This full-length scholarly study, first published in 1981, is devoted to a specific consideration of the sex magazine in the library and the inherent problems and issues attending its controversial presence.

The first volume of this work, covering the period from 1741-1850, was issued in 1931 by another publisher, and is reissued now without change, under our imprint. The second volume covers the period from 1850 to 1865; the third volume, the period from 1865 to 1885. For each chronological period, Mr. Mott has provided a running history which notes the occurrence of the chief general magazines and the developments in the field of class periodicals, as well as publishing conditions during that period, the development of circulations, advertising, payments to contributors, reader attitudes, changing formats, styles and processes of illustration, and the like. Then in a supplement to that running history, he offers historical sketches of the chief magazines which flourished in the period. These sketches extend far beyond the chronological limitations of the period. The second and third volumes present, altogether, separate sketches of seventy-six magazines, including The North American Review, The Youth's Companion, The Liberator, The Independent, Harper's Monthly, Leslie's Weekly, Harper's Weekly, The Atlantic Monthly, St. Nicholas, and Puck. The whole is an unusual mirror of American civilization.

A few years ago, Bānlā little magazine reached the centenary of its origination. In Bengal (West Bengal and Bangladesh), the passion and enthusiasm about the little magazine supersedes that of Europe or America, but we are far behind the Western countries in terms of collection, preservation, and research of little magazines. The number of monographs or academic books on the Indian little magazine is too few, and such books in English are very rare. We believe that this book can remove that scarcity to some extent. The author of the present work has been closely associated with the movements of the little magazine as an author, editor, and organizer for no less than three decades. Those intimate experiences about such a kind of magazine are inscribed in this book. The text is not as dry as the research works used to be; anyone who is interested in Bānlā avant-garde magazines can enjoy this book.

Digital and analog games have long served modern public libraries as educational tools and as drawcards for new patrons – from dedicated gaming zones and children’s spaces to Minecraft gaming days, makerspaces, and virtual reality collections. Much has been written about the role of games and play in libraries’ programming and collections. But their wider role in transforming libraries as public institutions remains unexplored. In this book, the authors draw on ethnographic research to provide a rich portrait of the intersection between games, play, and public libraries. They look at how games and play are increasingly spilling out of designated zones within libraries and beyond their walls, as part of a broader reconfiguration and “reimagining” of libraries in the digital era. The library’s association with play has historically been understood through its classification as a “third place”: somewhere to relax, socialise and experiment outside of the utilitarian demands of work and home. But far from just offering patrons an opportunity for detached leisure, this book illustrates how libraries are connecting games and play to policies agendas around their municipality’s economic and cultural development. Attending to the institutionalisation of play, the book sheds new light both on the contradictions at the heart of play as a theoretical concept, and what libraries are in contemporary public life.

Obtaining the funding to maintain and grow library services and resources has always been a challenge. Successful Library Fundraising: Best Practices brings together a wealth of information from public, academic, special, and school libraries who share their successful approaches to raising funds through a variety of traditional and “outside-the-box” methods: Library development (cultivating donors) Endowments Corporate financing Special events Friends’ groups and volunteers Grants, and more Fundraising is critical in today’s economic climate. Tips and ideas from this volume will help library professionals gain confidence to begin a fundraising program or improve their current fundraising activities.