Description:The content of The Virtual is quite interesting, Shields does a nice job historicizing the terms and contributing to the debates on the implications of a shifting relationship between the virtually real and the material. HOWEVER, a huge problem if you're interested in this book for research: the last 30 pages were not bound in the new copy of this book that I ordered through Amazon. No notes to chapters 3 through 9, no bibliography, and no index. In that respect, it's just not useful.