Tom Waits, even with his barnyard growl and urban hipster yawp, may just be what the Daily Telegraph calls him: &“the greatest entertainer on Planet Earth.&” Over a span of almost four decades, he has transformed his music and persona not to suit the times but his whims. But along with Bob Dylan, he stands as one of the last elder statesmen still capable of putting out music that matters. Journalists intent upon cracking the code are more likely to come out of a Waits interview with anecdotes about the weather, insects, or medieval medicine. He is, in essence, the teacher we wished we had, dispensing insights such as: &“Vocabulary is my main instrument;&” &“We all like music, but what we really want is for music to like us;&” &“Anything you absorb you will ultimately secrete;&” &“Growth is scary, because you're a seed and you're in the dark and you don't know which way is up, and down might take you down further into a darker place . . .;&” and &“There is no such thing as nonfiction. . . . People who really know what happened aren't talking. And the people who don't have a clue, you can't shut them up.&” Tom Waits on Tom Waits is a selection of over fifty interviews from the more than five hundred available. Here Waits delivers prose as crafted, poetic, potent, and haunting as the lyrics of his best songs.

What happens when a tornado picks up Papa Derryberry's barn, shakes it up, and puts it down? Oh The Oklahoma Scranimal will be loose on the town! There's a pig and a duck, a cow and a sheep, oh and a horse, too. This sing-along book about an Oklahoma farm will bring out the giggle in you!

Do you crank up your stereo and conduct air symphonies to John Williams' Star Wars? Know all of the lyrics to "The NeverEnding Story" or "Xanadu?" Have a burgeoning collection of space disco albums? Well, pluck those Ceti Alpha eels out of your ears and open this book - we've got you covered. From the orchestral bombast of Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture score, to the muscle-flexing might of Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian, to the dreamy electronic soundscapes of Vangelis' Blade Runner and the pop styling of the Flash Gordon soundtrack, science fiction and fantasy films have inspired some of the most beloved and memorable soundtracks in film history. Planet Wax covers the best, as well as the most unique and underrated scores the sci-fi and fantasy genres have to offer, while showcasing their original vinyl LP artwork over 240 pages. Franchises like Mad Max, The Terminator, and even the Indiana Jones films are spotlighted, along with television classics such as Doctor Who and Star Trek, making Planet Wax the definitive discography of soundtracks from the films and shows of the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s that shaped multiple generations. Featuring over twenty interviews, including composers Stu Phillips (Battlestar Galactica), Laurence Rosenthal (Clash of the Titans), and directors Richard Donner (Superman) and Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II), Planet Wax chronicles an era in film and music when the sounds were given as much prominence as the interstellar imagery. Aaron Lupton and Jeff Szpirglas, co-authors of Blood on Black Wax: Horror Soundtracks on Vinyl, will take you on the ultimate trip to the far reaches of both the cosmos and their record collections.