This Guide summarises the main critical trends and developments surrounding the popular genre of science fiction. Brian Baker reviews the attempts to formulate a critical history, connects the major developments with the rise of theoretical paradigms such as feminism and postmodernism, and introduces key critical texts and major critics.

While masculinity has been an increasingly visible field of study within several disciplines (sociology, literary studies, cultural studies, film and tv) over the last two decades, it is surprising that analysis of contemporary representations of the first part of the century has yet to emerge. Professor Brian Baker, evolving from his previous work Masculinities in Fiction and Film: Representing Men in Popular Genres 1945-2000, intervenes to rectify the scholarship in the field to produce a wide-ranging, readable text that deals with films and other texts produced since the year 2000. Focusing on representations of masculinity in cinema, popular fiction and television from the period 2000-2010, he argues that dominant forms of masculinity in Britain and the United States have become increasingly informed by anxiety, trauma and loss, and this has resulted in both narratives that reflect that trauma and others which attempt to return to a more complete and heroic form of masculinity. While focusing on a range of popular genres, such as Bond films, war movies, science fiction and the Gothic, the work places close analyses of individual films and texts in their cultural and historical contexts, arguing for the importance of these popular fictions in diagnosing how contemporary Britain and the United States understand themselves and their changing role in the world through the representation of men, fully recognising the issues of race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, and age. Baker draws upon current work in mobility studies and in the study of masculinities to produce the first book-length comparative study of masculinity in popular culture of the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Mitigating Circumstances is a compilation of real-life detective stories that highlight the grace of God in the lives of criminal offenders. Told in the first-person, Mitigating Circumstances describes how the professional life of an experienced private detective changed dramatically when Jesus became the Lord of his life. A gritty, often discouraging occupation morphed into a ministry, and these stories are the fruit of this ministry. These stories are meant to encourage readers that God can heal even the most hardened, hopeless offender.

A clearly written, comprehensive critical introduction to one of the most original contemporary British writers, providing an overview of all of Sinclair's major works and an analysis of his vision of modern London. This book places Sinclair in a range of contexts, including: the late 1960s counter-culture and the 'British Poetry Revival'; London's underground histories; the rise and fall of Thatcherism, and Sinclair's writing about Britain under New Labour; Sinclair's connection to other writers and artists, such as J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock and Marc Atkins. This book makes a significant contribution to the growing scholarship surrounding Sinclair's work, offering the first critical text that covers in detail all of Sinclair's work: his poetry, fiction, non-fiction (including his book on John Clare, Edge of the Orison), and his film work. -- .

A survey of the interaction between science and Anglo-American literature from the late medieval period to the 20th century, examining how authors, thinkers, and philosophers have viewed science in literary texts, and used science as a window to the future. Spanning six centuries, this survey of the interplay between science and literature in the West begins with Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe and includes commentary on key trends in contemporary literature. Beginning with the birth of science fiction, the authors examine the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne as well as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein within the context of a wider analysis of the impact of major historical developments like the Renaissance, the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism. The book balances readings of literature with explanations of the impact of key scientific ideas. Focusing primarily on British and American literature, the book also takes an informed but accessible approach to the history of science, with seminal scientific works discussed in a critical rather than overly theoretical manner. Gives clear explanations of scientific ideas ranging from medieval cosmology to modern concepts in astronomy Organizes the material in chronological order with a chronology and bibliographic essay accompanying each chapter

This book looks at a wide range of fiction and film texts, from the 1950s to the present, in order to analyse the ways in which masculinity has been represented in popular culture in Britain and the United States. It covers numerous genres, including spy fiction, science fiction, the Western and police thrillers. Each chapter focuses on key forms of masculinity found in each genre, such as the 'double agent', the 'rogue cop' and the 'citizen-soldier'. Brian Baker takes a broad, contextual approach, placing a detailed discussion of key texts and issues concerning masculinity in their historical and cultural context. Written in a clear, accessible way, it explores the changing representation of men over the last fifty years.

Poison gas was one of the most fearful weapons of its day and added a terrifying new dimension to modern warfare. In 1915, the only item a soldier had to protect himself from the harmful effects of gas was a shell dressing, soaked in his own urine and then tied around his face. By 1918, the British Army had developed a range of innovative protection methods that heralded the birth of the modern day military respirator. Throughout both World Wars, Great Britain led the way in developing anti-gas technologies. Today, items such as respirators and anti-gas equipment are highly sought after by the enthusiast. What the collector lacks is information and reference photographs of such items, and he also has little information available to him on topics such as preservation, manufacturer details and safety aspects of handling these items. This book aims to provide a useful, full-colour reference guide for the discerning collector and for all students of militaria, as well as providing a brief history of the development of gas warfare and equipment.

This Guide summarises the main critical trends and developments surrounding the popular genre of science fiction. Brian Baker reviews the attempts to formulate a critical history, connects the major developments with the rise of theoretical paradigms such as feminism and postmodernism, and introduces key critical texts and major critics.

Essays exploring the complex relationship between literature and science. In 1959 C. P. Snow memorably described the `gulf of mutual incomprehension' which existed between `literary intellectuals' and scientists, referring to them as `two cultures'. This volume looks at the extent to which this has changed. Ranging from the middle ages to twentieth-century science fiction and literary theory, and using different texts, genres, and methodologies, the essays collected here demonstrate the complexity of literature, science, and theinterfaces between them. Texts and authors discussed include Ian McEwan's Saturday; Sheridan le Fanu; The Birth of Mankind; Franco Morretti; Anna Barbauld; Dorothy L. Sayers; The Cloud of Unknowing; George Eliot and Mary Wollstonecraft. Dr SHARON RUSTON is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Keele. CONTRIBUTORS: SHARON RUSTON, GILLIAN RUDD, ELAINE HOBBY, ALICE JENKINS, KATY PRICE, MARTIN WILLIS, BRIAN BAKER, DAVID AMIGONI

While masculinity has been an increasingly visible field of study within several disciplines (sociology, literary studies, cultural studies, film and tv) over the last two decades, it is surprising that analysis of contemporary representations of the first part of the century has yet to emerge. Professor Brian Baker, evolving from his previous work Masculinities in Fiction and Film: Representing Men in Popular Genres 1945-2000, intervenes to rectify the scholarship in the field to produce a wide-ranging, readable text that deals with films and other texts produced since the year 2000. Focusing on representations of masculinity in cinema, popular fiction and television from the period 2000-2010, he argues that dominant forms of masculinity in Britain and the United States have become increasingly informed by anxiety, trauma and loss, and this has resulted in both narratives that reflect that trauma and others which attempt to return to a more complete and heroic form of masculinity. While focusing on a range of popular genres, such as Bond films, war movies, science fiction and the Gothic, the work places close analyses of individual films and texts in their cultural and historical contexts, arguing for the importance of these popular fictions in diagnosing how contemporary Britain and the United States understand themselves and their changing role in the world through the representation of men, fully recognising the issues of race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, and age. Baker draws upon current work in mobility studies and in the study of masculinities to produce the first book-length comparative study of masculinity in popular culture of the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The Dubuque Police Department had been well trained to handle many types of situations and was thankful they usually didn't have to use most of it. However, one phone call would put the department and Detective Paul Dempski into a whole new world. George, the local animal control officer, called for emergency help at the site of one of his investigations. Detective Paul Dempski arrives to find a horribly shaken George and soon discovers why. Unfortunately for Paul, it would only be the first disturbing case to hit his roster. What makes it worse for Paul is that eventually he begins to suspect his psychic girlfriend, Jenna LeClaire, as the one behind the unusual rash of murders, suicides and kidnappings.

"Franklin the Frog" was originally written by my late wife when she was in the 5th grade. She passed away from a brain tumor in 2003. While she was sick I began redrawing the pictures from her original book. The story of "Prince Franklin" is a story which reflects the way she lived her life. In the story, "Prince Franklin" has been turned into a frog. When the opportunity arrives to return to his life as a prince, he must make a choice... After Erin passed away, I too was faced with a choice. We had moved to Boise Idaho a few years prior. I still had family and a job hundreds of miles away in Oregon. While in Boise, we had found a network of friends who selflessly gave their time and opened their hearts to help us through Erin's illness. While putting the book together I realized, like Franklin, I had to make a choice. Do I go back or do I stay in Boise? In the end I made the right choice. And found my "Freeda Frog" too Brian Baker

This book covers a wide range of popular British and American fiction and film including Westerns, spy fiction, science fiction and crime narratives.This book looks at a wide range of fiction and film texts, from the 1950s to the present, in order to analyse the ways in which masculinity has been represented in popular culture in Britain and the United States. It covers numerous genres, including spy fiction, science fiction, the Western and police thrillers. Each chapter focuses on key forms of masculinity found in each genre, such as the 'double agent', the 'rogue cop' and the 'citizen-soldier'.Brian Baker takes a broad, contextual approach, placing a detailed discussion of key texts and issues concerning masculinity in their historical and cultural context. Written in a clear, accessible way, it explores the changing representation of men over the last fifty years.

A clearly written, comprehensive critical introduction to one of the most original contemporary British writers, providing an overview of all of Sinclair's major works and an analysis of his vision of modern London. This book places Sinclair in a range of contexts, including: the late 1960s counter-culture and the 'British Poetry Revival'; London's underground histories; the rise and fall of Thatcherism, and Sinclair's writing about Britain under New Labour; Sinclair's connection to other writers and artists, such as J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock and Marc Atkins. This book makes a significant contribution to the growing scholarship surrounding Sinclair's work, offering the first critical text that covers in detail all of Sinclair's work: his poetry, fiction, non-fiction (including his book on John Clare, Edge of the Orison), and his film work. -- .

The new 4th Edition of ETHNIC STUDIES: An Introduction reflects the interdisciplinary nature of Ethnic Studies - the readings are drawn from academic fields in the humanities and social sciences. A few first-person narratives are also included, so we can get a sense of how individuals experience their ethnic group status. Overall, the readings in this book are meant to provide students with a foundation in Ethnic Studies.  The volume integrates framing and reflection questions throughout to foster critical and engaged readers.  These questions initiate a personal and classroom dialogue. Respecting the unique realities confronting the communities discussed in this volume, the authors intentionally aimed to evoke a sense of empathy and solidarity so that when students read the words like Black Lives Matter, Stop Asian Hate, Land Back, and No Borders listed, and capped off with the word Solidarity, these terms would reassert the humanity and dignity of someone else’s lived experiences.

Wireless networking has become standard in many business and government networks. This book is the first book that focuses on the methods used by professionals to perform WarDriving and wireless pentration testing.
Unlike other wireless networking and security books that have been published in recent years, this book is geared primarily to those individuals that are tasked with performing penetration testing on wireless networks. This book continues in the successful vein of books for penetration testers such as Google Hacking for Penetration Testers and Penetration Tester s Open Source Toolkit. Additionally, the methods discussed will prove invaluable for network administrators tasked with securing wireless networks. By understanding the methods used by penetration testers and attackers in general, these administrators can better define the strategies needed to secure their networks.
* According to a study by the Strategis Group more than one third of the words population will own a wireless device by the end of 2008.
* The authors have performed hundreds of wireless penetration tests, modeling their attack methods after those used by real world attackers.
* Unlike other wireless books, this is geared specifically for those individuals that perform security assessments and penetration tests on wireless networks."