In the decade from 1951 to 1960 Damon Knight was the outstanding critic of science fiction books. His reviews were not mere statements of his personal preferences. His skillful essays told why they were good or bad.

Playwrights throughout history have used the emotion of wonder to explore the relation between feeling and knowing in the theatre. In Shakespeare and the Theatre of Wonder, T. G. Bishop argues that wonder provides a turbulent space, rich at once in emotion and self-consciousness, where the nature and value of knowing is brought into question. Bishop compares the treatment of wonder in classical philosophy and drama, and goes on to examine English cycle-plays, charting wonder's ambivalent relation to dogma and sacrament in the medieval religious theatre. Through extended readings of three of Shakespeare's plays - The Comedy of Errors, Pericles and The Winter's Tale - Bishop argues that Shakespeare uses wonder as a key component of his dialectic between affirmation and critique. Wonder is shown as vital to the characteristic self-consciousness of Shakespeare's plays as acts of narrative enquiry and renovation.

'Curiosity' and 'wonder' are topics of increasing interest and importance to Renaissance and Enlightenment historians. Conspicuous in a host of disciplines from history of science and technology to history of art, literature, and society, both have assumed a prominent place in studies of the Early Modern period. This volume brings together an international group of scholars to investigate the various manifestations of, and relationships between, 'curiosity' and 'wonder' from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Focused case studies on texts, objects and individuals explore the multifaceted natures of these themes, highlighting the intense fascination and continuing scrutiny to which each has been subjected over three centuries. From instances of curiosity in New World exploration to the natural wonders of 18th-century Italy, Curiosity and Wonder from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment locates its subjects in a broad geographical and disciplinary terrain. Taken together, the essays presented here construct a detailed picture of two complex themes, demonstrating the extent to which both have been transformed and reconstituted, often with dramatic results.

When was the last time you felt 'wonder'? The feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar is one that, as children, we experienced often. But as adults we have grown tired and cynical and spend more time looking down at our phones than looking up at the sky. We no longer experience the power of awe nor its proven benefits. The Little Book of Wonder encourages you to be creative, feel curious and seek wonder in the world around us. Focussed around seven themes, echoing the seven wonders of the world, the book will explore: 1. The Wonder of You 2. Into the Woods 3. Curious 4. Magic 5. Creativity 6. The Road Less Travelled 7. Positivity

At last, here is a definitive classroom reading anthology of modern science fiction--endorsed by the Science Fiction Research Association. The book includes SF in all its modern diversity, from Golden Age writers, to latter-day titans and current popular writers.