Bücher veröffentlicht von Scarecrow Press

Horror and slasher films are often dismissed for their apparent lack of sophistication and dearth of redeemable values. However, despite criticism from film snobs who turn up their noses and moralists who look down upon the genre, slasher films are more than just movies filled with gory mayhem. Such films can actually serve a purpose and offer their audiences something more than split skulls and severed heads.In Life Lessons from Slasher Films, Jessica Robinson looks at representative works that have been scaring audiences for decadesfrom Alfred Hitchcock's seminal shocker, Psycho, to the cult classic Black Christmas and iconic thrillers like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Scream. In this book, Robinson examines common themes that have emerged in these films, their various sequels, and countless imitatorsa maniacal and seemingly indestructible executioner, sexual encounters that invariably lead to death, increasingly gruesome ways to slaughter helpless victims, and a lone female survivor who finds a way to vanquish the killerand looks beyond such tropes for what these films can teach us about life.From practical advice (listen to your elders) to moral platitudes (teens never learn), each chapter considers a different ';lesson' that these films teach. Robinson discusses how the events portrayed in slasher films can resonate with viewers and perhaps offer constructive advice on how to conduct our lives. A fun read for fans and scholars alike, Life Lessons from Slasher Films offers an entertaining and persuasive look at how life can imitate art, and what art can say about life.

Although the positions of assistant or associate university librarians and deans are considered a training ground for upward movement in the profession, there are surprisingly very few mentoring experiences available. The Associate University Librarian Handbook: A Resource Guide looks to change that. Covering such topics as managing change, funding, research, career management, and more, this book will be a valuable tool and guide for both those in the position of associate university librarian and for those aspiring to get there.

In America, comics and comic books have often been associated with adolescent male fantasymuscle-bound superheroes and scantily clad women. Nonetheless, comics have also been read and enjoyed by girls. While there have been many strong representations of women throughout their history, the comics of today have evolved and matured, becoming a potent medium in which to explore the female experience, particularly that of girlhood and adolescence.In Girls and Their Comics: Finding a Female Voice in Comic Book Narrative, Jacqueline Danziger-Russell contends that comics have a unique place in the representation of female characters. She discusses the overall history of the comic book, paying special attention to girls' comics, showing how such works relate to a female point of view. While examining the concept of visual literacy, Danziger-Russell asserts that comics are an excellent space in which the marginalized voices of girls may be expressed. This volume also includes a chapter on manga (Japanese comics), which explains the genesis of girls' comics in Japan and their popularity with girls in the United States.Including interviews with librarians, comic creators, and girls who read comics and manga, Girls and Their Comics is an important examination of the growing interest in comic books among young females and will appeal to a wide audience, including literary theorists, teachers, librarians, popular culture and women's studies scholars, and comic book historians.

Inspired by a vivid dream, Stephenie Meyer, a stay-at-home mom, wrote a manuscript that started a worldwide sensation that has yet to abate. In 2005 her debut novel, Twilight, crashed onto the shore of teen literature like a literary tsunami. Four books later, she had become the top-selling author in the world. When the final book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, was released in 2008, more than a million copies were sold on the first day alone. The popular culture phenomenon of Stephenie Meyer and her writing is much more than the sum total of her weeks on the bestseller list, however.Stephenie Meyer: In the Twilight looks at the life and work of this author, beginning with her childhood and covering her teen years and life before stardom. This volume also profiles Meyer's world since becoming a cultural icon. In addition to discussing Meyer's writing style, the chapters also explore each of her books, with a final chapter focusing on her presence in social media and public events.As young and old continue to devour her every word, this volume puts into perspective the work and impact that Meyer has around the world. Stephenie Meyer: In the Twilight will be of interest to teachers and librarians, as well as to middle and high school studentsnot to mention adultswho are interested in learning more about their favorite author.

In Reading the Grateful Dead: A Critical Survey, Nicholas G. Meriwether has assembled a collection of essays that examine the development of Grateful Dead studies. This volume includes work from three generations of scholars and includes a wide variety of perspectives on the band and its cultural significance. Organized into four sections, each describes an aspect or approach to Dead studies, along with an overview of the nature and extent of Dead studies: how it evolved and what it comprises today.

As recommended by USA Today and excerpted on Rolling Stone.com!More than forty years after breaking up, The Beatles remain the biggest-selling and most influential group in the history of popular music. Fans endlessly replay their songs, craving more, while thousands of cover versions of their songs have been recorded and performed. Band biographies, pop music histories, song books, and academic titles on the Fab Four clutter shelves. But never has there been a definitive guide to the finest songs of The Beatles after they called it quits.Still the Greatest is a love song to the songwriting and recording achievements of Paul, John, George, and Ringo after each struck out on his own. In this creative history, Jackson selects the best songs in each solo career and organizes them into fantasy albums they might have formed had the legendary group stayed together. This romp through the postBeatles history of each artist delves into the circumstances behind the composition, recording, and reception of each work, offering a refreshing take on how spectacular much of The Beatles' second act truly is.Jackson assesses the more than seventy albums and nine hundred songs the four collectively released, selecting the creme de la creme of their output. Still the Greatest brims with facts (release dates, writing and performing credits, and information about production techniques) and insightful analyses of the music and lyrics. In telling the stories behind the songs, Jackson recounts the remarkable influence the Post Fab Four continued to have long after the big split. Both a handy reference and an engrossing cover-to-cover read, Still the Greatest is an invaluable companion for those who thought it all ended with the 1970 album Let It Be.

Jazz is a music formed from a combination of influences. In its infancy, jazz was a melting pot of military brass bands, work songs and field hollers of the United States slaves during the 19th century, European harmonies and forms, and the rhythms of Africa and the Caribbean. Later, the blues and the influence of Spanish and French Creoles with European classical training nudged jazz further along in its development. Jazz has always been a world-music in the sense that music from around the globe has been embraced and incorporated.The Historical Dictionary of Jazz covers the history of Jazz through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1,500 cross-referenced entries on significant jazz performers, band leaders, bands, venues, record labels, recordings, and the different styles of jazz. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone seeking a broader understanding of the history of jazz and the connections within the genre.

On March 21, 1990, Sam Nujoma was sworn in as the first president of independent Namibia. This ceremony marked the end of a struggle that lasted more than two decades and a period of colonialism that lasted more than a century. Finally, after decades long wars over grazing in the 19th century, genocidal colonial suppression by Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, repressive apartheid racialism throughout the 20th century, and a prolonged armed liberation struggle, Namibians had the chance to choose their own leaders, develop a democratic political process in a free society, and to bring economic development and greater equity to their country.The Historical Dictionary of Namibia covers the history of Namibia through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has several hundred cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Namibia.

This is a concise history of opera that concentrates on artistic and cultural aspects and links up to history, art, and literature, rather than potted plots, anecdotes, and biographies of composers and performers.

From the silent era into the early days of television, hundreds of small production companies turned out low-budget films that were played as second features in this country and abroad. As might be expected, a high percentage of these films were Westerns. The people who made these films-producers, directors, writers, actors, and technicians-inhabited what came to be known as Poverty Row, eking out a living doing a job they loved.Author C. Jack Lewis spent 25 years in this world of low-budget Westerns, and here he portrays the human side of the industry through the many people with whom he came into contact as he worked his way from film to film. Highly personal, filled with rare glimpses of a life that lives only in the memory of a few, this narrative is a nostalgic memoir of a bygone time, of those who shared life on Poverty Row-and of the hard work, failures, successes, and dreams made or broken.Liberal use of photos helps readers identify the faces they have seen on their television screens in the reruns of these pictures still making the rounds. A must-read for students of film and popular culture-great for fans of Westerns as well.

The focus of the bibliography is on major works dealing with The Shining Path, articles and studies published in Latin American and other related scholarly journals, and Peruvian books that deal directly with the effects wrought by The Shining Path upon Peru.

Designed as a guide for new theatre managers, this book covers a variety of topics including budgeting theatre costs, gross potentials and ticket prices, show contracts, settlements and security procedures. A sample budget, building forms and show and performance forms are also included.

This volume provides a collection of critical writings by professional film critics about Steven Spielberg and his films, bringing together many articles and reviews. The entries are both complimentary and critical and provide a comprehensive overview of the films and the director.

In this collection of essays, twelve contributors, each of whom has been involved in NARA's development, discuss the application of archival theory and practice in the National Archives and Records Administration's development of these functions and trace how they evolved over time.

This study of Martin Sorsese's films is intended as a close look at the cinematic text of the films themselves.