'The book we’ve been waiting for! At last, a lucid guide to the political economy of celebrity culture. Ranging from the gendered star system of eighteenth-century theatre to the abuse of "ordinary" people in contemporary reality TV, Milly Williamson brings historical and theoretical sophistication to her lively analysis of the mutating relationship between celebrity and capitalism – all the while ... Read moreforegrounding "competing ideals and values about what it means to be human".' Jo Littler, City University, London 'There are myths about celebrity. Is it a sign of a decaying culture? Is it part of human nature to obsess over stars? Milly Williamson sidesteps these tired questions to get to the heart of the matter by providing the economic history that underpins the phenomenon. A game-changing contribution.' Toby Miller, University of California, Riverside "…a much needed contribution to the sprawling field of celebrity studies" Communication Show Less