This delightfully illustrated ABC book for grown-ups offers a fresh and irreverent take on Shakespeare’s most memorable characters. The plays of William Shakespeare contain some of the most renowned characters and stories in all of literature. The perfect gift for any fan of The Bard, Y is for Yorick takes playful jabs at the unforgettable plots and people we all know and love. From Ariel (of The Tempest) to Elizabeth (of Richard III), each entry combines amusing illustrations with tongue-in-cheek captions about each character.

"Funny and scary…an utterly believable critique of society. A+"—THE WASHINGTON POST"The best graphic novel I've ever read."—STEPHEN KING"This year's best movie is a comic book."—ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO"A seriously funny, nuanced fable...Grade A."—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Y: THE LAST MAN, winner of three Eisner Awards and one of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling comic books series of the last decade, is that rare example of a page-turner that is at once humorous, socially relevant and endlessly surprising. Written by Brian K. Vaughan (Lost, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, EX MACHINA) and with art by Pia Guerra, this is the saga of Yorick Brown—the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he's the last man on earth. Collecting issues #1-5.

The continuation of Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia GuerraÕs acclaimed VERTIGO series Y: THE LAST MAN brings to vivid life the age-old speculation: What would really happen to the last man on Earth? In 2002, the world changes forever. Every man, every boy, every mammal with a Y chromosome everywhere on Earth suddenly collapses and dies. With the loss of nearly half the planetÕs population, the gears of society grind to a halt, and a world of women are left to pick up the pieces and try to keep civilization from collapsing entirely. The Ògendercide,Ó however, is not absolutely complete. For some unknown reason, one young man named Yorick Brown and his pet male monkey, Ampersand, are spared. Overnight, this anonymous twenty-something becomes the most important person on the planetÑthe key, it is hoped, to unlocking the secret of the mysterious sex-specific plague. For Yorick himself, the most important person on the planet has been agonizingly out of reach. But now, after three long years and 10,000 arduous miles, the last man is closing in on the truth about his lost fiancŽeÑand the shocking facts behind his own survival. Collects Y: THE LAST MAN #37-48

Peter Caws provides a fresh and often iconoclastic treatment of some of the most vexing problems in the philosophy of science: explanation, induction, causality, evolution, discovery, artificial intelligence, and the social implications of technological rationality. Caws's work has been shaped equally by the insights of Continental philosophy and a concern with scientific practice. In these twenty-eight essays spanning more than a quarter of a century, he ranges from discussions of the work of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard, to relations between science and surrealism, to the concept of intentionality, to the limits of quantitative description. A lively mix of history, theory, speculation, and analysis, Yorick's World presents a vision of science that includes human history and social life. It will interest professional philosophers and scientists, and at the same time its directness will make it readily accessible to nontechnical readers.

In the context of some 40 years of Australian gay and lesbian politics, Smaal (ARC Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, Griffith U., Queensland) and Willett (Australian studies, U. of Melbourne) present 13 original essays on aspects of the history of an alternative culture that has moved closer to the mainstream. Topics discussed include the origins of the country's gay rights movement, law reform, public discourse on HIV/AIDS, early 20th century lesbian artists, and gender practices (e.g., drag queens, ageism in relationships, the role of cinema in gay male identity and culture). Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Inspired by true events, a graphic novel examines life on the streets of war-torn Iraq, raising questions about the meaning of liberation through the experiences of four lions who escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during a raid.