Truth in Advertising

Academic books, in an effort to appear sexier than they are, often opt for titles that don't really match the contents. It bothers me because it either freaks me out (Someone has already written on my dissertation topic!) or wastes my time (Why did I make the hour-long trek to the library when this obviously has nothing to do with me?). I love the straight-forward, the boring, the explicit, the unsexy when it comes to the titles of academic monographs, which is why I did a little gig when I saw one book where the editor managed to come up with a title that is simultaneously sexy and straight-forward. Enemies of the People: The Destruction of Soviet Literary, Theater, and Film Arts in the 1930s is waiting for me at the circulation counter. If this book isn't about what I think it's about, it's all over for me.

There's nothing below the fold.