A simple introduction to Chinese writing, pronunciation and intonation using short stories. Appropriate for beginner Chinese students of all ages.Reading basic Chinese becomes simplified in this highly attractive and unique manual designed for readers of all ages. Chinese writing, pronunciation, and vocabulary are described here in an entertaining and interesting manner to help beginners learn Chinese quickly. The author starts with simple characters and then combi...

Go behind the scenes with an insightful look at horror filmsand the directors who create themThe Spectacle of Isolation in Horror Films: Dark Parades examines the work of several of the genre’s most influential directors and investigates how traditional themes of isolation, alienation, death, and transformation have helped build the foundation of horror cinema. Authors Carl and Diana Royer examine the techniques used by Alfred Hitchcock that place his work squarely in the horror (r...

Deep in various criminal empires, Davie Rhodes is a vindictive, deadly and notorious bare-knuckle legend without remorse for his victims. From a grim childhood in the Glasgow Gorbals slums, to working for The Godfather, then gunrunning for the IRA, he's a survivor. In the shadows between cities, he leaves a trail of destruction his own blood must resolve. And after causing his wife's suicide, he flees Aberdeen, abandoning son Joe to work for Jack Gallagher in Liverpool's seedy underworld.

'Reads like the bastard love child of Graham Norton and Mystic Meg!''Fans of Janet Evanovich will love SPIRITUAL HIGH.'“It’s not every day a midget tries to burn your flat down. Not unless you live in the rough part of Lilliput.”Gee’s dull life as a supermarket shelf stacker finally gets interesting when his best mate, Mark goes missing.Why has South London’s sexiest bad boy gone AWOL with ganglands scaries...

Observing European debates about EuroDisney, McDonald's, Hollywood films and television programs, and other vehicles of alleged 'Americanization,' one might imagine that Europe was in serious risk of losing its distinct cultural identity in the melting pot of American pop culture. The loaded charge of 'kitsch' is a central aspect of the debate, with Disney stories, for example, branded as simplified travesties of authentic European folk tales. But the relationship between European and Amer...

How does rock music impact culture? According to authors B. Lee Cooper and Wayne S. Haney, it is central to the definition of society and has had a great impact on shaping American culture. In Rock Music in American Popular Culture, insightful essays and book reviews explore ways popular culture items can be used to explore American values. This fascinating book is arranged alphabetically for quick and easy reference to specific topics, but the book is equally enjoyable to read straight th...

Creating a nexus between techno-science and more fundamental disciplines, a phenomenon is emerging in our personal lives: we are beginning to preempt traditional sources for relationship formation; we are becoming more insular and more cautious in starting relationships. The media play an enormous role in our activities, encouraging us to self-advertise in newspapers and magazines, to participate vicariously through pornographic and borderline books, talk radio, and tabloid television, to ...

Rock Music in American Popular Culture III: More Rock ’n’Roll Resources explores the fascinating world of rock music and examines how this medium functions as an expression of cultural and social identity. This nostalgic guide explores the meanings and messages behind some of the most popular rock ’n’roll songs that captured the American spirit, mirrored society, and reflected events in our history. Arranged by themes, Rock Music in American Popular Culture III examines a variety of social...

Like that Biblical, astronomical star of Bethlehem, The Christmas Carol Reader guides readers on their quest for information about Christmas songs. Studwell gathers a composite picture of the world's most important and famous carols and includes an ample selection of lesser-known Christmas songs. All of the carols are presented in their historical and cultural contexts which adds to readers’understanding and appreciation of the songs.As the only book that covers this elusive topic, The Chr...

A comprehensive, informal overview of world history and popular culture. Popular Culture: From Cavespace to Cyberspace traces the history of people's cultures from primitive to postmodern times. Educational, informative, and absorbing, this book contains interesting facts on such figures as King Tut, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, and Madonna, linking you to the world, past and present. Popular Culture highlights important historical events such as the American, French, Russian, and Chinese Revol...

Encounter the trailblazers whose recordings expanded the boundaries of technology and brought “popular” music into America's living rooms!Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925 (winner of the 2001 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research) covers the lives and careers of over one hundred musical artists who were especially important to the recording industry in its early years. Here are the men and women who brought into A...

From “Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)?” to a list of all song titles containing the word “werewolf,” Rock Music in American Popular Culture II: More Rock ’n’Roll Resources continues where 1995’s Volume I left off. Using references and illustrations drawn from contemporary lyrics and supported by historical and sociological research on popular cultural subjects, this collection of insightful essays and reviews assesses the involvement of musical imagery in personal issues, in soc...