The invention of starch has a profound influence on the fashion styles of Elizabethan England, but the lucrative commodity also leads to the murder of the royal starcher, followed by the killings of two other women.
Isadora Duncan was Red Put on a scarf; popped off her head Fashion is silly, thought Stein It may tear your head from your spine A darkly comic book about some surprisingly lethal garments. Featuring stories like the untimely demise of dancer Isadora Duncan caused by her signature red scarf and the bloody riot that greeted the appearance of the first top hat, among many others, these bite-size accounts will frighten and delight. Killer Fashion includes over twenty of these short tales along with beautiful full-page illustrations. Both morbid and humorous, this book will appeal to fans of Edward Gorey and dark historical trivia.
Heathers meets The Devil Wears Prada in this “sick and vicious and funny” thriller set in the cut-throat world of fashion (Caroline Kepnes, New York Times–bestselling author of You) Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. A to-die-for wardrobe. Killer social media numbers. And the path behind her is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything. Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, Sarah’s a natural fashion icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend. When Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah, she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead. “As awesome as it sounds . . . welcome to the cruel world of fashion where women’s looks, weight, and youth is the only thing to value.” —Book Riot
Karen Halttunen draws a vivid picture of the social and cultural development of the upwardly mobile middle class, basing her study on a survey of the conduct manuals and fashion magazines of mid-nineteenth-century America. "An ingenious book: original, inventive, resourceful, and exciting. ... This book adds immeasurably to the current work on sentimental culture and American cultural history and brings to its task an inquisitive, fresh, and intelligent perspective. ... Essential reading for historians, literary critics, feminists, and cultural commentators who wish to study mid-nineteenth-century American culture and its relation to contemporary values."--Dianne F. Sadoff, American Quarterly "A compelling and beautifully developed study. ... Halttunen provides us with a subtle book that gently unfolds from her mastery of the subject and intelligent prose."--Paula S. Fass, Journal of Social History "Halttunen has done her homework--the research has been tremendous, the notes and bibliography are impressive, and the text is peppered with hundreds of quotes--and gives some real insight into an area of American culture and history where we might have never bothered to look."--John Hopkins, Times Literary Supplement "The kind of imaginative history that opens up new questions, that challenges conventional historical understanding, and demonstrates how provocative and exciting cultural history can be."--William R. Leach, The New England Quarterly "A stunning contribution to American cultural history."--Alan Trachtenberg
From a journalist specializing in conspiracy theories, an examination of mysterious deaths and missing persons related to sightings of UFO phenomena. Everyone has heard of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But what about close encounters of the fatal kind? The field of UFOs is rife with unsettling examples of suspicious deaths. Accounts of accidents that might not have been accidents after all, abound. Researchers and witnesses have vanished, never to be seen again. Conveniently timed heart attacks are reported. Out-of-the-blue suicides that, upon investigation, bear the distinct hallmarks of murder, are all too common. And grisly deaths at the hands of both extraterrestrials and government agents have occurred. Highlights of Close Encounters of the Fatal Kind include: The strange saga of the incredible melting man The UFO-related death of the first U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal The mysterious disappearances of military pilots and their connection to UFOs The connections between national security and the sudden deaths of UFO investigators Getting too close to the cosmic truth about alien abductions Roswell, and what the government really knows about UFOs can—clearly—be a deadly business The government’s latest admission of the existence of Area 51 is barely the tip of a very big iceberg.