Lincoln vs. Vampires vs. History

What's more popular than Abraham Lincoln? Vampires! Or at least that's what one's perception might be from the shelves of the local bookseller.

Abe's 200th birthday year and the ongoing love of bloodsuckers have produced many hot-selling titles lately. Seth Grahame-Smith, the mind behind PRIDE & PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES has combined the two sure-fire subjects in his latest effort ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. His books is a faux-historical retelling of Abe's secret drive to take out the bloodsuckers. Grahame-Smith took his inspiration from the many recent bios of the 16th president.

LISTEN: SETH GRAHAME-SMITH - ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

National Geographic Historian Mark Collins Jenkins is also looking through old letters and records for a new take on the undead. In Jenkins' case, though, he is taking a new look at some old conceptions. VAMPIRE FORENSICS looks to the birthplace of many of the supernatural myths that were given iconic status in the fictional world. The author examines folklore with a new scientific eye and explains how so many came to believe the dead walked the Earth...

LISTEN: MARK COLLINS JENKINS - VAMPIRE FORENSICS

Indulging Morbid Curiosity

Loren Rhoads spent ten years indulging in the tales of the taboo.

As publisher of MORBID CURIOSITY magazine, Rhoads solicited stories many would never tell. Quite often essayists submitted tales of shame, dark curiosity and trauma. Some submissions were compelling and others were upsetting. But Rhoads says that once word got out, there was no shortage of them.

She's recently collected stories from the now-defunct publication for a book called MORBID CURIOSITY CURES THE BLUES.

LISTEN: LOREN RHOADS - MORBID CURIOSITY

The Comedy Factory at Second City

For 50 years the Second City comedy theater has been producing top-notch comic talent. Alan Arkin, Fred Willard, John Belushi, George Wendt, Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert are all alums of the "comedy factory" of Second City.

Chicago Sun-Times writer Mike Thomas interviewed over a hundred Second City alums and high-profile fans about the history of the comedy franchise for his new book THE SECOND CITY UNSCRIPTED. Thomas talks about the competition, camaraderie and craft of the famous comedy troupe.

LISTEN: MIKE THOMAS - SECOND CITY

Taking Inventory of Pop Culture

Everyone has their all-time top-1o desert island discs. There is no quicker way to start and angry argument with a STAR WARS fan than to dispute their ranking of the quality of the six Star Wars movies.

List making seems naturally linked to pop culture in a way that it is not with higher culture. Does anyone have an all-time top-10 Renaissance frescoes? The populism of listing, and ranking, comes from the chance for everyone to be an expert.

The Onion AV Club has created INVENTORY, a book of lists ranging from "10 Songs Nearly Ruined By Saxophone" to "6 Keanu Reeves Movies Somehow Not Ruined By Keanu Reeves." Entertainment Editor from The AV Club Tasha Robinson talks about the process of list-making and sifting through pop culture.

LISTEN: TASHA ROBINSON - THE ONION AV CLUB