Utopian thinking embraces fictional descriptions of how to create a better (but not a perfect) alternative way of life as well as intentional communities (that is, groups of people leading lives in small communities for their own betterment and the betterment of others). The first edition almost exclusively dealt with the intentional-community side of utopianism; this second edition offers a much more inclusive definition of the key term utopia by offering a great many entries devoted to describing fictional or literary utopian works. It is also heavily illustrated with plates from utopian works, especially those from the heyday of utopianism in the late nineteenth century. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Utopianism contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1000 cross-referenced entries on broad conceptual entries; narrower entries about specific works; and narrower entries about specific intentional communities or movements. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Utopianism.

With his richly detailed world of Middle Earth and the epic tales he told around it, J.R.R. Tolkien invented the modern fantasy novel. For readers and students getting to grips with this world for the first time, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Guide for the Perplexed is an essential guide to the author's life and work. The book helps readers explore: * Tolkien's life and times * Tolkien's mythical world * The languages of Middle Earth * The major works - The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings * Posthumously published writings - from The Silmarillion to the recently discovered The Fall of Gondolin With reference to adaptations of Tolkien's work including the Peter Jackson films, notes on Tolkien's sources and surveys of key scholarly and critical writings, this is an accessible and authoritative guide to one of the 20th century's greatest and most popular writers.

The author of such works as "The Big SleeP" (1939), "Farewell, My Lovely" (1940), "The Lady in the Lake" (1943), and "The Long Goodbye" (1953), Raymond Chandler was one of the most popular mystery writers of his time. His works continue to be read today and have been adapted many times into films. Chandler's writings have also been receiving growing amounts of scholarly attention, and while most of this attention has focused on his use of language, critics are now studying the fictitious world he created and the milieu in which he wrote. This reference is a detailed guide to his writings.

A chronology and brief biography overview the chief events in his life and career, with the biography discussing thematic patterns in his life and writings. The major section of the book, Chandler's World, describes the characters and places in his 7 novels and 25 short stories. Alphabetically arranged entries also provide summaries of his works, along with discussions of key topics. The entries are concise and informative and thus readily guide the reader through Chandler's complex universe. Appendices provide information about adaptations of his works, along with extensive listings of primary and secondary sources for additional consultation.

America and the Americans - in 1833-4 is a polemical, satirical account of Gooch's purported travels in America, focusing primarily on New York City and its environs. Never previously published, this work adds an original voice to the nineteenth-century debate over the status of the United States as an emerging cultural power. A large part of Widdicombe's achievement is his bringing to light this unjustly neglected author - a storyteller, poet, and perceptive observer who spent his most productive years on the edges of power and public recognition in Georgian and early Victorian England. Widdicombe frames this unique "travelogue" with a short biography of Gooch, extensive textual and historical notes, an essay on Anglo-American travel literature, and a coda: "On the Perils of Oblivion". A key to the value of Gooch's account is its unique arrangement by subject matter: Gooch examines the American legal system, banks, labor; American policy toward Indians and blacks; New York City government and its electoral system, among other topics. The arrangement makes Gooch's satire far more entertaining, substantial, and informative than most travelogues written in the same period. It also allows Gooch to sustain his polemic - an effort to re-orient the British attitude toward the United States and stem the tide of expatriates to its shores. Gooch's remarkable analysis of American life, studded with relevant facts taken from daily headlines, is heightened by mystery: How much, if any, did Gooch actually observe firsthand, and how much, if any, did he shape with the powers of his narrative talent? Widdicombe provides some clues; the reader will be challenged to render the verdict.

With his richly detailed world of Middle Earth and the epic tales he told around it, J.R.R. Tolkien invented the modern fantasy novel. For readers and students getting to grips with this world for the first time, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Guide for the Perplexed is an essential guide to the author's life and work. The book helps readers explore: * Tolkien's life and times * Tolkien's mythical world * The languages of Middle Earth * The major works - The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings * Posthumously published writings - from The Silmarillion to the recently discovered The Fall of Gondolin With reference to adaptations of Tolkien's work including the Peter Jackson films, notes on Tolkien's sources and surveys of key scholarly and critical writings, this is an accessible and authoritative guide to one of the 20th century's greatest and most popular writers.