A Tolkien bestiary

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Julia K. Murray

Ma Hezhi and the Illustration of the Book of Odes is the first comprehensive study of one of the major monuments of twelfth-century Chinese painting. Illustrating the Book of Odes (Shijing), an important Chinese anthology of poetry, the series of handscrolls is the final and most ambitious artistic project by which the emperor Gaozong sought to validate the Southern Song dynastic revival and his own legitimacy. The scrolls paired the 305 poems of the ancient anthology (reputedly transcribed by the emperor himself) with compositions by Ma Hezhi, a leading figure in the resurgence of classical illustration at the Hangzhou court. The illustrative program of the Odes scrolls, reconstructed here for the first time, is shown to be closely linked with currents in Song intellectual history and literary studies, as well as with politics and art . In this study, Julia Murray accounts for all previous scholarship on the Odes scrolls, summarizes the exegetical tradition of the text, and documents its illustration in pre-Song times. She then analyzes the Song emperor Gaozong's patronage of traditional culture as an instrument of statecraft, as well as his development as a calligrapher in this context. After discussing the life and art of Ma Hezhi, she examines the Odes scrolls in detail and demonstrates that Ma Hezhi conceived the illustrations through his own creative engagement with the poems and commentaries. A systematic and critical connoisseurship is used to identify the "genuine" scrolls, which the author suggests come from a court workshop that executed designs created by Ma Hezhi. Murray also includes a catalogue raisonne' of all of the scrolls in an appendix and discusses the significance of Ma Hezhi and the Odes scrolls in the larger context of Chinese painting theory.

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Ann Meinzen Hildebrand

In 1931 Jean de Brunhoff introduced French children to a little elephant by the name of Babar, a gentle, charming character whose journey from orphaned forest dweller to dapper, convivial sophisticate is chronicled in L'Histoire de Babar, the first in a series of stories that has captivated children the world over. In this book and the six that followed, de Brunhoff created an idyllic world in which Babar, wearing spats and driving a little red convertible, marries, has children, travels extensively, and is eventually crowned king of the elephants, all the while espousing a quintessentially French ideal--bonheur--and placing a high premium on family affection, discipline, and benevolence. Laurent de Brunhoff finished some of the manuscripts left incomplete on his father's death in 1937 and then wrote Babar stories of his own, continuing a storytelling legacy in which the perplexities of modern living are always reconciled with traditional values. The rendering of situations in which aplomb and elegance occur simultaneously with action and adventure is the hallmark of the de Brunhoffs' illustrations, so distinct with their bold lines and primary colors. In her unique study of the Babar milieu, Ann Meinzen Hildebrand looks at the de Brunhoffs' complete works, analyzing the thematic development of the stories and commenting on the essential role of the illustrations. Acknowledging the differences between the work of father and son, Hildebrand attributes the series' continuing popularity to the way in which both artists have created an elephant cosmos that is a mirror of real and ideal life. She shows how de Brunhoff pere et fils have eschewed simple "animal fantasy" for fascinating characters who respond to everyday situations, both tragic and frivolous, thoughtfully and act on the principles of perseverance, patience, hope, and courage. Hildebrand's comprehensive study establishes the genius of the de Brunhoffs and explains how one kindly, nondidactic elephant in a derby hat has become such a socializing force for young readers.

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Doug Elliott and Bill Barnes

***Australia and Sherlock Holmes*** is the third title in The Baker Street Irregulars’ International Series, which brings the best non-fiction Holmesian writing from around the world to a larger audience. The history of Australian Sherlockians can be traced back over 100 years to a photograph of a group of miners printed in *The Strand Magazine* in 1904. ***Australia and Sherlock Holmes*** captures the distinctive Sherlockian voice from Down Under. Editors Bill Barnes and Doug Elliott provide context for, and an introduction to, Sherlock Holmes in Australia. They gathered materials written between 1959 and 2007, mostly from *News from the Diggings* and T*he Passengers’ Log*. These incisively written scholarly essays includes two pieces about the larger-than-life Richard Hughes, an Australian journalist who made one of the scoops of the (last) century by obtaining the first interview with the Cambridge spies Burgess and Maclean. (Hughes was a real-life inspiration for novelists John le Carré and Ian Fleming.) Popular culture is well represented by a piece covering Sherlock Holmes films conceived but never filmed, and accompanied by delightful, apocryphal movie posters. Well-reasoned papers link both Watson’s childhood and the speckled band snake to Australia; a fine, perhaps definitive essay addresses “The *Gloria Scott*.” There is much more in this volume attesting to the continuing remarkable popularity of the great detective around the globe, and particularly in Australia, and the creative whimsy with which Holmesian scholars play “The Game.”

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John Ortved

The Simpsons is the world's most popular entertainment phenomenon, regularly voted on both sides of the Atlantic as the best TV show ever made. "Simpsons Confidential" is the uncensored, unauthorised oral history of the show from the people who made it happen. It takes you into the inner sanctum of the series to reveal the mechanics and politics of how The Simpsons became of global significance - from Matt Groening drawing his first Homer on the ride over to pitch the show, to Conan O'Brien and the other Harvard comedy geniuses taking us into the daily life of the writing room. Animators, writers, actors, directors, producers, executives and celebrity guest stars - everyone from Rupert Murdoch down - all offer their opinions, insights and stories. Positively fizzing with indiscretions and intrigue, here at last is the book that legions of Simpsons fans have been waiting for.