Dreadful pleasures

This chapter explores the Atari VCS, the machine that took video games out of the arcades and into the living room and established Atari as the dominant player in the home video ga...

The initial encounter with nihilism is commonly experienced as dreadful and debasing. It announces itself as a threat to our highest ideals, evaporating our confidence in the value...

This chapter focuses on a single flower scent—the tuberose—strongly associated with the fragrance of Victorian decadence. Contrasting with the more delicate scent of the violet exp...

An introduction to the life of towns and cities in the medieval period, this book shows how medieval towns grew to become important centers of trade and liberty. Beginning with a l...