The present work fills a gap as it attempts to offer a history of erotic literature published in the United Kingdom. The word Study in the title is perhaps a bit exaggerated as the material is largely taken from the now well known bibliographies by Pisanus Fraxi (Henry Spencer Ashbee) and quotations from the books themselves. The time line is WW II. Who was the author? He may have been Charles Reginald Dawes (1879-1964) who is supposed to have written (but not published) a text of this or a similar title. His profession or his activities are not known - he once called himself a writer but library catalogues credit him only with two publications: The Marquis de Sade (Paris 1927) and Retif de la Bretonne (London 1946, privately printed). He may have been a popular writer under pseudonyms, though. Dawes owned a good erotica collection which he willed to the British Museum Library; that would explain why the author of this Study - if he was Dawes - could quote freely from erotic texts which only few of his contemporaries would have had available. The main merits of this book are that the author was thoroughly familiar with English (and French) erotic literature and that he put his material in chronological order and in context. The editor added a number of references, illustrations and indices of personal names and titles to facilitate navigation.

There's a strong interest in reading for pleasure or self-improvement in America, as shown by the popularity of Harry Potter, and book clubs, including Oprah Winfrey's. Although recent government reports show a decline in recreational reading, the same reports show a strong correlation between interest in reading and academic acheivement. This set provides a snapshot of the current state of popular American literature, including various types and genres. The volume presents alphabetically arranged entries on more than 70 diverse literary categories, such as cyberpunk, fantasy literature, flash fiction, GLBTQ literature, graphic novels, manga and anime, and zines. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a definition of the genre, an overview of its history, a look at trends and themes, a discussion of how the literary form engages contemporary issues, a review of the genre's reception, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading. Sidebars provide fascinating details, and the set closes with a selected, general bibliography. Reading in America for pleasure and knowledge continues to be popular, even while other media compete for attention. While students continue to read many of the standard classics, new genres have emerged. These have captured the attention of general readers and are also playing a critical role in the language arts classroom. This book maps the state of popular literature and reading in America today, including the growth of new genres, such as cyberpunk, zines, flash fiction, GLBTQ literature, and other topics. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a definition of the genre, an overview of its history, a look at trends and themes, a discussion of how the literary form engages contemporary issues, a review of the genre's critical reception, a discussion of authors and works, and suggestions for further reading. Sidebars provide fascinating details, and the set closes with a selected, general bibliography. Students will find this book a valuable guide to what they're reading today and will appreciate its illumination of popular culture and contemporary social issues.

When does history begin? What characterizes it? This brilliant and beautifully written book dissolves the logic of a beginning based on writing, civilization, or historical consciousness and offers a model for a history that escapes the continuing grip of the Judeo-Christian time frame. Daniel Lord Smail argues that in the wake of the Decade of the Brain and the best-selling historical work of scientists like Jared Diamond, the time has come for fundamentally new ways of thinking about our past. He shows how recent work in evolution and paleohistory makes it possible to join the deep past with the recent past and abandon, once and for all, the idea of prehistory. Making an enormous literature accessible to the general reader, he lays out a bold new case for bringing neuroscience and neurobiology into the realm of history.