Book excerpt: One of the preeminent chroniclers of the society of the spectacle, Andy Warhol perhaps became a spectacle unto himself, hobnobbing with celebrities and spawning an ongoing hipster scene around his image. As his work has continued to grow in popularity, and as critical commentary proliferates, the depth and ambiguity of his oeuvre becomes clearer, and scholars and audiences alike now see Warhol for the prophetic visionary he was. Andy Warhol and His World presents an amazing selection of Warhol's work from throughout his career--from his early Brillo boxes and silkscreens of auto accidents and electric chairs, to his portraits of Elvis, Marilyn, Liz, Mao and Queen Elizabeth II, to film stills and self-portraits--as well as extensive essays on Warhol and the world he reflected and created.