history and criticism

Profiles authors of science fiction and fantasy.

Profiles authors of nonfiction books.

Profiles authors of mystery, horror, and thrillers.

Profiles authors of classic literature.

Overthrowing the conventional pieties of mainstream jazz and rock history, Elijah Wald traces the evolution of popular music through developing tastes, trends and technologies--including the role of records, radio, jukeboxes and television--to give a fuller, more balanced account of the broad variety of music that captivated listeners over the course of the twentieth century.

Chronicles the history of music from the Middle Ages to the mid-1990s, including explanations of the major developments and ideas in music theory, descriptions of musical notations, and other related topics.

Chronicles the history of jazz music with an illustrated guide to 250 classic jazz recordings, key instruments and techniques, and influential musicians.

Presents the plots of the previous Harry Potter books, a personal interview with J. K. Rowling, and tips and suggestions of fans to offer speculations concerning the contents of the seventh and final volume in the series.

A history of the comic book character Batman, from his first appearance in Detective Comics in 1939 to the present, describing his significant adventures, battles, loves, allies, enemies, equipment, and vehicles. Includes how Batman was created and a timeline of the key events in the character's life, and features full-color comic book art.

Explores work of literature through the lens of major social issue, and features carefully-selected content representing a variety of perspectives about sexuality in William Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Night's Dream.