First Published in 2005. The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, 2nd edition, is an A to Z reference work covering the entire history of recorded sound from Edison discs to CDs and MP3. Entries range from technical terms (Acoustics; Back Tracking; Quadraphonic) to recording genres (blues, opera, spoken word) to histories of industry leaders and record labels to famed recording artists (focusing on their impact on recorded sound). Entries range in length from 25-word definitions of ter...

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 ...

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...

Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rudy Vallee-these cultural icons whose fame spanned all the important mass media, also played a vital role in the origin and development of the crooning tradition.Crooning represented one of the most important musical styles of the twentieth century, intermingling with jazz and fronting the big band craze of the thirties and forties. Crooners spurred the rise of radio as home staple and the Golden Age of film musicals. When commercial t...

Chocolate Fads, Folklore & Fantasies is the low-cal answer to satisfying chocolate cravings. Documenting the chocolate phenomenon by means of 1,000+ chocolate chunks of information, this tempting book discusses:Chocolate Fads: chocolate books, chocolate goodies (cakes, candy, cookies, ice cream), chocolate clubs, chocolate festivals, chocolate fund-raising, chocolate marketing, chocolate media, and chocolate noveltiesChocolate Folklore: chocolate companies, chocolat...

Who is the Bill Bailey whose exploits were chronicled in song? How many popular songs have titles containing the words “moon,” “heart,” or “baby”? Where is the road to Mandalay? How many female names can you think of that have been mentioned in song titles? Discover this fascinating information and more about some of America's most known and loved popular songs in this delightful sampler. The Popular Song Reader contains over 200 short essays on the backgrounds of a wide variety of twentie...

As religious fervor grows, Dr. Fishwick, a recipient of the Ray and Pat Browne Award for Lifetime Achievement from The American Culture Association, takes a sweeping look at religion in the United States--the country with the highest church attendance in the Western world. Popular religion can take many shapes and forms. It can wax and wane, but it cannot be eliminated or ignored. That is what prompted him to write Great Awakenings: Popular Religion and Popular Culture.He ponders how relig...

Find all the information you need on herbs and spices in one place!Herbal Medicine and Botanical Medical Fads is an A-to-Z reference book written in a straightforward style that’s informative enough for library use but informal enough for general reading. This essential guide takes a practical look at the popular uses of herbs and spices, presented in an easy-to-use format. The book is a refreshing alternative to the how-to guides, cookbooks, and picture books usually found on the subject....

Fads by nature and by definition are hard to capture, yet Hoffmann and Bailey have captured over one hundred of the passing fashion fancies and merchandising miracles during America’s short history in their latest collection of fads, Fashion & Merchandising Fads.Life devoid of fads is impossible to imagine, and the fads that do enter our lives become vehicles for amusement upon retrospection. How long any fad stays in vogue is anybody’s guess, but Hoffmann and Bailey have again found those...

Learn the value of football to American societyNo sport reflects the American value system like football. Visitors to the United States need only watch a game or two to learn all they need to know about the American way of life and the beliefs, attitudes, and concerns of American society. Football and American Identity examines the social conditions and cultural implications found in the football subculture, represented by core values such as competition, conflict, diversity, power...

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...

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...