THE JAPANESE MYTHS: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, and Spirits, by Joshua Frydman. (Thames & Hudson, $24.95.) A professor of Japanese literature guides readers through the country’s mythology, from the earliest written stories to the rise of the manga industry, and situates Japan’s rich cultural tradition within religious and historical developments.
THE FANTASY OF THE MIDDLE AGES: An epic journey through imaginary medieval worlds, by Larisa Grollemond and Bryan C. Keene. (J. Paul Getty Museum, $29.95.) Published to accompany an exhibition at the Getty Museum, this volume presents more than 140 illustrations to outline the way medieval imagery influenced modern culture, from Renaissance Faires to ‘Game of Thrones’.
GLYN PHILPOT: Flesh and Spirit, by Simon Martin. (Pallant House Gallery, $45.) This first color monograph on the prolific British painter and sculptor examines his involvement in portraiture, the Harlem Renaissance, and various modernisms, and considers his impact on queer artists today.
AFRICA FASHION, edited by Christine Checinska. (V&A Publishing, $45.) A curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum examines the dynamics of African fashion, from post-independence designers who drew on longstanding traditions to a new generation of artists, such as Nigerian designer Lisa Folawiyo and Kenyan jeweler Ami Doshi Shah, who shape the current fashion revolution.
TERRAFORM: Watch/Worlds/Burning, edited by Brian Merchant and Claire L. Evans. (MCD, paper, $20.) This anthology of speculative stories from VICE’s science fiction site features stories by Jeff VanderMeer, Ellen Ullman, and others focusing on themes such as climate collapse, artificial intelligence, and digital surveillance.
RED VALKYRIES: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women, by Kristen Ghodsee. (Verso, $24.95.) A scholar of Russian and Eastern European studies traces the revolutionary careers of five 19th- and 20th-century Russian and Bulgarian socialist feminists, including Soviet diplomat Alexandra Kollontai and World War II sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko .
REAL ESTATE LARGE AND SMALL, by Ray Robertson. (Biblioasis, paper, $18.95.) This wry novel follows a struggling thrift bookstore owner and Grateful Dead fan as he reluctantly puts his shop online, decides to teach himself Western philosophy for two millennia, falls in love, and tries it. point of life.
LIGHT IN GAZA: writings born of fire, edited by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing and Mike Merryman-Lotze. (Haymarket, paper, $24.95; canvas, $45.) This burning collection anthologizes works by Palestinians from Gaza — some residents, some refugees — describing their lives during the occupation and amid the ongoing struggle for freedom.
