Children's books from Thames & Hudson coming Winter/Summer 2019

As a parent of a two year old, I am constantly bombarded by AWFUL books that have no style or class, often do not actually teach the child anything, or are just plain D-U-M-B! Luckily, the fine folks at Thames & Hudson have actually put THOUGHT, ART, and KNOWLEDGE into their upcoming Winter and Summer lineups. My two year old son has been loving each book as they come in and now I would like to share a little about each of our favorites. Thanks so much T&H!!!

THE EAR ($14.95, hardcover, February 2019, ages 3 and up), by Piret Raud
A surreal and charming fable about Van Gogh’s headless ear and her search for identity, purpose, and acceptance, by Estonia’s leading children’s book author.














STAY, BENSON! ($16.95, hardcover, February 2019, ages 3 and up), by Thereza Rowe

A playful story about a naughty dog who goes on adventures around the neighborhood whenever his owner leaves for school.
















THE KING OF THE GOLDEN RIVER ($19.95, hardcover, April 2019, ages 7 and up), by John Ruskin, illustrated by Quentin Blake
The classic 19th-century fairy tale of adventure, magic, and good deeds, with a sharp sense of humor, now brought back to life with all-new illustrations in color by the legendary Quentin Blake.

THE BIG BOOK OF BIRDS ($19.95, hardcover, May 2019, ages 3 and up) by Yuval Zommer
From the author of The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts, and The Big Book of the Blue, an introduction for children to some of the most colorful, magnificent, and surprising feathered creatures from around the world.

NORM ($13.95, hardcover, May 2019, ages 5 and up), by Sylvia Liang
The heartening story of a boy from a very orderly town who discovers immeasurable freedom and creativity when he chases after a brightly colored bird and steps beyond his surroundings.













A SONG FOR BEAR ($14.95, hardcover, May 2019, ages 4 and up), by Gabby Dawnay, Illustrated by Alex Barrow

From the team behind If I Had a Dinosaur and A House for Mouse, an inventive tale about a bear who tries to learn to sing, with an inspirational message about celebrating what makes each of us unique.

HOW TO LIGHT YOUR DRAGON ($17.95, hardcover, June 2019, ages 4 and up), by Didier Lévy and Fred Benaglia
An imaginative, fun-filled guide to helping a pet dragon recover its fire-breathing abilities after its flames go out, filled with vibrant illustrations.







TONY T-REX FAMILY ALBUM: A History of Dinosaurs ($19.95, hardcover, June 2019, ages 5 and up), by Mike Benton, Illustrated by Rob Hodgson
An enchanting, fact-filled, humorous history of dinosaurs, with quirky illustrations, told by the last surviving dinosaur on Earth, Tony T-Rex.

Philly's Forgotten 70s Rock 'n' Roll trio Once Performed with Music Greats

The band that introduced Ozzy to cheesesteaks!

Our heads will always jam out to the classic heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll as radios still play the songs we grew up with or cherish from our parents. Relive those times in BANG’s book, The Bang Story. Follow Frank Ferrara, Tony Diorio, and Frankie Gilcken as they tell of their rise to fame starting from meeting in childhood to then performing with Hall of Famers. Re-experience the culture of the time from the trio’s memories and photos. In just under 200 pages, The Bang Story is a fun read filled with Rock 'n' Roll nostalgia.
In the summer of 1971, BANG, a trio from the Philadelphia area, decided to take a road trip to Florida to try their fortune. While buying some rolling papers in the Sunshine State, they learned about a Small Faces and Deep Purple concert nearby in Orlando. They showed up at the venue and brazenly declared they were ready to go on stage. The concert organizer asked them to set up and play for him. After a couple songs, he told them they were opening for Rod Stewart and Faces. Before they knew it, BANG was playing with Bachman Turner Overdrive, Deep Purple, Three Dog Night, Fleetwood Mac, Ike and Tina Turner, The Doobie Brothers, and even Black Sabbath. Capitol Records signed them, and three LPs were released. Join Frank Ferrara, Tony Diorio, and Frankie Gilcken, as they recall their rapid rise to fame, playing with numerous Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

BUY IT NOW!

Buster Keaton in His Own Time

BUSTER KEATON IN HIS OWN TIME
What the Responses Of 1920s Critics Reveal

by Wes D. Gehring

"Gehring remains supreme in film comedy scholarship." - CHOICE

If you thought you knew Keaton, think again!
 Buster Keaton "can impress a weary world with the vitally important fact that life, after all, is a foolish inconsequential affair,"wrote critic Robert Sherwood in 1918. A century later Keaton, with his darkly comic "theater of the absurd," speaks to audiences like no other silent comedian. If you thought you knew Keaton --- think again.

By closely researching the responses of 1920s critics, Gehring has discovered countless new insights about the comedian's 12 features made from 1923-1929.

After a split chapter on THE THREE AGES and OUR HOSPITALITY, each feature receives a full chapter ---- which will give the reader both a broader and better understanding of the film. This will also involve many bombshells.

For example, learn how SHERLOCK, JR. started out to seemingly be a different and controversial picture. Discover where Buster's idea to walk into SHERLOCK, JR.'s screen appears to have come from.

Take in the many period reasons why THE GENERAL could not help but fail. These would include its pioneering use of dark comedy, and that period's sacred perspective on the Civil War. That era seemed to think it ended in a tie. Therefore, one did not make comedies about the conflict, let alone a DARK COMEDY. Moreover, ponder how THE GENERAL might be the comedian's greatest film, but NOT the greatest KEATON film. Based on Keaton's prior work that honor better belongs to THE NAVIGATOR.

Consequently, this book invites a revisionist look at the study of an era that has been stuck in amber too long. The aforementioned Sherwood quote helps explain how Keaton went from almost more of a 1920s cult favorite, to today's most timely comedian of the silent era. Moreover, readers will receive new takes on John Bunny, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, and other 1920s personalities. It is well researched, but if you are also stuck in amber, one might recycle a signature line from Bette Davis, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to a bumpy ride."

SPECS
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 242
Bibliographic Info: 35 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6680-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3326-8
Imprint: McFarland

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wes D. Gehring is a distinguished professor of film at Ball State University and associate media editor for USA Today magazine, for which he also writes the column "Reel World." He is the author of 37 film books, including biographies of James Dean, Carole Lombard, Steve McQueen, Robert Wise, Red Skelton and Charlie Chaplin.

The 200th Anniversary of Frankenstein

Premiering for the 200th Anniversary
 
FRANKENSTEIN

With detailed and evocative imagery, renowned artist David Plunkert takes readers on a dark journey into the greatest novel in the monster genre, Frankenstein.

Celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of Mary Shelley's original 1818 version, Rockport Publisher's Classics Reimagined series presents this beautiful deluxe edition. The 256-page hardcover book features an 8-page vellum insert detailing the doctor's designs, and a stunning, full bleed, double gatefold image of the monster. Finished with printed endpapers and painted book block, this masterpiece volume is perfect for book lovers and art lovers alike.

The suspense and horror of Dr. Frankenstein reanimating assembled body parts, the monster spying on an unknowing family, and the creature's revenge on his maker take on whole new meaning when accompanied by Plunkert's mystical, layered interpretations.

The Classics Reimagined series is a library of stunning collector's editions of unabridged classic novels illustrated by contemporary artists from around the world. Each artist offers his or her own unique, visual interpretation of the most well-loved, widely read, and avidly collected literature from renowned authors.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (30 August 1797 - 1 February 1851) was an English romantic/gothic novelist and the author of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. She was married to the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in Somers Town, in London, in 1797. She was the second daughter of famed feminist, philosopher, educator, and writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Her father was the equally famous anarchist philosopher, novelist, journalist, and atheist dissenter William Godwin. Her mother died of puerperal fever ten days after Mary was born.



David Plunkert is the principal and primary illustrator at Spur Design in Baltimore, Maryland. The firm designs posters, covers, logos, brochures and websites for publishers and corporations. His illustrations have appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and LA Weekly, among many others. His steampunkish illustration and collage style give his characters a spooky, surrealistic quality.

The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association Announces New Book

The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association Announces Second Book

The HSPPA: Volume Two - Planet of the Props up for pre-order: bit.ly/HSPPA2

The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association (HSPPA) is a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve filmic history by bringing screen-used props and wardrobe from genre movies to public settings for fans to see up close and in person.

While tens of thousands of patrons have seen HSPPA's impressive collection on display at conventions and theaters around the country, not everyone has had the opportunity to experience the exhibition. The upcoming book The HSPPA: Volume Two - Planet of the Props will bring the exhibition to you.

The 150-page, full-color paperback, signed by author/curator James Azrael, can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter until January 23, after which they will go into production. Limited edition shirts, enamel pins, buttons, coasters, and book plates signed by all of the contributors - including the special guests mentioned below - are also available.

The book contains high-resolution images of props from the HSPPA collection and featured exhibitors, along with anecdotes about the items. Halloween H20, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Jason X, Silent Hill, Punisher: War Zone, Spawn, and Batman Returns are just some of the films from which rare items are on display in the book.

Special guests Christopher Durand (Michael Myers in Halloween H20), Nicholas Vince (Chatterer in Hellraiser), Nick Benson (special effects artist on A Nightmare on Elm Street 4), and Daniel Emery Taylor (actor in The Return of Swamp Thing) are among those who share props from their collections - and the personal stories that accompany them.

The HSPPA: Volume Two is due for release in May. In the interim, The HSPPA: Volume One - The Props Awaken is available now.

For more information on The Horror & SciFi Prop Preservation Association, visit facebook.com/TheHSPPA.

NO FUTURE: Punk, Politics and British Youth Culture, 1976-1984

No FuturePunk, Politics and British Youth Culture, 1976-1984By Matthew WorleyPub Date October 2017 | Paperback| 480 pp |

“Punk inspired both political engagement and cynicism. It also

encouraged, alongside the industrial culture that emerged

simultaneously,the explorationofsexual,psychologicaland

delinquentextremes;anything to escape the banality of late

twentieth-century living. To understand punk’s politics,

therefore, is not to find philosophical clarity or the basis of a

movement. Rather, the politics of punk resided in itsrefusal and

its practice: a recognition that‘blind acceptance is a sign of stupid

fools who stand in line’”

No Feelings. No Fun. No Future. The years 1976–84 saw punk emerge and evolve as a fashion, a musical form, an attitude and an aesthetic. Against a backdrop of social fragmentation, violence, high unemployment and socio-economic change, punk rejuvenated and re-energized British youth culture, inserting marginal voices and political ideas into pop. Fanzines and independent labels flourished; an emphasis on doing it yourself enabled provincial scenes to form beyond London's media glare. This was the period of Rock Against Racism and benefit gigs for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the striking miners.

Matthew Worley charts the full spectrum of punk's cultural development from the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and Slits through the post-punk of Joy Division, the industrial culture of Throbbing Gristle and onto the 1980s diaspora of anarcho-punk, Oi! and goth and recaptures punk's anarchic force as a medium through which the frustrated and the disaffected could reject, revolt and re-invent


About the Author
Matthew Worley is a Professor of Modern History at the University of Reading. He has written extensively on British politics in the interwar period, and more recently on the relationship between youth culture and politics in the 1970s and 1980s. Articles on punk-related themes have been published in History Workshop Journal, Twentieth Century British History, and Contemporary British History. Recent works include Oswald Mosley and the New Party (2010) and, as a co-founder of the Subcultures Network, contributions to books such as Fight Back: Punk, Politics and Resistance (2015) and Youth Culture, Popular Music and the End of 'Consensus'

GIVEAWAY COMING SOON: Kafkaesque 80s throwback horror, Cronenberg meets Orwell — WEAPONIZED, publishing Oct 31

This Halloween Inkshares is publishing Zac Thompson's dystopian horror novel WEAPONIZED, winner of the 2016 CryptTV horror fiction contest. For fans of It Follows, WEAPONIZED is a Kafkaesque eighties throwback horror that subverts the slasher genre with a refreshing take on body horror, and the twisted, violent, burgeoning sexuality that underpins the genre. WEAPONIZED is Thompson's debut novel.

Thompson is a writer from Prince Edward Island. He is best known for his critically acclaimed comic book series The Dregs. His work has also appeared in IGN, The Huffington Post, and VICE.

"A horror genre level-up akin to the twisted classics of Clive Barker with the social relevance of It Follows. Zac Thompson crafts an uncomfortably dystopian world with a sense of dread that mounts with each page. Engaging, twisted and drenched in gore, this is a perfectly crafted nightmare." —Kate Krantz, CryptTV

"Dystopia done right. Cronenberg meets Orwell in this terrifying vision of the future." —Mark Alan Miller, writer of Hellraiser, Next Testament, and The Steam Man

"Zac Thompson brings body horror to The River's Edge where it rightfully belongs. If you've ever fathomed Cronenberg updating The Scarlet Letter, or have dreamed of Greg Araki rebooting Street Trash, you still won't be prepared for Weaponized." —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Rest Area

MOOSTERBLOG HAS BEEN GRANTED EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO HOST A GIVEAWAY OF WEAPONIZED AROUND HALLOWEEN. MORE INFO TO FOLLOW!

Notes from the Upside Down Book Out 8/2017, the ultimate guide to Stranger Things

 Notes from the Upside Down: An Unofficial Guide to Stranger Things by Guy Adams (Touchstone original; August 29, 2017; $16.00) The incredibly popular show premiered on Netflix in July 2016, quickly becoming the third most-watched season of Netflix original content. Stranger Things continues to dominate pop culture as fans not-so-patiently count down to the second season’s release. Notes from the Upside Down will help fill the Demogorgon-sized hole in our lives while we wait.

Entertaining, informative, and perfect for fans of Stranger Things, eighties pop culture, and the horror/paranormal genre, this fascinating guide will reveal:

·         The real-life conspiracy theories (and some that aren’t theories) that the show draws from

·         The music of Stranger Things: an homage to the 80s

·         Steve: how the actor changed the character’s storyline

·         Why are we so obsessed with Barb?

·         All the references you might have missed

·         How the Demogorgon was created, and the man inside

Notes from the Upside Down doesn’t just deliver insights into Stranger Things and its nods to genre-defining giants like King, Spielberg, and Carpenter.  It helpfully encapsulates 1980’s America to put the show in its proper historical contexts. It’s perfect for any age, as younger audiences will understand all the 80s references from the show, and those who grew up in the eighties will appreciate the nostalgia and find references they missed.

WE WERE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD: Interviews with Women From the 1970s & 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene

New Book Explores the Influential Southern California Punk Rock Scene of the 1970s and ’80s Through Interviews with the Women Who Lived It

 The punk rock scene of the 1970s and ’80s in Southern California is widely acknowledged as one of the most vibrant and creative periods in rock and roll. Over the years, many books have come out exploring this explosive time in music and culture, but none have exclusively focused on the vitality and influence of the women who played such a crucial role in this incredibly dynamic movement.

Stacy Russo has created a unique book about the punk rock era, focusing on the women who were such a huge part of it. We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women From the 1970s & 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene (Santa Monica Press/August 21, 2017) captures the stories of women who were active in the punk rock scene in Southern California during this historic time, adding an important voice to the cultural and musical record.
Through exclusive interviews with musicians, journalists, photographers, and fans, Russo captures the essence of why these women were drawn to punk rock, what they witnessed, and how their involvement in this empowering scene ended up influencing the rest of their lives.

“As a librarian and college professor, I have always been interested in research projects I could do with my students,” Russo explains. “I came up with the idea of interviewing women like me, now in our middle or later years, who grew up in the punk rock scene in Southern California. How did punk rock influence the rest of their lives? What attracted them to punk rock, and how did they get involved? And, most importantly, what was it like being a woman in this music scene?”

The major influential musicians and performers of the era that Russo interviewed include:

Exene Cervenka
Alice Bag
Kira
Phranc
Johanna Went
Teresa Covarrubias
Jennifer Precious Finch

Russo also interviews such highly regarded journalists, DJs, and photographers as:

Ann Summa
Jenny Lens
Kristine McKenna
Pleasant Gehman
Stella
In addition, Russo includes interviews with the fans and scenesters who added so much color and energy to the music scene.

“This book was never meant to be a who’s who of punk rock,” Russo says. “I did not want to include only well-known women and performers. It was important to include women who created fanzines and art, and those who participated solely by going to shows and supporting the bands.”

We Were Going to Change the World is an important oral history of the crucial contributions women injected into the Southern California punk rock scene of the 1970s and ’80s. Empowering, touching, and informative, Russo’s collection of interviews adds a whole new dimension to the literature of both punk rock and women’s studies.



About the Author:

Stacy Russo is a librarian and associate professor at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, California. She has English degrees from UC Berkeley and Chapman University and a master’s degree in library and information science from San Jose State University. She is a poet and writer. Stacy’s writing has appeared in Feminist Teacher, Feminist Collections, Library Journal, American Libraries, The Chaffey Review, Serials Review, Counterpoise, and the anthology Open Doors: An Invitation to Poetry (Chaparral Canyon Press, 2016). Her other books are The Library as Place in California (McFarland, 2007) and Life as Activism: June Jordan’s Writings from The Progressive (Litwin Books, 2014). She grew up in the 1980s Southern California punk rock scene, which has been a big influence on her life.


Mike Watt is the son of a sailor. He was born in 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia, but has lived in San Pedro, California, for the last fifty years. He’s known mainly for starting the Minutemen with his buddy, D. Boon, but went on to later found Dos, Firehose, and, more recently, the Secondmen, the Missingmen, Cuz, and Il Sogno del Marinaio. He does bass, spiel, and writes songs. Watt also helped Porno for Pyros, Banyan, and J Mascis and the Fog, and had the huge honor of working for the Stooges during their reunion from 2003 to 2013.

THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM: Life Advice for Creatives by Adam J Kurtz & NOCTURNAL JOURNAL by Lee Crutchley

THINGS ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF THEM: Life Advice for Creatives

By Adam J. Kurtz (aka @adamjk)

On Sale October 3, 2017

Tarcher Perigee Paperback, an imprint of Penguin Random House

From the creative mind and heart of Adam J. Kurtz comes this quirky, upbeat rallying cry for modern day creators of all stripes, with a foreword by Grace Bonney. Expanding on a series of popular guides he's created for Design*Sponge, this is a heartfelt collection of hand-lettered notes that read like little self-affirmations you’d post to your mirror, laptop or cubicle wall, giving you direction and peace of mind when you’re floundering about in procrastination, struggling to comprehend your client’s harsh critique, or comparing yourself to your peer whose career is taking off while you’re getting rejection after rejection.

Sharing wisdom and compassion (and a fair share of snark), Adam acknowledges the dark underbelly of the creative lifestyle – self-doubts, fear, jealousy, obsessive comparisons to others, shifting technologies that can help or hurt your career, and the horror of looking back at past work –and then gives a swift kick in the pants to address those terrifying problems and move on. But most importantly, he lifts his readers up to explore and celebrate their creative community, to support one another, and to just be you in all your glory and neuroses. Things Are What You Make of Them is The Artist’s Way for this new generation of creatives and reads like a foul-mouthed struggling creative muppet on Avenue Q (bet you’ve never heard of a book described that way!).

Adam J. Kurtz (aka @adamjk) is an artist and author of 1 Page at a Time and Pick Me Up, which have been published in over a dozen languages. His “very personal” work for clients like Strand Bookstore and Urban Outfitters has been featured in NYLON, PRINT, VICE, BuzzFeed and more. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. View the complete media kit here for additional content (excerpts, images, facts sheet, etc.): kit.adamjk.com

What’s hiding under your bed? Kids aren’t the only one kept awake at night be scary monsters. Adults fight their own demons that keep them up too. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of 3 Americans aren’t getting enough sleep, “enough” being the recommended 7 hours a night to “promote optimal health and well-being.” There are many causes for sleep deprivation: from dietary choices to stress and anxieties to sleep disorders to excitement and a creative mind that won’t turn off when the lights go out.

It can be easy to let these things become obstructions that rule your night and block you from much needed sleep, but as artist and illustrator Lee Crutchley proposes in his new 2-color release THE NOCTURNAL JOURNAL: A Late-Night Exploration of What’s Really On Your Mind (on sale September 5, 2017; TarcherPerigee Paperback), if you decide to accept and explore those late-night thoughts and feelings, you can benefit from a fresh perspective, assuage your fears, explore your creativity, confront your darkest feelings, and reconnect with your truest self. Here are just a handful of sample prompts from the journal that help rein in and navigate the night mind:

·       Write a resume that consists only of your failures and rejections. Which of these are still holding you back?

·       Fill this box with all of your worries. Now sort them into these boxes: productive worries & unproductive worries.

·       Write down every amazing idea you have tonight. Tomorrow, highlight the ideas that are still amazing.

·       What would you save in a fire? What would you burn to the ground?

·       What will you be remembered for? What would you like to be remembered for?

When the sun rises you will again be the version of you that people know and love, but armed with a fresh energy and perspective about what you want, where you are going, and who you are.