The Sandman Papers: An Exploration of the Sandman Mythology, Ed. Joe Sanders.  One of an increasingly large number of quasi-academic books aimed at a more popular audience, The Sandman Papers should appeal to fans of Gaiman, myth, and the comic form.  In fact, the collection's only drawback is its brevity - the introduction indicates that this is a commissioned work, all essays written in mind for such a volume.  Given the extreme range of topics touched on in the mammoth 10+ trade volume run, the topics are all over the place.  

Two of Sanders' essays are reprints from academic journals in the 90s (difficult enough to obtain through ILL if your institution doesn't subscribe to Foundation or the like; having them in one place will doubtless save students time and effort), and the rest are deliberately couched in lay language for reading ease.  Topics include the role of Shakespeare and story, female archetypes, and font and language, and all are admirably annotated.  This should be just enough to whet your appetite for more intellectual discussion.

Read December 2006