Books about Portrayed from Amazon.com

Jeanne Cavelos says, "Star Wars fueled my interest in space exploration and the possibility of alien life," leading her to a career in astrophysics While these movies have inspired her, she admits that may not have been their intention.

In creating the part science fiction/part fantasy/part myth that is Star Wars, George Lucas did not seek to create a futuristic universe that agreed perfectly with our current understanding of science.... How realistic, how possible, is this galaxy far, far away?

The answer when A New Hope first came out was "not at all." But a strange thing has happened in the years since Star Wars first came out. Science is beginning to catch up with George Lucas.

Cavelos looks at Lucas's planets, aliens, droids, technology, and Force with both rationality and affection. The droids R2-D2 and C-3P0, among others, become more interesting and almost credible after her consideration.

The element of Star Wars that is most true to science is the sense of wonder it calls forth, which has very little to do with how close it is to a possible future. Or, as Steve Grand, director of the Cyberlife Institute, said to Cavelos: "I never try to let scientific implausibility get in the way of a good story!" --Mary Ellen Curtin.
Price: $11.96 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"More people learn about history in movies theaters and by watching television than in classrooms, much to the consternation of many educators Now Peter Rollins has edited a much-needed one-volume state-of-the-art introduction to how movies depict the past. As editor of the interdisciplinary journal Film & History, Rollins is perfectly situated to marshal together scholars from a wide assortment of disciplines& mdash;American studies, communication, English, film, and history& mdash;around a common interest. Written with authority and a refreshing diversity of viewpoints, The Columbia Companion to American History on Film maps out many of the country's more important historical markers, stopping periodically to reconsider and analyze screen versions of America's more notable people, places, institutions, and myths. Reading through this volume is a lot like taking a round trip across the vast expanse of our nation's rich cultural heritage. Well researched and brimming with insights, The Columbia Companion to American History on Film perceptively illustrates how filmmakers have used stories involving historical figures and events to clarify the present and imagine the future for literally tens of millions of viewers over the last century." -- Gary R. Edgerton, Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University and coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television

.
Price: $21.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This six-volume "portrait of a Mediterranean personality" is a composite portrait of the individuals who wrote the personal letters, contracts, and all other manuscript fragments that found their way into the Cairo Geniza. Most of the fragments from the Geniza, a storeroom for discarded writings that could not be thrown away because they might contain the name of God, had been removed to Cambridge University Library and other libraries around the world. Professor Goitein devoted the last thirty years of his long and productive life to their study, deciphering the language of the documents and organizing what he called a "marvelous treasure trove of manuscripts" into a coherent, fascinating picture of the society that created them.
It is a rich, panoramic view of how people lived, traveled, worshiped, and conducted their economic and social affairs. The first and second volumes describe the economic foundations of the society and the institutions and social and political structures that characterized the community. The remaining material, intended for a single volume describing the particulars of the way people lived, blossomed into three volumes, devoted respectively to the family, daily life, and the individual. The divisions are arbitrary but helpful because of the wealth of information. The author refers throughout to other passages in his monumental work that amplify what is discussed in any particular section. The result is an incomparably clear and immediate impression of how it was in the Mediterranean world of the tenth through the thirteenth century.
Volume I, subtitled Economic Foundations, gives an overview of the Mediterranean (history, peoples, culture) during the high middle ages; discusses the working class; the business world, and government's role in commerce; and provides a complete description of travel and seafaring..
Price: $21.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With drawings and paintings by N. C. Wyeth and his grandson, Jamie Wyeth, and an essay by Tom Brokaw, One Nation illustrates North Americas evolving definitions of patriot and pirate throughout this century..
Price: $28.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]