{"title":"70s \u0026 80s","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"super-mario-bros-2-by-jon-irwin","title":"Super Mario Bros. 2 by Jon Irwin","description":"\u003cdiv\u003eRelease Date: October 6, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e184 pages\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eISBN 13: 978-1-940535-05-0\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eForeword by Howard Phillips the Game Master\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn perhaps the most famous switcheroo in all of game history, the Japanese version of \u003cem\u003eSuper Mario Bros. 2\u003c\/em\u003e was declared “too hard” by Nintendo of America and replaced with a Mario-ified port of the Famicom hit, \u003cem\u003eYume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic\u003c\/em\u003e. The new game (dubbed \u003cem\u003eSuper Mario USA\u003c\/em\u003e in Japan) was a huge success for its four playable characters, improved graphics, immersive levels, and catchy music, and eventually became the 3rd bestselling game for the NES.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yet. Because of its strange new villains, its wild gameplay, and its mysterious touches, \u003cem\u003eSMB2\u003c\/em\u003e has for years been regarded as the Odd Mario Out, even as it has seen popular updates on the Super NES and Game Boy Advance. Irwin’s Mario is not a simple retelling of a 25-year-old story, but instead an examination of the game with fresh eyes: both as a product of its time and as a welcome change from the larger Super Mario franchise. Along the way he searches for clues, pulling up a few vegetables of his own. What he finds is not at all what he expected.\u003cspan style=\"color: #999999;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #666666;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/killscreendaily.com\/archive\/author\/jon-irwin\/?page=1\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJon Irwin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e has published essays in \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAlimentum\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eBillboard Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eDown East\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eGamePro\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eLumina\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003eand \u003cspan style=\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eKill Screen\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, where he is a contributing writer. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eIn 2009 he received the PEN New England Discovery Award in Nonfiction. He lives near Atlanta but roots for Detroit.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e*\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSuper Mario Bros. 2\u003c\/em\u003e shines a much-needed light on a game whose significance has rarely felt fully understood ... This is required reading for game historians.\" - \u003ca title=\"Tim Latshaw reviews Super Mario Bros 2 by Jon Irwin in Nintendo Life\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2014\/09\/book_review_boss_fight_books_super_mario_bros_2\"\u003eNintendo Life\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSuper Mario Bros. 2\u003c\/em\u003e is an extensive critique that explores the history, production ecology, and player experiences of that game. ... All of these things, impossibly, flow together. ... \u003cem\u003eSuper Mario Bros. 2\u003c\/em\u003e is an excellent example of the Boss Fight Books model of game criticism.\" - \u003ca title=\"Cameron Kunzelman's Paste Magazine review of Super Mario Bros. 2 by Jon Irwin now in the AV Club\" href=\"https:\/\/www.avclub.com\/super-mario-bros-2\"\u003eA.V. Club\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A good Mario game is always about the secrets, about the warp zones, trick quicksand and Yoshi waiting atop the castle. Moments both humorous and poignant characterize this surprisingly human account… but I’ll leave you to discover them yourself.\" - \u003ca title=\"Byron Campbell review Super Mario Bros. 2 by Jon Irwin in Entropy Magazine\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150325163145\/http:\/\/entropymag.org\/super-mario-bros-2\/\"\u003eEntropy\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating account of a moment in gaming’s past that most of us don’t know nearly about.\" - \u003ca title=\"Marcus Estrada reviews Super Mario Bros. 2 by Jon Irwin for Cliqist\" href=\"http:\/\/cliqist.com\/2014\/10\/08\/boss-fight-books-super-mario-bros-2-by-jon-irwin\/\"\u003eCliqist\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"There is a joy to this game - and to Irwin's writing about it - that feels very rare ... It's everything I hoped this series would be.\" - \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/thenextbestbookblog.blogspot.com\/2015\/06\/drew-reviews-super-mario-bros-2.html\" title=\"Drew Broussard reviews Super Mario Bros. 2 by Jon Irwin in The Next Best Book Blog\"\u003eThe Next Best Book Blog\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExcerpt: \u003ca title=\"Kotaku excerpt of Super Mario Bros 2 by Jon Irwin\" href=\"http:\/\/kotaku.com\/how-nintendo-convinced-the-world-to-buy-a-weird-mario-g-1640568634\/all\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKotaku\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterview and Excerpt: \u003ca title=\"Interview with Jon Irwin about Super Mario Bros. 2 at GeekDad\" href=\"http:\/\/geekdad.com\/2014\/12\/super-mario-bros-2-book\/\"\u003eGeek Dad\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- Google Code for Book Purchase Conversion Page --\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"eBook","offer_id":434619373,"sku":"403","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":444460033,"sku":"401","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook Combo","offer_id":955220129,"sku":"404","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Scuffed\/Dented Paperback","offer_id":31383087841393,"sku":"405","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/BFB_Covers_with_Color_Background_34.png?v=1721360879"},{"product_id":"soft-and-cuddly-by-jarett-kobek","title":"Soft \u0026 Cuddly by Jarett Kobek","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRelease Date: January 24, 2017\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e192 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN 13: 978-1-940535-15-9\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eForeword by George Bum\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA computer game so nauseatingly gory that it came with a barf bag. Bright druggy graphics that sickened scores of proper English parents. Gameplay so violent that it inspired one of Britain's most infamous killing sprees. \u003cem\u003eSoft \u0026amp; Cuddly\u003c\/em\u003e, released for the ZX Spectrum in 1987, wasn't quite any of these things. But in an age of manufactured moral panics, John George Jones's fluorescent punk manifesto sure pissed off a lot of people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeaturing new interviews with the game's creator, Jarett Kobek's book dives deep into the gritty world of British yellow journalism, snarky computer fanzines, DIY home programming, and Soviet bootleg mixtapes. If Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party was right that \"video nasties\" like \u003cem\u003eSoft \u0026amp; Cuddly\u003c\/em\u003e were the epitome of 80s depravity, then this book is headed straight to Hell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJarett Kobek\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Turkish-American writer living in California. He's the author of four books including the novel I Hate the Internet, and the creator of an exclusive ZX Spectrum prequel of the same name.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating read about Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly and Go to Hell. The tone is provocative \u003cspan\u003eat times (that's a compliment). [...] I\u003c\/span\u003ef you're looking for a book on video nasties, Hungerford, punk, Thatcher and 2 Speccy games you've probably never played then this is probably the book for you. - \u003ca title=\"Crash Online ZX Spectrum - thoughts on Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CrashOnlineUK\/status\/826880584077234177\"\u003eCrash\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A must-read for gamers who love a good backstory.\" - \u003ca title=\"Cindy Lennox's BioGamer Girl review of Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly by Jarett Kobek\" href=\"http:\/\/www.biogamergirl.com\/2017\/02\/soft-cuddly-book-review.html\"\u003eBioGamer Girl\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"To put it simply, \u003cem\u003eSoft \u0026amp; Cuddly\u003c\/em\u003e is punk as fuck. [...] Kobek writes his book with the same kind of smartassed anarchism (verging on nihilism) that permeates Jones’ game. \u003cem\u003eSoft \u0026amp; Cuddly\u003c\/em\u003e‘s snark is darkly cynical, yet all the more entertaining for it. \" - Dial H for Houston\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A love note to all things grungy and bootleg, to everyone who managed to succeed despite standing in their own way.\" - James Ardis in \u003ca title=\"James Ardis review Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly by Jarett Kobek in Heavy Feather Review\" href=\"https:\/\/heavyfeatherreview.org\/2017\/02\/02\/kobek\/\"\u003eHeavy Feather Review\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A vital account of technology’s collusion with neoliberalism.\" - Jose Cruz Guerrero, Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterview: \u003ca title=\"Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly interview with Jarett Kobek in The Millions\" href=\"https:\/\/themillions.com\/2017\/05\/tk-on-jarett-kobeks-soft-cuddly.html\"\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore Reviews:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca title=\"Soft \u0026amp; Cuddly by Jarett Kobek Goodreads\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/33222178-soft-cuddly\"\u003eGoodreads\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":19766530245,"sku":"1601","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":19766576517,"sku":"1603","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook","offer_id":19766576581,"sku":"1604","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Scuffed\/Dented Paperback","offer_id":37098825875626,"sku":"1605","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/BFB_Covers_with_Color_Background_24.png?v=1721356644"},{"product_id":"breakout","title":"Breakout: Pilgrim in the Microworld by David Sudnow","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease Date: 2\/26\/20\u003cbr\u003e224 pages\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 978-1-940535-23-4\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca title=\"Kickstarter for Pilgrim in the Microworld by David Sudnow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/gabedurham\/breakout-a-retro-atari-classic-from-boss-fight-books?ref=5as7qm\u0026amp;token=8ae72ef7\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003eJust as the video game console market was about to crash into the New Mexico desert in 1983, professor and sociologist David Sudnow was unearthing the secrets of “eye, mind, and the essence of video skill” through an exploration of Atari’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eBreakout\u003c\/span\u003e, one of the earliest hits of the arcade world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally released under the title\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003ePilgrim in the Microworld\u003c\/span\u003e, Sudnow’s groundbreaking longform criticism of a single game predates the rise of game studies by decades. While its earliest critics often scorned the idea of a serious book about an object of play, the book’s modern readers remain fascinated by an obsessive, brilliant, and often hilarious quest to learn to play\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eBreakout\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003ejust as one would learn the piano.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeaturing a new foreword and freshly edited text,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003eBreakout\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003emakes a perfect addition to Boss Fight’s lineup of critical, historical, and personal looks at single video games. We’re proud to restore this classic to print and share with new audiences Sudnow’s wild pilgrimage into the limitless microworld of play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eDavid Sudnow\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"text-italic\"\u003e is the author of Passing On: The Social Organization of Dying and the piano theory book Ways of the Hand, for which he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. Until his passing in 2007, Sudnow taught piano from his own popular Sudnow Piano Method to thousands of students throughout the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\" data-id=\"27062935\" data-caption=\"\" data-alt-text=\"\" class=\"template asset\"\u003e*\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-id=\"27062935\" data-caption=\"\" data-alt-text=\"\" class=\"template asset\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-id=\"27062935\" data-caption=\"\" data-alt-text=\"\" class=\"template asset\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Breakout: Pilgrim in the Microworld is a fascinating text and one of the strongest entries Boss Fight has brought to the bookshelf so far.” - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/unwinnable.com\/2020\/05\/07\/1983-and-the-future-of-videogame-writing\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eUnwinnable\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“An\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eengaging\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003epersonal experience with just enough social commentary to reassure parents that all those quarters may not be lost in vain.” -\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kirkusreviews.com\/book-reviews\/david-sudnow\/pilgrim-in-the-microworld-eye-mind-and-the-esse\/\" data-external=\"true\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eExhilarating\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e[…] whether or not you have ever played a video game.” - The San Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cspan class=\"bold\"\u003eBrilliant\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e[…] a most serious study, portending the inevitable changes in the way we view our world.” - Booklist\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“What a read.” - Harrison G. Pink\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NTOmYpMS5os\u0026amp;feature=youtu.be\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCaleb J Ross video review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eExcerpt: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/looking-back-on-the-hypnotic-charm-of-breakout-1840039640\"\u003eKotaku\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore Reviews:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/49094421-breakout\" title=\"Goodreads Reviews of Breakout: Pilgrim in the Microworld\"\u003eGoodreads\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Boss Fight Books","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":31268365009009,"sku":"2401","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":31268365041777,"sku":"2403","price":7.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback + eBook","offer_id":31268365074545,"sku":"2404","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Scuffed\/Dented Paperback","offer_id":37098815488170,"sku":"2405","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0313\/4361\/files\/BFB_Covers_with_Color_Background_19.png?v=1721339963"}],"url":"https:\/\/bossfightbooks.com\/collections\/70s-80s.oembed","provider":"Boss Fight Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}