Icons of Horror and the Supernatural [Two Volumes] [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares [Hardcover]

S. T. Joshi (Editor)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 824 pages
Publisher: Greenwood (December 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0313337802
ISBN-13: 978-0313337802
Product Dimensions: 26.2 x 18.7 x 6.1 cm
Shipping Weight: 2 Kg
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,016,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From Booklist

In this collection of 24 essays analyzing major "icons" in the field of horror and supernatural literature, icons are defined as themes—"The Alien," "The Haunted House," "The Zombie." Chapters are arranged alphabetically, and each contains between 12,000 and 15,000 words tracing the roots of the icon in folklore and legend and its prevalence in media and popular culture today. Although the emphasis is on print fiction, movies, television, and role-playing games are mentioned. Radio is not included. Works for children and young people are covered, from the Bunniculaseries in the chapter on vampires to His Dark Materials. Surprisingly in a work that examines popular fiction, the Harry Potter series is barely mentioned in either the chapters on the sorcerer or the witch. Illustrations are small and confined to chapter headings, although there are many sidebars in each chapter, usually lists of films, books, or short stories. Each chapter has a bibliography that often includes a filmography and Internet resources. A general bibliography and index are contained in volume 2. The work is weakened by editorial errors. In the chapter "The Doppelganger," people "wreck havoc." A Gene Wolfe story is described as "creepy but ghost." Jerry Ahern and Sharon Ahern's novel Werewolves is spelled Werewolvess. Many similar errors should have been corrected. The index is incomplete, missing many items that are mentioned in the text. With a better index and fewer errors, this would have been easy to recommend, but as it is, it is recommended with strong reservations for larger public libraries as a readers'- and viewers'-advisory tool and for academic libraries with popular culture and literature classes. Stipek, Kathleen

Review

"The breadth and length of essays make them useful introductory primers, some of which likely say things that haven't been said elsewhere....[r]esearchers as well as horror readers can peruse a library copy for historical context, some of it fascinating. And Joshi's choice of topics provides a neat way of framing horror, largely as supernatural beings: defining the what if not the why of horror." -

Locus

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Amazon.com: 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A key reference, April 18 2007

By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Icons of Horror and the Supernatural [Two Volumes] [2 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares (Hardcover)

Icons of Horror and the Supernatural: An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares covers the mythos, horrors and ideas of horror in supernatural literature and genre mediums. From evolving concepts of haunted houses and motivators for writing The Exorcist to the history and psychology of the doppleganger, ICONS OF HORROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL compiles historical, literary and psychological references under one cover and represents a key reference for any college-level collection.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch

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