction and running commentary by DePastino, providing context for the drawings, pertinent biographical details of Mauldin’s life, and occasional background on specific cartoons (such as the ones that made Patton howl).

Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman


Hank Wagner - 2008
    From the landmark comic book series "The Sandman" to novels such as the "New York Times" bestselling "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys," from children's literature like "Coraline" to screenplays for such films as "Beowulf," Gaiman work has garnered him an enthusiastic and fiercely loyal, global following. To comic book fans, he is Zeus in the pantheon of creative gods, having changed that industry forever. For discerning readers, he bridges the vast gap that traditionally divides lovers of "literary" and "genre" fiction. Gaiman is truly a pop culture phenomenon, an artist with a magic touch whose work has won almost universal acclaim.Now, for the first time ever, "Prince of Stories" chronicles the history and impact of the complete works of Neil Gaiman in film, fiction, music, comic books, and beyond. Containing hours of exclusive interviews with Gaiman and conversations with his collaborators, as well as wonderful nuggets of his work such as the beginning of an unpublished novel, a rare comic and never-before-seen essay, this is a treasure trove of all things Gaiman. In addition to providing in depth information and commentary on Gaiman's myriad works, the book also includes rare photographs, book covers, artwork, and related trivia and minutiae, making it both an insightful introduction to his work, and a true "must-have" for his ever growing legion of fans.

Taylor Swift: Country's Sweetheart: An Unauthorized Biography


Lexi Ryals - 2008
    Taylor Swift’s debut album has gone double platinum and produced three hit singles. She won the 2007 CMT Horizon Award and the Breakthrough Video Award, and was nominated for the 2008 Best New Artist Grammy. We’ve got the behind-the-scenes story on this blonde bombshell from her younger years to her current superstar status—complete with four pages of color photos!

A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon


Greg Prato - 2008
    Despite scoring one of the decade's most enduring singles and videos, "No Rain,"and a quadruple platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock's biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction. Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. 'A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other' is the first book to tell the group's story-culled from over 50 exclusive interviews (including the surviving band members and those closest to the band) and featuring many never-before-seen photos. "I am honored that Greg has painstakingly accounted for what the hell happened during those crazy times. He has summed up all the chaos, jubilation, and paranoia that is Blind Melon." -Brad Smith, Blind Melon bassist

The Hell of It All


Charlie Brooker - 2008
    It's been downhill ever since. For all this talk of our dazzling modern age, the two biggest advances of the past decade are Wi-Fi and Nando's. That's the best we can do.'In his latest laugh-out-loud collection of misanthropic scribblings, hideous Q-list celebrity failure Charlie Brooker tackles everything from the misery of nightclubs to the death of Michael Jackson, making room for Sir Alan Sugar, potato crisps, global financial meltdown, conspiracy theories and Hole in the Wall along the way. The collapse of civilisation has never felt this funny (unless you're a sociopath, in which case it's been an uninterrupted laugh riot since the days of the Somme).This book is guaranteed to brighten your life, put a spring in your step, and lie to you on its back cover.

A Short Life of Trouble: Forty Years in the New York Art World


Marcia Tucker - 2008
    Tucker came of age in the 1960s, and this spirited account of her life draws the reader directly into the burgeoning feminist movement and the excitement of the New York art world during that time. Her own new ways of thinking led her to take principled stands that have changed the way art museums consider contemporary art. As curator of painting and sculpture at the Whitney, she organized major exhibitions of the work of Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, and Richard Tuttle, among others. As founder of the New Museum of Contemporary Art, she organized and curated groundbreaking exhibitions that often focused on the nexus of art and politics. The book highlights Tucker's commitment to forging a new system when the prevailing one proved too narrow for her expansive vision.

The Walking Dead: The Covers Volume 1


Robert Kirkman - 2008
    In celebration of the Five Year Anniversary of The Walking Dead, Image Comics presents this full-color hardback collection of the first 50 covers of the series, as well as covers for the various collected editions of the series, with added sketch material and commentary by series creator/writer Robert Kirkman, and artists Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn.

The Kitchen Readings: Untold Stories of Hunter S. Thompson


Michael Cleverly - 2008
    Do not attempt them at home.

Buffy Goes Dark: Essays on the Final Two Seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Television


Lynne Y. EdwardsAgnes B. Curry - 2008
    Its groundbreaking stylistic and thematic devices, boldness and wit earned it an intensely devoted fan base-and as it approached its zenith, attention from media watchdog groups and the Federal Communications Commission. The grim and provocative evolution of the show over its final two seasons polarized its audience, while also breaking new ground for critical and philosophical analysis. The thirteen essays in this collection, divided into the perspectives of feminist, cultural, auteur and fan studies, explore the popular series' conclusion, providing a multifaceted examination of Buffy's most controversial two seasons.

Art of the Cut: Conversations with Film and TV Editors


Steve Hullfish - 2008
    It is a fascinating "virtual roundtable discussion" with more than 50 of the top editors from around the globe. Included in the discussion are the winners of more than a dozen Oscars for Best Editing and the nominees of more than forty, plus numerous Emmy winners and nominees. Together they have over a thousand years of editing experience and have edited more than a thousand movies and TV shows.Hullfish carefully curated over a hundred hours of interviews, organizing them into topics critical to editors everywhere, generating an extended conversation among colleagues. The discussions provide a broad spectrum of opinions that illustrate both similarities and differences in techniques and artistic approaches. Topics include rhythm, pacing, structure, storytelling and collaboration.Interviewees include Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road), Tom Cross (Whiplash, La La Land), Pietro Scalia (The Martian, JFK), Stephen Mirrione (The Revenant), Ann Coates (Lawrence of Arabia, Murder on the Orient Express), Joe Walker (12 Years a Slave, Sicario), Kelley Dixon (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), and many more. Art of the Cut also includes in-line definitions of editing terminology, with a full glossary and five supplemental web chapters hosted online. This book is a treasure trove of valuable tradecraft for aspiring editors and a prized resource for high-level working professionals. The book's accessible language and great behind-the-scenes insight makes it a fascinating glimpse into the art of filmmaking for all fans of cinema.

Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster


Phil Taylor - 2008
    Written by Phil Taylor - David's personal guitar technician since 1974 - to coincide with the release of the long awaited and much requested Fender 'David Gilmour Signature Strat': an instrument replicating the look, set-up, sound and feel of David's famous black guitar as it is today. The chronological story begins with David Gilmour joining Pink Floyd in early 1968, his guitar at that time, his subsequent instruments leading to the purchase of the Black Strat in 1970, and the other guitars that have come and gone. The book details all of the changes and modifications made to the Black Strat, its use on Pink Floyd tours and iconic albums, David's solo projects, and various guest appearances throughout the years.

Da Crockydile Book o' Frendsheep: A Pearls Before Swine Gift Book


Stephan Pastis - 2008
    Do geeft book.' And we is like, 'OKay. Whatevers. Just pays us monees.'Den dey is say, 'Make book about frensheep.' And we is like, 'But we ees hate evrybodies.' ANd dey is go, 'But dat make most monees.' So we is like, 'Okay. We expert.'"And experts they are, as they show in such an endearing expression of care as, "If you is have a beeg butt, frend sometime honesst and say, 'you have beeg butt.'"Named Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society in 2004 and 2007, Pearls Before Swine has a devoted fan following of crockydiles and humans alike.

Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi


Jon M. Gibson - 2008
    The chapters move from his early life through career highlights like 'Fritz the Cat' and 'Lord of the Rings', and examine his influence on those who came after him.

Star Wars: The Story of Darth Vader


Catherine Saunders - 2008
    The stories are exciting and captivating in order to develop the child's own desire to read. More text and more complex sentence structure are presented, with information spreads to help develop the reader's general knowledge. The choice of subject widens to match the broadening of children's experiences and interests.© & TM 2015 LUCASFILM LTD.

How Beautiful It Is and How Easily It Can Be Broken


Daniel Mendelsohn - 2008
    Now How Beautiful It Is And How Easily It Can Be Broken reveals all at once the enormous stature of Mendelsohn's achievement and demonstrates why he is considered one of our greatest critics. Writing with a lively intelligence and arresting originality, he brings his distinctive combination of scholarly rigor and conversational ease to bear across eras, cultures, and genres, from Roman games to video games.His interpretations of our most talked-about films—from the work of Pedro Almodóvar to Brokeback Mountain, from United 93 and World Trade Center to 300, Marie Antoinette, and The Hours—have sparked debate and changed the way we watch movies. Just as stunning and influential are his dispatches on theater and literature, from The Producers to Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex, from The Lovely Bones to the works of Harold Pinter. Together these thirty brilliant and engaging essays passionately articulate the themes that have made Daniel Mendelsohn a crucial voice in today's cultural conversation: the aesthetic and indeed political dangers of imposing contemporary attitudes on the great classics; the ruinous effect of sentimentality on the national consciousness in the post-9/11 world; the vital importance of the great literature of the past for a meaningful life in the present.How Beautiful It Is And How Easily It Can Be Broken makes it clear that no other contemporary thinker is as engaged with as many aspects of our culture and its influences as Mendelsohn is, and no one practices the vanishing art of popular criticism with more acuity, humor, and feeling.

Satiristas: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians


Paul Provenza - 2008
    Featuring our greatest comedic minds on the nature of humor, its relevance in society—and why sometimes you just need a good dirty joke to cleanse the palate—Satiristas is a hilarious multi-voiced manifesto on satire and comedy presented by Paul Provenza, co-creator of The Aristocrats.

John Waters


Todd Oldham - 2008
    This series of photography books by designer Oldham highlights remarkable people, places, and spaces and feature essays by noted critics and cultural figures.

Salvation on the Small Screen: 24 Hours of Christian Television


Nadia Bolz-Weber - 2008
    On an average day, the largest religious broadcast channel in the country reaches millions of viewers and features programming from figures such as Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, Pat Robertson, Paul and Jan Crouch, Jess Duplantis, Joel Osteen, and others, yet despite it's presence in well over 50 million household many have little conception of what kind of faith happens there. Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran seminarian and former stand-up comic who's never before watched religious broadcasting, spends 24 hours in front of the TV immersing herself in the messages and culture to be found on the part of the dial. Bolstered by visits from guest such as rabbi, her 8-year-old daughter, Unitarian friend, and others, Salvation on the Small Screen? is Bolz-Weber's chronicle, augmented by after-the-fact research, of a huge, but unknown or mysterious to many, branch of religious culture.

Wacky Packages


The Topps Company Inc. - 2008
    In fact, for the first two years they were published, Wacky Packages were the only Topps product to achieve higher sales than their flagship line of baseball cards. The series has been relaunched several times over the years, most recently to great success in 2007.Known affectionately among collectors as “Wacky Packs,” as a creative force with artist Art Spiegelman, the stickers were illustrated by such notable comics artists as Kim Deitch, , Bill Griffith, Jay Lynch, and Norm Saunders.This first-ever collection of Series One through Series Seven (from 1973 and 1974) celebrates the 35th anniversary of Wacky Packages and is sure to amuse collectors and fans young and old.

American Photobooth


Nakki Goranin - 2008
    The author documents the invention, technological evolution, and commercial history of the photobooth with illustrations culled from 25 years of collecting.

Gothic: Dark Glamour


Valerie Steele - 2008
    “Gothic” is an epithet with a strange history – evoking images of death, destruction, and decay. Ironically, its negative connotations have made the gothic an ideal symbol of rebellion for a wide range of cultural outsiders. Popularly associated with black-clad teenagers and rock musicians, gothic fashion encompasses not only subcultural styles (from old-school goth to cyber-goth and beyond) but also high fashion by such designers as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano of Christian Dior, Rick Owens, Olivier Theyskens, and Yohji Yamamoto. Fashion photographers, such as Sean Ellis and Eugenio Recuenco, have also drawn on the visual vocabulary of the gothic to convey narratives of dark glamour. As the text and lavish illustrations in this book suggest, gothic fashion has deep cultural roots that give it an enduring potency.

Posters for the People: Art of the WPA


Ennis Carter - 2008
    Posters for the People presents these works for what they truly are: highly accomplished and powerful examples of American art. All are iconic and eye-catching, some are humorous and educational, and many combine modern art trends with commercial techniques of advertising. More than 100 posters have never been published or catalogued in federal records; they are included here to ensure their place in the history of American art and graphic design.   The story of these posters is a fascinating journey, capturing the complex objectives of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal reform program. Through their distinct imagery and clear and simple messages, the WPA posters provide a snapshot of an important era when the U.S. government employed hundreds of artists to create millions of posters promoting positive social ideals and programs and a uniquely American way of life. The resulting artworks now form a significant historical record. More than a mere conveyor of government information, they stand as timeless images of beauty and artistic accomplishment.

Blue Dog Speaks


George Rodrigue - 2008
    Blue Dog Speaks is the first book to prominently emphasize Rodrigue’s painting titles, one of the most important elements in the creation of a Blue Dog painting, alongside the works. Rodrigue uses Blue Dog painting titles to provide insight—whether humorous or nostalgic or sad—into the human condition.In an introduction, Rodrigue reveals how an idea that originated in childhood tales has now grown far beyond; his Blue Dogs have moved beyond Louisiana into formerly uncharted territory and now express larger concepts about contemporary life. His newer titles—such as Right Place Wrong Time and Tiffany Remembers the ’70s—along with other, more abstract ones such as All by Myself with My Happiness capture this shift in style and content.But most of all, there are the paintings themselves, magnificently displayed, their titles inviting us to ask “What is this dog all about?” and “What is the artist trying to say?” Even though the definitive answers remain a mystery, the titles provide a clue…

When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams


Bob Greene - 2008
    But, as Bob Greene writes, “just when in our lives we give up on capturing the freedom and bright mornings of our world when it was new, sometimes something happens to keep the sun high in the sky a while longer. Sometimes we find something we weren’t even aware we were looking for."For fifteen years beginning in the 1990s, Greene stepped into a universe that, out in the country every summer night, is hiding in plain sight: the touring world of the great early rock bands who gave America the car-radio and jukebox music it still loves best. Singing backup with the legendary Jan and Dean as they endlessly crisscross the nation, Greene takes us to football stadiums and minor-league ballparks, to no-name ice cream stands and midnight diners, to back roads and carnival midways as he tells a riveting story of great fame and lingering sorrow, of unexpected friendship and lasting dreams, of the things that keep us going in the face of all the things that threaten to stop us.Striking chords of recognition and yearning, When We Get to Surf City glistens with cameos by the men and women with whom Greene traveled the United States on his deliriously unlikely journey, including Chuck Berry, Martha and the Vandellas, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Beach Boys, the Monkees, the Kingsmen, James Brown, Lesley Gore, the Drifters, Little Eva, and the Coasters.All of them—not just the people on the stage, but the people in the audiences, too—are seeking their private versions of the mythical destination Jan and Dean came up with all those years ago: Surf City as the perfect, cloudless place we all believe is out there, if only we can find it.Hilarious and heartbreaking, moving and brilliant, this is the trip of a lifetime, a travelogue of the heart, accompanied by a thundering guitar chorus of Fender Stratocasters. It is a story destined to touch readers not just today, but for generations to come, as long as the music itself echoes.

For the Love of Vinyl: The Album Art of Hipgnosis: Storm Thorgerson & Aubrey Powell


Nick Mason - 2008
    Formed by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell in London in 1968 (with the addition of Throbbing Gristle's Peter Christopherson in 1974), Hipgnosis specialized in creative photography for the music business, making classic album covers for bands and musicians like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, 10cc, Yes, Peter Gabriel, The Gods, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Paul McCartney, Syd Barrett, Scorpions and Styx, among others. Over the course of its 15 year existence, Hipgnosis produced timeless rock iconography--everybody knows at least one Hipgnosis cover, thanks to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The firm's inventive takes on the themes or titles of any given album opened up a new visual language in album cover art, one in which theatrical tableaux, trick photography and logo design played notable roles. For the Love of Vinyl is the first book to survey Storm and Powell's output in detail, focusing on more than 60 package designs--from cover to label--described with entertaining detail by the team who created them. Also included are short essays by musicians (such as Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and artists (British Pop artist Peter Blake) and fellow designers (Paula Scher) on their favorite Hipgnosis covers, as well as previously unseen photographs and ephemera. Complementing all this material is a lengthy critical-historical text examining Hipgnosis and its legacy. For the Love of Vinyl is the rock book of 2008. Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell are award-winning graphic designers and the founders of Hipgnosis.

A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley


Jeff Apter - 2008
    His real life was only revealed after his tragic death 10 years ago, when he was found in the Mississippi river just hours before he was due to start rehearsals for the follow-up album to Grace., In this startling new bio, Jeff Buckley's friends, peers, enemies, lovers, collaborators, and others all speak of the Jeff Buckley they knew - or, in some cases, thought they knew. The contents of his many personal letters are revealed for the first time. His struggle with writer's block is explored, as are his battles with the concept of stardom, his desire for escape, and his attempts to deal with the unavoidable legacy of his equally gifted father, Tim Buckley. Even 10 years after his death, Buckley is still influential - Radiohead and Coldplay readily confess to the debt they owe him.

101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out


Josh Pahigian - 2008
    This book provides profiles of 101 ballpark attractions, museum exhibits, statues, plaques, gravesites, shrines, bars, restaurants, and pop culture landmarks that reflect the game’s rich history and quirky lore.

Broadway Tails: Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars


Bill Berloni - 2008
    As a high schooler in 1976, Berloni had rescued an Airedale mixed breed only hours before it was slated for euthanasia. The terrier was cast as Sandy in the musical Annie and performed there for seven years. The bulldog currently starring in Legally Blonde and her bulldog understudy were rescued from Newark and from North Carolina. Berloni's story is completely engaging as he talks about being the first to train actors to work with animals on stage, his love for mutts over purebreds, as well as the four-acre animal retirement compound where he lives. With photos throughout this delightful book, we learn details about how his dogs are trained, how they react to Broadway life, and his own personal rise to fame. An enchanting writer (whose first book, Doga, has sold more than 350,000 copies for Chronicle) with an inspiring story for animal lovers, theatergoers, and anyone who loved books such as Marley & Me.

Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers


John Broven - 2008
    John Broven combines narrative history with extensive oral history material from numerous recording pioneers including Joe Bihari of Modern Records; Marshall Chess of Chess Records; Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun, and Miriam Bienstock of Atlantic Records; Sam Phillips of Sun Records; Art Rupe of Specialty Records; and many more.

Vintage Shoes: Collecting and Wearing Twentieth-Century Designer Footwear


Caroline Cox - 2008
    Vintage Shoes illuminates the crucial designers, key technical breakthroughs, and varied cultural influences that have shaped shoe fashion for the last hundred years—from André Perugia’s designs for society women in the 1920s to the Christian Louboutin red-soled shoes favored by celebrities today, and including designs by Salvatore Ferragamo, Charles Jourdan, Roger Vivier, Beth Levine, Vivienne Westwood, Manolo Blahnik, and others. Lavish fashion photography, specially commissioned photographs of rare period footwear, and a unique shopping guide—with tips on sourcing and caring for articles of vintage fashion—help make Vintage Shoes an unforgettable tour through a dazzling corner of haute couture history.

Stowaway! Adventure at Sea


Tracey West - 2008
    Will they rescue Rockhopper from an iguana tribe or lead the Migrator to get attacked by a monster? The choice is theirs.

New York: A Mod Portrait of the City


Zdeněk Mahler - 2008
    The unique essence of New York City is poetically celebrated in Vladimir Fuka's brilliant, colorful illustrations and collages and Zdenek Mahler's playful accompanying narrative. The book takes readers on a charming journey of discovery through the magnificent metropolis's architectural landmarks, cultural hot spots, and neighborhoods, from uptown to downtown, from Wall Street to Coney Island, and the Guggenheim Museum to Yankee Stadium. Interesting historical fun facts about the city and its inhabitants are combined with descriptions of the reality of everyday New York. New York was created in 1964 and first printed in the former Czechoslovakia in 1968, but the entire print run was pulped by the secret police after Fuka escaped to the United States. The book was finally brought to life when Mahler's grandson discovered a surviving copy in his attic. Fifty years later, it remains as fresh as ever and includes updated facts for today. This beautiful, vintage treasure will delight New Yorkers and tourists of all ages.

Play: The NYLON Book of Music


Nylon Magazine - 2008
    Readers look to NYLON to learn about the newest trends and bands, as well as to see how music and fashion intertwine and influence each other. Play features the personal style of singers, bands, fans, and other innovators in today’s music universe: what they wear, who they listen to, what shows they go to, and what inspires their own music. Drawing from new interviews with dozens of popular musicians (such as Bjork, Meg White, M.I.A., Lily Allen, and Amy Winehouse), coverage from concerts and festivals around the world, and the inspiring looks of music icons past and present, Play presents music as a lifestyle, not as a pastime. Taking the style, irreverent tone, and fresh approach that NYLON is known for, Play is a must-have title for today’s music lover.

I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews with 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-Fi Films and Television


Tom Weaver - 2008
    In this newest compilation of interviews, 23 more veterans share their stories strange, frightening and even a little funny this time with an increased emphasis on genre television series courtesy of the stars of The Time Tunnel; Rocky Jones, Space Ranger; Tom Corbett, Space Cadet; Planet of the Apes; and The Wild Wild West. The many other interviewees include Tandra Quinn (Mesa of Lost Women), Eric Braeden (Colossus: The Forbin Project), Ann Carter (The Curse of the Cat People), Laurie Mitchell (Queen of Outer Space) and monster music maestro Hans J. Salter."

Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide


Glenn Kay - 2008
    Romero's 2008 release Diary of the Dead this thorough, uproarious guide traces the evolution of one of horror cinema's most popular and terrifying creations. Fans will learn exactly what makes a zombie a zombie, go behind the scenes with a chilling production diary from Land of the Dead, peruse a bizarre list of the oddest things ever seen in undead cinema, and immerse themselves in a detailed rundown of the 25 greatest zombie films ever made. Containing an illustrated zombie rating system, ranging from "Highly Recommended" to "Avoid at All Costs" and "So Bad It's Good," the book also features lengthy interviews with numerous talents from in front of and behind the camera.Features chronological reviews of more than 300 zombie films.

Bones: The Forensic Files


Paul Ruditis - 2008
    Booth and Brennan solve horrific crimes while keeping viewers gripped by their ongoing love/hate relationship.This is the official behind-the-scenes story of Bones packed full of exclusive new interviews with the cast and crew, stunning photos, information about real-life forensics, and a seasons three and four episode guide.

The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic


Martin Grams Jr. - 2008
    Proven to be an important part of American culture since its debut on CBS in October 1959, many Hollywood producers, screenwriters and directors have been inspired and influenced by this series. Comic books, magazines, numerous television revivals, a major motion picture and even modern audio productions demonstrate the continuing popularity of this television classic. The definitive history presents a portrait of the beloved Rod Serling and his television program, recounting the major changes the show underwent in format and story selection, including censorship battles, production details and exclusive memories from cast and crew. The complete episode guide documents all 156 episodes of the series in a level of detail never before accomplished in any publication. Complete cast lists, music cues and scores, story origins, breakdown of production costs, studio lots, stages and location filming revealed, in-jokes, bloopers and more. This book will make you want to look back at the episodes once again, whether you are a casual fan or serious enthusiast of the series.

Tank Girl: Visions of Booga


Alan C. Martin - 2008
    Their tank has been lost in a wager and the Australian Mafia are after their pelts. Their only hope seems to lie on the other side of the country, with Booga's estranged little brother.

Dope Menace: The Sensational World of Drug Paperbacks, 1900-1975


Stephen J. Gertz - 2008
    The covers that made these authors books so easy to pick up are collected here for the first time, in all their seductive and transgressive glory."--Tucson WeeklyWhile we now enjoy this exploitative genre for its campy kitsch, gloriously bad writing, and outlandish misinformation, drug paperback books were once a transgressive medium with a perversely seductive quality.Dope Menace collects together hundreds of fabulously lurid and collectible covers in color, from xenophobic turn-of-the century tomes about the opium trade to the beatnik glories of reefer smoking and William S. Burroughs’ Junkie to the spaced-out psychedelic ’60s. We mustn’t forget the gonzo paranoia brought on by Hunter S. Thompson in the ’70s, when anything was everything.Author Stephen J. Gertz is a well-regarded authority on antiquarian books and contributor to Feral House’s Sin-A-Rama, an award-winning visual history of sleaze paperbacks from the sixties.Annie Nocenti, longtime editor of High Times magazine, offers an informative foreword.

I'm Looking for a Monster!


Timothy Young - 2008
    But not just any monster! Big, small, furry, horned, scaly, and feathery monsters all file through one by one, until finally our little boy finds the one he wants. Tabs, wheels, and gate-fold pages make for interactive fun!Tim Young’s wacky menagerie of monsters is illustrated in silhouette against brightly colored backgrounds and literally pops off the page in a variety of fun novelty elements.

Disneyland Challenge


Jody Revenson - 2008
    An interactive souvenir book jam-packed with quirky questions and objectives that will test an individual, group, or family''s knowledge of Disneyland Park and Disney''s California Adventure Theme Park.

The Art of Dead Space: Designing a Nightmare


Electronic Arts - 2008
    Science fiction worlds are even more challenging because there are so many classic and well-known environments that the fans can and will compare your new world to.Dead Space is a world unlike any other. The talented team of artists and designers has spent an enormous amount of time and energy constructing a look and feel new to the sci-fi and horror genres. It is their talent and passion that fill these pages and make the Dead Space game a fresh, exciting, and terrifying experience.

Tiki Mugs: A Guide to Collecting


Jay Strongman - 2008
    Featuring all the major manufacturers – Tiki Farm, Munktiki, Porcelanas Pavón, Gecko’z South Sea Arts and more – and the top artists, including Shag, Bosko, Crazy Al, Ocea Otica, and Tiki Diablo.

Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways


Richard Carlin - 2008
    He created Folkways Records to achieve his goal, not just a record label but a statement that all sounds are equal and every voice deserves to be heard. The Folkways catalog grew to include a myriad of voices, from world- and roots-music to political speeches; the voices of contemporary poets and steam engines; folk singers Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie and jazz pianists Mary Lou Williams and James P. Johnson; Haitian vodoun singers and Javanese court musicians; deep-sea sounds and sounds from the outer ring of Earth's atmosphere. Until his death in 1986, Asch—with the help of collaborators ranging from the eccentric visionary Harry Smith to academic musicologists—created more than 2000 albums, a sound-scape of the contemporary world still unequalled in breadth and scope. Worlds of Sound documents this improbable journey. Along the way you'll meet:A young Pete Seeger, revolutionizing the world with his five-string banjo The amazing vocal ensembles of the Ituri PygmiesNorth American tree frogsElla Jenkins's children's musicLead Belly singing "The Midnight Special"The nueva canción of Suni Paz.Folkways became a part of the Smithsonian Institution's collections shortly after Asch's death. Today Smithsonian Folkways continues to make the "worlds of sound" Moe Asch first dreamed of 60 years ago available to all. The Folkways vision is expansive and all-inclusive, and Worlds of Sound advances its rich and lively spirit.

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A To Z - Volume 1


Jeff Christiansen - 2008
    The first in a twelve-volume series collecting every Offical Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry from 2004-2007 in alphabetical order! Fully updated and expanded, this deluxe edition covers all of Marvel's characters, teams, objects, events, and places - plus past, future, and alternate Earths!

The Animation Bible: A Practical Guide to the Art of Animating from Flipbooks to Flash


Maureen Furniss - 2008
    Animation authority Maureen Furniss covers every aspect of production, from finding a concept, choosing a medium, and creating characters all the way to getting the end result screened and distributed. In addition to traditional cel animation, Furniss also examines direct filmmaking, stop-motion animation, and Flash, as well as early motion devices and toys that produce animated images, all with case studies illustrating the successes and difficulties experienced by professional animators. Furniss goes beyond the image on the screen, discussing visual storytelling, sound design, and how to schedule, budget, and pitch an animated film. "The Animation Bible" is the essential guide for a new generation of animators.

Babylon 5: Other Voices, Vol. 1


Larry DiTillio - 2008
    Fontana• "DeathWalker" by Larry DiTillio• "Believers" by David Gerrold• "Survivors" by Marc Scott Zicree• "Grail" by Christy MarxPLUS A SPECIAL BONUS:David Gerrold's complete outline for “Laser-Mirror-Starweb,” a never-produced, never-seen episode of Babylon 5.

Acid Logic: A Decade of Humorous Writing on Pop Culture, Trash Cinema and Rebel Music


Wil Forbis - 2008
    Swoon over profiles of the entertainment industry's most eccentric stars, from adult film auteur Doris Wishman to ninja actor Sho Kosugi to shock punk GG Allin. Thrill to interviews with cultural stalwarts like hard rock drummer Rikki Rockett, actor Curtis "Booger" Armstrong and horror director Stuart Gordon. Squeal with delight at fiction ranging from the horrifying to the absurd. THE ACID LOGIC REVOLUTION HAS ARRIVED!!!

The Complete Kylie


Simon Sheridan - 2008
    From her days as a young TV actress and movie star through to her worldwide domination of the music charts as one of the globe's best-selling, and best-loved, pop stars. More so than any performer, Kylie has been an expert at changing her look, from innocent, fresh-faced teenager to confident, sexy showgirl. But Kylie is more than just an image, she is a worldwide phenomenon. The book is the very first to catalogue Kylie's multi-faceted career and her three decades of unparalleled success.Published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of her first single The Loco-Motion, this gorgeous hardcover is a must for any Kylie fan!

Screening Sex


Linda Williams - 2008
    Then, in the 1960s and 1970s, American cinema “grew up” in response to the sexual revolution, and movie audiences came to expect more knowledge about what happened between the sheets. In Screening Sex, the renowned film scholar Linda Williams investigates how sex acts have been represented on screen for more than a century and, just as important, how we have watched and experienced those representations. Whether examining the arch artistry of Last Tango in Paris, the on-screen orgasms of Jane Fonda, or the anal sex of two cowboys in Brokeback Mountain, Williams illuminates the forms of pleasure and vicarious knowledge derived from screening sex.Combining stories of her own coming of age as a moviegoer with film history, cultural history, and readings of significant films, Williams presents a fascinating history of the on-screen kiss, a look at the shift from adolescent kisses to more grown-up displays of sex, and a comparison of the “tasteful” Hollywood sexual interlude with sexuality as represented in sexploitation, Blaxploitation, and avant-garde films. She considers Last Tango in Paris and Deep Throat, two 1972 films unapologetically all about sex; In the Realm of the Senses, the only work of 1970s international cinema that combined hard-core sex with erotic art; and the sexual provocations of the mainstream movies Blue Velvet and Brokeback Mountain. She describes art films since the 1990s, in which the sex is aggressive, loveless, or alienated. Finally, Williams reflects on the experience of screening sex on small screens at home rather than on large screens in public. By understanding screening sex as both revelation and concealment, Williams has written the definitive study of sex at the movies.Linda Williams is Professor of Film Studies and Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley. Her books include Porn Studies, also published by Duke University Press; Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Tom to O. J. Simpson; Viewing Positions: Ways of Seeing Film; and Hard Core: Power, Pleasure, and the “Frenzy of the Visible.”A John Hope Franklin Center BookNovember424 pages129 illustrations6x9 trim sizeISBN 0-8223-0-8223-4285-5paper, $24.95ISBN 0-8223-0-8223-4263-4library cloth edition, $89.95ISBN 978-0-8223-4285-4paper, $24.95ISBN 978-0-8223-4263-2library cloth edition, $89.95

Icons of the Highway: A Celebration of Small-Town America


Tony Worobiec - 2008
    Sadly, these are now in steady decline. In this collection of outstanding images, the Worobiecs capture the magic that remains, on journeys ranging from the far north--the High Line at the Canadian border--across the high plains to the desert towns of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The casinos, remnants of movie palaces, burger shacks, and roadside sculptures all evoke a once-glorious past.

Firecrackers!: An Eye-Popping Collection of Chinese Firework Art


Warren Dotz - 2008
    FIRECRACKERS! pays tribute to this eye-popping art form, featuring some of the most vibrant and eccentric labels from the 1950s and 1960s. Conjuring memories of outdoor celebrations and childhood mischief, this scintillating collection of pop culture artifacts will kindle the imaginations of advertising art aficionados, paper ephemera collectors, and fireworks enthusiasts alike. An explosive gift book featuring more than 180 rare vintage Chinese firecracker labels from one of the largest collections in the United States. A great resource for graphic artists, designers, and collectors of paper ephemera or advertising art.

Facing Future


Dan Kois - 2008
    The recording engineer heard a car pull into the lot, and soon the biggest man he had ever seen walked through the door. Six foot three, 500 pounds, the guy looked like a house carrying an 'ukulele. When he stepped into the studio, the floated floor shifted unnervingly beneath the engineer's feet. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole engulfed the engineer's hand in his and said, "Hi, bruddah." The product of that impromptu late-night recording session, a delicate medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World," has driven sales of 1993's Facing Future to nearly two million copies. Each time the medley is licensed to appear in advertisements, in movies, even on American Idol, Mainlanders embrace it anew as a touch of the unfamiliar in their otherwise staid record collections. But in Hawai'i, a state struggling like no other with the responsibility of its native heritage, Facing Future is much more. Gaining unprecedented access to Israel's family, friends, bandmates, lawyer, and label, Dan Kois tells the remarkable story of Bruddah Iz and the album that changed his life--and his death.

Burlesque Poster Design: The Art of Tease


Chaz Royal - 2008
    Here, over 100 years’ of burlesque posters are collected, with over 150 colour examples. From rare 1880s posters for the legendary Folies Bergère to the hip silk-screened prints of the modern burlesque revival, this is a celebration of great graphic design and the women who inspired it. So, hunker down and feast your eyes as you take a wild ride through this bra-busting book of burlesque artwork, with an introduction from the man behind the curtain, the one and only Chaz Royal.

A Book of Ages: An Eccentric Miscellany of Great and Offbeat Moments in the Lives of the Famous and Infamous, Ages 1 to 100


Eric Hanson - 2008
    THIS IS YOUR SCORECARD. The day we turn any age, we become contemporaries of everyone who has ever been that age, and it becomes our business to know that Bob Dylan wrote “Blowin’ in the Wind” when he was twenty, Orson Welles cowrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane when he was twenty-five, Winston Churchill was fired from the Admiralty when he was forty and took up painting, and Jane Austen died, unmarried and mostly unknown, when she was forty-one. Knowing who did what when provides the yardstick by which to measure our own progress; it’s comforting to learn that Grandma Moses didn’t show her first painting until she was seventy-eight, and discouraging (but not surprising) to discover that Einstein was already smarter than you at age sixteen.A witty, ironic collection of moments from famous lives organized by year of age from infancy to death, A Book of Ages tells you who is doing what, who is on top of the world, who is waiting for his luck to change, who is saying unkind things about whom, who is planning his revenge, who is meeting for the first time, and who Elizabeth Taylor is currently divorcing. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?An Eccentric Miscellany of Achievements,Misdeeds, Crossed Paths, Bypaths, Inventions, Scandals, Child Prodigies, Late Masterpieces, Marriages and Breakups, Feuds, Dead Ends, Second Chances, Adventures and Misadventures, Novels Written and Battles Won and Lost, All Organized by Year of Age.

Are We There Yet?: The Golden Age of American Family Vacations


Susan Rugh - 2008
    Every summer, parents piled the kids in the back seat, threw the luggage in the trunk, and took to the open highway. Chronicling this innately American ritual, Susan Rugh presents a cultural history of the American middle-class family vacation from 1945 to 1973, tracing its evolution from the establishment of this summer tradition to its decline.The first in-depth look at post-World War II family travel, Rugh's study recounts how postwar prosperity and mass consumption--abetted by paid vacation leave, car ownership, and the new interstate highway system--forged the ritual of the family road trip and how that ritual became entwined with what it meant to be an American. With each car a safe haven from the Cold War, vacations became a means of strengthening family bonds and educating children in parental values, national heritage, and citizenship.Rugh's history looks closely at specific types of trips, from adventures in the Wild West to camping vacations in national parks to summers at Catskill resorts. It also highlights changing patterns of family life, such as the relationship between work and play, the increase in the number of working women, and the generation gap of the sixties.Distinctively, Rugh also plumbs NAACP archives and travel guides marketed specifically to blacks to examine the racial boundaries of road trips in light of segregated public accommodations that forced many black families to sleep in cars--a humiliation that helped spark the civil rights struggle. In addition, she explains how the experience of family camping predisposed baby boomers toward a strong environmental consciousness.Until the 1970s recession ended three decades of prosperity and the traditional nuclear family began to splinter, these family vacations were securely woven into the fabric of American life. Rugh's book allows readers to relive those wondrous wanderings across the American landscape and to better understand how they helped define an essential aspect of American culture. Notwithstanding the rueful memories of discomforts and squabbles in a crowded car, those were magical times for many of the nation's families.