Jesus, matadors, panthers, bandits, Indians, movie stars, waifs, and, of course, Elvis are recognized icons of the oft-despised, uber-kitsch art form of black velvet painting. In Black Velvet Art author Eric A. Eliason and photographer Scott Squire present a comprehensive overview of this covertly-loved and overtly-reviled tradition.

The heroine of Sarah Waterss audacious first novel knows her destiny, and seems content with it. Her place is in her fathers seaside restaurant, shucking shellfish and stirring soup, singing all the while. "Although I didnt long believe the story told to me by Mother--that they had found me as a baby in an oyster-shell,