In this, the first academic text devoted to The Smiths, writers from a range of perspectives set out to consider the cultural significance and enduring appeal of one of the most influential and controversial bands of recent decades.

Sean Campbell is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin in Cambridge. Colin Coulter is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

1. Why Pamper Life's Complexities? An Introduction to the Book. Sean Campbell & Colin Coulter
2. Has The World Changed Or Have I Changed? The Smiths and the Challenge of Thatcherism. Joe Brooker
3. 'Irish Blood, English Heart': Ambivalence, Unease and The Smiths. Sean Campbell
4. Heaven Knows We'll Soon Be Dust: Catholicism and Devotion in The Smiths. Eoin Devereux
5. Sing Me to Sleep: Suicide, Philosophy, and The Smiths. Kieran Cashell
6. 'A Boy in the Bush': Childhood, Sexuality and The Smiths. Sheila Whiteley
7. 'This Way and That Way': Towards A Musical Poetics of The Smiths. Jonathan Hiam
8. I Don't Owe You Anything: The Smiths and Kitchen-Sink Cinema. Cecilia Mello
9. 'A Double Bed and a Stalwart Lover For Sure': The Smiths, the Death of Pop and the Not So Hidden Injuries of Class. Colin Coulter
10. Last Night We Dreamt That Somebody Loved Us: Smiths Fans (and Me) in the Late 1980s. Karl Maton
11. 'When we're in your scholarly room': the Media, Academia, and The Smiths. Fergus Campbell
12. 'So Much To Answer For': What Do The Smiths Mean to Manchester? Julian Stringer
13. 'Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty': Englishness, Pop and The Smiths. Kari Kallioniemi
14. Guantánamo, Here We Come: Out Of Place With The Smiths. Nabeel Zuberi