CHRISTOPHER TURNER

Astute, funny, literate, politically and culturally aware; in this analysis of The Simpsons, Chris Turner, a provocative new writer, dissects the world's favourite TV show - its genesis, past, characters and influence. Bart, Homer and Marge have entered the lexicon of iconic, global characters. Bart has the highest recognition factor amongst kids in the UK & US, way above that of Harry Potter. The British voted it their favourite TV programme ever. The Archbishop of Canterbury called it 'one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue.' Yet The Simpsons is thoroughly subversive and irreverent. Bringing the savvy insight to The Simpsons that has been brought to publishing on global politics, the internet and the fast-food industry, Chris Turner looks at how The Simpsons is created and the unique two-way relationship of inspiration and influence it has with the real world. From Marge and moral values to Lisa and the environment, from Homer and consumerism to Citizen Burns and corporate villainy - this is the first book to be written that is as intelligent, subversive, wide-ranging and funny as the show itself.

Landmark Visitors Guides are practical guides designed for the independent traveller. They are written in the form of touring itineraries and include maps and twon plans with plenty of colour photographs to whet the appetite whilst still at home.

Brian Mopton lived and died by a simple creed: a place for everything, and everything in its place. So when he was resurrected as the sentient starship Custodian Vessel 734, he was horrified to learn his new, eternal job was to clean up the entire universe.Armed with a crew of his own slightly-defective clonesa cynical detective, a hyperactive engineer, and a bureaucrat who communicates exclusively in triplicateand a reality-bending boy whos their newest apprentice, Brian tackles the cosmoss most inconvenient spills, from misplaced socks to misfiled solar flares.But a new threat has emerged from the void: the anti-custodians, a terrifying force of absolute tidiness dedicated to erasing every colorful, chaotic, and beautiful story from existence, leaving nothing but a perfect, sterile gray.Faced with an enemy that hates messes, Brian and his team must embrace a new, terrifying directive: creative vandalism. They become a bookmobile for the cosmos, traveling to the quietest corners of the universe not to clean, but to make a glorious, joyful mess.The Cosmic Custodian is a hilarious and heartfelt adventure for anyone who believes that the universe is a beautiful, chaotic place, and that sometimes, the only way to save it is to spill a little paint, play some loud music, and leave things a little messier than you found them.

The story of the sexual revolution that brought Freuds couch to the explosion of the 60s, and the left-field pioneer Wilhelm Reich who made it all happen.Adventures in the Orgasmatron is the untold story of the dawn of the sexual revolution in America an illuminating, startling, at times bizarre story of sex and science, ecstasy and repression.In the middle of the 20th century, the United States became an adoptive home for dozens of expatriated European thinkers, who saw this rich, young country ripe for sexual liberation. One of the most left-field of them was the Viennese psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, a disciple of Freuds who had broken with the master. Reichs own approach was based on his theories of the orgasm and sexual energy, which he dubbed orgone energy. Instead of the couch, he made use of a tall, slender construction of wood, metal, and steel wool, which he called the orgone box. A highly sexed man himself, Reich thought that a person who sat in the box could elevate their orgastic potential ridding the body of repressive forces, improving sexual potency, and enhancing overall health.After World War Two, Reichs theories caught on among writers and artists, the early adopters of the counter-culture. Norman Mailer and Saul Bellow were amongst those for whom the orgone box represented a yearned-for synthesis of sexual and political liberation, and of physical science and psychology.Meanwhile, Reich himself faced one debacle after another. Albert Einstein heard him out before rebuffing him. The FBI investigated him as a Communist sympathizer: it turned out that they were hunting the wrong man. The federal government banned the orgone box and tagged Reich as a fraud. There were claims of sexual misdeeds, and bouts of Reichs own mental instability.This is the story of the blossoming of the 20th centurys sexual revolution, and the unshackling of a repressed society, and sex before science.