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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 10 October 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Philosophy Shelf Literary Shelf
Fiction Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Self-Help Shelf International Studies Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Education Shelf Psychology Shelf Music Shelf
Criminology Shelf Biography Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Native American Shelf Science Shelf Gaming Shelf
Architecture Shelf Photography Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Crafts Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Travel Shelf
Sports Shelf Parenting Shelf Business Shelf
Civil War Shelf Judicial Studies Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
American History Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Art Shelf
Archaeology Shelf World History Shelf Political Science Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Woodworking Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Military Shelf Interior Design Shelf Christian Studies Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

For the Love of the Packers
Frederick C. Klein, author
Mark Anderson, artist
Triumph Books
The Pontiac Building, 542 South Dearborn Street, Suite 750, Chicago, Illinois 60605
9781600781360, $16.95 www.triumphbooks.com

For the Love of the Packers: An A-to-Z Primer for Packers Fans of All Ages may have the general format of a child's ABC book, but it's a whimsical tongue-in-cheek tour of the Green Bay Packers football trivia, personalities, and lore. Written for readers aged eight to eighty, and illustrated in a colorful, whimsical style to match, For the Love of the Packers features entries such as "'L' is for Lambeau, / The man and the Field. / In Packerdom annals / No name's deeper sealed." A few more lines of trivia and fun facts accompanies each two-page spread, in this enjoyable giftbook the whole family can share.

Royal Jewels
Diana Scarisbrick, et al.
The Vendome Press
1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (distribution)
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780865651937, $75.00, www.abramsbooks.com, 1-800-759-0190

Compiled and co-edited by the team of art historian and fine jewelry historian Diana Scarisbrick, curator and specialist in royal European jewel collections Christophe Vachaudez and jewelry curator Jan Walgrave (who is also Honorary Director of the Diamond Museum in Antwer), "Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne To The Romanovs" surveys and showcases more than 800 years of jewelry associated with European monarchs. The informed and informative text is superbly enhanced with the inclusion of 290 full color and 25 black-and-white illustrations that include period paintings and photographs of bedecked royalty ranging from Louis XV, Napoleon, Empress Eugenie, Mary Queen of Scots, an Infanta of Spain, and members of the Medici family. Symbols of wealth, cultural status, and political power, jewels hung from necks and fingers, decorated clothing, enhanced the crowns of kings and the tiaras of queens. A beautiful book for browsing by the non-specialist general reader, "Royal Jewels" is a model of painstaking scholarship that makes it an impressive addition to academic and community library collections.

Building Dry-Stack Stone Walls
Rob Gallagher, Sean Malone, Joe Piazza
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
9780764330568, $29.99, www.schifferbooks.com

Stone walls are a mainstay of landscaping for homes and gardens. Stone walls come in diverse forms of construction with "dry-stack' referring to erecting walls of stone without the use of mortar. In "Building Dry-Stack Stone Walls", Rob Gallagher, Sean Malone and Joe Piazza draw upon their many years of experience and expertise to providing homeowners with illustrated, step-by-step instructions on building dry-stack stone walls that will be stable, attractive, and solid. Three projects using different kinds of stones help to provide examples and inspirations for building walls from inception to completion. Thoroughly 'user friendly' and promoting the essential necessity of having a safe work environment, as well as featuring a gallery of wall images in full color, "Building Dry-Stack Stone Walls" is the ideal 'how to' instruction guide and manual for the novice stone wall builder and a highly recommended addition to personal and community library reference collections.

When Technology Fails
Matthew Stein
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
9781933392455, $35.00, www.chelseagreen.com, 1-800-639-4099

Everyone has experienced the abrupt interruption of their daily lives when the power goes out. That temporary termination of electricity is the most commonly encountered example of how our lives are affected when our technology fails. That's why in the age of the electric lightbulb we still buy candles. Now in a newly revised and substantially expanded edition, "When Technology Fails: A Manual For Self-Reliance, Sustainability, And Surviving The Long Emergency" by engineer and building contractor Matthew Stein provides a comprehensive and thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction guide to preparing for both temporary and extended technology collapses and dramatic adjustments necessitated by local phenomena and global environmental trends ranging from the inevitable diminishment of petroleum as a source of energy, to climate change, to economic collapse. Addressing issues ranging from self-reliance, to emergency survival, to low-tech medicine and health, to water quality and treatment, to shelter, food, clothing, low-tech chemistry, and more, "When Technology Fails" is invaluable and a core addition to personal and community library reference collections.

Classic Country Music Trivia Quiz
Mark Knickelbine
Quiz Master Books
c/o Big Earth Publishing
923 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703
9781934553077, $16.95, www.bigearthpublishing.com

Country music has been with people throughout the twentieth century, and has produced tons of its own history and trivia. "Classic Country Music Trivia Quiz" is a game book filled with questions and answers tackling classic country music, back in the time of Hank Williams and Kitty Wells. With well over four hundred questions for readers to pick their brains or just read along and be entertained and informed, "Classic Country Music Trivia Quiz" is a must for fans of that good old country music.

Interpersonal Communication
Kristen Campbell Eichhorn, et al.
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company
4050 Westmark Drive, Dubuque, IA 52002
9780757548574, $160.00, www.kendallhunt.com

Being able to inform, persuade, influence, query, and establish relationships are all fundamental aspects of effective communication. Collaboratively written by the team of academicians and communication experts Kristen Campbell Eichhorn (State University of new York - Oswego), Candice Thomas-Maddox (Ohio University - Lancaster), and Melissa Bekelja Wanzer (Canisius College), As the title suggests, "Interpersonal Communication: Building Rewarding Relationships" is a basic and general introduction to the art and science of interpersonal communications in a diversity of forms and formats as a means of creating effective, successful, and enduring relationships. Organized into three main sections, 'The Basics of Interpersonal Communication' begins with an historical overview of the subject, the development of 'self' and of individual difference, verbal and nonverbal communication, perception and listening as communication components. 'Dynamics of Interpersonal Relationships' addresses initiating and sustaining relationships, the 'dark side' of relationships, and the termination of relationships. 'IPC in Various Communication Contexts' covers intercultural, familial, organizational, and health communications. Of special note is the chapter focusing on 'From Face-to-Face to Cyberspace'. A work of impressive yet readily accessible scholarship, "Interpersonal Communication" is highly recommended for academic and community library reference collections, college level courses in Communication, and to non-specialist general readers with an interest in interpersonal communications as a means of establishing and maintaining personal relationships in our increasingly depersonalized society.


The Philosophy Shelf

The Philosophy of Sex and Love
Alan Soble
Paragon House
1925 Oakcrest Avenue Ste 7, St. Paul, MN 55113-2619
9781557788757, $19.95, www.paragonhouse.com

What makes many of us tick and what continues the species, Sex and Love are two complicated things. Now in a significantly revised and expanded second edition, "The Philosophy of Sex and Love" by Alan Soble is a scholarly text tackling the philosophical and moral questions surrounding what's on the minds of many throughout the day. Questions on morality of many sexual practices, the psychological aspect of many of them, how love ties into everything, and more are discussed, to prompt many readers to put deep thought into one of humanity's most basic instincts. "The Philosophy of Sex and Love" is intriguing and very much enlightening to readers, highly recommended.

Consciousness
Alexander Smit
Epigraph
c/o Monkfish
27 Lamoree Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
9780979882814, $18.95, www.monkfishpublishing.com

What is real reality? "Consciousness: Talks About That Which Never Changes" is an examination of consciousness and how it affects our perception of the world around us. With many ideas and concepts that are new and fresh, the book seeks to revamp the reader's world view with a barrage of new thoughts. "Consciousness" is a must for anyone who loves to deeply think about what our world truly is and how humanity perceives it.


The Literary Shelf

The Essential Tawfiq al-Hakim
Denys Johnson Davies, editor
The American University in Cairo Press
420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018
International Publishers Marketing (distribution)
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
9789774161513, $ 22.95, www.aucpress.com

For a near century, Tawfiq Al-Hakim made his presence felt on the creative scene in Arabic speaking countries. "The Essential Tawfiq Al-Hakim" is a celebration of his life and work, revealing what goes through the head of a great Middle Eastern writer. It anthologizes a great deal of his work, giving examples and explaining their importance. A must for any student of Middle Eastern literature, "The Essential Tawfiq Al-Hakim" is very highly recommended to both academic community library literary studies collections.

Porter: Collected Stories and Other Writings
Katherine Anne Porter
Darlene Harbour Unrue, editor
The Library of America
14 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
9781598530292, $40.00 www.loa.org

The Library of America continues its hallowed tradition of preserving the writings of classic American authors in quality hardbound, ribbon-bookmarked editions with Porter: Collected Stories and Other Writings, an anthology of works by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Katherine Anne Porter. Not only are all twenty-six of her stories included, but also a wealth of her essays, reviews, and other writings, ranging from musings on the act of writing itself to observations about Mexico. Extensive notes and a chronology round out this compact, definitive volume. The definitive edition of Katherine Anne Porter's written works, enthusiastically recommended for both library and private collections.

Herman Melville
Harold Bloom, editor
Chelsea House Publishers
132 West 31st Street, New York, NY 10001
9780791096215, $45.00

The great artists of the world commonly go unnoticed during their lifetimes. "Herman Melville" looks at the work of the great author, much ignored during his time. Moby Dick being one of the great American novels was not a best seller when it was first available, despite its place in modern school curriculums. With a wide examination of all of his work the Bloom Modern Critical Views book on "Herman Melville" is highly recommended reading for students of literary history.


The Fiction Shelf

The Priesthood of Science
William Leiss
Cangrade Books
c/o University of Ottawa Press
542 King Edward, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
9780776606774, $22.95, www.uopress.uottawa.ca

Genetic engineering can solve many of the World's problems, but could it also cause many of them? "The Priesthood of Science" is book two of the Herasaga, deals with genetic engineering in the hands of those who are not entirely dedicated to an objective good of all, but instead are religious fanatics and use it to their own means. An entertaining and enlightening debate sprawls out in novel form, making "The Priesthood of Science" highly recommended to any who would enjoy the debate.

Stealing Trinity
Ward Larsen
Oceanview Publishing
2817 West End Avenue, Suite 126-274, Nashville, TN 37203
9781933515175, $24.95, www.oceanviewpub.com

Ward Larsen debut novel "The Perfect Assassin" demonstrated his ability to write a riveting spy novel of the first order. Now in his follow-up novel "Stealing Trinity", he once against presents us with the wit, originality, and innovations of a master storyteller. Germany is collapsing as the Third Reich seeks to activate its deep cover spy within the Manhattan Project. British Intelligence is on to the Nazi plan and dispatches Major Michael Thatcher to track down Hitler's killer agent Alexander Braun before he can wreck havoc with America's nuclear program. Then the first atomic bomb (code named 'Trinity') is tested at Los Alamos on July 16, 1945 and in the days that follow, Thatcher and Braun are destined to a fateful showdown involving control of information that could change the course of the war and of the world. "Stealing Trinity" is a compelling read and a recommended addition to community library suspense/thriller fiction collections. Simply stated, this is the kind of story that Hollywood block buster movies are made from.

Church Booty
Carol Manley
The University of West Alabama's Livingston Press
University of West Alabama, Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
9781604890099, $15.95, www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu

Church to some communities is more than a gathering for God – it's something else entirely. "Church Booty" is a collection of short stories by Carol Manley focusing on the events that interracial America faces daily. Confused preachers, confused coaches, and other stories play out seamlessly. All are entertaining and with an underlying morality theme that anyone can appreciate. "Church Booty" is a Tartt Fiction Contest award winner -- and rightfully so.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Next Big Investment Boom
Mark Shipman
Kogan Page
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749451042, $18.50, www.koganpage.com

The stock market is indeed a lucrative venue to make one's fortune, but one has to be wise in order to play the game. "The Next Big Investment Boom: Learn the Secrets of Investing from a Master and How to Profit from Commodities" is a guide to setting oneself up for the long term by taking advantage of the inevitable investment boom that is bound to occur in coming years. The advice covers many types of stock and outlines many tips to pick between a winner and a failure. "The Next Big Investment Boom" is a must to those who want to master playing the stock market.

The Credit Derivatives Handbook
Greg N. Gregoriou & Paul Ali, editors
McGraw Hill
2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2298
9780071549523, $95.00, www.mhprofessional.com

Credit derivatives are used by countless investors and bankers, but how do they work? "The Credit Derivatives Handbook" is a complete and comprehensive guide to credit derivatives. Seeking to give their readers everything they need to know to masterfully use derivatives in order to maximize profits and efficiency, co-editors Greg N. Gregoriou and Paul Ali have compiled a core instructional guide and body of informed and informative commentary on one of the more complicated of the financial instruments of the late 20th Century. Called one of the most important recent financial innovations, gaining a grasp of the subject is vital for tomorrow's finance world. It also speaks on international opportunities as well, making "The Credit Derivatives Handbook" enthusiastically recommended for those looking for an encyclopedia on the subject and who want a perfect grasp on today's finance -- especially in view of our financial industry's current volatility.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Improving Speech & Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Maureen A. Flanagan
AAPC
PO Box 23173, Shawnee Mission, KS 66283-0173
9781934575239, $21.95, www.asperger.net

Many things that are simply elementary to most children prove to be a challenge to the autistic. "Improving Speech & Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Oral-Motor Program for Home and School" is a guide full of suggestions for those who care for children with autism. Establishing these skills early, like normal children, is vital to establishing them for life. The book covers helping the child eat, dental hygiene, speech therapy, and sentence formation, among other daily challenges. Any parent or caretaker of an autistic child needs "Improving Speech & Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders".

Strengthen Your Mind, Volume Two
Kristin Einberger & Janelle Sellick
Health Professions Press
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781932529425, $32.95 www.healthpropress.com 1-888-337-8808

Strengthen Your Mind, Volume Two: Activities for People Concerned About Early Memory Loss is a book filled with reproducible (or consumable) pages of activities adults can perform to engage in a "mental workout", strengthening the brain and naturally staving off the decay of one's mental facilities. From matching a list of words for groups of people (such as "guild", "clique", or "crew") to their descriptions, to recalling words for the places animals live, to being prompted to remember common sayings that go with colors (like "To see things better than what they really are - rose"), Strengthen Your Mind, Volume Two is an excellent mental exercise book. Each activity sheet has its corresponding answers on the back for quick and easy reference. Ideal for self-study or for use in working with anyone concerned about their mental faculties.


The Self-Help Shelf

Open Your Heart with Martial Arts
Alex Sternberg
Dream Time
6860 Gulfport Avenue South Suite 950, South Pasadena, FL 33707
9781601660138, $14.95, www.dreamtimepublishing.com

There's more to martial arts than defending against or administering physical blows to an opponent. "Open Your Heart With Martial Arts: Mastering Life Through Love of the Challenge" is an informative and inspiring guide to reaping the benefits of self defense spiritually and emotionally as well as physically. The challenge that the activity gives can focus one's being, bring inner peace, and help with spiritual oneness, with tips on bringing family and friends into it for more united unions. "Open Your Heart with Martial Arts" is a fine addition to the Open Your Heart series, a core addition to personal self-help, self-improvement reading lists.


The International Studies Shelf

Europe's Coming Demographic Challenge
Nicholas Eberstadt & Hans Groth
American Enterprise Institute
1150 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
9780844772004, $15.00, www.aei.org

It's a fact of life. People get old. And with age, more than health problems start to emerge. The collaborative work of Nicholas Eberstadt and Hans Groth, "Europe's Coming Demographic Challenge: Unlocking the Value of Health" is an informed and informative descriptive analysis of Europe and its aging population. This analytical overview provides perspective and insight into contemporary European economic problems while generally and specifically evaluating and addressing those problems within. Promoting a way of dealing with an aging population while still having excellent economic growth, "Europe's Coming Demographic Challenge" is an invaluable work of meticulous scholarship and a highly recommended addition to professional, governmental, and academic libraries, as well as to any nonspecialist general reader wanting to be informed about the issue.

Nights in the Pink Motel
Robert Earle
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781591142256, $34.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Nights in the Pink Motel: An American Stranger's Pursuit of Peace in Iraq is the firsthand, personal testimony of Robert Earle, recruited as a strategist by the first U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Though Earle was evacuated from Iraq for medical reasons, he was subsequently requested to return for the specific purpose of writing a message to the president explaining that U.S. policy was not working and suggesting a viable alternative. Multinational Force-Iraq Commanding General George Casey also asked Robert Earle to provide an assessment of the evolution of Iraqi politics, and predict outcomes for the January 2005 election. Working in the offices within Saddam Hossein's former presidential palace in Baghdad's Green Zone, which Earle tongue-in-cheek dubbed the "Pink Motel", he confronted the very real and troublesome obstacles to a peace-building effort. An insider's view of the complex and difficult ordeal on Iraq's long road to stability, Nights in the Pink Motel is fascinating cover to cover, and highly recommended to any reader curious about the behind-the-scenes ever to make Iraq a safer place.

Democracy and the Rise of Women's Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa
Kathleen M. Fallon
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
9780801890086, $50.00 www.press.jhu.edu 1-800-537-5487

Written by Kathleen M. Fallon (assistant professor of sociology, McGill University) Democracy and the Rise of Women's Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa is a close examination of the interplay between women's advocacy groups and the recent evolution of democratic government in Africa, with especial attention paid to Ghana as a case study. Gathering source material from interviews and surveys conducted in Ghana, as well as analyses of existing literature, Democracy and the Rise of Women's Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa is a groundbreaking chronicle of gains and reforms that are transforming the old inequalities generated by years of colonization and dictatorships. A socially relevant modern study, highly recommended for both public and college library collections.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Wicca Handbook
Eileen Holland
Publicity Department
Weiser Books
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950-4600
9781578634385, $16.95 www.redwheelweiser.com 1-800-423-7087

The Wicca Handbook is more than a guide for Wiccans; anyone curious about about benevolent, eclectic witchcraft is sure to enjoy this handbook to essential tools for casting spells for health, fertility, love, and more. Chapters inform the reader about the process of becoming a witch, the craft of casting spells, the significance or natural correspondence of things ranging from colors, metals, and gemstones to letters, numbers, and animals (for example, "Venus is the lynx's planet, autumn its season. The lynx is sacred to love goddesses Lug, Mafdet, and Toa'lalit.") A welcome, easy-to-use contribution to metaphysical studies shelves.

Shamans of the World
Nancy Connor, editor
Sounds True
PO Box 8010, Boulder, CO 80306-8010
9781591799573, $22.95, www.soundstrue.com

Left unspoiled by the outside world, cultures develop their own belief systems and medicine. Knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Nancy Color, "Shamans of the World: Extraordinary First-Person Accounts of Healings, Mysteries, and Miracles" offers an inherently fascinating look at folk religions around the world. Their methods of healing and recovery, while typically different from traditional western medicine, have proven effective and solid, and "Shamans of the World" seeks to explain them thoroughly, along with the culture and tradition that comes with each of them. Values that all of humanity can cherish makes "Shamans of the World" a highly recommended spirituality and culture read, as well as a seminal contribution to the growing body of Shamanic literature for academic and community library Metaphysical Studies collections.

Nil Sorsky: The Authentic Writings
David M. Goldfrank, editor
Cistercian Publications
The Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780879073213, $39.95 www.litpress.org 1-800-858-5450

The "Great Elder" of Rusha, Nil Sorsky (1433/34-1508) was founder of the Sora Hermitage, advocate of scete monasticism, author on hesychasm (stillness) and much more. Unique as a the only native spiritual teacher of his era, he was extensively studied by later Russian monks and nuns. Nil Sorsky: The Authentic Writings commemorates the five hundredth anniversary of Nil Sorsky's death by collecting his writings and presenting them with extensive footnotes of their Slavic sources. Editor David M. Goldfrank exhorts readers to set aside any preconceptions they have of Nil Sorsky, and listen to his speech in his own words - words that were often spoken amid a difficult and frequently deadly medieval struggle to defend his church and the authenticity of his faith. Sorsky's natural gifts as a teacher and writer in this profound primary reference highly recommended especially for college library collections and Russian religious history shelves.


The Education Shelf

The Differentiated School
Carol Ann Tomlinson
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
9781416606789, $29.95, www.ascd.org

A school in Baltimore and a school in Seattle are two entirely different things, and "The Differentiated School: Making Revolutionary Changes in Teaching and Learning" realizes that. Advising educators to approach learning with their school's unique traits and student culture in mind, it grants ideas and tips for bettering one's schools to make for a more positive environment for all involved, be they students or staff. With tips on facilitating school leadership, "The Differentiated School" is a must for any school administrator or thinker on educational studies.

Compass Construction
Christopher M. Freeman
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
9781593633165, $17.95, www.prufrock.com, 1-800-998-2208

No basic mathematics curriculum can be considered complete without the inclusion of geometry. Geometry is best taught in drawing lessons that incorporate the use of a compass and a straightedge. An ideal curriculum supplement specific to the compass and the straightedge is "Compass Construction: Activities For Using A Compass And Straightedge" by Christopher M. Freeman. Offering 'hands-on' geometric drawing lessons and ready-to-use reproducible handouts, "Compass Construction" covers Lines and Arcs; Kites and Basic Constructions; Centers of a Triangle; Perpendiculars and Rectangles; Parallels and Parallelograms; Constructing Triangles; The Infinitesimal and the Golden Ration; Similar Triangles; Circles and Tangents; and Construction Arithmetic. The three appendices offer high school level geometry problems that will demonstrate the application of the previous lessons. The answers to all the problems and assignments comprising "Compass Construction" are provided in the 'Answers' section at the end of the book. "Compass Construction" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' compilation and is strongly recommended for both classroom math class curriculums -- and self-instruction as well as home schooling math curriculums as well.

Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better
Libby Kumin, Ph.D. CCC-SLP
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
9781890627546, $24.95 www.woodbinehouse.com 1-800-843-7323

Dr. Libby Kumin, an expert on Down syndrome and communication, presents Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better: Speech and Language Skills for Ages 6-14, a guide for both parents and professionals to helping young people develop their speech, language, and communication skills. Chapters discuss the factors that make speech and language difficult, especially for children with Down syndrome; how to assess language and speech skills; language and speech treatments; fostering conversational skills; and much more. Black-and-white photographs, anecdotes, home activities for practicing communication skills and more enhance this user-friendly compendium. A "must-have" for educators and parents responsible for a child with Down syndrome, Helping Children with Down Syndrome Communicate Better is also a valuable supplement for anyone teaching communication skills to young people with different types of mental handicaps.

The Best 368 Colleges 2009 Edition
Robert Franek, with Tom Meltzer, et. al.
The Princeton Review
c/o Random House Inc.
1745 Broadway , New York NY 10019
9780375428722, $21.95 www.PrincetonReview.com

The Best 368 Colleges 2009 Edition is the latest update to The Princeton Review's top-notch, user-friendly guide to choosing a college. Drawing its information directly from surveys of 120,000 college students, The Best 368 Colleges 2009 Edition compiles rankings of everything from offered financial aid to quality of academics, campus social life, and much more. Straightforward statistics concerning the student-faculty ratio, the composition of the student body, and more round out this solid reference especially recommended for high school seniors and anyone else trying to figure out which campus is best for them.

New York and Slavery: Time to Teach the Truth
Alan J. Singer
State University of New York Press
State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246-0001
9780791475102, $16.95 www.sunypress.edu 1-800-666-2211

Alan J. Singer (Professor of Secondary Education, Hofstra University) New York and Slavery: Time to Teach the Truth is more than a history of slavery in early New York; it's a guide for educators, historians, and thinkers to teaching the next generation the whole truth about New York's legacy of slavery, emphasizing that "Black History is American History". "Too often the public or 'official' version of history follows one of three fundamentally unreliable and predictable models. There is the uncritical patriotism presented at national monuments such as the Alamo or Mount Vernon... The 'Disney' version of history roughly draws on the past as a starting point to present entertaining and marketable stories that tells little about actual events or people... Meanwhile, for the so-called History Channel, history is most often reduced to blood and gore, a whirlwind of war, natural disasters, and other kinds of mayhem." Offering a variety of methods to teach young people the truth about the history slavery in America, from "mock slave auctions" to core historical ideas upon which a curriculum can be solidly grounded, New York and Slavery resists the all-consuming drive to make scoring well on standardized tests the goal of education, emphasizing rather the importance of focusing on the realities of history and helping young people become savvy critical thinkers. Indeed, the title of "New York and Slavery" is slightly misleading since it deconstructs myths about slavery in all the Northern states, not just New York. An absolute "must-read" supplementary resource for junior high, high school, and even college American History educators.


The Psychology Shelf

APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
9781433803918, $29.95, www.apa.org

The human mind is something complex and difficult to understand. "APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology" is a complete and comprehensive resource from the American Psychological Association to help psychologists have a solid reference to refer to. Boasting over 10,000 entries, up to date to the time of printing, it covers the many sub-fields of the science. Enhanced with countless helpful appendixes, "APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology" is a must for any practicing or student of psychology.


The Music Shelf

Classic Rock Albums Nervermind Nirvana
Jim Berkenstadt & Charles Cross
Schirmer Trade Books
257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
0825672864, $17.95

Nirvana was an iconic album of the alternative rock genre. "Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind Nirvana" is just short of the music CD itself in fully understanding the album that made the grunge movement of the early nineties so memorable. Taking a look at the early days of Nirvana's career complete with black and white photographs of the band's early days, information on recording sessions, and information on each track of the million selling album. "Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind Nirvana" is an absolute must have for any Nirvana fan who can't get enough of trivia for the group.

Teach Yourself Guitar
Bob Hartz
Santorella Publications, Ltd.
13 Pleasant Avenue, Danvers, MA 01923
www.santorellapublication.com
TS71612, $18.95, 1-877-600-0049

The guitar continues to be the single most popular musical instrument in America today. Santorella is a premier publisher of instruction books for the guitar with titles ranging from helping beginners learn their chords to aspiring professionals seeking to hone their skills to ever greater complexity. For the novice, the newest Santorella guitar instruction title is "Teach Yourself Guitar" by expert and experienced guitarist Bob Hartz. Included is thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction into the basics of music theory with the lessons set in standard notation and tablature along with easy-to-follow exercises specifically designed to build familiarity and proficiency in playing the guitar. Enhanced with the inclusion of an accompanying CD, "Teach Yourself Guitar" is highly recommended, especially for those who do not have ready access to formal classes of instruction through a school music department or private tutor. Also very highly recommended from Santorella are two other newly released guitar oriented instructionals by professional guitarist Rod Goelz: "Make It Funky: Bass Edition" (TS378, $18.95) and "Make It Funky: Guitar" (TS379, $18.95) that explore fun bass and funk guitar styles of the 1960s and 1970s. Dedicated music students and music department instructors would do well to visit the Santorella Publications website at www.santorellapublication.com for a complete listing of their entire instructional books catalog.

Valved Brass
Christian Ahrens
Pendragon Press
PO Box 190, Hillsdale, NY 12529
9781576471371, $42.00, www.pendragonpress.com, 1-518-325-6100

Brass musical instruments are a fundamental aspect of both classical and popular music traditions. With the introduction of metal valves, the capabilities of brass instruments advanced western music even further. The seventh volume in Pendragon's acclaimed 'Bucina, the Historic Brass Society Series', and ably translated from German into English by Steven Plank, "Valved Brass: The History Of An Vention" by Christian Ahrens is an informed and informative descriptive history beginning with the earliest recorded use of valved brass instruments in popular, classical, and military music. Emphasizing social and aesthetic issues in addition to the mechanical aspects of valved brass evolution, Ahrens draws upon an impressive array of historical sources that reflect the highest standards of academic research and reference materials. Of special note are the chapters devoted to 'Valved Instruments in Art Music' (which include the horn, the trumpet, and the bass instruments), 'Economic Aspects of the use of Valved Instruments', and Improvements to Other Instruments and their Evaluation'. Concluding with a concise Summery, "Valved Brass" is enhanced with the inclusion of an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index. A deftly written, superbly organized, seminal work of impeccable research, "Valved Brass" is especially recommended for academic library Music History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Musician's Guide to Brides
Anne Roos, author
Jerry DeCrotie, illustrator
Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York, NY 10010
9781423438748, $24.99 www.halleonard.com 1-800-637-2852

Written by Anne Roos, who has played the Celtic harp at weddings for more than twenty-five years, The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings lives up to its title with solid, practical advice on everything from creating a wedding-friendly musical repertoire to writing a performance agreement, advertising one's services, exhibiting at bridal fairs, closing a sale with the bride, working with the mother of the bride/the wedding coordinator/booking agents, avoiding common problems and pitfalls, dealing with difficult people (or "bridezillas!") and much more. Of especial value is the chapter that details how to ensure one is promptly and properly paid! Emphasizing professionalism above all - particularly the importance of a having a contract that spells out one's obligations, being honest about what one can or can't do, and maintaining one's cool even when the environment at a wedding may get rambunctious - The Musician's Guide to Brides is an absolute "must-have" for any musician interested in playing for weddings.


The Criminology Shelf

Investigating the Russian Mafia
Joseph D. Serio
Carolina Academic Press
700 Kent Street, Durham, NC 27701
9781594602252, $35.00, www.cap-press.com

The Russian Mob is second perhaps only to the Italian mob in notoriety. "Investigating the Russian Mafia: An Introduction for Students, Law Enforcement, and International Business" is a guide using the Russian mafia as a model for study of a criminal organization. Joe Serio is a man with much experience in Russia and has served in its law enforcement prior to the fall of the Soviet Union. His study is excellent material for anyone looking to best understand the world of organized crime. "Investigating the Russian Mafia" is informative and educational reading, highly recommended for community library and college library Criminology collections.


The Biography Shelf

The Fall of a Black Army Officer
Charles M. Robinson III
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806135212, $29.95 www.oupress.com 1-800-627-7377

The Fall of a Black Army Officer: Racism and the Myth of Henry O. Flipper is the biography of a former slave who became the first African-American graduate of West Point. He served as a commissary officer at Fort Davis, Texas, and was charged with embezzlement and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. A court-martial board acquitted him of the embezzlement charge but convinced him of the other, and he was summarily dismissed from duty. He labored to clear his name; his case became symbolic of racism on the frontier, and many assumed he had been railroaded on trumped-up charges because of his race. In The Fall of a Black Army Officer, author Charles M. Robinson III dares to challenge the popular assumptions about Flipper's trial, combing through evidence and arriving at the conclusion that Flipper's problems were entirely of his own making. Drawing heavily upon archival evidence to support its theories, The Fall of a Black Army Officer is a thought-provoking and critical examination of a landmark case in American history.

Boy of "Greatest"
David W. Lawrie
American Literary Press
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
9781934696170, $24.95 www.americanliterarypress.com 1-800-873-2003

Boy of "Greatest" is the autobiography of author David W. Lawrie, who started work in the shipyard at age sixteen and enlisted at age nineteen to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. A deeply personal testimony reflecting both on the harrowing experience of surviving the war that alternates between how he saw the action as a young man and his modern-day perspective as a senior veteran of the Greatest Generation. A tribute to the many who served and those who gave their lives during the dark days of World War II as well as an up-close revelation of the war through a soldier's eyes, Boy of "Greatest" is highly recommended especially for community library collections.

Biographical Dictionary Of Central And Eastern Europe In The Twentieth Century
Wojciech Roszkowski & Jan Kofman
M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
80 Business Park Drive , Armonk, NY 10504
9780765610270, $289.00, www.mesharpe.com, 1-800-541-6563

While men and women in central and eastern European nations played key roles in the shaping of events and discoveries, politics and culture, institutions and movements that influenced, affected, and shaped the history of the 20th Century, most are relatively unknown elsewhere in the world. Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Wojciech Roszkowski and Jan Kofman (both of whom are Full Professors of History, Institute of Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as Lecturers at the Collegium Civitas in Warsaw) and Jan Kofman, the "Biographical Dictionary Of Central And Eastern Europe In The Twentieth Century" is 1195-page compendium of succinct biographical summaries of significant men and women of Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech, Slovak, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Yugoslavia (and its successor states). Each descriptive entry is buttressed by a listing of 'Sources'. A massive work of consistently impressive scholarship, "Biographical Dictionary Of Central And Eastern Europe In The Twentieth Century" is a significant and emphatically recommended addition to academic library reference collections for colleges and universities, as well as the library reference shelves of major metropolitan public library systems.


The Cookbook Shelf

The 100 Greatest Desserts Of The South
Mary Leigh Furrh & Jo Barksdale
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589806139, $14.95, www.pelicanpub.com, 1-800-843-1724

Dessert is the cap on any great meal, a treat for any special occasion, a comfort in times of stress, and just plain fun to eat any time and for any reason. Expertly co-authored by Mary Leigh Furrh (former food editor of Mississippi Magazine) and Jo Barksdale (freelance author of food articles and reviews for many of Mississippi's leading newspapers), "The 100 Greatest Desserts Of The South" truly lives up to its title with recipes for memorable desserts that are as palate pleasing as they are 'kitchen cook friendly' to prepare and serve. From Judy Blackburn's Walnut Cream Cake; to Shelley's Party Balls; to Martha Washington Creams; to Corrine's Southern Belle Brownies; to the Eloa Hotel's Hot Pear and Raspberry Compte, "The 100 Greatest Desserts Of The South" is a mouth-watering collection of delicious dishes and a welcome addition to personal and community library Regional Cookbook collections.

The Healthiest Meals On Earth
Jonny Bowden
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
18705 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com
9781592333189, $24.95, 1-800-328-0590

It is now commonly acknowledge that a fundamental key to a long and healthy life resides is to be found in our diets. Why we eat or drink can have either a beneficial or a deleterious effect on our lives and well being. In "The Healthiest Meals On Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About what Meals To Eat And Why" by nationally recognized weight loss, nutrition and health expert Jonny Bowden (along with the assistance of board-certified holistic health counselor and nutrition educator Jeannette Bessinger) provides an impressive series of meals and recipes that are as healthy and nutritious as they are delicious and 'kitchen cook friendly'. Ranging from four-course 'polymeals', to one-pot polymeals with simple side dishes, to 'liquid polymeal' drinks, the meal menus and individual dishes are enhanced throughout with full-color photography. Of special note is that each recipe is provided with both prep-time and cook-time minutes and succinct 'Notes from the Kitchen' commentaries. An ideal reference for anyone wanting to eat healthy, "The Healthiest Meals On Earth" offers menus and dishes that will satisfy any appetite and please even the most discerning of gourmet palates.

The Parthenon Cookbook
Camille Stagg
Surrey Books
230 East Ohio Street, Suite 120, Chicago, IL 60611
9781572840966, $24.95 www.surreybooks.com

The Parthenon Cookbook: Great Mediterranean Recipes from the Heart of Chicago's Greektown lives up to its title with a wealth of wondrous, mouth-watering recipes for Mediterranean cuisine, from keftedes (broiled meatballs) to pan-fried zucchini with skordalia, to stuffed grape leaves, roast leg of lamb, "the Parthenon's famous braised eggplant" and much more. Full-color, full-page photography of the dishes reveal just how tempting these creations can be - and perhaps best of all, the recipes are exemplary of the healthful "Mediterranean diet", which relies on staples that are good for the body such as fish, whole grains, vegetables, and olive oil. Further enhanced with a text introduction offering a retrospective on The Parthenon and Greektown since the 1960s and more, The Parthenon Cookbook is the perfect gift for anyone itching to try Mediterranean cooking in their own home.

The Chefs of RodnReel.com
Mike Lane and Chefs of RodnReel
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589805538, $35.00 www.pelicanpub.com 1-800-843-1724

Spiral-bound for ease in handling outdoors, The Chefs of RodnReel.com: A Fishing and Hunting Camp Cookbook lives up to its title with a wealth of wonderful recipes designed to be prepared and enjoyed outdoors, without the conveniences found in a standard kitchen. Gathered from the collective expertise of sportsmen across America with a taste for campfire cooking, the recipes range from Grilled Green Onions to Smothered Potatoes, Black Rosemary Tenderloin, Duck Sausage Patties, Best Fried Trout, Pecan Pie and much more. All recipes are designed to be easy to make out in the wilderness, and a handful of notes offer further helpful suggestions. The perfect cookbook for any man or woman responsible for creating a delicious meal while out on a fishing, hunting, or camping trip!

Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine
Joseph E. Dabney
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
9781581826678, $28.95 www.cumberlandhouse.com 1-888-439-2665

Now in its tenth-anniversary edition, Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine is more than a cookbook - it's an all-out celebration of the mouth-watering delights of Appalachian cuisine, which draws upon food traditions from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, and the Cherokee Nation. In addition to a wealth of recipes ranging from Buttermilk Corn Bread to Newland Fried Liver Mush, Pickled Peaches, or Collowhee Green Beans, there are countless tips, tricks, and techniques to coaxing the best flavors out of traditional recipes, as well as historical anecdotes. A few of the recipes cover cooking more unusual dishes, made from such edible creatures as squirrels or opossum! Illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs and peppered with useful and fascinating tidbits of information, Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, & Scuppernong Wine is an authentic treasury of American culinary history.

101 Champagne Cocktails
Kim Haasarud, author
Alexandra Grablewski, photographer
Wiley
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
9780470169421, $16.95 www.wiley.com

Written by the founder of beverage consulting and specialty cocktail firm Liquid Architecture, 101 Champagne Cocktails lives up to its titles with one hundred and one exotic alcoholic recipes. From Black Cherry Champagne to Sparkling Apple Cocktail, Stormy Ginger Fizz, Golden Banana, Sparkling Mocha Truffle, and much more, 101 Champagne Cocktails features beautiful color photography on almost every two-page spread, and easy-to-follow directions. The perfect choice for anyone searching for just the right champagne drink, whether to go with an appetizer, main course, or simply as a dessert cocktail.

Party Snacks!
A. J. Rathbun
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
9781558323476, $12.95, www.harvardcommonpress.com

No party occasion can be complete without something fun to eat! In "Party Snacks!", cookbook author A. J. Rathbun (and member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals) has compiled fifty recipes for guaranteed bite-sized hors d'oeuvre palate pleasers. Colorfully illustrated throughout, the recipes range from a classic french onion dip, to grilled honey teriyaki chicken on skewers, to tomato-pepper kabobs, to caramelized onion shells, to eggplant parmesan nibblers. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', "Party Snacks!" is the ideal cookbook reference for planning any kind of party at home, in the office, or at a public function.

The Jewish Princess Cookbook
Georgie Tarn & Tracey Fine
McBooks Press, Inc.
520 North Meadow Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
9781590131619, $18.95, www.mcbooks.com, 1-888-266-5711

For most people, the only thing they know about Jewish cuisine is the word 'kosher'. Co-written by Georgie Tarn and Tracey Fine, "The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake & Eating" offers a compendium of 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that will clearly demonstrate the qualities of dishes suited for the Jewish dietary traditions, even as they satisfy any appetite and please even the most gourmet of palates. From Bloody Mary Borscht; Parsnip and Apple Soup; Ye Olde Steak Pie; and Cheater's Cheese Blintzes; to Shikerer's Tipple; Peanut Butter Cheesecake; Matzo Balls; Lockshen (noodle) Pudding; and Lemon Fish Cakes, "The Jewish Princess Cookbook" has dishes for any and all dining occasions. Of special note is 'A Word About Chicken Soup'. enhanced with a Yiddish/English Glossary and other bits of useful information, "The Jewish Princess Cookbook" is a confidently recommended addition to personal and community library ethnic and specialty cookbook collections.

Market-Fresh Mixology
Bridget Albert & Mary Barranco
Agate Publishing, Inc.
1501 Madison Street, Evanston, IL 60202
9781572840959, $17.95, www.agatepublishing.com

The cocktail has long been the symbol of cultured elegance. Now Bridget Albert (a Master Mixologist at Southern Wine and Spirts, and the director of the Academy of Spirits and fine Services in Illinois) with the assistance of Mary Barranco (whose own career spans twenty years in the adult beverage industry) presents "Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails For Every Season", a veritable compendium of recipes and instructions for making memorable cocktails for every dining, partying, and celebratory occasion. Featuring both traditional cocktail recipes and contemporary innovative versions of this popular drink, "Market-Fresh Mixology" has a drink suitable for every season. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this compendium of recipes are organized into cocktails appropriate for Spring, Summer Autumn, and Winter. Of special note are the chapters on 'Home Bar Essentials' and 'Infusions'. An ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide, "Market-Fresh Mixology" is enthusiastically recommended for both personal and community reference collections.

Absinthe: Sip Of Seduction
Betina J. Wittel, et al.
Speck Press
c/o Fulcrum Publishing
16100 Table Mountain Parkway, Suite 300, Golden, Colorado 80403
9781933108216, $22.00, www.fulcrum-books.com, 1-800-992-2908

Absinthe is an alcoholic beverage with a shady reputation that lead to its being outlawed in many places throughout the western world -- including the United States. But now the legalization of some brands of absinthe in the US has brought a new appreciation of the drink popularly referred to as the 'Green Fairy'. "Absinthe: Sip Of Seduction" is the collaborative work of Betina J. Wittel and Robert Hermesch, and edited by T. A. Breaux. The text is composed of personal testimonials, recipes, examples of colorful advertisements, descriptions of collectibles, accounts of historical uses and misuses, and absinthe recommendations. Of special note are the commentaries on 'Science versus Superstition' aspects of absinthe. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Absinthe: Sip Of Seduction" is a fascinating, informed and informative read making it highly recommended for personal as well as library reference collections.

Hometown Get-Togethers
American Profile Magazine Editors
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299
9780061257902, $17.95, www.harpercollins.com

Great food has always been a centerpiece for family gatherings and celebratory occasions. Drawn from the pages of American Profile magazine, "Hometown Get-Togethers" is a compendium showcasing more than 150 delicious recipes with that special 'hometown' ambiance. From an Italian Brunch Casserole; to an Incredible Chicken Tortilla Soup; to Old-Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes; to a Pineapple Upside-Down ham and Onion Loaf; to Diane's Absolutely Awesome Chocolate Cake, "Hometown Get-Togethers" offers a culinary wealth of dining appropriate for any form of family gathering, church pot-lucks, or other community social events. Enhanced with beautiful color photography of finished dishes, "Hometown Get-Togethers" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library cookbook collections.

Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking
Beth Hensperger
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street , Boston, MA 02118
www.harvardcommonpress.com
9781558323681, $14.95, 1-888-657-3755

Home-cooked meals need not be the exclusive province of stay-at-home moms. Not when there is Beth Hensperger's "Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking", an outstanding collection of 150 easy, nutritious, delicious dishes that are stress-free preparations of contemporary recipes for dinner dishes that are 45 minutes or less in preparation. Enhanced with a four-color insert showcasing finished dishes, the recipes range from Herb-Coated Tilapia; Spicy Chicken with Cilantro and Mushrooms; Scallops of Pork with Raisins and Sherry Vinegar; and Pan-Sauteed Lamb Chops with Blackberry Sauce; to Ravioli with Mushrooms and Sweet Peas; Peggy's Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup; Double Tomato Baby Lentil Salad with Olives; and Gold Beef Burgers with Cold Pea Salad. Each recipe features the Cooking Method, Prep Time; and Cook Time. The itemized ingredients list and the step-by-step cooking instructions make each recipe thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly'. Palate pleasing and appetite satisfying, "Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking" is especially recommended for time-constrained working women (and men!) wanting to enjoy meals that are several cuts above dumping something out of a can or popping something into a microwave.


The Native American Shelf

Massacre At Bear River
Rod Miller
Caxton Press
312 Main Street, Caldwell, ID 83605
9780870044625, $18.95, www.caxtonpress.com

Genocide is a horrible atrocity, the despicable acts in Darfur, the Holocaust . . . but what's most depressing is that America's hands are not clean. "Massacre at Bear River" tells of arguably the country's most bloody attack against the Native American Indians during the time where not only were they losing their land, but they were losing their lives. Approximately three hundred natives lost their lives due to the country's actions, and "Massacre at Bear River" tells this sad and gut wrenching tale of one of America's biggest black eyes. Rod Miller has written an accurate and detailed account that should be considered as an essential addition to both academic and community library Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

North By Northeast
Kathleen Mundell
Tilbury House, Publishers
2 Mechanic Street, Gardiner, ME 04345
9780884483052, $20.00, www.tilburyhouse.com, 1-800-582-1899

There is a concerted and laudable movement to preserve and showcase Native American traditional culture as expressed through beadwork, basketry, canoe making, wood carving, and quilting. "North By Northeast: Wabanaki, Akwesasne Mohawk, and Tuscarora Traditional Arts" by folklorist and ethnographer Kathleen Mundell showcases the works and commentaries of thirty-five traditional Native American artists living and working primarily in Maine and New York. Beautifully illustrated throughout, the text is as informed and informative as it is insightful and inspiring. Written as an accompaniment to an exhibition that will travel to the Akwesasne Museum and Cultural Center in Hogansburg, NY (May-September 2008), the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine (October-May 2009), and the Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, Connecticut (May-September 2009), "North By Northeast" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Science Shelf

Superstructures in Space
Michael H. Gorn
Merrell Publishers Limited
740 Broadway, Suite 1202, New York, NY 10003
9781858944173, $39.95 www.merrellpublishers.com 1-212-529-2270

Aerospace historian Michael H. Gorn presents Superstructures in Space: From Satellites to Space Stations - A Guide to What's Out There, a coffee table book about the amazing spacecrafts and devices humans have created to better study the known universe. Featuring dazzling, full-color photography on virtually every page, Superstructures in Space lives up to its title with its in-depth, reader-friendly history and chronicle to match the unforgettable images. The perfect giftbook for readers of all ages and backgrounds who not only wonder what's out there, but also wonder how ordinary humans have created such extraordinary things that can see so much farther than the naked eye.

Planet Earth: An Illustrated History
Kelly Knauer, editor
Time Books
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
9781603200325, $29.95, www.amazon.com

Planet Earth: An Illustrated History is a stunningly beautiful coffee table book, featuring full-color photography of Earth's environment and biosphere - from a grizzly bear about to catch a salmon mid-leap to penguin parents protecting their chicks to the leaping courtship of European hares and much more. The reader-friendly text describes the wonders of nature, some dazzling, some harsh, as well introducing one to the geology and climatology of the planet. An educational and informative text, enthusiastically recommended as a gift book for nature or wildlife photography lovers as well as for public library collections.

Radar System, Analysis, Design, And Simulation
Eyung W. Kang
Artech House Publishers
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781596933477, $139.95, www.artechhouse.com

It is the primary task of a radar engineer to design, analyze and optimize system performance within the context of our computerized high technology applications. "Radar System, Analysis, Design, And Simulation" by Eyung W. Kang is a comprehensive introduction and training textbook specifically and successfully designed for radar engineers at all levels to master critical system analysis, use digital computer simulation to verify that their analysis is correct, and to insure that their design is optimal for the purposes intended. From matrix, vector and linear equations; noise and clutter generation; Filters; ambiguity functions; antennas; target detection; false alarm rate processing, moving target indicators, and a great deal more, "Radar System, Analysis, Design, And Simulation" offers an text enhanced with detailed examples, more than 340 equations, and over 250 illustrations. Enhanced even further with the inclusion of an accompanying CD-ROM containing more than two hundred simulation and implementation tools written in C++, "Radar System, Analysis, Design, And Simulation" is an ideal and core addition to professional and academic library reference collections and as a basic introductory textbook for radar engineering students.


The Gaming Shelf

The Pocket Guide To Games
Bart King
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423604693, $9.99, www.gibbs-smith.com, 1-800-748-5439

Playing a game can not only while away the time, it can also be an invaluable and pleasant means of stimulating our intellectual and physical well-being, providing bonding experiences with family and friends, and provide an outlet for our restless energies. There are thousands upon thousands of diverse games -- all with one thing in common: Rules. After a brief but informative introduction, Bart King's "The Pocket Guide To Games" offers descriptions and rules for four distinct categories of games: Miscellaneous Active Games; Quiet Games; Contests, Feats and Tussles; Beanbag and Ball Games. This pocket-sized compendium is a thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of games for all occasions and circumstances and especially recommended as a school physical education curriculum supplement as well as personal and family gaming reference library collections.

Beginning Bridge
Barbara Seagram & Linda Lee
Master Point Press
331 Douglas Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5M 1H2
9781897106334, $19.95, www.masterpointpress.com

Bridge is one of America's most popular indoor pastimes for adults of all ages and backgrounds. From social home games to competitive state and national tournaments, Bridge is a sophisticated, complex, challenging, and entertaining pastime whose only requirements are a deck of cards and a table. Expertly co-authored by Barbara Seagram (one of North America's best-known bridge teachers and author of numerous books on the game), and Linda Lee (a WBF World Master and Bridge journalist, "Beginning Bridge" is specifically designed to teach beginners the fundamentals of the game and cover every aspect of Bridge including bidding, declarer play, defensive cardplay, and scoring. Enhanced with 'user friendly' tips, stories, and quizzes to reinforce and illustrate card game instructions, "Beginning Bridge" is enhanced further with the occasional cartoon drawings of Karen Lampert. "Beginning Bridge" is a core addition to school and community library Gaming reference collections and an ideal beginner's manual for the non-specialist general reader wanting to learn the fundamentals of this popular pastime.

Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess, Part Two: Kasparov vs. Karpov 1975-1985
Garry Kasparov
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781857444339, $45.00 www.everymanchess.com 1-800-243-0495

The second book in the "Modern Chess" series by Garry Kasparov (the world champion of chess between 1985 and 2000 and commonly regarded as the greatest chess player of all time), Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess, Part Two: Kasparov vs. Karpov 1975-1985 Including the 1st and 2nd Matches is an extensive, in-depth analysis of his 1984 and 1985 matches, including an epic contest that lasted six months before being halted "without result" and the 1985 match in which Kasparov became the youngest ever world champion. 76 chess games total are faithfully related in the volume, with helpful black-and-white diagrams; the game narration is interspersed with text concerning a broader perspective on the situation. A handy index of openings and index of games allows for easy reference in this meticulously detailed guide especially recommended for advanced chess players as well as anyone interested in chess history as shaped by the masters.


The Architecture Shelf

Easy Scheduling
Dan Ramsey & Stephen Matzen
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte del Cedro Carlsbad, CA 92009
www.craftsman-book.com
9781557016157, $59.95, 1-800-829-8123

Effective scheduling is essential to keep building projects on time and within budget. In the building industry time is, quite literally, money. Co-authored by licensed general building and home improvement contractor Dan Ramsey and with the expert assistance of Stephen Matzen, "Easy Scheduling: A Construction Scheduling Resource Handbook" is an invaluable instructional guide for insuring each days productivity is maximized through task allocations that are properly timed. Novice contractors will learn to make cost-effective scheduling templates, trade shortcuts, and more. Addressing pertinent issues including scheduling for profitability; setting up customized project templates; step-by-step pre-construction scheduling; calendar, calculation and interface options; tracking and reporting systems; customizing and formatting; setting task relationships; consolidating schedules, and cash flow definition and details, "Easy Scheduling" is informed, informative, and thoroughly 'user friendly' making it especially practical for novice building construction estimations and a highly recommended reference for anyone engaged in the building trades.

Genius of the European Square
Suzanne H. Crowhurst Lennard and Henry L. Lennard
Gondolier Press
c/o International Making Cities Livable Council
PO Box 7586, Carmel, CA 93921
9780935824117, $49.00 www.livablecities.org

Filled with captivating color photography from cover to cover, Genius of the European Square is part history, part study, part persuasive advocate of Europe's traditional multi-functional city squares. Throughout the centuries, these squares have fostered social interaction, civic engagement, and a strong sense of community. "There is always a struggle between those who wish to protect and those who want to privatize the common wealth. The public square is possibly the most valuable resource that a community holds in common. It provides the possibility for community members to come together to talk, share resources, help one another, discuss private and public issues, celebrate and take united action." A welcome addition to architectural studies shelves, bearing and important message about city design that builders worldwide should heed.

Great Architecture Of Michigan
John Gallagher & Balthazar Korab
Wayne State University Press
The Leonard N. Simons Building
4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309
9780981614403, $60.00, http://wsupress.wayne.edu

From the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, to the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, to the Fisher Building in Detroit, to the Point Betsie Lighouse, , Michigan is home to some of the most impressive, innovative, and artistic architecture in America. Combining the informative commentary of John Gallagher (architecture critic for the Detroit Free Press) with the superb photography of Balthazar Korab, "Great Architecture Of Michigan" is a compendium of images that underscores and exemplifies the diversity and sophistication of Michigan's architectural heritage as reflected in the best of its churches, theaters, office towers, stadiums, government buildings, and private homes. An impressive compendium of photographically illustrated architecture, "Great Architecture Of Michigan" is an especially recommended addition to professional and academic Architectural Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists for architecture students.


The Photography Shelf

The Life Of A Photograph
Sam Abell
National Geographic Society
1145 - 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-4688
9781426203299, $40.00, www.ngs.org

There is more to taking a photography than just pointing a camera at your subject and pressing a button. In "The Life Of A Photograph", master photographer Sam Abell draws upon his more than four decades photographing for National Geographic magazine to provide aspiring photographers with an instructive, illustrated, example-filled guide to taking memorable images of landscapes, still life, street scenes, and slices of daily life. Each of the almost 200 images superbly reproduced is provided with a succinct commentary and a caption, taking the reader on a journey of instruction, inspiration, and visual wonder that will result in applicable concepts to enhanced his or her own photographic efforts regardless of their equipment choices or subject selections. As informed and informative as it is engaging and inherently fascination, "The Life Of A Photograph" is enthusiastically recommended to personal, professional, academic, and community library Photography reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Real Moments
Barry Feinstein
Omnibus Press
c/o Music Sales Corporation
257 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010
9781847721051, $34.95, www.omnibuspress.com, 1-800-431-7187

Bob Dylan is an American music icon. Professional photographer Barry Feinstein had greater access to Dylan than any other photographer. It was Feinstein's iconic image that appeared on Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" album in 1963 and photographed Dylan at the musician's invitation during Dylan's European tour of 1966 and US tour of 1974. It is from among the photos taken on these two legendary tours that comprise "Real Moments: Photographs of Bob Dylan 1966-1974" and newly published by Omnibus Press. This is an impressive compilation that will be of especial interest to the legions of Bob Dylan fans, and a popular addition to personal, community, and academic library 20th Century Music History and American Photography reference collections.

Historic Photos Of Virginia
Emily J Salmon & John S. Salmon
Turner Publishing Company
200 - 4th Avenue North, Suite 950, Nashville, TN 37219
9781596524972, $39.95, www.turnerpublishing.com

With the invention of photography, the visual recordings of the ordinary and the extraordinary become possible to a versatile and definitive degree never before attainable. The result is a visual legacy such as is embodied within the pages of the Turner Publishing Company edition of "Historic Photos Of Virginia". Selected, organized and captioned by the husband and wife team of John and Emily Salmon, these period black-and-white photos are chronologically organized into four sections: From War to a New Century: 1861-1909; The Roaring Decades: 1910-1929; Depression and Victory: 1930-1945; and A Time of Great Change: 1946-1970s. Ideal for browsing and enhanced with a concluding 'Notes on the Photographs' section, "Historic Photos Of Virginia" is an impressive body of work and a welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library Photography collections, as well as Virginian History and American History reference shelves.

99 Cent Dreams
Doug Aitken
Aspen Art Press
590 North Mill Street, Aspen, CO 81611
9780934324373, $75.00

99 Cent Dreams is a coffee table book of Doug Aitken's stunning, museum-worthy photography, especially notable for its glimpses of both natural and urban environments. No text intersperses the lavish, full-color photographs, from the silhouettes of people framed in the moment of dawn to a glimpse of a billboard from below, to the sad testimony of scattered fragments of a broken drink glass. A wondrously captivating gallery of images, each of which captures moments of light and shadow in perfect contrast. Highly recommended for photography collections.

Sunday Afternoon on the Porch
Jim Heynen, author
Everett W. Kuntz, photographer
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781587296536, $29.95 www.uiowapress.org 1-800-621-2736

Sunday Afternoon on the Porch: Reflections of a Small Town in Iowa 1939-1942 is a wonderful showcase of black-and-white photography capturing the ordinary men and women of small town Iowa in the wake of the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. The candid photographs range from "On Duty", an unforgettable snapshot of a uniformed officer with one hand on a baby's stroller, to "Cheerful Classmates", capturing a happy day in school, to "Migrant's Salon" showing a man getting his hair washed by leaning over a bowl while a bucket of water is poured over his head, and more. The text offers additional insight into these timeless glimpses of day-to-day life, as well as some snippets of poetry. A wonderful gift book, especially recommended for connoisseurs of historic slice-of-life American photography.

Night & Low-Light Photography
Jill Waterman
Amphoto Books
c/o Watson Guptill Publications
770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9535
www.NightPhotographyBook.com
9780817432416, $29.95, www.wgpub.com, 1-800-451-1741

It takes a very special set of skills to be successful in taking photographs at night or when light sources are minimal. In "Night & Low-Light Photography: Professional Techniques Form Experts For Artistic And Commercial Success", New York City based photographer, editor, writer and educator Jill Waterman relies upon not only her own experience and expertise, but also draws upon the work and contributions of thirty top photography professionals using their real-life photography projects to illustrate and exemplify their advice, techniques, and diverse approaches to nighttime and low-light digital, film, color, and black & white commercial and fine art photography. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Night & Low-Light Photography" is a practical, informative, and above all, 'user friendly' introduction and guide for any aspiring photographer seeking to develop or enhance their own skill set when taking photographs after dark or in dim light, indoor or outdoor, as well as urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.

India
Eric Meola
Welcome Books
6 West 18 Street, New York, NY 10011
www.welcomebooks.com
9781599620497, $60.00, 1-800-733-3000

India is a land of amazing contrasts and exotic imagery. Eric Meola has traveled to India many times for the purpose of photographing the people, landscapes, architecture, celebrations, and art of this vast and diverse land. The result is "India: In Word And Image", a coffee-table art book compendium showcases India's diversity and heritage from the monasteries of the Himalayas, to the tea plantations of Darjeeling, to the stark desert of Jaipur. Spectacular photographic images are enhanced with more than thirty literary passages underscoring the story of India, its people, places, architecture and art. A superbly presented visual travelogue, "India: In Word And Image" is an ideal selection for academic and community library 'Memorial Fund' acquisitions, a welcome addition for personal and library Photography reference collections; and an ideal browse for armchair travelers through the wonders, lands, and people of the Indian subcontinent.


The Social Issues Shelf

Introduction To Homeland Security
Jane Bullock, et al.
Butterworth-Heinemann
c/o Elsevier
30 Corporate Drive, Burlington, MA 01803
9781856175098, $69.95, www.elsevier.com

With the sneak attach on American soil that most of us now call 9/11, the term "homeland security" became a part of the national dialogue and the title of the largest federal agency in the history of our country. Now in an updated and expanded third edition, "Introduction To Homeland Security: principles Of All-Hazards Response" by the team of Jane Bullock (who has served as chief of staff at FEMA and is currently with the Washington-based disaster management consulting firm of Bullock & Haddow LLC), George Haddow (Adjunct professor at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at the George Washington University and also currently with Bullock & Haddow), Damon Coppola (a Senior Associate with Bullock & Haddow), and Sarp Yeletaysi (an expert in business continuity planning and disaster recovery) is a 602-page compendium that is the cornerstone textbook on the subject of rapidly evolving field of American homeland security. "Introduction To Homeland Security" begins with a history of the terrorist threat in American history from the early 19th century down to September 11, 2001. Subsequent chapters focus on the statutory authority for homeland security; organizational actions; terrorist-related hazards; our intelligence agencies as well as border and infrastructure security' prevention, mitigation and preparedness against attacks; response to and recovery from attack; communications; and technology. Of special note is the concluding chapter on the foreseeable future of homeland security. "Introduction To Homeland Security" is the basic textbook on the subject and a core addition to professional, governmental, academic, and community library National Security reference collections. It is also very highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in Homeland Security and its implications for our American society, culture, and government.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Backyard Horseman
Ron Rude
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806
9780878425488, $18.00, www.mountain-press.com, 1-800-234-5308

Next to dogs and cats, horses are the most popular pet in America today. More than two million Americans own horses. The care, feeding, and sale of horses is a $39 billion dollar a year part of the overall American economy. Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, Ron Rude's "The Backyard Horseman" is a practical and 'user friendly' introduction and instruction guide for anyone charged with the responsibility for raising and managing a horse on a limited budget. Such core subjects as buying a horse, feeding and training a horse, horse health, gear shelter, pasture management, shows events, and the ethnical considerations to be taken into account for horses that have grown old are all covered. More than just another manual on horse ownership, "The Backyard Horseman" presents a philosophy upon which is founded a true companionate relationship between a human and a horse. Deftly written, profusely illustrated, and superbly presented, "The Backyard Horseman" is especially recommended for community library Pets & Wildlife reference collections, and an ideal addition to personal reading lists, especially for those horse owners operating on a limited budget and wanting to do right by their equine companion.

The Whole Horse Wellness Guide
Diane Morgan
T.F.H. Publications
1 TFH Plaza, 3rd & Union Avenue, Neptune City, NJ 07753
9780793832019, $39.95, www.tfh.com, 1-800-631-2188

The horse, whether a working animal on the ranch, or at the race track, or is simply a personal recreational companion, is susceptible to a host of potential health problems that alert owners and handlers must be aware of in terms of the care provided them. In "The Whole Horse Wellness Guide: Natural And Conventional Care for A Healthy Horse", author Diane Morgan (who over the years has owned Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Arabians, and Morgans) with the assistance of veterinarian Doug Knueven (a pioneer in holistic pet care and owner of the Beaver Animal Clinic, a full service animal hospital in Beaver County, Pennsylvania) provide with an illustrated instructional reference that addresses such equine health and medical issues as mainstream medical practices and surgical treatments, nutritional wellness and therapeutic healing, bodywork, acupuncture, acupressure and Shiatsu; energetic medicine, homeopathy, western herbal medicine; Chinese herbal medicine, ayurvedic medicine, aromatherapy and essential oils, and flower essences. Of special note is the section devoted to 'Common Equine Diseases and Treatment Options'. Enhanced with the addition of a glossary, a resources list, and an index, "The Whole Horse Wellness Guide" is a welcome and thoroughly 'user friendly' addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Owl And The Woodpecker
Paul Bannick
The Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134-1161
www.mountaineersbooks.org
9781594850950, $24.95, 1-800-553-4453

Ornithology is a steadily advancing science and birdwatching a popular pastime. Showcasing stunningly beautiful full-color photography by Paul Bannick, "The Owl And The Woodpecker" will be of enormous interest to both academia and dedicated bird enthusiasts as he visually explores the diversity of these two families of birds and how they live withing and enrich the ecosystems they inhabit. The selected birds range from the Northern Flicker and the Great-Horned Owl, to the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, and the Northern Spotted Owl. Organized geographical to present birds in Pacific Coast urban and suburban habitats, northwestern maritime forests, western dry mountain forests, western oak woodlands, grasslands and shrub-steppe, southwestern dry lands, southeastern pine forests, eastern suburban and urban habitats, northeastern forests, boreal forest, and arctic tundra, "The Owl And The Woodpecker" is further enhanced with the inclusion of a 'Field Guide to North American owl and Woodpecker Species', a Bibliography, 'A Note About the Photography', an author biography, and an index, making it a very strongly recommended and popular addition to personal, academic, and community library Pets & Wildlife reference collections.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Studies In Jewish History And Literature: Volume 2
Michael A. Shmidman, editor
KTAV Publishing House
930 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306-6316
9781602800267, $30.00, www.ktav.com

The second of a two-volume tribute to Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, founder and president of Touro College, a leader of the Jewish community, and a pioneer in Jewish and general higher education, "Studies In Jewish History And Literature: Volume 2" is a compilation under the editorship of Michael A. Shmidman of contributed essays by sixteen learned men and women on the subjects of medieval and modern Jewish history, literature and thought. Of special note is that this impressive compendium of seminal scholarship is presented in English for the first half, and in Hebrew for the second half. A body of impeccable scholarship, "Studies In Jewish History And Literature: Volume 2", like the first volume, is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and academic library "Judaic Studies" and "Jewish History" reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Torah And Commentary: The Five Books Of Moses
Sol Scharfstein
KTAV Publishing House
930 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306-6316
9781602800205, $35.00, www.ktav.com

The Torah, consisting of the five books whose authorship is commonly attributed to Moses, is a bedrock foundation of for the three main branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform). Traditionally divided into 543 weekly portions for chanting as part of the Sabbath service in the synagogue, "Torah And Commentary: The Five Books Of Moses" offers a new translation of the Torah is enhanced with the inclusion of interpretations by classical era and modern rabbinic commentators for more than 2,000 biblical passages. Of special note are the colored illustrations as part of the biographical sketches of some of the most highly regarded commentators (including Rashi and Maimonides), as well as Sol Scharfstein's own commentaries relevant to the contemporary message of selected biblical passages. "Torah And Commentary: The Five Books Of Moses" is an impressive body of scholarship and very highly recommended for personal, synagogue, academic, and community library Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Crafts Shelf

Jewelry & Beading Designs For Dummies
Heather H. Dismore & Tammy Powley
For Dummies
c/o John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5773
9780470291122, $19.99, www.wiley.com, 1-800-225-5945

Once reserved for experienced and seasoned professionals, the making of colorful and creative jewelry is now accessible for everyone thanks to "Jewelry & Beading Designs For Dummies" by Heather H. Dismore and Tammy Powley. Aspiring jewelry makers are provided with profusely illustrated, step-by-step instructions for more than seventy-five original projects and taught how to work with silver, leather, glass beads and crystals. There are design projects for making rings, bracelets, phone covers, wine charms and so many more crafts projects that will enable the aspiring craftsmen to stretch their skills through acquiring proficiency in new techniques including working with polymer clay and nontraditional materials. "Jewelry & Beading Designs For Dummies" is an ideal addition to personal and community library reference collections. Also very highly recommended is Dismore and Powley's earlier 'how to' volume, "Jewelry Making & Beading For Dummies" (9780764525711, $19.99).


The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

From Krakow To Krypton
Arie Kaplan
Jewish Publication Society
2100 Arch Street, 2nd floor, Philadelphia PA 19103-1399
9780827608436, $25.00, www.jewishpub.org, 1-800-234-3151

Comic books have been an integral part of American popular culture since their invention as a mass market media in the early 1930s. The first comic books were simply collections of newspaper comics. It was Jewish writers and artists who took this new medium and expanded it as a form of popular literature that we know today beginning with the creation of such characters a Superman and Batman and the legions of superheroes and villains that were to follow down to this very day. What is less well known is that American Jewish writers and artists were also responsible for Mad Magazine, the graphic novel, the comic book convention, the comic book specialty store, and the underground comix movement of the 1960s and early 70s. In "From Kraow to Krypton: Jews And Comic Books", comedian and comic book writer Arie Kaplan provides an informed and informative history that is packed with history and nostalgia from beginning to end. Profusely illustrated throughout, "From Krakow To Krypton" is highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library "20th Century American Popular Culture" reference collections in general, and the personal reading lists of all comic book fans and graphic novel enthusiasts in particular.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Flying Pen Press
20000 Mitchel Place, Suite 25, Denver, CO 80249
www.flyingpenpress.com 1-303-375-0499

Those glorious golden age sci-fi pulp magazines have now been reincarnated with the introduction of five trade paperback science fiction novels of galactic adventure, save-the-world suspense, and the merged technologies of magic and science. An absolute 'must' for dedicate fans of robust science fiction adventure is David Lee Summers deftly edited anthology "Space Pirates: Full-Throttle Space Tales #1" (9780981895703, $16.95), a series of fifteen swashbuckling short stories of piracy in outer space by some of the best new writers working today. James R. Strickland's "Irreconcilable Differences" (9780981895710, $16.95) is a superbly imaginative cyberpunk mystery thriller. "She Murdered Me With Science" (9780979588990, $15.95) showcases David Boop's storytelling talent in a tale of intrigue when a disgraced scientist turned forensic analyst uncovers a conspiracy to take over the United States. "Dragon Ring" (9780979588969, $15.95) is Lettie Prell's original story that mixes magic, science, and murder in a riveting read from first page to last. "Seventh Daughter" (9780979588976, $16.95) is Ronnie Seagren's debut novel which presents the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter who must, before the 1937 solar eclipse, save the very world itself from total destruction. With their brightly colored 'pulp magazine' style covers, all five of these new titles from Flying Pen Press are enthusiastically recommended for fantasy and science fiction enthusiasts, and would make enduringly popular addition to community library collections.


The Travel Shelf

American Map U.S. Travel Road Atlas
Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780841628410, $19.95 www.fodors.com

American Map U.S. Travel Road Atlas is a spiral-bound, easy-reference guide especially for vacationers (or business travelers!) who need to find their way between and within America's big cities. Packed with full-color road maps of states, the areas around large cities, and the cities themselves, American Map U.S. Travel Road Atlas is further enhanced with lists of recommended sights and activities as well as top-notch restaurants, in a variety of price ranges from lavish to economy (a simple icon system reveals the price range of a given listing at a glance). A user-friendly guide, highly recommended for anyone about to embark on an old-fashioned American road trip!

Exploring Kyoto
Judith Clancy
Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
9781933330648, $16.95, www.stonebridge.com, 1-800-947-7271

With its antiquarian history, buildings, memorials, and natural surroundings, Kyoto is one of Japan's prize destinations for tourists from around the world. Judith Clancy draws upon her experience and expertise arising from living in Kyoto for the last 38 years in "Exploring Kyoto: On Food In The Ancient Capital", a superbly written and thoroughly "user friendly" guide to what this beautiful city and its surrounding countryside have to offer. In this substantially revised, timely updated, and expanded new edition (offer two new routes, as well as including both a geographical and a cultural topography), "Exploring Kyoto" offers detailed maps tracing each of thirty exploratory excursions that range from the bustling downtown quarts to remote mountaintop shrines. Enhanced with more than thirty descriptive photos, tips on etiquette and behavior, as well as a full and complete index to all cited attractions and site, "Exploring Kyoto" is the ideal travel guide.


The Sports Shelf

Horse Racing's Greatest Rivalries
Eclipse Press
3102 Beaumont Centre Circle, Lexington, KY 40591-9003
9781581501933, $24.95 www.eclipsepress.com 1-800-866-2361

Illustrated with historic black-and-white and color photography throughout, Horse Racing's Greatest Rivalries is an amazing chronicle highlighting memorable match races, Triple Crown campaigns, and season-long competitions. A well-researched account that re-creates key races in minute detail, Horse Racing's Greatest Rivalries is the perfect giftbook for any enthusiast of the sport. A set of "Leaders Lists" rounds out this exceptional celebration of horse racing's rich history.

"Then Osborne Said to Rozier..."
Steve Richardson
Triumph Books
The Pontiac Building, 542 South Dearborn Street, Suite 750, Chicago, IL 60605
9781572439993, $22.95

Seasoned football writer and award-winning journalist Steve Richardson presents "Then Osborne Said to Rozier...": The Best Nebraska Cornhuskers Stories Ever Told, a collection of over four decades of great Nebraska football stories as related by coaches, players, and fans. From anecdotes about why the team's greatest stars (including such legendary figures as Johnny Rogers, Barry Alvarez, Mike Rozier, and more) are proud to be Cornhuskers, to the story of the Gotham Bowl, to insights into the favorite trick plays of Tom Osborne and much more, "Then Osborne Said to Rozier..." is the perfect giftbook for any dedicated Cornhuskers fan, especially when football season is underway! An accompanying 37-minute audio CD of an interview with Adrian Fiala entitled "Husker Memories" rounds out this highly readable Nebraska football treasury.


The Parenting Shelf

Why Did You Die?
Erika Leeuwenburgh, LPC and Ellen Goldring, LPC
Instant Help Books
c/o New Harbinger Press
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
9781572246041, $16.95 www.newharbinger.com 1-800-748-6273

Why Did You Die? is a helpful, consumable book for parents raising a child who has suffered the loss of a loved one. The first section teaches parents about a child's grief process, and what can most commonly be expected; the second offers activities that are ideal for sharing with a grieving child, most of which adopt an art therapy approach. One such exercise has a short story about angry feelings that can be shared or read aloud, and a blank space with the instructions "In the space below, draw a volcano erupting. In the lava flow, write the feelings that are erupting from the volcano." A secular guide compatible with families of all faiths, Why Did You Die? is highly recommended as a supplementary resource to traditional counseling when helping a child greatly saddened by loss or tragedy.


The Business Shelf

Handbook of Research on Asian Business
Henry Wai-Chung Yeung, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
9781843769606, $215.00 www.e-elgar.com 1-800-390-3149

Handbook of Research on Asian Business is a collection of scholarly essays by learned authors reviewing aspects of Asian business - the culture, strategy, and practice found in such rising economic powers as China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and more. A handful of black-and-white charts and graphs illustrate the exhaustive research fueling these meticulous analyses discussing business strategy and organization, marketing, business-state relations, policy issues and more. "In order to make a successful entry into China, multinationals have to overcome barriers and constraints such as market diversity, local protectionism, relationship development and competitive context (Walters and Samiee, 2003). China has evolved into a nation of 'two countries' that consist of a coastal urban megalopolis of 400 million people who can afford luxuries, and a vast 'Third World' interior of 900 million people who can hardly make a living (Powell, 2002). Domestic-oriented FDI firms repeatedly discover that provincial and city authorities impose numerous protection mechanisms to support local firms in competing with their rivals based in other regions of China." An absolute "must-have" for college library reference shelves, filled cover-to-cover with keen analyses that any businessperson seeking to make inroads in an Asian market needs to study at length!


The Civil War Shelf

Civil War Tales
Gary C. Walker
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LO 70053
9781589805712, $19.95, www.pelicanpub.com

There are stories in American culture that are not yet committed to writing. "Civil War Tales: Volume 1" is Gary C. Walker's efforts to commit these bits of oral history to a written record. These tales, passed down through generations of oral history and local sources, have not been ever committed to a nationally available source. The tales are intriguing and expose new light on many subjects throughout the history of America's bloodiest conflict. "Civil War Tales" is a must for any civil war history buff.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

The Public Domain
Attorney Stephen Fishman
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413308587, $34.99 www.nolo.com 1-800-955-4775

Now in a completely updated and revised fourth edition with information on the latest court decisions, The Public Domain is a solid guidebook to finding and using creative works that are free for public use, and not governed by copyright. Packed with specific information about available public works in a wide range of mediums, from art, photography and maps to music, choreography, movies, video, software, databases, and more, The Public Domain is thoroughly accessible, easy-to-use, and enthusiastically recommended for anyone engaged in amateur or professional creative tasks. A welcome and much-needed addition to public library legal reference shelves as well.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

The World We Have
Thich Nhat Hanh
Parallax Press
PO Box 7355, Berkeley, CA 94707
9781888375886, $10.95 www.parallax.com 1-800-863-5290

Buddhist monk, scholar, and human rights activist Thich Nhat Hanh presents The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology, a thoughtful, almost pocket-sized guide to the spiritual dimension of environmentalism, as seen from a Buddhist perspective. Hanh argues that the impermanence of all things should not be used as an excuse to turn one's back on the world, instead emphasizing that being fully engaged with the world is critical to individual and collective survival. "The wisdom offered by the Buddha is that we accept impermanence - our own death and the inevitable death of our civilization. And afer having accepted that, we will have peace and strength and an awakening that will bring us together. No more hate, no more discrimination. Then we'll have the opportunity to make use of the technology that is available to us in order to save our beloved planet." A thoughtful open letter to all of humanity, highly recommended to readers of all faiths and backgrounds.


The American History Shelf

Popular Print and Popular Medicine
Thomas A. Horrocks
University of Massachusetts Press
PO Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
9781558496576, $29.95 www.umpress.usmass.edu 1-800-537-5487

Thomas A. Horrocks (associate librarian of Houghton Library for Collections, Harvard University) presents Popular Print and Popular Medicine: Almanacs and Health Advice in Early America, a historical study of the role that American almanacs and their health advice played in affecting popular views of the body, health, and disease in antebellum America. Extensively scrutinizing the astrological, therapeutic, and regimen advice given in a wide variety of American almanacs across the span of two centuries, Popular Print and Popular Medicine suggests that the almanac emphasized and ingrained the contemporary assumptions, beliefs, and medical practices. "Though it was attacked by clergymen as the work of the devil, ridiculed by many of the learned as a practice of the ignorant and the superstitious, and even scorned by numerous almanac makers, astrology survived and continued to attract a strong following among ordinary Americans, both white and black, and even elicited some interest (in natural astrology) from the learned. When the first almanacs appeared in colonies outside of New England during the first decades of the eighteenth century, astrology and astrological health advice were regular features." A deeply scholarly scrutiny of the connections between almanacs and popular culture, and a welcome supplement to college library and early American history shelves.

What Men Call Treasure
David Schweidel & Robert Boswell
Cinco Puntos Press
701 Texas, El Paso, Texas 79901
9781933693217, $25.95 www.cincopuntos.com 1-800-566-9072

What Men Call Treasure: The Search for Gold at Victorio Peak is the in-depth true story of one family's legendary brush with riches. In 1937, con man and chiropodist Doc Noss ventured inside a New Mexico mountain named after the Apache chief Victorio. He discovered a cavern of incredible riches - statues of saints, swords, a crown, a chest of jewelry, twenty-seven skeletons, and roughly 16,000 gold bars of varying types. When the Doc and his wife tried to gain better access to the cavern, one of their dynamite blasts destroyed the narrow passage, and the U.S. government claimed the land for missile testing shortly after. A saga of discovery, lost treasure, and phenomenally questionable acts of the U.S. Government, What Men Call Treasure is a fascinating true story of lost mysteries, doubly remarkable in today's modern era when most corners of the earth have been thoroughly explored.

At Sword's Point
William P. MacKinnon, editor
Will Bagley, series editor
The Arthur H. Clark Company
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780870623530, $45.00 www.ahclark.com 1-800-842-9286

Part 1 of Volume 10 of the "Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier" series, At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858 chronicles the 1857-58 armed confrontation between Mormon Utah Territory and the U.S. government, which was the most extensive American military action between the Mexican and Civil wars. The entire incident is covered in two volumes; this volume is part 1, which examines the war's causes and preliminary events, such as President Buchanan's executive decision to replace Brigham Young as governor of Utah and reinstate federal authority through an army expedition. Also scrutinized are Young's reactions to the threat, the beginning of hostilities, and Thomas L. Kane's departure in 1857 on his subsequently famous mission to mediate a compromise. An extensively researched and annotated collection of primary historical sources, illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, At Sword's Point is especially commended for college library and Utah history shelves for its wealth of firsthand accounts of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict.

Archy Lee
Rudolph M. Lapp
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
9781597140805, $12.95, www.heydaybooks.com

To fight for the ownership of oneself – something fortunately people of this generation will never have to do. "Archy Lee: A California Fugitive Slave Case" tells the tale of the historic 1858 case of a runaway slave in California who refused to return to California with his master. A massive legal battle ensued, and it's a vivid picture of a divided country of the time. The tale also doubles as inspiring of one person's fight for what's right, making "Archy Lee" a must for history readers everywhere.

The American Century
David E. Nye & Thomas Johansen
University Press of Southern Denmark
c/o International Specialized Book Services
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213-3786
9788776742508, $21.00, www.universitypress.dk

Arguably, the United States was the most powerful and most vital nation to the world in the twentieth century. "The American Century: A Chronology and Orientation" is a book looking at the history of America's rise to power through the twentieth century. Covering everything from the Progressive Era through the two World Wars, the Cold War, and place as the primary Super Power of the World after the Soviet Union's collapse, "The American Century" by academicians and historians David E. Nye and Thomas Johansen goes over each with many trivia and facts, making it an ideal choice for a non-specialist general reader history fan.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Legacy of the Luoshu
Frank J. Swetz
A K Peters, Ltd.
888 Worcester Street, Suite 230, Wellesley, MA 02482
9781568814278, $35.00 www.akpeters.com

Mathematics educator Frank J. Swetz presents Legacy of the Luoshu: The 4,000 Year Search for the Meaning of the Magic Square of Order Three, an in-depth study of the diverse roles that the luoshu (a 3x3 "magic square" of numbers in a grid, where all rows, columns, and diagonals add up to the same sum) has played in metaphysical and spiritual traditions worldwide. From Chinese fortunetelling to Daoism, and fengshui, to Islamic astrology and Kabbalistic lore, the luoshu has perpetually reappeared throughout global human history. Extensively researched and illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, Legacy of the Luoshu offers a unique glimpse into one aspect of the history of numerology, and is highly recommended especially for mysticism and metaphysical studies shelves.


The Art Shelf

The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido
Sebastian Izzard, introduction and commentary
George Braziller, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, Suite 1105, New York, NY 10016
9780807615935, $80.00 www.georgebraziller.com 1-800-233-4830

The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido reproduces artworks from the best-condition surviving editions of a rare manuscript, giving Western audiences the first ever glimpse of these fascinating historical portraits of daily life in nineteenth century Japan. Art of beggars, brawling men, boaters, women in fine garments, castles, sprawling cities, green-sloped hills and much more grace the pages, enhanced by thoughtful analysis and commentary of each. A wondrous showcase of traditional Japanese art, highly recommended especially for collectors.

Kirchner And The Berlin Street
Deborah Wye
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019-5497
9780870707414, $35.00, www.moma.org

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was a part of the acclaimed German Expressionism whose artistic representations of such urban elements as buildings, sidewalks, shops, and vehicles showcased both the glamour and the tumult of life in the city. Now his work accomplished between 1913 and 1915 has been compiled by Deborah Wye and includes 135 color illustrations of his work. The informed and informative text traces the artist's creative process, examines his sketchbook illustrations, and is supplemented by a chronology of his life and includes a selected bibliography. With its particular focus on Berlin street scenes, "Kirchner And The Berlin Street" is a welcome addition to the growing body of work concerning the German Expressionist movement in general, and the life and work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner in particular. No academic library Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of "Kirchner And The Berlin Street".


The Archaeology Shelf

Before Santa Fe
Jason S. Shapiro, Ph.D.
Museum of New Mexico Press
PO Box 2087, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2087
9780890135211, $39.95 www.mnmpress.org 1-800-249-7737

Written by archaeology and anthropology teacher Jason S. Shapiro, Before Santa Fe: Archaeology of the City Different draws upon over a century of archaeological exploration in and around the Santa Fe area, distilling the sum of gathered knowledge in a scholarly presentation ideal for reference shelves yet accessible to lay readers as well. Chapters discuss the different types of peoples who once lived in the Santa Fe area, with especial focus on its developmental period (600-1200 C.E.), coalition period (1175-1325 C.E.), and classic period (1325-1540 C.E.). Exhaustive notes and a list of references round out this top-notch analysis, enhanced with a handful of charts and black-and-white photographs.

The Red Land
Steven E. Sidebotham, Martin Hense, and Hendrikje M. Nouwens
The American University in Cairo Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9789774160943, $39.50 www.aucpress.com 1-800-758-3756

Classical archaeology and ancient history professor Steven E. Sidebotham, freelance artist and archaeologist Martin Hense, and independent Egyptologist and archaeologist Hendrikje M. Nouwens present The Red Land: The Illustrated Archaeology of Egypt's Eastern Desert, a scholarly, in-depth reference to the rich, millennia-old history these inhospitable yet mineral-rich lands. Firmly grounded on twenty years of archaeological research and fieldwork done within Egypt's Eastern Desert, The Red Land spotlights especially significant sites, treasures, petroglyphs, cemeteries, mines, quarries, temples, and much more. Illustrated with over 280 black-and-white and color photographs, The Red Land is a seminal contribution to archaeological studies and Egyptology shelves, and a superb pick for college libraries.

From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus
Debbie Challis
Duckworth
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9780715637579, $33.00 www.ducknet.co.uk 1-800-758-3756

Former London museum employee and freelance lecturer Debbie Challis presents From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus: British Archaeologists in the Ottoman Empire 1840-1880, an extensive study of British-backed mid-1800's archaeological expeditions. Exhaustively researched, From the Harpy Tomb to the Wonders of Ephesus covers the amazing true stories behind the intelligent and driven men who led expeditions, reconstructs their labors and rewards, and analyzes the ripple effect of their discoveries. Notes, a bibliography, an index, and a handful of black-and-white photographs round out this scholarly historical chronicle. A welcome addition to archaeological history shelves.


The World History Shelf

Animal Sacrifice In Ancient Greek Religion, Judaism, And Christianity, 100 BC to AD 200
Maria-Zoe Petropoulou
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
9780199218547, $120.00, www.oup.com/us, 1-800-451-7556

Blood sacrifice is a fundamental aspect of most antiquarian religious belief systems including what would become the Judeo-Christian religions of the western world. Christianity would view the crucifixion of Jesus as the ultimate blood sacrifice and replace animal sacrifice with the sacraments of wine and bread taking the symbolic place of flesh and blood. But how was animal sacrifice carried out and how did it evolve in the context of the Greco-Roman period within which Christianity was to emerge? "Animal Sacrifice In Ancient Greek Religion, Judaism, And Christianity, 100 BC to AD 200" by Maria-Zoe Petropoulou (a teacher on the International Baccalaureate program of the Hellenic American Foundation, Athens) specifically addresses animal sacrifice, sources and methodology in ancient Greece, the character of Jewish sacrificial ritual worship and how it differed from the Greeks, and relationship of the early Christians (a widely persecuted minority within the Roman empire) to animal sacrifice up to AD 200. Of special note is Professor Petropoulou's epilogue 'A Suggestion Concerning the Reasons for the Cessation of Animal Sacrifice'. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index, "Animal Sacrifice In Ancient Greek Religion, Judaism, And Christianity, 100 BC to AD 200" is a seminal work of meticulous scholarship that has been critiqued by the Oxford Classical Monograph Series' Faculty Board of Classics, and therefore is very strongly recommended as an informed and informative addition to personal, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Mehmed II The Conqueror
Marios Philippides, editor and translator
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies
Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874402, Tempe, AZ 85287-4402
9780866983464, $53.00 www.asu.edu/clas/acmrs 1-480-965-5900

Edited and translated by Marios Philippides (professor of Classics, University of Massachusetts), Mehmed II The Conqueror And the Fall of the Franco-Byzantine Levant to the Ottoman Turks: Some Western Views and Testimonies is a collection of primary historical sources concerning the fall of Constantinople and the subsequent Ottoman advance in the Aegean from 1453 to 1481. Including both historical and ethnographic material, the contents of Mehmed II The Conqueror range from eyewitness accounts to the most studious and well-informed of third party analyses of the era. Each two-page spread consists of primary source material in its original Latin on the left, and English translation with extensive footnotes on the right. Appendices, a bibliography, and separate indexes keyed to people and places of note round out this scholarly contribution to humankind's knowledge of history. Highly recommended especially for college library world history collections, and an excellent advanced text for anyone studying Latin as well.


The Political Science Shelf

The Legislative Branch of Federal Government
Gary P. Gershman
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
9781851097128, $95.00 www.abc-clio.com 1-800-368-6868

The Legislative Branch of Federal Government: People, Process, and Politics is an in-depth, user-friendly reference that meticulously spells out precisely how the legislative branch of America's federal government works. Chapters describe how the United States Constitution set up the federal legislature, its roles, functions, and powers, its structure and process, the people who serve within it, its politics, and its interactions with the other branches of federal government. In addition, nearly half of The Legislative Branch of Federal Government reproduces historically significant documents and speeches, from writings by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton to The Civil Rights Act, key trials in American history, and more. An up-to-date resource worthy of the highest recommendation for public library collections.

Encyclopedia Of Libertarianism
Ronald Hamowy
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
9781412965804, $125.00, www.sagepub.com, 1-800-818-7243

Libertarianism is a political philosophy that is as diverse in its concepts and applications as are such companion terms as conservatism and liberalism. Knowledgeably compiled and expertly edited by Ronald Hamowy (Professor Emeritus of History, University of Alberta, and a Fellow in Social thought at the Cato Institute), the "Encyclopedia Of Libertarianism" is a 623-page compendium composed of hundreds of informed and informative articles contributed by recognized authorities and presenting points of view on libertarianism with respect to economic, social, political, philosophical, cultural, individual, legal, historical, and psychological concepts and issues. Beginning with an impressive introductory essay providing an extensive historical and thematic overview of the development of libertarian thought that includes its significant contributors, events, and publications, "Encyclopedia Of Libertarianism" is enhanced with a Reader's Guide groups content of value for students and researchers by enabling the study of libertarianism topically, biographically, and by public policy issue area. A seminal work of enduring academic value which is also available as an electronic reference work (9781412965811, $155.00), the "Encyclopedia Of Libertarianism" is a fundamental contribution to academic library reference collections and highly recommended to the attention of students, political activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in political science in general, and libertarian philosophy in particular.

Crisis At The Polls
Robert M. Hardaway
Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780313351259, $49.95, www.greenwood.com, 1-800-225-5800

A free and fair election means that every qualified citizen votes, and every legitimate vote gets counted honestly. Unfortunately in all too many elections voting at the polls has been beset by a number of problems, some of which are so severe as to violate the law and corrupt the political system. Ranging from fraudulent votes to deliberate voter suppression, from bribery to physical violence, from ballot stuffing to 'hanging chads', the electoral history of the United States has been a checkered one. This is the subject of "Crisis At The Polls" by Robert M. Hardaway (Professor of Law at the University of Denver College of Law) who provides a systematic exploration of the election administration, historical and comparative perspectives, and a great deal of insightfully informed and informative commentary on the subjection of known attempts to subvert the democratic system of free elections. Enhanced with a Chronology, a Glossary, and an extensively annotated bibliography of print and electronic materials for further study, "Crisis At The Polls" is a seminal work of meticulous scholarship and an invaluable acquisition for academic and community library Political Science and American History reference collections.


The Genealogy Shelf

In Search of Your German Roots
Angus Baxter
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806317847, $16.95 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

Now in an updated fourth edition, In Search of Your German Roots is a guide created to help readers track their German ancestry, regardless of their personal familiarity with the craft of genealogy. Chapters walk one through conducting research via correspondence and e-mail; working at home on an ordinary personal computer with internet access; and tapping into the resources of libraries, archives, and church and state records. Filled with useful websites and e-mail addresses as well as the newest facilities and records available, In Search of Your German Roots is a solid, easy-to-use, plain-terms manual, highly recommended especially for anyone just starting a research project.


The Woodworking Shelf

Turning Wood
Richard Raffan
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470
9781561589562, $24.95, www.taunton.com, 1-800-477-8727

Woodworking is not just a popular do-it-yourself pastime; it can also be an artistic means of expression, a source of lucrative income, and a successful counter to the stresses and strains of daily life. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded third edition, "Turning Wood" by internationally acclaimed woodworker Richard Raffan draws upon his more than twenty years of experience and expertise to provide aspiring woodworkers with a superbly presented and profusely illustrated instruction manual for turning out such beautiful objects as wooden bowls, boxes in the round, lamp bases, and furniture parts. Beginning with a 'users guide' to the lathe, "Turning Wood" covers such areas as 'Fixings'; Cutting Tools; Safety, Tool Handling & Cutting; Measuring, Centerwork, Facework, Hollow Vessels, and Finishing. Of special note are the two appendices 'Troubleshooting' and 'Selecting and Seasoning Wood'. As informed and informative as it is practical and step-by-step instructive, "Turning Wood" is an invaluable and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, school wood shop, and community library woodworking reference collections. Also very highly recommended is Richard Raffan's new illustrated woodworking instructional manual "The Art Of Turned Bowls" (9781561589548, $24.95).


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

Great Producers
Iris Dorbian
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, Suite 510, New York, NY 10010
1581156464, $19.95, www.allworth.com

A good performing troupe is only as good as its weakest link, and a weak producer will sour it more than anything. "Great Producers: Visionaries of the American Theater" is a guide to effectively producing live theater. With advice from many of the best producers in American theater today, it acts as both a set of tips for aspiring producers and a look backstage for fans. "Great Producers" is a highly recommended book with a dual appeal.

The Encyclopedia Of Superheroes On Film And Television
John Kenneth Muir
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786437559, $75.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com, 1-800-253-2187

Superheroes have been a staple of American popular culture beginning with the advent of dime novels and pulp magazines. From the introduction of Superman and Batman during the grim years of the Great Depression, to today's multiplying legions of super heroes and heroines, this action/adventure fantasy genre continues to be wildly popular and with the advent of CGI special effects for television and movies, shows no signs of wearing out its welcome with the American public. Now John Kenneth Muir (the author of twenty-two reference books covering science fiction and horror on film and television) presents a newly updated and significantly expanded second edition of "The Encyclopedia Of Superheroes On Film And Television" that begins with an overview survey of the history of super heroes in film and television, then proceeds with an alphabetical encyclopedic series of 'filmographies' ranging from The Amazing Spider-Man to Zoom: The Academy for Superheroes. "The Encyclopedia Of Superheroes On Film And Television" is then enhanced with a two-page Conclusion by Muir, appendices on Conventions and Cliches; Incarnations; Memorable Ad-Lines; and The Best, Worst and Most Influential. This is followed by Notes, Bibliography, and an Index. "The Encyclopedia Of Superheroes On Film And Television" is a work of impressive dimensions and enthusiastically recommended for personal, community, and academic library reference collections.


The Military Shelf

82nd Airborne
Fred Pushies
Zenith Books
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 Fist Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760334652, $19.99, www.mbipublishing.com, 1-800-458-0454

The 82nd Airborne is a legendary American military force that began as an infantry division based at Camp Gordon, Georgia on August 25, 1917. Consisting principally of draftee soldiers from all over the country and who gave commendable service on the battlefields of World War I, the division was referred to as the 'All Americans' and wore a distinctive AA patch on their uniforms. On August 15, 1942 the division was re-designated the 82nd Airborne Division and parachuted into combat more than any other division seeing action in World War II. Today the 82nd Airborne is a flexible and modular fighting force able and ready to deploy anywhere around the globe. Most recently the division is conducting operations throughout Iraq and been deployed to Afghanistan as well. In "82nd Airborne" author Fred Pushies provides readings with an illustrated history of this fabled division whose members have received many Medal of Honor citations and other military honors over the years making it a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Military History reference collections and reading lists.


The Interior Design Shelf

Grand Master Baths
Janice Anne Costa
Creative Homeowner
PO Box 38, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458-0038
www.creativehomeowner.com
9781580113885, $19.95, 1-800-631-7795

American bathrooms range from the utilitarian to the decadent. In "Grand Master Baths", Janice Anne Costa draws upon her experience and expertise as the editor of 'Kitchen & Bath Design News' to present a visually enhanced series of bathroom designs that reflect the very cutting edge of what can be accomplished in homes today. From the bathroom as a private sanctuary with all manner of indulgences, styles of furniture, tiles, metal work, lighting, high-tech flourishes, and accessorizing finishing touches, "Grand Master Baths" offers a cornucopia of ideas and images that are as diverse as they are impressive. Of special note is the section dedicated to presenting the bathroom as a part of a Bath Suite, and would incorporate a Sitting Room, a Walk-In Closet, a Dressing Room, a Breakfast Bar, and/or an Exercise Area. Enhanced with a four page Resource Guide, an extensive Glossary of specialized terms, and an Index, "Grand Master Baths" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Interior Design reference collections.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Know the Bible in 30 Days
J. Stephen Lang
Ideals Publications
535 Metroplex Drive, Suite 250, Nashville, Tennessee 37211
9780824947330, $24.99 www.guidepostsbooks.com

Know the Bible in 30 Days: Discovering Historical Facts, Biblical Insights and the Inspiring Power of God's Word is a user-friendly guide designed to help readers study and better understand God's Word in thirty days. Know the Bible in 30 Days is written from a decidedly Christian perspective; chapters discuss the Bible book-by-book, summarizing the Biblical stories and what they mean. Additional sections such as "Putting the Word to Work" raise insights for reflections and discussion, such as "The Pharisees represent the human desire to equate cleanliness with moral purity. Stop and consider whether you have been tempted to make this equation, and give some thought to Jesus' strong words about inner cleanliness." A welcome resource, highly recommended for Christians seeking to become better acquainted with the wisdom of the Bible, or refresh their appreciation of God's word.


James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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