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Volume 17, Number 8 August 2007 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Leadership Studies Shelf Poetry Shelf
Philosophy Shelf Literary Shelf Science Shelf
Photography Shelf Cookbook Shelf Business Shelf
American History Shelf Civil War Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Money/Finance Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Social Issues Shelf
Biography Shelf Economics Shelf Parenting Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Travel Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Nautical Shelf
Fiction Shelf Self-Help Shelf Native American Shelf
International Studies Shelf Art Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf Psychology Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Sports Shelf Military Shelf
Women's Studies Shelf Language Studies Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Homeowner's Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Library Science Shelf Education Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf Gardening Shelf Library DVD Shelf
World History Shelf Judicial Studies Shelf Library Music CD Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Aviation Shelf Anthropology Shelf
Computer Shelf Dance Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Architecture Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

The Frodo Franchise
Kristin Thompson
University of California Press
2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-1012
9780520247741, $29.95 www.ucpress.edu 1-510-642-9737

DVDs can be stamped out in seconds, while VHS tapes are slower to produce because they have to be recorded in real time. Time is money, and so the movie industry's movers and shakers acted decisively to all but eliminate the VHS format - by charging video rental stores exorbitantly high fees for the rights to offer VHS rentals and much lower fees for the rights to offer DVD rentals. Author Kristin Thompson (Honorary Fellow in the Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison) traces how this and numerous other profit-driven directives have permanently changed the modern film industry in The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood. Central to The Frodo Franchise is the story of Peter Jackson's celebrated three-film adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings", and the lasting impact it has had on cinematic and entertainment culture. "The Lord of the Rings" was utterly groundbreaking in that it was, from Jackson's initial vision, a commitment to three full-length movies to be released over a short period. Yet the success of the film itself is virtually eclipsed by the immense profits of the franchise label - toys, video games, movie-related books, collectibles, and countless other Lord of the Rings licensed merchandise. The Frodo Franchise examines this franchise phenomenon and its repercussions on modern cinema (where the real money to be made lies in a film that will spawn profitable sequels and merchandise, rather than one-shot stories), with especial attention paid to the construction of "The Lord of the Rings" trailblazer trilogy. Accessible to lay readers and cinema scholars alike, and illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs as well as an inset section of color plates, The Frodo Franchise is an utterly fascinating, completely unbiased behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" movies and their effect on both the body of Tolkien's famous mythology and cinema as a whole. Highly recommended.

Running With the Devil
Kerrie Droban
Lyons Press
Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781592289769, $24.95 www.lyonspress.com

Sonny Barger once boasted the Hells Angels would never be infiltrated - but the ATF sting proved him wrong, with undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives penetrating the mystique and clan. The author's access to confidential information allows her to follow ATF special agent Joseph Slatalla as he originates the idea and injects an ATF agent named Bird into the Hells Angels chapter. Bird's work would lead to the arrest of 50 people and seizure of some 650 guns: RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL: THE TRUE STORY OF THE ATF'S INFILTRATION OF THE HELLS ANGELS tells how in a riveting account which reads with the drama of fiction and will mesmerize general-interest readers at the public library level.

When She Was White
Judith Stone
Miramax Books
99 Hudson street, 5th Floor, New York NY 10013
Hyperion Books, distributor
77 West 66th Street, NY, NY 10023-6298
0786868988, $23.95 www.miramax.com www.hyperionbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

When Sandra Laing was born in 1955 to a pro-apartheid Afrikaner couple in South Africa she was registered as a white child – but upon entering a white boarding school, was persecuted by students and teachers because of her brown skin. Her parents believed an interracial union back in their family history was to blame, but neighbors thought Mrs. Laing had committed adultery with a black man and the entire family was shunned. She was reclassified as 'coloured', her parents fought the South African courts to reverse the determination, then as a teen Sandra eloped – with a black man – and her parents disowned her. WHEN SHE WAS WHITE: THE TRUE STORY OF A FAMILY DIVIDED BY RACE crosses back and forth along discrimination lines and is riveting. Impossible to put down, it will enhance any general-interest lending library and is an emotionally charged, highly recommended pick

How To Sell Toys and Hobbies on eBay
J. S. McDougall
Entrepreneur Press
c/o The McGraw Hill Companies
Two Penn Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298
9781599180069, $12.95 www.entrepreneurpress.com 1-877-833-5524

How To Sell Toys and Hobbies on eBay is a practical, easy-to-use guide for people of all backgrounds seeking to earn money selling on the internet auction website eBay - from individuals looking to make a little cash on toys in the attic to entrepreneurs striving to get a business-at-home off the ground. Chapters cover how to acquire inventory, the nuts and bolts of listing items, marketing strategies, do-it-yourself finances, when to consider hiring help to assist running one's eBay business, and much more. A highly accessible "how-to" guide that quickly pays for itself.

Disguised Weapons
Craig S. Meissner
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581603255, $25.00 www.paladin-press.com 1-800-392-2400

Author Craig S. Meissner draws upon his many years as a New York City police officer in "Disguised Weapons: The Law Enforcement Guide To Covert Guns, Knives, And Other Weapons", a profusely illustrated compendium on the diverse kinds of covert weaponry found on people in the street, prisoners in custody, and favored by those with nefarious intent. There are guns disguised as beepers and cell phones, plastic knives shaped like credit cards, stun guns in the form of pens and flashlights, even blowgun flutes and condom garrotes. Informed and informative, "Disguised Weapons" is a unique compendium of lethal covert weaponry that should be considered a 'must read' for everyone in law enforcement from the cop on the beat, to the private security guard, to the border patrol agent, to airport security personnel, to members of the armed forces in hostile territories, to defense-minded civilians.

Till We Have Built Jerusalem
Philip Bess
ISI Books
PO Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
9781932236965, $28.00 www.isibooks.org 1-800-526-7022

Philip Bess (Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Notre Dame School of Architecture) presents Till We Have Built Jerusalem, a scholarly examination of the relationship between traditional architecture, urbanism, and human flourishing, as well as the types of culture necessary to sustain traditional towns and city neighborhoods. Chapters analyze questionable intellectual assumptions of contemporary architecture, and reveals how the individualist philosophy of modern societies is physically expressed through suburban sprawl, to such an extent that it undercuts urbanism's ability to sustain itself. Till We Have Built Jerusalem concludes that the natural law tradition and communal religion can both provide the needed intellectual and spiritual depth to modern attempts to build new (and revive existing) towns and cities. Urban locales, at their best, help fulfill the human drive for order, beauty, and community, Bess argues, in this fascinating study of old versus new urbanism. Black-and-white and a few color illustrations add a visual touch to this persuasive manifesto of the common links between improving the human condition through better urban architecture and the bonds of shared religion.

Beowulf And Lejre
John D. Niles
Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies
Arizona State University, PO Box 872508, Tempe, AZ 85287-2508
9780866983686, $89.00 www.asu.edu/clas/acmrs/publications/mrts/catalo.html

Ably translated into English and knowledgeably annotated throughout by John D. Niles (Frederic G. Cassidy Professor of Humanities at the University of Wisconsin - Madison), "Beowulf And Lejre" is enhanced for modern scholarship with informed and informative contributions by the Roskilde Museum's Tom Christensen (who is the director of archaeological research Excavations at Lejre) and Beowulf expert Marijane Osborn (Professor of English, University of California). Drawing from archeological, historical, and literary sources, "Beowulf And Lejre" is an impressively detailed body of work addressing whether the Old English epic poem 'Beowulf' is merely a literary fantasy born of pre-literate folklore, are grounded in historical fact with a real-world locale. Enhanced with more than 200 illustrations (50 of them in color), "Beowulf And Lejre" provides academia with a wealth of documented information, analysis of recent discoveries, and an exploration of the modern pseudo-scholarly 'myth of Lejre'. A seminal work of exhaustive and painstaking scholarship, "Beowulf And Lejre" is a critically important contribution to Medieval Studies and European Archaeology Studies, as well as being a core addition to academic library reference collections for students with an interest in Scandinavian mythology.

Bicycle Repair
Rob van der Plas
Van der Plas Publications
c/o Cycle Publishing
1282 - 7th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94122
1892495554, $22.95 www.cyclepublishing.com

Rob van der Plas is a San Francisco based mechanical engineer with a lifelong passion for the bicycle. This passion is reflected in this writing of several books about bicycle, as well as articles about bicycles for various trade and consumer cycling periodicals. His technical expertise is such that he has been an expert witness in patent disputes and other legal cases regarding bicycle technology. Profusely illustrated throughout with color photography, "Bicycle Repair: Maintenance & Repair Of The Modern Bicycle" is his newest work and is specifically designed to enable the non-specialist general reader to acquire the ability to maintain and repair all types of bicycles. Fully up-to-date and covering all the latest equipment and accessories (as well as older models of bicycles), "Bicycle Repair" covers some workshop procedures and roadside repairs, as well as preventive maintenance and adjustments of gears, brakes, and suspension. Simply stated, if you own a bicycle of any make or model, then you need your own personal copy of "Bicycle Repair" by Rob van der Plas.

Haunted Lake Huron
Frederick Stonehouse
Lake Superior Port Cities Inc.
PO Box 16417, Duluth, MN 55816-0417
9780942235791, $14.95 www.lakesuperior.com 1-888-244-5253

"Haunted Lake Huron: Lake Myths, Wrecks & Spirits" by author, historian, and National Park Service consultant Frederick Stonehouse is a compilation of supernatural stories and legends about cursed ships, lakeside spirits, lighthouse ghosts, and other mysterious phenomena associated with Lake Huron. From a retired insurance man who realizes he's been sharing long talks with a ghost while sitting on the porch of the 'grand Hotel on Mackinac Island; to a young bride's prophetic nightmare (which her husband, a doctor, ignores) and they, along with twenty-two others on board the ill-fated steamer 'Waubuno' at Collingwood vanish, never to be seen or heard from again; to orange lights shining from some sort of craft hovering just above houses creating a rash of UFO sightings in the Unionville area of Michigan's 'thumb', "Haunted Lake Huron" offers a compendium of fascinating tales -- all delivered with an acerbic writing style and historic sensibility by Frederick Stonehouse which his readers will appreciate. "Haunted Lake Huron" is a welcome and highly recommended addition to academic and community library Regional Folklore collections.

Shooter's Bible
Stoeger Books
17603 Indian Head Highway, Accokeek, MD 20601
9780883173435, $24.95 www.stoegerbooks.com

Stoeger Books is the premier publisher of reference books on rifles and pistols. First published in 1924, and now in it's newly revised and expanded 99th edition, Stoeger Books "Shooter's Bible" continues to be the preferred and comprehensive firearms reference guide covering new products, specifications, and prices on thousands of firearms and related equipment. In addition to informed and informative feature articles, this edition of "Shooter's Bible' covers handguns, rifles, shotguns, black powder, sights and scopes, ammunition, ballistics, and reloading. Superbly organized and profusely illustrated throughout, "Shooter's Bible" continues to be an essential, core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library firearms reference collections. Also very highly recommended from Stoeger Books for firearms reference collections is the new 30th edition of their "Gun Trader's Guide" (9780883173442, $24.95).


The Leadership Studies Shelf

Toolkit For Organizational Change
Tupper Cawsey & Gene Deszca
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
9781412941068, $54.95 www.sagepub.com 1-800-818-7243

The collaborative work of Tupper Cawsey (Professor of Business, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) and Gene Deszca (Professor of Business Administration, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), "Toolkit For Organizational Change" is a thoroughly 'student friendly' and comprehensive introduction to the techniques, methods, and 'tools' for effectively creating and implementing change in an organization. Accomplished academicians and business administration experts, the authors provide insight with practical application to illustrate current theory and conceptual models with respect to modifying organizational structures. Basics in the process of successful organizational change include taking a pragmatic approach to understanding, planning, implementing, and evaluating change; emphasizing the importance of accurately and intelligibly measuring change; and using an integrated organizational change model to effect modifications. The authors employ real-world examples, exercises, and cases to illustrate theory and concepts of organizational change. Each individual chapter is positioned within an organizational change model illustrating connections between the chapters and their assigned topics. Very highly recommended for academic library reference collections and essential reading for students of Organizational Change, Organizational Development, and Organizational Leadership, "Toolkit For Organizational Change" is enhanced with the inclusion of an Instructor's Resource CD that provides PowerPoint slides, additional exercises and case studies, a sample syllabus, and a great deal more.

Leadership
Robert P. Vecchio
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
9780268043674, $45.00 www.undpress.nd.edu 1-800-621-2736

Now featuring eight new chapters, this expanded second edition of "Leadership: Understanding The Dynamics Of Power And Influence In Organizations" compiled and edited by Robert P. Vecchio (who holds the Franklin D. Schurz Chair in Management at the University of Notre Dame) is a completely up-to-date anthology of key writings on the subject of contemporary leadership in both its functional and dysfunctional aspects. The contributions are grouped around the themes of Introduction and Overview; Power and Influence; Dysfunctional Aspects of Leadership; Models of Leadership; Alternative Views of Leadership; and Emerging Issues. The thirty-five articles and essays comprising this 600-page opus range from 'Concepts of Leadership' by Bernard M. Bass, to 'Managing Your Boss' by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter, to 'The Dark Side of Leadership' by Jay A. Conger, to 'Can Leaders Learn to Lead?' by Victor H. Vroom, to 'It's Not Easy Being Green: Jealous and Envy in the Workplace' by Robert P. Vecchio. "Leadership" is a seminal body of work and especially recommended for both its standards of scholarship and its appropriateness for academic library reference collections and the supplemental reading lists of students aspiring to leadership positions in government, business, education, and community organizations.


The Poetry Shelf

The Geometry of Loneliness
Lee Passarella
David Robert Books
PO Box 541106, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1106
1933456396, $17.00 www.davidrobertbooks.com

Academician, writer, literary editor, and an award winning poet, Lee Passarella is a master of the prose poem and able to create word images that impact on both the imagination and the emotions of his reader. Enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone who appreciates well-crafted examples of lyrical prose that evokes images as effective as they are unexpected, "The Geometry of Loneliness" will prove to be a very rewarding read. 'Auto-da-fe': Cruel as the grave/you said of jealousy/that night you were even crueler,/when I came to you still/in the winding sheet. And you,/bringing resurrection like a trial,/like the fireball Jesus rides on/in the Bruenwald Resurrection:/you ask more of the faithful/than any god would ask,/a savior/like an inquisition, a Christ of napalm,/killing villages to save them,/and I your converted jew,/your reclaimed good.

Some Heaven
Todd Davis
Michigan State University
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202
9780870138003, $19.95 www.msupress.msu.edu

Pushcart Prize-nominated poet Todd Davis presents Some Heaven, an anthology of free-verse poetry about growth, change, and the twin powers of compassion and love. Poignant environmental metaphors emerge reflecting a thoughtful sense of wonder of the natural world, and its reflection on humankind. An evocative collection, recommended for seasoned poetry lovers. "First Snow, after September 11th": Last night the wind came strong / from the north, brought black / walnut and maple limbs back / to earth - fence row cluttered / in despair. Across the field / a crow beats his wings / against heavy clouds.

The Lyrics
Fanny Howe
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
9781555974725, $14.00 www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077

Prizewinning poet Fanny Howe presents The Lyrics, an anthology of free-verse poems embodying the quest for knowledge through movement, while remaining vividly conscious of political and class warfare, and the search for the demarcation line between good and evil in America. A few of the poems embody lengthy concepts and situations; others are briefer, yet all seize the reader's attention with clarity and resounding emphasis. "The Question": So why, then, did you leave the village / Of your childhood? // Why did you opt for a gray and brutalist zone / Devoted to might and money / Unless you wanted some? / Why else? / In the airport restaurants you smell shit, / And in the motel fabrics / Sex and smoke make you gag." A memorable, if at times harshly worded perspective upon the need for social justice in modern culture.


The Philosophy Shelf

The Logos of the Soul, second edition
Evangelos Christou
Spring Publications Inc.
PO Box 230212, New York, NY 10023
9780882145617, $20.00 www.springpub.com

Now in a new second edition with a preface by James Hillman, The Logos of the Soul is a classic philosophical treatise first published posthumously in 1963. Written by a gifted intellectual whose life was tragically cut short, The Logos of the Soul advances a logic for psychotherapy grounded in the concept that rights are based upon the soul. "Science does not specifically affirm the reality of the world; the meaning of such affirmations is a matter for philosophy to settle. Science is quite content to work on the world as that which happens to be at hand. To this purpose it has developed a set of rules and an ethics, which is characterized by its systematic exclusion of everything, which is not pure observation, that is, sensible-perception... The question we, therefore, ask ourselves is not what philosophical meaning we are to give to reality, but the far more relevant yet simple question, what property of the sensible world is it that enables science to consider its world as real?" An insightful delving into the higher questions and their ramifications for the disciplines of both philosophy and psychology.

The Parasite
Michel Serres, author
Lawrence R. Schehr, translator
University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
9780816648818, $19.95 www.upress.umn.edu

Written by history and science professor Michel Serres, and expertly translated from the original French by professor of French Lawrence R. Schehr (no simple feat, as Serres often expressed himself in unusual styles and multilingual puns), The Parasite is an eyebrow-raising treatise that compares how human relations are frequently identical to the relationship between a parasite and the host body. Serres does not decry this situation as universally deleterious; to the contrary, he points out that by being vocal pests, small groups can raise their collective power to influence public dialogue, engendering the diversity and complexity vital to vibrant human thought and culture. "The position of a parasite is to be between. That is why it must be said to be a being or a relation. But the attribute of the parasite... is its specificity. It is not just anything that troubles a passing message. It is not just anyone who is invited to someone's table. A given larva develops only in a certain organism and is carried only by a certain vector." Originally published in 1982, this re-release of a classic philosophical text is highly recommended especially for college library philosophy shelves and scholarly reading lists.


The Literary Shelf

Playing the Hero
Ann Dooley
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
9780802038326, $75.00 www.utppublishing.com 1-800-565-9523

Written by Ann Dooley (associate professor in the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto) Playing the Hero: Reading the Irish Saga Tain Bo Cuailnge is an in-depth scrutiny of the surviving manuscripts of the great twelfth-century Irish saga, the Tain Bo Cuailnge (Cattle-Raid of Cooley). Arguing that the scribes' work in recording the Tain Bo Cuailnge is both a transmission and a translation, Playing the Hero explores how the historical circumstances of the breadth of the twelfth century impacted the literary creativity of the minds behind this ancient classic. Intended for a scholarly audience, Playing the Hero leaves no stone unturned in its search for nuance and understanding in what Tain Bo Cuailnge can tell modern-day readers of Irish mythology and culture centuries past. Exhaustive notes, a bibliography and an index round out this fine addition to Irish historical literary studies and college library shelves.

Imagining Joyce and Derrida
Peter Mahon
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
9780802092496, $65.00 www.utppublishing.com 1-800-565-9523

Written by Peter Mahon (teacher in the Department of English, University of British Columbia), Imagining Joyce and Derrida: Between Finnegans Wake and Glas is a unique literary study that recommends enhanced study and comprehension of Joyce's literary classics though reading Derrida, and Derrida through reading Joyce. Particular emphasis is given to Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" and Derrida's "Glas" in this close study of the intertextuality of classics. Mahon also touches upon key texts by Vico, Kant, and Heidegger to ground his theories of literary analysis. Imagining Joyce and Derrida is recommended for college as a supplementary resource for advanced students scholars of Joyce's and Derrida's great works.


The Science Shelf

Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles
Zulma Gasparini, Leonardo Salgado, and Rodolfo A. Coria, editors
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
9780253348579, $49.95 www.iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

Edited by professional researchers Zulma Gasparini, Leonardo Salgado, and Rodolfo A. Coria, Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles is an amazing scientific text revealing the latest findings concerning dinosaurs that lived in the Patagonian region during the Mesozoic era. Numerous black-and-white illustrations and a handful of color plates enliven this scholarly collection of essays by a diverse array of authors. Individual essays cover a wide variety of different reptilians, from crocodyliformes to the birdlike aves to the aquatic plesiosauria. Systematically examining the biology, evolutionary history, and environmental/geological context of its subject, Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles is a technical yet utterly detailed and cutting-edge testimony, and a welcome addition to prehistoric biology and natural history shelves.


The Photography Shelf

The Essential Africa
Michael Poliza
Te Neues Publishing Company
16 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010
9783832791971, $35.00 www.teneues.com 1-800-352-0305

Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Michael Poliza is an adventurer and a pioneer in the use of digital photography. "The Essential Africa" is a beautifully produced and presented compendium of some of his very best photographs showcasing African wildlife in their natural habitats. The 184-page text features introductory comments in German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish, then goes on to presents 85 superbly crafted full color photographs of breath-taking elegance and intimacy. The next best thing to actually being on safari, "The Essential Africa" is highly recommended for armchair travelers and community library Photographic Studies and African Wildlife collections.

Historic Photos Of Theodore Roosevelt
Stacy A. Cordery
Turner Publishing Company
200 - 4th Avenue North, Suite 950, Nashville, TN 37219
9781596523364, $39.95 www.turnerpublishing.com

Upon the unexpected assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt found himself being sworn in as the 26th President of the United States and went on to become one of the most dynamic, charismatic, energetic, and popular president is American political history. "Historic Photos Of Theodore Roosevelt" is a compendium of period black-and-white photos of TR visually documenting his life and exploits as a soldier and explorer, a conservationist and big game hunter, a scientist and writer, a family man, and his time as the governor of New York, his brief term as a vice-president, and as a president. With informative captions given them by Stacy A. Cordery (web bibliographer for the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio) "Historic Photos Of Theodore Roosevelt" is a fittingly pictorial biographic presentation of a remarkable man whose political policies, ideas, and influence are still resonating in American culture today. "Historic Photos Of Theodore Roosevelt" is an impressive body of work and a strongly recommended addition to academic and community library reference collections in the areas of 20th Century American History, Photography, and Biography.

MMV Romani
William Klein
Contrasto Books
c/o General Strategic Marketing
78 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
9788889032817, $40.00 www.contrastobooks.com

A friend and colleague of such luminaries as Moravia, Fellini and Pasolini, William Klein is a master of photography and recipient of the Lucie Award for 2005. "MMV Romani" is a compilation of full color photographs of the men and women of Rome. The subjects for Klien's camera lens range from waiters to aristocrats, from lawyers to art dealers, as well as actors, marketplace vendors, truck drivers, rowers. An impressive body of photographic artistry, "MMV Romani" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, and academic library Photographic Studies reference collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

Kitchen Con: Writing on the Restaurant Racket
Trevor White
Arcade Publishing
116 John Street, #2810, New York, NY 10038
9781559708340, $25.00 www.arcadepub.com 1-800-759-0190

Any interested in the trials and tribulations of kitchen personnel and who enjoy their restaurant insights served with a healthy dose of humor will find KITCHEN CON both revealing and fun. Trevor White is himself a food critic and here writes an expose of the world of diving out, providing an insider's view of how restaurants rip off customers, how to best book a reservation in an overly popular restaurant typically booked months in advance, and how to understand the industry and restaurant critiques as a whole. Encounters with professionals pepper insights on restaurant operations in a perfect choice for any general interest lending library strong in humor and culinary exposes.

30-Minute Asian Meals
Marie Wilson
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9416
0804836922, $18.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Asian food is often noted for its involved time preparation which keeps many a home cook from experimenting with it – but with 30-MINUTE ASIAN MEALS in hand, you can put together an Asian dinner as quickly as any other cuisine. The cooking strategy is based on how long it takes to prepare rice – so the entire dish is ready at the same time. From quick preparation tips to a range of dishes from across Asia, from China to Thailand and Indonesia, chapters pack in maps, black and white photos, and easy instructions perfect for newcomers to Asian cuisine.

Gold Rush Grub
Ann Chandonnet
University of Alaska Press
Box 756240, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240
188996395X, $24.95 www.uaf.edu/uapress

GOLD RUSH GRUB: FROM TURPENTINE STEW TO HOOCHINOO is recommended for two types of collections: those strong in early Western pioneer history, and those strong in regional American cookbooks. The latter should also realize many recipes from these pioneers rely on wild game ingredients – and that there's a heavy dose of gold rush history here, which sets it a cut above your normal recipe-oriented cookbook. From stewed porcupine to miner's meals and home remedies, GOLD RUSH GRUB offers recipes and insights paired with historic photos to recreate the atmosphere of early Gold Rush days.

Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts
Rosemary Ellis, et al.
Hearst Books
c/o Sterling Publishing Company
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810
9781588165503, $29.95 www.sterlingpublishing.com 1-800-805-5489

Comprising more than 250 superbly presented recipes for delicious desserts that will please any palate, "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts" showcases wonderful dishes that range from the classics to exotic delicacies suitable for any and all dining occasions from a midnight snack, to daily family meals, to celebratory events. Profusely illustrated in full color, each recipe features a clearly listed roster of ingredients and methodical, easy-to-follow instructions. From Apricot-Raspberry Rugelach; Chunky Black-and-White Chocolate Bark; Apple Strudel; and Cherries Jubilee; to Maple-Walnut Pie; Orange Liqueur Souffle; Peanut-Butter Cupcakes; and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts" is a cornucopia of culinary delights. Of special note is an entire chapter devoted to frostings! Simply stated, if there is only room for one more cookbook on the shelf, make it "Good Housekeeping Best-Loved Desserts"!

The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book
Jessica K. Black, N.D.
Hunter House Publishers
PO Box 2914, Alameda, CA 94501-2914
9780897934855, $14.95 www.hunterhouse.com 1-800-266-5592

Naturopathic physician Jessica K. Black presents The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book, a guide offering 125 recipes, lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid, and a full week of sample menus for summer and winter months. Written especially for individuals attempting to follow an anti-inflammatory diet who have trouble finding recipes to use, The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book offers entrees, breakfasts, salads, soups, and desserts that exclude common allergens and inflammation-aggravators such as fried foods, foods with hydrogenated oils, peanuts and peanut products, alcohol, juice, caffeinated teas and sodas, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat products, corn, sugar, pork, citrus fruits and more. Chapters also recommend foods that should be prominently featured in an anti-inflammation diet, such as pineapple (due to its content of bromelain), most fruits and vegetables, garlic, ginger, tumeric, flaxseed oil, and others. An excellent, health-promoting guide especially recommended for anyone coping with arthritis or other inflammatory illnesses.

The Complete Quick & Hearty Diabetic Cookbook
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
9781580402859, $14.95 http://store.diabetes.org 1-800-ADA-ORDER

One of the most appreciated aspects of the American Diabetes Association is the publishing of cookbooks specifically designed for the needs of diabetics and pre-diabetics who must transition from unhealthy diets to healthy ones. Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "The Complete Quick & Hearty Diabetic Cookbook" continues their outstanding series of culinary compendiums by showcasing more than two hundred delicious, low-fat recipes that are thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in their preparation (especially when under time constraints for today's busy schedules) while highlighting 'old-fashioned good taste'. Ranging from English Beef Stew; Linguine with Garlic Broccoli Sauce; and Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders; to Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce; Artichokes Parmesan; and Griddle Corn Cakes, "The Complete Quick & Hearty Diabetic Cookbook" is an enthusiastically recommended compendium of palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, diabetes compatible dishes. Another also very highly recommended additions to diabetic friendly cookbook collections from the American Diabetes Association is their new edition of "One Pot Meals For People With Diabetes (9781580402637, $14.95) presenting more than 125 quick and easy recipes for soups, stews, casseroles, and more. Also not to be overlooked in a newly expanded second addition is the American Diabetes Association's "Quick & Easy Diabetic Recipes For One" (9781580402644, $14.95) which in addition to a culinary wealth of delicious dishes, includes helpful tips on meal planning, shopping, food preparation, and food storage for diabetics living on their own.

The Healthy Southwest Table
Janet E. Taylor
Rio Nuevo Publishers
PO Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703
9781933855011, $24.95 www.rionuevo.com

Janet Taylor is a culinary expert whose newest cookbook, "The Healthy Southwest Table" showcases a superbly illustrated cornucopia of savory, colorful, palate pleasing and appetite satisfying dishes associated with the American southwest. From Green Tea Cooler; Fresh Fruit Salsa; Flat Enchiladas; and Tangy Tuna Cabbage Salad; to Lemon-Lime Prickly Pear Chicken; Chipotle Barbecue Tofu and Vegetables; Leftover Fish or Chicken Tacos; and Decadent Chocolate Pudding, "The Healthy Southwest Table" features more than one hundred recipes that are as delicious as they are nutritious. The novice kitchen cook will especially appreciate the informative instructional commentaries on roasting, toasting, grilling, and working with tortillas. Further enhanced with 'Highlights of Some Nutritional Studies' and 'Making Smart Food Choices', "The Healthy Southwest Table" is confidently recommended for both personal and community library ethnic and regional cookbook collections.

500 Cookie Recipes
Phillipa Vanstone
Publicity/Marketing Department
Sellers Publishing
c/o Ronnie Sellers Productions
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
9781569065921, $15.95 www.makefun.com 1-800-625-3386

Profusely illustrated throughout with more than two hundred color photographs, Phillipa Vanston's "500 Cookies" is a compendium packed with superbly presented, kitchen-cook-friendly, do-it-yourself recipes for an amazingly extensive variety of baked goodies ideal for snacks, desserts, and celebrations. Each recipe is showcased with a succinct ingredient list combined with clear, step-by-step instructions that will result in perfect cookies every time. Of special note is the beginning section on cookie basics including techniques, equipment, ingredients, cookie types, and useful troubleshooting tips. From classics like Snicker Doodles, Brownies, Macaroons, and Peanut Butter Cookies, to exotic fare such as Florentines, Valentine Heart Cookies, Carnival Bars, and Almond Biscotti. A very strongly recommended addition to personal and community library cookbook collections, "500 Cookie Recipes" is superbly organized and presented -- and especially appropriate for the kitchens of any and all cookie enthusiasts!

Healthy Snacks For Kids
Penny Warner
Nitty Gritty Cookbooks
c/o Bristol Publishing Enterprises, Inc.
2714 McCone Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545
9781558673366, $8.95 www.bristolpublishing.com 1-800-346-4889

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Penny Warner's "Healthy Snacks For Kids" showcases more than 120 delicious, nutritious, kid-pleasing, kitchen-cook-friendly recipes, each of which is related to the new FDA approved food pyramid. Presenting background information about the new food pyramid, making children eat healthier, and diverse helpful hints, "Healthy Snacks For Kids" not only features 'Super Snacks' with names like Apple Snow, Jack's Beanstalks, and Zippety Dips, but 'Dynamite Drinks' including Monkey Milkshake, Mooseberry Juice, and Banana Chocolate Froth. The section on 'Frozen Fun' with such concoctions as Frostbit Blizzard, Arctic Oranges, and Frozen Yoggies, is followed by 'Better Breakfast' selections featuring Macaroni Omelet, Coconut Toasties, and Funny Face Pancakes. "Healthy Snacks For Kids" concludes with 'Marvelous Meals' showcasing such easy-to-prepare culinary delights as Apple Pie Sandwich, Veggie Pillows, Popeye Burgers, and Mexican Wieners. Enthusiastically recommended, "Healthy Snacks For Kids" will prove to be a favorite addition to any family's cookbook collection!

Tastes From A Tuscan Kitchen
Diane Nocentini & Madeline Armillotta
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781811477, $24.95 www.hippocrenebooks.com 1-212-685-4371

One of the newest additions to the simply outstanding roster of ethnic cookbooks from Hippocrene, "Tastes From A Tuscan Kitchen" is the collaborative effort of Italian culinary experts Diane Nocentrini and Madeline Armilotta who first met in a small village about 16 miles outside of Florence, Tuscany. They decided to co-author a Tuscan cookbook with recipes specifically designed for the American kitchen cook and which would reflect the culinary traditions, flavors, and dishes of the Mediterranean countryside of Tuscany. Showcasing more than 150 recipes that are easy to prepare on short notice, wholesome, nutritious, delicious and particularly suited to daily cooking schedules, the recipes range from appetizers, to soups and salads, to entrees and desserts. Of special note are the chapter of recipes devoted to the use of Eggs and section devoted to Tuscan wines. The recipes feature such tempting fare as Lasagne con Ragu (Meat Lasagne), Costolette di Maiale con Salvia e Chianti (Pork Chops with Sage and Chianti), Frittata di Patate e Verdure (Potato and Vegetable Omelet), Pomodori Ripieni con Riso (Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice), and Semifreddo al Caffe (Coffee Parfait). With the added inclusion of a chart of metric conversions, "Tastes From A Tuscan Kitchen" is a welcome and core addition to any family or community library ethnic cookbook collection.

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Juicing
Ellen Brown
Alpha Books
c/o Penguin Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781592575688, $14.95 www.penguin.com 1-800-847-5515

Turning fruits and vegetables into drinkable juices is a surefire way of making certain we consume five daily services of them to insure good health based on sound nutrition. Ellen Brown's "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Juicing" offers a series of failure-proof juice recipes that can be easily and quickly prepared in the family kitchen with a blender, a food processor, or a juicer. Substitute suggestions for recipes ingredients for those with specific food allergies is also provided. Of special note is the inclusion of sound and practical advice about buying and storing perishable produce. There is even a handy resource listing of fruit and vegetable nutrients. This specialized and thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of recipes will enable even the most novice kitchen chef to combine juices for more savory flavors, tempt the palate with tropical tastes, enhance the flavors of juices through the infusion of herbs, crate hearty and delicious soups from juicing variations, and even discover how to brew delectable fruit teas. "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Juicing" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to family and community library cookbook collections.

Sweet Addition Cooking Series
Dannielle Myxter & Jan Marie Johnson
Bennett Watt HD Productions Inc.
13021 - 244th Avenue SE, Issaquah, WA 98027
DVD set, $112.95 www.Bennett-Watt.com 1-800-327-2893

The 'Sweet Addition Cooking Series' consists of six outstanding, 90-minute, technically flawless, full color, step-by-step instructional DVDs, each of which is dedicated to creating particular dishes that are characterized by a very special elegance guaranteed to please any palate and satisfying any appetite. The first four ("Breakfast Pastries", "Classic Desserts", "Cookies & Bars", and "Life's Uncertain, Eat Dessert First!) feature Chef Dannielle Myxter. The last two ("A Few Of Our Favorite Things" and "Simply Salmon" feature Chef Jan Marie Johnson). The simply delicious recipes range from Strawberry Muffins; White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake; and White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies; to White Gingerbread Spice Cake with Poached Pears and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream; Sunrise Champagne Cocktail; and Chili Cinnamon Rubbed Salmon with Spicy Cabbage Salad & Mango Salsa. Although each of these thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' and enthusiastically recommended DVDs can be obtain individually ($19.95 each), dedicated family cooks, aspiring restaurant chefs, and community libraries should acquire the entire six volume series intact for their culinary reference collections.


The Business Shelf

Encore
Marc Freedman
Public Affairs
250 West 57th Street Suite 1321, New York NY 10217
1586484834, $24.95 www.publicaffairsbooks.com

ENCORE: FINDING WORK THAT MATTERS IN THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE tells of those who left corporate and other careers to find more meaningful work – something which is becoming a social trend businesses need to take note of. ENCORE tells the stories of 'encore career' pioneers who are not content nor rich enough to retire: they are locating second careers late in life which calls for new work and more meaning – and their numbers hold the key to a new social and business transformation movement, so any serious business library and public libraries catering to business professionals needs ENCORE as part of their collection.

Manage It!
Johanna Rothman
Pragmatic Programmers
c/o Dave Thomas
P.O. Box 293325, Lewisville, TX 75029-3325
0978739248, $34.95 www.pragmaticprogrammer.com

Plenty of books promise project management skills and most contain concrete, practical information – especially when it's applied on a case-by-case basis meeting certain conditions rather as a global strategy for everything. This book is for software managers but also for business managers who would understand the special applications and methods for building and managing projects. From using life cycles and creating a fine team to managing meetings and multiple projects and goals, MANAGE IT! YOUR GUIDE TO MODERN, PRAGMATIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT is a highly recommended acquisition for any business library.

Dragons At Your Door
Ming Zeng & Peter J. Williamson
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422102084, $29.95 www.hbspress.org

DRAGONS AT YOUR DOOR: HOW CHINESE COST INNOVATION IS DISRUPTING GLOBAL COMPETITION discusses China's rapid integration into the global economy and its wide-ranging ramifications for world competition and strategy. College-level business courses will find this an excellent survey of how the emergence of China as a business force will fundamentally change the global economy and its alliances over the next decade. Business owners and any interested in global politics and economics must have this analysis.

The Chicago School
Johan Van Overtveldt
B2
c/o Agate Publishing Inc.
1501 Madison Street, Evanston, IL 60202
1932841148, $35.00 www.agatepublishing.com

Any college-level library dedicated to economic studies and business history will find THE CHICAGO SCHOOL: HOW THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ASSEMBLED THE THINKERS WHO REVOLUTIONIZED ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS a fine pick, offering a detailed story of how a new university far from academic and cultural centers developed a group of thinkers whose works changed global economics and politics over the past thirty years. This focus on Chicago School thinkers and movers highlights both the school's importance and its strategies in developing leaders within the economic and business worlds, making it a special pick both for Chicago and business libraries at the college level.

The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book
Cliff Ennico
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019-7420
081447425X, $19.95 www.amacombooks.org

If eBay is your major sales outlet and you have little business experience beyond it, you need The eBay Seller's Tax and Legal Answer Book, which packs in everything from what taxes need to be paid and what to deduct to protecting yourself when buying inventory and resolving seller-buyer disputes. Chapters address common problems with an eye to their legal and tax ramifications, come with sample forms, checklists and contracts, and provide clear instructions on communication processes with all entities, making this a 'must' for eBay sellers and for any general-interest public library catering to eBay sellers.

Achieve Leadership Genius
Drea Zigarmi, Susan Fowler, Dick Lyles
Financial Times
c/o Pearson Education
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
9780132353762, $25.99 www.ftpress.com 1-800-428-5331

The collaborative work of Drea Zigarmi (founding Associate of The Ken Blanchard Companies and co-creator of the best-of-class developmental leadership model 'Situational Leadership II'), Susan Fowler (creator and lead developer of The Ken Blanchard Companies Situational Self Leadership program), and Dick Lyles (President and CEO of Leadership Legacies, a company that focuses on developing a new generation of leaders), "Achieve Leadership Genius: How You Lead Depends On Who, What, Where, And When You Lead" is an informed and informative instruction manual for men and women charged with the responsibility of leading individuals, teams, organizations, alliances, as well as themselves. Thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Achieve Leadership Genius" lays out the five critically important leadership practices that apply to any leadership scenario regardless of who is to be led, as well as how to handle those unique issues that inevitably will arise in every leadership context and circumstance. An exceptionally well written and organized instructional guide and reference, "Achieve Leadership Genius" is especially recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Business Leadership collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Business Coaching Handbook
Curly Martin
Crown House Publishing
PO Box 2223, Williston, VT 05495-2223
9781845900601, $27.95 www.CHPUS.com 1-877-925-1213

"The Business Coaching Handbook: Everything You Need To Be Your Own Business Coach" by Curly Martin (author, international speaker, and a pioneer of life coaching in Europe) is a complete, superbly written, throughly reader friend, do-it-yourself instruction manual for anyone needing to assess the condition of their business enterprise and figure out how to insure its commercial viability and profitability in today's increasing volatile and competitive marketplace. "The Business Coaching Handbook" covers a compendium of relevant issues ranging from setting goals, investing time for best results, customers, sales leads, marketing, publicity and advertising, socializing, staff management, finances, outsourcing, and succession planning. enhanced with an extensive bibliography, an author resource guide, and an index, "The Business Coaching Handbook" is an invaluable and very practical introduction to improved business management skills and essential reading for anyone contemplating launching their own business, or who is already engaged in the responsibilities of business management and seeking to improve their skills and performance.

Lessons On Leadership
Jack Stahl
Kaplan Publishing
1 Liberty Plaza, 24th floor, New York, NY 10006
Jane Wesman Public Relations (publicity)
322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1702, New York, NY 10001
9780793194742, $22.00 www.kaplanpublishing.com 1-800-223-2336

An experienced and successful CEO of the Coca-Cola company's North American group (who also served as head of their global corporation) for twenty-two years, and later serving for five years as CEO of Revlon, Jack Stahl writes with a very special expertise on the subject of leadership in the management of a business with "Lessons On Leadership: The 7 Fundamental Management Skills For Leaders At All Levels". A gifted writer, Stahl expertly simplifies the complexities of running a business by introducing, explaining, and illustrating seven frameworks that cover many of the situations that are commonly encountered by managers when building up world-class organizations in a volatile and competitive marketplace be it local, regional, national, or international. These frameworks relate to the basic issues of leadership and management; creating a high-capability organization; developing human resources; brand positioning with consumers; customer relationship management; financial strategy and management; and 'influencing people'. "Lessons On Leadership" is strongly recommended reading, especially for business students, employees aspiring to management responsibilities, and managers charged with advancing their company's best interests and bottom-line profitability.

The Certified Quality Process Analyst Handbook
Eldon H. Christensen, Kathleen M. Coombes-Betz, Marilyn S. Stein
Quality Press
PO Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005
9780873897099, $63.00 www.asq.org/quality-press 1-800-248-1946

Co-authored by Edon 'Chris' Christensen (president of the management consulting firm Christensen Associates Inc.), Kathleen Coombes-Best (A senior member of ASQ, a deputy regional director and section education chair, and a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence), and Marilyn Stein (a senior quality engineer and quality systems coordinator at the Lewiston operations facility of ATK -- a leading provider of advanced weapon and space systems), "The Certified Quality Process Analyst Handbook" was specifically designed to assist readers preparing for Certified Quality Process Analysis certification. The thirty chapters comprising this informed and informative textbook are methodically organized into four major sections: Quality Basics; Problem Solving and Improvement; Data Analysis; and Customer-Supplier Relations. Enhanced with the four appendices ('Quality Process Analyst Body of Knowledge'; 'Areas Under Standard Normal Curve'; 'Control Limit Formulas'; and 'Factors for Control Charts'), "The Certified Quality Process Analyst Handbook" also features extensive end notes, a glossary, references, and an index. Clearly, "The Certified Quality Process Analyst Handbook" is a basic and comprehensive textbook that should be a part of every academic, corporate, and professional Quality Analysis Certification reference collection.

Incorporating Your Business
Michele Cagan
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor, Avon, MA 02322
9781598690941, $19.95 www.adamsmedia.com 1-800-872-5627

Michele Cagan draws upon her many years of experience and expertise as an accountant, a tax advisor, a small business services planner, and a teacher of accounting and computer skills to community college students and private business owners to write "Incorporating Your Business: From Legal Issues To Tax Concerns, All You Need To Establish And Protect Your Business". The newest addition to the Adams Business series 'Streetwise', this 370-page compendium of instructional advice is impressively 'user friendly' and an ideal introduction for non-specialist general readers aspiring to launch their own company, and will prove an invaluable resource for anyone already engaged in a small business enterprise and needing to insure its viability through effective record keeping and the benefits of incorporation. "Incorporating Your Business" covers all pertinent issues to the subject including where an S corporation or a C corporation would be best for a particular business enterprise; which state and federal regulations will affect a corporation; avoiding the hidden costs associated with incorporating a business; as well as tax planning strategies and required accounting practices when incorporated. Practical, informative, methodical, expertly written and superbly organized, "Incorporating Your Business" should be considered essential reading for anyone contemplating launching their own company or who has an unincorporated business and is considering the possible benefits of incorporation.

Sleeping With Your Business Partner
Becky L. Stewart-Gross & Michael J. Gross
Capital Books, Inc.
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166
9781933102436, $16.95 www.capital-books.com 1-800-758-3756

The collaborative work of Becky and Michael Gross, "Sleeping With Your Business Partner: A Communication Toolkit For Couples In Business Together" is the newest title in Capital Books' outstanding 'Capital Career & Personal Development Series', and focuses specifically upon operating a 'Mom & Pop' business enterprise where the husband and wife work together. There are both benefits and detriments to such an arrangement that arise from gender differences, conceptual differences, the need to balance family and work, conflict resolution strategies and techniques, personal and professional communication skills, the demands of teamwork and the necessity of positive attitudes. Superbly written, deftly organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly', "Sleeping With Your Business Partner" should be considered a 'must read' for anyone thinking about (or already engaged in) a business with their spouse.

High Performance Business Strategy
Ap Eigenhuis & Rob van Dijk
Kogan Page USA
525 South 4th Street, #241, Philadelphia, PA 19147
9780749450137, $70.00 www.koganpage.com 1-800-232-0223

The collaborative work of Ap Eigenhuis (founder of Applico HR Consultancy and a former Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Unilever) and Rob van Dijk (consultant and a manager at the Hay Group), "High performance Business Strategy: Inspiring Success Through Effective Human Resource Management" is specifically written to enable corporate senior management to identify, analyze, and improve staff and business performance. Human Resource directors will learn effective and applicable strategies for maximizing staff performance by creating higher levels of people engagement and commitment; build more effective corporate teams; communicate shared vision and values in a compelling manner; coach for improved management and team performance; and create a corporate climate amenable to organizational success. Through the use of illustrated case studies, as well as the inclusion of a number of practical checklists, "High Performance Business Strategy" is thoroughly a thoroughly 'user friendly' instruction manual that is especially recommended reading for anyone charged with the responsibility for corporate success in an increasingly global and competitive marketplace.

Don't Take The Last Donut
Judith Bowman
Career Press Inc.
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
9781564149299, $19.99 www.careerpress.com 1-800-227-3371

Judith Bowman is the founder of Protocol Consultants International and provides training, seminars, personal coaching, and speaking services for small and mid-sized companies -- as well as Fortune 500 firms. Bowman draws upon her many years of experience and expertise in "Don't Take The Last Donut: New Rules Of Business Etiquette" to provide sound instruction and advice to anyone involved with various aspects of business ranging from contract negotiation to office small talk. From the business lunch to the annual board meeting, there are protocols and normative standards of conduct that must be adhered to in order to insure success. Thoroughly 'reader friendly' and impressively informative, "Don't Take The Last Donut" is a 'must read' for anyone who has ever forgotten a client's name, endured an awkward moment, had to 'work the room', make a positive first impression, or engage in a business meeting with someone from another culture, another country.


The American History Shelf

American Windmills: An Album of Historic Photographs
T. Lindsay Baker
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
0806138025, $34.95 www.oupress.com 1-800-627-7377

Any collection strong in early American history will find plenty to admire in AMERICAN WINDMILLS, by an expert historian on windmill who's been writing about wind-power history for a decade. His coverage here gathers historic images captured by professional windmiller B.H. Burdick and from corporate archives of windmill manufacturers, so it goes far beyond the usual light travelogue approach to cover the entire country's windmill production. Photos show wind machines in use and in manufacture and provide a fine survey which could have been equally well profiled in our Photography Shelf area, but which is recommended here as a top pick for any comprehensive collection strong in early American history.

Splendid Failure
Michael W. Fitzgerald
Ivan R. Dee
1332 N. Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60622-2694
1566637341, $26.00 www.ivanrdee.com

SPLENDID FAILURE: POSTWAR RECONSTRUCTION IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH is a pick recommended for any college-level collection strong in American Civil War history in general and Southern history in particular. It analyzes and surveys the role of the Radical Republication Reconstruction policies which followed the war with particular attention to the role they played in the overthrow of their own program, offering a different interpretation of Reconstruction and the struggle for civil liberties in the South. An excellent survey evolves which offers depth and detail especially suitable for classroom debate and discussion.

Prohibition: 13 Years That Changed America
Edward Behr
Arcade Publishing
116 John Street, #2810, New York, NY 10038
1559703916, $14.99 www.arcadepub.com 1-800-759-0190

Any high school or public library collection strong in American social history needs Prohibition: 13 Years That Changed America: it charts the days of prohibition, the moonshine, speakeasies and druggist businesses which evolved ways around it, and bootleggers alike, blending biography and social history with an entertaining analysis of the roots of Prohibition and its effects on American culture even to modern times. An excellent guide for any collection strong in American history or medicine.

Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York
Hilary Ballon and Kenneth T. Jackson, Editors
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0393732061, $50.00 www.wwnorton.com

Robert Moses saw himself on a rescue mission to save New York City from obsolescence and decline, devising a vast building program aimed to modernize the entire city and expand its attractions to the middle class. ROBERT MOSES AND THE MODERN CITY examines this entire process, survey his works, how they shaped New York City, and how they were injected into the city's culture. Seven short essays by leading scholars of urban history accompany new photos in this first in-depth survey of his building program. Any collection strong in American architectural or urban history in general or New York images and history in particular must have this, which is deserving of repeated, ongoing recommended.

Classic American Diners
Don Preziosi
Schiffer Publishing
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
0764326104, $39.95 www.schifferbooks.com

The classic American diner is an image embodying American culture, and here matchcovers and postcards which captured these images and were giveaway promotional items are presented in a collection which could've been featured in our Collector's Corner, but deserves a spot here for artistic and historical significance. Over 400 examples in color are included, along with a history of the diners and details on postcards and period matchcovers. Perfect for both collector's libraries and for art and American history holdings.

South Street
Barbara G. Mensch
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
9780231139328, $29.95 www.columbiaedu/cu/cup 1-800-944-8648

Profusely illustrated with illustrative photos, "South Street" by Barbara G. Mensch is a history of New York City's famous Fullerton Fish Market. Barbara's photography combines nicely with her lively and informative stories of a colorful community of fishmongers who worked together, resisted outside influences of government and corporations, and basically policed themselves. "South Street" concludes with the closure of the docks and the opening of the Seaport mall which was viewed at the time as the result of the expulsion of control by organized crime and the emergence of domination by corporations. A work of impressive scholarship combined with talented narration, "South Street" is enthusiastically recommended for academic and community library American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Rangeley And Its Region
Stephen A. Cole
Tilbury House, Publishers
2 Mechanic Street, Gardiner, ME 04345
9780884482956, $30.00 www.tilburyhouse.com 1-800-582-1899

The Rangeley Lakes region of western Main is an area dominated by four big lakes and linked by streams. This lake system more resembles a series of inland seas than simple and connected freshwater lakes. Sporting camps and lodges became numerous and as tourists were able to access the area by carriage, train, and steamboat in ever larger numbers, a local economy evolved that included craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and guides. By the 1870s a double-ended, lightweight, shapely, swift boat was developed and favored by guides. "The Rangeley And Its Region: The Famous Boat And Lakes Of Western Maine" by Stephen A. Cole (director of natural resources and sustainable communities programs at the community development corporation Coastal Enterprises, Inc.) is the detailed and profusely illustrated history of the area along with the technological innovations and cultural changes associated with the distinctive boat included seas added to the thwarts fo keep the craft passenger centered, and a squaring of the stern to accommodate a motor. The hand-crafted Rangeley boat declined with the coming of post-World War II introduction of factory produced aluminum and fiberglass boats. Yet this unique craft continues to be seen plying the waters of the Rangeley Lakes. "The Rangeley And It Region" is a unique and highly recommended regional history that would make a welcome and popular addition to academic and community library collections.

The Sugar Masters
Richard Follett
Louisiana State University Press
P.O. Box 25053, Baton Rouge, LA 70894-5053
9780807132470, $18.95 www.lsu.edu/lsupress 1-800-861-3477

"The Sugar Masters: Planters And Slaves In Louisiana's Cane World, 1820-1860" by Richard Follett (American History Instructor, University of Sussex, England) is an analytical history of the employment of slaves in the sugar cane industry as practiced in Louisiana during the early 19th century. The focus is on labor management practices used to control and exploit a slave-oriented labor system within the contemporary context of capitalism, hierarch, paternalism, and ethics. A seminal contribution to pre-emancipation Louisiana, "The Sugar Masters" is a model of scholarship in terms of the underlying empirical research, as a demographic study, and in expanded our understanding of the social and cultural history of slavery, agricultural, and cultural practices of the era. A very highly recommended addition to academic library collections, "The Sugar Masters" is especially recommended reading for students in the disciplines of Black History, American History, Louisiana History, and American Economic History.

A Song Of Yamhill
Gordon N. Zimmerman
Binford & Mort Publishing
5245 N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Suite C, Hillsboro, OR 97124
0832305596, $24.95 www.binfordandmort.com

It wasn't until the late 1800s that American pioneers scaled the mountains surrounding the Nehalem Valley in western Oregon. They had to penetrate an extensive and dense forest, cross ridges, and follow streams until they could reach the banks of the swiftly flowing Nehalem River and create their settlements. These hardy folk grappled with creating their farms, timber harvests, and fledgling communities as a basis for their visions, hopes and dreams for the future. They and their children and their children's children were 'shaped, taught, and helped' by the land they settled and which grew into becoming the what it is today. Chronologically organized (Pioneer Time 1860-1899; Timber Time 1900-1939; War Time 1940-1979; and Transition Time; 1980-2002", A Song Of Yamhill And Oregon's Northwestern Willamette Valley" is the superbly researched and deftly written history of a remarkable people and the equally remarkable country they were to transform from a wilderness into what it is today. Enhanced with historic illustrations and photos, the inclusion of a Bibliography, and several appendices that include a 'List of Postmasters'; 'McKenney's Pacific Coast Directory 1883-85'; 'Plat of North Yamhill -- 1901 Copy'; and 'The Zimmerman's of Yamhill at Oregon State 1909-1994', "A Song Of Yamhill" is an informed and informative regional history and a welcome addition to academic library American History and Oregon State History reference collections.

A Dictionary Of Iowa Place Names
Tom Savage
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
1587295318, $19.95 www.uiowapress.org 1-800-621-2736

Compiled and written by Iowa historian Tom Savage, "A Dictionary Of Iowa Place Names" is organized by counties and towns. Of special note is the extended section of place names associated with former Iowan counties, towns and post offices. Presented alphabetically, each place name is provided with the date the county or town was established along with a numerical cross-reference to the source for the information. Each entree is a succinct summary of the origin, derivation, or definition of the name. The section of identified sources is extensive and comprehensive. Offering a wealth of trivia information with respect to the history of Iowan communities (Dubuque is the oldest town having its origins as a mining camp in the 1780s and incorporating in 1841), A work of exhaustive scholarship which could well serve as a template for similar place name directories for other states, "A Dictionary Of Iowa Place Names" is a very highly recommended addition to academic library American History and Iowa History reference collections.

New Mexico In 1876-1887
William D. Dawson
Robert J. Torrez, editor
Rio Grande Books
925 Salamanca NW, Los Ranchos De Albuqeque, NM 87107-5647
9781890689506, $15.95 www.nmsantos.com

Compiled and edited by Robert J. Torrez (State Historian at the New Mexico State Records Center and Archives in Santa Fe from 1987 until his retirement in December 2000), "New Mexico In 1876-1887: A Newspaperman's View" is a collection of travelogs and reports by William D. Dawson when he undertook a series of journeys that took him through New Mexico. He embarked upon the D&RG railroad near Fort Garland, Colorado and traveled through the Mesilla Valley, going west to the mining towns of Silver City and Pinos Altos, New Mexico. His reports were published in 'The Santa Fe Daily New Mexican' and provided his readers with informative eyewitness descriptions of New Mexico's towns, agriculture, wineries, mines, farmers, merchants, vintners, miners, soldiers, Native Americans, outlaws, and pretty girls. "New Mexico In 1876-1887" is a unique contribution to the growing body of literate on the 19th Century American West and is especially recommended for academic library American History reference collections in general, and New Mexico State History reading lists in particular.

Doing The Works Of Abraham
B. Carmon Hardy
The Arthur H. Clark Company
PO Box 14707, Spokane, WA 99214
9780870623448, $39.95 www.ahclark.com 1-800-842-9286

The ninth volume of The Arthur H. Clark Company 'Kingdom in the West: the Mormons and the American Frontier' series, "Doing The Works Of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy, Its Origin, Practice, And Demise" by academician and Mormon historian B. Carmon Hardy (Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Fullerton) is a history of the peculiar theological doctrine of 'Celestial Marriage' that commanded male members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints under the successive leadership of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor to practice polygamy as a form of sanctified marriage. From its shadowy inception in Nauvoo, Illinois in the 1830s to its public proclamation in 1852, and through almost forty years of conflict with the federal government, polygamy was an honored practice within the Church until the Mormon leadership renounced the practice in 1890 in order to become a state, quell dissent within Church ranks, and deprive their opponents of an effective weapon in argument of what was considered by the broader American society as a scandalous practice. Especially recommended for students of Mormon History in general and the practice of polygamy in particular, "Doing The Works Of Abraham" is an impressive work of meticulous scholarship and a seminal contribution to academic library 19th Century American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Amirs, Admirals & Desert Sailors
David F. Winkler
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781591149620, $34.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Written by naval historian and U.S. Naval Reserve commander David F. Winkler, Amirs, Admirals & Desert Sailors: Bahrain, the U.S. Navy, and the Arabian Gulf the fascinating story of the strategic partnership between the United States and the Middle Eastern nation of Bahrain, who has hosted the U.S. Navy for nearly six decades. Heavily researched, Amirs, Admirals & Desert Sailors gives an overview of the establishment of an American naval presence in Bahrain during the Cold War, repercussions from Arab-Israeli conflicts and the downfall of the Iranian shah, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the attack on the USS Cole, and more. Amirs, Admirals & Desert Sailors concludes with the inception of the modern Iraq war in 2003, leaving events after 2003 to be covered by future chronicles. Notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this evenhanded and thoroughly detailed history that takes both Bahraini and American perspectives into full account.


The Civil War Shelf

The Maps Of Gettysburg
Bradley M. Gottfried
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Casemate (distributor)
1016 Warrior Road, Suite C, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
9781932714302, $39.95 www.casematepublishing.com www.savasbeatie.com

"The Maps Of Gettysburg: The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3-July 13, 1863" by academician and civil war historian Bradley M. Gottfried is a unique approach to understanding what is perhaps the single most studied battle of the American Civil War. The intense series of lethal combats comprising the Gettysburg conflict that took place around the town of Gettysburg ranged from corps-sized actions to small-unit engagements began on June 3rd and included cavalry battles, cannonades, foot regiments, and was to prove the turning point of the war which beforehand had favored the Confederates under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee, but afterwards was to have General Lee on the defensive, finally culminating in his surrender at Appomattox. "The Maps Of Gettysburg" includes thirty map sets or 'action-sections' featuring 144 detailed full-page maps that together comprise the entire campaign from beginning to end. These are reproductions of cartographic originals down to the regimental and battery level. Of special note is the accompaniment of the maps are detailed descriptions of the units, personalities, movements, and combat associated with them. The narrative and deftly written text also includes eyewitnesses quotes. "The Maps Of Gettysburg" is a seminal contribution to the growing body of Civil War literature and highly recommended reading for civil war buffs. No academic library can afford not to include "The Maps Of Gettysburg" as part of their American Civil War Studies reference collections.

A South Divided
David C. Downing
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Dr., Nashville, Tennessee 37211
9781581825879, $22.95 www.cumberlandhouse.com 1-888-439-2665

Civil War historian David C. Downing (Professor of English, Elizabethtown College) presents A South Divided: Portraits of Dissent in the Confederacy, a singularly fascinating look at the men, women, and slaves of the Confederate states who wanted no part of "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight." From public outrage over rising taxes and practices that rich slaveholders used to avoid being called to risk their lives on the front (there was even a "twenty-slave law" passed that protected slaveholders owning twenty or more slaves from the Confederate draft) to Indian tribes caught within and caught up in internecine rivalry to "cave dwellers" who used sophisticated means to evade conscription to those Southerners, particularly slaves, who outright deserted the Confederate army to join ranks with the Union, A South Divided reveals both individual stories and a grand picture of how internal dissent ultimately contributed to the Confederacy's defeat. "If all it takes to win wars is material superiority, then why did the British fail to prevent American independence and why did America fail to achieve its objectives in Vietnam?" A thoroughly engrossing "must-read" contribution to Civil War history shelves.

Chancellorsville And The Germans
Christian B. Keller
Fordham University Press
2546 Belmont Avenue, University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458-5172
9780823226504, $65.00 www.fordhampress.com 1-800-247-6553

"Chancellorsville And The Germans: Nativism, Ethnicity, And Civil War Memory" by Christian B. Keller (Associate Professor of Military History, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Belvoir, Virginia) is a seminal contribution to the growing library of Civil War literature. The focus in on the decimation of the Union's Eleventh Corps (composed of large numbers of German-speaking volunteers) by General Robert E. Lee's forces at what became known as the Battle of Chancellorsville. Poorly deployed, the unit was overwhelmed by the Confederate calvary and foot troops led by Stonewall Jackson. The unit blamed for the unexpected Northern defeat at Confederate hands. the impact on America's large German immigrant community was nothing short of devastating. Professor Keller draws upon German-language newspapers of the period, soldiers' letters, memoirs, and regimental records to reconstruct the battle and its aftermath from both military and civilian German-American perspectives and in doing so reveals the valor of the German troops. An impressively informative and very highly recommended work of original scholarship, "Chancellorsville And The Germans" traces the effects of the conflict and its aftermath on the dynamics of German immigrant inclusion and assimilation in American life. No academic library American Civil War reference collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of Professor Keller's "Chancellorsville And The Germans". Also very strongly recommended for Civil War reference collections and supplemental reading lists is Professor Keller's earlier work, "Damn Dutch: Pennsylvania Germans at Gettysburg".

Nathan Bedford Forrest
Eddy W. Davison & Daniel Foxx
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589804159, $35.00 www.pelicanpub.com 1-800-843-1724

The collaborative work of American Civil War experts Eddy W. Davison (Adjunct Professor of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona and a member of the Board of Directors of the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable), and Daniel Fox (Professor Emeritus of History, Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona), "Nathan Bedford Forrest: In Search Of The Enigma" is the man almost universally acknowledged as the best cavalry leader the Confederate army had in leading the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry. But in the decades following the civil war, Nathan Bedford Forrest was also the subject of enduring controversy as a man both acclaimed and vilified, respected and hated, and generally difficult to categorize. This new and detailed biography reveals Forrest to be complex, possessing a military genius and a generally tragic figure of his times. The biographers cover his childhood, marriage, life as a businessman who became a self-made millionaire in Memphis, Tennessee, his work as a civic leader, and offers explanation for the alleged massacre at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, his dramatic call for full citizenship for Black Southerners, and his post-civil war involvement with the infamous Ku Klux Klan. A very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library Civil War Studies and American Biography collections, "Nathan Bedford Forrest" is a work of meticulous and detailed scholarship -- and a prized contribution to the growing body of Civil War literature.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Baen Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
www.baen.com

Dave Freer's A MANKIND WITCH (1416521151, $7.99) tells of one Manfred and his Icelandic bodyguard who journey into a world of trolls and ice to find a magic pagan relic. Add a stubborn princess believed to be a witch and murderess and a captured pirate and you have solid, fast-paced adventure. John Ringo and Tom Kratman's WATCH ON THE RHINE (1416521208, $7.99) tells of evil invaders – the Posleen, a space-conquering horde with an insatiable appetite for aliens – and allies of Earth who give earthlings the rejuvenation key to limitless warriors to battle them. Whether this technology is friend or foe will be told in a desperate battle in this fast-paced adventure. Harry Turtledove edits ALTERNATE GENERALS III (1416521143, $7.99), which provides a series of alternate reality stories recreating history as it could have been had decisive battles and encounters been different. Any fan of alternate history science fiction will find this an excellent collection. Martin Scott's THRAXAS AND THE SORCERERS (1416521240, $6.99) joins others in the Thraxas series and will best be appreciated by prior fans. Here winter has come to Turai and Thraxas is hired to go undercover at the Sorcerers' Guild elections to be sure the right man is elected. Politics becomes complex and envelopes his life in this riveting adventure. David Drake's THE WAY TO GLORY (1416521062, $7.99) tells of one Lt. Daniel Leary who also has problems with politics when a paranoid officer above him begins to execute those who are out of hand. Add a conspiracy, spies and anarchy and you have a fine political scenario. Travis S. Taylor's QUANTUM CONNECTION (1416521003, $7.99) provides a sequel to WARP SPEED and is a recommended pick for prior fans. Steven is a computer whiz in college when a swarm of huge meteors falls across the world, killing his friends and family. A new world is created – and Steven becomes privy to the information that this new order also includes a new war. David Weber's OLD SOLDIERS (1416521046, $7.99) tells of one Captain Trevor, the sole survivors of a battle – and a Bolo companion who also has survived the destruction of his own unit. The doctors have put them both back together – yet healing remains, and the two must serve again, together, against impossible odds in this fast-paced military fantasy. Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill edit BEDLAM'S EDGE (1416521100, $7.99), a top pick for fantasy readers. It's a volume of new urban fantasy containing works by the best modern writers of the genre, from Eric Flint to Diana Paxson, and presents a series of adventures, from a desperate search for a bottle in which a powerful and dangerous djinn is trapped to an alternate fantasy history in which the faeries become involved in America's Civil War. Powerful characterization and to-quality writing make this a distinguished collection which stands out from the crowd of fantasy anthologies on the market.

The Founding
Dan Abnett
BL Publishing
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
1844163695, $11.99 www.blacklibrary.com

This Warhammer 40,000 omnibus gathers the novels FIRST AND ONLY, GHOSTMAKER, NECROPOLIS and the short story IN REMEMBRANCE under one cover, providing a seamless set of interrelated stories surrounding the chaotic Sabbat system, where the Imperial Guard faces invasion by heretical forces. Schemes, plots, subplots and a displaced army vie for control in a military science fiction series of scenarios certain to satisfy any reader of military science fiction.

The Aremac Project
Gerald M. Weinberg
Dorset House Publishing Co.
353 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014
9780932633705, $23.95 www.dorsethouse.com

Computer industry consultant and award-winning author Gerald M. Weinberg presents The Aremac Project, a thrilling science fiction novel. While a pair of grad students push the boundaries of neuroscience and nanotechnology to create software that takes pictures of a person's memory, a terrorist group has been bombing landmarks in Chicago, attempting to extort millions from the city. In the desperate search for clues, two agents hire the grad students, hoping to apply their experimental discoveries to learn more from a suspect's mind. When a sudden murder stymies their investigation, the investigators and the unique Aremac project become the terrorist's next target! A fast-paced read brimming with raw excitement.

Dragon Queen
Jayel Gibson
Synergy Books
2100 Kramer Lane, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78758
9781933538464, $14.95 www.bookpros.com

Celtic history aficionado Jayel Gibson presents Dragon Queen: An Ancient Mirrors Tale, a high fantasy novel and the prequel to "The Wrekening". When Yavie, born of the Dragon Queen and rightful heir to the throne, awakens from deathly slumber, she discovers a shattered world, and personal betrayal by her lover, her siblings, and even her father. Only she can reunite the seven shattered kingdoms of Aedracmorae; together with her companions, she embarks on a perilous quest to seek the ancient artifacts necessary to fulfill her destiny. Yet dire threats of chaos and shadow are waiting in the wings of the Aedracmorae's resurrection, in this sweeping magical saga of one woman's struggle to set right a land rent asunder. Enthusiastically recommended for connoisseurs of epic fantasy.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Competitive Equity
Peter J. Wallison & Robert E. Litan
American Enterprise Institute
1150 - 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
9780844742526, $20.00 www.aei.org

Financial and economic experts Peter J. Wallison and Robert E. Litan present Competitive Equity: A Better Way to Organize Mutual Funds, a manifesto arguing that the current regulatory structure for mutual funds keeps costs for investors higher than they ought to be. Chapters cover the growth of the mutual fund industry and its competitors, the paradox of mutual fund fees, and the managed investment trust option. Though at times scholarly and technical in nature, Competitive Equity is readily accessible to any reader willing to apply the necessary concentration to understand complex financial matters. Notes and an index rounds out this thoughtful, well-reasoned product of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

Real Estate Investing 101
Earnest Kelley
American Literary Press
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
9781561679539, $17.95 www.americanliterarypress.com 1-800-873-2003

Written by military veteran and career real estate broker & investor Earnest Kelley, Real Estate Investing 101is a solid primer to the world of real estate investment, for readers of all backgrounds. Chapters cover how to find the right sellers and negotiate a price, obtaining funding, screening tenants, what factors should affect the decision to rent or sell one's property, the nuts and bolts of a home inspection, and much more. "Real estate agents prefer home buyers with cash for down payments, good income, good credit rating. Their vision is getting the job done with as little work as possible. They are not up to understanding creativity in pushing deals forward. They're not very receptive to unusual offers. Without their knowing how you work, if you hand an agent an offer to purchase a property with no down payment, he'll look at you and say 'So you think I'm stupid?'" Appendices and a glossary round out this excellent, plain-terms introductory guide.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Middle River Murders
Ann Mullen
Afton Ridge Publishing
PO Box 162, Stanardsville, VA 22973
9780972532785, $24.95 www.aftonridge.com

Middle River Murders: A Jesse Watson Mystery is a steady, spine-tingling mystery novel about the hunt for a serial killer who is murdering members of an elite social club. Investigator Billy Blackhawk, aided by Jesse Watson and her mother Minnie, must uncover the truth of the killings, which appear to surround a seemingly sweet and innocent old woman named Daisy Clark. As the body toll mounts, Billy, Jesse and Minnie all have their lives thrown in jeopardy. A keep-'em-guessing whodunnit that draws the reader in and refuses to let go until the last page.

Dead Bang
Robert E. Bailey
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9781590771099, $21.95 1-800-462-6420

Retired private detective and Shamus-nominated author Robert E. Bailey presents Dead Bang: An Art Hardin Mystery, featuring the return of hard-boiled gumshoe Art Hardin. When an Islamic terrorist group manipulates and unsuspecting friend of the family to smuggle money into the country - and the money vanishes - Art becomes involved in a murderous, terrorist plot of violence and revenge. An nonstop rush of excitement from cover to cover, Dead Bang is especially recommended for fans of two-fisted intrigue.

Missing Link
Joyce Holms
Allison & Busby
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9780749081010, $25.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Written by modern Renaissance woman Joyce Holms, whose varied careers range from hotel management to working for an Edinburgh detective agency to raising two children, Missing Link is a wickedly funny Fizz and Buchanan mystery. Tenacious journalist Fizz Fitzgerald receives a surprise when an elderly woman asks Fizz for help in incriminating herself for murder! Fizz's partner Buchanan dismisses the case of a waste of time - but is it really? A perplexing mystery, in which three different people vie for the notoriety of being named a woman's murderer, Missing Link is fast-paced, irreverently funny, and highly recommended for aficionados of tongue-in-cheek mysteries.

Tubby Meets Katrina
Tony Dunbar
NewSouth, Inc.
PO Box 1588, Montgomery, AL 36102
9781588382030, $24.95 www.newsouthbooks.com 1-334-834-3556

Written by attorney and Edgar Allan Poe Award-nominated author Tony Dunbar, Tubby Meets Katrina: A Tubby Dubonnet Mystery is an exciting mystery novel set in New Orleans during the and after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. Lawyer-sleuth Tubby Dubonnet and his family ride out the hurricane itself, but when the levees break and the city floods, they wind up with other refugees in the horrific Convention Center. Tubby's daughter becomes the target of a psychopath who imagines himself to be the human embodiment of the hurricane itself, and Tubby must draw upon his wits and his connections to protect himself and his family, while striving to restore his home and help his beloved city to recover. An up close and personal view of the dangerous times after Katrina hit, and the endemic frustrations permeating the weeks that followed, Tubby Meets Katrina is a modern mystery colored with twists, turns, and real-life travails.


The Social Issues Shelf

Essays on Church, State, and Politics
Christian Thomasius, author
Knud Haakonssen, general editor
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1694
9780865974999, $12.00 www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Essays on Church, State, and Politics collects six texts of classic literature by German jurist, philosopher, reformer, and early advocate of separation of church and state, Christian Thomasius (1655-1728). Translated into English for the first time, Essays on Church, State, and Politics argues forcefully for religious tolerance while lauding the role of sovereign power to preserve secular peace. Chapters further discuss natural law, the condition of the universities, the extent and limits of princely power, and the questions of whether heresy and witchcraft should be considered crimes. A powerful advocational text of why the state should withdraw from judging morality yet maintain its right to oversee matters influencing social peace, Essays on Church, State, and Politics is overall as relevant today as it was virtually three hundred years ago.

LNG
Virginia L. Thorndike
Down East Books
PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843
9780892727018, $15.95 www.downeastbooks.com 1-800-685-7962

Written by independent researcher Virginia L. Thorndike, LNG: A Level-Headed Look at the Liquefied Natural Gas Controversy is a much-needed contribution to the public repertoire of information concerning possible solutions to and complications of the modern energy crisis. Natural gas provides approximately one quarter of the energy consumed in the United States, yet even though it appears the US will need to import even more in the future, at the present there are only five terminals designed to handle supercold liquefied gas. Are LNG plants a clean and safe source of energy, advantageous to local economies and needed more desperately than ever in today's modern oil shortage and era of turbulence in the Middle East? Or would LNG plants be horrible disasters waiting to happen, and opportune targets for a terrorist strike? What would the practical ramifications be of an LNG facility built within one to ten miles people's homes? LNG dispenses with the rhetoric and scare tactics of both sides, and offers the simple facts about LNG in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds. A handful of black-and-white pictures and an index round out this practical, down-to-earth informational primer, enthusiastically recommended for anyone concerned about the energy crisis in general or the possible construction of more LNG plants in particular.

The Deaf Way II Reader
Harvey Goodstein, editor
Gallaudet University Press
800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695
9781563682940, $80.00 http://gupress.gallaudet.edu 1-800-621-2736

Edited by Harvey Goodstein, Chair of Deaf Way II, The Deaf Way II Reader: Perspectives from the Second International Conference on Deaf Culture is an in-depth collection of 65 scholarly papers tied to the second international Deaf gathering in 2002 at Washington, DC. Contributors hail from such diverse nations as Brazil, Cyprus, Denmark, Great Britain, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and Thailand, and the topics range from "Deaf Parents with Teenage Children" to "The Status of Deaf People in Developing Countries" to "The Poetics and Politics of Deaf American Literature" and much more. A magnificent and varied compendium of the international knowledge, understanding, and insight into Deaf experience and culture, enthusiastically recommended for college libraries.


The Biography Shelf

Millions of Women Are Waiting to Meet You
Sean Thomas
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Publishing Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0306815486, $24.00 www.dacapopress.com

Author Sean Thomas was single, nearly forty, and determined to meet the woman of his dreams when he was asked by a men's magazine to try Internet dating for a year and write honestly about his experiences. Millions of Women Are Waiting to Meet You is the funny and painful story of his mishaps and encounters with the world of online dating, from women fixated on their pets to one who ended up stalking him. Also included within the memoir – besides a healthy dose of humor and self-examination – are insights on male sexuality and relationship insights that are both poignant and revealing. A fine 'must' for any single readers, and for any who have wondered about the rigors of Internet dating.

Lincoln and the American Manifesto
Allen Jayne
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781591025023, $28.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

College-level holdings strong in early American political history and social biography would do well to consider Lincoln and the American Manifesto: unlike most coverages its focus is on the moral principles that influenced his thinking, with historian Allen Jayne arguing that Lincoln regarded the Declaration of Independence as the greatest embodiment of American principles. Lincoln's moral perspective and his influence on creating the beliefs and ideals of the American union makes for absorbing discussions perfect for classroom debate and college-level study.

Socrates: A Life Examined
Luis E. Navia
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781591025016, $28.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Philosopher Luis E. Navia provides a fine biography of Socrates and reviews his philosophy in a title perfect for either advanced high school grades entering into basic philosophy studies, or college-level collections. It provides a critical, documented study of the major ancient sources about Socrates, blends in new research and critical analysis of his ideas and concepts, and considers Socrates in light of his times, history and culture. The result is a wider-ranging study than most, combining the best elements of biography with philosophical analysis and review.

On Royalty
Jeremy Paxman
Public Affairs
250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321, New York NY 10107
1586484915, $26.95 www.publicaffairsbooks.com

The UK bestseller ON ROYALTY; A VERY POLITE INQUIRY INTO SOME STRANGELY RELATED FAMILIES provides a lively survey of the royal families, examining the history, strange lineage, and unusual associations of kings and queens. Paxman has had tea with Diana at Buckingham Palace, and other encounters with royalty across Europe: here are not only exposes of royal behind-the-scenes relationships, but cultural and political explorations of different royal lines around the world. A wonderfully lively expose evolves perfect for both history collections and for general-interest readers of biography and royalty.

The Extreme Makeover of Hillary Rodham Clinton
Bay Buchanan
Regnery Publishing
One Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001
9781596985070, $27.95 www.regnery.com

Hillary Clinton has always been a dedicated liberal, until positioning herself for her 2008 presidential race. Now she's changed her beliefs to become more modern and relevant – and is being packaged as a centrist with the help of liberal media. THE EXTREME MAKEOVER OF HILLARY (RODHAM) CLINTON charts this process, revealing the foundations of her politics and her changes. Author Ray Buchanan's critical eye considers her personal and professional life alike, as well as her background as a lawyer and feminist, to reveal her underlying motivations, pros and cons. Any interested in Hillary Clinton will find this critical biographical survey thought-provoking.

Memoir of an Alcoholic American Spy
Allen Anderson
Arbor Books
19 Spear Road, Suite 301, Ramsey, NJ 07446
9780977187096, $14.95 www.amazon.com

Written by a former field case officer with the Clandestine Services of the CIA, Memoir of an Alcoholic American Spy is a gripping true-life memoir of how the demons of alcoholism and the neglect of the CIA nearly killed him. While working in Paris, he experienced frequent blackouts, and once tried to kill himself in CIA headquarters, revolver in hand, but passed out before he could pull the trigger. In addition to moments of spine-tingling suspense and dangerous professional confrontations, Memoirs of an Alcoholic American Spy also recounts the author's long road to sobriety, followed by a new career of helping other addicts. An utterly compelling read from cover to cover, yet also disturbing in its revelation of the lack of oversight the CIA has had, and may still have, over its agents.

Jackie Cochran
Doris L. Rich
University Press of Florida
University of Florida, 15 Northwest 15th Street, Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
9780813030432, $24.95 www.upf.com 1-800-226-3822

The fourth biography of a woman aviator by journalist Doris Rich, Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fastest Lane, an in-depth portrayal of Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier and the first to fly a bomber across the Atlantic. Chapters assimilate previously unpublished information about Cochran's early years and her correspondence with U.S. presidents, Air Force generals, air craft designers, test pilots, and business moguls. An evenhanded portrayal, Jackie Cochran: Pilot in the Fast Lane reveals Cochran's complex talents and characteristics - though seen by some as abrasive, she formed lasting friendships and applied her drive to earn impressive achievements. Also highly recommended is Rich's "Amelia Earhart: A Biography".

Saladin: Hero of Islam
Geoffrey Hindley
Pen & Sword
c/o Casemate
1016 Warrior Road, Suite C, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
9781844154999, $39.95 www.casematepublishing.com 1-610-853-9131

Medieval historian Geoffrey Hindley presents Saladin: Hero of Islam. Originally published in 1976, Saladin: Hero of Islam is now in a new edition, which takes into account the latest scholarship on Saladin's career and also features an updated introduction. Chapters tell how Saladin achieved a swift rise to power through conquest, intrigue, and opportunism; Saladin's tremendous gifts as a battlefield commander and military organizer stemming from his singleness of purpose and virtually unique political skill; and perhaps most unusual for military leaders of his era, Saladin's qualities and ethics that earned him a reputation for chivalry and mercy. Saladin: Hero of Islam does not idolize Saladin, yet actively seeks to understand just why his reputation in the Christian as well as the Muslim world has endured to the present day. Featuring black-and-white plates, Saladin: Hero of Islam is heavily researched yet accessible to lay readers, and highly recommended for library collections and biographical reading lists.

Sunshine Always
Paula M. Nelson, editor
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501
097491956X, $24.95 www.sdshspress.com

Edited for publication by Paula M. Nelson (Professor of History and Chairperson of the Department of social Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Platteville), "Sunshine Always: The Courtship Letters Of Alice Bower And Joseph Gossage Of Dakota Territory" was compiled by Maxwell Van Nuys, Alice Bower Gossage's nephew and the family historian. Alice Bower lived in Vermillion, South Dakota, where she occasionally worked as a typesetter and cared for her younger siblings. Joseph Gossage lived in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he founded the 'Rapid City Journal' -- what would eventually become the second largest newspaper in the state. It was his need for a good typesetter that introduced him to Alice in 1880 and the beginning of their remarkable courtship which was carried out through letters conforming to the strict social formality of the time. The letters provide a unique and engaging 'window in time' into an American yesteryear as we read of their hopes, fears, dreams, and beliefs during a time of dramatic development within the country and their own responses to hard times (including a flood sweeping away Alice Bower's home and Joseph Gossage's struggles to build his newspaper). Here is the riveting, self-described story of two young people whose communications were to lead first to love, and then to marriage. "Sunshine Always" is enthusiastically recommended reading and a welcome contribution to both academic and community library American Biography and American History collections.

The Making of a Nurse
Tilda Shalof
McClelland & Stewart
481 University Avenue, Suite 900, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2E9
9780771080951, $34.99 www.mcclelland.com 1-800-788-1074

The Making of a Nurse is the true-life story of author Tilda Shalof, a caregiver all her life, and an Intensive Care Unit nurse with twenty-five years of experience in Israel, New York, and Canada. She tells stories of overprotective "helicopter parents", so named for their tendency to hover over their children; dealing with patients ranging from gracious to delusional or even violent; to the virtual war between the mother and a girlfriend of a dying hospital patient over his comatose form. An absorbing and revealing look into the day-to-day life of a nurse, as well as the personal travails - including a stint of life on the streets - that beset the author. Highly recommended.

Finding the Jewish Shakespeare
Beth Kaplan
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
9780815608844, $24.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Written by actress, writer, and teacher Beth Kaplan, Finding the Jewish Shakespeare: The Life and Legacy of Jacob Gordin is the biography of her great-grandfather, playwright extraordinaire Jacob Gordin. Chapters recount Gordin's emigration from Russia to America, the Golden Age and the colorful characters of Yiddish theater from 1891 to 1910, the birth of Gordin's outstanding masterworks such as "Mirele Efros" and "The Jewish King Lear", and much more. An especial treat for theater history buffs, Finding the Jewish Shakespeare is rich with nuanced detail. A bibliography, index, and partial list of Gordin's plays with original titles round out this enduring tribute to a gifted playwright.

John Stark
Ben Z. Rose
Science Publisher, Inc.
c/o Enfield Distribution Company
234 May Street, PO Box 699, Enfield, NH 03748
9780978912307, $19.95 www.scipub.net

Written by securities analyst and American history buff Ben Z. Rose, John Stark: Maverick General is the true story of John Stark, a brilliant battlefield commander hailing from New Hampshire, whose skill in leading the New England militia was critical in turning the tide of the American Revolutionary War. Chapters chronicle not only Stark's life, but also his character, which was fiercely independent and utterly distrustful of authority. His tactics included unconventional combat, and he applied his extensive knowledge of British military methods to seize victory in key battles. A fascinating, in-depth portrait of a military genius who shares responsibility with George Washington and the Founding Fathers for the birth of America.

Che Guevara
Frank Niess, author
Nathaniel McBride, translator
Haus Publishing
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9781904341994, $15.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Historian Frank Niess presents Che Guevara, an in-depth biography of social revolutionary Che Guevara (1928-1967) that separates myth from reality. Expertly translated from the original German by Nathaniel McBride, Che Guevara covers Guevara's upbringing, his involvement in the Cuban Revolution, his desire to spread his ideology to other nations of South America and Africa, and much more, illustrated with vintage black-and-white photographs. "Che Guevara might not have become the revered revolutionary idol he did had he been satisfied with his part in just one, namely the Cuban, revolution... He had hopes of bringing about radical political change in his own country of Argentina, and, as one would expect of a dedicated internationalist and pan-American, he dreamed of a revolution across the entire continent. Following his years of political apprenticeship in Guatemala, he had become convinced that this region would one day become one of the most important arenas of revolutionary struggle." Notes, a chronology and an index round out this in-depth portrait of a charismatic and courageous (if at times ruthless) man who dedicated his life to his beliefs.


The Economics Shelf

The Benefits of Full Employment
Jared Bernstein and Dean Baker
Economic Policy Institute
Suite 300, East Tower, 1333 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
1932066047, $13.50 www.eip.org

Expert economists Jared Bernstein and Dean Baker present The Benefits of Full Employment: When Markets Work for People, a thoughtful look at the prosperity that came with the 1990s employment boom. That era revealed that full employment and stable prices could successfully coexist; incomes rose while poverty, welfare rolls, and crime rates fell. Though the full employment of the 1990s ended when the business cycle subsided, The Benefits of Full Employment persuasively argues that the advantages of full employment make it a condition worth striving to attain permanently through national policy. First published in 2003, The Benefits of Full Employment remains as insightful and well-reasoned today as it was four years ago.

Retirement Income
Christian Weller & Edward N. Wolff
Economic Policy Institute
Suite 300, East Tower, 1333 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20005
9781932066203, $11.50 www.epinet.org

Written by Christian Weller (Senior Economist, Center for American Progress) and Edward N. Wolff (professor fo economics, New York University), Retirement Income: The Crucial Role of Social Security is the follow-up to the 2002 study "Retirement Insecurity: The Income Shortfalls Awaiting the Soon-to-Retire". Focusing especially upon the role of Social Security, particularly in the wake of the Bush Administration's 2005 proposals to dismantle the traditional Social Security program, Retirement Income: The Crucial Role of Social Security explores the inequalities of retirement income in the United States, and how women and minorities especially are burdened with the struggle to replace their pre-retirement income. Grounded soundly in facts and statistics, and listing at length the many ways that Social Security has proven superior to private retirement benefits, Retirement Income: The Crucial Role of Social Security is a "must-read" for anyone concerned about the current status and future direction of America's Social Security program.

Tax Evasion and Avoidance
A Joint CATA/GIDD Project
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
9780955354014, $18.95 www.styluspub.com 1-800-232-0223

Tax Evasion and Avoidance: Strategies and Initiatives Used by CATA Member Countries is a straightforward report of successful strategies and initiatives used by tax administrations worldwide, especially in Commonwealth countries, to prevent, detect, and respond to tax evasion and avoidance. Chapters discuss common economic and societal factors that contribute to tax evasion, and governmental techniques to counter tax evasion such as simplifying/amending tax law, applying penalties for promoters of tax-avoidance schemes, tax amnesties, risk-based audits, random audits, use of "mystery shopping", registering the tax base, voluntary disclosure programs, and much more. "In some cases, taxpayers may not pay their tax on time because of severe personal circumstance or have unintentionally provided incorrect information or made an honest mistake on their tax return. In these situations, if the tax administration came down heavily on the taxpayers with punishments and penalties, the taxpayers are likely to 'rebel' and lose respect for the tax authority - this is likely to have an impact on future compliance behavior as well. It is therefore not surprising that some tax administrations provide taxpayers with the opportunity to voluntarily disclose." An invaluable reference and resource especially for governmental policymakers in the sphere of tax laws, regulations, and procedural implementations.


The Parenting Shelf

Living Outside the Box
Barbara Brock
Eastern Washington University Press
705 West 1st Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
9781597660143, $17.95 1-800-508-9095

Written by recreation management professor Barbara Brock, Living Outside the Box: TV-Free Families Share Their Secrets is a thoughtful analysis and outgrowth of the author's landmark study of hundreds of TV-free families. Living Outside the Box does not focus upon what is wrong with too much TV, but rather the positive benefits of entirely eliminating TV from one's daily life. Chapters offer personal testimony from parents who choose to go TV-free, and how they help their children adjust as well as finding other means to spend their time. A one-of-a-kind look at a draconian yet effective antidote to the intrusively advertisement-saturated aspects of our passive media culture, highly recommended.

Monsters in the Woods
Tim Hauserman
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 166, Reno, NV, 89557-0076
9780874177114, $15.95 1-877-682-6657

Professional wilderness guide and outdoors writer Tim Hauserman presents Monsters in the Woods: Backpacking With Children, a straightforward guide to backpacking and outdoors activities written especially for parents who want to bring their children along - whether the children are infants, toddlers, preteens, or teens. Chapters cover how to prepare for the trip (including what to take and what not to take), safety precautions, how to take care of necessary bodily functions, protecting oneself from bear attacks (since bears are guided by smell, two of the best defenses are to camp a fair distance from where you cook and to use a "bear canister" to guard one's food at night) and much more. Written in plain terms for parents and readers of all backgrounds, Monsters in the Woods is enthusiastically recommended as a "must-have" for outdoor-loving families with children everywhere.

My Andrew
Wallis A. Simpson
Autism Asperger Publishing Company
PO Box 23173, Shawnee Mission, KS 66283
9781931282307, $19.95 www.asperger.net 1-877-277-8254

Stay-at-home mother Wallis A. Simpson presents My Andrew: Day-to-Day Living with a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, her day-by-day journal of raising two sons, Andrew and Jesse. Jesse is an ordinary child, but Andrew is a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (specifically, a high-functioning form of the disorder known as Asperger Syndrome). The entries span from Andrew's infancy to his entrance in the second grade (and Jesse's entrance in fifth grade). Simpson occasionally provides her hindsight comments in brackets to add perspective to the verbatim original journal entries. My Andrew evolves as a heartfelt portrayal of learning to adjust to raising an ASD child, and sharing one's hard-earned wisdom with the child's teachers or other caretakers. An up-close and personal viewpoint, especially recommended as a supplementary resource for anyone responsible for or working with a child with ASD or Asperger Syndrome.

Right from the Start, second edition
Sandra L. Harris, Ph.D. & Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
9781890627805, $18.95 www.woodbinehouse.com 1-800-843-7323

Written by autism experts Sandra L. Harris and Mary Jane Weiss, Right from the Start: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism is a guide for parents and educators to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment for children with autism, methods that are ideally implemented as soon as a child has been diagnosed. Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Right from the Start covers the concept of early intensive behavioral intervention; home-based, center-based, and school-based programs; curriculum and teaching programs; choose the right program for one's child; and much more. "Another relatively recent change in the use of ABA methods with children with ASD is in how we handle errors in response. In the past, we sometimes allowed learners to make mistakes several times before we prompted them to give the correct answer. The problem is that children on the autism spectrum have a tendency to repeat errors. (Actually, we all have that tendency, but individuals with autism seem to have an extra vulnerability)... Errorless learning focuses on the prevention and interruption of errors. We try to prevent errors in new tasks by prompting students with physical or verbal help." Highly recommended as a supplementary resource for anyone involved with or responsible for a child with autism spectrum disorder.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Better World Handbook, revised edition
Ellis Jones Ph.D., Ross Haenfler Ph.D. & Brett Johnson Ph.D.
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
9780865715752, $18.95 www.newsociety.com 1-800-283-3572

Written by sociology instructors Ellis Jones Ph.D., Ross Haenfler Ph.D. and Brett Johnson Ph.D., The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference is a guide for ordinary people to taking steps in their lives that help contribute to big changes for the better worldwide. Chapters cover how to make a difference by choosing the right bank, buying groceries that minimize negative environmental impact, building strong relationships among friends and family, fostering a socially responsible workplace, voting and getting involved in politics, using alternative forms of transportation and reducing driving to use as little gasoline as reasonably possible, how to get involved in an organization espousing a cause one cares about, and much more. Handy quick-reference icons, numerous online resources, extensive notes, a helpful checklist, and an index round out this one-of-a-kind guide to not only improving oneself, but also improving the world at large. Highly recommended.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Sunrise Tai Chi
Ramel Rones
YMAA Publications
4354 Washington Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
9781594390838, $16.95 www.ymaa.com 1-800-669-8892

Martial arts gold medalist Ramel Rones presents Sunrise Tai Chi: Simplified Tai Chi for Health & Longevity, a book ideal as a stand-alone self-teaching guide or as a companion to the "Sunrise Tai Chi" DVD. Chapters offer an overview of the history and underlying principles of Tai Chi Chuan from a modern perspective, describe beneficial breathing styles and exercises, and walk the reader through a number of Tai Chi exercises for exercise, balance, flexibility, and overall health. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs demonstrating different Tai Chi moves, Sunrise Tai Chi is an excellent supplementary resource for anyone seeking to incorporate the benefits of a regular Tai Chi regimen in their lives.


The Travel Shelf

Irreverent Guide to Washington D.C., 6th edition
Tom Price & Susan Crites Price
Wiley Publishing, Inc
111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
0470047291, $13.99 www.frommers.com

Now in an updated sixth edition, Irreverent Guide to Washington D.C. is a travel and tourism guide that cuts through useless promotion to give the straight scoop on Washington D.C.'s attractions, accommodations, dining, shopping, night life, and much more. Maps, memorials, directions, radio stations, tip recommendations, an index for quick lookup, and much more fill this no-nonsense, accessible and easy-to-read guide. Of especial interest is the "You Probably Didn't Know" section filled with advice about how the locals handle things - from the strict efficiency with which parking violations are prosecuted to the D.C. etiquette of standing only on the right side of an escalator so that those who wish to walk may climb up the left side. A "must-have" for anyone visiting D.C., whether for business or pleasure.

Atlantic Coastal Beaches
William J. Neal, Orrin H. Pilkey, Joseph Kelley
Mountain Press Publishing
P.O. Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
0878425349, $20.00 www.mountain-press.com

Any heading for the East Coast and interested in beaches will welcome ATLANTIC COASTAL BEACHES: A GUIDE TO RIPPLES, DUNES, AND OTHER NATURAL FEATURES OF THE SEASHORE. General readers receive a strong blend of geology and natural history along with tips on identifying physical features, making this a strong pick not just for travel collections, but for libraries specializing in Atlantic coast geology.

Hillside Letters A to Z
Evelyn Corning
Mountain Press Publishing Company
Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
0878425330, $20.00 www.mountainpress.com

There are hundreds of letters which have been carved into mountains across the country overlooking towns and schools from Arizona to the East Coast, and HILLSIDE LETTERS A TO Z: A GUIDE TO HOMETOWN LANDMARKS charts these letters, exploring the origins, customs and meaning of mountain landmarks. Color photos of the letters accompany lively local history perfect for travelers who are interested in local oddities and local history.

Florida's Living Beaches
Blair and Dawn Witherington
Pineapple Press, Inc.
PO Box 3889, Sarasota, FL 34230-3889
9781561643868, $21.95 www.pineapple.com 1-800-746-3275

Lavishly illustrated with 985 full-color photographs and 431 maps, Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber is an amazing catalogue of the many treasures a beachcomber can discover along Florida's 1200 miles of coastline. Printed on high-quality glossy paper with a water-resistant dust jacket, Florida's Living Beaches describes beach features, animals, plants, and minerals at length, as well as items (and pollution!) that are the legacy of humans. Simple diagrams also reveal along which parts of Florida's coast that different individual features can be found. A one-of-a-kind guide enthusiastically recommended for Florida beachcombers and armchair beach-travelers alike.

Washington, DC: City Guide
Becca Blond & Aaron Anderson
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781740597999, $17.99 www.lonelyplanet.com 1-800-275-8555

An easily portable and thoroughly user friendly compendium of invaluable information on America's capital, "Washington, DC: City Guide" offers more than maps, but provides a complete introduction to the city in terms of its nightlife, arts, history, sights, and memorials. Of special note is the section on the 'National Mall'. Whether the traveler is in Washington for business or pleasure, this outstanding and very highly recommended guide offers descriptive recommendations for walking and biking tours, dining establishments, bars, entertainment, activities, shopping, sleeping, and excursions. Enhanced with the inclusion of a directory, an index, and maps, "Washington, DC: City Guide" is the ideal companion when planning a stay in one of the most dynamic of America's major cities.

Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate
Michael D. Yates
Monthly Review Press
122 West 27 Street, New York, NY 10001
9781583671436, $15.95 www.monthlyreview.org 1-800-670-9499

Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate: An Economist's Travelogue is the memoir of economics professor Michael D. Yates, who set off together on a journey across America. As they traveled, they observed sights and human efforts ranging from a program meant to reverse the privatization of national parks and forests to the political economy of California agriculture which relies heavily on migrant workers to pick food, to a savvy look at the job market in Portland. Cheap Motels and a Hot Plate is not a motel or eatery guide for vacationers per se, but rather an assembly of insights sure to intrigue and captivate armchair travelers. A highly enjoyable read from cover to cover.

Moon Handbooks Minnesota, second edition
Tim Bewer
Avalon Travel Publishing
c/o Avalon Publishing Group
1400 - 65th Street, Suite 250 Emeryville, CA 94608
9781566919272, $19.95 www.avalonpub.com 1-800-345-5473

Now in an updated second edition, Moon Handbooks Minnesota is a solid, jam-packed guide for business and pleasure travelers to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Chapters are filled with thumbnail descriptions of where to shop, sleep, dine, and experience local culture in Minnesota's many different cities and regions. Offering the firsthand perspective and experience of author Tim Brewer, Moon Handbooks Minnesota includes 21 detailed maps, and has a wealth of tips on everything from enjoying the great outdoors to learning about Minnesota history, and even a handy list special annual events visitors won't want to miss. A universally practical "must-have" for any Minnesota-destined traveler.

Top Secret Tourism
Harry Helms
Feral House
PO Box 39910, Los Angeles, GA 90039
9781932595239, $14.00 www.feralhouse.com

Top Secret Tourism: Your Travel Guide to Germ Warfare Laboratories, Clandestine Aircraft Bases, and Other Places in the United States You're Not Supposed to Know About is a one-of-a-kind travel and tourist guide. Chapters cover sites in states across America such as China Lake Naval Weapons Center in California, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky, Area 51 in Nevada, Green River Missile Launch Complex in Utah, and many more. Each site has its history discussed at length, with maps and directions; all are government facilities and installations shrouded by secrecy and misinformation. Though none of the information in Top Secret Tourism is from classified sources, the public sources compiling this unusual resource sometimes required an exhaustive amount of digging and searching. Highly recommended for armchair travelers and cross-country drivers looking to see and learn about something far more ominous than a simple hiking trail or historical landmark.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Wolf Empire
Scott Ian Barry
Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437
9781599210537, $29.95 www.lyonspress.com 1-800-836-0510

WOLF EMPIRE: AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF A SPECIES comes from an award-winning photographer who captures gorgeous wolf scenes in black and white – many of his works printed here for the first time. He's spent over three decades observing and photographing wolves and researching them, so WOLF EMPIRE is more than a season or two of shots, but a lifetime of experience, highly recommended for any collection strong in natural history or nature photography alike.

Farm Dogs
Carol Davis & Norvia Behling
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, Saint Paul MN 55101-3885
9780760328019, $19.95 www.voyageurpress.com

FARM DOGS: A CELEBRATION OF THE FARM'S HARDEST WORKER celebrates all kinds of farm dogs, from sheep herding breeds and shepherds to farm companions. Color photos throughout accompany text which considers dog training, roles in farm work, and memoirs of notable farm dogs. A fine leisure read especially recommended for any rural public lending library.

Blackwell Publishing
Box 570, Ames, IA 50010-0570
www.blackwellprofessional.com

Kathleen P. Freeman's VETERINARY CYTOLOGY; DOG, CAT, HORSE AND COW (9781840760712, $49.99) covers an increasingly popular hands-on diagnostic procedures for the vet and adds to the Self-Assessment Colour Review series. Over 150 clinical cytological cases are presented randomly, paired with over two hundred photomicrographs in color, and appear as self-assessment questions and answers. Discussions of patterns and problems offer practicing and training vets plenty of case history examples for study. David G. Baker edits FLYNN'S PARASITES OF LABORATORY ANIMALS, 2ND EDITION (9780813812021, $149.99), an excellent college-level reference for advanced students of veterinary science. From the biology of the protozoa to parasites of rabbits and hamsters, mice and birds, reptiles to dogs, cats and even sheep, edits FLYNN'S PARASITES OF LABORATORY ANIMALS offers up extensive chapters packed with black and white photos, tables and charts, diagnosis, hosts, lifestyle, and pathologic effects, and more. Harry W. Scott and Ronald McLaughlin's FELINE ORTHOPEDICS (9781840760569, $189.99) is a basic text on the topic which fills a gap in veterinary information, since most books on the topic focus primarily on dogs. This text focuses on cats and provides a series of stepping stones of knowledge on diseases, conditions, traumas, and repairs. From fractures of the leg and skull to neuromuscular disorders, chapters survey clinical diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options and more, adding color photos and illustration throughout. Perfect for the vet student planning a focus on cats. The 4th updated edition of BSAVA TEXTBOOK OF VETERINARY NURSING edited by Dick Lane, Barbara Cooper and Lynn Turner (9780905214894, $109.99) provides a text based on the latest veterinary science research and options. Formerly Jones's Animal Nursing, this text will make a perfect classroom assignment for college-level courses: it covers both exotic and small mammal care, expands sections on clinical nutrition and alternative therapies, includes a stand-alone chapter on animal dentistry, and discusses both communication and treatments including standard models of veterinary nursing procedures. Charts and color sidebars of detail make for a quick at-a-glance reference, as well. Chris Seymour and Tanya Duke edit BSAVA MANUAL OF CANINE AND FELINE ANAESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA (9780905214986, $149.99) is for veterinary students and practicing surgeons alike, and offers up a new edition covering the basics of pharmacology and anaesthetic management. From different choices in anesthesia – inhalants, intravenous – to physiology and pathology involved in canine and feline pain management, it's a reference practicing vets and vet students alike will find invaluable. Catherine McGowan, Lesley Goff and Narelle Stubbs edit ANIMAL PHYSIOTHERAPY: ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION OF ANIMALS (9781405131957, $69.99), for physiotherapists involved with animals and looking to treat companion and performance animals. From different therapy techniques and approaches to dog and even equine management to handling common ailments such as lameness and hip problems, everything from diagnosis and testing to physiotherapy techniques for different animals are covered. The second revised, expanded edition of Frans C. Stades, et.al.'s OPTHALMOLOGY FOR THE VETERINARY PRACTITIONER (9783899930115, $129.99) completely revises and expands a survey suitable for both students and general veterinary practitioners, offering details on diagnosis and treatment of common eye diseases in small animals. From syndromes and problems such as obstructed tear ducts to diagnosis and therapy options, OPTHALMOLOGY FOR THE VETERINARY PRACTITIONER is not only a recommended pick for college-level students and collections, but should be in the reference library of any practicing vet. These are 'must have' references for any detailed college-level collection and many a practicing vet or lab scientist working with animals.

When Pigs Fly!
Jane Killion
Dogwise Publishing
PO Box 2778, Wenatchee, WA 98807-2778
9781929242443, $17.95 www.dogwisepublishing.com 1-800-776-2665

Jane Killion knows about dogs. she lives with a houseful of Bull Terriers, she breeds them, she contributes to dog publications, and her home is the place where people gather together with their dogs for training sessions. Now in "When Pigs Fly!: Training Success With Impossible Dogs", Killion draws upon her many years of personal experience and sophisticated expertise to create a dog training manual that is particularly 'user friendly' and appropriate for the non-specialist general reader seeking to train their animal companion when that companion has a non-compliant mind of its own. Killion's key to training success with independent or seemingly incorrigible dogs is to figure out what they find rewarding and then use those rewards to establish and maintain the behavior desired. "When Pigs Fly!" will teach anyone how to make their dog to willing behave for a reward instead of trying to get away with mischief. Simply stated -- if you have a difficult dog who has heretofore resisted training, the you need your own copy of Jane Killion's "When Pigs Fly!: Training Success With Impossible Dogs".

Coping with Pet Loss
Robin Grey
Sheldon Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9780859699624, $13.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Written by bereavement counselor and licensed psychotherapist Robin Grey, Coping with Pet Loss is a straightforward guide for readers of all backgrounds to dealing with the loss of a pet. In a sympathetic and compassionate tone, chapters discuss how to help children cope, pet loss late in one's life, issues concerning euthanasia, loss of a service dog, remembering one's pet, how to know when one is ready to get a new pet, and much more. "'Bruno went to the vet's and they said he had to be put to sleep.' This statement is based on what the vet may have said, but it potentially creates anxieties about sleep. What about when you tell your child to go to sleep? This can translate into fears about going to bed or having hospital treatment. It is better to let the vet explain that the pet's life has to be ended to avoid it suffering too much, linking this to behavioral changes in the pet that your child may have noticed in the last few months." Highly recommended for pet owners of all backgrounds.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Consider Jesus
Donald R. Jacobs
Herald Press
616 Walnut Avenue, Scottsdale, PA 15683-1999
9780836193480, $19.99 www.heraldpress.com 1-800-759-4447

Written by former missionary to Africa Donald R. Jacobs, Consider Jesus: Daily Reflections on the Books of Hebrews offers a different mediation for each day of the year derived from passages of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament. Each insight is several paragraphs long, connected to a key Book of Hebrews quote, and concludes its insightful message with a simple free-verse poem. "Atheists are convinced that nothing will remain. They wager everything on that. Life is meaningless, they claim... Hebrews tells us, 'Once more I shake not only the earth, but also the heavens... so that what cannot be shaken may remain.' (12:26-27) God is the eternal reality. All else will perish. I want to build my life on what will remain." Highly recommended for Christians of all denominations as a source of daily inspiration and spiritual renewal.

Politics Under God
John H. Redekop
Herald Press
616 Walnut Avenue, Scottsdale, PA 15683-1999
9780836193558, $11.99 www.heraldpress.com 1-800-759-4447

Former president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada John H. Redekop presents Politics Under God, an examination of church-state relations that explores the challenges Christians face when confronting the possibility of political involvement. Putting forth the commitment that politics is a just environment in which to apply Christian faith and service, Politics Under God proposes that governments should be held accountable to God as well as to secular principles such as justice and fiscal responsibility. Chapters discuss overlapping agendas of church and government, and questions such as "Can morality be legislated?", "Is Christianity Left, Right or Center?", or "How should Christians pray for politicians and governments?". A thoughtful examination of how Christians can stay true to their faith while becoming involved in government, without putting institutions of faith at risk to conflict of interest.

The Best-Ever Christian Baby Name Book
Nick Harrison & Steve Miller
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
9780736919944, $11.99 www.harvesthousepublishers.com 1-800-547-8979

The Best-Ever Christian Baby Name Book: Thousand of Names and Their Meanings is a guide especially for Christian parents, offering thousands of names to choose from, their alternate spellings, and innate meaning. The Best-Ever Christian Baby Name Book deliberately avoids names with a non-Christian connotation (such as names connected to other pantheons or faith traditions) except in those cases when such names are also Biblical names. Thumbnail biographies of famous Christians or humanitarians for whom children can be named dot the entries, and an introductory section guides Christian parents in how to choose a child's name. "Several years ago a friend of mine mentioned that she had always dreamed of having a son named Nick... but when she married a man with the last name of Knack, she knew she had to forever abandon that dream." Highly recommended for expecting Christian parents.

When Necessary Use Words
Mike Pilavachi
Gospel Light
c/o Regal Books
1957 Eastman Avenue, Ventura, CA 93003
9780830738144, $12.99 www.regalbooks.com 1-800-235-3415

Written by Mike Pilavachi, the founder and leader of the Soul Survivor international movement, When Necessary Use Words: Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism is guide to how worship, evangelism, and justice can all be successfully melded into a transcendent whole in one's life. Chapters encourage the reader, preaching the importance of sustaining both physical and higher needs - that giving out food at the church pantry is just as crucial as nourishing people's spiritual hunger. A compassionate and faithful addition to evangelical Christian libraries and personal inspiration shelves.

Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Larry Osborn
Multnomah Books
12265 Oracle Boulevard., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
9781590527948, $13.99 www.multnomahbooks.com 1-800-929-0910

Lead pastor of North Coast Church in northern San Diego County Larry Osborne presents Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us, an examination of spirituality and The Big Questions for anyone jaded by or distrustful of the dogma of established religions. Chapters explore such themes as "What does it mean to know God?", "How does spiritual growth happen?" or "What does God want?". Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God does not purport to have all the answers, but makes an extraordinarily strong case for the answers it does provide. "Great relationships don't just happen. They take hard work and significant mid-course corrections to stay healthy over the long haul. A relationship with God is no different. While God never needs to grow, makes a mistake, never misunderstands, and never chooses the selfish route, we do. And whenever we get off course, it usually takes some significant changes on our part to get the relationship back on track." An inspirational testimony of "common-sense" Christian spirituality drawing from real-world wisdom as well as the study of scripture.

The Rights of Catholics in the Church
James A. Coriden
Paulist Press
997 MacArthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
9780809144334, $14.95 www.paulistpress.com 1-800-218-1903

Professor of Catholic church law Reverend James A. Coriden presents The Rights of Catholics in the Church, a straightforward basic reference for those seeking to know their rights as Catholics under canon law. Chapters offer an overview of the rights of Catholics in the church, including rights to pastoral care, rights to initiatives and activities, rights connected to one's state in life, rights to formation and education, and rights to due process. A final section outlining the limitations on and defenses of one's rights in the church rounds out this solid, easy-to-follow primer.

Mysteries of the Rosary in Ordinary Life
Teresa Rhodes McGee
Orbis Books
PO Box 302, Maryknoll, New York 10545-0302
9781570756993, $14.00 www.maryknoll.org

Award-winning author and former lay missioner Teresa Rhodes McGee presents Mysteries of the Rosary in Ordinary Life, a gentle spiritual introduction to the Rosary as one of the treasures representing Catholic spirituality. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this thoughtful delving into God's mysteries both joyous and sorrowful - even pondering the age-old mystery of how terrible suffering and even genocidal massacres can exist in God's world. An appendix instructs readers in how to pray with the Rosary, perfectly contemplating this expression of unshakeable faith in God, Jesus Christ, and Mary, "Queen of Heaven and Earth."

Living Faith
Curtiss Paul DeYoung
Augsburg Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 700, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
9780800638412, $15.00 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Written by Christian ethicist Curtiss Paul DeYoung (Professor of Reconciliation Studies, Bethel University at St. Paul, Minnesota) Living Faith: How Faith Inspires Social Justice is a remarkable examination of how religious belief can fuel a lifelong passion dedicated to social justice, as exemplified by Mohandas Gandhi, Aung San Suu Kyi, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., among other remarkable figures. Chapters discuss worldview and perception from the margins of society, how mystic faith can push an individual to transcend conventional boundaries, the ethics of stirring people up in a call to revolution, and much more. "The spirit of prophecy shapes the ethics of the revolution. The authenticity of any new society is built on the foundations of the ethics of that revolution." A welcome examination of motivating spiritual principles and moral values that push both leaders and followers to work for social change.

First Comes Love?
John C. Morris
The Pilgrim Press
700 Prospect Avenue, East, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100
9780829817553, $12.00 www.pilgrimpress.com 1-800-654-5129

Written by Episcopal priest John C. Morris, First Comes Love?: The Ever-Changing Face of Marriage is a thoughtful discussion of the history and current status of marriage from the perspective of biblical, European, and North American heritage. Chapters discussed marriage as undertaken for political purposes, marriage for procreation, four revolutionary marriage traditions from allowing slaves to marry to celibacy to equality between woman and men to the concept of lifelong equipment, what makes a marriage valid (mutual consent, consummation, and validation by an outside authority), and much more. Though written from a reverently spiritual perspective, First Comes Love? is more history and chronicle than it is religious treatise, as it astutely notes how human perspectives have changed and evolved throughout the years. The final chapter touches upon the possibility of civil unions between same-gender couples and why such an option might not necessarily be the death knell of marriage itself. "Why should a relationship that clearly manifests faithfulness, commitment, and mutuality be relegated to 'second-class' status just because it is not a legal contract? A couple may not want or need a civil union, but may earnestly desire and deserve to live in 'holy union' with the support of the religious community. Why stand in their way?" A thoughtful, astute, and timely discussion of an age-old human institution.

A Mission in Life
Pastor Gloria Hargrove
Airleaf Publishing
35 Industrial Drive, Martinsville, IN 46151
9781594535277, $11.95 www.airleaf.com 1-800-342-6068

Written by Pastor Gloria Hargrove, A Mission in Life: A Journey to Find my Dream, Part III continues Hargrove's testimonial series. Her writings, insights, life lessons, and true stories revolve around the central tenet, "Believe in the lord, and he shall guide you." Pastor Gloria arranges her words of wisdom in a friendly, first-person narrative style, relating how challenges and obstacles of all sizes can contain within them signs from God. Most striking among the stories told are those of Abbey, a female immigrant from Africa who endured female circumcision and complications from it at a young age, and her troubled relationship with her husband. "About a week later, after all the test results were completed, the gynecologist told Dr. Young that Abbey had only one ovary, and it was damaged. Her other ovaries had been removed and her womb was bent. The doctors concluded that Abbey was unable to bear children, because someone had removed her ovaries and tubes long ago." A profound chronicle of how faith in God, prayer, and the community support of a church can be upstanding comfort and provide both physical and spiritual aid in times of trial.


The Nautical Shelf

Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat, third edition
Jerry Cardwell
Sheridan House Inc.
145 Palisade Street, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
9781574092479, $19.95 www.sheridanhouse.com 1-888-743-7425

Now in a new third edition revised and updated by yachting journalist Dieter Loibner, Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat is 20-year sailing veteran Jerry Cardwell's guide to owning and enjoying cruises on an affordable small sailboat according to the basic principle, "You can sail big on a small sailboat far more easily and for much less money than you can sail small on a big sailboat." Chapters offer a basic primer of all aspects of a modest sailboat; how to deal with sailing dangers from physical injury to heavy weather to crew overboard to broken rigging or rudder; what absolute necessities to bring such as distress signals, emergency lights, a global positioning system, and sail repair/rigging tape; how to properly assess the quality of a used boat before spending one's hard-earned money; and much more. Written in a straightforward tone for readers of all backgrounds, Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat is a first-rate primer for anyone interested in tasting the thrill of the waves on a modest budget.


The Fiction Shelf

Dead Bang
Robert E. Bailey
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
1590771095, $21.95 www.rowman.com

Private Detective Art Hardin's encounter with an Islamic terrorist group using a family friend to smuggle money into the country involves him in much more than the usual investigation in DEAD BANG, a hard-hitting novel following Art's increasing, complex involvement in a terrorist plot of revenge. It's the latest in a celebrated Art Hardin mystery series and goes far beyond the usual mystery, combining espionage, intrigue, and thriller elements into the detective formula. Perfect for discriminating mystery collections in public library holdings.

The Wind from the East
Almudena Grandes
Seven Stories
140 Watts Street, New York NY 10013
9781583227466, $27.95 www.sevenstories.com

Sara Morales was given up at birth to be raised by her wealthy godmother, and at sixteen is forced to return to live with her estranged parents in poverty. At the same time, Juan and Damian are brothers in love with the same woman – one suspected of murdering his younger brother in a jealous rage. When Sara and Juan meet on their separate escapes to a small village, romance and healing evolve in this warm novel of change, perfect for lending libraries seeking literary fiction.

The Last Blue Mile
Kim Ponders
HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
9780060847067, $24.95 www.harpercollins.com

Author Kim Ponders served in active duty in the Air Force during the first Gulf War and was one of the first female aviators in American history to fly in a war zone, so the setting and protagonist in her novel THE LAST BLUE MILE are strikingly realistic portrayals. Teen Brook Searcy is a freshman at the Air Force Academy trying to survive in a male-dominated military structure when a cheating scandal involves her and General John Waller. Their search for truth – and her place in academy life – join their lives in a similar pursuit for justice in this fast-paced novel.

The Stones Cry Out!
Josue Raul Conte
Airleaf Publishing
35 Industrial Drive, Martinsville, IN 46151
1600021476, $21.95 www.airleaf.com 1-800-342-6068

Author Josue Raul Conte, a former member of the strict Neo-catechumenal Way who became disillusioned with ultraconservative Catholicism and renounced the Way for a more moderate approach, presents the novel The Stones Cry Out! about one man's dream-turned-nightmare experience as a Roman Catholic priest. Protagonist Marco Lamadrid, an evangelical Christian in Latin America, witnesses firsthand the corruption of the Church - not only in the many allegations of sexual abuse that befall it, but also in how the Church handles the accusations. When the Church adopts a policy of paying off all accusers, it invites liars and frauds to make false allegations for more money, in a never-ending vicious circle that tarnishes Marco's reputation when he is personally accused. "'Tell the people in all parishes that we need them to give sacrificially for the poor. Be sure to tell them it is for the poor. Above all, I don't want them to think I am making settlement payments with their money. I want everyone told that they are paid with the insurance company's money.' 'People know that even if it was insurance money, we pay the premiums with their donations.' 'People cannot think that much!'" A powerful novel of abiding faith sorely tested by long-standing institutional corruption.

Dark Birthright
Jeanne Treat
Atlas Books
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
9780972167482, $19.95 www.atlasbooks.com 1-800-537-6727

Scotland in the year 1619 A.D. was a place where healers were hanged as witches, Catholics and Protestants sought to suppress each other, and a child born of unknown parentage is raised by fisher folk as their own son. Young Dughall growing up in a family that emphasized love and morality becomes a healer, displays psychic abilities, and loves village girl. Then one day a cruel and powerful lord claims Dugall as his father and seeks to mold the talented and conscientious Dughall into a copy of himself. The first of a planned trilogy, "Dark Birthright" is the fascinating and deftly written story of a young man's struggle amidst the political turmoil, religious strife, and dangerous highland world of 17th century Scotland. Of special note is the descriptive introduction of the fisher folk and villagers that still worship the Goddess despite the risk of being put to death as witches. "Dark Birthright" is particularly recommended for readers with an interest in well-rendered historical fiction.

East Fifth Bliss
Douglas Light
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
9781933016405, $14.95 www.behlerpublications.com 1-800-830-2913

O. Henry Prize-winning author Douglas Light presents East Fifth Bliss, a novel about Morris Bliss, an ordinary man trapped in the rut of daily life. With no job and no prospects, he lives in a tiny apartment with his father. When Stefani, an eighteen-year-old girl in a Catholic school uniform, enters Morris' life, events start to spiral out of control - his best friend is recruited by ruthless international cartel with its fingers in local sex markets, and his father reveals the startling truth about the death of Morris' mother. Morris must learn to adapt to the tidal changes in his relationships, family, and personal identity to survive. An absorbing modern tale about learning to cope with unexpected adversity.

The Cleveland Indian
Luke Salisbury
Black Heron Press
PO Box 95676, Seattle, WA 98145
9780930773823, $14.95 www.blackheronpress.com

Simply stated, "The Cleveland Indian: The Legend Of King Saturday" by Luke Salisbury is a 'must read' novel for all dedicated baseball fans! The team is the 1897 Cleveland Spiders line-up and the colorful character of King Saturday is modeled on the real-life baseball legend Sockalexis -- a Native American outfielder who gave the Cleveland ball club its name. A blend of schemer, drunk, brawler, killer, con man and hero, King Saturday is also a highly skilled and genuinely talented baseball player. Against the cultural background of American in the 'Gay Nineties', "The Cleveland Indian" is a deftly written novel rich with character, dialogue, and background that make it an unreserved recommendation for personal reading lists and community library collections.

The Raw Shark Texts
Steven Hall
Canongate U.S.
841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
9781841959115, $24.00 www.canongate.net

The debut novel of author Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts is a powerful novel of lost love and identity. When Eric Sanderson wakes up in his house one day with no memory of who or where he is, he finds a note instructing him to visit Dr. Randle, who informs him that amnesia is a symptom of his severe dissociative disorder, which he has periodically suffered from since the death of Clio, the love of his life, during a vacation to the Greek islands. Yet as Eric examines letters left about the house by "the first Eric Sanderson", he gradually uncovers a sinister, utterly different explanation for what is happening all around him. A saga of dark intrigue and one man's effort to escape the remorseless forces closing in on him, as well as the lasting and mournful impact of losing one's great love, The Raw Shark Texts is a compelling read and highly recommended.

The Albanian Affairs
Susana Fortes, author
Leland H. Chambers, translator
McPherson & Company
PO Box 1126, Kingston, NY 12401
9780929701790, $22.00 www.mcphersonco.com 1-800-613-8219

Skillfully translated from the original Spanish by Leland H. Chambers, The Albanian Affairs is a heartrending novel by author Susana Fortes. Runner-up for the Planeta Prize for fiction, one of Spain's most renowned literary competitions, The Albanian Affairs is set in the nation of Albania during Enver Hoxha's tyrannical dictatorship. Within the villa of state hero Zanum Radjik on Tirana's Elbesan road, there squats a house filled with menacing secrets. Zanum's wife is deceased these many years, and his two very different sons, who embark upon vastly different paths of honor. When the elder son, Viktor, brings home a beautiful peasant bride, passion for her threatens to overwhelm the younger sibling Ismail. The Albanian Affairs is at once a steamy tale of forbidden love, a harrowing novel of mental and emotional oppression, and a tragedy in the vein of ancient Greek classics. Highly recommended for modern literature shelves.


The Self-Help Shelf

How To Stop Screwing Up
Martha Woodroof
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
1125 Stoney Ridge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
9781571745361, $15.95 www.hrpub.com

Award-winning National Public Radio broadcast reporter and survivor of hitting rock-bottom Martha Woodroof presents How To Stop Screwing Up: 12 Steps to a Real Life and a Pretty Good Time, a straightforward guide to turning one's life around from a woman who did precisely that. Chapters address how to recognize that one's screwups are causing harm, stop using excuses and speak only the truth, make amends with the people one has harmed, committing oneself to practicing positive principles in everyday life, and more. How To Stop Screwing Up also acknowledges the role of spiritual power beyond oneself in aiding recovery: "I accept that there is an unfathomable power greater than myself that can help me, but I do not have to call this power 'God.'" A profound and helpful life-changing manual to breaking free from destructive patterns.

Manage Your Mind, Master Your Life
Michelle Armstrong
Seven Locks Press
PO Box 25689, Santa Ana, CA 92799
9780977330829, $13.95 www.sevenlockspublishing.com

Author Michelle Armstrong figured out how to turn her life around when she was suffering from an unsatisfying career, depression, and, $60,000 in debt. She reveals her life-changing insights in Manage Your Mind, Master Your Life, a self-help guide to acquiring and applying the proper mindset for self-improvement. The core of Manage Your Mind, Master Your Life teaches the reader the seven success practices of the Mind Management Success System: intend your outcome, mind your values, change your thinking, modify your language, align your beliefs, manage your emotions, and direct your focus. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'You are what you eat?' Actually, you are what you think. If a person continuously thinks that they are clumsy or forgetful, chances are they probably will be. It is like the old adage, if you think you can, you can; if you think you can't, you can't. Your thinking determines your reality. What you ultimately get in life depends on what you continually think about." Highly recommended as a primer for goal-setting and self-improvement in any field.

How to Make Yourself Happy and Less Remarkably Less Disturbable
Albert Ellis, Ph.D.
Impact Publishers
PO Box 6016, Atascadero, CA 93423-6016
9781886230187, $15.95 www.impactpublishers.com 1-800-246-7228

Psychologist Albert Ellis, colloquially known as the "father" of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and the "grandfather" of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, presents How to Make Yourself Happy and Less Remarkably Less Disturbable, a self-help guide of tips, tricks, and practical techniques for increasing the happiness and decreasing the worry and trouble in one's life. Chapters cover "self-starting beliefs" to motivate positive personal change, means to identify and dispute one's own self-defeating and irrational beliefs, reinforcement techniques, stimulus control, time-out procedures, and many more ways to get a handle on one's own thoughts and actions. "You definitely have the ability, as a human blessed with constructivist tendencies, to think, feel, and behave less disturbedly... you can do this by working on your thoughts, feelings, and actions, all of which are significantly interrelated." Highly recommended.


The Native American Shelf

Tipis, Tepees, Teepees
Linda A. Holley
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781586855116, $16.95 www.gibbs-smith.com 1-800-748-5439

Former teacher, Native American culture expert and dedicated tipi-maker Linda A. Holley presents Tipis, Tepees, Teepees: History and Design of the Cloth Tipi, an extraordinary history of a cloth dwelling design that has been used in dozens of cultures since the dawn of civilization. Today, tipis can be found in North America, Asia, and Australia, among other places - tipis are naturally durable, weather resistant, and easy to transport, and new synthetic materials help make them adaptable to a wider variety of climates than ever. Tips, Tepees, Teepees covers far more than the history of the tipi; chapters also cover their many styles, how to take proper care of a tipi, how to pitch a tipi, day-to-day life in a tipi, advice on buying a tipi, etc. Numerous black-and-white photographs, a glossary, bibliography, and index round out this one-of-a-kind guide strongly recommended for anyone and everyone curious about tipis.

Footsteps Of The Cherokees
Vicki Rozema
John F. Blair, Publisher
1406 Plaza Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
9780895873460, $21.95 www.blairpub.com 1-800-222-9796

A photographer having a special interest in Cherokee history, Vicki Rozema's "Footsteps Of The Cherokees: A Guide To The Eastern Homelands Of The Cherokee Nation" is a seminal contribution to the growing body of Native American history in general, and the Cherokee Nation in particular. Traveling more than 4,000 miles and investing about 2500 hours visiting, researching, and photographing the sites associated with Cherokee history throughout southeastern United States, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" covers Cherokee farmlands, homes, and sacred sides in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and the infamous trek to Oklahoma in 1838 called 'The Trail of Tears', when thousands of Cherokees were forced by the federal government to leave their lands and live on a desolate reservation in an inhospitable western frontier. Some 190 sites are listed and provided with historical perspectives. Enhanced with black-and-white photographs, detailed directions to the sites, their hours of operation, along with entrance fee information, as well as relevant phone numbers, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is the perfect travel planner and companion. An impressive and original body of work, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Native American Studies reference collections.

Chief Marin
Betty Goerke
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
9781597140539, $21.95 www.heydaybooks.com 1-510-549-3564

Marin County, California, is named after a Native American tribal chieftain of the Coast Miwok who resisted Spanish colonization at a time when the infamous system of Spanish missions collapsed and California was being rapidly transformed by the Americans. "Chief Marin: Leader, Rebel, And Legend" is a compelling biography of a hitherto obscure figure by anthropologist and archaeologist Betty Goerke who drew upon her seminal research efforts with mission records, ethnographies, the diaries and correspondences of missionaries and explorers, and other source materials. Of special note is the section of thematically relevant photographic illustrations. An enthusiastically recommended addition to academic and community library Native American Studies and American Biography reference collections, "Chief Marin" is a vividly written, informative biography of a remarkable man and his epic struggle to emancipate his people from the Spanish colonial system in an ultimately doomed effort to preserve his people's aboriginal lifestyle.

Like the Sound of a Drum
Peter Kulchyski
University of Manitoba Press
301 St. John's College, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3T 2M5
9780887556869, $26.95 www.umanitoba.ca/uofmpress 1-800-565-9523

Written by Peter Kulchyski (professor of Native Studies, University of Manitoba), Like the Sound of a Drum: Aboriginal Cultural Politics in Denendeh and Nunavut is part ethnography, part narrative of the author's travels among Aboriginal communities of Canada. Compiling what Kulchyski learned interviewing elders and Aboriginal politicians, partaking of daily life, and attending community meetings, Like the Sound of a Drum offers an in-depth examination of the modern-day culture and lifestyle of three communities: Fort Simpson and Fort Good Hope in Denendeh, and Pangnirtung in Nunavut. Of especial interest is Kulchyski's examination of how Aboriginal communities strive to maintain political and cultural independence in creative ways, and how they challenge the concept of democracy as it is undertaken in Canada. A fascinating expose, rich in detail from cover to cover and illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs.


The International Studies Shelf

Cosmopolitan Desire
Stephen William Foster
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780759110243, $29.95 1-800-462-6420

Written by anthropology instructor Stephen William Foster, Cosmopolitan Desire: Transcultural Dialogues and Antiterrorism in Morocco is a timely close-up look at the interaction of Western and Muslim cultures among the people of Morocco, as fueled by the modern era of globalization. Drawn from the author's many travels to Morocco, and numerous interviews with Moroccans home and abroad, Cosmopolitan Desire examines how urban, secularized Muslims form their identities, how they present themselves to non-Muslim Westerners, modern intercultural problems set amid the backdrop of history, broad psychological and political forces affecting Morocco's complex society, and much more, including cultural aspects pertaining to sexuality. "I wondered if Moroccan men compartmentalized their sexuality just as they compartmentalized 'their' women and regarded sex simply as lust, furtive pleasure, rather than an idiom for expressing affection or articulating relationships. Their machismo ensured that dominance and submission were constant themes between them, as between themselves and women or themselves and foreigners. Their homophobia, distributed differently across the social terrain than in America, was structured by these themes; rather than proscribing sex between men, the proscription was against the submissive, passive, male, an interesting parallel with their misogyny. The sexual object of male desire, whether male or female, was both a site of male pleasure and of male pollution and opprobrium. That ambivalence, I think, fed the play of desire and the homosocial game as well." An intriguing cross-cultural perspective.


The Art Shelf

The Art of Placemaking
Ronald Lee Fleming
Merrell Publishing
49 West 24th Street, 8th Floor, New York NY 10010
185894371X, $49.95 www.merrellpublishers.com

THE ART OF PLACEMAKING: INTERPRETING COMMUNITY THROUGH PUBLIC ART AND URBAN DESIGN is a pick for any college-level art or urban issues library and for professionals interested in public art and urban affairs. It's an exploration of works within the public imagination and explores trends in public art, from 'mural towns' and street furniture to public areas arts, documenting two decades of public arts projects from around the country. Color photos throughout feature the projects while descriptions survey interactions with public agencies, officials, and decision-makers in the process of bringing art into the public eye and making design choices.

Art & Reform
Nonie Gadsden
MFA Publications
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02115
9780878467167, $24.95 www.mfa-publications.org

ART & REFORM: SARA GALNER, THE SATURDAY EVENING GIRLS, AND THE PAUL REVERE POTTERY charts arts and crafts and pottery movements alike, surveying museum holdings in both black and white and color and supplementing identifying descriptions with an introduction explaining the work celebrates a fine gift made by Dr. David Bloom and friends of over a hundred ceramics from the Paul Revere Pottery of the Saturday Evening Girls Club of Boston. This volume offers not only a catalog, but a rare opportunity to understand the revitalization of the Arts and Crafts movement and its contributions: art libraries at the college level will welcome it.

Anarchy and Art
Allan Antliff
Arsenal Pulp Press
341 Water Street, Suite 200, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1B8
9781551522180, $23.95 www.arsenalpulp.com

Activist and art critic Allan Antliff presents Anarchy and Art: From the Paris Commune to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, a thoughtful philosophical discussion of art's potential as a conduit to carry messages of revolution and meaningful social change. Focusing on critical moments since the nineteenth century when artists, poets, philosophers, and critics have dared to speak their voice concerning pivotal events, Anarchy and Art complements its text with a number of black-and-white illustrations and a few color plates of provocative works. Anarchy and Art is not a politically neutral examination, reflecting the author's leftist tendencies and commitment to activism, yet its core message about the role of art as a media that can sway hearts and minds resounds fervently in the mind of the reader.

Egyptian Designs
Catherine Calhoun
Stemmer House Publishers, Inc.
4 White Brook Road, Gilsum, NH 03448
0880450126, $7.95 www.stemmer.com 1-800-345-6665

In "Egyptian Designs", Catherine Calhoun as created a compendium of authentic design motifs drawn from the tomb walls, temples, and artifacts of ancient Egypt which, beginning in the 19th century, have continued to influence contemporary Western art. The images are taken from Egyptian jewelry, paintings, metalwork, and sculpture, as well as everyday domestic objects (so well fashioned as to become objects of artistic elegance in and of themselves). One of the latest additions to the outstanding Stemmer House 'International Design Library' series, "Egyptian Designs" is very highly recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History & Egyptology Studies reference collections.

Los Angeles Graffitti
Roger Gastman & Sonja Teri
Mark Batty, Publisher
36 West 37th Street, Penthouse, New York, NY 10018
9780979048616, $27.95 www.markbattypublisher.com

Graffiti is as old as human civilization and is to be found scrawled upon the walls of every archaeologically excavated city of antiquity. Today it is to be found on the walls of buildings and other structures in every American city as well. While most graffiti are simple tags or icons or inelegant defacements, some rise to the status of art with their expertly executed images and themes. The collaborative work of Roger Gastman and Sonja Teri, "Los Angeles Graffiti" is a photographic collection of some of the best examples of graffiti art and artistry to grace the sides of buildings, bridges, walls, and other structures in the sprawling metropolis that is Los Angeles, California. "Los Angeles Graffiti" is a unique and recommended addition to academic and community library Contemporary American Art reference collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Positively Postcards
Bonnie Sabel and Lous-Hilippe O'Donnell
Martingale Company
20205 – 114th Avenue NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
9781564777324, $24.95 www.martingale-pub.com

More so than oversized pictures or quilts, postcard-sized quilted keepsakes lend to display and use and POSITIVELY POSTCARDS: QUILTED KEEPSAKES TO SAVE OR SEND offers a range of 4x6 'mini-greetings' which can be done in an evening. From picking a novelty fabric and developing themes with photos to embellishing them with stitching, ribbons, yarns and beads, POSITIVELY POSTCARDS offers a whole new range of quilting projects and will prove a unique, popular pick for quilters and quilting libraries.

American Quilter's Society
Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
www.americanquilter.com

The new QUILT ART 2008 ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR (9781574329261, $12.95) is on the market and makes for a perfect engagement planning gift for avid quilters. Each week-long period is presented with plenty of room for write-ins and a facing full-page quilt sample in full color, with a color sidebar of detail on the piece's origins, creation, and size. A complete month view occupies a second sidebar on the bottom of each page, making for especially easy reference when setting dates. OH WOW! THE MINIATURE QUILTS AND THEIR MAKERS AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN QUILTER'S SOCIETY (9781574329315, $24.95) is organized by quilter and provides a full page color reproduction of the winning miniature quilt accompanied by an author biography. Both are fine presentations quilters will appreciate.

One-Skein Wonders
Judith Durant, Editor
Storey Publishers
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
1580176453, $18.95 www.storey.com

Knitters have a passion for yarn and often collect skeins for projects to find just the right colors: ONE-SKEIN WONDERS comes from over 60 yarn shops across the country who contribute over a hundred patterns, each using only a small amount of yarn to accomplish projects. From a scrunchie hat and beaded bag to a poncho and tea cozy, ONE-SKEIN WONDERS is packed with excellent, easy projects which rely on a minimum of yarn for completion.

Quilter's Block-A-Day Calendar
Debby Kratovil
Martingale & Company
20205 - 144th Avenue, NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
9781564777461, $19.95 www.martingale.com 1-800-426-3126

366 blocks for every day of the year include traditional, seasonal and holiday quilts in pages packed with full-color detail and cutting keys and a spiral binding to keep it all useful and together throughout the year. This is a fine quilter's desk calendar blending the practicality of a block calendar with the inspiration of a quilter's guide. A wonderful pairing perfect for 2008!

Japanese Temari
Barbara B. Suess
Breckling Press
283 Michigan Street, Elmhurst, IL 60126
1933308125, $24.95 www.brecklingpress.com 1-800-951-7836

The needlework art of Japanese handballs is a craft that goes back centuries. All that is required is a needle and a batch of colorful embroidery threads -- and Barbara Suess' profusely illustrated, step-by-step instruction manual "Japanese Temari: A Colorful Spin On An Ancient Craft". A consummate master of this distinctively Japanese needlecraft, Barbara shares the secrets to creating twenty-five different temari designs -- each one showcased with full color photography. These are needlecraft creations that are perfect 'carry-along projects' that result in appreciated gifts and lovely home-decor interior design accents with a unique Japanese flavor. From ball-prep basics, to simple designs that can be accomplished in a couple of hours, to complex and intricate designs that demonstrate a true mastery of this unusual needlecraft project, "Japanese Temari" is a welcome, unusual, and thoroughly 'user friendly' addition to personal and community library Needlecraft reference collections.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Penny Arcade 4: Birds Are Weird
Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik
Dark Horse Books
10956 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222
9781593077730, $12.95 www.darkhorse.com

The fourth, full-color collection of strips from the popular webcomic series Penny Arcade, Birds Are Weird continues the tradition of utterly irreverent, largely video game-themed humor. Due to severe cursing and the occasional phallic reference, Penny Arcade is not a comic for young children or the easily offended; and yet its humor has that irresistible effect. Bonus sketches, short text vignettes and a paragraph of extra commentary for virtually every strip enhance this anthology, offering new insights into Penny Arcade's random madness even for readers who have already seen the strip's archive online. "'Yeah, so I was looking at iPods today. I thought about you.' 'Oh yeah? Pretty great huh?' 'Oh yeah, real good. Then I got it up to the register, came to my senses, and bought a thirty dollar discman instead.' 'Yeah but the iPod doesn't skip.' 'Neither does this. It's cushioned by about three hundred and eighty dollars in cash.'" A sidesplitting collection and great gag gift, especially for the technogeek generation.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

An Introduction to the Art of Theatre
Marsh Cassady
Meriwether Publishing
PO Box 7710
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7710
9781566081177 $26.95 www.meriwether.com

Written by successful playwright and former actor and director Marsh Cassady, An Introduction to The Art of Theatre is a comprehensive text covering all the basics about the past, present, and future of the theatre business. Chapters discuss the roles of the playwright, actor, director, designer, and supporting artists; the business side of theatre; how architecture and space affect a play production; and the rich history of theatre from its earliest beginnings to medieval times to 17th through 21st century theatre. Questions for discussion conclude each chapter, and a handful of black-and-white illustrations round out this solid volume ideal for introductory college courses or independent study.


The Psychology Shelf

Social Psychology
Arie W. Kruglanski & E. Tory Higgins
Guilford Publications, Inc.
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
9781572309180, $160.00 www.guilford.com 1-800-365-7006

Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, "Social Psychology: Handbook Of Basic Principles" is expertly compiled and deftly edited Aire W. Kruglanski (Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland) and E. Tory Higgins (Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY). The forty-one informed and informative essays and articles comprising "Social Psychology" are organized into five sections: Biological System; Cognitive Systems; Personal Motivational System; Interpersonal System; Group and Cultural System; and Applications of Social Psychology. Enhanced with a comprehensive Author Index and Subject Index, "Social Psychology" is confidently recommended as a core addition to academic library Social Psychology collections and student supplemental reading lists.

The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory
Leo Rangell, M.D.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780765705129, $34.95 1-800-462-6420

Written by Leo Rangell, M.D., former president of both the American and the International Psychoanalytic Associations, The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory is an examination of how psychoanalytic theory has evolved in the twentieth century. In particular, The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory asserts that the science driving psychoanalytical theory peaked in the latter third of the twentieth century, and since then theoretical fragmentation has contributed to the decline of the discipline. Chapters discuss problems that lay analysis and medical analysis have caused, muddling psychoanalytic theory's groundwork with insufficient coherence and consistency. "Considering how regularly alternative psychoanalytic theories are built upon ideational fallacies and logical flaws, failing to take into account their continuing relationships to aspects of the previous theory they purportedly accept, it is striking how rare have been attempts at scientific reparation or efforts at retention of consistency and intellectual unity." The Road to Unity in Psychoanalysis is written in fairly technical language, and dares to tackle the truly big questions in psychoanalysis, concerning the most fundamental aspects of the scientific theory underpinning the medical psychology of helping people. Highly recommended, especially for professionals in the field.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Opening the Ark of the Covenant
Frank Joseph & Laura Beaudoin
New Page Books
Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
156414903X, $17.99 www.newpagebooks.com

OPENING THE ARK OF THE COVENANT: THE SECRET POWER OF THE ANCIENTS, THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR CONNECTION, AND THE SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL will reach both new age and mainstream spirituality holdings, comes from the editor-in-chief of the popular science magazine Ancient America and a co-author with direct ancestors connected to the Crusader kings in the 12th and 13th centuries, and provides worldwide research into the Ark's disappearance which proves its facts. An engrossing analysis of Ark representations and documents evolves.

The Tao of Equus
Linda Kohanov
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1577314204, $15.95 www.newworldlibrary.com

Author Linda Kohanov awakened to the spiritual presence of horses and here blends her personal anecdotes with her research into horse healing, mythology and communication to make for a fine survey of interest to horse fans and new age readers and collections alike. THE TAO OF EQUUS: A WOMAN'S JOURNEY OF HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE WAY OF THE HORSE offers a fine read with plenty of insightful connections between horses and new age spirituality. New age libraries in particular will find it an appealing pick, especially for collections strong in human/animal surveys.

Drugs of the Dreaming
Gianluca Toro & Benjamin Thomas
Park Street Press
c/o Inner Tradition
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
159477174X, $12.95 www.parkstreetpress.com

New age collections strong in health and drug and dreaming properties will find DRUGS OF THE DREAMING: ONEIROGENS: SALVIA DIVINORUM AND OTHER DREAM-ENHANCING PLANTS to be an essential acquisition. It details the properties and actions of selected 'dream allies', including ethnobotanical profiles for over thirty of these plants. Both historical usage and spiritual applications make for a fine survey.

The Lost Continent of Mu
James Churchward
Adventures Unlimited Press
PO Box 74 Kempton, IL 60946
9781931882729, $18.00 www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com 1-815-253-6390

Originally published in 1926, The Lost Continent of Mu is a classic text now with a new introduction by David Hatcher Childress. The Lost Continent of Mu theorizes that a now-lost continent once existed in the Pacific, with a thriving human civilization. Author Churchwald presents what he learned from ancient carved tablets, hidden for thousands of years in Hindu temple vaults, and the mysteries locked in their heretofore unintelligible arcane script. The script, allegedly the original language of mankind, told of an advanced worldwide civilization on a continent in the Pacific, which was eventually destroyed by cataclysm. A handful of black-and-white illustrations add a visual touch to this amazing speculation of unexplained wonders.

Medicine of Light
Amarananda Bhairavan
Red Wheel/Weiser
65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950-4600
9780892541263, $18.95 www.redwheelweiser.com 1-800-423-7087

Told primarily through dialogue, Medicine of Light: A Shaman's Journey Through Mystic Space-Time is the reminiscence of experiencing the ancient culture of Goddess worship, and the shamanic training of the author, known as Shambu in his native land. Medicine of Light is grounded in Hinduism, and explores the journey to become initiated into the world of the goddess Kali. Medicine of Light further speaks of preparing to descend into the underworld to rescue a disciple. "When normal persons dream, their dream experience is out of control. They dream all kinds of experiences without much say in the process and wake up with scant and distorted memory of the dream experience. Their dreaming uses up what little awareness they have in a rush, through numerous avenues; much like milk poured into a pot with a hundred holes spews out immediately. That is because their logical mind is not integrated into their dream mind and their self-identity, anchored strongly in their logical mind, is fast asleep. Neither do they have the advantage of access to enormous caches of awareness from their karmic strata, nor have they surrendered to their dream mind. So the little awareness that they gain on a daily basis is spent in a puff." Written in the Tantric spiritual tradition, Medicine of Light is a profound and spiritually moving experience.

An Encyclopedia Of Shamanism
Christina Platt
The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010
Vol. 1, 9781404210417; Vol. 2, 978140421040; $433.50 www.rosenpub.com 1-800-237-9932

The two-volume edition of "An Encyclopedia Of Shamanism" compiled and written by shamanic expert Christina Platt (Director of the Last mask Center for Shamanic Healing in Portland, Oregon & New York City) is a comprehensive and extensive reference work on every aspect and facet of Shamanism in every culture where it is to be found across the globe. Of special note are the extensive and informed essays on Shamanism; the origins of Shamanism; the origin of the word 'Shaman'; the Shaman; Shamans and non-Shamanic healers; contemporary Shamans; Shamanic rituals and ceremony; the Shaman's trance; Shamans and spirits; and the universe of the Shaman. These superbly presented essays are followed in volume one by succinct entries alphabetized A-M. Volume two features the continuation of succinctly alphabetized entries N-Z; an extensive bibliography for further study; and a very useful index. Thoroughly 'user friendly' for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Shamanism and Shamanic healing, "An Encyclopedia Of Shamanism" covers all of the terms, concepts, illuminaries, traditions, ceremonies, rituals, symbols, icons, metaphysical beliefs, and practices associated with Shamanism. A welcome addition to school and community library reference collections, "An Encyclopedia Of Shamanism" would make an ideal Memorial Fund acquisition for any library system.


The Sports Shelf

Golf's Three Noble Truths
James Ragonnet
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1577315804, $19.95 www.newworldlibrary.com

James Ragonnet has spent three decades analyzing the game of golf, so any collection strong in golfing history will find his GOLF'S THREE NOBLE TRUTHS: THE FINE ART OF PLAYING AWAKE a fine addition, applying classic teachings of the Buddha to the game. Also recommended for new age and spirituality collections, GOLF'S THREE NOBLE TRUTHS is featured here under sports because sports collections will find it to be a different kind of addition – and something beyond the ordinary. Golfers can best grow their sport by 'playing awake' and utilizing methods and awareness exercises from Buddhist notions. Avid players will want to consider this alternative thought on improving their game.

Canada's Bridge Warriors; Eric Murray and Sami Kehlea
Roy Hughes
Master Point Press
331 Douglas Avenue, Toronto, Ontario Canada M5M 1H2
1897106211, $23.95 www.masterpointpress.com

Eric Murray and Sami Kehela are two of the most successful bridge pair Canada's ever produced, and their biography is revealed for the first time in a survey of some thirty years of triumphs and tricky plays. Collections catering to neo-pro bridge players as well as bridge enthusiasts will relish the account of a different era of bridge challenges, when Canadians had to beat top U.S. players in North American pairs trials. A perfect, lively survey any who play bridge will appreciate.

Charging the Net
Cecil Harris and Larryette Kyle-DeBose
Ivan R. Dee
1332 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60622-2694
1566637147, $26.95 www.ivanrdee.com

CHARGING THE NET: A HISTORY OF BLACKS IN TENNIS provides a fine survey of the major black figures in tennis who forced the sport to integrate. Personal interviews and in-depth research details the challenges blacks faced in entering professional status in the tennis world, with chapters surveying the achievements of individuals, teams, and organizations alike. This is a top pick not just for sports libraries, but for any general-interest collection strong in integration issues and sports. Its lively presentation blends civil rights issues with tennis sports world insights.

Wannabe Guide to Golf
Jack Mingo
RDR Books
4456 Piedmont, Oakland, CA 94611
1571430407, $9.95 www.rdrbooks.com

Wannabe Guide to Golf is simple, straightforward primer to the basics of golf. Chapters cover golf's origins, scoring, fundamentals such as how to swing and selecting the proper golf club, putting, navigating hazards, golf etiquette, a liberal sprinkle of golf jokes, and much more. A brief read packed with what everyone one needs to know to feel at home on the course, especially recommended for anyone invited to share their first game of golf with business or personal colleagues.

Berkshire Encyclopedia Of Extreme Sports
Douglas Booth & Holly Thorpe, editors
Berkshire Publishing Group
314 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230-1615
9780977015955, $125.00 www.berkshirepublishing.com

Collaboratively compiled and deftly co-edited by Douglas Booth and Holly Thorpe (both of whom are faculty members with the Department of Sports and Leisure Studies at the University of Waikato, New Zealand), the "Berkshire Encyclopedia Of Extreme Sports" is impressively organized and includes 42 articles on contemporary extreme sports by knowledgeable contributors including scholars and athletes. There are also 19 essays dealing with the social, political, and media context of extreme sports, 35 biographies of leading extreme sports athletes, as well as 73 sidebars (many written by athletes recounting their own exploits). The "Berkshire Encyclopedia Of Extreme Sports" is enhanced with the inclusion of a comprehensive index, extensive cross-references, and a topical reader's guide. In addition to being an essential acquisition for both school and community library Sports & Athletics reference collections, the "Berkshire Encyclopedia Of Extreme Sports" is especially recommended for students and non-specialist readers of any age who have an interest in any or all of those sports and athletic activities which have come to be called 'extreme'.

The Arrival Of The American League
Warren N. Wilbert
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786430130, $29.95 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187

The National League dominated American baseball until in 1901 two men, Charles Comisky and Ban Johnson, launched the rival American League to challenge that supremacy. "The Arrival Of The American League: Ban Johnson And The 1901 Challenge to national League Monopoly" by baseball historian Warren N. Wilbert is the definitive history of the circumstances, events, and personalities that brought about the creation of a new professional baseball league. A fascinating and informative read, "The Arrival Of The American League" is a critically important contribution to the history of American baseball and a highly recommended core addition to any personal, academic, or community library Sports History reference collection. McFarland & Company is a premier publisher of baseball history books and a complete listing of their baseball history titles can be found on their website at www.mcfarlandpub.com


The Military Shelf

A Military History of India and South Asia
Daniel P. Marston and Chandar S. Sundaram
Praeger Publishing
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06681
0275985709, $49.95 www.praeger.com

South Asia's geography and politics is of key interest to the developing nations, and so A Military History of India and South Asia From the East India Company to the Nuclear Era should be on the shelves of any college-level collection, whether it be military or civilian in nature. Collections also strong in Asian history and culture will find this history important: it surveys the region since 1700, covering major conflicts, ideological and social differences, military encounters, and more. Experts contribute chapters strongly supported by source materials and research.

The Memoirs of Field-Marshal Kesselring
Kenneth Macksey
Zenith Press
c/o MBI Publishing Company
Galtier Plaza, Suite 200, 380 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
9781853677281, $24.95 www.greenhillbooks.com

Field-Marshal Albert Kesselring was one of Germany's top military strategists who commanded air fleets during the invasion of France and Battle of Britain. This edition of his memoirs blends in introductions from James Holland and Kenneth Macksey which surveys Kesselring's background and effects, providing a fine survey to the focus of Kesselring, who details both military background and his involvement in World War II – including the war's end and his subsequent trial. Any collection seeking source material and definitive first-person exposes will want this.

The Spanish Civil War
Paul Preston
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
9780393329872, $16.95 www.wwnorton.com

Paul Preston is one of the world's foremost historians of Spanish history, so his focus THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR: REACTION, REVOLUTION, AND REVENGE is an essential acquisition for any military history library, appearing in a revised, expanded paperback to recount the major milestones and struggles of the era. It's a classic work and deserves a place not only in specialty military history collections, but in any general lending library strong in Spanish history and culture.

Diary of a Dead Officer
Arthur Graeme West
Greenhill Books
c/o MBI Publishing Company
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul MN 55101-3885
9781853677298, $29.95 www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454

THE DIARY OF A DEAD OFFICER comes from a boy who enlisted as a private in January 1915 to fight the Great Warm keeping a diary which reflected his abhorrence of army life and the very beliefs and politics which led him to war. It first appeared posthumously in 1917 and brings together all his private writings, including his poems, to provide readers with a hard-hitting World War I account and anti-war read perfect for any military collection dealing in World War I memoirs.

Greenhill Books/MBI
c/o MBI Publishing Company
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul MN 55101-3885
www.mbipublishing.com

Ross Cowan's FOR THE GLORY OF ROME: A HISTORY OF WARRIORS AND WARFARE (9781853677335, $39.95) provides a survey of the Roman warrior, an analysis of strategy and campaigns, and a survey of the role of single combat in battle. College-level and in-depth collections strong in ancient military history will appreciate the depth of analysis here, which examines individuals and warriors, from their techniques to their motivations in defending the Roman Empire with their lives. Ken Delve's THE STORY OF THE SPITFIRE: AN OPERATIONAL AND COMBAT HISTORY (9781853677250, $39.95) uses official source material and first-hand accounts to survey the Spitfire's history and development, examining its fighting capability and tactics of the pilots who flew it. Official evaluations, reports, and technical specs join with the memories of Spitfire pilots to provide insights into this aircraft's career, problems, and performance. The focus on its importance in military circles makes for a fine reference.

Berry Benson's Civil War Book
Susan Williams Benson, Editor
University of Georgia Press
330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602-4901
9780820329437, $18.95 www.ugapress.org

BERRY BENSON'S CIVIL WAR BOOK: MEMOIRS OF A CONFEDERATE SCOUT AND SHARPSHOOTER appears in a new paperback edition and tells of one sharpshooter Berry Benson, who saw most of the action between the first shot fired in the Civil War and the surrender of Lee's army. His account of his soldier's life and battlefield experiences brings to live the Civil War's history and politics and makes it a powerful pick for any library strong in Civil War memoirs and first-hand accounts.

To Be a Paratrooper
Gregory Mast and Hans Halberstadt
Zenith Press
c/o MBI Publishing
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul MN 55101-3885
0760330468, $21.95 www.mbipublishing.com

What does it take to jump into a hostile environment? Plenty of books provide overviews of military jobs, but few discuss the work of the paratrooper, and TO BE A PARATROOPER surveys everything from parachute training to operating in a paratrooper force. Chapters surveying the physical and mental training and requirements pack color photos with discussions of equipment and work, making this a perfect pick for any military library focusing on military jobs.

The Armed Forces Officer
U.S. Department of Defense
Potomac Books Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Dr. Dulles, VA 20166
9781597971676, $14.95 www.potomacbooksinc.com

This 2007 edition of a classic adds to a series of books of the same title, written by a journalist and historian who wrote the first book at the behest of Gen. George C. Marshall, who believed all officers needed to base professional commitments on a common moral-ethical foundation, presented here. Any military or public library strong in officer inspiration needs THE ARMED FORCES OFFICER: it updates scenarios to modern times, covers everything from accountability issues to honor, respect and duty concerns, and it surveys training routines and strategies across the board. An invaluable, meaningful reference.

Encyclopedia of Elite Forces in the Second World War
Michael E. Haskew
Amber Books Ltd.
Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London N19PF, UK
9781905704279 $34.95 www.mberbooks.co.uk

From paratroops and commandos to rangers, this A-Z reference to elite forces of the second world war is a top pick for any serious military collection looking beyond the general overview of troops and battles. The best units from all the major combatant countries are included from both European and Pacific theatres of war in a survey arranged by nation and covering troops and squadrons on all sides. 'Elite' status is determined by performance, not just assigned status alone.

Nothing Less Than Full Victory
Edward G. Miller
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781591144946, $32.95 www.navalinstitute.org 1-800-233-8764

Edward G. Miller is a retired Army logistics officer and department of the Army-designated military history. In "Nothing Less Than Full Victory: Americans At War In Europe, 1944-1945", Miller draws upon his many years of experience, research, and expertise to provide an impressively articulate and informative history of American military involvement in the European Theater of World War II during the last two years of the conflict. Enhanced with the inclusion of a number of historical battle maps, "Nothing Less Than Full Victory" begins with two chapters of background that covers events and preparations from 1940 through 1943, plus a descriptive chapter on 'The Enemy'. The rest of the chapters are arranged chronologically and cover the progress of the war as it took place on European soil. Enhanced with appendices providing a 'Table of Comparative Officer Ranks'; 'The U.S. Armor Problem'; and 'Battle and Non-battle Causalities, June 1944-May 1945', "Nothing Less Than Full Victory" also features a section of extensive Notes, a Glossary, a Bibliography, and an Index. An impressively informed and articulate study, "Nothing Less Than Full Victory" is a welcome and recommended contribution to the expanding library of World War II Military Studies reference and histories.


The Women's Studies Shelf

More Than Petticoats
Julia Peerdehirt
The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9780762743315, $12.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

"More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Michigan Women" by author, storyteller, and history buff Julia Peerdehirt profiles the lives of some truly remarkable and distinguished women. Each of these outstanding and influential women were born prior to 1915 and were key to the development of Michigan as the 26th state of the American union. From Magdelaine la Framboise (1780-1846), a Metis fur trader and entrepreneur who helped to build a community on Macinac Island; to Sara Emma Edmonds (1841-1898) who disguised herself as Frank Thompson and served as a soldier in the Civil War for two years as part of the 2nd Michigan Infantry; to Nancy Harkness Love (1944-1977) who was in her teens when she earned her pilot's license and went on to found the U.S. Army's Women's Auxiliary Ferrying division during World War II. Also featured are the life stories and accomplishments of Sojourner Truth, Laura Smith Haviland, Julie Wheelock Freeman, Sarah Emma Edmonds, Anna Howard Show, Rebecca Shelley, Ana Clemenc, Marguerite Lofti de Angeli, Gwen Frostic, and Rosa Parks. Each biographical profile is arranged in chronological order by birth date. Enhanced with an extensive bibliography, "More Than Petticoats" is a very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library biography collections, as well as student supplemental reading lists for Women's Studies, American History, and Michigan State History.


The Language Studies Shelf

Accent America! Essentials
Dorothy M. Taguchi
Penton Overseas, Inc.
1958 Kellogg Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008
9781591258346, $34.95 www.pentonoverseas.com 1-800-748-5804

The most common language problem encountered by non-native speakers when using English is their heavily accented pronunciation of the words. Now with "Accent America! Essentials" non-native speakers can benefit from the exercises on the five audio CDs and the explanations in the accompanying 136-page Guide Book. Non-native speakers will lean why people may misunderstand what they say and what to do to correct their mispronunciations; how to speak English with the proper rhythm and timing, which syllables to stress, and which syllables to shorten; how to avoid speaking too quickly by measuring how fast they speak; how to link words together like native English speakers; and how they can become confident in their adopted language as they improve their pronunciation skills. "Accent America! Essentials" is a critically important and strongly recommended addition to personal, school, and community library ESL (England as a Second Language) instructional resource collection.

A Little Book Of Latin Love Poetry
John Bruker & Mardah B. C. Weinfield
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
1000 Brown Street, Unit 101, Wauconda, IL 60084
9780865166011, $21.00 www.bolchazy.com

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers is a premier publisher of Latin language instruction materials and literature. One of their latest efforts to produce skill and fluency development in Latin is "A Little Book Of Latin Love Poetry: A Transitional Reader For Catullus, Horace, And Ovid", a collaborative effort by accomplished academicians John Breuker and Mardah B. C. Weinfield. Comprised of selections from six poems by Catullus, three poems by Horace, and two poems by Ovid. All of these poems are provided in authentic Latin. Special features include opposite-page vocabulary and reading helps; thirteen 'Rapid Reviews' with exercises on key points of grammar and syntax; two 'Major Reviews' with drills on infinitives and participles; and a 'Final Unit Review' which encourages re-reading all of the poems in their unmodified form, along with notes on 'Textual Matters' and 'Points to Ponder'. Enhanced with appendices providing timelines for the 3 poets, 'Poetic Devices/Literary Terms, Metrics, Latin Grammar and Syntex, a bibliography, a glossary of proper names, and a full Latin-English vocabulary, "A Little Book Of Latin Love Poetry" is an ideal and thoroughly 'student friendly' supplement to Latin Language instruction curriculums. Also very highly recommended from Bolchazy-Carducci for the student of Latin are "To Be A Roman" (9780865166332, $25.00); "Conversational Latin CD" (9780885166356, $33.00); Catullus Vocabulary Cards" (9780865166530, $19.00); and "Cattulus: LEGAMUS Transitional Reader (9780865166349, $32.00).


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Cancer Survivorship Sourcebook
Karen Bellenir
Omnigraphics
615 Griswold Street, Detroit, MI 48226
9780780809857, $78.00 www.omnigraphics.com

Joining others in the comprehensive consumer Health Reference Series is the first edition of CANCER SURVIVORSHIP SOURCEBOOK, a guide to cancer survival from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up. Psychosocial management, patient and family education, and supportive care is also reviewed in chapters which examine both early and late treatment options in different kinds of cancer, both adult and childhood onsets. An excellent, basic reference.

Genetic Roulette
Jeffrey M. Smith
YES! Books
Box 469, Fairfield, IA 52556
9780972966528, $27.95 www.chelseagreen.com

GENETIC ROULETTE: THE DOCUMENTED HEALTH RISKS OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS is a recommended pick for college-level health libraries: it covers everything from genetic transfer issues and risks for children and newborns to safety-related assumptions that have been proven wrong, signs of toxic reactions, and more. Packed with charts, FDA review information, details on regulatory issues and industry studies, and overall health concerns, GENETIC ROULETTE is a unique reference not to be missed.

Romancing Opiates
Theodore Dalrymple
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York NY 10003-1239
1594030871, $21.95 www.encounterbooks.com

ROMANCING OPIATES: PHARMACOLOGICAL LIES AND THE ADDICTION BUREAUCRACY analyzes the psychology of heroin addiction – and refutes many common ideas in the process. How? It maintains heroin is not highly addictive, withdrawal from it isn't medically serious, and addicts don't become criminals to feed their habit – but it is a moral or spiritual problem. Dr. Dalrymple's experience as a prison doctor and psychiatrist in a large general hospital in a British slum backs his contentions: food for thought for any college level health collection.

Pushed
Jennifer Block
Lifelong Books/DaCapo Press
c/o Perseus Publishing Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0738210730, $26.00 www.dacapopress.com

PUSHED: THE PAINFUL TRUTH ABOUT CHILDBIRTH AND MODERN MATERNITY CARE provides an overview of maternity care in America, comes from a former editor at Ms. Magazine, and reports on the experiences of women across the country. Among the shocking revelations: over half of women who give birth in the U.S. are given drugs to induce or speed up labor, and alternatives to traditional care can be both unaffordable and even illegal. The health, psychology and economics of maternity care in the U.S. receives a fine overview perfect for any serious college-level health or social science collection.

Happy Accidents
Morton A. Meyers, MD
Arcade Publishing
116 John Street, #2810, New York, NY 10038
1559708190, $29.95 www.arcadepub.com 1-800-759-0190

HAPPY ACCIDENTS: SERENDIPITY IN MODERN MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS tells of happy accidental discoveries in the world of science, documenting events and also providing insights into how these accidents came to be realized as beneficial. It's this perspective which makes HAPPY ACCIDENTS a highly recommended pick not just for general interest lending libraries, but for college-level collections strong in health science. Learning to recognize and assess unexpected and accidental results for their possible lessons and benefits is key to any researcher's success: the author draws on both personal experience and research and interviews with winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and other awards to document this process of discovery.

Yoga And Multiple Sclerosis
Loren M. Fishman & Eric L. Small
Demos Medical Publishing
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 201, New York, NY 10016
9781932603170, $21.95 www.demosmedpub.com 1-800-532-8663

The collaborative work of Loren M. Fishman (Assistant Clinical Professor in Rehabilitation at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons) and Eric L. Small (an expert yoga instructor who was diagnosed with MS at the age of 22), "Yoga And Multiple Sclerosis" is specifically designed to instruct MS patients in the benefits of yoga exercises which can be tangible beneficial for those afflicted with this neurologic disease. Ideal for the non-specialist general reader, "Yoga And Multiple Sclerosis" describes how yoga works. The text is enhanced with photographs and descriptions of each yoga pose and clearly explains their effects, advantages, and contraindications. Of special value the yoga novice are the 'starter poses' that enable the uninitiated or physically challenged to gently achieve a yoga posture. An important acquisition for personal and community library Health & Medicine instructional reference collections, "Yoga And Multiple Sclerosis" is especially recommended for those who are experiencing symptoms across the MS spectrum (including anyone in a wheelchair or who has limited mobility) and seek to raise their functional abilities and thereby foster both their physical independence and their psychological morale.


The Homeowner's Shelf

Ultimate Guide To Wiring
Fran J. Donegan, Managing Editor
Creative Homeowner Press
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
9781580113502, $21.95 www.creativehomeowner.com 1-800-631-7795

The "Ultimate Guide To Wiring: Complete Home Projects" from Creative Homeowner Press is a compendium of 'how-to' information for do-it-yourself homeowners with respect to household electrical wiring tasks. Step-by-step methodical instructions and diagrams are very nicely illustrated with more than 900 color photographs for a variety of more than 85 specific wiring projects ranging from switches, receptacles and light fixtures, to home automation, outdoor lighting, and networking. Of special value for the novice homeowner are the informative sections on tools, cables, conduits, fixtures, appliances, and code-approved work. Thoroughly 'user friendly', the "Ultimate Guide To Wiring" clearly lives up to the promise of its title and is strongly recommended as a core addition to personal and community library homeowner 'do-it-yourself' instructional reference collections.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Double Outsiders
Jessica Faye Carter, J.D., MBA
JIST Publishing
8902 Otis Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46216-1033
9781593573867, $16.95 www.jist.com 1-800-648-5478

Jessica Faye Carter is a seasoned and experienced professional in the fields of corporate law and the financial services industry whose experience and expertise form the basis of a superbly written, organized and presented instruction manual designed specifically for women of color who are trying to enter and/or succeed in the corporate world. An invaluable compendium of practical, applicable information, "Double Outsiders: How Women Of Color Can Succeed In Corporate America" identifies and explains the rules of the corporate game and what must be done to advance a career; how to benefit from interviews, insights and strategies as offered by top female minority executives and others who have overcome bias and prejudice in the course of their own careers; how to find and work with a mentor, as well as developing an effective personal network for career advancement and success. "Double Outsiders" is a strongly recommended acquisition for community and academic library Jobs & Careers reference collections, and a 'must read' for any woman of color or minority ethnic group seeking to advance themselves within the corporate business world.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Infamous Eve
May Sinclair, Ph.D.
Wheatmark, Inc.
610 East Delano Street, Suite 104, Tucson, AZ 85705
9781587367151 $24.95

Written by May Sinclair, Ph.D., Infamous Eve: A History is an eye-opening look at the rarely-contemplated sides of biblical story about Eve and the garden of Eden. Chapters discuss the bible's authors; differences in manuscript versions; why the creature that enticed Eve is represented as a snake; the stories about Adam's first wife, Lilith, who demanded equality; whether Eve as described in Genesis was foolish or malevolent; and whether the concept of all humanity as being descended from one woman is truly compatible with what modern genetics and biology have to say. A thoughtful, analytical-minded re-examination of the classic Garden of Eden parable, highly recommended.

Harper SanFrancisco
353 Sacramento Street, #500, San Francisco, CA 94111-3653
www.harpercollins.com 1-800-272-7737

John Shelby Spong's JESUS FOR THE NON RELIGIOUS (9780060762070, $24.95) tells of one Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German theologian who sketched a vision of 'religionless Christianity'. John Spong here revives Bonhoeffer's radical ideas to provide a new possible perspective on Christian beliefs: a Jesus for the non-religious. Be prepared for a challenge to traditional understanding of Jesus history and faith – and for a title which is perfect for discussion among Christian and Jewish believers alike. A top pick for any serious religious collection. Stephen Prothero's RELIGIOUS LITERACY: WHAT EVERY AMERICAN NEEDS TO KNOW – AND DOESN'T (9780060846701, $24.95) points out that the U.S. is a nation of terrible religious illiteracy: a huge percentage of Americans know relatively nothing about the Bible or other religions. Yet politics and social issue decisions continue to be made on the basis of religious beliefs. Religion scholar Stephen Prothero says there is a need to return to teaching religion in the public schools, and RELIGIOUS LITERACY addresses this and related issues, considering the core concepts of the world's major religions and their basic differences. Perfect for understanding the roots of religious belief and its connections to social issues.

World Religions in a Postmodern Age
Henry L. Ruf
Paragon House
1925 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 7, St. Paul, MN 55113-2619
9781557788665, $19.95 www.paragonhouse.com

Philosophy professor and postmodern critic of metaphysics Henry L. Ruf presents World Religions in a Postmodern Age, the latest contribution to the Paragon Issues in Philosophy series. Chapters explore the positive roles of major world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Chan/Zen, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as how difficult and sometimes dangerous truly faithful talk is when so many would ruthlessly abuse religious power and authority to serve their own ends. At its core, World Religions in a Postmodern Age extols the sacred and practical virtues of world religious freedom, and the benefits that such freedom and tolerance bring to human society as a whole. A thoughtful, well-reasoned, and highly recommended contribution to religious philosophy shelves.


The Library Science Shelf

The Newbery and Caldecott Awards, 2007 edition
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611
9780838935675, $19.00 www.alastore.ala.org

The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books is the updated 2007 edition to award-winning children's picturebooks and literature. Each entry lists the book's title, author, illustrator, publisher, and a short summary of the book's contents. Books are listed chronologically, from the 2007 award-winning titles to the award-winning titles of 1922 (Newbery) or 1938 (Caldecott). The Newbery and Caldecott lists are separate; an additional section describes media used in Caldecott picture books. An introduction explaining the criteria and basics of the awards, as well as an index for quick reference, round out this excellent guide for librarians seeking quality titles to add to their children's book collections.


The Education Shelf

Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
www.nolo.com

The 5th updated edition of Attorney Lawrence M. Siegel's THE COMPLETE IEP GUIDE: HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR YOUR SPECIAL ED CHILD (1413305105, $34.99) provides the latest legal information on how parents can work with the school system to develop an Individualized Education Program. There's lots of steps and paperwork to developing such a strategy, but with the help of this guide, parents learn eligibility rules, options, tailoring the IEP for a child's abilities and needs, and more. A 'must' reference for any concerned special education child or for any library catering to parents. The third updated edition of Attorney Lawrence M. Siegel's NOLO'S IEP GUIDE: LEARNING DISABILITIES (1413305121, $29.99) is a more general reference which offers the latest legal information needed to identify a learning disability, understand a child's rights and options, develop cases for school administrators, and more. As a companion volume to THE COMPLETE IEP GUIDE, it offers an entirely updated revision reflecting major changes to the Individuals With Disabilities Act and the entire IEP process, and is an invaluable special education parent's guide. Attorney Janet Portman and Marcia Stewart's RENTER'S RIGHTS: THE BASICS (141330575X, $24.99) skips legal lingo in favor of a standard updated coverage pairing legal information with typical renter issues, from paying rents and understanding security deposits to negotiating leases, handling roommates and added names, and dealing with landlords over maintenance issues. A 'must' for any renter, landlord, or general-interest library reference collection.

Crimes and Mathdemeanors
Leith Hathout
A K Peters, Ltd.
888 Worcester Street, Suite 230, Wellesley, MA 02482
9781568812601, $14.95 www.akpeters.com

Crimes and Mathdemeanors is an Encyclopedia Brown-style book of short detective stories for young adults and adults alike - to test their mathematics skills and knowledge! Ravi, the 14-year-old math genius, must apply his knowledge of math and physics and his general cleverness to deduce the answers to riddles, mysteries, and puzzles. Tales rely on trigonometry, probability, combinatorics, and deductive reasoning to uncover the secret of whodunnit in this delightful educational and learning tool. Ideal for high school libraries, classroom use, and for adults who want to keep their math skills sharp!

The 4th Dimension and Beyond
John Eikum
Beaver's Pond Press, Inc.
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 216, Edina, MN 55439-2129
9781592981724, $16.95 www.beaverspondpress.com

Computer scientist and youth team manager for the creative problem-solving program Destination Imagination John Eikum presents The 4th Dimension and Beyond: Imagining Worlds with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 Dimensions and More, an introduction to the exciting world of math and science. Written to clearly and effective communicate basic mathematical concepts to readers from middle-school age to adult, The 4th Dimension and Beyond applies "out-of-the-box" thinking, analogies, black-and-white pictures, and other devices to clarify and foster interest in mathematics. An excellent supplement for school libraries and basic mathematics reading lists, and also a serviceable primer to the wonders of multiple dimensions for readers of all ages and backgrounds.

Why is Math So Hard for Some Children?
Daniel B. Berch, Ph.D. & Michele M.M. Mazzocco, Ph.D., editors
Brookes Publishing Co.
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
9781557668646, $49.95 www.brookespublishing.com

Why is Math So Hard for Some Children?: The Natural and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities is a scholarly anthology of essays by learned contributors discussing how to most effectively help students with learning disabilities and difficulties achieve in mathematics. Essays examine the connection between mathematics difficulties and reading difficulties, mathematical development in children with language impairments, neuropsychological factors, so-called "math anxiety", recommended methods of instructional intervention, and much more. Especially recommended for teachers and school administrators, Why is Math So Hard for Some Children? brings together the latest research and field-tested wisdom in an effort to answer its title question and promote improved teaching methodologies. Especially recommended for education shelves.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Getting Our Groove Back
Scott A. Shay
Devora Publishing
c/o Pitspopany Press
40 East 78th Street, Suite 16D, New York, NY 10021
9781932687859, $24.95 www.devorapublishing.com 1-800-232-2931

Written by Scott A. Shay, Chair of UJA-Federation of New York's Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry is a straight-on look at the numerous obstacles confronting American Jewry today. Chapters question whether Hebrew schools can ever be made to effectively transmit Jewish identity, why Jews are giving less to Jewish causes and what can be done about it, to the modern erosion. of the American Jewish population due to intermarriages without conversion and declining overall birthrates. "In my view, if we accept zero population growth as desirable - which not all people do - Jews should be exempt from this concern. Contrary to other populations across the world that have grown exponentially, the Jewish population has declined in the past fifty years. Jews still have a great deal of catching up to do, whether it be to restore the population lost during the Holocaust or simply to reach numbers proportionate to the level of population growth internationally and in America." Getting Our Groove Back also stresses that the state of Israel is utterly important to the Jewish identity, and encourages trips to Israel for all Jewish teenagers. A hardcore guide to strengthening the cultural identity and influence of the Jewish tradition among American Jews of all branches of Judaism.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

How To Write For A General Audience
Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
9780979212536, $19.95 www.apa.org/books 1-800-368-5777

Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist who has authored more than 130 articles or chapters. She has also authored or edited 15 books and serves on the editorial boards of 'Child Abuse & Neglect; 'the 'Journal of Child Sexual Abuse'; and the 'Journal of Human Lactation'. She draws upon her many years of experience and expertise in "How To Write For A General Audience: A Guide For Academics Who Want to Share Their Knowledge With The World And Have Fun Doing It". This superbly written instructional guide and reference is embedded with Kathleen's keen sense of humor and illustrative personal anecdotes, along with practical information on how academics in any of the sciences or disciplines can communicate their own expertise in articles or books with effective, jargon-free prose. "How To Write For A General Audience" covers such practical considerations as obtaining a publisher, pitching ideas, negotiation writing contracts, dealing with editors, and post-publication promotion. An ideal and thoroughly user friendly 'how to' instructional guide for academics and scientists aspiring to write and publish both within their fields and for the general public, "How To Write For A General Audience" is confidently recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Writing & Publishing reference collections.

How To Write A Screenplay
Mark Evan Schwartz
The Continuum International Publishing Group
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704, New York, NY 10038
9780826428172, $15.95 www.continuumbooks.com 1-800-561-7704

Now in a newly revised and significantly expanded edition, "How To Write A Screenplay" by Mark Evan Schwartz is an instructional manual specifically designed to teach aspiring screenwriters how to write a screenplay by reading one. This unique 'how to' guide is literally written and presented in the form of a screenplay. As well as the screenplay itself, Schwartz includes an instructive foreword explaining how to get the most out of the screenplay, the log line, the synopsis, character bios, the treatment, and 'The Pitch". As entertaining and engaging as it is informed and informative, "How To Write A Screenplay" is an impressive, 'reader friendly', professional, practical, instructive, superbly organized and presented 'how to' manual that is very strongly recommended reading for any and all aspiring playwrights and novice screenwriters.

Creative Writing
Colin Bulman
Polity
c/o Blackwell Publishing
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
0745686886, $26.95 www.blackwellpublishing.com 1-800-216-2522

In "Creative Writing: A Guide And Glossary To Fiction Writing", academician and author Colin Bulman draws upon his more than twenty years of experience and expertise teaching creative writing to university students for more than twenty years. Having published a number of both fiction and non-fiction books in the course of his career, Bulman writes with a special authority about the lesser known aspects of creative writing, as well as fictional techniques their proper application in stories and novels. "Creative Writing" defines more than 200 specialized terms and techniques associated with fiction writing (including 'intertextuality', 'anachrony', and 'fabula'); demonstrates how to achieve fictional effects; provides literary example of the described techniques; addresses the characteristics of genre as well as literary fiction; presents basic (but essential) techniques for creative writing that include writing dialogue and using figures of speech; and, unique to an instructional manual for aspiring authors, provides definitions for the major terms used in publishing. Superbly written and organized, "Creative Writing" is as thoroughly engaging and 'reader friendly' as it is informed and informative, making it a very highly recommended addition to any aspiring novelist's technical reference collection.

Landscapes with Figures
Robert Root, editor
University of Nebraska Press
233 North 8th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68588-0255
9780803259836, $21.95 www.nebraskapress.unl.edu 1-800-755-1105

Landscapes with Figures: The Nonfiction of Place is an anthology of essays, memoirs, nature writing, and travel narratives from thirteen different authors, gathered under the central theme of discussing the effect that a sense of place has on one's writing. Each essay is accompanied by a separate commentary by its author, the better to add perspective. Landscapes with Figures is emphatically not a "how to" manual for writers, but rather offers a wealth of insights to relating personal connections to places with one's perceptions and insight into narrative. An excellent source of inspiration for advanced writers seeking to enhance the integrity and authenticity of their settings.


The Gardening Shelf

Organic Farming (Everything You Need to Know)
Peter V. Fossel
Voyageur Press
c/o MBI Publishing Company
380 Jackson Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101
0760324697, $24.95 www.voyageurpress.com

From vegetables and livestock to converting from conventional farming methods and obtaining organic certification, ORGANIC FARMING packs in details for small farmers on the basics of organic farming, from initial principles and pros and cons to making money from the decision to change over. Even different equipment, such as tractors and tillers, is covered in the process of describing farming in general and organic methods in particular, making this a pick for any rural library and any interested in more than just organic home vegetable gardening.

Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto
David Tracey
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1XO Canada
9780865715837, $19.95 www.newsociety.com

Guerrilla gardeners have a habit of taking vacant lots and public spaces and turning them into gardens, with or without permission – and this provides a basic guide to greening cities with such a strategy. From locating cheap or free plants and seeds and getting soil conditions up to par to planning to bring back birds and knowing when to ask permission versus when to seek forgiveness after the fact, GUERRILLA GARDENING is a guide any urban public lending library will find appealing and different.

Grow Your Own Pharmacy
Linda Gray
Findhorn Press
c/o Independent Publishers Group
814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610
1844090892, $16.95 www.ipgbook.com 1-800-888-4741

"Canadian Garden" magazine writer Linda Gray presents Grow Your Own Pharmacy, a well-rounded guide to growing one's own vegetables, herbs, berries, and fruit trees, along with the basics of essential nutrition in many home-grown plants, recipes, information on edible flowers, and how to use certain medicinal herbs to treat common ailments. Written in plain terms, Grow Your Own Pharmacy is a welcome means to create organic and healthy food within the grounds of one's own home. An easy-to-use "how-to" resource, highly recommended for first-time gardeners and advanced gardening buffs alike.


The Library DVD Shelf

Ray Bradbury: An American Icon
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569942994, $19.95, www.montereymedia.com 1-800-424-2593

Ray Bradbury: An American Icon is a DVD biography of Pulitzer Prize Special Citation award winner (among many, many other distinguished awards) Ray Bradbury, a science fiction and fantasy author of immense renown. Ray Bradbury: An American Icon is crammed with personal anecdotes, interviews with his friends and associates, footage of his home, samples from rehearsals at his plays, Bradbury's lecture circuit, clips from the television series "The Ray Bradbury Theater" and much more. A brilliant and captivating journey of the life of a man with a limitless imagination and a one-of-a-kind penchant for making his readers think.

Go Mom Fitness 15 to Fit
Razor Fitness
4401 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 210, Los Angeles, CA 90010
1595523839, $14.99 www.razorfitness.com

Go Mom Fitness 15 to Fit: Patrea's Prenatal Fitness for the Entire Body is an exercise DVD especially intended for pregnant women. Created in conjunction with ob/gyn, physical therapists specializing in Woman's Health, nurses, and pregnant women, Patrea's Prenatal Fitness for the Entire Body is flexibly designed to be useful for the entire pregnancy and postpartum period. Over ninety minutes of exercises covering yoga and gentle stretching, low-intensity Pilates, training to flatten one's belly after delivery, and resistance training for the upper and lower body to increase energy. Additional pregnancy and wellness information round out this enthusiastically recommended fitness DVD for moms-to-be everywhere. 90 minutes, color.

John Paul the Great
Janson Media
88 Semmens Road, Harrington Park, NJ 07640
9781568392923, $24.95 www.janson.com

John Paul the Great: A Pope Who Made History is a DVD documentary about the life of Karol Jozef Wojtyla, better known as John Paul II following his October 1978 election to the papacy. The young man who would become the first Slav pope came of age in Nazi-occupied Poland, answered the call to the priesthood in 1942, and pursued his work under the close scrutiny of Poland's communist regime. His papacy was one of the longest-lasting in the history of the Church, and he garnered an enormous mass appeal during that time, setting new milestones for the position in the process. A touching tribute to a faithful, devoted, and truly exceptional religious figure. 60 minutes, black-and-white.

Steel Toes
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
9781569946541, $24.95 www.montereymedia.com 1-800-424-2593

Starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn and Whistler Film Festival 'Best Actor' award winner Andrew Walker, "Steel Toes" is a film about a Jewish liberal humanist appointed by the court to defend a Neo-Nazi Skinhead on trail for the racially motivated murder of an East Indian immigrant. This is a full color, 90-minute film of intense issues and relationships between such diverse men as they explore their emotional and intellectual differences. The DVD format allows for the addition of features that include 'Meet the film's Creators (David Gow, Perri Gorrara, Michel-Paul Belisle), interviews with David Strathairn and Andrew Walker, a Theatrical Trailer, and Selected Biographies. A superbly performed exploration of racial and religious intolerance in contemporary society, "Steel Toes" is a confidently recommended addition to community library DVD collections as a film of immense social relevance, viewer engagement, and flawless performance.

The Secret World Of Gardens
Susan Fleming, director
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
www.bullfrogfilms.com 1-800-543-3764

"The Secret World Of Gardens" is a series of DVDs from Bullfrog Films that focuses upon what happens in the complex and interdependent world of the vegetable garden. Using macro-lenses and time-lapse photography, we are able to visually explore minute and extraordinary aspects of a common garden that are usually invisible and go unnoticed by gardeners and passers-by. A thirteen part series of 22 minute, full color, DVDs, "The Secret World Of Gardens" volumes include: Life in the Vegetable Garden; Nightlife; Honeybees; Appleachia; Fungi; Sap Sucking Hoppers; Garden Mimics; Vines: A World of Entanglement; Whether the Weather; Weevils; Squirrels; the Old Oak Tree; and Life in a Lawn. This outstanding series is especially recommended for school and community libraries as being of special interest and value for children and adults with an interest in gardening and its flora/fauna ecosystems through all four seasons of the year.

Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Two exercise DVDs from Anchor Bay are ideal for keeping fit no matter how busy one's schedule. "10 Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones" ($16.98, 54 min.) offers five dynamic body band workouts, each of which is only ten minutes in length: Arm & Shoulder Sculpt, Butt & Thigh Blaster, Sleek & Sexy Abs, Total Body Tone Zone, and 10 Minute Stretch for improving flexibility. The body band used for each workout is included with the DVD, and options allow one to customize one's exercise by programming the DVD to play any of the five workouts in any order. Certified group fitness instructor Amy Bento leads the viewer through this economical guide to working on problem areas and staying in shape, ideal for anyone short on time. "10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates" ($14.98, 67 min.) offers five 10-minute workouts designed especially to help pregnant women stay fit and healthy: Pilates for Buns & Thighs, Standing Pilates, Core Pilates, Pilates for Flexibility, and Total Body Pilates. A bonus postnatal workout Flat Belly Fast helps women focus on their deepest abdominal muscles after childbirth. Hosted by Pilates Method Alliance certified Pilates instructor Lizbeth Garcia, "10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates" is ideal for all three trimesters of pregnancy and highly recommended provided that the mother-to-be has approval for the exercise program from her doctor. Both "10 Minute Solution" DVDs are ideal for the personal fitness DVD libraries of busy women.

WGBH Boston Video
c/o SSA Public Relations
16027 Ventura Blvd., Suite 206, Encino, CA 91436
www.amazon.com

Two insightful new episodes of the public television science series NOVA are now available on DVD for the first time, at a most affordable price. "First Flower" (9781593757526, $19.95, 56 min.) tells of the controversy sparked by a fossil of a flower that bloomed during the age of the dinosaurs. Could this find reveal the mysterious origins of the flower itself, and the plethora of flowering plants that flourish today? An amazing botanical detective story. "Cuttlefish: Kings of Camouflage" (9781593757519, $19.95, 56 min.) is the amazing story of the cuttlefish, whose skill at disguise outpaces even the legendary chameleon. Among the cuttlefish's many talents are its ability to hypnotize its prey, impersonate the opposite sex, and kill with blink-and-you'll-miss-it speed. They can transform their skin color, and even their shape, to blend with the background, and have one of the largest brain-to-body ratios among invertebrates. The myriad secrets of the oft-overlooked cuttlefish will astound and amaze in this remarkable undersea documentary. Both DVDs are highly recommended for fans of science and nature programming, and also for public library collections.`

Edens Lost & Found Chicago
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
1594584001, $250.00 www.bullfrogfilms.com 1-800-543-3764

Edens Lost & Found Chicago: City of the Big Shoulders is an educational DVD suitable for young people in grades seven through twelve as well as adults. Revealing the fascinating true story of the ever-changing metropolis of Chicago through the stories of its citizens including volunteers, professionals, students, and community leaders, Edens Lost & Found Chicago offers a positive look at how individuals as well as whole neighborhoods band together to improve their local communities. From the award-winning City Hall Roof Garden and Green Roof Initiative to an outdoor classroom and nature preserve adjacent to the suburban Elgin High School, Edens Lost & Found Chicago is an amazing showcase of how modern-day Chicago is facing up to environmental challenges. A Teacher's Guide and Chicago Action Guide are included among the special features. Also highly recommended are the other DVDs in the Edens Lost & Found series covering Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Seattle. 57 minutes, color, closed captioned.

Learning ZoneXPress
PO Box 1022, Owatonna, MN 55060
www.learningzoneexpress.com 1-888-455-7003

Two DVDs from Learning ZoneXPress for viewers in ranging in age from grade 4 to adult offer education and the incentive to make a difference. "Community Service: Service Learning: (1571754709, $49.95, 9 minutes) shows students how to assemble a community service project, and the positive aspects of character and change that individuals can motivate in themselves and their fellow human beings. "Look... A Babysitter" (1571753540, $49.95, 13 minutes) teaches about the responsibilities of babysitting - it's a great way to earn extra money, but also a tremendous responsibility. "Look... A Babysitter" shows little baby Grace run the new babysitter through her paces, offering a lighthearted look at the different skills and talents a babysitter needs to cultivate, from child safety to diaper changing. Both DVDs are accessible, cheerful, and enthusiastically recommended for classroom viewing, after-school programs, and school and public library collections.

Travel with Kids Mexico: The Yucatan
Equator Creative Media
PO Box 80646, Phoenix, AZ 85060
DVD, $14.95 www.equatordv.com

Travel with Kids Mexico: The Yucatan is a DVD guide for vacationing families, or anyone who wants to learn about the history, culture, and wildlife of Mexico. Following the cheerful Roberts family as they explore Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, Travel with Kids Mexico: The Yucatan reveals such wonders as Mayan pyramid complexes, Spanish colonial history in cities such as Merida and Valladolid, snorkeling in underground caves, swimming with dolphins and sharks, and much more. In addition to sights and famous places sure to delight armchair travelers, Travel with Kids Mexico: The Yucatan also covers basic tips on vacationing with kids, from what to pack to ideal pre-trip activities to a handy trip planner. Highly recommended for anyone interesting in seeing the Yucatan, whether in person or simply on DVD. 80 minutes, color.

Living Landscapes The World's Most Beautiful Places
HDEnvironments.com
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
$19.95 (DVD), $24.95 (HD-DVD), www.411videoinfo.com 1-800-798-3463

Filmed in 1080i high definition with 5.1 surround sound, and available in both DVD and HD-DVD format, Living Landscapes The World's Most Beautiful Places earns its title with a glorious visual and audio experience. The cinematography does not disrupt the soothing images and sounds of nature with verbal narration; birds, ocean waves, and calm background music accompanies the breathtakingly beautiful display. A loop feature allows one to play the DVD for pleasant background effect as if hanging an ever-changing picture. Enthusiastically recommended for armchair travelers, and anyone who wants to play a DVD solely to relax and enjoy the wonders of natural creation. 75 minutes, color.

American Muscle Car: Season 1
Tony Messano, narrator
Paul Koenig, editor
MPI Media Group
16101 South 108th Avenue, Orland Park, IL 60462
0788607659, $29.98 www.mpihomevideo.com 1-800-777-2223

American Muscle Car: Season 1 is a documentary DVD profiling and celebrating some of the most influential cars in American history. Each episode is approximately 22 minutes long, and the cars covered are '64 Pontiac GTO, Pontiac GTO Judge, '53-'62 Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Camaro SS 396, '64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt, The Shelby Mustang, Buick Gran Sport, Oldmobile 442, Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Chevrolet Impala 409, Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, Dodge Hemi Challenger, and Chevrolet Nova SS. Expertly narrated by Tony Messano, American Muscle Car: Season 1 is enthusiastically recommended for automobile lovers everywhere. 2 DVDs, approximately 5 hours, color.


The World History Shelf

Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Editor
ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
1851096469, $285.00 www.abc-clio.com

Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social and Military History is a top pick for any high school to college-level collection where the French Revolution or Napoleonic Wars are taught: it packs in over 800 A-Z references on these wars, with articles from over 90 contributors from North America and across Europe including academics and independent historians alike. Source documents total over 50,000 words and range from studies to firsthand accounts of battles, key military and political writings and papers, and treaties, while nearly a hundred black and white illustrations and over sixty maps tie all together. The three-volume set packs in facts about the interconnectedness of Napoleon's rule and the Revolutionary years in France which preceded his rise to power: in combining the two related events, students receive a much clearer set of insights into the politics and history of France's changes, making this an excellent set for any collection also strong in French history and culture.

Equity Cases In The Court Of Exchequer, 1660-1714
W. Hamilton Bryson, editor
Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies
Arizona State University
PO Box 872508, Tempe, AZ 85287-2508
www.asu.edu/clas/acmrs/publications/mrts/catalo.html
MR313, 9780866983587, $89.00 1-480-965-5900

Evolving within the Exchequer Department during the Middle Ages for the purpose of settling legal disputes over the royal revenue, the High Court of Exchequer also began to hear common law disputes between private parties when relevant to the collection of those royal revenues. In the mid-seventeenth century the court extended its jurisdiction to all common law and equity cases. Painstakingly compiled, deftly edited, and superbly presented by William Hamilton Bryson, "Equity Cases In The Court Of Exchequer, 1660-1714" is an compilation of succinct descriptions of the cases brought before the court for adjudication. An impressive 724-page work of seminal and meticulous scholarship, "Equity Cases In The Court Of Exchequer, 1660-1714" is strongly recommended as a core contribution to academic library Medieval Studies, Judicial History Studies, and British History Studies reference collections.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

Federal Justice In Indiana
George W. Geib & Donald B. Kite Sr.
Indiana Historical Society Press
450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
9780871952028, $29.95 www.indianahistory.org

Co-authored by lifelong student of Indiana history George W. Geib and judicial expert Donald B. Kite Sr. (a partner with the Indianapolis law firm of Schultz & Pogue, LLP), "Federal Justice In Indiana: The History Of The United States District Court For The Southern District Of Indiana" is a specialized and superbly written history of Southern Indiana's court system from its earliest days as a territorial court to the District Court's current composition. Selections of major cases are incorporated to illustrate the court's evolution (as well as its humanity) making "Federal Justice In Indiana" a unique and impressive resource for law students, history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in American judicial history. Enhanced with occasional black-and-white photographs, "Federal Justice In Indiana" could well serve as a template for other regional court histories and is very highly recommended for academic and community library Indiana History collection, as well as academic library American Judicial History reference shelves.


The Library Music CD Shelf

Live at the Market Theatre
Hugh Masekela
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
216 West Allen Street, Suite 137, Bloomington, IN 47403
CD, $19.98 www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Live at the Market Theatre is a two-disc music CD album featuring Hugh Masekela, a musician whose creations defy genre classification. Born in South Africa, Masekela spent years in exile from his nation's apartheid-era oppression, returning 17 years ago to help his countrymen and his homeland rebuild. Live at the Market Theatre embodies Masekela's efforts to bolster South African identity and Pan-African nation building. Songs incorporate jazz, Nigerian rhythms, and Afro-Beat. The tracks are Ibala Lam, The Boy's Doin' It, Ashiko, Ha Le Se, Stimela, Lady, Grazing in the Grass, Mandela, Thuma Mina, Up Township, Happy Mama, District Six, Market Place, Khauleza, and Thanayi. Enthusiastically recommended for library music CD collections and international music shelves.

eMotive
Non Profit Music
c/o The Creative Service Company
4360 Emerald Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
CD, $17.98 www.nonprofitmusic.org www.NewAgeMusic.com

eMotive is a nonprofit music CD; all proceeds from its sales are to be donated to Doctors Without Borders. A compilation album, eMotive offers the original sounds of four Spanish musicians: Jorge Grundman, David "Gnomusy" Caballero, Eduardo Laguillo and Joaquin Taboada. Though all four musicians are primarily keyboardists, each applies a diverse medley of sound and instrumentation; vocals are also intermixed. The result is a New Age album that resonates within the soul as surely as within in the ears. The tracks are Raghupati Raghava (7:06), The Girl With The Stolen Smile - Nanjing, 1937 (5:42), Cliodhna (4:15), Everyday Heroes (5:02), El Jardin De Marta (3:33), Evoking Something Near (3:28), Tears At Bedtime (5:05), Dolmen Ridge (5:35), Gurudeva Hamara (4:58), Memory Holes (6:26), Forgotten Moss (3:07), and Ballerina (4:09). Highly recommended.

Tsimba Itsoka
Oliver Mtukudzi
Heads Up
23309 Commerce Park Road, Cleveland, OH 44122
CD, $18.98 www.headsup.com

Tsimba Itsoka is a music CD by Zimbabwean Afro-pop icon. The album's title means "No foot, no footprint", a phrase that embodies the messages within all of the songs - is your metaphorical footprint a good one that should be followed to a lifetime of responsibility and well-being, or a bad one that will lead to decadence and misery? The lyrics are in Zimbabwean, yet express powerful universal themes, accompanied by soft guitar and steady rhythm. The translated titles of the songs are "Would you like it?", "Wild Animal", "One who talks too much", "Reply", "There's no in-between", "Gambling Card", "Wasting", "No power", "Fame is sticky", "One nut", "They are going to delay", and "Waiting and waiting". The song's themes reflect upon simple social issues, from the need to listen rather than just talk in order to foster true communication, to the harmful attitude young people have of depending on or hoping for inheritance from a dead parent rather than working to build their own lives and fortunes. The booklet that comes with Tsimba Itsoka explains the gist of each song's message for listeners who do not speak Zimbabwean. A welcome addition to multicultural music collections and library CD shelves.

Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85017
www.canyonrecords.com 1-800-268-1141

Canyon Records Productions presents four CD albums celebrating Native American culture. "Northern Cree and Friends Volume 6: Calling All Dancers" ($15.99, 47 min. 55 sec.) continues the proud line of releases from one of North America's best-known pow-wow drum groups, featuring some of Canada's finest round dance singers. A "live" recording of the sounds, jocularity, and vibrancy of one of the largest Round Dance events in Canada. "Blue Scout" ($15.98, 54 min. 12 sec.) is the ninth recording of champions drum group Tha Tribe, and presents original pow-wow songs. Lead singer and songmaker of Tha Tribe, Wayne Silas, Jr., is a multi Nammy (Native American Music Award) nominee, and this album showcases his talent along with other distinguished pow-wow singers in and rich effusion of cultural heritage. "Watch This Dancer!" ($15.98, 42 min. 15 sec.) is the 22nd album of award-nominated drum group Black Lodge, lead by Kenny Scabby Robe and comprised primarily of his twelve sons. Singing and drumming in a tightly focused ensemble distinguish "Watch This Dancer!" and its rendition of intertribal dance celebrations as well as specific dances including chicken dance, fancy dance, grass dance, women's traditional, and round dance. Unlike the previous three albums, "The Color of Morning" ($15.99, 40 min 31 sec.) is not a collection of pow-wow or round dance music. "The Color of Morning" offers the harmonized vocals of Grammy-winning singers Verdell Primeaux and Johnny Mike, along with Mayan flutes and percussion, guitars, and atmospheric sounds. A wondrous, universally appealing musical journey through nature and the delight of the dawn await the listener in this immersive music CD.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
Sandra Gulland, author
Louise Pitre, narrator
BTC Audio Books
c/o Goose Lane Editions
500 Beverbrook Court, Suite 330, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 5X4
0864924728, $24.95 www.gooselane.com 1-888-926-8377

Formerly broadcast on CBC Radio, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. is an audiobook novel of love, broken hearts, and political machinations. Set during the chaos and violence of the French Revolution, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. looks at the lives of the men and women who mobilized the Revolution while following Josephine B.'s ascent from innocent girlhood to adulthood as one of the most powerful and politically savvy women in history. The first novel in the Josephine B. trilogy, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. is expertly narrated by award-winning actress Louise Pitre. Recommended for fans of historical intrigue. 3 CDs, approximately 4 hours, abridged.

It's Not My Fault
Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
Oasis Audio
289 South Main Place, Carol Stream, IL 60188
9781598591835, $22.99 www.oasisaudio.com 1-800-323-2500

It's Not My Fault is a self-help audiobook written by psychologists Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, about the power of taking responsibility for one's decisions and actions. Applying eight critical principles, heart-touching true stories, and their years of experience, Cloud and Townsend teach the listener how to empower himself or herself and earn progress toward goals in work, relationships, and life itself. An upbeat guide to breaking the self-destructive habit of blame-shifting and false excuses, highly recommended. 6 CDs, 7.6 hours, unabridged.

Last Breath
Mariah Stewart, author
Laural Merlington, narrator
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781423319122, $34.95 www.brillianceaudio.com 1-800-854-7859

Last Breath is a suspenseful murder mystery, written by Mariah Stewart and narrated by professional actor Laural Merlington. When skilled archaeologist Dr. Daria McGowan discovers that priceless artifacts uncovered by her great-grandfather in the Middle East have gone missing, she turns to the FBI for help. Connor Shields, whom she first met two years ago, is assigned to the case. As they search for the stolen artifacts, they find a trial of bodies - unfortunate collectors murdered in a number of brutal and bizarre ways connected to the rituals of an ancient civilization. A mystery that transcends centuries lies at the heart of Last Breath, which remains riveting to the very end. 8 compact discs, approximately 9 hours, unabridged.

A Woman in Charge
Carl Bernstein, author
Robertson Dean, narrator
Books On Tape, Inc.
400 Hahn, Westminister, MD 21157
9781415945612, $129.00 www.booksontape.com 1-800-541-5525

Written by Carl Bernstein, who earned a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Watergate, A Woman in Charge is an in-depth portrait of Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, in audiobook format. Blending elements of memoir and biography, A Woman in Charge draws upon interviews with roughly two hundred of Hillary's colleagues, friends, and enemies; Bernstein was even permitted access to the record of the 1992 presidential campaign as kept by Hillary's best friend, Diane Blair. A Woman in Charge seeks to provide answers the public wishes to know about Hillary: Who is she? What is her political philosophy? What is to be expected of her? Strongly recommended reading for all eligible voters in the Democratic presidential primaries, not to mention the 2008 presidential election itself. 20 CDs, 24 hours 39 minutes, unabridged.

The Friday Night Knitting Club
Kate Jacobs, author
Carrington MacDuffie, narrator
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969, Ashland, OR 97520
9781433202919, $90.00 www.BlackstoneAudio.com 1-800-729-2665

Featuring tracks every three minutes for easy bookmarking, The Friday Night Knitting Club is the audiobook version of professional editor Kate Jacobs' debut novel, tantalizingly narrated by recording artist Carrington MacDuffie. Once a week, the regulars of Georgia Walker's little yarn shop gather for tips of knitting - and end up learning much more as they swap stories about themselves, their loves, their lives, and virtually everything else. When sudden change shake the women to their cores, they discover they've created not just a knitting club, but a tightly bonded sisterhood. Soon to be turned into a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts, The Friday Night Knitting Club is a one-of-a-kind tale of true camaraderie, highly recommended. 10 CDs, 12 1/2 hours, unabridged.

The Poe Shadow
Matthew Pearl
Recorded Books, LLC
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
#98296, $113.75 www.recordedbooks.com 1-800-638-1304

Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore, Maryland in 1849. The popular opinion was that he drank himself to death. But there were unusual aspects about the event. Poe had 'taken the pledge' to avoid alcohol. Poe was found dressed in ill fitting clothing that was not his own. He died possessing a valuable cane sword. When he collapsed in the street he was taken to a room in a nearby inn under the supervision of his cousin but no doctor was sent for. Quentin Clark was an admirer of Poe's writings and the newspaper accounts combined with social gossip of Poe's death compel Quentin to undertake his own investigation into the mystery of Poe's untimely death. Abandoning his friends, family, and business obligations, Quentin goes to Paris, France in search of the real life model for Poe's fictional detective. And so begins a complex mystery that is truly gripping with complexities of remarkable characters, fascinating plot twists, and a tour-de-force performance by author Matthew Pearl. This flawlessly recorded, completely unabridged, and enthusiastically recommended audio cassette edition of "The Poe Shadow" is superbly narrated by Erik Singer and has a total running time of 14.75 hours.

The Mystery of Jaguar Reef
ZBS Foundation
174 North River Road, Fort Edward, NJ 12828
1881137457, $20.00 www.zbs.org 1-800-662-3345

The Mystery of Jaguar Reef is an audiobook on CD once heard on National Public Radio, featuring a full cast production with music by Tim Clark and environments recorded in Belize. When investigator Jack Flanders is on the trail of a mystery involving a drastic personality change, he finds his way to the shores of Belize in Central America, and uncovers a mysterious pirate wreck. Matters shift from odd to downright bizarre as Jack finds himself at the helm of the inexplicable pirate ship - ascending into the tropical night sky and wondering if an alien plot is afoot! Equal measures of wry humor and surreal surroundings distinguish this inventive and colorful adventure. 2 CDs, 2 hours.

That's Smart! How to Improve Learning Habits
Dennis A. Smith
Lions Quarter Publishing
635 165 St. Hammond, IN 46324
CD, $124.95, 1-888-376-2788

That's Smart! How to Improve Learning Habits is an ideal audio CD for classroom use, home schooling, or self-improvement. Geared especially for young people in high school or beginning college, but also useful for adults seeking to brush up on their educational skills, That's Smart! offers tips, tricks, and techniques for memory, mind mapping, speed reading, studying, taking notes, and test taking skills. A three-part section titled "Surviving Sex, Drugs and Rock N' Roll" also address real-life issues and difficult choices facing anyone embarking upon life on their own. CD creator Dennis A. Smith presents his wisdom in a straightforward, easy-to-understand narrative style. Strongly recommended as an invaluable aid to doing well in any type of learning environment. 47 minutes.

Soft Stone Publishing
3674 Barham Boulevard Suite #L315, Los Angeles, CA 90068
www.AskKRS.com 1-323-851-8623

Soft Stone Publishing presents two new additions to its top-quality Inner Mastery Series of soothing meditation audio CDs. "Relax Mind and Body" (9781886198159, $16.95, 37 min.) offers guided mindfulness meditations combined with gentle music to help the listener unblock conscious and unconscious tension. Developed by wellness expert KRS Edstrom, "Relax Mind and Body" is a wonderfully refreshing and revitalizing experience. "Conquer Stress" (9781886198173, $16.95, 37 min.) is also by KRS Edstrom, and applies her mindfulness meditation techniques specifically to counter stress, fear, and anxiety with a well of self-created inner peace and calm. A mind-body workshop integrating music and wisdom, "Conquer Stress" is perfect for unwinding, or preparing oneself to face high-stress challenges. Both meditation CDs do not incorporate religious beliefs, and thus are suitable for listeners of all religious faiths. Highly recommended.


The Aviation Shelf

Air Racing Over Reno
Philip Handleman
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
9781580071123, $24.95 www.specialtypress.com 1-800-895-4585

After a fourteen year hiatus, the National Championship Air Races were revived at Reno, Nevada in 1964. This event showcases racing teams who push the envelope of aerodynamic improvements and modify their 2,000 and 3,000 horsepower engines to make their aircraft as fast as possible in competition with the others. The racers are classified into six groups: Formula 1, Biplane, Sport, T-6, Jets, and Unlimiteds. Profusely illustrated with full color photography, "Air Racing over Reno: The World's Fastest Motorsport" by Philip Handleman is the fascinating, deftly written, and informative story of this unique aviation event and very highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in aviation.


The Anthropology Shelf

Research Methods In Anthropology
H. Russell Bernard
AltaMira Press
1630 North Main Street, #367, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
9780759108684, $99.00 www.altamirapress.com 1-800-462-6420

Now in a newly updated and expanded fourth edition, "Research Methods In Anthropology: Qualitative And Quantitative Approaches" by H. Russell Bernard (Professor of Anthropology, University of Florida) is a basic, comprehensive, 803-page introductory textbook on the research methods used in anthropology today. Written in a thoroughly 'reader friendly' conversational style that combines rigorous scientific methodology with Professor Bernard's wry sense of humor and experienced-based common sense, this new edition of "Research Methods In Anthropology" has an extensive bibliography and copious real-world examples, as well as sections on computer-based interviewing methods, management of electronic field notes, recording equipment and voice recognition software, text analysis, and the collection/analysis of visual materials. Ideal for college level courses in anthropology, "Research Methods In Anthropology" is also to be strongly recommended as accessibly informative for non-specialist general readers with an interest in anthropological research.


The Computer Shelf

OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks
Jeff Doyle
Addison-Wesley
One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
0321168798, $54.99 www.awprofessional.com

Any advanced computer library collection specializing in programmer guides for network designers will want OSPF and IS-IS: Choosing an IGP for Large-Scale Networks: it covers large-scale systems operating in the real world and is organized to help network engineers and architects compare OSPF and IS-IS. From understanding message types and improving scalability to designing large-scale networks for maximum security, OSPF AND IS-IS is a top pick for any in-depth computer library seeking lasting references.

Core Memory
John Alderman and Mark Richards
Chronicle Books
85 – 2nd Street, Sixth Floor, San Francisco CA 94105
0811854426, $35.00 www.chroniclebooks.com

CORE MEMORY: A VISUAL SURVEY OF VINTAGE COMPUTERS offers entries which document the history of computing – and some of the strange machines which rise and fall over five decades of the industry's growth. From old and large IBM room-sized systems to Minuteman missile control units, each selected vintage computer receives a full-page color photo and facing page of detail on its history and development. Mark Richards's color photos at times occupy several facing pages of detail. Any collection considering itself comprehensive in computer history needs CORE MEMORY.

Broadband Network Architectures
Chris Hellberg, Dylan Greene, and Truman Boyes
Prentice Hall
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0132300575, $59.99 www.prenhallprofessional.com www.pearsoned.com 1-800-428-5331

Broadband Network Architectures: Designing and Deploying Triple-Play Services provides a detailed introduction to next-generation triple-play services, components and business connectivity, covering everything from protocols and strategies for blending BNGs into networks to choosing access protocols and handling IP addressing. Any college-level computer library strong in network design needs BROADBAND NETWORK ARCHITECTURES, which addresses the latest field-tested industry best practices and trends.

Flash CS3: The Missing Manual
E.A. Vander Veer & Chris Grover
Pogue Press
c/o O'Reilly Publishing
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596510446, $34.99 www.oreilly.com

Flash CS3: The Missing Manual by is the perfect title for collections strong in web design and development; particularly those catering to Flash users. It covers the basics of animation, from how to create movement between images using special Flash tools to adding integrative and interactive functions, color and video to liven the results, and creating smooth transitions between Flash works. This book should've come in the box with Flash: since it didn't, it's essential for any Flash programmer and any library catering to them.

O'Reilly Publishing
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
www.oreilly.com

Collections strong in web services and web development will find Leonard Richardson & Sam Ruby's RESTFUL WEB SERVICES (0596529260, $39.99) an important guide to connecting web functions with everyday technologies everyone uses. REST is an architectural style that drives the web, and RESTFUL WEB SERVICES introduces ROA and the roles that govern design of RESTFUL web services. Advanced computer libraries catering to programmers need this expose which surveys functions and real-world applications, including common problems and solutions. Michael Fitzgerald's LEARNING RUBY (0596529864, $34.99) is the perfect programmer's guide to learning the Ruby programming language, and should be a basic reference for any library strong in computer programming resources. From the basic features of Ruby and how to use regular expressions to using operators, arrays, and modules, LEARNING RUBY is perfect for learning: each chapter concludes with review questions, making it the perfect 'course in a book' as well as a basic computer library reference.

Computer Forensics
Robert C. Newman
Auerbach Publications
c/o Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
0849305616, $79.95 www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com 1-800-272-7737

"Computer Forensics: Evidence Collection And Management" by Robert C. Newman (Instructor of Information Systems in the College of Information Technology at Georgia Southern University) provides a coherent, systematic, and comprehensive analytical study of cybercrime, E-commerce, and Internet activities that could be used to exploit the Internet, the computers, and the various electronic devices employed by individuals, by government agencies, and by corporations. "Computer Forensics" addresses the many vulnerabilities and threats that are inherent to our computer age and presents the techniques and processes utilized by security personnel, investigators and forensic examiners to successfully identify, retrieve, and protect computer data as forensic evidence for litigation and prosecution. the first part of "Computer Forensics" is dedicated to exploring various crimes, laws, policies, forensic tools, and the information required to understand the underlying concepts of computer forensic investigation. The second part of "Computer Forensics" presents basic information relating to crime scene investigations and management, disk and file structure, laboratory construction and functions, and legal testimony. Of special note are the specific chapters concerning investigations involving computer systems, e-mail, and wireless devices. Presenting more than 200 key terms (with definitions supplied in the Glossary), more than 100 review questions and answers to solidify comprehension, offering optional exercises and cases emphasizing the book's content, two sets of forms with respect to forensic investigation and the procedures used in computer forensic laboratories, and a selected bibliography of special relevance for forensic professionals, "Computer Forensics" is the ideal textbook for college level computer science and information technology courses, as well as non-special general readers with an interest in the subject.


The Dance Shelf

At Home in the World
Janet O'Shea
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06459
9780819568373, $26.95 www.wesleyan.edu/wespress 1-800-421-1561

Dancer and award-winning dance history scholar Janet O'Shea presents At Home in the World: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage, the fascinating true story of the classical dance form of Bharata Natyam. Widely performed in India and around the world Bharata Natyam underwent choreographic transformations as it moved to the urban concert stage in the 1930s and 40s. Examining these changes in the political context of the time, and comparing them to modifications in present-day Bharata Natyam performance, At Home in the World effectively traces the evolution of this beautiful art form, now known to have over 250 teachers in the United States alone. A handful of black-and-white photographs, a glossary, list of references, and an index round out this in-depth study of how a traditional form of art can blossom into global expression.


The Archaeology Shelf

Early Islamic Syria
Alan Walmsley
Duckworth
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9780715635704, $22.00 www.internationalpubmarket.com www.ducknet.co.uk 1-800-758-3756

Associate professor of Islamic archaeology Alan Walmsley presents Early Islamic Syria: An Archaeological Assessment, a scholarly examination of what archaeology has to tell us about the social history of early Islamic Syria-Palestine, particularly shortly before and up to two centuries after the Islamic expansion (roughly the later sixth to ninth century AD). Chapters recount what the latest research has to say about material culture and society, sites and settlement processes, aspects of daily life such as food or religion and industry, ongoing debates in Islamic archaeology, and much more. Especially recommended for college library and archaeology shelves, Early Islamic Syria blends methodical academic narration with a highly accessible and reader-friendly tone.


The Architecture Shelf

Remodel: Great Home Makeovers from Connecticut to California
Matthew Schoenherr with Linda Mason Hunter & Wendy Jordan
Taunton Press
Box 5507, Newton, CT 06470-5507
9781561589241, $21.95 www.taunton.com

In hardcover REMODEL was titled HOUSE TRANSFORMED: this paperback edition represents the fourth in a series of books produced in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects and Taunton, and provides homeowners with over two hundred color photos to accompany seven basic tips on successfully remodeling, from understanding regional and property site pros and cons to designing with compatibility and safety in mind, and budgeting. From lifestyle assessments to picking the optimum remodel plans, REMODEL is for any who would undertake a project, and selects 18 houses across the country that have been remodeled by America's leading residential architects.

Classical Swedish Architecture & Interiors
Johan Cederlund
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
0393731723, $60.00 www.wwnorton.com 1-800-233-4830

Any college-level holding specializing in world architectural history should have Classical Swedish Architecture & Interiors as part of its collection: art historian John Cederlund covers the foundations of Swedish architecture and interiors and covers the major sites and representations of Swedish style, from stoves to architecture for the monarchy. An excellent acquisition any library serious about world architectural styles will want.


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