Since Jeremy kindly asked others to send in word of their new books after outlining his volume on television, and because I honestly hope Screen-L can inform us of new works, I'll join him in becoming red-faced with shameless self-promotion. The Romance of Adventure: The Genre of Historical Adventure Movies, by Brian Taves, University Press of Mississippi (Studies in Popular Culture Series), 267 pages, illustrated, paper ISBN 0-87805-598-3 $16.95, hardcover ISBN 0-87805-597-5, $37.50. The historical adventure movie is one of the most enduring, popular, and mythically significant American film genres. Nonetheless, it has never been analyzed in a comprehensive manner. Here the genre is divided among five subtypes--tales of swashbucklers, pirates, the sea, the building of empires, and fortune hunters--in films as diverse as THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE MARK OF ZORRO, CAPTAIN BLOOD, THE BUCCANEER, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, GUNGA DIN, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, and THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING. The genre is defined to emphasize the historical setting, consistent characterization, and codes of behavior. The adventurer's values of patriotism, chivalry, and honor impel such diverse and often contradictory activities as rebellions for freedom and exploration and colornization of the world's remote regions. Adventure movies present some form of a fight for liberty in an era long past, presented more as myth than factual re-creation, whether in the castles of Europe, a ship on the high seas, or in colonies extending from Africa to India. The genre portrays history as a progression toward democratic government, and may be read as metaphorical depictions of the American Revolution and the fundamental tensions in American history between freedom and authority. Brian Taves Motion Picture, Broadcasting, Recorded Sound Division Library of Congress Tavesmail.loc.gov