New books recently published by members of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s campus community include “A Brief History of Comic Book Movies,” “Manuscripts of English 13-Century Polyphony (Early English Church Music),” “The Jury Under Fire,” and paperback edition of the “Handbook of Space Law.”

A Brief History of Comic Book Movies by Wheeler Winston Dixon, Ryan Professor of film studies and coordinator of film studies, and Richard Graham, courtesy associate professor of English (98 pages, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) – These films trace their origins back to the early 1940s, when the first batman and Superman serials were made. The serials, and later television shows in the 1950s and 60s, were for the most part designed for children. But today they seem to be more a part of the mainstream than ever. This book examines comic book movies from the past and present, exploring how thee films shaped American culture from the post-World War II era to present day and how they adapted to the changing tastes and mores of succeeding generations. Hundreds of films, directors and comic book characters are examined in the book, which took over two years to complete.

Manuscripts of English 13th-Century Polyphony (Early English Church Music) by Peter M. Lefferts, professor and interim director of the Glenn Korff School of Music (340 pages, Stainer and Bell Ltd) – The book collects all of the surviving fragments of Latin-texted music for the Catholic Church in England in the 13th century. it comprises images of more than sixty sources of thirteenth-century polyphony, including the Reading rota, the conductus-rondellus Flos regalis, and the Worcester fragments, here reunited from three codices. The large page layout adopted enables almost all the manuscripts to be reproduced at full size for direct comparison of different sources, layouts and dimensions. Lefferts has been working on the book for more than 20 years. It was released Nov. 1, 2016.

The Jury Under Fire by Brian H. Bornstein, professor of psychology and courtesy professor of law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Edie Greene, professor of psychology, director of psychological sciences training and director of the graduate sub-plan in psychology and law at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (320 pages, Oxford University Press, 2017) – The book examines and the recent changes and controversial beliefs about juries. Chapters discuss topics such as experiences of jurors, jury selection and size, impact of evidence, the process of deciding punishment, and comparing decisions of juries and judges. It reviews up-to-date social science research on juries, legal issues and real world trials. The book includes promising reforms that have solid backing in research.

Handbook of Space Law, by Frans von der Dunk, Harvey and Susan Perlman Alumni/Othmer Professor of Space Law, (1,136 pages, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015) – The paperback edition of von der Dunk’s book will be published later in February 2017 and is now available for pre-order. The book addresses the legal and regulatory aspects of activities in outer space and major space applications from a comprehensive and structured perspective. It fundamentally addresses the dichotomy between the state-oriented character of international space law and the increasing commercialization and privatization of space activities.

This regular Nebraska Today column features information about the recent publications of Nebraska faculty, staff and students. For more information about each publication, click the link within the related book. The campus community can submit recent publication news to tfedderson@unl.edu or call 402-472-8515.