This collection of 13 new essays employs ethnographic methods to investigate San Diego's Comic-Con International, the largest annual celebration of the popular arts in North America. Working from a common grounding in fan studies, these individual explorations examine a range of cultural practices at an event drawing crowds of nearly 125,000 each summer.Investigations range from the practices of fans costuming themselves to the talk of corporate marketers. The collection seeks to e...

In the late-19th century, with the advances in technology and the increase in America's economic stature, a new round of fortification building began in the United States and its overseas territories.Locations such as Portland, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Charlestown, Savannah, Key West, Los Angeles and San Francisco were all extensively fortified. This book provides a concise introduction to the design, development and purpose of American coastal defenses in the ...

Feminism has hit the big time. Once a dirty word brushed away with a grimace, "feminist" has been rebranded as a shiny label sported by movie and pop stars, fashion designers, and multi-hyphenate powerhouses like Beyoncé It drives advertising and marketing campaigns for everything from wireless plans to underwear to perfume, presenting what's long been a movement for social justice as just another consumer choice in a vast market. Individual self-actualization is the goal, shopping more o...

“An important contribution to the history of World War II . . . I have never before been able to learn so much about maintenance methods of an armored division, with precise details that underline the importance of the work, along with descriptions of how the job was done.”—Russell F. Weigley, author of Eisenhower’s Lieutenants“Cooper saw more of the war than most junior officers, and he writes about it better than almost anyone. . . . His stories are vivi...

"A broad and deep look at how electronic media are changing storytelling . . . . Completely fascinating." —Booklist, starred reviewNot long ago we were spectators, passive consumers of mass media. Now, on YouTube and blogs and Facebook and Twitter, we are media. No longer content in our traditional role as couch potatoes, we approach television shows, movies, even advertising as invitations to participate—as experiences to immerse ourselves in at will. Frank Rose ...

The Tiger I is the most famous tank in history. In the right hands it enjoyed spectacular successes, but the Tiger I was also plagued by an array of technical and design flaws which made it a death trap for novice and unwary crews. This unique overview draws on a wide variety of primary accounts of the Tiger I in action from both the Allied and the German perspective. Rare photographs, technical drawings and contemporary reports of the Tiger in combat help to set aside the myths and bring ...

Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. At the time of its initial publication...

The Sturmgeschütz rumbling forward into action is one of the iconic images of World War II. As mobile assault guns, the StuGs were essentially designed as infantry support weapons, but they also proved themselves as highly effective tank destroyers. Written by Emmy Award winning author Bob Carruthers this fascinating study encompasses the design, development and combat history of the StuG III and IV.Drawing on a variety of rare primary sources and photographs this outstanding study explain...

This fascinating compilation of wartime battlefield reports drawn from British, American, Russian and German sources has been carefully selected by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers to produce an absorbing overview of the life and death of Germanys Panzer forces as the events unfolded during World War II. Featured topics include the Tiger, Panther, flame throwing tanks, experimental vehicles, tank tactics, mobile artillery, assault guns and more.Combining contemporary rep...

How are children-and their parents-affected by the world's most influential corporation? Henry A. Giroux explores the surprisingly diverse ways in which Disney, while hiding behind a cloak of innocence and entertainment, strives to dominate global media and shape the desires, needs, and futures of today's children.

The Panzer IV was the only German tank to stay in production throughout the war. It was the backbone of the Panzer force and was deployed on every front. Due to its efficient armament, robust armour and outstanding reliability, it was preferred by crews over the Panther, Tiger and King Tiger. This comprehensive overview of the Panzer IV in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence reports to produce a fascinating insight i...

Trenchantly on point and bursting with insight, anthropologist Grant McCracken shows American corporations how keeping a finger on the pulse of contemporary cultural trends can change their business practices for the better -- and ahead of the curve.Levi-Strauss, the jeans and apparel maker, missed out on the hip-hop trend. They didn't realize that those kids in baggy jeans represented a whole new -- and lucrative -- market opportunity, one they could have seen com...