{"product_id":"it-joseph-roach-9780472069361","title":"It","description":"\u003cp\u003eA consumer's guide to iconic celebrity and ageless glamour\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Strikingly original, wickedly witty, and thoroughly learned, Roach's anatomy of abnormally interesting people and the vicarious pleasure we take in our modern equivalents to gods and royals will captivate its readers from the first page. I dare you to read just one chapter!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Felicity Nussbaum, University of California, Los Angeles\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e considers the effect that arises when spectacularly compelling performers and cultural fantasy converge, as in the outpouring of public grief over the death of Princess Diana. . . . An important work of cultural history, full of metaphysical wit . . . \u003ci\u003eIt\u003c\/i\u003e gives us a fresh vocabulary for interpreting how after-images endure in cultural memory.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Andrew Sofer, Boston College\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Joseph Roach's enormous erudition, sharp wit, engaging style, and gift for finding the most telling historical detail or literary quote are here delightfully applied to the intriguing subject of why certain historical and theatrical figures have possessed a special power to fascinate their public.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e--Marvin Carlson, Graduate Center, City University of New York\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat mysterious characteristic \"It\"--\"the easily perceived but hard-to-define quality possessed by abnormally interesting people\"--is the subject of Joseph Roach's engrossing new book, which crisscrosses centuries and continents with a deep playfulness that entertains while it enlightens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoach traces the origins of \"It\" back to the period following the Restoration, persuasively linking the sex appeal of today's celebrity figures with the attraction of those who lived centuries before. The book includes guest appearances by King Charles II, Samuel Pepys, Flo Ziegfeld, Johnny Depp, Elinor Glyn, Clara Bow, the Second Duke of Buckingham, John Dryden, Michael Jackson, and Lady Diana, among others.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joseph Roach\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0472069365\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780472069361\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Michigan Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/12\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.99h x 6.32w x 0.72d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/26\/2007 pg. 77\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2007 pg. 15\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2007 pg. 264","brand":"Joseph Roach","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43919898280191,"sku":"9780472069361","price":23.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_990426fe-3f28-4886-a912-e1bf6a35132d.jpg?v=1680812518","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/it-joseph-roach-9780472069361","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}