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2015 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Books

ALIEN: THE WEYLAND-YUTANI REPORT by John R Mullaney, Markus Pansegrau, S. D Perry

For hundreds of years now, scientists at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation have been monitoring the behavior of an alien life-form so powerful that its potential for military application appears limitless. Although all attempts to harness the beast’s abilities have ended in appalling bloodshed, the acquisition of the Xenomorph remains a priority. As such, Weyland-Yutani has granted you access to their detailed files on the alien in the hope that you will be able to help capture and subjugate one of these fascinating yet deadly creatures.

Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report is the first item to be produced in the thrilling new collaboration between Sideshow Collectibles and Insight Editions. Featuring a striking sculpted slipcase that captures the ferocious power of the Xenomorph, the book is designed to look as if it has been wrapped in the skin of the iconic creature. This slipcase sculpt is the first of its kind and unique to this exclusive edition of the book.

The interior of the book utilizes specially commissioned illustrations and thirty-five years of Alien movie concept art and film stills to create a deeply engrossing reading experience that explores the nature of the Xenomorph in unparalleled detail. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report also contains extensive information on the characters, locations, vehicles, and weapons from the movies, along with an in-depth breakdown of the Xenomorph’s life cycle.

Covering all aspects of this hugely popular franchise’s thirty-five-year history, Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report – Collectors’ Edition is the ultimate book for fans, delivered in a format that collectors will love.

The book also features a wealth of inserts and removable items, including:

• Pvt. Hudson’s discharge papers
• Veterinarian report on Jonesy the cat
• Medical report on facehugger victim Marachuk, John J.
• Carter J. Burke’s communication card
• Chest X-ray showing Xenomorph implantation
• Bug Stomper Dropship sticker
• Exclusive extracts from prisoner Morse’s tell-all novel, Space Beast

WILDLIFE OF THE WORLD

Wildlife of the World takes you on a journey through some of the most scenic and rich animal habitats — from the Amazon rain forests to the Himalayas, the Sahara to the South Pole — meeting the most important animals in each ecosystem along the way.

In Wildlife of the World truly spectacular portrait-style photography brings you “face-to-face” with individual animals in up-close and engrossing profiles on how the animals interact with their environments, mate, survive, and even play.

From the shaggy musk ox foraging in the Canadian high arctic to the angered Scottish wildcat prowling the Highlands to the rock-climbing gelada monkey of Ethiopia, each animal featured in Wildlife of the World plays a key role in its environment. An additional eighty-page illustrated reference section on the animal kingdom explains the animal groups and profiles additional species.

Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.

DESIGN: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY

Design: The Definitive Visual History lays out the complete evolution of design, from its origins in early cultures to the contemporary design — physical and digital — of today. This comprehensive volume covers every major design movement, along with the iconic designers and manufacturers who influenced everyday life through the objects and buildings they created.

Arranged chronologically, Design moves decade-by-decade from the 1850s onward to explore the cultural, social, political, economic, and technological forces in the world at large and shows how these factors influenced movements and styles in design. Gorgeous catalogues of objects demonstrate how design in turn has influenced the everyday life, through architecture, fashion, furniture, ceramics, glassware, lighting, fabrics, electronic equipment, and more.

With profiles of famous designers such as Alvar Aalto, Frank Gehry, and Philippe Starck and stunning images of buildings and interiors, Design: The Definitive Visual History is a true celebration of classic design across the centuries.

Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.


MONSTER HUNTERS: ON THE TRAIL WITH GHOST HUNTERS, BIGFOOTERS, UFOLOGISTS AND OTHER PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS by Tea Krulos

Do ghosts exist? What about the Bigfoot, or Skinwalkers? And how will we ever know? Journalist Tea Krulos spent over a year traveling nationwide to meet individuals who have made it their life’s passion to hunt down evidence of entities that they believe exist, but that others might shrug off as nothing more than myths, fairytales, or overactive imaginations.

Follow along with Krulos as he joins these believers in the field, exploring haunted houses, trekking through creepy forests, and scanning skies and lakes as they collect data on the unknown—poltergeists, Chupacabras, Skunk Apes (Bigfoot’s stinky cousins), and West Virginia’s Mothman. Along the way, he meets a diverse cast of characters—true believers, skeptics, and hoaxers—from the credible to the quirky. And in the end, Krulos leaves it to the reader to decide: are these people tilting at supernatural windmills, or are they onto something?

SUMMERLAND by Rory O’Brien


Gilded Age Newport… Millionaires and robber barons come to spend the season in their opulent mansions while their wives throw lavish balls and gossip over afternoon tea. In 1893, the toast of the town is a spirit-medium—just returned from Europe—who now summons the departed to the marble mansions and wealthy parlors of the summer colonists. Her success attracts the attention of a retired stage magician who has made his name exposing psychic charlatans. He decides to travel to Newport to effect one last dramatic unmasking.

FUNNY!: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF LAUGHTER FROM THE PIXAR STORY ROOM

From Toy Story to The Good Dinosaur, some of the most iconic and hilarious moments in Pixar’s films were first conceived by the artists featured in this book. But there are hundreds of gags that don’t make it past the cutting room floor, like Mater as a ninja and Sadness wearing mom jeans. Funny! explores this material in depth, showcasing classic moments from all of Pixar’s films to date, plus never-before-published illustrations and doodles from the Pixar archives. With an introduction by veteran story man Jason Katz, this book is a must-have for any Pixar fan.

THE ART OF SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM by Sanjay Patel

In the new short film from Pixar Animation Studios, Sanjay’s Super Team, accomplished artist Sanjay Patel uses his own experience to tell the story of a young, 1st generation Indian boy whose love for western pop culture comes into conflict with his father’s traditions. This art-filled peek behind the curtain of this groundbreaking film is sure to excite Sanjay’s legion of fans, and thrill animation lovers around the world.


THE ART AND MAKING OF THE PEANUTS MOVIE by Jerry Schmitz

This in-depth book goes behind the scenes of the movie-making process and looks at how the movie continues the tradition and legacy of Peanuts. An unmissable experience.

For the first time ever, in November 2015, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang we know and love from Charles Schulz’s timeless “Peanuts” comic strip will be making their big-screen debut; like they’ve never been seen before in a CG-animated feature film in 3D.

ALTERNATIVE MOVIE POSTERS II: MORE FILM ART FROM THE UNDERGROUND by Matthew Chojnacki

This second volume of cinematic eye candy further documents the quickly burgeoning underground film poster movement, a group of artists who challenge Hollywood’s marketing machine by bringing clever artwork and design back to movie posters.

Nearly 100 emerging artists, with a dozen returning favorites, present their newly produced images. Cinematic visual masters Jason Edmiston, Gary Pullin, Akiko Stehrenberger, Randy Ortiz, Brandon Schaefer, Gabz, Dave Perillo, Chris Garofalo, Anthony Petrie, Godmachine, Tracie Ching, Clark Orr, Orlando Arocena, Steve Dressler, Paul Shipper, Tom Hodge, Luke Insect, and more additionally provide commentary and behind-the-scenes information.

Movies illustrated include classics like Vertigo, Rosemary’s Baby, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, more recent hits such as Her and Drive, cult favorites Dazed and Confused and Donnie Darko, and childhood staples Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, and Labyrinth.

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PHIL HARTMAN by Mike Thomas

Beloved TV comedic actor Phil Hartman is best known for his eight brilliant seasons on Saturday Night Live, where his versatility and comedic timing resulted in some of the funniest and most famous sketches in the television show’s history. Besides his hilarious impersonations of Phil Donahue, Frank Sinatra and Bill Clinton, Hartman’s other indelible characters included Cirroc the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Eugene the Anal Retentive Chef and, of course, Frankenstein. He also starred as pompous radio broadcaster Bill McNeal in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio and voiced numerous classic roles ― most memorably washed-up actor and commercial pitchman Troy McClure ― on Fox’s long-running animated hit The Simpsons.

But Hartman’s seemingly charmed life was cut tragically short when he was fatally shot by his troubled third wife, Brynn, who turned a gun on herself several hours later. The shocking and headline-generating turn of events stunned those closest to the couple as well as countless fans who knew Phil only from afar. Now, for the first time ever, the years and moments leading up to his untimely end are described in illuminating detail through information gleaned from exclusive interviews with scores of famous cast mates, close friends and family members as well as private letters, audio/video recordings, extensive police records, and more.

Both joyous tribute and serious biography, Mike Thomas’ You Might Remember Me is a celebration of Phil Hartman’s multi-faceted career and an exhaustively reported, warts-and-all examination of his often intriguing and sometimes complicated life―a powerful, humor-filled and disquieting portrait of a man who was loved by many, admired by millions and taken from them far too early.

THEY DREW AS THE PLEASED: THE HIDDEN ART OF DISNEY’S GOLDEN AGE by Didier Ghez

As the Walt Disney Studio entered its first decade and embarked on some of the most ambitious animated films of the time, Disney hired a group of “concept artists” whose sole mission was to explore ideas and inspire their fellow animators. They Drew as They Pleased showcases four of these early pioneers and features artwork developed by them for the Disney shorts from the 1930s, including many unproduced projects, as well as for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and some early work for later features such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Introducing new biographical material about the artists and including largely unpublished artwork from the depths of the Walt Disney Archives and the Disney Animation Research Library, this volume offers a window into the most inspiring work created by the best Disney artists during the studio’s early golden age.

They Drew as They Pleased is the first in what promises to be a revealing and fascinating series of books about Disney’s largely unexamined concept artists, with six volumes spanning the decades between the 1930s and 1990s.


THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JAMES T. KIRK by David A. Goodman

The Autobiography of James T. Kirk chronicles the greatest Starfleet captain’s life (2233–2371), in his own words. From his birth on the U.S.S. Kelvin, his youth spent on Tarsus IV, his time in the Starfleet Academy, his meteoric raise through the ranks of Starfleet, and his illustrious career at the helm of the Enterprise, this in-world memoir uncovers Captain Kirk in a way Star Trek fans have never seen. Kirk’s singular voice rings throughout the text, giving insight into his convictions, his bravery, and his commitment to the life—in all forms—throughout this Galaxy and beyond. Excerpts from his personal correspondence, captain’s logs, and more give Kirk’s personal narrative further depth.


STAR TREK: COSTUMES: FIVE DECADES OF FASHION by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann

This deluxe book showcases the unique costumes of the Star Trek saga, taking in fifty years of iconic and hugely influential designs. Drawing on the entire franchise, including all twelve films and six TV series, Star Trek: Costumes explores the creation of some of the most memorable garb in the galaxy, telling the complete story of how Star Trek’s outlandishly chic wardrobe has been expanded in increasingly thrilling ways throughout the years.

From the classic Starfleet uniforms and daringly provocative outfits of The Original Series to flowing Vulcan robes, flamboyant Ferengi fashions, and formidable Klingon wedding attire, Star Trek: Costumes explores how these designs have played a key role in transporting fans to distant worlds and alien cultures over the last five decades.

Filled with exclusive photography, stills from the saga, rare concept art, and other striking visuals, Star Trek: Costumes also focuses on the talented individuals who have brought the Star Trek universe to life, including original costume designer William Ware Theiss and his successors, Robert Fletcher, Robert Blackman, and, most recently, Michael Kaplan.

Also featuring an introduction by Robert Blackman, Star Trek: Costumes is the ultimate way to experience the incredible fashions of the Final Frontier.

THE LITTLE BOOK OF BATMAN

Caped Crusader: The dark icon of the DC Universe. From his first appearance in Detective Comics No. 27 in May 1939, Batman has thrilled imaginations across the globe. This character portrait pays tribute to the World’s Greatest Detective, from his early days as a pulp-inflected comics hero to his current stature as a global icon, one of the greatest cultural artifacts of modern times. Through Robin, Catwoman, the Joker, and beyond, this volume looks at the complicated personality and the dynamic relationships that defined Batman. With 192 pages of the greatest Batman images and text by Paul Levitz, author of the Eisner Award–winning 75 Years of DC Comics, The Little Book of Batman is your definitive guide to the tragedy and triumph of the Dark Knight.

THE LITTLE BOOK OF WONDER WOMAN

The Amazing Amazon: The spirit of truth in the DC Universe. Debuting in All Star Comics No. 8 in December 1941, the warrior Amazon Princess is a feminist icon whose strength is equaled by her empathy and compassion. Appearing in comic books, newspaper strips, and TV shows for almost 75 years, Wonder Woman stands as a towering figure in pop culture, and a role model in her fight for justice, love, peace, and gender equality. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, said she was as beautiful as Aphrodite, as wise as Athena, as fast as Mercury, and as strong as Hercules—but she’s all that and more! With 192 pages of the greatest Wonder Woman images and text by Paul Levitz, author of the Eisner Award–winning 75 Years of DC Comics, The Little Book of Wonder Woman is your definitive guide to the most popular female comic-book Super Hero of all time.

THE LITTLE BOOK OF SUPERMAN

The Man of Tomorrow: The shining hope of the DC Universe. Since first appearing in Action Comics No. 1 in April 1938, Superman has stood as the pre-eminent symbol of truth and justice. Captivating minds for over 75 years, the Last Son of Krypton has appeared in thousands of comic books, cartoons, TV shows, and movies. His tragic beginning led to a life as an outsider, fighting for his adopted home while securing his standing as humanity’s iconic protector and champion. With 192 pages of the best images of the Man of Steel and text by Paul Levitz, author of the Eisner Award–winning 75 Years of DC Comics, The Little Book of Superman is your definitive guide to the biggest Super Hero of them all.

SHERLOCK CHRONICLES by Steve Tribe

Delve deep into the creative minds behind the world’s greatest—and only—consulting detective with this ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the making of the smash PBS television series Sherlock, produced by BBC/Masterpiece and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

This is the hit series of Sherlock as you’ve never seen it before, from story development to casting, sets, costumes, props, music, and more. With unprecedented access to the production team’s archives, as well as all-new interviews, unseen script pages, more than 500 illustrations, including color photographs, pieces of concept art, and storyboards, Sherlock: Chronicles unlocks the secrets of each unforgettable case in the words of the show’s creators, cast, and crew.

Discover how the Sherlock team adapted classic adventures and puzzles for a fresh new world. Meet the artists and designers whose creative vision brought the show to life. See how the show’s dedicated crew converted everyday locations into “the great cesspool” of criminal London. Learn the real story about the producers’ and writers’ vision for Sherlock’s clever return from the grave at the beginning of season three, and what the esteemed cast of actors—including Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Rupert Graves, Mark Gatiss, and Una Stubbs—think about bringing Holmes to life.

From 221B Baker Street to St. Bart’s Hospital, from Buckingham Palace to Appledore, discover what lies behind every one of Sherlock’s closed doors with this essential companion for fans of the acclaimed show.

STAR WARS FAQ: EVERYTHING LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRILOGY THAT CHANGED THE MOVIES

From the books and movies that inspired George Lucas to imagine the Star Wars universe, to early screenplay drafts that were never filmed, to short biographies of many people who made key contributions to the movies’ success, Star Wars FAQ explores every aspect of the original Star Wars trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi ). Along the way, it unearths underreported stories and illuminating minutiae often skimmed over or completely ignored in other histories of the legendary film series. Highlights include details about the Star Wars Holiday Special debacle, the Ewok TV movies, the rise of Star Wars fiction and its importance in the revival of the franchise, and the wave of Star Wars imitators and parodies that flooded theaters and TV screens in the late 1970s and early 1980s along with dozens of rare publicity stills and photographs of vintage memorabilia. Offering an original analysis of the series’ enduring appeal and cultural impact, Star Wars FAQ tells a story as thrilling and action-packed as the movies themselves, with bold characters facing apparently insurmountable odds, full of frantic chases, narrow escapes, daring victories, and tragic setbacks, culminating in an unlikely triumph that changed the course of the galaxy or at least of Hollywood.


STRONG LIGHT OF DAY by Jon Land

Texas ranger Caitlin Strong is involved in an international plot rooted in secrets from the Cold War in Strong Light of Day, the seventh installment of Jon Land’s New York Times bestselling Caitlin Strong series

Caitlin Strong is a fifth generation Texas Ranger as quick with her wits as she is with her gun. Over the years she’s taken on all manner of criminals and miscreants, thwarting the plans of villains to do vast damage to the country and state she loves. But none of that has prepared Caitlin for an investigation that pits her against ruthless billionaire oilman Calum Dane, whose genetically engineered pesticide may have poisoned a large swath of the state.

How that poisoning is connected to the disappearance of thirty high school students from a Houston prep school, including the son of her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters, presents Caitlin with the greatest and most desperate challenge of her career. As if that wasn’t enough, she also has to deal with a crazed rancher whose entire herd of cattle has been picked clean to the bone by something science can’t explain.

The common denominator between these apparently disparate events is a new and deadly enemy capable of destroying the US economy and killing millions, a foe it will take far more than bullets to bring down. There’s yet another player in the deadly game Caitlin finds herself playing: Russian extremists prepared to seize an opportunity to win a war they never stopped fighting.

Caitlin’s race to save the United States weaves through the present and the past, confronting her and Cort Wesley with the most powerful and dangerous enemies they’ve ever faced, human and otherwise. The Cold War hasn’t just heated up; it’s boiling over under the spill of a strong light only Caitlin can extinguish before it’s too late.

ALIEN NEXT DOOR by Joey Spiotto

See a new, caring side to the legendary science fiction monster as he tends to Jonesy the cat, endeavours to keep his house cleaner than the Nostromo, and searches for his place on a cold, new, alien world: Earth. From facehuggers to feather dusters, discover how the perfect killing machine relaxes after a day of scaring space marines.

DISNEY MOVIE POSTERS: FROM STEAMBOAT WILLIE TO INSIDE OUT by Kevin Luperchio

Anyone who has ever seen a Disney movie knows that the iconic images are beautifully conveyed via the magnificent posters. The tone of the movie and the full range of emotions we experience in seeing the film are often captured in a single poster. After having seen and experienced a wonderful Disney motion picture, the mere sight of the poster can bring back the feelings of having taken the journey by watching the film. Disney Movie Posters is a tribute to those posters, which tell the story both before and after we see the movie.

Disney Movie Posters have been an important part of the motion picture process since Disney began making motion pictures. Not only are they eye-catching pieces of artwork, they are also designed to entice the movie-going audience. From Steamboat Willie, to Inside Out and countless movies in between, Disney Movie Posters have been an important part of the films themselves. Disney shorts, animated movies, live action movies and Pixar movies can be remembered and honored by the posters that so efficiently capture the magic of the film.

ART OF HORROR: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY Edited by Stephen Jones

Amazingly, there has never been a book quite like The Art of Horror a celebration of frightful images, compiled and presented by some of the genre’s most respected names. While acknowledging the beginnings of horror-related art in legends and folk tales, the focus of the book is on how the genre has presented itself to the world since the creations of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley first became part of the public consciousness in the 19th century. It’s all here: from early engravings via dust jackets, book illustrations, pulp magazines, movie posters, comic books, and paintings to today’s artists working entirely in the digital realm.

Editor Stephen Jones and his stellar team of contributors have sourced visuals from archives and private collections (including their own) worldwide, ensuring an unprecedented selection that is accessible to those discovering the genre, while also including many images that will be rare and unfamiliar to even the most committed fan. From the shockingly lurid to the hauntingly beautiful including images of vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, demons, serial killers, alien invaders, and more every aspect of the genre is represented in ten themed chapters. Quotes from artists/illustrators, and a selection from writers and filmmakers, are featured throughout.

LUKE SKYWALKER CAN’T READ: AND OTHER GEEKY TRUTHS by Ryan Britt

Pop Culture and sci-fi guru Ryan Britt has never met a monster, alien, wizard, or superhero that didn’t need further analysis.

Essayist Ryan Britt got a sex education from dirty pictures of dinosaurs, made out with Jar-Jar Binks at midnight, and figured out how to kick depression with a Doctor Who Netflix-binge. Alternating between personal anecdote, hilarious insight, and smart analysis, Luke Skywalker Can’t Read contends that Barbarella is good for you, that monster movies are just romantic comedies with commitment issues, that Dracula and Sherlock Holmes are total hipsters, and, most shockingly, shows how virtually everyone in the Star Wars universe is functionally illiterate.

Romp through time and space, from the circus sideshows of 100 years ago to the Comic Cons of today, from darkest corners of the Galaxy to the comfort of your couch. For anyone who pretended their flashlight was a lightsaber, stood in line for a movie at midnight, or dreamed they were abducted by aliens, Luke Skywalker Can’t Read is full of answers to questions you haven’t thought to ask, and perfect for readers of Chuck Klosterman, Rob Sheffield, and Ernest Cline.



STAR WARS PSYCHOLOGY: DARK SIDE OF THE MIND Edited by Travis Langley

From its very first frame, the Star Wars series created a compelling universe, with complex characters and engaging storytelling. In advance of the highly anticipated new movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this essay collection offers a fascinating and unauthorized psychological analysis of every aspect of George Lucas’s richly rendered galaxy. Expert contributors led by Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight; The Walking Dead Psychology: Psych of the Living Dead) examine such topics as family ties, gender, values, villainy, and heroism itself. They shine a light into the hidden part of the psyche and reveal the ultimate lesson of Star Wars.

STAR WARS: THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES, VOLUME 1

Star Wars—the original trading card series from Topps first published in 1977 and 1978—is reprinted here in its entirety for the first time, featuring all five sets of collectible cards and stickers. This deluxe compilation includes the fronts and backs of all 330 cards and 55 stickers (originally sold one per pack), including movie facts, story summaries, actor profiles, and puzzle cards featuring all your favorite characters and scenes from the very first Star Wars movie. Also features four bonus trading cards, as well as an introduction and commentary by Gary Gerani, the original editor of the Star Wars Topps series. A special afterword by Robert V. Conte spotlights the rare Star Wars Wonder Bread trading cards, also reprinted for the first time.


JAWS 2: THE MAKING OF THE HOLLYWOOD SEQUEL by Louis R. Pisano and Michael A. Smith

Just when filmmakers thought it was safe to make a sequel, director John D. Hancock ran into huge difficulties making Jaws 2 (1978), a thriller film and the first sequel to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975). Until now, the full story of the sea of troubles during the making of the film has never been told. Authors Louis R. Pisano and Michael A. Smith fished from the original cast and crew the full no-holds-barred story from their behind the scenes experiences, a tale as action packed and occasionally as bloody as the film.

Based on Peter Benchley’s original Jaws novel, Jaws 2 starred Roy Scheider as a police chief dealing with another great white shark terrorizing the waters of a resort. The original director, John D. Hancock, proved unable to handle the action film and was replaced by Jeannot Szwarc. Actor Roy Scheider, who only made the film to end a contractual issue with Universal, was also unhappy during production and had several heated exchanges with Szwarc. Follow the entire fascinating production of the unforgettable film from concept to the impact the film made on Hollywood after Jaws 2 achieved a spot on Variety‘s list of Top 10 box office hits.

BOND VS. BOND: THE MANY FACES OF 007 by Paul Simpson

Who is your favorite Bond? Whether you love Sean Connery, Roger Moore, or even Timothy Dalton, you are going to love Bond vs. Bond. A fully comprehensive guide, Bond vs. Bond compares and contrasts all of the various ways Ian Fleming’s iconic British Secret Service agent, code name 007, has been interpreted through the years, from the books and movies to the guns and gadgets.

Spanning from Fleming’s 1953 book Casino Royale to Sam Mendes’ 2012 film Skyfall, Bond vs. Bond features every incarnation of 007. Paul Simpson, co-author of Middle-earth Envisioned and That’s What They Want You to Think, adds side-by-side comparisons of the weapons and gadgets, the heroines and femme fatales, and more! You’ll be riveted with the expanse of Bond knowledge, facts and lore in these pages. This is definitely a book that no Bond fan should be without!

AN ANIMATOR’S GALLERY: ERIC GOLDBERG DRAWS THE DISNEY CHARACTERS by David A. Bossert and Eric Goldberg


This whimsical, deluxe Art Deco-themed art book showcases Walt Disney characters in a style reminiscent of caricatures from the famed walls of Sardi’s and The Brown Derby. Disney Supervising Animator and Director Eric Goldberg drew a little more than 200 stylized images in a collection that first debuted as a display within the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in Burbank, California. Now with An Animator’s Gallery, the show comes right to you. Fans of all ages, and from all over, can enjoy Eric’s playful portraits, starting with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse through characters from Frozen and Big Hero 6. Bonus sections will even feature some of the most beloved characters from Pixar.

THE DISNEY BOOK by Jim Fanning

The Disney Book is a beautiful, visual exploration of all things Disney from the animated and live-action movies to the theme parks and attractions that have made Disney the beloved brand it is today. This classic DK-style book is packed with stunning visuals including concept art, original story sketches, merchandise, a range of movie posters, and collectibles.

Explore rarely seen treasures including props, art, early merchandise, and more from Disney’s extensive archives and celebrate more than 90 years of Disney storytelling and entertainment with The Disney Book.



GHOSTBUSTERS: THE ULTIMATE VISUAL HISTORY by Daniel Wallace

Who you gonna call? The Ghostbusters saga has been thrilling fans around the world for over three decades, from the original movies to the animated shows, comics, video games, toys, and other collectibles. For the first time, Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History takes a comprehensive look at the entire franchise, telling the complete story behind the creation of a true pop culture phenomenon.

Beginning with an in-depth look at the original film, Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History delves into the archives to showcase a wealth of never-before-seen concept art and photography that will take fans into the production of a true classic. Also featuring a large section on Ghostbusters II, the book brings together exclusive interviews with the key players from both films, including director Ivan Reitman; stars Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver; and producers Michael C. Gross and Joe Medjuck.

GILLIAMESQUE: A PRE-POSTHUMOUS MEMOIR by Terry Gilliam

The screenwriter, innovative animator, highly acclaimed visionary film director, and only non-British member of Monty Python offers an intimate glimpse into his world in this fascinating memoir illustrated with hand-drawn sketches, notes, and memorabilia from his personal archive.

From his no-frills childhood in the icy wastes of Minnesota, to some of the hottest water Hollywood had to offer, via the cutting edge of 1960s and ’70s counter-culture in New York, L.A. and London, Terry Gilliam’s life has been as vivid, entertaining and unorthodox as one of his films.

Telling his story for the first time, the director of Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas—not to mention co-founder of Monty Python’s Flying Circus—recalls his life so far. Packed with never-before-seen artwork, photographs and commentary, Gilliamesque blends the visual and the verbal with scabrous wit and fascinating insight.

Gilliam’s “pre-posthumous memoir” also features a cast of amazing supporting characters—George Harrison, Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Uma Thurman, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger and all of the fellow Pythons—as well as cameo appearances from some of the heaviest cultural hitters of modern times, from Woody Allen to Frank Zappa, Gloria Steinem to Robert Crumb, Richard Nixon to Hunter S. Thompson. Gilliam’s encounters with the great and the not-so-good are revealing, funny, and hugely entertaining.

This book is an unrestrained look into a unique creative mind and an incomparable portrait of late twentieth-century popular culture.

THE RAP YEAR BOOK: THE MOST IMPORTANT RAP SONG FROM EVERY YEAR SINCE 1979, DISCUSSED, DEBATED, AND DECONSTRUCTED by Shea Serrano and Arturo Torres

Here’s what The Rap Year Book does: It takes readers from 1979, widely regarded as the moment rap became recognized as part of the cultural and musical landscape, and comes right up to the present, with Shea Serrano hilariously discussing, debating, and deconstructing the most important rap song year by year. Serrano also examines the most important moments that surround the history and culture of rap music–from artists’ backgrounds to issues of race, the rise of hip-hop, and the struggles among its major players–both personal and professional. Covering East Coast and West Coast, famous rapper feuds, chart toppers, and show stoppers, The Rap Year Book is an in-depth look at the most influential genre of music to come out of the last generation.

Complete with infographics, lyric maps, uproarious and informative footnotes, portraits of the artists, and short essays by other prominent music writers, The Rap Year Book is both a narrative and illustrated guide to the most iconic and influential rap songs ever created. It’s like the gold tank from Master P’s “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!” video, except it’s a book. It’s like Kanye’s verse on “Put On,” except it’s a book. It’s like the face Biggie made when he was on the boat with Puffy in “Hypnotize,” except it’s a book.

MAD MEN CAROUSEL: THE COMPLETE CRITICAL COMPANION by Matt Zoller Seitz

Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC’s Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s celebrated Mad Men recaps—as featured on New York magazine’s Vulture blog—for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show’s first three seasons. Seitz’s writing digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series—all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes—is covered.

Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke’s restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade.

Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show’s first-season finale, “The Wheel,” wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that’s centered on the idea of nostalgia: “the pain from an old wound.” This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan’s nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time.

It’s the perfect gift for Mad Men fans and obsessives.

PRISON RAMEN: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM BEHIND BARS by Clifton Collins Jr. and Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez

A unique and edgy cookbook, Prison Ramen takes readers behind bars with more than 65 ramen recipes and stories of prison life from the inmate/cooks who devised them, including celebrities like Slash from Guns n’ Roses and the actor Shia LaBeouf.

Instant ramen is a ubiquitous food, beloved by anyone looking for a cheap, tasty bite—including prisoners, who buy it at the commissary and use it as the building block for all sorts of meals. Think of this as a unique cookbook of ramen hacks. Here’s Ramen Goulash. Black Bean Ramen. Onion Tortilla Ramen Soup. The Jailhouse Hole Burrito. Orange Porkies—chili ramen plus white rice plus ½ bag of pork skins plus orange-flavored punch. Ramen Nuggets. Slash’s J-Walking Ramen (with scallions, Sriracha hot sauce, and minced pork).

Coauthors Gustavo “Goose” Alvarez and Clifton Collins Jr. are childhood friends—one an ex-con, now free and living in Mexico, and the other a highly successful Hollywood character actor who’s enlisted friends and celebrities to contribute their recipes and stories. Forget flowery writing about precious, organic ingredients—these stories are a first-person, firsthand look inside prison life, a scared-straight reality to complement the offbeat recipes.

MICHAEL ALLRED: CONVERSATIONS Edited by Christopher Irving

Michael Allred stands out for his blend of spiritual and philosophical approaches with an art style reminiscent of 1960s era superhero comics, which creates a mixture of both postmodernism and nostalgia. His childhood came during an era where pop art and camp embraced elements of kitsch and pastiche and introduced them into the lexicon of popular culture. Allred’s use of both in his work as a cartoonist on his signature comic book Madman in the early 1990s offset the veiled autobiography of his own spiritual journey through Mormonism and struggles with existentialism.

Thematically, Allred’s work deals heavily with the afterlife as his creations struggle with the grander questions–whether his modern Frankenstein hero Madman, cosmic rock ‘n’ roller Red Rocket 7, the undead heroine of iZombie (co-created with writer Chris Roberson), or the cast of superhero team book The Atomics. Allred also enjoys a position in the creator-driven generation that informs the current batch of independent cartoonists and has experienced his own brush with a major Hollywood studio’s aborted film adaptation of Madman. Allred’s other brushes with Hollywood include an independent adaptation of his comic book The G-Men from Hell, an appearance as himself in Kevin Smith’s romantic comedy Chasing Amy (where he provided illustrations for a fictitious comic book), the television adaptation of iZombie, and an ongoing relationship with director Robert Rodriguez on a future Madman film.

Michael Allred: Conversations features several interviews with the cartoonist from the early days of Madman‘s success through to his current mainstream work for Marvel Comics. To read them is to not only witness the ever-changing state of the comic book industry, but also to document Allred’s growth as a creative genius.


A-Z GREAT FILM DIRECTORS by Andy Tuohy and Matt Glasby

A striking, design-led reference book, A-Z Great Film Directors features Andy Tuohy’s portraits of 52 directors significant for their contribution to cinema including kings of world cinema Wong Kar-Wai and Akira Kurosawa, arthouse pioneers Fritz Lang and David Lynch as well as the often under-appreciated female directors Kathryn Bigelow and Jane Campion.

With text by film journalist Matt Glasby, each director’s entry will also have a summary of the essential things you need to know about them, why they’re important, a list of their must-see films, and a surprising fact or two about them, as well as images of their key films throughout.

So whether you’re already a film aficionado, or looking for a helpful cheat to pass convincingly as an arthouse fan, you’ll love this guide to international directors, past and present.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE ULTIMATE VISUAL HISTORY by Michael Klastorin and Randal Atamaniuk

Few films have made an impact on popular culture like the Back to the Future trilogy. This deluxe, officially licensed book goes behind the scenes to tell the complete story of the making of these hugely popular movies and how the adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown became an international phenomenon.

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History is a stunning journey into the creation of this beloved time-traveling saga and features hundreds of never-before-seen images from all three movies, along with rare concept art, storyboards, and other visual treasures.

The book also features exclusive interviews with key cast and crew members—including Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, and more—and tells the complete story of the production of the movies, from the initial concept to the staging of iconic scenes such as the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance and the hoverboard sequence. The book also delves into the wider Back to the Future universe, exploring the animated television show and Back to the Future: The Ride.

Written by Michael Klastorin—the production publicist on the second and third movies—with Back to the Future expert Randal Atamaniuk, this book delivers a range of surprises from the Universal Pictures archives and also includes a wealth of special removable items.

Comprehensive, compelling, and definitive, Back to the Future: The Ultimate Visual History is the book that fans have been waiting for.

Removable items include: Hill Valley High School Tardy Slip, Back to the Future The Ride security pass, Save the Clocktower leaflet, Sepia photograph of Marty and Doc from Part III, Marty’s note to Doc from the first film with the envelope, George McFly’s book, Jaws 19 movie poster, George and Lorraine’s prom photo, Doc’s flux capacitor sketch from the first film. Doc’s note to Marty from 1885, Biff one dollar bill from Part II, Blast from the Past receipt from Part II and Lenticular version of the iconic McFly family photo from the first film.


THE COMEDIANS: DRUNKS, THIEVES, SCOUNDRELS, AND THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN COMEDY by Kliph Nesteroff

In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff’s groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.

Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff introduces the first stand-up comedian—an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century.


1001 TV SHOWS YOU MUST WATCH BEFORE YOU DIE by Paul Condon

The most groundbreaking and important must-see shows from the 1950s to today’s golden age of television. This latest addition to the best-selling and highly acclaimed 1001 series showcases the best programs produced for television from its inception to the bumper crop of great shows being produced in today’s era of original cable programming and digital streaming.

Offering a critical evaluation of the most important and groundbreaking TV programs ever created, this book tracks television’s evolution through decades of social, cultural, and stylistic change. Included are shows that broke new ground, influenced the future, and left a lasting mark, ranging from the wholesomeness of Leave It to Beaver or The Andy Griffith Show through the mod cool of Laugh-In and The Avengers to the present day. Every important genre and era is represented, from award-winning sitcoms such as All in the Family and Seinfeld to the recent wave of high-quality cable series, including The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men.

This volume is the perfect guide to what next to binge watch—every program is available via DVD or streaming on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.


DOCTOR WHO: IMPOSSIBLE WORLDS: A 50-YEAR TREASURY OF ART AND DESIGN by Stephen Nicholas and Mike Tucker

An intimate, behind-the-curtains tour of the sets, costumes, spacecraft, alien planets, creatures, weapons, and gadgets used to create the stunning world of Doctor Who.

From distant galaxies in the far-flung future, to ancient history on the planet Earth, Doctor Who is unique for the breadth of imaginative possibilities it offers the artists charged with bringing each episode to life. Mining the depths of the BBC archives, Stephen Nicholas and Mike Tucker have compiled this breathtaking collection of rare and never-before-published images that are interwoven with fascinating insights from the show’s writers. Showcasing the work of Doctor Who’s remarkable designers, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds pays tribute to the care and attention to detail essential to creating the look of the show, from the characters themselves—including recurring villains like the Daleks or the Cybermen—to the smallest hand prop featured in the briefest of scenes, to the TARDIS console room and other regularly used sets.

Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds explores how the art department works together with costumers and make-up and special effects artists to produce a coherent look for a diverse range of alien worlds; reveals how the artists’ relationship with the computer graphics department allows them to create locations far grander than possible in the real world; and shows how today’s creative artists have built upon the designs produced by their predecessors—the pioneers of the program’s “classic” era whose legacy has delighted audiences since 1963.

Divided thematically, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds examines the history of the program and its art and set design, and highlights how various re-occurring designs have evolved over time. Chock full of surprising, illuminating, and fascinating information, photographs, and trivia, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds is essential for every Whovian, whether you’re an established fan or are new to the show.


BUFFY: DEMONS OF THE HELLMOUTH by Nancy Holder


Demons of the Hellmouth is a fully licensed guide to the vampires and other demons that flocked to the Sunnydale Hellmouth in Joss Whedon’s cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This in-universe illustrated guide is written by Rupert Giles, and also contains handwritten notes from Buffy and Willow. This unique book promises a diabolical romp through the highlights of the beloved show.


THE WORLD OF VIKINGS by Justin Pollard

MGM’s hit show Vikings on the History Channel has drawn millions of viewers into the fascinating and bloody world of legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok, who led Viking warriors to the British Isles and France. Covering the first three seasons of the series, this official companion book delves into the real history as well as the behind-the-scenes stories. Viking historian Justin Pollard explains shipbuilding and navigation, Norse culture and religion, and the first encounters between Viking warriors and the kings of England and France. Interviews with cast and crew reveal the process of dramatizing this gripping story, from reviving the Old Norse language to choreographing battle scenes and building ancient temples for human sacrifice. This spectacular package is a must for fans of the show and history buffs alike.

TV FINALES FAQ: ALL THAT’S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ENDINGS OF YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS by Stephen Tropiano and Holly Van Buren

TV Finales FAQ is the first book devoted exclusively to television’s most memorable series finales. From Mary Richards’ heartfelt goodbye to the WJM-TV newsroom in the classic finale of The Mary Tyler Moore Show to the puzzling conclusion of the enigmatic adventure series, Lost, to the tumultuous final hours in the life of Breaking Bad‘s Walter White, TV Finales FAQ takes an up close, insightful, and entertaining look at the most memorable final episodes of television’s most popular prime time, daytime, and late night series. Crafting the final episode to a long-running television series can be challenging for producers and writers who want to remain faithful to the show’s characters and history, yet, at the same time, satisfy the high expectations of its loyal fan base. TV Finales FAQ offers television viewers the inside story on the creation, broadcast, and aftermath of the most famous (and infamous) final episodes of over 50 television series from the 1960s through the present day. The books features such shows as Dexter, Roseanne, Will & Grace, The Sopranos, and some classic talk and late-night programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and many others.

NATIONAL TREASURE: NICOLAS CAGE by Lindsay Gibb

Nicolas Cage: leading man or character actor? Action hero or goofball comedian? Internet joke or one of the greatest actors of his generation? Beyond the gif bait and easy punchline, Nicolas Cage continually frustrates easy categorization or understanding. In National Treasure, pop culture writer Lindsay Gibb studies Nicolas Cage’s acting style and makes sense of the trajectory of his eclectic career. In the process, Gibb debunks the common claim that Cage makes bad choices.

While his selection of roles is seemingly inscrutable, Cage challenges critics and audiences alike by refusing to be predictable or to conform to the Hollywood approach to acting. Much like one of his mentors, David Lynch, Cage aims for art in movie-making. Is there a method to his madness? Is he in on the joke? In this clear-eyed and well-argued volume of the Pop Classics series, Gibb answers both questions with a resounding hell yes.

MYCROFT HOLMES by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse

Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.

Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take…

Written by NBA superstar Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse, Mycroft Holmes reveals the untold story of Sherlock’s older brother. This harrowing adventure changed his life, and set the stage for the man Mycroft would become: founder of the famous Diogenes Club and the hidden power behind the British government.

MATTEL 70 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND PLAY by Assouline

“Innovation became a hallmark of Mattel operations,” said Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler in 1968. “We were unorthodox, venturesome—our people were willing to try new things. This quality, more than any other, has been the key to the company’s progress.” From its humble beginnings producing picture frames for portrait studios to icons including Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel has been a master of imagination and innovation for seventy years.

In 1938, Handler began crafting art objects from Lucite in the LA garage of Harold “Matt” Matson. Soon he was in business as Elzac Jewelry, with Hollywood starlets modeling his designs. When Handler and Matson left Elzac and went into business as Mattel, the year was 1945 and with the nation at war, plastics were restricted for military use. Innovators as they were, they began selling wooden picture frames and quickly branched out into dollhouse furniture, before changing their emphasis to toys. Barbie was born in 1959 and one year later Mattel became a publicly owned company. In the following years, Mattel launched other iconic toys, including Hot Wheels and He-Man; began incorporating other brands, such as Fisher-Price, Pleasant Company (including American Girl), and Tyco Toys; and entered licensing agreements with Disney, Nickelodeon, and Harry Potter.

Celebrating the spectacular history of the Mattel family of brands, this volume brings together archival images from the early years of Mattel and original photography of some of Mattel’s most iconic toys to express the joy and energy of all the toys since its founding, a fantastic tribute to the happiness of childhood and the enduring memories of life’s best moments. Readers of all ages will delight in rediscovering their favorite toys and learning the stories behind them.

THE ART OF PAN by Chris Gore

This beautifully illustrated book will grant a comprehensive inside tour of director Joe Wright’s Pan, which offers a unique new cinematic take on J. M. Barrie’s beloved Peter Pan. Featuring a dazzling selection of never-before-seen concept illustrations, sketches, storyboards, and other preproduction materials, The Art of Pan reveals how Wright and his artistic teams have reimagined the classic characters and world. Insightful interviews with the director and key members of the cast and crew, including—Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried, Rooney Mara, and Garrett Hedlund—make this book a must-have for anyone who has ever longed to revisit Neverland with Peter Pan as their guide.

CRIMSON PEAK: THE ART OF DARKNESS by Mark Salisbury

Presented by Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, Crimson Peak launched in October 2015. This deluxe book explores Guillermo del Toro’s breathtaking supernatural mystery in unparalleled detail, from the creation of its sumptuous sets and costumes to the dark themes interwoven into its story and stunning visuals.

A powerful blend of psychological thriller, gothic horror, and seductive romance, Crimson Peak sees del Toro return to the genre he helped define.

Crimson Peak: The Art of Darkness chronicles the creative journey behind the film. Featuring interviews with the director and key crew members, the book examines the themes at the heart of Crimson Peak and shows how these motifs are woven into every frame.

Bringing del Toro’s imagination to life, the book also features a number of special removable items, including authentic period letters from key characters, daguerreotype photographs, newspaper clippings, journal pages, and more. In keeping with the mysterious and thrilling nature of the film, Crimson Peak: The Art of Darkness houses many secrets, all waiting to be discovered.

Featuring a broad range of spectacular concept art, storyboards, unit photography, and other visuals, this book is an unforgettable exploration of one of 2015’s most eagerly anticipated movies.

THE MANY MORE LIVES OF THE BATMAN edited by Roberta Pearson, William Uricchio, and Will Brooker


The Many Lives of the Batman (1991) was a pioneer within cultural and comic book scholarship. This fresh new sequel retains the best of the original chapters but also includes images, new chapters and new contributions from the Batman writers and editors. Spanning 75 years and multiple incarnations, this is the definitive history of Batman.

A LONG TIME AGO: EXPLORING THE STAR WARS CINEMATIC UNIVERSE edited by Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato

In 1977, the cinematic world was changed forever, thanks to a science-fantasy film about a farm boy, a princess, a wizard, a cyborg, two smugglers, and a pair of robots. Written and directed by the creative genius behind American Graffiti and THX-1138, George Lucas’s Star Wars — in essence, The Wizard of Oz meets The Odyssey meets Lord of the Rings, but in space — was a visual and audio extravaganza like nothing anyone had seen before. And going to the movies would never be the same again.

The movie ushered in two (soon to be three) film trilogies and numerous television shows, making the franchise one of the most successful of all time. Star Wars mesmerized audience-goers young and old with its state-of-the-art special effects and resonant soundtrack, and made “May the Force be with you” a permanent household phrase.

Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, edited by Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato, examines the entire Star Wars saga on the large and small screens. From theatrical films to TV movies, from cartoons and commercials to variety shows and video-based amusement-park rides, the mythos continues to keep audiences glued to their seats. This anthology features insightful, analytical essays about the franchise’s long history from popular film historians, novelists, bloggers, and subject-matter experts, exploring why the films proved so immediately popular, where the movies and TV shows have succeeded and faltered, and why we all keep going back a long time ago to that galaxy far, far away.


GRANT MORRISON AND THE SUPERHERO RENAISSANCE edited by Darragh Greene and Kate Roddy

Superheroes are enjoying a cultural resurgence, dominating the box office and breaking out of specialty comics stores onto the shelves of mainstream retailers. A leading figure behind the superhero Renaissance is Grant Morrison, long-time architect of the DC Comics’ universe and author of many of the most successful comic books in recent years. Renowned for his anarchic original creations–Zenith, The Invisibles, The Filth, We3 as well as for his acclaimed serialized comics–JLA, Superman, Batman, New X-Men–Grant Morrison has radically redefined the superhero archetype.

Known for his eccentric lifestyle and as a practitioner of “pop magic,” Morrison sees the superhero as not merely fantasy but a medium for imagining a better humanity. Drawing on a variety of analytical approaches, this first-ever collection of critical essays on his work explores his rejuvenation of the figure of the superhero as a means to address the challenges of modern life.

THE ART OF KRAMPUS by Michael Mallory

In Alpine folklore, Krampus is a fearsome horned figure who punishes naughty children during the Christmas season, just as Saint Nick rewards those who behave.

Writer/director Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Superman Returns, X-Men 2) brings this iconic figure to life in a modern-day horror comedy set against the perfect suburban holiday celebration. The Art of Krampus takes a look at how this terrifying character inspired the filmmaker and Legendary Pictures to create a movie that captures the dark side of the holidays. With fascinating concept art and unit photography showcasing the most thrilling, suspenseful, and horrifying moments of the movie alongside insightful commentary from the cast and crew, this deluxe coffee-table book details all that went into crafting Dougherty’s eagerly-awaited Yuletide horror film. Visually stunning and comprehensive, The Art of Krampus is the perfect holiday gift for horror enthusiasts.



SEEKING PERFECTION: THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO TREMORS by Jonathan Melville

More than two years in the making, Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors features high-profile insight into Hollywood filmmaking from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Starting with co-creators S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock and Ron Underwood, the book examines their love of B movies and student filmmaking that brought them to Hollywood, before they embarked on ambitious plans to take control of their own big-budget productions, starting with 1986’s Short Circuit.

The story then moves to their time working with Steven Spielberg at Amblin, before delving into their plans to make a low budget horror movie set entirely during the daytime, something unheard of in the industry.

Author Jonathan Melville’s interviews with executive producer Gale Ann Hurd (Aliens, The Walking Dead) and Universal’s Jim Jacks offer rare insight into the minds of those working in Hollywood in the 1980s, with their candid opinions revealing what really goes on behind studio doors.

Seeking Perfection goes on to bring the views of actors Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Ariana Richards, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro – plus many behind the scenes crew from the first film – into the story, revealing the trials and tribulations of making a monster movie in the desert.

With dozens more interviews covering all of the sequels and the troubled TV series, this is a must-read for anyone with an interest in filmmaking and TV production as well as all fans of the Tremors franchise.

ONE LITTLE SPARK!: MICKEY’S TEN COMMANDMENTS AND THE ROAD TO IMAGINEERING by Marty Sklar

We’ve all read about the experts: the artists, the scientists, the engineers-that special group of people known as Imagineers for The Walt Disney Company. But who are they? How did they join the team? What is it like to spend a day in their shoes?

Disney Legend Marty Sklar wants to give back to fans and answer these burning questions. When Marty was president of Walt Disney Imagineering, he created a list of principles and ideals for the team, aptly named Mickey’s Ten Commandments. Using this code of standards as his organizational flow, Marty provides readers with insights and advice from himself and dozens of hands-on Imagineers from around the globe. It’s a true insider’s look like no other!


BEFORE EVER AFTER: THE LOST LECTURES OF WALT DISNEY’S ANIMATION STUDIO by Don Hahn and Tracey Miller-Zarneke

Before Ever After is a treasury of rare and unpublished lecture notes, photographs and drawings which reflect the culture of learning that Walt Disney curated to raise the level of his artists in preparation for their first feature: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt hand-picked instructors from the renowned Chouinard Art Institute to hold classes on action and drawing. He screened films for study. He brought in talent from Architect Frank Lloyd Wright to choreographer George Balanchine to humorist Alexander Woollcott to teach and inspire his team. The result is a stunning collection of transcripts and history which not only lay the artistic foundation for the animated art form, but also give us an intimate look inside the walls of Walt Disney’s studio during a seminal and profoundly creative moment in time.

100 THINGS STAR WARS FANS SHOULD KNOW & DO BEFORE THEY DIE by Dan Casey

On May 25, 1977, the world of science fiction, film, and pop culture was changed forever with the release of Star Wars. The beginning of this epic space opera franchise would inspire an expanded universe of creativity, including books, comic books, theme parks, and much more. With extensive back stories, lore, and author Dan Casey’s encyclopedic knowledge on the subject, this lively, detailed book explores the characters, storylines, and facts every true Star Wars fan should know. This guide covers the history of how a multibillion-dollar and beloved institution was born and went on to flourish. Dan Casey has collected every essential piece of Star Wars knowledge and trivia, including what infamous, cult classic TV movie introduced beloved bounty hunter Boba Fett, what Star Wars novel was released in 1976 before the first movie premiered, and what animal species is named after Han Solo. Whether you’re a fan of the original film trilogy, an avid reader of the books, or can’t wait to see what J. J. Abrams does with the next generation of movies, 100 Things Star Wars Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the perfect resource for all Star Wars fans looking to increase their knowledge of the storied franchise and look back on the most memorable moments of a galaxy “far, far away.”

THE SMITH TAPES: LOST INTERVIEWS WITH ROCK STARS & ICONS 1969-1972 edited by Ezra Bookstein

The 1960s were a period of radical cultural, social, and political upheaval in the United States and around the globe; yet in just three years, between 1969 and 1972, Village Voice “Scenes” columnist, WPLJ FM radio host, and cult figure Howard Smith got to the heart of it all by talking it out—both on and—off the record. As famous as those who passed through the airwaves, Smith encapsulated the end of an era through personal conversations and hard-hitting interviews with Mick Jagger, Frank Zappa, Andy Warhol, Buckminster Fuller, leaders of the feminist movement and the Gay Liberation Front, a NARC agent, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and scores of other iconic and influential personalities, including musicians, artists, filmmakers, actors, writers, politicians, and social activists, from countercultural luminaries to everyday revolutionaries and everyone in between.

The Smith Tapes transcribes, for the first time ever, sixty-one of those recorded sessions, from an archive of more than one hundred fifty reels unearthed after more than forty years. Edited by documentary film writer and director/producer Ezra Bookstein, this book reveals the time capsule that Smith ingeniously captured, and contains raw and unscripted talks that take you right into the midst of a transformative cultural and musical explosion.

THE NINE OLD MEN: LESSONS, TECHNIQUES, AND INSPIRATION FROM DISNEY’S GREAT ANIMATORS by Andreas Deja

Learn from the men who changed animation forever.

Walt Disney’s team of core animators, who he affectionately call his “Nine Old Men,” were known for creating Disney’s most famous works, as well as refining the 12 basic principles of animation. Follow master animator and Disney legend Andreas Deja as he takes you through the minds and works of these notable animators. An apprentice to the Nine Old Men himself, Deja gives special attention to each animator and provides a thoughtful analysis on their techniques that include figure drawing, acting, story structure, and execution. The in-depth analysis of each animator’s work will allow you to refine your approach to character animation. Rare sequential drawings from the Disney archives also give you unprecedented access and insight into the most creative minds that changed the course of animation.

  • Instruction and analysis on the works of each of the Nine Old Men broaden your creative choices and approaches to character animation
  • Original drawings, some never-before-seen by the public are explored in depth, giving you behind-the-scenes access into Disney animation history
  • Gain first-hand insight into the foundation of timeless characters and scenes from some of Disney’s most memorable feature and short films

THE TWILIGHT ZONE FAQ: ALL THAT’S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIFTH DIMENSION AND BEYOND by Dave Thompson

The Twilight Zone is among the most beloved shows in American television history, a pioneering fantasy behemoth that bridged the cultural gap between the 1950s and 1960s with thought-provoking mystery, mind-boggling theorems, and occasionally outright horror. The Twilight Zone FAQ takes the reader back to that halcyon era, looking back on the show and its impact as a force for societal change, via reflections on the manifold topics and controversies that the show took on from the space race to the Red Menace, from paranoia to madness and beyond. Dave Thompson traces the history of the show from its earliest flowering in the mind of then-unknown Rod Serling through its slow birth, shaky beginning, and breathless five-season run and he shows how it became the blueprint for so much of the fantasy television that has followed. Chapters deal with the comic books, novels, and many other spin-offs, including the movie, the TV revamps, and even the amusement park ride. In addition, this FAQ offers a full guide to every episode, providing details on the cast and music and pinpointing both the best and the worst of the series, all adding up to a brightly opinionated time machine that catapults the reader back to the true golden age of American television.

THE DOCTORS ARE IN: THE ESSENTIAL AND UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO DOCTOR WHO’S GREATEST TIME LORD by Graeme Burk and Robert Smith?


From his beginnings as a crotchety, anti-heroic scientist in 1963 to his current place in British pop culture as the mad and dangerous monster-fighting saviour of the universe, the titular character of Doctor Who has metamorphosed in his 50 years on television. And yet the questions about him remain the same: Who is he? Why does he act the way he does? What motivates him to fight evil across space and time?

The Doctors Are In is a guide to television’s most beloved time traveler from the authors of Who Is The Doctor and Who’s 50. This is a guide to the Doctor himself — who he is in his myriad forms, how he came to be, how he has changed (within the program itself and behind the scenes) . . . and why he’s a hero to millions.

INVESTIGATING SHERLOCK: AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE by Nikki Stafford

An essential companion to the hit BBC show.  He’s been depicted as a serious thinker, a master of deduction, a hopeless addict, a bare-knuckle fighter. His companion is a bumbler, a sympathetic equal, someone helpless in the face of his friend’s social inadequacies. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson remain the most-adapted fictional characters of all time. In 2010, when Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman stepped into the roles, they managed to meld many previous incarnations into two glorious performances. Over Sherlock’s first three seasons, the Emmy-winning series has brought new life to stories almost 130 years old and, with its Holmes and Watson for the 21st century, created a worldwide fandom unlike any other.

Investigating Sherlock, written by bestselling author Nikki Stafford, examines each episode through in-depth and fun analysis, exploring the character development and cataloguing every subtle reference to the original stories. With biographies of Cumberbatch and Freeman, as well as Arthur Conan Doyle, Investigating Sherlock is the ultimate guide to the great detective.

THE WORLD OF SHAFT: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE NOVELS, COMIC STRIP, FILMS AND TELEVISION SERIES by Steve Aldous

Mention Shaft and most people think of Gordon Parks’ seminal 1971 film starring Richard Roundtree in a leather coat, walking the streets of Manhattan to Isaac Hayes’ iconic theme music. But the black private dick who inspired the blaxploitation film genre actually made his debut on the printed page as the creation of a white novelist.

Ernest Tidyman was a seasoned journalist down on his luck when he decided to try his hand at fiction. Shaft was the result, giving Tidyman the break he was looking for. He went on to become an Academy Award winning screenwriter and respected film producer.

Based on extensive research of Tidyman’s personal papers, this book tells the story of Shaft from the perspective of his creator. The author provides new insight and analysis of the writing of the Shaft novels, as well as the production of the films and TV series. First-ever coverage of the forgotten Shaft newspaper comic strip includes previously unseen artwork. Also included is Shaft’s recent reappearance on the printed page, in both comic book and prose form.

JOYLAND (Illustrated Edition) by Stephen King

Stephen King’s #1 bestseller as you’ve never seen it before. Featuring more than 20 illustrations by acclaimed artists Pat Kinsella, Robert McGinnis, and Mark Summers, this brand new edition of Joyland brings the carny world to life in all its bright and sinister glory.

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.

A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old—and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time— Joyland is Stephen King at the peak of his storytelling powers. With all the emotional impact of King masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, Joyland is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled of readers profoundly moved.

ONLY WHAT’S NECESSARY: CHARLES M. SCHULZ AND THE ART OF PEANUTS by Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear

Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) believed that the key to cartooning was to take out the extraneous details and leave in only what’s necessary. For 50 years, from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, Schulz wrote and illustrated Peanuts, the single most popular and influential comic strip in the world.

In all, 17,897 strips were published, making it “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being,” according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. For Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, renowned designer Chip Kidd was granted unprecedented access to the extraordinary archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California. Reproducing the best of the Peanuts newspaper strip,all shot from the original art by award-winning photographer Geoff Spear, Only What’s Necessary also features exclusive, rare, and unpublished original art and developmental work—much of which has never been seen before.



IN PROGRESS: SEE INSIDE A LETTERING ARTIST’S SKETCHBOOK AND PROCESS, FROM PENCIL TO VECTOR by Jessica Hische


This show-all romp through design-world darling Jessica Hische’s sketchbook reveals the creative and technical process behind making award-winning hand lettering. See everything, from Hische’s rough sketches to her polished finals for major clients such as Wes Anderson, NPR, and Starbucks. The result is a well of inspiration and brass tacks information for designers who want to sketch distinctive letterforms and hone their skills. With more than 250 images and metallic silver ink printed throughout to represent her penciled sketches, this highly visual book is an essential—and entirely enjoyable—resource for those who practice or simply appreciate the art of hand lettering.

DICK GRAYSON, BOY WONDER: SCHOLARS AND CREATORS ON 75 YEARS OF ROBIN, NIGHTWING AND BATMAN by Kristen L. Geaman 

Dick Grayson–alter-ego of the original Robin of Batman comics–has gone through various changes in his 75 years as a superhero but has remained the optimistic, humorous character readers first embraced in 1940. Predating Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, he is one of DC Comics’ oldest heroes and retains a large and loyal fanbase.

The first scholarly work to focus exclusively on the Boy Wonder, this collection of new essays features critical analysis, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names to study Dick Grayson, including Chuck Dixon, Devin Grayson and Marv Wolfman. The contributors discuss his vital place in the Batman saga, his growth and development into an independent hero, Nightwing, and the many storyline connections which put him at the center of the DC Universe. His character is explored in the contexts of feminism, trauma, friendship, and masculinity.



MICHAEL JACKSON FAQ: ALL THAT’S LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE KING OF POP by Kit O’Toole

Michael Jackson may be the King of Pop, but his influence extends much further. From his childhood years with the Jackson 5 through his astonishing solo career, he consistently broke sales records, pioneered the modern music video, and infused dance into rock and pop.

While his life story has been well chronicled, Michael Jackson FAQ explores the stories behind his achievements. Did he play any instruments? How much of his own music did he compose? Who were his greatest influences in both music and dance? His art is his legacy, and Michael Jackson FAQ takes an in-depth look at Jackson’s work with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons in addition to his solo catalog. Learn why current artists such as Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and countless boy bands still emulate his sound, look, and showmanship. Questions are tackled such as whether Off the Wall or Thriller better stands the test of time. From his childhood in Gary, Indiana, through the posthumous albums, this book covers lesser-known but important stories such as how Jackson influenced disco and hip-hop, how his singing style transitioned from childhood to adulthood, and how he learned to moonwalk.

PRETTY GIRLS by Karin Slaughter

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia’s teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that’s cruelly ripped open when Claire’s husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.



KING OF THE KUSTOMIZERS: THE ART OF GEORGE BARRIS by Brett Barris and Douglas Nason

George Barris is undisputably the “King of the Kustomizers,” the most phenomenal kustom car builder ever. Barris created some of the best known and iconic cars of the 20th century, including the original TV Batmobile, the Munsters Koach, Hirohata Merc, Ala Kart and countless other made-to-order vehicles for movies, TV, and for the private use of his celebrity clients. King of the Kustomizers is the definitive work on a legend, over five years in the making. This is a massive volume containing nearly 500 pages jam-packed with never-before-seen photos and design illustrations, illuminating how Barris’ creations helped redefine the automobile’s place in American culture. Written by an all-star line-up of contributors, the book covers the full spectrum of George Barris’ design genius. King of the Kustomizers is filled with untold stories and rare images from both Barris’ famous and not-so-famous works. A generous selection of Barris tribute art―some created especially for this volume―is also included to showcase the enduring influence and legacy of the Barris Kustoms brand. This is one ride you don’t want to miss!





LARRY COHEN: THE STUFF OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Michael Doyle

Larry Cohen: The Stuff of Gods and Monsters traces the extraordinary career of the legendary writer/producer/director responsible for such cult and classic films as Black Caesar, It’s Alive, God Told Me To, The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, Q – The Winged Serpent, The Stuff, Maniac Cop, and Phone Booth. Creator of some of the most diverse and thematically rich genre films that have been made in American independent cinema, Cohen’s oeuvre has embraced horror, science fiction, thrillers, Westerns, comedies, the biographical film, and blaxploitation gangster movies.

At turns provocative, disturbing, and humorous, his distinctly personal works in film, television, and theater are distinguished by their ferocious intelligence, biting satire, and powerful emotionalism. Over the course of 28 chapters, this in-depth career-length interview is an entertaining, enlightening, and gripping account of the singular career of a true American original.

“For those of us who love the works of Larry Cohen, this is the most revealing and informative material ever published about him. And if by some chance you don’t know about Larry’s remarkable career, take this opportunity to learn how one maverick writer/director/producer has been able to survive and flourish in the ever changing madhouse of show biz.”

— Joe Dante, director of The Howling, Gremlins and The ‘Burbs



KURT VONNEGUT: LIBRARY OF AMERICA EDITIONS edited by Sidney Offit

Kurt Vonnegut: Novels & Stories 1950–1962

Kurt Vonnegut’s signature qualities as a writer—what John Updike called “his free flow of invention, the surreal beauty of his imagery, and a colloquial American style justly ranked with Mark Twain’s”—are everywhere on display in this authoritative collection of his early fiction. So too are his abiding themes: the madness of war, the vanity of human striving, and the social costs of technological innovation.

Vonnegut’s first novel, Player Piano (1952), is the story of Dr. Paul Proteus, chief engineer at the Ilium Works, an electronics company in upstate New York. Ill at ease with himself and his changing times, Proteus must choose sides in a looming civil war that threatens the brave new world he has helped to create. A kind of postwar Metropolis, Player Piano is at once a witty satire on the culture of General Electric headquarters, where Vonnegut once worked as a publicist, and a profound meditation on the dignity and necessity of work.

Set on Earth, Mars, Mercury, and the moons of Saturn, The Sirens of Titan (1959) is a vertiginous ride down a funnel in space-time with a trio of stuffed shirts spoiling for their pratfalls: Winston Niles Rumfoord, a patrician New Englander and paragon of style; his beautiful touch-me-not wife, Beatrice; and Malachi Constant, the world’s luckiest, wealthiest man. Are they really what they imagine themselves to be, the perfected products of a benevolent universe? Or does somebody up there despise them? Only Salo, the gentleman-robot from the planet Tralfamadore, knows for sure.

In 1961 a German American named Howard W. Campbell, Jr.—the Tokyo Rose of the Third Reich—is discovered in Manhattan by a team of Nazi hunters and brought to Jerusalem to stand trial. Mother Night (1962) presents Campbell’s prison-cell confessions, revealing him to be a double agent who infiltrated the highest echelons of the Nazi propaganda ministry in order to broadcast intelligence to the Allies. But as he awaits his date with justice, Campbell faces an even more rigorous trial in the court of his own conscience.

Rounding out the volume are six of Vonnegut’s best science fiction stories, including “Report on the Barnhouse Effect,” “EPICAC,” “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” and “Harrison Bergeron,” the fantasy that skewered “political correctness” before there was a name for it.

Kurt Vonnegut: Novels & Stories 1963–1973

Like his idol Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut was a sly and skeptical Midwestern everyman outraged by the depravity of the damned human race. A consummate entertainer—few storytellers are as dependably funny—he was also a clear-eyed critic of American life. Among the targets of his ridicule were the exploiters, the despoilers, and the soulless parasitic moneymakers, but he reserved his hottest anger for that tribe of scientists and merchants of war who conjure up genies of mass destruction without a thought to what happens once they’re out of their bottles. Yet his works are remarkably free of villains, being rich instead in dangerous, not-quite-unlovable sinners who may yet be redeemed.

This volume, the first in a multi-volume edition of his enduring fiction, captures Vonnegut at the pyrotechnic height of his powers. It opens with Cat’s Cradle (1963), perhaps his most exhilarating performance, in which a would-be historian of the bombing of Hiroshima finds himself a privileged witness to the icy end of the world.

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965) chronicles the alcoholic unraveling and spiritual rebirth of a good-hearted dreamer tormented by the question “What are people for?”

Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)—the book that earned Vonnegut worldwide fame, and one of the great antiwar novels in literature—is the jump-cutting saga of Billy Pilgrim, who, having come unstuck in time, is doomed to relive continually both the destruction of Dresden and his abduction by space aliens.

In a text enhanced by the author’s spirited line drawings, Breakfast of Champions (1973) describes the fateful meeting of a luckless science-fiction writer and an unhinged Pontiac dealer who disastrously believes that everyone but himself is a robot.

Rounding out the volume are three brilliant short stories—including the classic fantasy “Welcome to the Monkey House”—and moving autobiographical accounts of Vonnegut’s experience of war that shed light on events imaginatively treated in Slaughterhouse-Five.

Kurt Vonnegut: Novels 1976–1985

By 1976, the year that Kurt Vonnegut published his eighth novel, Slapstick, it was apparent that the author of Slaughterhouse-Five was more than a favorite of the sixties’ counterculture, more than an acidly witty public personality and a gadfly of the military-industrial complex—more, even, than one of America’s most widely read living writers. Out of the sweeping spotlight of popular success emerged the enduring Vonnegut: a satiric fabulist to rival Mark Twain, a comic storyteller whose books are as morally serious as they are imaginative and amusing.

With the four novels collected here Vonnegut was recognized as an original American classic, the architect of an oeuvre built to last, a body of work tightly joined and cleanly made, designed along lines entirely his own. This third volume in the Library of America’s definitive edition of his fiction opens with Slapstick, the memoirs of Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, a hundred-year-old former president of the United States and the promulgator of an ingenious national program to stamp out “American loneliness.” By giving every citizen a new middle name, President Swain, himself assigned to the computer-generated Daffodil clan, also gives them a numberless network of concerned “relatives”—a taste of the familial bliss that Swain once enjoyed with his twin sister, Eliza, his soulmate and missing half, now dead beneath an avalanche on Mars.

Jailbird (1979) is a political memoir of a less fantastic sort, chronicling the misadventures of Walter F. Starbuck, a once-idealistic government functionary who, through no wrongdoing of his own, has become embroiled in every major national scandal from Sacco and Vanzetti to Watergate. Deadeye Dick (1982) is the story of a talentless playwright’s lifelong struggle to atone for the accidental crimes of his youth, the foolishness of his father, and the sins of his country. And in Galápagos (1985), a favorite of the author’s among his books, a ghost from the future reveals how and why a million years ago—during the global ecological disaster of 1986—humankind abandoned the land for the sea and embarked upon an unlikely evolution. The volume is rounded out with an assortment of Vonnegut rarities: speeches, essays, and commentary that touch upon the themes and particulars of these novels.

Kurt Vonnegut: Novels 1987–1997

In the mid-1980s Kurt Vonnegut entered the final decades of his long and abundantly creative life. Like his earlier fiction, the three novels of his late period combine elements of Swiftian satire, pulp-magazine fantasy, and a small-town midwesterner’s sense of common decency. But they are also suffused with something new: an aching nostalgia for a remembered America on the verge of disappearing forever.

Bluebeard (1987) is a tale of the artist’s life as told by Rabo Karabekian, a gifted figurative painter who in the postwar years shrewdly adopted abstraction and earned himself a place in the art world alongside Pollock and Rothko. Now, as he enters his seventies, his minimalist paintings—much in vogue until the substandard acrylics he used began curling off their canvases—have become curatorial liabilities, and his name, once great, has been reduced to one of art history’s comic footnotes. Rueful and alone at his estate in the Hamptons, he retires to a padlocked barn to write his memoirs—and to embark upon a final creative act that just might redeem him, if only in his own eyes.

Hocus Pocus (1990) is another kind of autobiography entirely: the prison memoirs of Eugene Debs Hartke, a former professor of physics who has come to a bad end at the end of a bad century. Dismissed from the faculty of Tarkington College for allegedly airing “negative” thoughts in the classroom, Hartke is accused by the U.S. government of masterminding an uprising at Tarkington’s neighboring institution, the N.Y. State Maximum Security Correctional Facility at Athena. Hartke’s episodic memoirs read like antic op-ed pieces on issues that still bedevil our country today—academic freedom, race and class and gender, environmental calamity, and the effects of “progress” on human dignity.

The premise of Timequake (1997), Vonnegut’s last completed novel, is that on February 13, 2001, the universe suffered a crisis in self-confidence and stopped expanding indefinitely, and that time skipped like a record needle back to February 17, 1991. Consequently, all humanity was forced to relive an entire decade, self-aware but robbed of the happy illusion of free will. “We all had to get back to 2001,” says Vonnegut, moving forward “the hard way, minute by minute, hour by hour, year by year, betting on the wrong horse again, marrying the wrong person again, getting the clap again. You name it!” Kilgore Trout—running for a second time an obstacle course of his own construction—is the hero of half the story, and the author himself the hero of the rest.

Rounded out with a selection of short nonfiction pieces intimately related to these three works, this volume presents the final word from the artist whom the San Francisco Chronicle, reviewing Timequake, called an “old warrior who will not accept the dehumanizing of politics, the blunting of conscience, and the glibness of the late-twentieth-century Western world.”

DARTH VADER & SON / VADER’S LITTLE PRINCESS DELUXE BOX SET BY Jeffrey Brown

Brown’s beloved reimagining of the Star Wars universe featuring Darth Vader as a devoted dad to young Luke and Leia has charmed and captivated fans of all ages, in books that have become galactic bestsellers and classics in their own right. This deluxe gift box set reproduces the first two books in the series in a large format—perfect for sharing with young Jedi—that showcases Brown’s funny, colorful work. The slipcase edition also includes two unique, frameable art prints created just for this set as well as custom artwork for the slipcase box.

Darth Vader & Son: What if Darth Vader took an active role in raising his son? What if “Luke, I am your father” was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad? In this hilarious and sweet comic reimagining, Darth Vader is a dad like any other—except with all the baggage of being the Dark Lord of the Sith. Celebrated artist Jeffrey Brown’s delightful illustrations give classic Star Wars moments a fresh twist, presenting the trials and joys of parenting through the lens of a galaxy far, far away. Life lessons include lightsaber batting practice, using the Force to raid the cookie jar, Take Your Child to Work Day on the Death Star (“Er, he looks just like you, Lord Vader!”), and the special bond shared between any father and son.

Vader’s Little Princess: In this irresistibly funny follow-up to the breakout bestseller Darth Vader and Son, Vader—Sith Lord and leader of the Galactic Empire—now faces the trials, joys, and mood swings of raising his daughter Leia as she grows from a sweet little girl into a rebellious teenager. Smart and funny illustrations by artist Jeffrey Brown give classic Star Wars moments a twist by bringing these iconic family relations together under one roof. From tea parties to teaching Leia how to fly a TIE fighter, regulating the time she spends talking with friends via R2-D2’s hologram, and making sure Leia doesn’t leave the house wearing only the a skirted metal bikini, Vader’s parenting skills are put hilariously to the test.

WILL EISNER: CHAMPION OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Paul Levitz

Will Eisner (1917–2005) is universally considered the master of comics storytelling, best known for The Spirit, his iconic newspaper comic strip, and A Contract With God, the first significant graphic novel. This seminal work from 1978 ushered in a new era of personal stories in comics form that touched every adult topic from mortality to religion and sexuality, forever changing the way writers and artists approached comics storytelling. Noted historian Paul Levitz celebrates Eisner by showcasing his most famous work along­side unpublished and rare materials from the family archives. Also included are original interviews with creators such as Jules Feiffer, Art Spiegelman, Scott McCloud, Jeff Smith, Denis Kitchen, and Neil Gaiman—all of whom knew Eisner and were inspired by his work to create their own graphic novels for a new generation of readers.





MISS PEREGRINE’S PECULIAR CHILDREN BOXED SET by Ransom Riggs

Together for the first time, here is the #1 New York Times best seller Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and its two sequels, Hollow City and the (newly released) Library of Souls. All three hardcovers are packaged in a beautifully designed slipcase. Also included: a special collector’s envelope of twelve peculiar photographs, highlighting the most memorable moments of this extraordinary three-volume fantasy.

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in this groundbreaking novel, which mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling new kind of reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Hollow City: September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary adventure continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner.

Library of Souls: A boy, a girl, and a talking dog. They’re all that stands between the sinister wights and the future of peculiar children everywhere. Jacob Portman ventures through history one last time to rescue the peculiar children from a heavily guarded fortress. He’s joined by girlfriend and firestarter Emma Bloom, canine companion Addison MacHenry, and some very unexpected allies.

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