Books in the British Association for American Studies (BAAS) Paperbacks series

An introductory survey of the important debates about key issues in the cultural history of the contemporary American West.

This book introduces the reader to the changing face of the American environment, tracing the way in which the present array of forests and farms, parks and highways, cities and suburbs has come about, and how these changes have been thought about, painted and turned into movie sets.

American Exceptionalism provides an accessible yet comprehensive historical account of one of the most important concepts underlying modern theories of American cultural identity.

An accessible introduction to a key aspect in economic history - the impact of American financial intervention in Europe after the Second World War.

Focusing on the public affairs of America, Michael Heale introduces the reader to the major changes which governed life in the sixties.

A concise, interdisciplinary approach to the popular but complex of subject of representations of the Vietnam War in American history, literature and film.

This book examines the quilts, ceramics, paintings, sculpture, installations, assemblages, daguerreotypes, photography and performance art produced by African American artists over a two hundred year period.

The American Short Story since 1950 offers a reappraisal and contextualisation of a critically underrated genre during a particularly rich period in its history. It offers new readings of important stories by key writers including Flannery O'Connor, John Cheever, Donald Barthelme, Raymond Carver, Lorrie Moore and Grace Paley. These readings are related throughout to the various contexts in which stories are written and published, including creative writing schools, story-writing handbooks, mass market and 'little' magazines.

The Civil War is an event of great cultural significance, impacting upon American literature, film, music, electronic media, the marketplace and public performance. This book takes an innovative approach to this great event in American history, exploring its cultural origins and enduring cultural legacy. It focuses upon the place of the Civil War across the broad sweep of American cultural forms and practices and reveals important links between historical events and contemporary culture.The first chapter introduces a discussion of ante-bellum culture and the part cultural forces played in the sectional crisis that exploded into full-blown war in 1861. Subsequent chapters focus on particular themes, appropriations, interpretations and manifestations of the War as they have appeared in American culture.

This book focuses on presidential and congressional scandals of the last 25 years and offers the first sustained explanation of the reasons for them and their often dramatic consequences.

This textbook offers a chronological introduction to the New Deal which incorporates material on events and developments outside as well as within Washington DC and on popular reaction to the policies

The politics, diplomacy and military strategy of the Second World War form the core of the book. Coverage of the social issues is integrated into the larger narrative and the military and political aspects are linked to the social through the overarching theme of the transforming effects of the war.