2008 TITLES

The Science of Michael Crichton

Psychology of Superheroes

Batman Unauthorized

The Science of Dune

2007 TITLES

Jack Bauer for President

The Psychology of Joss Whedon

House Unauthorized

Serenity Found

This is My Funniest 2 (SF)

The Psychology of Survivor

Grey's Anatomy 101

Perfectly Plum

Coffee at Luke's

Neptune Noir

The Psychology of Harry Potter

Halo Effect

Webslinger

2006 TITLES

Don't Chew Jesus!

This is My Funniest (SF)

So Say We All (Battlestar Galactica)

Investigating CSI

"My Ox is Broken!"

James Bond in the 21st Century

This is Chick-Lit

Getting Lost

Boarding the Enterprise

This Is Burning Man

The Battle for Azeroth

Star Wars on Trial

Welcome to Wisteria Lane

The Man from Krypton

The Da Vinci Mole

The Unauthorized X-Men

Psychology of the Simpsons

Mapping the World of Harry Potter

2005 TITLES

Totally Charmed

King Kong Is Back!

Two-Faced

Revisiting Narnia

Wonder's Child

Flirting with Pride and Prejudice

Farscape Forever!

Science in Science Fiction

Navigating the Golden Compass

Alias Assumed

The War of the Worlds

The Anthology at the End of the Universe

Finding Serenity

What Would Sipowicz Do?

2003/2004

The Crazy Years

Stepping Through the Stargate

Five Seasons of Angel

Diana Rigg

Backstreet Mom

Seven Seasons of Buffy

Joss Whedon

Taking the Red Pill

Jack Bauer for President: Terrorism and Politics in 24
December 2007

Edited by Richard Miniter

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

24 is one of the most gripping, dramatic, addictive shows on television, and has been for more than five seasons. But how much of it is realistic? And what does the show have to say about modern politics and foreign policy in America’s fight against terrorism?

Jack Bauer for President: Terrorism and Politics in 24 looks at the way 24 reflects, distorts, and comments upon our modern political landscape. Multiple sections take on the show’s images of terrorism, the ethics and effectiveness of counterterrorism practices, and government and politics. Does it take a terrorist to fight a terrorist? How much do “the people” have a right to know in life-threatening circumstances? How effective do we really want our heroes to be?

With contributors drawn from fields like philosophy, psychology, political science, counterterrorism, and others, Jack Bauer for President uses our current political climate to enrich viewers’ experience of 24 . . . and 24 to enrich viewers’ understanding of our current political climate.

Contributors Include:

• Jeanne Cavelos

• Steven Rubio

• Brett C. Patterson

• Paul Lytle

• Jim Rapoza

• Lorie Byrd

• Aaron Nelson

• Alan Dershowitz

• Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

• Kristine Kathryn Rusch

• Eric Greene

Richard Miniter is the author of two New York Times bestselling books, Losing Bin Laden and Shadow War, and is an internationally recognized expert on terrorism. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

The Psychology of Joss Whedon: Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly
December 2007

Edited by Joy Davidson, PhD

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

First there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer; then its spin-off Angel; then the cult hit Firefly and its follow-up film, Serenity. They all had two things in common: their creator, Joss Whedon . . . and their surprising psychological depth.

Revisit the worlds of Joss Whedon . . . with trained psychologists at your side. What are the psychological effects of constantly fighting for your life? Why is neuroscience the Whedonverse’s most terrifying villain? How can watching Joss’s shows help you take on your own psychological issues?

It’s all the best parts of Psych 101—without Professor Walsh.

·         Robert Kurzban explains how Mal’s morals are a form of evolutionary pornography, and why we like to watch

• Thomas Flamson explores free will in the Whedonverse—with prophecies, sacred duties, and the long arm of the Alliance, does anyone actually have any?

• Carole Poole demonstrates how Buffy and Spike’s season six relationship could be considered metaphor for narcissistic personality disorder—and concludes that Buffy may have been better off continuing it

• Bradley J. Daniels looks at River’s Alliance-altered brain, and the real effects of “stripping” the amygdala

• Mikhail Lyubansky shows why, psychologically, death really is Buffy’s gift

• And editor Joy Davidson takes on Angel’s mommy issues—how the course of his whole extraordinary existence can be traced back to the woman who made him a vampire

Other contributors include:

• Robert Kurzban

• Nicholas R. Eaton and Robert F. Krueger

• Tracy R. Gleason and Nancy S. Weinfeld

• Brian Rabian and Michael Wolff

• Wind Goodfriend

• C. Albert Bardi and Sherry Hamby

• Misty K. Hook

• Siamak Tundra Naficy and Karthik Panchanathan

• Stephanie R. deLusé

• Ed Connor

Joy Davidson, PhD, is a psychologist, sex therapist, advice columnist, speaker, and author who has written for Cosmopolitan, New Woman, Family Circle, Men’s Fitness, Seasons, and First for Women, to name a few. Dr. Davidson holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and a masters degree in counseling psychology. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AASECT certified sex therapist, as well a member of AASECT’s Board of Directors.

House Unauthorized: Vasculitis, Clinic Duty, and Bad Bedside Manner

November 2007

Edited by Leah Wilson

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

Leah Wilson graduated from Duke University with a degree in Culture and Modern Fiction and is currently the senior editor at BenBella Books in Dallas. Leah is the editor of Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America’s Favorite Desperate Housewives and the co-editor on Mapping the World of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Explore the Bestselling Fantasy Series of All Time and James Bond in the 21^st Century: Why We Still Need 007.

The Psychology of Survivor
August 2007

Leading Psychologists Take an Unauthorized Look at the Most Elaborate Psychological Experiment Ever Conducted… Survivor!

Edited by Richard J. Gerrig, PhD

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

Survivor has proven to be one of the most popular shows to ever hit television screens. What has this pop culture phenomenon shown us – by placing a few hundred people on islands around the world – about the psychological make-up of the average American?

In Psychology of Survivor, the third installment of BenBella Books’s Psychology of Popular Culture series, leading psychologists – and fans of Survivor – unite to offer up their expertise on the show that started the reality show craze.

From why macho alpha males rarely win to stress and body image, from situational ethics to the dreaded Rob Cestaries factor, Psychology of Survivor is a broad look at cutting-edge psychological issues through the lens of Survivor.

The tribe has spoken – Psychology of Survivor is the best book for Survivor fans and psychology enthusiasts alike!

Inside:

• How important are first impressions to becoming the Sole Survivor? Benjamin Le, PhD, and Gary Lewandowski, PhD, weigh in!

• Loneliness, hunger, lying – Anne Moyer, PhD, examines the stresses of life as a Survivor

• How, after hundreds of reality show variations, does Survivor manage to still hold our attention? Amanda Dykema-Engblade, PhD, says arousal is the reason

• Survivor may be full of deceit, shaky alliances, and back stabbing, but Renee Engeln-Maddox, PhD, thinks it’s an ideal environment for positive body image

• Did Richard Hatch’s personality help him outwit and outlast the rest of his tribemates? Vivian Zayas, PhD, gives an answer

Editor Richard J. Gerrig, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Stony Brook University. He received his BA from Yale in 1980 and his PhD from Stanford in 1984. Gerrig’s primary research focuses on readers’ experiences of narrative worlds. He considers both the basic cognitive psychological processes that enable readers to understand discourse and the broader consequences of readers’ experiences of being transported to narrative worlds. With Philip Zimbardo, he is the author of the introductory textbook, Psychology and Life.

Grey's Anatomy 101
August 2007

Seattle Grace, Unauthorized

Edited by Leah Wilson

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

Class: Grey’s Anatomy 101

Overview: Grey’s Anatomy 101 is an upper-level class designed for fans of the hit show Grey’s Anatomy. This course will explore the wild popularity of the interns at Seattle Grace (and the doctors they sleep with), as well as delve into Derek and Meredith’s relationship, Bailey’s potential as feminist role model, Cristina’s drive to succeed, and what it takes to write for a show like Grey’s.

Prerequisites: A love of Grey’s Anatomy, a keen interest in McDreamy, and a sense of humor are required.

Syllabus:

·         Women’s fiction writer Tanya Michaels forwards a new rule of medicine (at least for Meredith Grey): First, do no tequila

·         Television Without Pity recapper Erin Dailey recounts what she’s learned from the gang at Seattle Grace: Don’t forget you’re supposed to actually be treating patients; Do avoid sleeping with your boss

·         New York Times bestselling romance author Carly Phillips explains why Derek and Meredith owe Addison a thank-you card

·         Chick-lit writer Beth Kendrick considers why, at Seattle Grace, scalpels and sippy cups don’t mix

·         Bestselling fantasy author Jacqueline Carey celebrates sex in Seattle—especially the kind of sex we regret

·         Chick-lit writer Eileen Rendahl details Meredith’s concept of safety in sluttiness, and why George really ended up with the Syph

·         And author Kevin Smokler looks at why 20 million of us watch Grey’s Anatomy, and—more importantly—why now

Coffee at Luke's
May 2007

An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest

Edited by Jennifer Crusie

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

Mother-daughter best friends Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, laughing and sharing coffee at Luke’s: it’s been the last scene of Gilmore Girls’s opening credits from the beginning. Men may come and go (and come, and go), but coffee at Luke’s remains.

Neptune Noir
May 2007

Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars

Edited by Veronica Mars Creator Rob Thomas

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $22.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $18.36 CAN

“This is a must-read for Veronica Mars fans.”

—Rob Thomas

So Say We All: Collected Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica

October 2006

Edited by Richard Hatch, Battlestar Galactica's Apollo and Tom Zarek

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

In 2003 the Sci Fi Channel released its original miniseries based on the classic 70’s science fiction show Battlestar Galactica. This re-imagination of the original series provided 180 minutes of incredible television that kept the audience’s rapt attention. It was obvious that they had a winner on their hands; the next year eager fans got an entire season. The show has been approved for a third season and there is currently serious talk of NBC picking it up. Science fiction is known for raising difficult questions; Battlestar Galactica is no exception. At times shocking and intense, the show tackles such topics as martial law, power and corruption, torture and interrogation tactics, artificial intelligence, and ultimately what it is to be human. How do you maintain faith in the gods when you’re enmeshed in an Armageddon of your own making? Is Zarek a terrorist or a freedom fighter? What are the identity politics of a Cylon who looks human? Is torturing a Cylon any worse than putting one out the air lock? What ethical complexities crop up when one misstep could mean the annihilation of the human race? SO SAY WE ALL provides an in-depth, intelligent exploration of the questions that make Battlestar Galactica such an engaging, thought-provoking show.

Born in Santa Monica, California, Richard Hatch is best known for his portrayal of Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica and Tom Zarek on the revised Battlestar Galactica. Hatch was studying classical piano at the age of eight, and knew he wanted to carve out a career as a performer before he reached his teens. After attending Harbor College in San Pedro, he joined a Los Angeles repertory company with which he traveled to New York City in 1967. He performed in the plays “Song of Walt Whitman,” “Young Rebels” and a production called “Exercise,” which Hatch directed. Hatch was cast as the original Philip Brent on All My Children in 1970 and later played Inspector Dan Robbins on the television series The Streets of San Francisco.

Investigating CSI: Inside the Crime Labs of Las Vegas, Miami and New York

October 2006

Edited by Donn Cortez with Leah Wilson

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

The shows in the CSI franchise are bar none the most popular series on television today. Currently in its sixth season, CSI: Las Vegas still pulls in more than 20 million viewers every week. The CSI franchise shows attract a large audience; everyone watches CSI, from grandmothers to college students, from waiters to lawyers. INVESTIGATING CSI offers a selection of smart, accessible essays covering the shows' cutting-edge science, intriguing mysteries and engaging personal dynamics. Essays from experts in the field illuminate the processes behind DNA testing, ballistics, crime scene photography, autopsy and more. Other essays focus on the leads' varying appeals, the history of forensics on television, the shows' treatment of alternate sexualities and whether the shows' detail actually gives criminals an advantage. This book promises a varied and immensely readable investigation of the most-watched shows on television, enriching the watching experience and delighting any fan.

Contributors include:

Donn Cortez is an author in the CSI: Miami tie-in book series as well as author of The Closer and The Man Burns Tonight. As Don DeBrandt, he is also the author of Angel: Shakedown, Steeldriver, and VI as well as a number of essays in the Smart Pop series. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"My Ox is Broken!" Detours, Roadblocks, Fast Forwards and Other Great Moments from TV's The Amazing Race
September 2006

Adam-Troy Castro

Introduction by Billy and Carissa Gaghan

Suggested Retail Price:

$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN

Special Smart Pop Price:

$14.36 US | $19.96 CAN

The Amazing Race is a reality show like no other, and arguably, it has the best set around. Setting itself apart from the overwhelming majority of reality shows by winning the Emmy for best reality television program three years in a row, The Amazing Race takes 12 contestant couples around the world in a race for a million dollars. Adam-Troy Castro dissects this television phenomenon – good reality TV – in one of the first books ever published about The Amazing Race. From Thailand to Greenland, this show has consistently gone where no other show has gone before and Castro continues the excitement of the race in this book that is funny, entertaining and unique – just like the show itself. The Amazing Race has hooked viewers for all the right reasons and with season nine soon upon us it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. MY OX IS BROKEN! is the best reading companion for any fan of this hit show or for any fan of reality television at its best.

Adam-Troy Castro’s short stories have been nominated five times for the Nebula, two times for the Hugo, and once for the Stoker. He has contributed to previous Smart Pop volumes about King Kong, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Alias, and Harry Potter, among others. The paperback version of his collection Vossoff and Nimmitz will be released in 2007. He lives in Miami with his wife Judi.

Edited by Orson Scott Card

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

"If you're a diehard fan, check it out." - Whitney Matheson, "Pop Candy" USA Today

This August, the castaways on Lost may still have to worry about the dino-tron, the Others and Hurley eating all the peanut butter but BenBella Books has some good news: the release of a new anthology…

Dozens of people stranded on an island, and the search party is looking in the wrong place. Think that plotline has been done one too many times? Think again. On Wednesday nights, millions of people tune in to J. J. Abrams’ smash hit, Lost. With unbelievable plot twists and a cast with unforeseen talent, Lost has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed show’s to ever hit television, and it’s definitely a show like no other.

In Getting Lost, well-known science fiction, fantasy and even romance writers explore every corner of the island and the castaways stranded on it. From Hurley’s place in the island hierarchy to the love stories on Lost, from the real reason the castaways all boarded that flight (and it’s no coincidence!) to this island quite possibly being the same one Gilligan washed up on, Getting Lost leaves nothing unanswered for every fan who is hoping to remain Lost…

Topics Include:

• Besides a lifetime supply of mangos, the island also provides quite a bit of reading material. Bill Spangler heads up the “Lost Book Club”

• Joyce Millman has cooked up her own theory to explain how the island may be one big video game. But who’s handling the remote control?

• Who is the real leader on the island: Jack, Locke or someone else entirely? Glenn Yeffeth has an answer

• Is the Oceanic Flight 815 crash just a little unbelievable? Clayton Davis, a pilot, offers his expert opinion

• For all those who are just plain Lost in the language, Wayne Allen Sallee provides a complete Lost reference guide

• And editor Orson Scott Card breaks down why Lost is as close to perfect television as there has ever been

Contributors Include:

Orson Scott Card is a New York Times bestselling science fiction author of the Ender's Game series as well as the winner of several Hugo and Nebula Awards.
 

Edited by David Gerrold and Robert J. Sawyer

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

Forty years and a few generations later,
Star Trek is still stunning fans and breaking ground

The Star Trek series continues to boldly go where no other science fiction property has dared to tread. It has influenced a legion of fans and brought science fiction into the homes of millions, through television shows and movies.

In Boarding the Enterprise, Star Trek writers themselves and the writers and scientists they inspired remember and celebrate Star Trek’s influence on our society with a mix of humor and nostalgia.

Star Trek has shaped our image of television and continues to mold our view of the real-world. And now Boarding the Enterprise takes a look at all that and more...

Topics Include:

• Communications and media theorist Paul Levinson shows how the unprecedented success of the “seventy-nine jewels” in syndication changed the way we look at television forever

• Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana remembers Gene Roddenberry, and her days on the set behind-the-scenes.

• Science fiction novelist Allen Steele praises the series’ writers, and the strong science fiction tradition that made Star Trek so great

• Cultural theorist Eric Greene details the Star Trek’s complex dialogue regarding the Vietnam War, highlighting the show’s evolving stances on interventionist politics and the relevancy of American cultural myths

• Fan-fiction author Melissa Dickinson explains why we feel compelled to write our own stories about Kirk, Spock and the rest, almost forty years after the original series ended

Contributors Include:

David Gerrold is the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated The Man Who Folded Himself, When Harlie Was One and the Chtorr, Dingillian and Star Wolf series. He also wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode of Star Trek, which was voted the most popular Star Trek episode of all time.

Robert J. Sawyer is the author of several science fiction novels, including the Nebula Award-winning The Terminal Experiment and the Hugo Award-nominated Calculating God.
 

Edited by Leah Wilson

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

Desperate for more Desperate Housewives?

Take a trip down Wisteria Lane to explore the scandal, intrigue and mayhem in the smash hit!

More than 25 million people know that Desperate Housewives, the biggest show to hit television in years, is not just entertaining and fun, it is smart and just plain good. In a time when quality television is hard to come by and reality TV has a monopoly on the airwaves, Desperate Housewives exploded out of nowhere.

Welcome to Wisteria Lane is what every fan desperately needs. It celebrates the brilliance of ABC’s Desperate Housewives, and it answers the question: why on earth is this show so special? With thoughtful essays and hilarious insights, Welcome to Wisteria Lane tells us just why so many people tune in every Sunday and talk about nothing else every Monday morning.

From how Desperate Housewives reflects the truth about friendship to how suburban living is hazardous to your health, from hating Lynette to why men love this show, Welcome to Wisteria Lane has something for every Desperate fan.

Topics Include:

• Is Julie Mayer destined to become Bree Van De Kamp? Beth Kendrick examines the parenting styles on Wisteria Lane and thinks it just may be inevitable

• Jill Winters explores how each of Wisteria Lane’s male residents is the source of his own destruction

• Deanna Carlyle compares American viewers to European ones, and comes away with the reason Susan, Bree, Lynette, Gabby and Edie are so popular in translation 

• Television Without Pity’s Evany Thomas compares Desperate Housewives to its obvious sister-in-arms program: Sex and the City but also…The Golden Girls?

• Michelle Cunnah shows why Susan Mayer is the best friend a housewife could ever have

• Cara Lockwood looks behind Suburbia’s white picked fences to find an explanation for Desperate Housewives’ deliciously dark comic undertones

Contributors Include:

Leah Wilson is the co-editor of Mapping the World of Harry Potter and King Kong is Back!

Edited by Glenn Yeffeth

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $20.36 CAN

Boys want to grow up to be him and girls adore him.

He’s the ultimate superhero, the ultimate man and the ultimate American icon. He’s as representative of America as baseball and apple pie and he has entered the lives of millions for more than six decades through comic books, the small screen and feature films. Yet, there is much about Superman that has never been examined.

Until now.

In The Man From Krypton, leading writers discuss, debate and celebrate the legend of Superman. Is Superman too violent? Is Lex Luthor the world’s greatest villain? What has The WB done for the Superman property? And is Superman even human? All these questions and more are answered in this in-depth look at all things related to the Man of Steel.

Funny, philosophical, insightful and personal, The Man From Krypton explores every aspect of the Superman legend and is perfect for fans, young and old, of America’s greatest superhero.

Topics Include:

• Lawrence Watt-Evans explores Superman’s many issues, ranging from cleanliness to loneliness 

• He’s the Man of Steel, but just why can’t Superman find a girlfriend? Larry Niven suggests some theories on Superman’s constant trouble with women 

• There have been many men to tackle the role of Superman over the years, but who was the best one? Keith R.A. Candido offers his opinion 

• Lou Anders compares the Man of Steel to the Caped Crusader. What does Superman have in common with Batman and why has their relationship been strained over the years?

• What could Superman be without the nagging presence of his alter-ego, Clark Kent? John G. Hemry explains

• Is it possible for Clark and Lois to live happily ever after? Or will a happy ending kill the adventure? Evelyn Vaughn finally gives an answer

• Peter B. Lloyd shows how Superman has morally evolved in a constantly changing world

Contributors Include:

Edited by Len Wein, Co-Creator of Wolverine

Suggested Retail Price:
$17.95 US | $24.95 CAN
Special Smart Pop Price:
$14.36 US | $19.96 CAN

From the beginning, X-Men's creators set out to offer not just a fantastical comic book, but a social revolution with characters whose core is stronger than their strength. At the heart of X-Men is the metaphor of difference: how do ordinary humans cope with what sets them apart from one another?

The Unauthorized X-Men looks within the heart of the X-