Origin Story

Origin Story
Author: David Christian
Publisher: Little, Brown Spark
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2018-05-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 0316392022

Download Origin Story Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This New York Times bestseller "elegantly weaves evidence and insights . . . into a single, accessible historical narrative" (Bill Gates) and presents a captivating history of the universe -- from the Big Bang to dinosaurs to mass globalization and beyond. Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day -- and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History," the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. In Origin Story, Christian takes readers on a wild ride through the entire 13.8 billion years we've come to know as "history." By focusing on defining events (thresholds), major trends, and profound questions about our origins, Christian exposes the hidden threads that tie everything together -- from the creation of the planet to the advent of agriculture, nuclear war, and beyond. With stunning insights into the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, the emergence of humans, and what the future might bring, Origin Story boldly reframes our place in the cosmos.

The Superhero Reader

The Superhero Reader
Author: Charles Hatfield
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2013-06-14
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1617038032

Download The Superhero Reader Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

With contributions from Will Brooker, Jeffrey A. Brown, Scott Bukatman, John G. Cawelti, Peter Coogan, Jules Feiffer, Charles Hatfield, Henry Jenkins, Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence, Gerard Jones, Geoff Klock, Karin Kukkonen, Andy Medhurst, Adilifu Nama, Walter Ong, Lorrie Palmer, Richard Reynolds, Trina Robbins, Lillian Robinson, Roger B. Rollin, Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Stuller, Fredric Wertham, and Philip Wylie Despite their commercial appeal and cross-media reach, superheroes are only recently starting to attract sustained scholarly attention. This groundbreaking collection brings together essays and book excerpts by major writers on comics and popular culture. While superhero comics are a distinct and sometimes disdained branch of comics creation, they are integral to the development of the North American comic book and the history of the medium. For the past half-century, they have also been the one overwhelmingly dominant market genre. The sheer volume of superhero comics that have been published over the years is staggering. Major superhero universes constitute one of the most expansive storytelling canvases ever fashioned. Moreover, characters inhabiting these fictional universes are immensely influential, having achieved iconic recognition around the globe. Their images and adventures have shaped many other media, such as film, videogames, and even prose fiction. The primary aim of this reader is twofold: first, to collect in a single volume a sampling of the most sophisticated commentary on superheroes, and second, to bring into sharper focus the ways in which superheroes connect with larger social, cultural, literary, aesthetic, and historical themes that are of interest to a great many readers both in the academy and beyond.

Pinocchio

Pinocchio
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 9781592701919

Download Pinocchio Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Told as a story of cosmic beginnings, this version of Pinocchio is about the formative energy and magic that reside in the wood that becomes the boy. This version is also about life on the molecular level and what it means to think about our composition as human beings from the point of view of energy and cosmic matter. Born in 1975, Alessandro Sanna is one of Italy's leading contemporary illustrators. He has earned wide recognition for his work, which has appeared in the New York Times Book Review and the New Yorker. He is a prolific and popular author and has received many awards. He lives and works in Mantua, Italy.

We Were Dreamers

We Were Dreamers
Author: Simu Liu
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2022-05-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0063046512

Download We Were Dreamers Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The star of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a lifetime. In this honest, inspiring and relatable memoir, newly-minted superhero Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor. Simu's parents left him in the care of his grandparents, then brought him to Canada when he was four. Life as a Canuck, however, is not all that it was cracked up to be; Simu's new guardians lack the gentle touch of his grandparents, resulting in harsh words and hurt feelings. His parents, on the other hand, find their new son emotionally distant and difficult to relate to - although they are related by blood, they are separated by culture, language, and values. As Simu grows up, he plays the part of the pious child flawlessly - he gets straight A's, crushes national math competitions and makes his parents proud. But as time passes, he grows increasingly disillusioned with the path that has been laid out for him. Less than a year out of college, at the tender age of 22, his life hits rock bottom when he is laid off from his first job as an accountant. Left to his own devices, and with nothing left to lose, Simu embarks on a journey that will take him far outside of his comfort zone into the world of show business. Through a swath of rejection and comical mishaps, Simu's determination to carve out a path for himself leads him to not only succeed as an actor, but also to open the door to reconciling with his parents. We Were Dreamers is more than a celebrity memoir - it's a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstance.

Enter the Superheroes

Enter the Superheroes
Author: Alex S. Romagnoli
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2013-06-20
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0810891727

Download Enter the Superheroes Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ever since the first appearances of Superman and Batman in comic books of the late 1930s, superheroes have been a staple of the popular culture landscape. Though initially created for younger audiences, superhero characters have evolved over the years, becoming complex figures that appeal to more sophisticated readers. While superhero stories have grown ever more popular within broader society, however, comics and graphic novels have been largely ignored by the world of academia. In Enter the Superheroes:American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature, Alex S. Romagnoli and Gian S. Pagnucci arguethat superheroes merit serious study, both within the academy and beyond. By examining the kinds of graphic novels that are embraced by the academy, this book explains how superhero stories are just as significant. Structured around key themes within superhero literature, the book delves into the features that make superhero stories a unique genre. The book also draws upon examples in comics and other media to illustrate the sociohistorical importance of superheroes—from the interplay of fans and creators to unique narrative elements that are brought to their richest fulfillment within the world of superheroes. A list of noteworthy superhero texts that readers can look to for future study is also provided. In addition to exploring the important roles that superheroes play in children’s learning, the book also offers an excellent starting point for discussions of how literature is evolving and why it is necessary to expand the traditional realms of literary study. Enter the Superheroes will be of particular interest to English and composition teachers but also to scholars of popular culture and fans of superhero and comic book literature.

Uncanny X-Men: An Origin Story

Uncanny X-Men: An Origin Story
Author: Rich Thomas
Publisher: Marvel Picture Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-09
Genre: COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
ISBN: 9781614790129

Download Uncanny X-Men: An Origin Story Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Originally published: New York: Marvel, c2012.

On the Origin of Stories

On the Origin of Stories
Author: Brian Boyd
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 555
Release: 2009-05-30
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0674053591

Download On the Origin of Stories Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A century and a half after the publication of Origin of Species, evolutionary thinking has expanded beyond the field of biology to include virtually all human-related subjects—anthropology, archeology, psychology, economics, religion, morality, politics, culture, and art. Now a distinguished scholar offers the first comprehensive account of the evolutionary origins of art and storytelling. Brian Boyd explains why we tell stories, how our minds are shaped to understand them, and what difference an evolutionary understanding of human nature makes to stories we love. Art is a specifically human adaptation, Boyd argues. It offers tangible advantages for human survival, and it derives from play, itself an adaptation widespread among more intelligent animals. More particularly, our fondness for storytelling has sharpened social cognition, encouraged cooperation, and fostered creativity. After considering art as adaptation, Boyd examines Homer’s Odyssey and Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who! demonstrating how an evolutionary lens can offer new understanding and appreciation of specific works. What triggers our emotional engagement with these works? What patterns facilitate our responses? The need to hold an audience’s attention, Boyd underscores, is the fundamental problem facing all storytellers. Enduring artists arrive at solutions that appeal to cognitive universals: an insight out of step with contemporary criticism, which obscures both the individual and universal. Published for the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species, Boyd’s study embraces a Darwinian view of human nature and art, and offers a credo for a new humanism.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man
Author: Marvel Staff
Publisher:
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2013
Genre: Spider-Man (Fictitious character)
ISBN: 9781742837277

Download The Amazing Spider-Man Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

With great power comes great responsibility. When Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider he becomes super agile and amazingly strong. He makes a disguise and calls himself Spider-Man. It's not long before Spider-Man realises that New York City needs a superhero.

Wonder Woman: An Origin Story

Wonder Woman: An Origin Story
Author: John Sazaklis
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2015-03-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1496521889

Download Wonder Woman: An Origin Story Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

She was once a young princess on the secret island inhabited by warrior women known as the Amazons...but she left her homeland--and her royal birthright--behind to become a protector for the entire planet of Earth: Wonder Woman! Follow young Diana's incredible transformation from princess to super hero in this action-packed chapter book for early readers featuring colorful illustrations by DC Comics artists.

Supergirl

Supergirl
Author: Steve Brezenoff
Publisher: Stone Arch Books
Total Pages: 49
Release: 2020-08
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1515878031

Download Supergirl Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

How did Supergirl become one of the Earth's greatest super heroes? Discover the story behind Kara Danvers' journey from Superman's kid cousin to full-fledged Justice League member, including the source of her out-of-this-world superpowers. With action-packed illustrations and easy-to-follow text, these early reader books are perfect for young super hero fans.