New Pop Culture Books: Paul McCartney, Sherlock Holmes, the Flash, Barbie, More!

Our picks this month. Click the links to order from Amazon.

Taken with a 35mm camera by Paul McCartney, these largely unseen photographs capture the explosive period, from the end of 1963 through early 1964, in which The Beatles became an international sensation and changed the course of music history. Featuring 275 images from the six cities―Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami―of these legendary months, 1964: Eyes of the Storm also includes:
• A personal foreword in which McCartney recalls the pandemonium of British concert halls, followed by the hysteria that greeted the band on its first American visit
• Candid recollections preceding each city portfolio that form an autobiographical account of the period McCartney remembers as the “Eyes of the Storm,” plus a coda with subsequent events in 1964
• “Beatleland,” an essay by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore, describing how The Beatles became the first truly global mass culture phenomenon
Handsomely designed, 1964: Eyes of the Storm creates an intensely dramatic record of The Beatles’ first transatlantic trip, documenting the radical shift in youth culture that crystallized in 1964.
“You could hold your camera up to the world, in 1964. But what madness would you capture, what beauty, what joy, what fury?” ―Jill Lepore

Eddie Muller, aka the “Czar of Noir,” is the host of TCM’s Noir Alley, and the prolific author of novels, biographies, plays, films, and movie histories, including Dark City: Revised and Expanded Edition and the children's book Kid Noir. He also programs and hosts the Noir City film festival series, curates museums, and provides commentary for television, radio, and DVDs. As founder of the Film Noir Foundation, Muller has been instrumental in restoring and preserving dozens of lost noir classics. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

The greatest popular songs, whether it’s Aretha Franklin singing “Respect” or Bob Dylan performing “Blind Willie McTell,” have a way of embedding themselves in our memories. You remember a time and a place and a feeling when you hear that song again. In Holding the Note, David Remnick writes about the lives and work of some of the greatest musicians, songwriters, and performers of the past fifty years.
    He portrays a series of musical lives and their unique encounters with the passing of that essential element of music: time. From Cohen’s performing debut, when his stage fright was so debilitating he couldn’t get through “Suzanne,” to Franklin’s iconic mink-drop at the Kennedy Center, Holding the Note delivers a view of some of the greatest creative minds of our time written with a lifetime’s passionate attachment to music that has shaped us all.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.
    Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
    Magnificent, terrifying, and “spellbinding…packed with glorious flights of imagination and characteristic tenderness about childhood, Fairy Tale is vintage King at his finest” (Esquire).
    “Good, evil, a kingdom to save, monsters to slay—these are the stuff that page-turners are made from.” —Laura Miller, Slate

The history of Warner Bros. is not just the tale of a legendary film studio and its stars, but of classic Hollywood itself, as well as a portrait of America in the last century. It’s a family story of Polish-Jewish immigrants—the brothers Warner—who took advantage of new opportunities in the burgeoning film industry at a time when four mavericks could invent ways of operating, of warding off government regulation, and of keeping audiences coming back for more during some of the nation's darkest days.
    Innovation was key to their early success. Four years after its founding, the studio revolutionized moviemaking by introducing sound in The Jazz Singer (1927). Stars and stories gave Warner Bros. its distinct identity as the studio where tough guys like Humphrey Bogart and strong women like Bette Davis kept people on the edge of their seats. Over the years, these acclaimed actors and countless others made magic on WB’s soundstages and were responsible for such diverse classics as Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Star Is Born, Bonnie & Clyde, Malcolm X, Caddyshack, Purple Rain, and hundreds more.
    It’s the studio that put noir in film with The Maltese Falcon and other classics of the genre, where the iconic Looney Tunes were unleashed on animation, and the studio that took an unpopular stance at the start of World War II by producing anti-Nazi films. Counter-culture hits like A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist carried the studio through the 1970s and '80s. Franchise phenomena like Harry Potter, the DC universe, and more continue to shape a cinematic vision and longevity that is unparalleled in the annals of film history. These stories and more are chronicled in this comprehensive and stunning volume.

Celebrate the 60th anniversary of Please Please Me, the Beatles’ first studio album, with rare and never-before-seen photographs of the Fab Four by legendary British photographer Terry O’Neill from their early days in Liverpool through their prolific solo careers.
    This one-of-a-kind book also features exclusive interviews and profiles of the band, as well as commentary from O’Neill and notes and annotations from renowned art curator Terrence Pepper. The Beatles By Terry O'Neill includes hundreds of gorgeous photographs—many of them previously thought to be lost or never before seen—from their earliest recording sessions and backstage shots to portraits of the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania. In addition, candid shots of their post-Beatles lives throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s give an insider’s view into their personal lives. Whether feeling like you’re backstage at one of their first stadium concerts to being a guest of Paul playing piano at Ringo’s wedding or part of the photography team from a 1991 portrait session with George Harrison, this collection of spectacular photography is a treasure trove for any Beatles fan.

eatured within these pages are 17 Spirit stories all from Eisner’s peak period, 1946 – 1950, generally regarded as his best work on The Spirit. Eisner is also considered to be the founding father of the Graphic novel, with the publication of A Contract with God in 1978. He is also the namesake of the Eisner Awards, the “Academy Awards of the comics industry, held each year at Comic-Con International.
    An Artisan Edition collects stories, covers and pages that have been reproduced from the original art. While appearing to be in black and white, these images have been scanned in color, allowing the reader to view them as closely as possible to the original art. Ink gradients, blue pencil, corrections, and more are all clearly visible, all the wonderful subtle nuances that make original art so special and unique. The only way to better view these pages if you were standing over the artist’s shoulder as they were drawn.

For over fifty years, SCOTT SHAW! has been writing and drawing allegedly funny stuff for mainstream comics sold on spinner racks (including Sonic the Hedgehog, Captain Carrot and The Simpsons), underground comix sold in head shops -- and almost everything in between. Finally, here's the first collection starring the award-winning cartoonist's most notorious characters (including Scott himself!), with over 200 pages of offbeat stories, plus surprises and silliness from the depths of his archives!

Hailed as possibly the most comprehensive oral history of Superman to be committed to print, Voices From Krypton combines over 85 years of Superman's legacy into a sweeping tale of how the champion of the oppressed became one of the world's most recognizable pop culture icons. 
    Not only does this epic collection include interviews with Superman favorites like Henry Cavill, Tom Welling, and Zack Snyder, Voices From krypton also dives into the Tim Burton directed Nicholas Cage movie that never happened. You might think you know Superman, but you haven't yet read Voices From Krypton.

Hold on tight as historian Christopher Irving explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life. CLIFFHANGER! touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and ‘40s. See how the creation of characters like Superman, Captain America, Spy Smasher, and Captain Marvel dovetailed with the early film adaptations. Along the way, you’ll meet the stuntmen, directors (Spencer Bennett, William Witney, producer Sam Katzman), comic book creators (Siegel & Shuster, Simon & Kirby, Bob Kane, C.C. Beck, Frank Frazetta, Will Eisner), and actors (Buster Crabbe, George Reeves, Lorna Gray, Kane Richmond, Kirk Alyn, Dave O’Brien) who brought them to the silver screen―and how that resonates with today’s cinematic superhero universe.

If you’ve ever had a Barbie doll, or you know someone who did, chances are that Barbie was dressed in one of the thousands of designs created by Carol Spencer during her unparalleled reign as a Barbie fashion designer spanning more than thirty-five years.
    Illustrated with more than 100 full-color photographs, including many never-before-seen images of rare and one-of-a-kind pieces from Spencer’s private archive, Dressing Barbie is a treasure trove of some of the best and most iconic Barbie looks from the early 1960s until the late 1990s. Along with behind-the-scenes stories of how these designs came to be, Spencer reminisces about her thrilling time at Mattel working with legendary figures such as Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator, and Charlotte Johnson, the original Barbie designer, for a full, inside look into life with the beloved doll. Over the course of her career, Spencer won many accolades. She was the first designer to have her signature on the doll, the first to go on a signing tour, the first to design a limited-edition Barbie for collectors, and the designer of the biggest-selling Barbie of all time. Now, she is the first member of the inner circle to reveal the fashion world of the quintessential California girl as never before.

BLAB!—the Harvey Award-winning anthology of cutting-edge comics, art, and culture—has returned to its comics roots with a stellar lineup of contributors.
    Noah Van Sciver depicts the tragic demise of Crime Does Not Pay editor Robert Wood. Ryan Heshka recounts the rise and fall of Superman creators Siegel and Shuster. Sasha Velour portrays the making of film director F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu. Children’s book illustrator Giselle Potter examines Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter’s passion as a naturalist. Illustrated articles include the history of the gorilla and a report on UFOs.
    All this and much more in Comics and Stories That Will Make You BLAB!

In 1940, Kharis the Mummy was added to Universal’s family tree of monsters when The Mummy’s Hand inaugurated a popular new franchise. While the film followed a current Hollywood trend of adding double-doses of comedy to mystery and horror pictures, it played its monster scenes for full-on fright: Our heroes (and she-ro) change their laugh-a-minute tune when they realize that some ancient curses are still terrifyingly potent, and that the sand is running out for them. Here, for the first time in over 3000 years, is complete Mummy’s Hand coverage, excavated by the best team of Universal Horror archaeologists this side of the Scripps Museum.

Miss Marple Complete Mysteries Series Books 1 - 14 Collection Set by Agatha Christie:
Titles In This Set:
  • The Murder at the Vicarage
  • The Body in the Library
  • The Moving Finger
  • Sleeping Murder
  • A Murder is Announced
  • They Do It With Mirrors
  • A Pocket Full of Rye
  • 4.50 from Paddington
  • The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side
  • A Caribbean Mystery
  • At Bertram’s Hotel
  • Nemesis
  • The Thirteen Problems
  • Miss Marple's Final Cases
First published in 1942, this reissue is one of Carr's most tense and enjoyable game of cat and mouse pitting detective Gideon Fell against the "chief" suspect.
    When police arrive at Justice Ireton's holiday bungalow to find a man killed by gunshot and the high court justice brandishing a pistol, the case seems as straightforward as it is scandalous. But, with physical evidence that doesn't add up, the justice's vehement denial of wrong doing, and recent events in his daughter's love life turns the deceptively simple case on its head.
    Stumped, the local force calls in the larger-than-life sleuth Dr. Gideon Fell, who just yesterday contended with Ireton over a brutally challenging game of chess. With Fell and the judge now facing off as detective and suspect, a new battle of wits begins in this fiendishly plotted masterclass of the mystery genre.

A rediscovered, outstandingly prescient crime novel written in the lead-up to World War II, by one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant—and neglected—science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called “the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced.”
    England, 1935: Phyllida Shiffer’s marriage has just ended in divorce. She heads home, expecting to be welcomed with open arms by her father, a brilliant (if slightly distracted) scientist. But her father’s house is locked up; he is nowhere to be found; and there are suspicious men who seem to think that Phyllida herself might hold the key to her father’s latest scientific discovery. . . .



In 2015, the first three volumes of The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories arrived, containing over 60 stories in the true traditional Canonical manner, revisiting Holmes and Watson in those days where it is "always 1895" . . . or a few decades on either side of that. That was the largest collection of new Holmes stories ever assembled, and originally planned to be a one-time event. But readers wanted more, and the contributors had more stories from Watson's Tin Dispatch Box, so the fun continued. Now, with the release of Parts XXXVII, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, the series has grown to over 800 new Holmes adventures by over 200 contributors from around with world. Since the beginning, all contributor royalties go to the Undershaw school for special needs children, located at one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former homes, and to date the project has raised over $110,000 for the school.
    These new collections feature Holmes and Watson carrying out their masterful investigations from the early days of their friendship in Baker Street to the post-War years during Holmes's retirement. Along the way, Our Heroes are involved in dozens of fascinating mysteries - some relating Untold Cases, sequels to Canonical adventures, and a number or others that progress along completely unexpected lines.

Keep pace with The Fastest Man Alive with this compendium of facts and incredible images from the Super Hero’s first appearance in comics and TV to the upcoming landmark film debut! The Flash™: The Official Visual Companion satisfies your need for speed on every page, covering the entire history of The Flash and featuring making-of details and behind-the-scenes profiles of the characters, locations, and artifacts seen on screen. Interviews with key cast and crew members offer a one-of-a-kind look at the creation of the highly anticipated new film. It’s the perfect gift for every Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Wally West fan.
DETAILED HISTORY: Follow the history of the iconic super hero from his first appearance in the 1940's comics to 2023’s upcoming solo film, The Flash
GO BEHIND THE SCENES: Features never-before-seen images, interviews, insights, and more from The Flash
STUNNING ART AND IMAGES: Photos from the comic series, television show, and film and gorgeous illustrations capture the fast-paced world of The Flash for a closer look!
FAVORITE MOMENTS SPOTLIGHTED: Revisit the comic series, television show, and movie’s most iconic scenes, from super-speed action to the return of Michael Keaton as Batman
EXPLORE COSTUMES, SETS, AND EFFECTS: Recall comic book origins and discover how the 2023 film’s unique look came to life

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