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Best Nonfiction of 2012: Essays & Entertainment (page 2)

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Cover art for MARVEL COMICS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Star MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY
by Sean Howe
"Brilliantly juxtaposes Marvel with its best characters: flawed and imperfect, but capable of achieving miraculous feats."
An impeccably researched, authoritative history of Marvel Comics. Read full book review >
Cover art for WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
Kirkus Star WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS: ESSAYS FROM THE CLASSICS TO POP CULTURE
by Daniel Mendelsohn
"Incisive, reflective and unfailingly stimulating. It wouldn't hurt Mendelsohn to occasionally pass up an opportunity to remind readers he's the smartest guy in the room, but then again, he almost always is."
Another top-notch collection of previously published criticism from Mendelsohn (How Beautiful It Is and How Easily It Can Be Broken, 2008, etc.). Read full book review >
Cover art for THE BIG SCREEN
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
Kirkus Star THE BIG SCREEN: THE STORY OF THE MOVIES
by David Thomson
"A profound and richly satisfying reckoning with the movies and what they mean."
Thomson (The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder, 2009, etc.) brings his encyclopedic knowledge of film and idiosyncratic, allusive style to bear on this ambitious consideration of the history of motion pictures and their effect on the audience. Read full book review >
Cover art for THIS LIVING HAND
NONFICTION
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star THIS LIVING HAND: AND OTHER ESSAYS
by Edmund Morris
"A splendid assemblage of significant work by one of our keenest observers. "
A sterling collection of essays from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN
NONFICTION
Released: Dec. 4, 2012
Kirkus Star THE HOLY OR THE BROKEN: LEONARD COHEN, JEFF BUCKLEY, AND THE UNLIKELY ASCENT OF "HALLELUJAH"
by Alan Light
"A masterful work of critical journalism."
Charting the remarkable journey of a modern musical classic, from obscurity to ubiquity. Read full book review >