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Stan Lee: A Life & Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, Young Adult Edition

Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, Young Adult Readers Edition

 
The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius

The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius

Stan Lee: A Life by Bob Batchelor

Stan Lee: A Life

Bob Batchelor is a cultural historian and biographer. He writes about the ideas and issues that help shape the contemporary world.

Stan Lee: A Life and Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, Young Adult Reader’s Edition publish October 2022, in time for the Centennial of Stan’s birth in 1922.

Rookwood: The Rediscovery and Revival of an American Icon won the 2021 Independent Press Book Award in the Fine Arts Category.

The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius tells the amazing story of George Remus, the mastermind who cracked the Prohibition system, turned the Volstead Act on its ear, and grew a bourbon empire that stretched nationwide. Remus became one of the world's richest criminal masterminds and was rumored to have served as an inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

When he murdered his wife Imogene in cold blood, the resulting trial caused a national sensation, covered by media outlets around the world. The Bourbon King will be published by Diversion Books. Readers who enjoy true crime, history, and biography will love The Bourbon King.

Bob is a noted expert on American culture and history. Viewers recently saw him as an on-air commentator for the National Geographic Channel's 10-part series "The '80s Greatest" and 10 episode "The '90s Greatest" series, produced by Nutopia.

Bob's book, Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel examines the illustrious life of Marvel legend Stan Lee, one of America's most important creative icons.

Bob also wrote Mad Men: A Cultural History, Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel, Bob Dylan: A Concise Biography, and John Updike: A Critical Biography, among others.

Watch C-SPAN 2 Book TV — The Bourbon King

Local 12 “Good Morning Cincinnati” with anchor (and Cincinnati broadcasting legend) John Lomax

interview — The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with the brilliant writer & interviewer Brendan O’Meara

Interview — Lopate at Large, with Leonard Lopate

Celebrating the book launch of The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius, Bob joined Leonard Lopate on the Leonard Lopate at Large radio show on WBAI Radio in New York.

Listen to the hour-long interview here!

Stan Lee: the Man Behind Marvel

"Where Batchelor succeeds most is fleshing out the settings and context along the narrative spine of Lee’s life." (Washington Post)

"Fun Ride!" (New York Daily News)

This first full biography of Stan Lee is an eye-opening look at a popular culture visionary. This book traces Lee's life -- from his Depression-era childhood to his years as a teen editor/writer and ultimately to his triumphs as the genius cocreator behind some of the most beloved characters in pop culture history, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, the Avengers, and Thor.

Reviews of Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel

“Bob Batchelor’s bio of Stan Lee is not only thorough and accurate, it’s extremely well-written. If you enjoy reading Stan’s stories, you’ll enjoy the story of Stan just as much.” – Steve Englehart, novelist and comic book writer (The Avengers, Captain America)

“An insightful and candid look at one of the 20th century’s greatest mythmakers.” – Mark Waid, writer, (Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, Kingdom Come)

“Bob Batchelor’s book takes us on a journey into the life and imagination of Stan Lee, whose collaborations with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko laid the foundation of the Marvel Universe and unleashed a creative explosion that continues to impact, and transform, all of popular culture.” – J.M. DeMatteis, writer (The Amazing Spider-Man, Silver Surfer)

“In this smartly-written, deeply researched biography, Bob Batchelor cuts through the hype and hyperbole to reveal the secret origins of Stan Lee’s thoroughly mythic life and art. It’s the one bio for both casual and hardcore fans.” – Brian Jay Jones, author (George Lucas: A Life)

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“Larger-than-life characters take the reins of this story, a rip-roaring good time for any American history buff or true-crime fan.”
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

To read the full review in Publishers Weekly, click here.

New York Times Article!

Stan Lee reviewed in The Washington Post

Bob talks about Stan Lee on NPR station WVXU

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On the 55th anniversary of Spider-Man, Bob shares insight on Spidey's co-creator Stan Lee

Bob chats with local morning show host about the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming

Bob discussing Kimberly-Clark's iconic products and consumer marketing history in a documentary made by Wisconsin Public TV

BBC Interview: Bob Batchelor on Bob Dylan turning 75

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Bob Batchelor, Pop Culture Expert

Bob Batchelor, Pop Culture Expert