This is an innovative book that addresses the question of how consumers make decisions about what is good and what is bad in popular culture. * An entertaining and informative guide to the range of aesthetic criteria that goes into judging mass culture's most celebrated texts and objects - from Batman to motor bikes, and pop stars to internet pornography * Brings together a series of accessible and engaging essays written by connoisseurs of various areas of popular culture * Tackles the core question of how consumers make decisions about what is good popular culture and what is bad popular culture * Offers an entertaining and educative read for academic readers as well as purveyors of culture; moving beyond a 'greatest hits' list of popular culture to debate broader issues.