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Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
The Book Lover's Joke Book
Alex Johnson
British Library Publishing
c/o Independent Publishers Group
www.ipgbook.com
9780712354516, $16.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-lovers-joke-book-alex-johnson/1141915584
Synopsis: Joke books have a long publishing history dating back to the 'Philogelos' from ancient Greece and 'Facetiae' of
the 15th century. But while there are themed joke books on everything from cats to lawyers, there have surprisingly been
few with a literary theme. "The Book Lover's Joke Book" compiled by Alex Johnson includes a huge range of comic
material concentrating exclusively on the themes of books, reading, libraries, bookshops, and the literary life.
As well as one-liners, puns, knock-knock jokes, and shaggy dog stories, "The Book Lover's Joke Book" features sections
including gravestones, book titles, jokes in acknowledgements/ copyright/index pages, literary hoaxes, literary snark, and
authors' in-jokes in novels, as well as sections such as Charles Dickens's humorous fake book decorations. It also features
the favorite jokes of well-known writers, and a selection of literary cartoons.
Critique: Simply stated, "The Book Lover's Joke Book" compiled by Alex Johnson is a bibliophile's delight from first page
to last with the jokes ranging from a gentle smile of recognition to a laugh out loud trying to keep from falling off your
chair belly buster of a guffaw! Of particular relevance to dedicated bibliophiles, writers, publishers, and anyone else that
likes a good laugh, "The Book Lover's Joke Book" is wonderfully entertaining compendium of puns, wordplay, jokes, and
riddles, a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and
university library Language & Literary Humor collections.
Editorial Note: Alex Johnson is a journalist and author. Previous books for The British Library include Famous Writers
and Their Pets ("the perfect stocking filler for people who love books and trivia", Interesting Literature, 2019), The Book
of Book Lists ("every list reveals another way of thinking, another way of figuring things out", The TLS, 2017) and Shelf
Life ("a lovely anthology... a perfect Christmas present for book lovers", The Idler, 2018). His book How To Give Your
Children A Lifelong Love Of Reading was published by the British Library in 2019.
(https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/17798114.Alex_Johnson)
Strategic Risk and Crisis Management
David Rubens
Kogan Page Inc.
8 W 38th Street, Ste 902, New York, NY 10018
www.koganpage.com
9781398609778, $168.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Strategic-Risk-Crisis-Management-Modelling/dp/1398609773
Synopsis: From natural disasters to cyber-attacks to major project failures, all senior risk and crisis managers face a similar
challenge: maximizing their organization's ability to prepare for a potential high-impact event.
With the publication of "Strategic Risk and Crisis Management: A Handbook for Modelling and Managing Complex
Risk", co-authors David Rubens, Simon Ruegger, and Dr. Jorg Greulich collaborate to show how implementing the right
frameworks and capabilities means businesses will not only survive but respond and recover at a time of maximum chaos
and confusion.
"Strategic Risk and Crisis Management" covers the integration of multiple stakeholders and the importance of information
exchange and critical decision-making under pressure at strategic, tactical and operational levels. "Strategic Risk and Crisis
Management" also includes case studies with detailed analysis of organizational failures and the lessons learned, including
COVID-19, the WannaCry Attack, the Texas Snowstorm, and the Gatwick Airport Drone Incident.
Blending rigorous research with practice, "Strategic Risk and Crisis Management" offers a range of realistic solutions for
any operational environment. Authored by a recognized global authority on the strategic management of complex
events,
Critique: "Strategic Risk and Crisis Management: A Handbook for Modelling and Managing Complex Risks" must be
considered an essential read for professionals working in risk, security and crisis management and emergency response. It
is also ideal as a core textbook for university students taking modules on risk, security, emergency and crisis management.
While a critically important and timely addition to professional, corporate, college, and university library Strategic
Business Planning and Risk Management collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Strategic Risk and
Crisis Management: A Handbook for Modelling and Managing Complex Risks" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781398609754, $54.57, www.amazon.com) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $38.39).
Editorial Note: David Rubens (https://www.the-ior.org/management-team) is Executive Director of The Institute of
Strategic Risk Management and the CEO of Deltar Training Solutions Ltd, based in London, UK. He is an Associate
Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and a Visiting Lecturer on Strategic Leadership at Cranfield University. He is a
recognised authority on the strategic management of complex events. He is a member of the UK Critical Infrastructure
Resilience Executive Steering Committee and has served twice as a Main Board Director of the UK Security Institute.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Understanding Osteoporosis
Naheed Ali
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538168141, $35.00, HC, 202pp
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Osteoporosis-Introduction-Patients-Caregivers/dp/1538168146
Synopsis: With the publication of "Understanding Osteoporosis: An Introduction for Patients and Caregivers", Dr. Naheed
Ali offers cutting-edge tips for anyone suffering from Osteoporosis and those who help them and informative overview of
the essentials of treatment, symptoms, risk factors, and outcomes.
Osteoporosis is prevalent among aging women especially, but it can affect anyone as they age. Dr. Ali provides an useful
overview of the disorder and its warning signs and risk factors. He also walks his readers through prevention strategies,
common symptoms, treatment options, and potential outcomes for sufferers. Keeping caregivers in mind, too, Dr. Ali
offers advice for both sufferers and those who love and care for them, to keep them safe.
Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Understanding Osteoporosis: An Introduction for Patients
and Caregivers" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended DIY instructional guide that will prove to be an invaluable and
appreciated addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Health/Medicine collections in general,
and as a primary textbook for Osteoporosis curriculum studies lists. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the
inclusion of a two page 'For Further Reading' bibliography, twenty-six pages of Notes, and a six page Index,
"Understanding Osteoporosis: An Introduction for Patients and Caregivers" is also available for students, academia, and
non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format (Kindle, $33.00).
Editorial Note: Naheed Ali, MD, PhD, (https://rowman.com/Action/Search/_/naheed%20ali) has more than 15 years of
health-related publications to his credit. Dr. Ali taught at colleges in the US where he lectured on various biomedical topics
and delivered over 2000 hours of live presentations. He is the author of numerous health titles from major publishers and
his books have sold more than 20,000 hardcover copies. His writing has garnered glowing reviews from renowned
physicians, nationally recognized review outlets such as Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Midwest Book Review, and from
household name celebrities such as Dr. Andrew P. Ordon and boxing legend Evander Holyfield. Now a digital nomad, he
currently freelances full-time as a health and wellness writer by way of www.HealthcarePropulsion.com
Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics
Leslie Reperant
The Johns Hopkins University Press
www.press.jhu.edu
9781421446363, $32.95, HC, 520pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fatal-Jump-Tracking-Origins-Pandemics/dp/1421446367
Synopsis: Why do global pandemics happen? To address this question, we must delve into the world of pathogens that
transcend their original host species and jump into new ones. Most pathogens fail to initiate infection or spread in the
population when they jump. Only a few sustain onward chains of transmission, and even fewer sustain these indefinitely.
Yet the rare pathogens that do make the leap have caused many of humanity's most dangerous infectious diseases.
With the publication of "Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics ", veterinary disease ecologist Dr. Leslie Reperant
investigates mysteries such as how African-originated monkeypox left its home continent, why COVID-19 could threaten
measles control, and how pigs' fondness for mangoes enabled the deadly Nipah virus to spread.
She also shares behind-the-scenes insights into hugely destructive pathogens carried by rats, bats, ticks, and mosquitoes, as
well as lesser-known vectors such as prairie dogs and camels. Drawing from the latest research, she then discusses whether
we can predict these deadly jumps before they happen and what factors (including environmental change, population
dynamics, and molecular evolution) enable a zoonotic disease to reach full pandemic status.
Rich with recent scientific discoveries and emerging theories, "Fatal Jump" spans a diverse range of disciplines, weaving
their insights into a holistic view of infectious disease.
With new pathogens emerging at an alarming pace, "Fatal Jump" reorients our perspective on pandemics from a
human-centered standpoint to the bigger picture. The reader will understand what actions are necessary to control
emergence only by recognizing the increasingly global nature of human society and the connections between the planet's
environmental health and our own health.
Critique: Deftly organized into three mains sections (The Origin of Plague; The Ghost of Plagues Past; Emergence), and an
Epilogue (One Health and the Mad Hatter), "Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics" is informatively enhanced for
the reader with the inclusion of a two page listing of Acknowledgments, fifty-eight pages of Notes, and a twenty-page
Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics" will have a
very special value for readers with an interest in infectious diseases, the impact of ecology on viral and bacterial diseases,
and environmental studies with respect to disease. While unreservedly recommended as an essential and core edition to
personal, professional, community, and academic library Health/Medicine collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists, it should be noted that "Fatal Jump: Tracking the Origins of Pandemics" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $31.30) for medical students, academia, health care workers, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note: Leslie Reperant (https://press.jhu.edu/books/authors/leslie-reperant) is a doctor of veterinary medicine and
earned a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University. She has published her research on emerging
infectious diseases in leading scientific journals, including The Lancet and Science.
Forbidden Knowledge
Terrance H. Young
The Dundurn Group
www.dundurn.com
9781459750685, $22.99, PB, 376pp
https://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Knowledge-Pharma-Never-Prescription/dp/1459750683
Synopsis: Tens of millions of patients in North America take prescription drugs, but the safety of these drugs is often based
on medical myths. We are led to believe that if a medication isn't safe, the government would never allow it on the market
and that doctors would never prescribe a drug that isn't proven effective. Who controls these narratives? And do they
always have the best interests of patients in mind?
"Forbidden Knowledge: A Self-Advocate's Guide to Managing Your Prescription Drugs" is an in-depth study of the
enormous influence the pharmaceutical industry has over our health, as drug safety advocate Terence Young explores how
those with the most to gain financially are also those who wield all the power in health care -- and withhold the knowledge
that is critical to the safety of patients.
"Forbidden Knowledge" reveals the truth the non-specialist general reader needs to know about prescription drugs and
what they can do about it. This comprehensive study will empower readers to partner with their doctor and talk openly and
plainly about medications to help avoid serious adverse drug reactions.
Critique: Simply stated, "Forbidden Knowledge: A Self-Advocate's Guide to Managing Your Prescription Drugs" is a
survival guide when having to deal with Big Pharma. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Forbidden
Knowledge" should have as wide a readership as possible and therefor is an especially and unreservedly recommended
addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Health/Medicine collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Forbidden Knowledge" is also readily available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Terence H. Young (https://www.gravitas.ca/terence-young) is chair of Drug Safety Canada and a former
member of Parliament. He currently resides in Ancaster, Ontario.
The Education Shelf
When Kids Can't Read - What Teachers Can Do, second edition
Kylene Beers
Heinemann
PO Box 6926, Portsmouth, NH 03802-6926
www.heinemann.com
9780325144597, $39.95, PB, 432pp
https://www.heinemann.com/products/e14459.aspx
Synopsis: This new and expanded second edition of "When Kids Can't Read - What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for
Teachers 4-12", by Kylene Beers is based upon the bedrock belief that reading, though not an innate ability for anyone, is a
critical skill for all.
Reading changes us. It changes the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we process information and dream
new thoughts. It allows us to discover more about ourselves and the world around us so that we might become better
versions of ourselves, so we might fully participate in our communities and our nation, so that we might flourish
intellectually, emotionally, creatively, and socially as passionate and compassionate beings.
And when we don't read, when kids can't read, all that is gone. We lose that ability to learn in this transformative way. We
run the risk of being manipulated by others. We are diminished. And in that moment of being less, all around us might
suffer, too. Our understanding of complex issues then becomes dependent on what someone else tells us. When kids can't
read the result is far worse than lowered test scores. The result is an illiterate life.
This new and updated second edition recognizes that helping kids who struggle with reading means knowing how to help
kids with: Comprehension (literal and inferential meaning); Word Work (phonics, fluency, spelling, and vocabulary);
Engagement (required and independent reading, relevance, and motivation).
This new second edition of "When Kids Can't Read" also recounts author and educator Kylene Beers' journey with one
student who changed the course of her professional career, and it is a guidebook for other educators in their journey with
their students as they too discover What Teachers Can Do!
Critique: Informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a Prologue (Twenty Years Later), an Epilogue (Final
Letter to George), a five page listing of Acknowledgments, a fourteen page listing of References, and a an eight page
Index, this newly published second edition of "When Kids Can't Read - What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers
4-12", is an ideal and comprehensive curriculum textbook that is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional,
school district, college, and university library Secondary Education collections and supplemental curriculum
Reading/Phonics Teaching Materials studies lists.
Editorial Note: Kylene Beers (https://kylenebeers.com/blog/about) is a former middle school teacher who has turned her
commitment to adolescent literacy and struggling readers into the major focus of her research, writing, speaking, and
teaching. She taught in the College of Education at the University of Houston, served as Senior Reading Researcher at the
Comer School Development Program at Yale University, and most recently acted as the Senior Reading Advisor to
Secondary Schools for the Reading and Writing Project at Teachers College. Kylene has published numerous articles in
state and national journals, served as editor of the national literacy journal, Voices from the Middle, and was the
2008-2009 President of the National Council of Teachers of English. She has served as a consultant to the National
Governor's Association and was the 2011 recipient of the Conference on English Leadership outstanding leader
award.
The Jobs/Careers Shelf
ForkFight!: Whisks, Risks, and Conflicts Behind the Restaurant Curtain
Mark H. Brezinski
Post Hill Press
www.posthillpress.com
9781637587508, $28.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/ForkFight-Whisks-Conflicts-Restaurant-Curtain/dp/1637587503
Synopsis: Mark H. Brezinski is a forty-five-year veteran of the dynamic restaurant industry. A graduate of the famed
School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Mark went on to create or co-create multiple nationally acclaimed
restaurant companies.
His experiences span the globe in search of culinary discoveries and inspirations with industry icons like the late Norman
Brinker, Paul Fleming, Phil Romano, and chefs Michael Mina and Mark Miller. Mark's restaurants have featured an
international buffet of foods that include Indian, Italian, French, and Vietnamese.
His travels have taken him from Tokyo to Tuscany, from San Francisco to Shanghai, from Mumbai to Maui. This book
takes you to all of these places and more, while telling behind-the-scenes stories - sometimes funny, often heartbreaking,
and never without lessons learned. The journey is a remarkable tag-along to the highs and lows of being an entrepreneur
and the self-discovery that comes with each stop.
Mark resides in Dallas and, never one to leave a stone unturned, is currently founder of his latest concept, Bizzy, which
features his vision of better fast food.
Critique: A fascinating culinary memoir of professional restauranteur Mark H. Brezinski, "ForkFight!: Whisks, Risks, and
Conflicts Behind the Restaurant Curtain" will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in the restaurant
industry. Written with the assistance of co-author Mark Stuertz and highly recommended for community library American
Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted that "ForkFight!" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99),
Editorial Note: Mark H. Brezinski (https://mbrezinski.com) is a forty-five-year restaurant industry veteran who has created
or co-created multiple nationally recognized and rewarded restaurant concepts. His experience spans the globe and his
connections with industry icons is deep. He is recognized in the restaurant industry as co-founder and/or creator of
restaurant concepts that have won "Hot Concept" and "Concepts of Tomorrow" awards and was recently named one of
"Nation's Restaurant News Most Influential Restaurant CEO's."
The Cookbook Shelf
The Low Carb Italian Kitchen
Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi, authors
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9781914239588, $24.99, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Italian-Carb-Weight-Loss-Cookbook/dp/191423958X
Synopsis: If there's one diet that is widely acclaimed for its health benefits, it's the Mediterranean diet. It is lauded by
health experts for its positive impact on weight loss, heart and brain health, cancer prevention and diabetes prevention and
control. The diet is not just nutritious, but tasty too. In particular, the simplicity, exemplary ingredients and all-round
deliciousness of Italian cuisine means that it is internationally adored.
But surely Italian food, with its pasta, pizzas and oil-soaked breads, is as far from being low calorie and low carb as you
can get? Not in the hands of of Italian food and low-carb specialists Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi!
With a combined ninety-three years of cooking experience and several bestsellers between them, Katie and Giancarlo have
become leading advocates for the health benefits of a low-carb diet. With the publication of "The Low Carb Italian
Kitchen", they show you how, in more than eighty fabulous Italian recipes combining healthy ingredients with a little
kitchen know-how, you can still eat some of the tastiest food on the planet while shedding weight and achieving a
healthier, happier and more energized you.
Of special note is expert nutritionist Jenny Phillips introducing "The Low Carb Italian Kitchen", defining the
Mediterranean diet and relating it to the Caldesi's tried-and-tested approach. Using the recipes that follow and the Caldesi's
bespoke CarbScale, anyone can enjoy delicious low-carb Italian food, from sugar-free dolci and low-carb pizza to
portion-controlled pasta with abundant vegetables and delicious sauces.
Critique: Showcasing some 100 palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, weight control friendly recipes, "The Low Carb Italian
Kitchen" is packed with full color photos of finished dishes and is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to
personal, professional, and community library cookbook collections. It should be noted for the planning of memorable
menus that "The Low Carb Italian Kitchen" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi (www.caldesi.com) are the owners of London's Caldesi in Marylebone as well
as Caldesi in Campagna in Bray. They have co-authored the bestselling The Diabetes Weight-Loss Cookbook, The
Reverse Your Diabetes Cookbook, Around The World in Salads and The Gentle Art of Preserving and have both appeared
on Saturday Kitchen. The can be followed on @KatieCaldesi and @MrCaldesi
The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome
Maria Pasquale
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754271, $35.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-City-Recipes-stories-Rome/dp/1922754277
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome" by Maria Pasquale, armchair
travelers and on-site visitors, kitchen cooks and dedicated foodies can discover Rome's incredible food and culinary history
through the city's stories and its cuisine.
The Eternal City is a maze of winding cobblestone streets, where ancient history waits at every turn. Within these storied
laneways, Rome's culinary traditions are honored and transformed by local chefs, pizza makers, cheesemongers, butchers,
wine experts, bakers, and more -- all of whom make Rome one of the great food capitals of the world.
Learning of the places where Romans eat every day, ranging from the trattoria to the home kitchen, and through the dishes
that define these locations. With 70 recipes shared by iconic eateries, chefs, and culinary author Maria Pasquale's family
and friends, "The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome" is a culinary love letter to Rome that takes you past the
monuments, and into the lives of modern-day Romans. This is an invitation to their tables and to embrace la dolce
vita!
Critique: Beautifully illustrated in full color throughout, "The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome" will have a
very special appeal to readers with an interest in Italian cooking, gastronomic essays, and culinary oriented travel guides.
"The Eternal City: Recipes and Stories from Rome" is highly recommended and will prove to be an enduringly popular
addition to personal, family, professional, and community library cookbook collections.
Editorial Note: Maria Pasquale (https://maria-pasquale.com) was born in Melbourne, Australia, to Italian parents and has
been based in Rome since 2011. With formal qualifications in political science and history, she is an award-winning food
and travel journalist and writes regularly for USA Today, CNN, Conde Nast, The Telegraph, and Fortune. She is founder
of the popular blog HeartRome, which has readers in 100 countries, and in 2017, she published I Heart Rome with Smith
Street Books. Her second book, How to Be Italian, was released in 2021.
The Parenting Shelf
Advanced Parenting
Kelly Fradin, MD
Balance
c/o Hachette Book Group
www.hachettebookgroup.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9781538722466, $29.00, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Parenting-Diagnoses-Differences-Challenges/dp/1538722461
Synopsis: Any parent who has ever walked out of a concerning appointment with their child's doctor or teacher has
experienced a heady mix of emotions -- fear, love, confusion, concern, sadness, and perhaps even anger. While every
parent hopes for a healthy child, the reality is that children face many common challenges, including medical issues like
ADHD, asthma, food allergies, feeding issues, learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, and developmental delays,
throughout their formative years. As the role of a parent becomes one of a caregiver, it can be overwhelming for parents
and children alike, particularly if money, time, access, or any combination of those are in short supply.
For these parents, Dr. Kelly Fradin offers "Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences,
and Mental Health Challenges", which is based on her experience as a complex-care pediatrician. In this crucial guide,
parents will find empathy and support as well as evidence-based practical guidance. Of greatest import is the need for tools
with which to manage the emotional stress that comes from having a child who deviates from the norm, as well as coping
with uncertainty and navigating the business of care. Parents will discover ways to optimize the outcomes for their family
and make their day-to-day life easier.
"Advanced Parenting" will help new families from the beginning of their journey, as well as helping even more
experienced parents to decide when a child needs help, accepting the implications of a challenge, obtaining a correct
diagnosis, learning about the issue, building a treatment team and coming up with a comprehensive plan. Dr. Fradin
explores how a child struggling can affect the entire family dynamic including the parent's relationships and the siblings
overall well-being, and with her experience as a complex care pediatrician, she will help parents avoid common mistakes.
Parents will feel seen, supported, and better prepared to be both a parent and a caregiver.
Critique: Thoroughly 'parent friendly' in organized and presentation, "Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids
Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the
inclusion of a two page bibliography of Further Reading, a four page listing of Acknowledgments, a six page listing of
Resources, eight pages of Notes, and a two page Index. A welcome, exceptional, and unreservedly recommended addition
to community and academic library Contemporary Parenting collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that
"Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges" is also
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete an unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio,
9781668631034, $40.00, CD)
Editorial Note: Dr. Kelly Fradin (https://drkellyfradin.com) is a pediatrician and passionate advocate for children and
parents. Originally from Charlotte, NC, she was inspired to become a doctor by her experience surviving childhood cancer.
As a pediatrician, she has spent her career working with families in academic complex care, public health-oriented school
programs and private practice. Her first book, "Parenting in a Pandemic: How to Help Your Family through COVID-19"
helped to inform and empower parents during difficult times. She shares her advice on social media
@AdviceIGiveMyFriends
The American History Shelf
The Lionkeeper of Algiers
Des Ekin
Prometheus Books
c/o Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781633888630, $29.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lionkeeper-Algiers-American-Captive-Homeland/dp/1633888630
Synopsis: In 1785, just a few years after U.S. Independence, a young American named James Leander Cathcart is
kidnapped at sea and carried as prisoner to the maverick North African statelet of Algiers, where he is held as a political
hostage along with hundreds of other seamen captured on the open seas. The piratical corsairs of Algiers have decided,
without any warning, to exploit the vulnerability of the newborn United States by seizing its mariners and holding them for
ransom while ruthlessly exploiting their free labor.
Today, the name of James Leander Cathcart has been all but forgotten by history. And yet he was one of the most
remarkable figures in the early history of the fledgling United States.
With the publication of "The Lionkeeper of Algiers: How an American Captive Rose to Power in Barbary and Saved His
Homeland from War", author Des Ekin reveals the extraordinary and unlikely story of Cathcart, who, thanks to his flair for
languages and his formidable human intuition, rose steadily up the ranks from lionkeeper at the Dey's private zoo to
becoming Chief Clerk at the Palace, along the way amassing a chain of taverns in Algiers that functioned as safe houses
and food banks for American prisoners.
Eleven years later, just one among more than one hundred US hostages in Algiers, Cathcart was paroled back to America
and charged with delivering a vital letter to President George Washington, saving a tenuous peace deal and bringing the
other captives home. Remarkably, his sense of honor compelled him to go back to Algiers (where he had never formally
been made free) to see the peace project through. Cathcart would go on to become a U.S. diplomat in the lands where he
was held captive for more than a decade.
Featuring some of the most prominent Americans of the era like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, as well as ordinary
citizens like Hannah Stephens, the wife of a sea captain who tirelessly lobbied Congress until she was finally reunited with
her husband after more than a decade, author Des Ekin's captivating storytelling brings this adventure to life. This
page-turning narrative follows the twists and turns of Cathcart's own life upon the international stage of diplomacy, trade,
and maritime statecraft at a time when America's place in the world was hanging in the balance.
Critique: The American story is replete with heroes and heroism that have faded into an undeserved obscurity -- and the
story of James Leander Cathcart is one of the most deserving to be brought to the attention of a new general of Americans.
Exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented, "The Lionkeeper of Algiers: How an American Captive
Rose to Power in Barbary and Saved His Homeland from War" deserves as wide a readership as possible and so is
unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library American History collections. It should be noted
for the personal reading lists of students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject that "The Lionkeeper of Algiers" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.49).
Editorial Note: Des Ekin (https://obrien.ie/des-ekin) is an historian and journalist. Former Deputy Editor of the Belfast
Sunday News, he worked as a journalist, columnist, and finally Political Correspondent for The Sunday World (Ireland's
second biggest newspaper) until 2012. Twice shortlisted for the Irish Nonfiction Book of the Year (The Stolen Village,
2006; The Last Armada, 2014), he is the author of five books. Stateside, his writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune,
and the Dallas Morning News, among others. "The Lionkeeper of Algiers" is his first project of wholly American
history.
War Along the Wabash
Steven P. Locke
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636242682, $37.95, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/War-Along-Wabash-Confederacys-Destruction/dp/1636242685
Synopsis: On November 4, 1791, a coalition of warriors determined to set the Ohio River as a permanent boundary
between tribal lands and white settlements faced off against an army led by Arthur St. Clair -- the resulting horrific
struggle ended in the greatest defeat of an American army at the hands of Native Americans.
The road to the battle of the Wabash began when Arthur St. Clair was appointed to lead an army into the heart of the Ohio
Indian Confederacy while building a string of fortifications along the way. He would face difficulties in recruiting,
training, feeding, and arming volunteer soldiers.
From the moment St. Clair's shattered force began its retreat from the Wabash the men blamed the officers, and the officers
in turn blamed their men. For over two centuries most historians have blamed either the officer corps, enlisted soldiers, an
entangled logistical supply line, poor communications, or equipment. The destruction of the army resulted in a stunned
Congress authorizing a regular army in 1792.
This book, the result of 30 years' research, puts the battle into the context of the last quarter of the 18th century, exploring
how the central importance of land ownership to Europeans arriving in North America resulted in unrelenting demographic
pressure on indigenous tribes, as well as the enormous obstacles standing in the way of the fledgling American Republic in
paying off its enormous war debts.
With the publication of "War Along the Wabash: The Ohio Indian Confederacy's Destruction of the US Army, 1791",
historian Steven P. Locke presents the story of how a small band of determined indigenous peoples defended their
homeland, destroyed an invading American army, and forced a fundamental shift in the way in which the United States
waged war.
Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity one of the great triumphs of 18th Century Native Americans over the U.
S. Military, "War Along the Wabash: The Ohio Indian Confederacy's Destruction of the US Army, 1791" is a seminal
work of meticulous research and scholarship that is further enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a six page
Bibliography, fourteen pages of Endnotes, and a six page Index. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$22.95) for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the
subject, "War Along the Wabash: The Ohio Indian Confederacy's Destruction of the US Army, 1791" must be regarded as
a core and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library 18th Century American History and
Native American History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Steven P. Locke is a retired curator of history for the Ohio Historical Society. He served in the US Army
National Guard, then taught history in the Granville, Ohio, Exempted School District. He studied at both undergraduate
and graduate level at the Ohio State University.
(https://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-P-Locke/100069884282603)
The World History Shelf
Battles of the Wars of the Roses
David Cohen
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399083102, $36.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Battles-Wars-Roses-David-Cohen/dp/1399083104
Synopsis: The War of the Roses (1455-1487) saw a series of bloody battles during one of the most turbulent periods of
English history. The houses of Lancaster and York fought for control of the crown, devastating the nobility and bringing an
end to the illustrious Plantagenet dynasty.
Starting with an overview of the politics and events that culminated in the wars, "Battles of the Wars of the Rose" by
historian David Cohen is new history focuses on the seventeen battles that took place around the country between 1455 and
1487. It considers the causes, course and result of each battle, beginning with the first battle of St Albans on 22 May 1455,
which was won by the Yorkist faction lead by Richard, Duke of York.
The bloodiest battle ever known on English soil at Towton on 29 March 1461, and the victory there of the first Yorkist
King Edward IV is described here in vivid detail. The battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471 saw the death of Edward
Prince of Wales, the last male heir of the Lancastrians, and the subsequent murder of King Henry VI at the Tower of
London. The defeat and death of King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485 marked the end of the
Plantagenet dynasty. The last battle of the Wars of the Roses was at East Stoke on 16 June 1487 where the first Tudor King
Henry VII crushed the Yorkist revolt.
The final chapter of "Battles of the Wars of the Rose" is devoted to the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, who
disappeared at the Tower of London during the reign of King Richard III in 1483, and the suspects to their likely
murders.
Written with the most up-to-date archaeological and documentary research, and including many images of the main
protagonists, battle sites, maps and genealogical charts, "Battles of the Wars of the Rose" offers fascinating new insights
into the Wars of the Roses.
Critique: In addition to an informative Introduction, "Battles of the Wars of the Rose" is further informatively enhanced by
historian David Cohen with the inclusion of numerous black/white illustrations, a one page Bibliography, a one page
listing of Primary Sources, and a six page Index. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Battles of the Wars
of the Rose" is highly recommended for both community and academic library 15th Century English History collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Battles of the Wars of the Rose" is also available in a digital
book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: David Cohen (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/David-Cohen/a/4646) is a retired Civil Servant (Ministry
of Justice) with a degree in social sciences from Leicester University. He is a member of the Royal Historical Society and
has studied this period of history for over 40 years. He regularly visits key battle sites such as St Albans, Barnet,
Tewkesbury and Bosworth, and runs the popular 'Wars of the Roses and Medieval History' group, alongside fellow
historian Sharon Bennett Connolly, contributing articles on the various battles of the Wars of the Roses and its main
protagonists.
Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower
Neha Roy
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399095761, $36.95, HC, 216pp
https://www.amazon.com/Henry-VIIIs-Imprisoned-Women-Tower/dp/1399095765
Synopsis: The year is 1534. Henry VIII sits on the throne of England. He has set aside his first wife, Queen Katharine of
Aragon, and has married a second time. The marriage to Anne Boleyn brings a new wave of Reformation in England
dividing the people and even leading to arrests and executions -- even those of some noteworthy people. The stories of
imprisoned women, including Henry's two queens, who were persecuted, condemned and ultimately executed are fully
explored with the publication of "Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower" by historian Neha
Roy.
Alice Tankerville, the first woman to escape the infamous Tower of London, albeit for a short while; Elizabeth Barton, The
Nun of Kent and the only woman to be dealt the dishonor of having her head spiked on London Bridge; Queen Anne
Boleyn, whose fall was as tragically spectacular as her rise to fame; Margaret Pole, the last living Plantagenet princess who
was denounced as a traitor and met a merciless end in her twilight years; Queen Katheryn Howard, whose daring yet
seemingly foolish decisions ultimately led to her downfall; and finally, Anne Askew, the brave Protestant who gained
infamy as the only woman to be racked at the Tower.
Through the lives of these women, we are provided a glimpse into the reign of Henry VIII, the capricious monarch who
changed the face of England forever. Of special note is that "Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower"
also delves into the history of the Tower of London, provides a brief glimpse into the life of Tudor women, and insights
into the lives of some noteworthy people of that era.
Critique: Along with an eleven page List of People Mentioned in the Book, seven pages of Endnotes, a section of
black/white illustrations, a two page Bibliography and Sources, a four page Author's Note, and a three page listing of
Acknowledgments, historian Neha Roy;'s "Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower" is an exceptional
work of scholarship -- making it a enduringly welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, professional,
community, college, and university library 16th Century British History and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It
should be noted for students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$18.99).
Editorial Note: Neha Roy (https://www.facebook.com/author.neharoy) is an educational content writer, and her short
stories have been published in her local Bengali society's annual magazine and online on her Wattpad page. It was her
grandfather who introduced her to the world of books and, later, history. He made her fall in love with history by narrating
anecdotes from the past and his life experiences. She recently forayed into non-fiction when she started a blog on the
Plantagenets and the Tudor dynasty, and the various Tudor books, podcasts and websites available opened up a whole new
world. Her Twitter and Instagram handles are @withtudors
Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC
Josha R. Hall
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781473885387, $42.95, HC,
https://www.amazon.com/Carthage-War-Punic-Armies-814-146/dp/1473885388
Synopsis: The Carthaginians are well known as Rome's great enemy in the three Punic wars and that Hannibal, (the
Carthaginians greatest general), is a legendary name in history. While narrative histories of the Punic wars (especially the
second) and biographies of Hannibal abound, there have been few studies dedicated to detailed analysis of Carthaginian
armies and warfare throughout the city-state's entire existence.
With the publication of "Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC", historian Joshua Hall puts that right with his
in-depth study of their tactics, equipment, unit organization, army composition and operational effectiveness. Importantly,
while the Second Punic War is rightly given prominence, this is not at the expense of the many earlier wars Carthage
waged as she built and then defended her empire.
Drawing on all the available archaeological and literary evidence, "Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC) shows
the development of Carthage's forces and methods of warfare from the ninth century BC to the city's demise. The result is
the most in-depth portrait of the Carthaginian military currently available in English.
Critique: Opening with an informative General Introduction, "Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC" is enhanced
for scholars with the inclusion of an eleven page Bibliography, fifty-two pages of Notes, and a seven page Index. A
seminal study of rigorous, meticulous, exceptional research, "Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC" must be
regarded as a core and critically important addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library
Roman/Carthaginian Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Impressively written,
organized and presented, it should also be noted that "Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814-146 BC" is also readily
available to students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject in a digital book format
(Kindle, $25.00).
Editorial Note: Joshua Hall (https://www.joshobrouwers.com/contributors/joshua-r-hall) majored in History at Western
Oregon University, then moved to Cardiff University, Wales, to complete his an MA in Ancient and Medieval Warfare
(specializing in warfare in ancient Sicily) and a PhD in ancient history on warfare in Archaic Italy. He currently resides in
his home state of Oregon and continues to research and write about the ancient world. He has remained at Cardiff as a
Postgraduate Teaching Assistant while working towards his PhD on warfare in Archaic Italy.
The Army of the Roman Republic
Michael M. Sage
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399020244, $29.95, HC, 352pp
https://www.amazon.com/Army-Roman-Republic-Period-Julius/dp/1399020242
Synopsis: From the moment its last king was expelled (traditionally in 753 BC), the Roman republic had to fight for its
very survival. Centuries of almost continuous warfare saw Rome's armies evolve in response to a wide variety of threats
which were met with mixed fortunes though always with ultimate success. As defense of the homeland turned to territorial
expansion, Roman forces also had to adapt to sustained campaigns in varied terrain and climates, not to mention the
changes in the Roman republic itself.
With the publication of "The Army of the Roman Republic: From the Regal Period to the Army of Julius Caesar",
historian and academician Michael Sage traces the development of the republic's army from its foundation (having first set
the context of their regal antecedents), down to the time of its most famous leader, Julius Caesar. The transition from
clan-based forces, through the Servian levy and the development of the manipular and cohortal legion is examined along
with the associated weapons, tactics and operational capabilities.
We also see how the legions shaped up against the challenges of successive enemies from the Celts and Samnites, the
Carthaginians and the hitherto-dominant Hellenistic armies based on the Macedonian-style pike phalanx.
Critique: Originally published in a hardcover edition in 2018, "The Army of the Roman Republic: From the Regal Period
to the Army of Julius Caesar" by Professor Michael Sage is now available in paperback, as well as in a digital book format
(Kindle, $14.99). Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a ten page Bibliography, thirty-four pages of
Notes, and an eleven page Index, "The Army of the Roman Republic" is especially recommended to the attention of
students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, as well as a community Roman
History collections and academic supplemental curriculum Roman Military History studies lists.
Editorial Note: Michael Sage (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Michael-Sage/a/1842) is an emeritus professor and former head
of the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati. He has also taught at the University of Waterloo in Canada
and at the University of California at San Diego. He received his B. A. in anthropology and M.A. in history from the
University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Toronto. He has published numerous articles and
encyclopedia articles on many aspects of ancient history, including Roman imperial history and biography as well as
ancient military history. He has also published books on St. Cyprian, the third century AD bishop of Carthage, on the
Roman historian Tacitus and on Greek as well as on Greek and Roman warfare.
The Trojan War as Military History
Manousos E. Kambouris
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399094467, $42.95, HC, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Trojan-War-Military-History/dp/1399094467
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Trojan War as Military History", author and historian Manousos Kambouris'
starting point is the fact that the Iliad, notwithstanding the fantastical/mythological elements (the involvement of gods and
demigods), is the earliest detailed description of warfare we have. Stripping away the myths, Kambouris analyses the epic
and combines it with other textual and archaeological evidence to produce a coherent narrative of the conflict and of
Bronze Age warfare in the Aegean.
"The Trojan War as Military History" presents the most detailed analysis currently possible of Mycenaean Greek armies,
including their composition and organization, their weaponry, their armor and tactics, and those of their enemies.
Kambouris finds sophisticated combined-arms forces blending massed infantry with missile troops and chariots,
employing open battle, deception and special operations in what amounted to total war. His detailed examination of the
mechanics of Bronze Age combat is enriched by his use of insights from experimental archaeology using replica
equipment.
No less illuminating or significant than the minutiae of heroic duels is the setting of the strategic context of the conflict and
the geopolitical relationship of the Mycenaean Greeks with their rivals across the Aegean. Seeking to integrate the
supernatural/divine element of the Iliad within the power structure and struggle of the day, Kambouris lashes the Trojan
War to the chariot of rationality and drags it from the mists of mythology and into the realm of History.
Critique: A simply fascinating, informative, thought-provoking read that is enhanced for its readership with the inclusion
of numerous plates and illustrations, a four page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "The Trojan War as Military
History" is an extraordinary work of original and superbly presented research -- making it a particularly and unreservedly
recommended contribution to community, college, and university library Greek and Military History collections. It should
be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with
an interest in the Trojan War history, folklore, and mythology, that "The Trojan War as Military History" is also available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Manousos E. Kambouris has a background in scientific writing, contributing chapters on a wide range of
disciplines to various edited volumes and journals. He has been researching Ancient Greek warfare for many years and has
published numerous articles in Archeologija Prirodne Na (Archaeology and Science), He has written three previous books
on Marathon, Salamis and Xenophon's Ten Thousand. For the past 8 years he has been a historical consultant to the
experimental archaeology group Koryvantes, the Association of Historical Studies. His other two volumes in this trilogy
are also available from Pen & Sword: The Rise of Persia and the First Greco-Persian Wars and The Greek Victories and
the Persian Ebb 480-79 BC. (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Manousos-E-Kambouris/a/4316)
Hitler's Maladies and Their Impact on World War II
Tom Hutton, MD
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
www.ttupress.org
9781682831663, $27.99, PB, 232pp
https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Maladies-Their-Impact-World/dp/1682831663
Synopsis: Toward the end of World War II, Adolph Hitler's many health complications became even more pronounced,
making this evil man yet more erratic and dangerous. While the subject of Hitler's health has been catalogued previously,
never has it been done so this thoroughly or with the publication of "Hitler's Maladies and Their Impact on World War II:
A Behavioral Neurologist's View", with its up-to-date medical expertise by neurologist Tom Hutton.
Dr. Hutton's new neurobehavioral analysis of Adolf Hitler draws from a lifetime of medical research and clinical
experience to understand how the dictator's particular medical history further warped a deformed personality and altered
Hitler's decision making.
Dr. Hutton trained under the world-renowned neuropsychologist and father of modern neuropsychological assessment, Dr.
Alexander Luria, giving him a uniquely qualified eye to undertake this most difficult assessment.
While many books on the subject thumb through the annals of popular psychology to understand history's most famous
dictators, Dr. Hutton's analysis uses contemporary clinical knowledge, lucidly synthesizing medical complexities suitable
for all readers. With "Hitler's Maladies and Their Impact on World War II: A Behavioral Neurologist's View", Dr. Hutton
undertakes a thorough medical history to elucidate a pivotal historical moment, examining how disease impacted Hitler's
destructive life.
Critique: A fascinating and informative read that is occasionally enhanced with the inclusion of black/white historical
photographs, "Hitler's Maladies and Their Impact on World War II: A Behavioral Neurologist's View" is a strongly
recommended contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II History/Biography
collections in general, and supplemental Adolph Hitler oriented curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for
students, academia, and WWII military history buffs that "Hitler's Maladies and Their Impact on World War II: A
Behavioral Neurologist's View" is also available in a digital book format $8.99).
Editorial Note: Tom Hutton, MD, PhD, (https://tomhuttonmd.com) is an internationally recognized clinical and research
neurologist and educator. The past president of the Texas Neurological Society, Dr. Hutton served as professor and vice
chairman of the Department of Medical and Surgical Neurology at the Texas Tech School of Medicine.
The Civil War Shelf
We Fought at Gettysburg
Carolyn Ivanoff
Gettysburg Publishing
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9780999304945, $38.95, HC, 448pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fought-Gettysburg-Firsthand-Survivors-Connecticut/dp/0999304941
Synopsis: Deftly edited by Carolyn Ivanoff, "We Fought at Gettysburg: Firsthand Accounts by the Survivors of the 17th
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry" follows the 17th Connecticut Regiment through the Gettysburg Campaign and beyond in
June and July of 1863.
William H. Warren dedicated his life to compiling the accounts of his comrades in the 17th Connecticut. Many are
published here for the first time. These are the words of those who lived through the trauma of combat and survived to
write about it. Many of these men were wounded, taken prisoner, lost friends, and suffered themselves on this great
battlefield of the war. These men tell what they experienced at Gettysburg in their own words. They describe what they
saw, thought, and felt on the battlefield.
Their story is told here through fascinating firsthand accounts, numerous photographs, including a photographic index of
the regiment, and maps by Phil Laino.
Critique: A seminal and inherently fascinating contribution to the growing library of the American Civil War studies and
histories, "We Fought at Gettysburg: Firsthand Accounts by the Survivors of the 17th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry" is
informatively enhanced with the inclusion of black/white historical photos, a six page Bibliography, twenty-three pages of
Notes, and an eight page Index. Simply stated, "We Fought at Gettysburg: Firsthand Accounts by the Survivors of the 17th
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional,
community, college, and university library American Civil War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Carolyn Ivanoff (https://sites.google.com/site/carolynivanoff) is a retired high school administrator and
independent historian. She writes and speaks on American history in a variety of formats and venues. "We Fought at
Gettysburg" is her first book.
General Grant and the Verdict of History
Frank P. Varney
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611215533, $32.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/General-Grant-Verdict-History-Memoir/dp/1611215536
Synopsis: General Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 - July 23, 1885) is best remembered today as a war-winning general in
the American Civil War, and he certainly deserves credit for his efforts on behalf of the Union. But has he received too
much credit at the expense of other men? Have others who fought the war with him suffered unfairly at his hands?
With the publication of "General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War", author and
historian Frank P. Varney deftly explores these issues.
Professor Varney examines Grant's relationship with three noted Civil War generals: the brash and uncompromising
"Fighting Joe" Hooker; George H. Thomas, the stellar commander who earned the sobriquet "Rock of Chickamauga"; and
Gouverneur Kemble Warren, who served honorably and well in every major action of the Army of the Potomac before
being relieved less than two weeks before Appomattox, and only after he had played a prominent part in the major Union
victory at Five Forks.
In his earlier book "General Grant and the Rewriting of History", Professor Varney studied the tempestuous relationship
between Grant and Union General William S. Rosecrans. During the war, Rosecrans was considered by many of his
contemporaries to be on par with Grant himself; today, he is largely forgotten. Rosecrans's star dimmed, argues Professor
Varney, because Grant orchestrated the effort.
Unbeknownst to most students of the war, Grant used his official reports, interviews with the press, and his memoirs to
influence how future generations would remember the war and his part in it. Aided greatly by his two terms as president,
by the clarity and eloquence of his memoirs, and in particular by the dramatic backdrop against which those memoirs were
written, our historical memory has been influenced to a degree greater than many realize.
It is beyond time to return to the original sources (the letters, journals, reports, and memoirs of other witnesses and the
transcripts of courts-martial) to examine Grant's story from a fresh perspective. The results are enlightening and more than
a little disturbing.
Critique: A masterpiece of original and seminal scholarship, "General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory,
and the Civil War" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Maps, Illustrations, two Appendices
(Rosecranz Revisited & Shiloah and Belmont Revisited), a four page Bibliography, a one page listing of
Acknowledgments, and a three page Index. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99), "General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War" is unreservedly recommended
for community, college, and university library American Civil War Biography, Memoir, and History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Frank Varney earned his Ph.D. at Cornell University. He regularly leads student groups to Civil War
battlefields and makes frequent speaking appearances before Civil War Roundtables and historical societies. Professor
Varney is currently developing a course to be taught on-site at Gettysburg, and will do the same for a course on
Chickamauga. He teaches U.S. and classical history at Dickinson State University of North Dakota, where he is also the
director of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program.
Journalism in the Civil War Era, second edition
David W. Bulla, author
Gregory A. Borchard, author
Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
www.peterlang.com
9781433197932, $134.95, HC, 460pp
https://www.amazon.com/Journalism-Second-Mediating-American-History/dp/1433197936
Synopsis: Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, "Journalism in the Civil War Era" presents focuses on the
historical context of Civil War journalism by placing the newspapers of the era within the entire nineteenth century.
This seminal study gives a broad account of journalism in the Civil War, reflecting on the political, military, legal, and
journalistic issues involved in this era. It is written with chapters that examine these various facets of the journalism of the
period, but they are connected by the theme of the development of the wartime press, with an emphasis on the professional,
political, social, economic, legal, and military factors that affected it.
"Journalism in the Civil War Era" by co-authors David W. Bulla and Gregory A. Borchard provides An in-depth look at
the political press in the 1850s and 1860s, and how it played a major role in the nation's understanding of the conflict;
Technology's role in carrying information in a timely fashion; The development of journalism as a profession; The
international context of Civil War journalism; The leadership journalists displayed, including Horace Greeley and his New
York Tribune bully pulpit; The nature of journalism during the war; The way freedom of the press was advanced by
polarizing political extremes.
This Civil War study is historical, written in an engaging style, and meant to encourage readers to explore and analyze the
value of freedom of the press during that very time when it most comes under fire -- wartime.
Critique: A unique, informative, and fascinating contribution to the every growing library of American Civil War histories
and studies, "Journalism in the Civil War Era" is a seminal work of meticulous scholarship must be considered a core and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library American Civil War
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of
numerous Illustrations, an Appendix (Journalism and Abraham Lincoln), an eight page Selected Bibliography, and an
eighteen page Index, it should be noted for students, academia, dedicated Civil War buffs, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Journalism in the Civil War Era" is also available in a paperback edition
(9781433187216, $62.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $59.80).
Editorial Note #1: David W. Bulla (https://davidbulla.com/bio.php) is Professor of Communication at Augusta University.
His books include Lincoln's Censor, Why Slavery Endures, and Gandhi, Advocacy Journalism, and the Media. He is
assistant editor of The Southeastern Review of Journalism History. Dr. Bulla earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from
the University of Florida and his master's degree in journalism from Indiana University.
Editorial Note #2: Gregory A. Borchard (https://www.unlv.edu/news/expert/gregory-borchard) is Professor of Mass
communication and Journalism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His books include A Narrative History of the
American Press and Abraham Lincoln and Horace Greeley. He edited the Encyclopedia of Journalism and the journal
Journalism History for the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Dr.
Borchard earned a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Florida.
Searching for Irvin McDowell: The Civil War's Forgotten General
Frank P. Simione Jr, author
Gene Schmiel, author
Savas Beatie
PO Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216202, $22.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Irvin-McDowell-Forgotten-General/dp/1611216206
Synopsis: Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 - May 4, 1885) was a prominent figure during the early months of the Civil
War. With so much at stake, he was called upon to lead the Union's largest Eastern Theater army.
Pressed by the media and President Abraham Lincoln to move into Virginia and defeat the Confederates gathering there,
McDowell led his neophyte army out to the plains of Manassas and was soundly defeated. McDowell went on to hold an
independent command in northern Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign and serve in the Army of Virginia under Maj.
Gen. John Pope during the disastrous Second Bull Run Campaign.
Despite his significant contributions, a lack of personal papers left him in obscurity. With the publication of "Searching for
Irvin McDowell: The Civil War's Forgotten General", co-authors Frank Simione Jr. and Gene Schmiel used available
sources to create a reliable and readable synthesis of the man and his career to fill a sizable gap in the historiography.
Unless or until his private papers surface, "Searching for Irvin McDowell" will stand as the best treatment available.
Critique: No personal, professional, community, or academic library American Civil War collection can be considered
comprehensive or complete without the inclusion of "Searching for Irvin McDowell: The Civil War's Forgotten General"
by co-authors and Civil War historians Frank P. Simiones Jr. and Gene Schmiel, and published by the principle American
Civil War History publisher Savas Beatie. Informatively enhanced with the inclusion of two Appendices ("General
McDowell at Liberia" & "McDowell's Strange Hat"), a seven page Bibliography, and a twelve-page Index, "Searching for
Irvin McDowell" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99) for students, academia, historians, Civil
War buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.
Editorial Note #1: Frank Simione Jr. retired from ATCC, a bioscience industry non-profit biological resource center in
Manassas, Virginia. During his 42-year career he published technical papers, review articles, manuals, and book chapters.
Frank's interest in the Civil War spans more than half a century.
Editorial Note #2: Gene Schmiel (https://civilwarhistory-geneschmiel.com) is a retired U.S. Department of State Foreign
Service Officer and former assistant professor of History at St. Francis University (PA) with a Ph.D. degree in History
from The Ohio State University. Gene is the author of many books about the Civil War, including Citizen-General: Jacob
Dolson Cox and the Civil War Era.
Private No More
Sharon A. Roger Hepburn, editor
University of Georgia Press
320 South Jackson Street, Athens, Georgia 30602
www.ugapress.org
9780820363448, $114.95, HC, 162pp
https://www.amazon.com/Private-No-More-Infantry-Perspectives/dp/0820363448
Synopsis: Edited by Professor Sharon Hepburn (Radford University, Virginia),"Private No More: The Civil War Letters of
John Lovejoy Murray, 102nd United States Colored Infantry" is a collection of letters contains insights into the experiences
of an African American soldier and his regiment during the Civil War. John Lovejoy Murray, a private in Company E,
102nd USCT, died of disease in a Charleston hospital on April 12, 1865. Through John Murray's letters, readers can
experience the war through the eyes of a literate northern Black soldier.
His is the story of the soldiers who did not receive accolades for their heroic actions in battle, the ones who spent more
time on picket and fatigue duty than on the front lines, the ones who died from disease more than they did of battle-related
wounds.
Murray's letters are significant because they are ordinary in some respects yet extraordinary in others. Some of the
activities and sentiments portrayed in the letters are hardly distinguishable from those described in letters written by White
soldiers. In other ways, the letters represent a perspective distinctly from a Black soldier in the Union army.
Although many of his experiences may have been typical, John Lovejoy Murray himself, a literate, freeborn, northern
Black man, was atypical among Union Black soldiers.
Critique: A valued contribution to the growing body of American Civil War history, biography and memoirs, "Private No
More: The Civil War Letters of John Lovejoy Murray, 102nd United States Colored Infantry" is an extraordinary and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library American Civil
War collections and supplemental curriculum 19th Century African/American studies lists. It should be noted for the
benefit of students, academia, historians, and Civil War buffs, that "Private No More" is also readily available in a
paperback edition (9780820363455, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.72).
Editorial Note: Sharon A. Roger Hepburn is professor of history at Radford University. She is also the author of "Crossing
the Border: A Free Black Community in Canada:, which received the 2008 Albert B. Corey Award. She has a page on the
Radford University website at: https://www.radford.edu/content/chbs/home/history/faculty/sharon-hepburn.html
The Military Shelf
Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the Battles for Italy, 1943-45
Andrew Sangster, author
Pier Paolo Battistelli, author
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243122, $37.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Flawed-Commanders-Strategy-Battles-1943-45/dp/1636243126
Synopsis: Wars never run according to plan, perhaps never more so than during the World War II Italian campaign of
1943-45, where necessary coordination between the different armies added additional complexity to Allied plans. Errors in
the strategies, tactics, the coalition tensions, and operations at campaign command level can clearly be seen in firsthand
accounts of the period.
With the publication of "Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the Battles for Italy, 1943-45", co-authors Andrew Sangster
and Pier Paolo Battistelli have produced a new account that examines the Italian campaign, from Sicily to surrender in
1945, and explores the strategy, intentions, motives, plans, and deeds involved.
"Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the Battles for Italy, 1943-45" then offers a detailed insight into the five
commanders who led the battles in Italy -- the two British commanders, Montgomery and Alexander; two American,
Patton and Clark; and the leading German commander, Field Marshal Kesselring.
Their personal notes and accounts, taken alongside archival material, provides some surprising conclusions -- revealing
that Montgomery was not quite the master of war he is portrayed as; that Patton had serious flaws, exposed by wasting
men's lives to save a relative and overlooking the shooting of prisoners of war; that Clark lost lives to bolster his image;
that Alexander the gentleman was far too vague to be effective as a senior leader. Meanwhile, condemned war criminal
Kesselring appears to be the most efficient and also, like Alexander, one of the most popular leaders.
Critique: A simply fascinating read from cover to cover, "Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the Battles for Italy, 1943-
45" is an iconoclastic study that is a remarkable work of seminal scholarship. Essential reading for military history buffs,
students, and academia, "Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the Battles for Italy, 1943-45" is a unique and highly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library World War II history
collections and supplement curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Flawed Commanders and Strategy in the
Battles for Italy, 1943-45" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.49).
Editorial Note #1: Dr Andrew Sangster holds his doctorate in Modern European History as well as degrees in Law,
Theology, History and English. He has written several biographies including Lord Alan Brooke, Beria, Franco, Goring,
Goebbels, Himmler, a history of France 1936-46 and an account of the main European Secret Services before 1939.
Editorial Note #2: Dr Pier Paolo Battistelli gained an MA degree in the University of Perugia, Italy, and was awarded a
Ph.D. degree at the University of Padua, Italy, with a thesis on the German-Italian military partnership during WWII. Dr.
Battistelli is active as a translator, a military history consultant, and author, publishing a number of books on different
subjects of history related to WWII. (https://www.casematepublishers.com/author/pier-paolo-battistelli)
Skagerrak: The Battle of Jutland Through German Eyes
Gary Staff
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399077163, $26.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Skagerrak-Battle-Jutland-Through-German/dp/1399077163
Synopsis: In January 1916 Vizeadmiral Scheer took command of the High Sea Fleet. This aggressive and pugnacious
German military leader embarked upon a vigorous offensive program which culminated in the greatest clash between
dreadnought capital ships the world had seen. Although outnumbered almost two to one, Vizeadmiral Scheer conducted a
provocative operation on 31 May 1916. Who would prevail: the massive preponderance of British heavy caliber cannon, or
the aggressive tactics of the street fighter Scheer?
Manning the ships of both sides were the technically skilled and talented seamen who were prepared to carry out their
duties loyally and courageously until the very end. Over 8,500 men perished in less than 10 hours of fighting, a horrendous
loss, even by World War One standards.
With the publication of "Skagerrak: The Battle of Jutland Through German Eyes", author and historian Gary Staff gives
voice to many of the German Navy participants, from a German perspective, on this tumultuous battle fought over 100
years ago.
These men gave their all and are gone now, but not forgotten.
Critique: Original published in 2016, this new complete and unabridged paperback edition is Informatively enhanced for
the reader with the inclusion of Appendices, seven pages of Notes, and a seven page Index, "Skagerrak: The Battle of
Jutland Through German Eyes" is an exceptionally well written, organized and presented account that is an inherently
fascinating read and an important and valued contribution to community, college, and university library World War I
history collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and military history buffs that
"Skagerrak: The Battle of Jutland Through German Eyes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Gary Staff (https://www.usni.org/people/gary-staff) is a former airline pilot but he has been fascinated with
naval history, and specifically with the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserlischmarine) for decades. He has visited archives in
Britain, Germany and elsewhere to study, and often translate for the first time, official documents relating to this subject.
His previous books for Pen & Sword are The Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917; Battle on the Seven Seas and German
Battlecruisers of World War One.
The Great Redan at Sebastopol
James W. Bancroft
Frontline Books
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399060523, $49.95, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Redan-Sebastopol-Victoria-Crosses/dp/139906052X
Synopsis: On 18 June 1855 British assault troops moved out of their trenches before Sebastopol in the Crimea, and
attacked the formidable Russian bastion known as the Great Redan. They came under such a murderous fire from the
Russian defenders that the attack faltered, and the British were eventually forced to fall back. As they did so, they left over
1,000 comrades dead and dying out in the open and at the mercy of enemy snipers.
The Siege of Sebastopol saw the development of trench warfare for the first time. Using eyewitness accounts and
unpublished letters, with the publication of "The Great Redan at Sebastopol: The Most Victoria Crosses Awarded for a
Single Action", author and historian James W. Bancroft tells the riveting story of how the men coped with the terrible
conditions as they prepared for the assault -- as well as the events during and after the fighting. Among the anecdotes is an
officer who had the ingenious idea of warming up cannon balls in the camp fires and taking them into the tents at night to
keep warm; and he went on to live for over a hundred years!
Well-known for his depth of research, Bancroft questions a number of points regarding the Great Redan that are commonly
believed to be historical fact. Quoting the father of Alexander the Great, it was the Russians who, soon after the assault on
the Great Redan, first referred to the British as, 'An army of lions led on by donkeys'. For over 100 years it was stated in
many publications that the most Victoria Crosses awarded for a single action was the eleven presented for actions during
the defense of Rorke's Drift during the Zulu War in 1879. However, as Bancroft reveals, twenty of the lions who fought at
the Great Redan received Britain's highest gallantry award, in whole, or in part, for their actions on 18 June 1855.
"The Great Redan at Serbastopol" also includes biographical tributes to many of the men who were killed in action, gives
details of the places where they are commemorated, and provides biographies with all the up-to-date information
concerning the twenty Victoria Cross recipients.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of black/white Plates, two Appendices
(Crimean War VCs by Units & Redan 60th Anniversary Commemoration), a six page listing of Bibliography and Research
Sources, and a three page Index, "The Great Redan at Sebastopol: The Most Victoria Crosses Awarded for a Single
Action" is an impressively informative and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and
university library 19th Century British Military History collections and supplemental curriculum Crimean War studies
lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in
the subject that "The Great Redan at Sebastopol" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note: In the four decades that James W. Bancroft has been writing he has produced more than 100 books and
articles, the subjects of which reflect his varied interests. He contributed a number of articles for The New Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography, and his book Rorke's Drift: The Zulu War, 1879 has been re-printed seven times.
Black Tulip
Erik Schmidt
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243030, $19.95, PB, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Tulip-Hartmann-Worlds-Fighter/dp/1636243037
Synopsis: With the publication of "Black Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter Ace",
author Erik Schmidt presents the dramatic story of history's top German fighter ace, Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann.
"Black Tulip" is also the story of how his service under Hitler was simplified and elevated to Western mythology during
the Cold War.
With over 1,404 wartime missions, Hartmann claimed a staggering 352 airborne kills, and his career contains all the
dramas you would expect. There were the frostbitten fighter sweeps over the Eastern Front, drunken forays to Hitler's
Eagle's Nest, a decade of imprisonment in the wretched Soviet POW camps, and further military service during the Cold
War that ended with conflict and angst.
Just when Hartmann's second career was faltering, he was adopted by a network of writers and commentators personally
invested in his welfare and reputation. These men, mostly Americans, published elaborate, celebratory stories about
Hartmann and his elite fraternity of Luftwaffe pilots. With each dogfight tale put into print, Hartmann's legacy became
loftier and more secure, and his complicated service in support of Nazism faded away. A simplified, one-dimensional
account of his life (devoid of the harder questions about allegiance and service under Hitler) has gone unchallenged for
almost a generation.
"Black Tulip" locates the ambiguous truth about Hartmann and so much of the German Wehrmacht in general: that many
of these men were neither full-blown Nazis nor impeccable knights. They were complex, contradictory, and elusive. This
book portrays a complex human rather than the heroic caricature we're used to, and it argues that the tidy, polished hero
stories we've inherited about men like Hartmann say as much about those who've crafted them as they do about the heroes
themselves.
Critique: A fascinating and impressively informative biography/history of the German Ace fighter pilot Erich Hartmann,
"Black Tulip: The Life and Myth of Erich Hartmann, the World's Top Fighter Ace" is especially brought to the attention of
readers with an interest in Military Aviation History in general, and World War II History & Biographies in particular.
Originally published in hardcover in 2020, this new paperback edition of "Black Tulip" is especially appropriate for
persona, professional, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of
students and military history buffs that "Black Tulip" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99) and
as a complete and unabridged audio book (Tantor & Blackstone Audio, 9798200168989, $39.99, CD).
Editorial Note: Erik Schmidt (https://www.erikschmidtwrites.com) has made a career of researching complicated topics. A
former magazine editor and senior marketing writer, he has an MFA in creative nonfiction and a lifelong love of history
and aviation. He is a freelance writer living in Denver, Colorado with his family.
Matchlocks to Flintlocks: Warfare in Europe and Beyond, 1500-1700
William Brban
Frontline Books
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399020626, $29.95, PB, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Matchlocks-Flintlocks-Warfare-Europe-1500-1700/dp/1399020625
Synopsis: In the early modern world three dominant cultures of war were shaped by a synergy of their internal and external
interactions. One was Latin Christian western Europe. Another was Ottoman Islam. The third, no less vital for so often
being overlooked, was central and east Europe: Poland/Lithuania, Livonia, Russia, the freebooting Cossacks, a volatile mix
of variations on a general Christian theme.
With the publication of "Matchlocks to Flintlocks: Warfare in Europe and Beyond, 1500-1700", Professor William Urban
offers a fascinating narrative in the form of an integrated account of early modern war at the sharp end: of campaigns and
battles, soldiers and generals. Temporally it extends from the French invasion of Italy in 1494 to Austria's Balkan victories
culminating in the 1718 Treaty of Peterwardein. Geographically it covers ground from the Low Countries to the depths of
the Ukraine.
That narrative in turn focuses Urban's major analytical points: the replacement of crowd armies by professionals, and the
professionals integration into crown armies: government-supervised, bureaucratized institutions. The key to this process
was the mercenary. Originally recruited because the obligations of feudal levies were too limited, mercenary forces
evolved operationally into skilled users of an increasingly complex gunpowder technology in ever more complex tactical
situations. By the end of the seventeenth century, soldiers were identifying with the states and the rulers they served.
Critique: Originally published in hardcover in 2011, "Matchlocks to Flintlocks: Warfare in Europe and Beyond, 1500-
1700" is now available in a paperback edition from Frontline Books. Featuring a number of illustrations, twenty-four pages
of Notes, a six page bibliography of Readings, and a seven page Index, "Matchlocks to Flintlocks" is a superbly presented
work of seminal historical scholarship and recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, community, college,
and university Library European Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted
that now "Matchlocks to Flintlocks" is also available for students, academia, historians, and military history buffs in a
digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).
Editorial Note: William L Urban (https://department.monm.edu/history/urban.htm) is an internationally recognized
authority on the history of European warfare. He served as L Morgan Professor of History and International Studies at
Monmouth College (Illinois). For several years he was editor of the Journal of Baltic Studies. He has written some two
dozen scholarly books including The Teutonic Knights (2003) and Small Wars, and their Influence on the Nation State
(2016)
Lucky Hitler's Big Mistakes
Paul Ballard-Whyte
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399074377, $34.95, HC, 336pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Hitlers-Mistakes-Paul-Ballard-Whyte/dp/1399074377
Synopsis: Adolf Hitler's military experiences during World War I in no way qualified him for supreme command. Yet by
July 1940, under his personal leadership the Third Reich's armed forces had defeated Poland, Czechoslovakia, Holland,
Denmark, Norway, Belgium and France. The invasion of Great Britain was a distinct reality following Dunkirk. Hungary,
Bulgaria and Romania had become allies along with the acquiescent military powers of Mussolini's Italy and Franco's
Spain.
These achievements prompted Field Marshal Willem Keitel, the Wehrmacht's Chief of Staff, to pronounce Hitler to be 'the
Greatest Commander of all time'.
But then the disastrous decision to tear up the treaty with the Soviet Union and launch Operation Barbarossa in 1941
occurred. As described in "Lucky Hitler's Big Mistakes" by Paul Ballard-White's meticulously researched and highly
readable study, Hitler's blind ideology, racist hatred and single-mindedness led him and his allies inexorably to devastating
defeat.
How far was it good luck that gave Hitler his sensational early political and military successes? Certainly fortune played a
major role in his survival from many assassination attempts and sex scandals. "Lucky Hitler's Big Mistakes" concludes that
from 1941 onwards, the Fuhrer's downfall was entirely attributable to military misjudgments that he alone made.
Lucky: Hitler's Big Mistakes exposes the enigmatic Dictator for what he really was -- incredibly lucky and militarily
incompetent.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and original study, "Lucky Hitler's Big Mistakes" features an eleven page Glossary, a
seven page Bibliography, a six page Index. Not to be missed is a special 'What Happened to Each Character' list. Informed
and informative, deftly organized and presented, "Lucky Hitler's Big Mistakes" is a valued and valuable inclusion for both
community and academic library World War II History/Biography collections and a critically important addition to
supplemental curriculum Adolph Hitler studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Lucky Hitler's Big
Mistakes" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Paul Ballard-Whyte (www.luckyhitler.com) has also recently published a short story set in Afghanistan
titled 'The Three Birthdays' and has previously written and directed several short films.
A Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939-1945
Simon Forty, author
Jonathan Forty, author
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399082655, $42.95, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Photographic-History-Amphibious-Warfare-1939-1945/dp/1399082655
Synopsis: Amphibious operations have always been an important element of warfare, but they reached their climax during
the Second World War when they were carried out on a large scale in every theater of the conflict. That is why "A
Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939-1945", wide-ranging, highly illustrated World War II history of
amphibious warfare by Simon and Jonathan Forty is of such immense value.
"A Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939-1945 " gives graphic accounts of the main amphibious assaults
launched by the major combatants, in particular the British, American, German and Japanese -- and not just large-scale
landings like those in North Africa, Normandy, the Philippines and Okinawa, but also raids such as Dieppe and St Nazaire
and evacuations like Dunkirk and Kerch.
The rapid development of amphibious tactics and equipment is an essential element of the story, as are the vital roles
played by the navies, air forces, armies and special forces in each complex combined operation. Of special note is the
section on amphibious operations that were planned but didn't happen, such as the German invasion of Britain and the
Italian and German operation against Malta.
Critique: Simply packed from cover to cover with black/white historic photos, "A Photographic History of Amphibious
Warfare 1939-1945" is a seminally informative, exceptionally well organized, and reservedly recommended core addition
to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II naval history collections and supplemental
curriculum studies reading lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and WWII military history buffs that "A
Photographic History of Amphibious Warfare 1939-1945" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).
Editorial Note: Simon Forty was educated in Dorset and the north of England before reading history at London University's
School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He has been involved in publishing since the mid-1970s, first as editor and
latterly as author. Son of author and RAC Tank Museum curator George Forty, he has continued in the family tradition
writing mainly on historical and military subjects including books on the Napoleonic Wars and the two world wars.
Recently he has produced a range of highly illustrated books on the Normandy battlefields, the Atlantic Wall and the
liberation of the Low Countries with co-author Leo Marriott.
The Business Shelf
Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Elias G. Carayannis, editor
Evangelos Grigoroudis, editor
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
www.e-elgar.com
9781839106743, $305.00 hc / $65.00 ebook, 474pp
https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-of-research-on-artificial-intelligence-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-9781839106743.html
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Elias G. Carayannis and Evangelos Grigoroudis, the contributors to
"The Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Entrepreneurship" collectively focuses on the
theories, policies, practices, and politics of technology innovation and entrepreneurship based on Artificial Intelligence
(AI). It examines when, where, how, and why AI triggers, catalyzes, and accelerates the development, exploration,
exploitation, and invention feeding into entrepreneurial actions that result in innovation success.
Individual chapters explore the factors that shape and drive innovation and entrepreneurship, including modalities (such as
the Internet of Things (IoT)), challenges (such as privacy and safety concerns), and opportunities (such as augmenting the
efficacy frontier of technological solutions enabled by AI).
The "Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Entrepreneurship" provides comprehensive coverage
of AI, technology, and innovation and entrepreneurship for academics, policy makers, practitioners, and students.
Critique: An up-to-date textbook on artificial intelligence and its impact on everything from business to politics,
cybersecurity to 'smart cities', and digitally driven social transformation, "Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence,
Innovation and Entrepreneurship" is informatively enhanced with the inclusion of a complete listing of the contributors and
their credentials. Comprehensive, timely, and impressively organized/presented, "Handbook of Research on Artificial
Intelligence, Innovation and Entrepreneurship" is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional,
corporate, governmental, college, and university library Artificial Intelligence collections and supplemental curriculum AI
studies lists. The eBook version is $65.00 from eBook vendors while the print book can be ordered from the Edward Elgar Publishing website.
Editorial Note #1: Elias G. Carayannis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_G._Carayannis) is the Professor of Science,
Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Business, George Washington University, US.
Editorial Note #2: Evangelos Grigoroudis (https://www.pem.tuc.gr/index.php?id=5195) is the Professor of Quality
Management, School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, Greece.
International Human Resource Management, fifth edition
Christopher Brewster, et al.
CIPD
c/o Kogan Page Inc.
8 W 38th Street, Ste 902, New York, NY 10018
www.koganpage.com
9781398603554, $210.00, HC, 488pp
https://www.amazon.com/International-Resource-Management-Christopher-Brewster/dp/1398603554
Synopsis: Packed with global examples and case studies to support learning., this newly updated and expanded 5th edition
of "International Human Resource Management" by co-authors Christopher Brewster, Dr Elizabeth Houldsworth, Paul
Sparrow, and Guy Vernon explores all aspects of international human resource management from global talent strategy,
recruitment and knowledge management to the difference in reward systems across cultures and managing expatriate
assignments making it essential reading for students on both CIPD and non-CIPD accredited courses.
Supported by 'theory and practice' boxes in every chapter and with reflective activities and learning questions throughout,
"International Human Resource Management" ensures that students without real-world business experience fully
understand the main concepts and how they apply in the world of work. This new 5th edition now includes new coverage
of the impact of the gig economy on international HRM, how technology is impacting HRM across countries and new
material on workforce diversity. Of special note are the online resources wich include an instructor's manual, lecture slides
and additional case studies.
Critique: An ideal textbook for courses in international business, investing, and human resources, "International Human
Resource Management 5th Edition" is impressively comprehensive and exceptionally effective in organization and
presentation. While an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to corporate, college, and university library
International Business collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for MBA students,
academia, and corporate executives that "International Human Resource Management 5th Edition" is also available in a
paperback edition (9781398603530, $64.36, www.amazon.com) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $61.14).
Editorial Note #1: Chris Brewster (https://www.henley.ac.uk/people/professor-chris-brewster) is a professor of
International HRM at Henley Business School, UK.
Editorial Note #2: Elizabeth Houldsworth ( is a member of the HR/OB faculty at Henley Management College working
across a range of qualification and research programmes. Her individual research interests include aspects of HR,
particularly performance management, adult management learning, and the application of technology within the learning
process. She previously worked for a number of years as an HR consultant specialising in performance management.
(https://www.henley.ac.uk/people/dr-elizabeth-houldsworth)
Editorial Note #3: Paul Sparrow (https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/people/paul-sparrow) is the director of the Centre for
Performance-Led HR and professor of International HRM at Lancaster University Management School, UK.
Editorial Note #4: Guy Vernon is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Southampton University,
UK. (www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5x55qm/doctor-guy-vernon)
Beyond Disruption
W. Chan Kim, author
Renee A. Mauborgne, author
Harvard Business Review Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
http://hbr.org/books
9781647821326, $30.00, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Disruption-Displacing-Industries-Companies/dp/1647821320
Synopsis: Disruption dominates innovation theory and practice. But disruption, for all its power, is destructive --
displacing jobs, companies, and even entire industries. Are we missing an alternative approach to innovation and
growth?
The result of three decades of research by co-authors Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, "Beyond Disruption:
Innovate and Achieve Growth without Displacing Industries, Companies, or Jobs" reveals another way to innovate and
grow as it redefines and expands the existing view of innovation by introducing a new approach, nondisruptive creation,
that is free from the destructive displacement that happens when innovators set out to disrupt.
Kim and Mauborgne collaboratively reveal the distinct advantages of nondisruptive creation to business and society,
showing how this new approach to innovation allows companies to grow while also being a force for good.
With examples that reach across all sectors of the economy and a practical framework for guiding innovation efforts,
"Beyond Disruption" shows: Why nondisruptive creation matters to all of us and why it is likely to become even more
important in the future; How it complements disruption and how you can identify and execute on nondisruptive
opportunities; How companies can more thoughtfully pursue their growth and innovation strategies in a way that better
balances business and society.
Critique: A practical guide for driving innovation and growth, the rich research behind "Beyond Disruption: Innovate and
Achieve Growth without Displacing Industries, Companies, or Jobs", coupled with its frame-breaking message, make it
essential reading for innovators, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and business managers. While recommended as a
core addition to personal, community, corporate, and academic library Business Development & Growth collections, it
should be noted for the personal reading lists of MBA students, academia, business professionals, and non-specialist
general readers with an interest in the subject that "Beyond Disruption" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$14.99).
Editorial Note: W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne are professors of strategy at INSEAD and codirectors of the INSEAD
Blue Ocean Strategy Institute in Fontainebleau, France. They are also the authors of "Blue Ocean Strategy", which is
recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful corporate strategy books ever written. These co-authors were named
the most influential management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. To learn more, visit www.blueoceanstrategy.com
and twitter.com/blueoceanstrtgy
The Four Workarounds
Paulo Savaget
Flatiron Books
https://www.flatironbooks.com
9781250789402, $28.99, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Workarounds-Strategies-Scrappiest-Organizations/dp/1250789400
Synopsis: For a long time now, global corporations have been lecturing small organizations and not-for-profits on how to
get things done. As it turns out, it should have been the other way around. "The Four Workarounds: Strategies from the
World's Scrappiest Organizations for Tackling Complex Problems" is groundbreaking book by the award-winning
researcher Paulo Savaget, who shows how the most valuable lessons about problem-solving can be learned from the
scrappiest groups.
Savaget draws most of his examples from small organizations dedicated to social action that have made an art form out of
subverting the status quo and have proved themselves adept at achieving massive wins with minimal resources. Through
his research, Savaget identified the four workarounds that these groups commonly employ: the piggyback, the loophole,
the roundabout, and the next best. With vivid and fascinating examples from his life and travels, he demonstrates how each
one works and how to know which one to use when.
"The Four Workarounds" shows how seemingly intractable problems (from public urination to the challenges of delivering
lifesaving medicine to remote communities) were addressed using unconventional tactics. Some of the world's biggest and
most admired companies are already using Savaget's research to transform the ways they do business. And these same
lessons can also revolutionize the ways we approach the challenges we all encounter every day of our lives.
Critique: An extraordinary and iconoclastic study, "The Four Workarounds: Strategies from the World's Scrappiest
Organizations for Tackling Complex Problems" should be brought to the attention of every corporate executive, business
manager, and entrepreneur with an interest in business decision making and problem solving. Exceptionally well written,
organized and presented, and also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99), "The Four Workarounds: Strategies
from the World's Scrappiest Organizations for Tackling Complex Problems" is highly recommended for personal,
professional, community, corporate, college, and university library Business Management collections and supplemental
MBA curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Paulo Savaget (https://paulosavaget.com) is associate professor at Oxford University's Engineering
Sciences Department and the Said Business School. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Gates Scholar
and has a background working as a lecturer, consultant, entrepreneur, and researcher finding innovative solutions for a
more inclusive world. As a consultant, he worked on projects for large companies, non-profits, government agencies in
Latin America, and the OECD.
Make Work Healthy
John S. Ryan, author
Michael J. Burchell, author
Wiley
c/o Wiley Professional Trade Group
www.wiley.com
9781119989806, $28.00, HC, 304pp
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Work-Healthy-Organization-High-Performing/dp/1119989809
Synopsis: With the publication of "Make Work Healthy: Create a Sustainable Organization with High-Performing
Employees", a team of distinguished organizational transformation professionals delivers an insightful how-to manual for
improving organizational performance with a new approach to workforce management. "Make Work Healthy" offers
organizations, leaders, and managers with the knowledge, data, frameworks, and methodologies they need to radically
transform how they approach day-to-day operations into a sustainable and resilient business success model.
The co-authors John S. Ryan and Michael J. Burchell focus on workplace health (in a broad sense) as a way of focusing
organizational attention on culture, building work capacity, productivity, and sustainability. They explain the tangible
business value that comes from focusing on wellbeing as well as the symbiotic relationship between organizational health
and employee health.
"Make Work Healthy: includes: Strategies for moving beyond typical "wellness" initiatives such as just addressing illness
and absence reduction to a more holistic understanding of "healthy work"; Ways to locate, attract, recruit, and retain talent
over the long-term by aligning organizational goals with employee health; Tactics to help managers of dispersed, hybrid,
and remote teams manage feelings of pressure and isolation.
An indispensable, effective, and holistic new take on organizational and employee health, "Make Work Healthy: will earn
a place in the hands of managers, executives, board members, and other business and human resources leaders who seek
impressive gains in company productivity and fulfilment.
Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an Introduction (A Critical Moment), six pages of
Notes, a twelve page Appendix (Assessment and Impact), a two page listing of Acknowledgments, and a nine page Index,
"Make Work Healthy: Create a Sustainable Organization with High-Performing Employees" is a core contribution to
personal, professional, corporate, community, and academic library Business Management collections and supplemental
curriculum Human Resources & Personnel Management studies lists. It should be noted for MBA students, academia,
corporate executives, and entrepreneurs that "Make Work Healthy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle,
$17.00).
Editorial Note #1: John S. Ryan (https://ie.healthyplacetowork.com/work-healthy) is the Chief Executive Officer at
Healthy Place to Work. He formerly led Great Place to Work Ireland and was a broadcast journalist. He is a regular
international speaker and media contributor in Wellbeing, Trust, and Organizational Performance.
Editorial Note #2: Michael J. Burchell (https://www.michaelburchell.com/about) is an independent consultant and
executive coach. He is an expert in organizational change, well-being, team effectiveness, and DEI. He is the co-author of
No Excuses: How You Can Turn Any Workplace Into a Great One and The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to
Keep It, and Why It Matters.
The Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Chasing Giants
Zeb Hogan, author
Stefan Lovgren, author
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166, Reno, NV, 89557-0166
www.unpress.nevada.edu
9781647790578, $29.95, HC, 250pp
https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Giants-Search-Largest-Freshwater/dp/1647790573
Synopsis: On May 1, 2005, a Thai fisherman caught a truly monstrous Mekong giant catfish. At 646 pounds, it captured
the world's attention, and with awe and wonder, it was deemed the largest freshwater fish on record. There was no denying
its size, but when biologist and research associate professor Hogan saw a photo of the fish, he wondered if it really was the
biggest in the world. To his surprise, no one had systematically sought to answer the question: Which of the giant
freshwater species really was the largest?
Seeking to answer that question has brought Hogan face to face with massive arapaima and piranha in the Amazon,
alligator gar in Texas, pigeon-eating wels catfish in France, stingrays in Cambodia, and the gnarled-toothed sawfish in
Australia. Part of his scientific adventure has been captured on Monster Fish, and Hogan now tells the full story of his
25-year quest to understand the mysteries of some of the oldest, largest, most bizarre creatures on Earth.
The fate of these giant fish motivates Hogan to understand the various species he studies. The megafish's numbers are
dwindling, and the majority of them face extinction. With the publication of "Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's
Largest Freshwater Fish", Hogan teams up with award-winning journalist Stefan Lovgren to tell, for the first time, the
remarkable and troubling story of the world's largest freshwater fish. This is a story that stretches across the globe,
chronicling a race against the clock to find and protect these ancient leviathans before they disappear forever.
"Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish" deftly combines science, adventure, and wonder to
provide insights into the key role the massive fish of our lakes and rivers play in our past, present, and future.
Critique: An impressive and seminal study, "Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish" is
exceptionally informative, extraordinarily well organized and throughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, making it an ideal
and unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Marine Biology
collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted by students, academia, and non-specialist general
readers with an interest in the subject that "Chasing Giants" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note #1: Zeb Hogan (https://explorer-directory.nationalgeographic.org/zeb-s-hogan) is a research biologist at the
University of Nevada, Reno and the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Scientific Councilor for Fish. Hogan
hosts National Geographic's television series Monster Fish and his research focuses on migratory fish ecology, fisheries
management, and endangered species issues.
Editorial Note #2: Stefan Lovgren (https://theconversation.com/profiles/stefan-lovgren-1406170) is an award-winning
journalist and filmmaker with more than 25 years of worldwide reporting experience. He has been a regular contributor to
National Geographic's numerous media platforms since 2003 and writes about a wide variety of environmental issues with
a focus on fish and freshwater subjects.
The Elephants of Thula Thula
Francoise Malby-Anthony
St. Martin's Press
https://us.macmillan.com/smp
9781250284259, $29.99, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Elephants-Thula-Elephant-Whisperer/dp/1250284252
Synopsis: Francoise Malby-Anthony is the owner of a game reserve in South Africa with a remarkable family of elephants
whose adventures have touched hearts around the world. The herd's feisty matriarch Frankie knows who's in charge at
Thula Thula, and it's not Francoise. But when Frankie becomes ill, and the authorities threaten to remove or cull some of
the herd if the reserve doesn't expand, Francoise is in a race against time to save her beloved elephants.
With the publication of "The Elephants of Thula Thula" by Francoise describes joys and challenges of a life dedicated to
conservation. The search is on to get a girlfriend for orphaned rhino Thabo -- and then, as his behavior becomes
increasingly boisterous, a big brother to teach him manners.
Francoise also realizes a dream with the arrival of Savannah the cheetah (an endangered species not seen in the area since
the 1940s) and finds herself rescuing meerkats kept as pets. But will Thula Thula survive the pandemic, an invasion from
poachers and the threat from a mining company wanting access to its land?
As Francoise faces her toughest years yet, she realizes once again that with their wisdom, resilience and communal bonds,
the elephants have much to teach us.
Critique: A fascinating, informative, and deftly written account that will have a very special attraction for readers with an
interest in wildlife biology and naturalist biographies, "The Elephants of Thula Thula" is strongly recommended for both
community/academic library Wildlife collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Elephants of Thula
Thula" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Francoise Malby-Anthony was born in the south of France, brought up in Paris, and has lived in South
Africa since 1987. She founded the Thula Thula game reserve in 1998 with her late husband, the renowned conservationist
and author Lawrence Anthony. When Lawrence died in 2012, Francoise took over the running of the reserve and is equally
passionate about conservation. She was the driving force behind setting up a wildlife rehabilitation centre at the reserve to
care for orphaned animals. Her first book, "An Elephant in My Kitchen", was an international bestseller.
(https://us.macmillan.com/author/francoisemalbyanthony)
The Biography Shelf
To the One I Love the Best
Ludwig Bemelmans
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782277934, $15.95, PB, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/One-I-Love-Best/dp/1782277935
Synopsis: Ludwig Bemelmans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Bemelmans) autobiography "To the One I Love the
Best" is a charming memoir of inter-generational friendship and provides an enormously enjoyable nostalgia trip to the
sun-soaked glamour of Los Angeles with its classic movie stars and a luminous parade of life's oddities.
With the publication of "To the One I Love the Best", Bemelmans lifts the curtain on 1950s Hollywood -- a bygone world
of extravagance and eccentricity, where the parties are held in circus tents and populated by ravishing movie stars.
Bemelmans, who was working at MGM, had originally come to the California home of de Wolfe just for cocktails but by
the end of the night, he was firmly established as a member of the family: given a bedroom in their sumptuous house,
invitations to the most outrageous parties in Hollywood, and the friendship of the larger-than-life woman known to her
closest friends simply as 'Mother'.
"To the One I Love the Best" (which refers to de Wolfe's dog)is a touching tribute to a fabulously funny woman and an
American icon.
Critique: An inherently fascinating and candidly informative memoir, "To the One I Love the Best" will have a very
special appeal to readers with an interest in a life lived among Hollywood movie starts, parties, and spectacular culinary
events. While highly recommended, especially for community and academic library American Biography/Memoir
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "To the One I Love the Best" is also available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $12.99).
Editorial Note: Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) was an Austrian-born American writer and illustrator of books for
children and adults. He travelled to American in 1914, at the age of sixteen, and worked for three years in the dining halls
of what he called, in his autobiographical works, the Hotel Splendide. In 1926, he quit working in hotels to become a
full-time cartoonist and made frequent contributions to the New Yorker, Vogue and Town and Country. He is perhaps
most well-known as the author of the beloved Madeline books.
The General Fiction Shelf
The Lede To Our Undoing
Donald Mengay
Saddle Road Press
https://saddleroadpress.com
9781736525890, $24.00, PB, 268pp
https://www.amazon.com/Lede-Our-Undoing-Donald-Mengay/dp/1736525891
Synopsis: Its 1970s in rust-belt America. An America that is experiencing the era of civil rights, the women's rights
movement, and the gay rights movement -- as well as the birth of the environmental movement.
Twins Jake and Wren are raised in the white-flight suburb of Laurentine, not far from an industrial metropolis that was
named in a much greener time the Forest City. The twin's parents, Harry and Florrie, are doing their best to keep their
offspring on the straight and narrow, in keeping with what today we would call MAGA America, before it got the
name.
But the two boys are not very good at coloring inside the lines. Wren falls in love with an African-American youth named
Donald, and Jake falls in love first with Romeo and then Peacoat, with traumatic results. Their story is told by the family
mutt, Molly, whose outsider status offers the reader a very special and insightful view of human foibles, and
prejudices.
Critique: Deftly written, original, eloquent, compelling, and all the more impressive when considering that "The Lede To
Our Undoing" by author Donald Mengay (and the first volume of a planned trilogy) was his debut as a novelist and will
have a very special and particular appeal to readers with an interest in LGBTQ and social issue fiction. Mengay's narrative
driven storytelling style raises to a level of literary excellence that is unreservedly recommended for both personal reading
lists and community/academic library General Fiction collections. "The Lede To Our Undoing" is one of those novels that
will linger in the mind and memory long after the book has been finished and set back upon the shelf.
Editorial Note: Donald Mengay (https://saddleroadpress.com/donald-mengay.html) grew up in a suburb of Cleveland,
Ohio, where he worked in a factory for a time and managed a bookstore. He began writing fiction in his early twenties. He
taught Queer and Post-Humanist Lit at the City University of New York for over thirty years, as well as English at the
University of Paris, Nanterre. During his years teaching he published several articles of queer criticism in academic
journals that include among others Genders, Genre, and Minnesota University Press. He also co-published a book entitled
Dis/Inheritance: New Croatian Photography, from Ikon Press.
The Literary Fiction Shelf
The Fawn
Magda Szabo, author
Len Rix, translator
New York Review of Books
www.nybooks.com
9781681377377, $17.95, PB, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Fawn-Magda-Szab%C3%B3/dp/1681377373
Synopsis: Eszter, is an only child whose father an eccentric aristocrat and steeply downwardly mobile flower breeder. Her
mother a harried music teacher failing to make ends meet. So Eszter grows up poor and painfully aware of it in a small
provincial Hungarian town.
All this is before World War II, and Eszter, as she tells her story of childhood loneliness and hunger, has forgotten no
slight and forgiven nobody, least of all her beautiful classmate Angela, whose unforced kindness to her left the deepest
wound.
And yet Eszter, post-war (which is when she has come to remember all these things) is a star of the stage, now settled in
Budapest, where Angela, a devout Communist married to an esteemed scholar and translator of Shakespeare, also
lives.
"The Fawn" unfolds as Eszter's confession, filled with the rage of a lifetime and born, we come to sense, of irreversible
regret. This is a tale of childhood, of the theater, of the collateral damage of the riven twentieth century, of hatred, and, in
the end, a tragic tale of love.
Critique: In "The Door", in "Iza's Ballad", and in "Abigail", the late author Magda Szabo describes the complex
relationships between women of different ages and backgrounds with an astute and unsparing eye. Now Eszter, the narrator
and protagonist of "The Fawn", may well be Szabo's most fascinating literary creation. A fascinating, original, and
eloquently crafted novel that is deftly translated into English by Len Rix for an American readership, "The Fawn" is
especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library Literary Fiction collections. It
should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Fawn" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note #1: Magda Szabo (October 5, 1917 - November 19, 2007) is considered one of Hungary's greatest novelists.
Her novels, dramas, essays, and poetry have been published in forty-two countries and in 2003 she was awarded the Prix
Femina etranger for The Door. The NYRB Classics edition of The Door was selected as one of the The New York Times
10 Best Books of 2015. NYRB Classics also publishes Szabo's novels Iza's Ballad, Katalin Street, and Abigail.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magda_Szab%C3%B3)
Editorial Note #2: Len Rix (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Rix) is a poet, critic, and former literature professor. In
2006, he was awarded the Oxford-Weidendfeld Translation Prize for his translation of Magda Szabo's The Door.
Al-Qata'i: Ibn Tulun's City Without Walls
Reem Bassiouney, author
Roger Allen, translator
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781647122874, $29.95, HC, 456pp
https://www.amazon.com/Al-Qatai-Tuluns-City-Without-Walls/dp/1647122872
Synopsis: Brimming with intrigue, adventure, and romance, with the publication of "Al-Qata'i: Ibn Tulun's City Without
Walls", novelist Reem Bassiouney tells the epic story of visionary Egyptian leader Ahmad Ibn Tulun who built Al-Qata'i
(now Cairo) into a thriving multicultural empire.
The story begins with the rediscovery of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in 1918 and recounts Ibn Tulun's life and legacy in the
ninth and tenth centuries. Bassiouney presents Ibn Tulun's benevolent vision to unify all Egyptians in a new city, Al-Qata'i.
He becomes so focused on his vision, however, that he cannot see the impact it has on his family or the fate of Egypt.
When a betrayal leads to his demise, the rival Abbasid caliph threatens to regain control of Al-Qata'i. In the aftermath of
Ibn Tulun's death, his daughter Aisha emerges as a pivotal figure, bravely taking a stand against the Abbasids to preserve
her life, the city, and the iconic mosque.
Critique: Reem Bassiouney is a contemporary and gifted Egyptian author that has his enthralled readers considering such
universal themes as diversity and equality as viewed through historical and intercultural lenses that make his historical
work of fiction one that will enrich his reader's understanding of these same issues as are presented in the contemporary
world of today. Ably translated from Arabic into English for an American readership by Roger Allen, "Al-Qata'i: Ibn
Tulun's City Without Walls" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Literary
Fiction collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in Ancient History/Romance
fiction that "Al-Qata'i: Ibn Tulun's City Without Walls" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).
Editorial Note #1: Reem Bassiouney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reem_Bassiouney) is an Egyptian author living in
Cairo. She won the Naguib Mahfouz Award for best Egyptian novel for Sons of the People: The Mamluk Trilogy. She also
won the 2009 Sawiris Foundation Literary Prize for Young Writers and the 2009 King Fahd Center for Middle East and
Islamic Studies Translation of Arabic Literature Award.
Editorial Note: Roger Allen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Allen_(translator)) is an Arabic literature scholar and
translator. He is credited with bringing Naguib Mahfouz to international recognition.
Crimes of the Tongue
Alicia Gaspar de Alba
Arte Publico Press
www.artepublicopress.com
9781558859579, $19.95, PB, 232pp
https://artepublicopress.com/product/crimes-of-the-tongue-essays-and-stories
Synopsis: Border dwellers struggle with place and identity in the short fiction comprising author Alicia Gaspar de Alba's
short story collection "Crimes of the Tongue".
An El Paso-born American citizen with a high school diploma and a talent for writing seeks a job as a reporter at the El
Paso Herald after World War I, but gets hired as a janitor and research specialist instead.
A Mexican woman takes her young daughter north to protect her from sexual abuse, only to leave the girl with relatives
while she crosses the river in search of a job and a new life.
A college student gets a Tarot reading to help her discern the historical symbolism of her bicultural identity.
In her stories Alicia explores other "crimes of the tongue" in these essays showcasing pochismo, or the mixing of English
and Spanish, as both a family taboo and a politics of identity; the haunting memory of La Llorona, protector of
undocumented immigrants and abandoned children, and her blood-curdling cry of loss and revenge; the intersection of the
personal and the political in the transgressive work of Chicana/Latina artists; the sexual and linguistic rebellions of La
Malinche and Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz; and the reverse coyote, or border crossing, of Chicana lesbian feminist theory
translated into Spanish and visual art as a way of sneaking this counterhegemonic pocha poetic thought into Mexico.
These essays and stories are always intellectually rigorous and often achingly personal.
Critique: Fascinating, original, memorable, entertaining, thought-provoking, "Crimes of the Tongue" Essays and Stories"
by Alicia Gaspar de Alba will be of particular appeal to readers with an interest in the art of the essay and LGBTQ issues.
"Crimes of the Tongue" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and university
library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections and reading lists.
Critique: Alicia Gaspar de Alba (https://aliciagaspardealba.com) has won numerous awards for her fiction, poetry and
essays, including the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book Award for [Un]Framing the "Bad
Woman" (2015), the El Paso Community College Literary Legacy Award (2014), the Lambda Literary Award for Best
Lesbian Mystery for Desert Blood (2005), the Latino Literary Hall of Fame Award for Best Historical Fiction for Sor
Juana's Second Dream (2000) and the Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya Premio Aztl n for Emerging Chicano/a Fiction Writers
(1994). She has published more than a dozen books with mainstream, academic and independent presses. She has been a
professor of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, English and Gender Studies at UCLA since 1994.
The Western Fiction Shelf
A Badge for Brazos
E. Jefferson Clay
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850239, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 233pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-badge-for-brazos-e-jefferson-clay/1136785790
Synopsis: Trouble was brewing in the town of Harmony, between the gun-toughs who manned the Two-Bar ranch, the
hardcases who hung around the Rawhide Saloon, and the beleaguered miners out at Whipple Creek. Into this explosive
situation rode Hank Brazos and Duke Benedict. With a thin bankroll, they were looking to earn some fast money to
continue their hunt for a Civil War guerrilla who'd killed their comrades and stolen a fortune in Confederate gold -- a
fortune they themselves planned to get their hands on. So Brazos pinned on the sheriff's badge in return for a hundred
dollars a month...and soon found himself taking his responsibilities more seriously than he'd thought possible!
Critique: Another gem of an action/adventure western by a master of the genre, this large print, paperback edition from
Linford Western Library, "A Badge for Brazos" by E. Jefferson Clay is forthrightly recommended for both the personal
reading lists of dedicated western fans and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is a website dedicated to the novels of western author E. Jefferson Clay at
https://readfrom.net/e-jefferson-clay
Trail to Nowhere
Sheldon B. Cole
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850253, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 199pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trail-to-nowhere-sheldon-b-cole/1136785769
Synopsis: Blake Durant was on his way to Crimson Falls when he stopped by Jessica Gray's ranch for water. Before he
could move on again, the young widow's son came galloping into the yard, bruised and bloodied. Three men had stolen
their two calves, and beaten young Jesse when he tried to stop them. Much as he knew he should just ride on, Blake knew
he couldn't. So he stood shoulder to shoulder with the Grays against a vicious land baron with an army of lawless gunman
on his payroll. And when the smoke finally cleared, the winner would take all!
Critique: A riveting read with more unexpected plot twists and turns than a Disneyland roller-coaster, the large print
paperback edition from Linford Western Library of "Trial to Nowhere" by Sheldon B. Cole is especially recommended to
the attention of dedicated western novel fans and will make an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community
library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: There is an impressive listing of available western novels by Sheldon B. Cole at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/19648928.Sheldon_B_Cole
Kilraine!
Jack Crow
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850086, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 212pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Kilraine!
Synopsis: Kilraine is the fast gun who left to protect his family. Grace Jefferson is Kilraine's wife who was shot when their
ranch was raided by night riders. Lucy Jefferson is the daughter he's never seen. Sam Jefferson is Grace's father whose
murderers claimed self-defense. Carver Giles killed to have it all. Eli Carter is a brave young man who stood up for the
town. Utah Williams is Giles' hired killer.
This cast of deftly crafted and memorable characters comes to life in "Kilraine!", a classic western novel about good
against evil -- in which the final showdown would pit three guns against a living ghost and possibly tear a family apart
forever.
Critique: A classic revenge novel set in the Old West, this large print paperback edition from the Linford Western Library,
"Kilraine!" by Jack Crow is a compelling page turner of a read from cover to cover. An ideal selection for both personal
reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Brent Towns is an Australian author who writes under several other names such as Jack Crow, B S Dunn,
Sam Clancy and Jake Henry, as well as his own. He has written 17 Westerns to date.
(https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/16668470.Brent_Towns)
Payback Canyon
Rob Hill
Linford Western Library
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781444850130, $24.50, PB, Large Print, 204pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/payback-canyon-rob-hill/1136775899
Synopsis: Due to a combination of laziness and bad judgement, sheep farmer Wiley Hansen is broke. He tells his daughter
Grace that he has arranged paid work for her on a neighboring farm. She willingly agrees in order to help the family
finances. But in reality, he intends to put her up for auction in the local saloon. But Grace manages to escape when the
auction is disrupted by the arrival of a notorious outlaw. Believing she has been kidnapped, her brother Joe sets out to find
her and bring her home. And when Joe does eventually discover where his sister is, what he finds is far from what he
expected!
Critique: Original, deftly crafted, and an inherently interesting western that showcases the literary and imaginative
storytelling talents of novelist Rob Hill, this large print paperback edition of "Payback Canyon" is a solid pick for the
personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Rob Hill is the author of eleven Black Horse Westerns. He is also the author of two Victorian Crime stories
published by The Crowood Press and has also written travel, history and educational articles for newspapers and
magazines.
Grizzly Moon
Patrick Dearen
Five Star Publishing
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9798885781046, $25.95, HC, 218pp
https://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-Moon-Patrick-Dearen/dp/B0BJW9BMCG
Synopsis: For nineteen years, Wash Baker has been haunted by firing into the night at what he thought was a grizzly, only
to kill his young son and narrowly miss a second boy, Trey. Now, in 1899, confirmed tracks of grizzly (a species of bear
unknown in Texas) have been found at a Davis Mountains camp meeting attended by Wash and his daughter, Grace.
The congregants include Trey, now an adult and courting Grace, and Trey's father, Ed Mulholland. Long ago, Mulholland's
big talk about the dangers of a grizzly led Wash to panic and fire the fatal load of buckshot. With all of them now striking
out to hunt down this confirmed grizzly, Wash has a chance to right the wrongful shot and perhaps deliver judgment on
Mulholland.
Meanwhile, up from Mexico has come twelve-year-old Rosindo Mesa, seeking to kill the same grizzly before the next full
moon in order to free his dead father's wandering soul.
Critique: Of special note is that although "Grizzly Moon" by Patrick Dearen is a work of fiction, it isbased on the actual
1899 hunt for the only documented grizzly ever found in Texas. A quick paced and fun read that will appeal to readers
with an interest in historical fiction set in the Old West and is a riveting read that is a highly recommended pick for
personal reading lists and community library Western Fiction collections.
Editorial Note: Patrick Dearen (patrickdearen.com) was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in 2022, and is the
author of twenty-seven books. His ten nonfiction works include A Cowboy of the Pecos, The Last of the Old-Time
Cowboys, and Saddling Up Anyway: The Dangerous Lives of Old-Time Cowboys. His research has led to seventeen
novels, including The Big Drift, winner of the Spur Award of Western Writers of America. His other novels include When
Cowboys Die (a Spur Award finalist), Perseverance, When the Sky Rained Dust, The Illegal Man, To Hell or the Pecos,
Dead Man's Boot, Apache Lament, Haunted Border, and The End of Nowhere.
The Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Austin Noir
Hopeton Hay, editor
Scott Montgomery, editor
Molly Odintz, editor
Akashic Books
232 Third Street, #A115, Brooklyn, NY 11215
www.akashicbooks.com
9781636140896, $16.95, PB, 296pp
https://www.amazon.com/Austin-Noir-Hopeton-Hay/dp/1636140890
Synopsis: Co-edited by the team of Hopeton Hay, Scott Montgomery, and Molly Odintz, "Austin Noir" from Akashic
Books features new and deftly crafted short stories by authors Gabino Iglesias, Ace Atkins, Amanda Moore, Jeff Abbott,
Scott Montgomery, Richard Z. Santos, Alexandra Burt, Lee Thomas, Miriam Kuznets, Jacob Grovey, Chaitali Sen, Molly
Odintz, Amy Gentry, and Andrew Hilbert.
Critique: Each featured short story comprising "Austin Noir" is a memorable gem of a suspense thriller that will be of
special appeal to readers with an interest in succinct, memorable, impressively original, and skillfully written mysteries.
While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Crime Fiction anthology collections, it should be
noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs that "Austin Noir" is also readily available in a digital book
format (Kindle, $9.99).
Editorial Note #1: Hopeton Hay (https://twitter.com/diversebookshay) is a book talk show host and producer based in the
Austin metro area who has been interviewing crime-fiction authors since 2009. Currently, he hosts and produces the
Diverse Voices Book Review podcast which features a monthly crime-fiction episode.
Editorial Note #2: Scott Montgomery (https://crimereads.com/author/scottmontgomery) became immersed in the
crime-fiction scene while working at the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles. In Austin, he has continued to work as a
bookseller at BookPeople, specializing in the genre. His writing has appeared in Shotgun Honey and the anthologies
Murder on Wheels, Lone Star Lawless, and The Eyes of Texas.
Editorial Note #3: Molly Odintz (https://crimereads.com/author/molly-odintz) is the senior editor of CrimeReads. Her
essays and criticism have appeared in the Paper Brigade and the Austin Chronicle.
Murder in the Highlands
Debbie Young
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781804831267, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 323pp
https://www.ulverscroft.com/store/uk/search/Murder%20in%20the%20highlands
Synopsis: A relaxing Highland tour becomes quite the opposite when a foursome find themselves investigate a murder by
the shores of the great Loch Ness. The untimely death prompts octogenarian sleuth Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe and her
pensioner friends to investigate.
A getaway next to Loch Ness offers more mystery than the holidaymakers have bargained for. It's not just Nessie lurking
around the eerie shores.
Lady Marjorie is frequently at odds with her cousin-in-law, Edna Parkinton, but they agree on one thing. They are
determined to track down a killer. Meanwhile, Horace Tyler and Frederick Mackworth are distracted by an attractive
newcomer who threatens to divide the foursome.
Critique: "Murder in the Highlands: is the humorous second book in the Lady Marjorie Snellthorpe Mystery series novelist
Debbie young. This original and cleverly crafted 'whodunnit' will have a very special appeal for mystery buffs who enjoy
twisty red herrings, dastardly deaths and laugh-out-loud moments in an unreservedly recommended Scottish Highland
thriller. Simply stated, "Murder in the Highland" is a strongly recommended pick for personal reading lists and community
library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Debbie Young (https://authordebbieyoung.com) has an informative personal and professional website at
https://authordebbieyoung.com
Murder At Waldenmere Lake
Michelle Salter
Boldwood Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print, Inc.
www.ulverscroft.com
9781837510498, $41.00, PB, Large Print, 458pp
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-at-waldenmere-lake-michelle-salter/1142867980
Synopsis: in 1921 a murder shocks the small town of Walden. And it's only the beginning!
Local reporter Iris Woodmore is determined to save her beloved lake, Waldenmere, from destruction. After a bloody and
expensive war, the British Army can't afford to keep the lake and build a convalescent home on its shores yet they still
battle with Walden Council and a railway company for ownership. But an old mansion used as an officer training academy
stands where the railway company plans to build a lakeside hotel. It belongs to General Cheverton -- and he won't leave his
home.
When the General is found murdered, it appears someone will stop at nothing to win the fight for Waldenmere. Iris thinks
she can take on the might of the railway company and find the killer. But nothing prepares Iris for the devastation that's to
come...
Critique: A clever, fun, and original 'whodunnit' murder mystery, "Murder At Waldenmere Lake" is a simply riveting read
from first page to last. This large print paperback edition from Boldwood Books is particularly recommended for both the
personal reading lists of dedicated 'whodunniit' mystery buffs and community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Michelle Salter (https://www.michellesalter.com) is an historical crime fiction writer based in Hampshire,
United Kingdom. Many of her novels are set in the area where she lives and are inspired by real-life events in 1920s
Britain. She can be followed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSalterWriter and on Twitter:
@MichelleASalter
Midsummer Mysteries: Tales from the Queen of Mystery
Agatha Christie
William Morrow Paperbacks
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063310957, $18.99, PB, 272pp
https://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Mysteries-Tales-Queen-Mystery/dp/0063310953
Synopsis: Summertime -- as the temperature rises, so does the potential for evil. From Cornwall to the French Riviera,
whether against a background of Delphic temples or English country houses, Some of Agatha Christie's most famous
characters solve complicated puzzles as the stakes heat up.
With the publication of "Midsummer Mysteries: Tales from the Queen of Mystery ", all mysery buffs in general, and the
legions of Agatha Christie fans in particular, are invited to enjoy the plot twists and red herring embedded 'whodunnit'
conundrums from a master of the genre.
"Midsummer Mysteries" includes: The Blood-Stained Pavement; The Double Clue; A Death on the Nile; Harlequin's Lane;
The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman; Jane in Search of a Job; The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim; The Idol House of
Astarte; The Rajah's Emerald; The Oracle at Delphi; The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger; The Incredible Theft.
Critique: Originally published in 2021 by HarperCollins, this new paperback edition of "Midsummer Mysteries: Tales
from the Queen of Mystery" is a 'must' for the legions of Agatha Christie fans and for all community and academic library
Agatha Christie mystery/suspense collections.
Editorial Note: Agatha Christie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie) was born in Torquay in 1890 and began
writing during the First World War which ultimately resulted in more than 100 novels, plays and short story collections.
She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and
another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule
Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest
friends.
Obelists at Sea
C. Daly King
American Mystery Classics
https://www.mysteriousbookshop.com
9781613164150, $25.95, HC, 288pp
https://www.amazon.com/Obelists-at-Sea-Daly-King/dp/1613164157
Synopsis: The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity -- but it's less common for it
to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to
Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found
dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it's discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide
just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet.
Luckily, for the other passengers, there are two detectives aboard the Meganaut, ready to leap into action. There are also
four psychiatrists, and those psychiatrists convince the captain to let them take a stab at solving the crime, using their
professional understanding of the human psyche to determine who could have been capable of such a crime -- and why.
But will they be able to deduce the puzzle's solution before the killer strikes again?
Critique: The first of seven novels by psychologist C. Daly King, "Obelists at Sea" is intelligently crafted and thoroughly
enjoyable Golden Age mystery novel featuring an atmospheric setting, carefully placed clues, and a complex whodunnit
plot explained with sharp-witted ratiocination, Originally published in 1932 and now brought back into print for a new
general of appreciated readers as part of the American Mystery Classics series, "Obelists at Sea" by C. Daly King is
especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Cozy Mystery collections. It should be noted for the
personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs with an interest in traditional 'whodunnit' murder mysteries featuring
amateur sleuths that "Obelists at Sea" is also available in a paperback edition (9781613164167, $15.95) and in a digital
book format (Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: C. Daly King (1895-1963) was an American psychologist and detective story writer. He was born in New
York City and educated at Yale University. After fighting in World War I, he worked in textiles and in advertising before
returning to school to study psychology, with a particular focus on sleep and consciousness. In the 1930s, King published
nine books that quickly established him as a master of the Golden Age mystery, but ceased writing fiction with the advent
of World War II. (https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/c-daly-king)
The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Seven Days in Virtual Reality
Jeff Yager
Hannacroix Creek Books
www.hannacroixcreekbooks.com
9781938998256, $16.95, PB, 286pp
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Days-Virtual-Reality-Novel/dp/1938998251
Synopsis: Louis Parker is the divorced father of two teenagers who is still trying to find his life's purpose. After losing his
job, Louie's financial situation convinces him he has nothing to lose if he agrees to test out a radical new virtual reality
videogame for a substantial fee.
But Louie quickly learns that virtual reality is a lot more complicated than he realized as he agrees to test not just version 1
of the game. But version 2 has a dramatic difference from version 1. By the end of his testing, is Louie trapped in virtual
reality forever? If he is able to return to his own reality, is it the same one he started from, or has it immeasurably
changed?
Critique: Original, imaginative, deftly crafted, "Seven Days in Virtual Reality" by Jeff Yager is a compelling and
compulsive page turner of a novel that will have immense interest to Science Fiction fans. While especially and
unreservedly recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections, it should be noted for personal
reading lists that "Seven Days in Virtual Reality" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $3.91).
Editorial Note: Jeff Yager (https://www.jeffyager.us) is the co-author of "I Like God" (with Skye Bynes) and "Atom &
Eve", as well as two children's books, "The Question is Why?" and "Chuck and Alfonzo" -- both illustrated by Nancy
Batra. In addition to his own writing, Jeff does editing for other authors and publishing companies. He also has been
creating his own music and rap songs for many years and has several albums including Jay-Free Existential Crisis and
Extraterrestrial Activity.
The Art Shelf
Abstract Expressionists: The Women
Ellen G. Landau, author
Joan M. Marter, author
Merrell Publishers
8755 Lookout Mountain Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.merrellpublishers.com
9781858947037, $65.00, HC, 256pp
https://www.amazon.com/Abstract-Expressionists-Ellen-G-Landau/dp/1858947030
Synopsis: With the publication of "Abstract Expressionists: The Women", co-authors Ellen G. Landau and Joan M. Marter
presents showcases the vital role of women in the development of Abstract Expressionism by looking at more than 50
paintings, collages, and sculptures all accompanied by carefully selected quotes from the artists themselves.
The dominant movement of the New York and San Francisco art scenes of the mid-20th century, Abstract Expressionism
is celebrated as the first development in American art to gain international status. The movement is synonymous with the
work of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, but also belonging to this generation who changed the
course of modern art were numerous female artists; only in recent years have their contributions received the recognition
they deserve.
The remarkable women featuring in "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" include Perle Fine, Helen Frankenthaler, Sonia
Gechtoff, Lee Krasner, and Joan Mitchell -- all of whom studied at the same art schools as the men, exhibited at the same
galleries, and were part of the same social scene. But their work was not shown and reviewed as widely or considered as
valuable as that of the men.
A beautiful book, "Abstract Expressionists: The Women" also presents the works of the Levett Collection, an unparalleled
private collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture by women Abstract Expressionists. Of special note are the richly
illustrated essays by the scholars Ellen G. Landau and Joan M. Marter, leading authorities on the subject, consider,
respectively, the vital role of women in the development of Abstract Expressionism and the work of women sculptors of
the movement.
Full of exuberant, explosive color and densely layered expression, the main part of "Abstract Expressionists: The Women"
is devoted to more than 50 paintings, collages, and sculptures, all accompanied by pertinent quotes from the women about
their artistic practice and concerns.
An illustrated timeline and 35 artist biographies provide further insight, making this volume an essential addition to the
study of Abstract Expressionist women, innovators in their own right, whose time in the art-historical spotlight has finally
come.
Critique: An outstanding compendium of captioned art works and informative commentaries, "Abstract Expressionists:
The Women" is a coffee-table style (10 x 1 x 11.25 inches, 4.01 pounds) volume that is a unique and unreservedly
recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Art History collections and
supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Ellen Landau (https://researchguides.case.edu/faculty-authors/EllenLandau) is Andrew W. Mellon
Professor Emerita at Case Western Reserve University. An independent art historian and curator, she writes widely on
Abstract Expressionism, with a frequent focus on women painters.
Editorial Note #2: Joan M. Marter ( is Distinguished Professor Emerita at Rutgers University. She writes frequently on
women artists, organizes exhibitions, and is Editor of Woman's Art Journal.
(https://arthistory.rutgers.edu/people/faculty-emeriti/faculty-emeritus/67-joan-marter)
Art Dog: Clever Canines of the Art World
Smith Street Books
c/o Rizzoli
300 Park Avenue South, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10010
www.rizzoliusa.com
9781922754264, $16.95, HC, 96pp
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Dog-Clever-Canines-World/dp/1922754269
Synopsis: Dogs have been man's best friend for as long as we've been sketching on canvas. In the background, behind the
table, or right at the forefront, dogs of the past peer out from paintings and sketches, frescoes and prints across art
history.
Put together by the editorial team at Smith Street Books, "Art Dog" is a collection of these painted canines, featuring
works by a diversity of artists drawn from across the ages and continents. A compendium of Japanese prints and German
oils, American sketches and Italian murals, and more, the featured artworks spans eras and styles, but as different as these
dogs are, one thing shines through -- the love and respect we have always had for them.
Critique: A beautiful book that is ideal for browsing, the captioned artwork showcases in "Art Dog: Clever Canines of the
Art World" is a 'must" for anyone who has ever had a canine companion of their own -- or wanted one. A guaranteed and
enduringly popular addition to personal, community, and academic library Animals in Art History collections, this
brilliantly produced compendium of canine artworks is an unreservedly recommend acquisition.
Vermeer
Pieter Roelofs, author
Gregor J. M. Weber, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500026724, $65.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Vermeer-Gregor-J-M-Weber/dp/0500026726
Synopsis: The artwork of Johannes Vermeer (October 1632 - 15 December 1675) is intensely quiet and his enigmatic
paintings invite the viewer into a private world, often prompting more questions than answers. Who is being portrayed?
Are his subjects real or imagined? And how did he create such an unrivaled sense of intimacy?
Bringing together diverse strands of the Dutch master's professional and private worlds, "Vermeer" by Pieter Roelofs
(Head of Paintings and Sculpture, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) is the first major authoritative study of Vermeer's life and
work for many years and showcases all thirty-seven of Vermeer's paintings.
Deftly edited by Gregor J. M. Weber (Head of the Department of Fine Arts, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), "Vermeer" has
been beautifully designed by Irma Boom, the "Queen of Books," and printed on an uncoated paper. With a wide selection
of contextual illustrations, commentaries and up-to-date research by distinguished international Vermeer scholars, this new
edition from Thames & Hudson is the definitive volume on one of the most admired of all the seventeenth-century Dutch
masters.
Critique: A coffee-table style (8.7 x 1.5 x 10.6 inches, 3.09 pounds) volume, "Vermeer" features an informative
Introduction by Taco Dibbits and includes contributions by Bart Cornelis (National Gallery, London), Bente Frissen
(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), Sabine Friederike Schuett (Staedel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), Christian Tico Seifert
(National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh) Ariane van Suchtelen (Mauritshuis, The Hague), Marjorie E. Wieseman
(National Gallery of Art, Washington). With 200 beautifully laid out color illustrations gracing an impressively
informative commentary, this simply outstanding edition of "Vemeer"must be considered a core addition to personal,
professional, community, college, and university library 18th Century European Art History collections in general, and
supplemental curriculum Vermeer studies lists.
The Egyptology Shelf
The First Female Pharaoh
Andrew Collins
Bear & Company
c/o Inner Traditions International, Ltd.
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.innertraditions.com
9781591434450, $26.00, PB, 464pp
https://www.amazon.com/First-Female-Pharaoh-Sobekneferu-Goddess/dp/1591434459
Synopsis: Cleopatra. Nefertiti. Hatshepsut. All of them are ancient Egyptian female rulers who rose above their
predominantly patriarchal societies to become controllers of a great empire. Missing from this list, however, is
Sobekneferu, ancient Egypt's first female ruler. Why was the reign of this powerful woman all but forgotten?
Piecing together the lost history of the first female pharaoh, with the publication of "The First Female Pharaoh:
Sobekneferu, Goddess of the Seven Stars", science and history writer Andrew Collins presents the first comprehensive
biography of Sobekneferu.
Using every text and monument that concerns Sobekneferu and her time in power, Collins examines her achievements as
ruler, the political and religious issues of her age, the temples and ruins associated with her, and her continuing impact on
ancient Egypt after her reign. He also explores her relationship with her brother Amenemhet IV, her sister Neferuptah, and
their father Amenemhet III, regarded as one of the most beloved pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom. He then examines
Sobekneferu's untimely end, the fate of her body, and the cult that developed in her name.
Discussing Sobekneferu's magical beliefs and practices, Collins shows how they centered on the crocodile god Sobek, the
hippo goddess Neith, and the circumpolar stars of the night sky in which they were personified. He also reveals how the
setting of the Crocodile Star (Eltanin), the brightest star in the constellation of Draco, aligns with Sobekneferu's suspected
pyramid.
Examining the modern-day resurrection of Sobekneferu among the occultists and mystics of Victorian London, Collins
shows how she is the true inspiration behind every ancient Egyptian female queen who comes back to life after her tomb is
found -- as featured first in Bram Stoker's shocking 1903 novel "The Jewel of the Seven Stars" and later in several modern
blockbuster movies.
Revealing how Sobekneferu has left a lasting impact on culture and occulture through the ages despite being nearly erased
from history, Collins shows how her continuing legacy is perhaps, ultimately, her true resurrection.
Critique: Absolutely fascinating, impressively informative, expertly written, nicely illustrated, and thoroughly 'reader
friendly' in organization and presentation, "The First Female Pharaoh: Sobekneferu, Goddess of the Seven Stars" by
Andrew Collins will prove to be a prized and enduringly appreciated addition to personal, professional, community,
college, and university library Egyptology collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for
students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the cult, magic, reign, and resurrection of the first
female ruler in Egypt that "The First Female Pharaoh" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.99).
Editorial Note: Andrew Collins (https://www.andrewcollins.com) is a science and history writer who investigates
advanced civilizations in prehistory. He is the co-discoverer of a massive cave complex beneath the Giza plateau, now
known as "Collins' Cave." The author of several books, including Origins of the Gods and Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the
Gods, he regularly appears on radio shows, podcasts, and TV series, including Ancient Aliens, The UnXplained with
William Shatner, and Lost Worlds. He lives in Essex, England.
Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue
Susanna Thames
American University in Cairo Press
200 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, New York, NY 10166
www.aucpress.com
9781649031853, $24.95, PB, 140pp
https://www.amazon.com/Ramesses-Loved-Ptah-History-Colossal/dp/1649031858
Synopsis: King Ramesses II ruled Egypt for an extraordinary sixty-six years (1279-1213 BC) during the Nineteenth
Dynasty. A great warrior and lavish builder, he fathered dozens of children and is widely regarded as the most celebrated
and powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom.
With the publication of "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue", Egyptologist Susanna
Thomas presents a wonderfully clear and engaging study that recounts the dramatic history of the famed red granite
colossal statue of Ramesses II now residing in Egypt's Grand Egyptian Museum. One of the biggest statues ever made and
part of the urban landscape of modern Cairo, the statue lent its name to Ramses Square and the city's mainline train station,
and was so much a symbol of Cairo that it featured in countless Egyptian films. Susanna Thomas recounts the full history
of the statue's creation and installation in the Great Temple of Ptah at Memphis during the reign of Ramesses II, its reuse
by Ramesses IV, and the later history of the statue during the Greco-Roman and Islamic Periods.
"Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" also provides an overview of how statues were made
in ancient Egypt and includes a brief discussion of the statue cults of Ramesses II, kingship, temples, and the expansion of
the New Kingdom capital city of Memphis and its temples. The final section covers the history of the statue since its
rediscovery and subsequent rescue in the mid-nineteenth century until its installation in the entrance hall of the Grand
Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Written by a New Kingdom specialist and curatorial expert and illustrated with over 150 images, "Ramesses, Loved by
Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal Statue" tells the fascinating story of this magnificent statue within the wider context
of statue cults and the reign of Ramesses II, and its subsequent rescue and restoration in modern times.
Critique: Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout will full color photography, "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The
History of a Colossal Royal Statue" is an extraordinarily informative and seminal contribution that is especially and
unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Archaeology collections
in general, and supplemental Egyptology curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-
specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Ramesses, Loved by Ptah: The History of a Colossal Royal
Statue" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $23.67).
Editorial Note: Susanna Thomas works at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, where she is a specialist in the
interpretation and display of ancient Egyptian material culture. She has been engaged in excavation and research at sites all
over Egypt for many years, from fortresses in the north to the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. Awarded her PhD in Egyptian
Archaeology by the University of Liverpool in 2000, she is particularly interested in all aspects of the Ramesside Period
and the archaeology of Tutankhamun. She previously taught at Liverpool, Manchester, and Helwan Universities, and has
worked for museums in both Egypt and the UK. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MKDRiSQAAAAJ
The Architecture Shelf
Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World
Mohsen Mostafavi, editor
Kayoko Ota, editor
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400608, $44.95, PB, 428pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sharing-Tokyo-Artifice-Social-World/dp/1638400601
Synopsis: Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and Kayoko Ota, the contributors to "Sharing
Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World" question how "artifice" and the "social world" can be mutually and constructively
integrated so that the contemporary urban space can be shared by all.
A variety of innovative practices are presented by a diverse group of contributors including renowned scholars, architects,
urbanists, and photographers from Japan and the US, and the research team at the Harvard University Graduate School of
Design. While the discourses and architectural works presented deal with the specificity of Tokyo, they were carefully
selected to formulate together a collection of insights, new perspectives, and speculative experiments in urbanism and
architecture that can also be used in other contexts.
The contributors include: Mustafa K. Abadan, Shin Aiba, Homi K. Bhabha, Kenta Hasegawa, Kozo Kadowaki, Hiroto
Kobayashi, Masami Kobayashi, Japan Research Initiative Team at Harvard GSD, Jouji Kurumado, Seiji M. Lippit,
Mitsuyoshi Miyazaki, Mayumi Mori, Mohsen Mostafavi, Jo Nagasaka, Erika Nakagawa, Don O'keefe, Yoshihiko Oshima,
Kayoko Ota, Jordan Sand, Yoshihiko Sone, Tsubame Architects, Riken Yamamoto, and Shun Yoshie.
Critique: Nicely illustrated throughout, "Sharing Tokyo: Artifice and the Social World" is an original, informative,
thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to the growing library of Architectural Criticism and Urban/Land Use
Planning that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, corporate, college, and university
library Architecture collections and supplemental curriculum Architectural Studies lists.
Editorial Note #1: Mohsen Mostafavi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohsen_Mostafavi) is an architect and educator who
served as dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. As a professor of design, he is now leading the Japan
Research Initiative, among other programs. His books include Ethics of the Urban: The City and the Spaces of the Political
(2017).
Editorial Note #2: Kayoko Ota (https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/cca-c-o/58179/tokyo) is an architectural curator and editor.
Before joining the Japan Research Initiative at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, she curated Japan-based
projects for the Canadian Centre for Architecture and was commissioner of the Japan Pavilion at the 2014 Venice
Biennale.
A House Deconstructed
Mark Jarzombek, author
Vikramaditya Prakash, author
Actar D
c/o Actar Publishers
440 Park Avenue S, 17th FL, New York, NY 10016
http://actar.com
9781638400523, $44.95, PB, 260pp
https://www.amazon.com/House-Deconstructed-Mark-Jarzombek/dp/1638400520
Synopsis: With the publication of "A House Deconstructed", co-authors Mark Jarzombek and Vikramaditya Prakash contend that a huge proportion of what we 'know' about the house is actually unknowable -- not
because our epistemological instruments aren't strong enough or calibrated precisely enough, but because things
themselves are indeterminate, uncertain.
This begs the question about agency. If we are to critique our profession and even improve some of its claims about
Sustainability, then we must develop a more robust understanding of the building industry and the sourcing and making of
materials. We must even develop a stronger awareness of the history of atoms and how architecture brings that history into
a remarkable focus.
Critique: Intellectually challenging and ground-breaking, "A House Deconstructed" is a remarkably detailed, seminally
ground-breaking study that is a unique, thought-provoking, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, and academic library Architectural Studies collections and of particular value to students,
academia, anyone with an interest in residential architecture, architectural materials, and architectural criticism.
Editorial Note #1: Mark Jarzombek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Jarzombek) is Professor of the History and
Theory of Architecture at MIT . He is Diplom Architekt, ETH (1980) and received his PhD. From MIT in 1986. He works
on a wide range of topics - both historical and theoretical. He has published books and articles on the 13th century
churches at Lalibela to the crisis of contemporary architectural education. He is one of the country's leading advocates for
global history and has published several books and articles on that topic, including the ground-breaking textbook entitled A
Global History of Architecture (Wiley Press, 2006) with co-author Vikramaditya Prakash.
Editorial Note #2: Vikramaditya Prakash (https://arch.be.uw.edu/people/vikram-prakash) is Professor of Architecture at the
University of Washington with adjunct appointments in Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, and Digital
Arts and Media. He received his B. Arch. From India and his M.A. and PhD from Cornell University. His books include
Chandigarh's Le Corbusier: The Struggle for Modernity in Postcolonial India, Colonial Modernities (co-edited with Peter
Scriver), The Architecture of Shivdatt Sharma, Chandigarh: An Architectural Guide, and One Continuous Line: Art,
Architecture and Urbanism of Aditya Prakash. He is also the host of the ArchitectureTalk podcast.
Period Homes - Styles & Original Features
Trevor Yorke
Countryside Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781846744020, $9.99, PB, 64pp
https://www.amazon.com/Period-Homes-Original-Features-Reference/dp/1846744024
Synopsis: Period homes are all around us. Not only are they charming homes for those lucky enough to live in them, but
they also give the community in which they're set a distinguished character and a link with the past. Yet sometimes it's
hard to know exactly which features to look at in order to date these buildings. Or what to look for if you need to replace
an original fitting.
With the publication of "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide", by artist and author
Trevor Yorke aims to help the reader recognize the common styles and original features from each period, whether they
just want to find out more about a particular property, or are trying to restore one.
If you're in the middle of a renovation, for example, and you want to know which original window style you should be
installing, you'll find it here. All British styles and periods are covered ranging from graceful Regency terraces with elegant
iron balconies, to muscular Victorian houses with colorful stained glass, to Edwardian homes with white patterned timber
work, and stylish 1930s semis with curved suntrap windows.
From glasswork and doors to fireplaces and floors (plus everything in between) "Period Homes - Styles & Original
Features" is an architectural and interior design treasure trove of information about the British period homes.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout with black/white photography, "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An
Easy Reference Guide" is an extraordinary and thoroughly 'reader friendly' compendium of British period house styles.
While also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), "Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy
Reference Guide" is a unique, very special, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and
academic library Residential Architecture & Interior Design collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Trevor Yorke (http://trevoryorke.co.uk/index.html) is an experienced author and artist who specializes in
period architecture. His many books include British Architectural Styles, Georgian & Regency Houses Explained, and The
English Village Explained.
Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design
Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781957183046, $39.95, PB, 200pp
https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Purpose-Guide-Mission-Driven-Design/dp/1957183047
Synopsis: "Practice with Purpose: A Guide to Mission-Driven Design" is about designing buildings beyond their property
lines to address some of society's most urgent challenges: the climate emergency, racial and ethnic injustice, chronic
homelessness, educational crises, and the preservation of the embodied carbon and culture of existing buildings.
To successfully contend with these ecological and societal emergencies, the design values and practice of architecture must
be rapidly transformed within the next decade. Architects must become creative agents of change, providing the vision and
skill to lead our communities toward an equitable, climate-positive future for all.
Twenty years ago, San Francisco-based Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects rededicated its practice to focus on these urgent
issues. Its mission-driven designs not only address the critical concerns of twenty-first century architecture, but also bring
clients and users into the dialogue. LMSa's award-winning works show the creative potential of building a practice with
purpose.
With the publication of "Practice with Purpose", Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects shares its experience and insight as a call
to action to the architecture profession. Through case studies, data-driven essays, user testimonials, and thought-provoking
questions, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects offers design strategies to architects who want to make an environmental and
social impact.
Critique: Brilliant, inspiring, beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout, "Practice with Purpose: A Guide to
Mission-Driven Design" by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects is unreservedly recommended as a valued and core addition to
personal, professional, community, corporate, and academic library Contemporary Architecture Project
Planning/Management collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (https://www.lmsarch.com) is a diverse group of designers who share a
common belief in the transformative power of architecture to help lead the way to a just, healthy and regenerative future
for all. They work with leading non-profit, educational, housing and social justice organizations to marry poetry with
performance, creating sustainable new environments that advance their important architectural missions.
The Interior Design Shelf
The Handbook of Home Design
Laura Jane Clark
Kyle Books
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
http://www.kylebooks.com
9781914239267, $26.99, HC, 192pp
https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Home-Design-step-step/dp/1914239261
Synopsis: Architectural solutions & designs to optimize the spaces in your home without spending a fortune.
Architect Laura Jane Clark, from the BBC and Netflix smash-hit series Your Home Made Perfect, has spent over 15 years
designing, remodeling, and building homes with budgets that range from modest to enormous. "The Handbook of Home
Design: An Architect's Blueprint for Shaping your Home" distills Laura's wealth of experience and enthusiasm giving you
an accessible yet detailed guide to design, empowering you with the tools and knowledge to shape your home how you
want.
Throughout your home design journey, whether large or small, Laura takes you each step of the way from understanding
your home, reading a plan and writing a brief, right through to sketching your own design and having the confidence to get
what you want on the building site. Packed full of tips and tricks, inspiration and technical know-how, "The Handbook of
Home Design" is like having Laura by your side, showing you how to design practical yet beautiful spaces, get more
storage into your life and create the home of your dreams.
With the publication of "The Handbook of Home Design, Laura wants to democratize the whole concept of residential
architectural design and empower you to redesign your spaces by giving you the language and ability to confidently
communicate your vision, get the most out of your design and ultimately love your finished home. Whether you are a
long-term homeowner, first-time buyer or simply visualizing your dream space, no matter what your budget is, "The
Handbook of Home Design" offers unique and practical insights into Laura's process allows you to achieve both the design
you want and the home you need.
Editorial Note: Profusely and informatively illustrated throughout, "The Handbook of Home Design: An Architect's
Blueprint for Shaping your Home" is a complete course of instruction and one that is impressively well written, organized
and presented so as to be of maximum value for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the subject. While a
highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Interior Design collections and supplemental
curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Handbook of Home Design" is also available in a digital book format
(Kindle, $11.99).
Editorial Note: Laura Jane Clark (www.lamparchitects.co.uk) is an architect and designer specializing in innovative home
design, renovation and new-build houses. Cutting her teeth as a laborer on construction sites when she was an architect
student, Laura's passion and understanding for building and making shines through in her work. As one of the architect
presenters on BBC's Your Home Made Perfect, Laura started her television career when she was featured on the first ever
episode of Channel 4's George Clarke's Amazing Spaces with her Crystal Palace underground-toilet conversion and then
regularly featured on the series, as well as on Shed of the Year and Ugly House to Lovely House. In 2020, Laura founded
Siren Sister (@sirensister), uniting a diverse network of female architects, interior designers, artists and stylists to bring
more representation to our screens and media. She can be followed on Instagram: @laurajaneclark_
The Literary Studies Shelf
Race & Affect In Early Modern English Literature
Carol Mejia LaPerle
ACMRS Press
https://acmrspress.com
9780866986922, $29.95, HC, 180pp
https://www.amazon.com/Affect-Early-Modern-English-Literature/dp/0866986928
Synopsis: Compiled and edited by Carol Mejia Laperle, the contributors to "Race and Affect in Early Modern English
Literature" collectively put the fields of critical race studies and affect theory into dialogue.
Doing so opens a new set of questions: What are the emotional experiences of racial formation and racist ideologies? How
do feelings (through the physical senses, emotional passions, or sexual encounters) come to signify race? What is the
affective register of anti-blackness that pervades canonical literature? How can these visceral forms of racism be resisted in
discourse and in practice?
By investigating how race feels, "Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature" offers new ways of reading and
interpreting literary traditions, religious differences, gendered experiences, class hierarchies, sexuality, and social
identities.
So far scholars have shaped the discussion of race in the early modern period by focusing on topics such as genealogy,
language, economics, religion, skin color, and ethnicity. "Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature" however,
offers something new: it considers racializing processes as visceral, affective experiences.
Critique: Deftly organized into three major sections (Racial Formations of Affective Communities; Racialized Affects of
Sex and Gender; Feelings and Forms of Anti-Blackness), "Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature" will be of
particular value to readers with an interest in literary criticism, race and ethnicity in literature, and the philosophy of race as
reflected and influenced by literature and drama. A seminal work of collective scholarship, "Race and Affect in Early
Modern English Literature" is highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library Literary Studies
collections. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that
"Race and Affect in Early Modern English Literature" is also available in a paperback edition (9780866986588,
$19.95).
Editorial Note: Carol Mejia LaPerle (https://people.wright.edu/carol.mejia-laperle) is Professor and Honors Advisor for the
English Department at Wright State University.
Tragic Encounters
Maksim Hanukai
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299341404, $89.95, HC
https://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/6082.htm
Synopsis: Literary scholars largely agree that the Romantic period altered the definition of tragedy, but they have confined
their analyses to Western European authors. Maksim Hanukai introduces a new, illuminating figure to this narrative,
arguing that Russia's national poet, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), can be understood as a tragic Romantic poet, although
in a different mold than his Western counterparts.
Many of Pushkin's works move seamlessly between the closed world of traditional tragedy and the open world of
Romantic tragic drama, and yet they follow neither the cathartic program prescribed by Aristotle nor the redemptive
mythologies of the Romantics. Instead, the idiosyncratic and artistically mercurial Pushkin seized upon the newly unstable
tragic mode to develop multiple, overlapping tragic visions.
Providing new, innovative readings of such masterpieces as The Gypsies, Boris Godunov, The Little Tragedies, and The
Bronze Horseman, with the publication of "Tragic Encounters: Pushkin and European Romanticism", Professor Maksim
Hanukai sheds light on an unexplored aspect of Pushkin's work, while also challenging reigning theories about the fate of
tragedy in the Romantic period.
Critique: Very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers
with an interest in the life and work of Alexander Pushing, as well as a core addition to community, college, and university
library 19th Century European Literary & Poetry Studies collections in general, and Alexander Pushkin curriculum studies
lists in particular. It should be noted further that Professor Maksim Hanukai's seminal study, "Tragic Encounters: Pushkin
and European Romanticism" is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a ten page informative Introduction, forty-
four pages of Notes, and a fourteen page Index
Editorial Note: Maksim Hanukai (https://gns.wisc.edu/staff/hanukai-maksim) is an assistant professor of German, Nordic,
and Slavic studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Photography Shelf
American Industry
Kim Steele
Goff Books
c/o ORO Editions
31 Commerical Blvd., Suite F, Novato, CA 94949
www.oroeditions.com
9781951541705, $40.00, HC, 124pp
https://www.amazon.com/American-Industry-Kim-Steele/dp/1951541707
Synopsis: "American Industry" by photographer Kim Steele is as much a celebration as it is documentation. Through his
unique vision and privileged access, Steele has achieved a visually spectacular distillation of a variety of icons of
power.
Some of these places of power are literal: sources of hydro-electric energy, such as dams or atomic and accelerators. Other
places of power are more metaphorical: the might of massive construction as only heavy industry can achieve, whether in
architecture or ships; or the romance of aviation and the exploration of space.
The photographic images are as iconic as their subjects. Formally pure and powerful in their scale and clarity, they mirror
the ambitious and inspirational quality of what are now understood to be quintessential and classic symbols of American
ingenuity and drive. Together, the seven chapters, Hydro Power, Aviation, Heavy Industry, Energy, Space, Atomic Energy,
and The Future, create a visual tapestry of American industrial power in the twentieth century. A testimony of a guilded
age of American Industrial might.
Critique: Photography as art, photography as a celebration, photography as documentation, "American Industry" is a
coffee-table style (10.25 x 0.75 x 10.25 inches, 2.21 pounds) volume that is a fascinating, informative, thought-provoking
browse from cover to cover -- making it a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional,
community, college, and university library American Photography collections and supplemental curriculum studies
lists.
Editorial Note: Kim Steele (http://kimsteele.com) is a San Francisco-based American photographer. whose work is in the
collections at MoMa, New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, LACMA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art,
Denver Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and many other collections. As well as in corporate collections such as Chase
Manhattan Bank, Goldman Sachs, and New York Life. In addition to fine artwork Kim Steele has also taken on editorial
assignments from clients such as Life, Fortune, Forbes, Smithsonian, Paris Match, and Stern. Steele also produces
unforgettable images for corporate clients include such as EDS, Mobil Oil, Mead Paper, AT&T, Frito-Lay, and
Exxon.
Reclaim the Street: Street Photography's Moment
Stephen McLauren, author
Matt Stuart, author
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500545379, $70.00, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Reclaim-Street-Photographys-Moment/dp/0500545375
Synopsis: Featuring stunning imagery, "Reclaim the Street: Street Photography's Moment" is a vibrant visual survey of the
trends and talents fueling street photography today and a fresh take on what street photography can be.
A world tour of the very best street photography today, "Reclaim the Street" showcases work from more than one hundred
contemporary photographers, ranging from the established to the emerging, and from all corners of the globe.
With the publication of "Reclaim the Street", professional photographers Stephen McLaren and Matt Stuart present a
multilayered overview of street photography's constantly evolving form. Together, they interweave individual
photographer portfolios, in-depth case studies, and surveys of the hot spots where communities of street photographers are
thriving today. Great photographic minds don't think alike, nor are two streets identical: follow these photographers as they
capture snapshots of people and places perpetually in flux.
Truly diverse in scope, "Reclaim the Street" also pays long overdue attention to flourishing scenes beyond the West,
including workby Indian photographer Swarat Ghosh, Thai photographer Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet (aka Poupay), and
Brazilian photographer Gustavo Minas. The global, humanistic edge of "Reclaim the Street" is a kind of love note to
photography, as well as to the places and people captured through today's sharpest lenses.
Critique: A coffee-table style (10.2 x 1.3 x 12 inches, 5.03 pounds) and comprised of 500 color illustrations, and
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Photography collections,
"Reclaim the Street: Street Photography's Moment" by the team of Stephen McLaren and Matt Stuart is a fascinating,
informative, appreciative, thought-provoking, and inspiring study that will have immense appeal and value to readers with
an interest in street photography and its photographic equipment/techniques.
Editorial Note #1: Stephen McLaren (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_McLaren) is the editor of Magnum Streetwise.
A writer for the British Journal of Photography, he has also curated histories of street photography at Tate Liverpool, the
School of Life, and various international street photography festivals.
Editorial Note #2: Matt Stuart (https://www.mattstuart.com) is one of the leading street photographers working today and
the author of All That Life Can Afford and Think Like a Street Photographer. He has exhibited his work and taught street
photography all over the globe.
Human Conditions
Olaf Heine
Prestel Publishing
www.prestel.com
9783791389035, $60.00, HC, 208pp
https://www.amazon.com/Olaf-Heine-Human-Condition/dp/3791389033
Synopsis: Whether he's capturing Elvis Costello in a pensive moment, going one-on-one with Iggy Pop, gazing into the
eyes of Don Cheadle, or visiting Julian Schnabel in his studio, Olaf Heine has a photographer's talent for making
larger-than-life subjects appear sensitive, vulnerable, and approachable.
"Human Conditions" is a career-spanning monograph showcasing dozens of Heine's signature portraits, impeccably staged
and meticulously detailed. Printed in brilliant duotone on coated matte paper, each image is presented on its own page,
allowing viewers the pleasure of lingering over the features that characterize a Heine photo: rich and varied tones, clean
lines, subtle humor and pathos, and classically informed composition. Accompanying the images are texts from the artists
or from Heine himself, affording a nuanced glimpse into the ongoing dialog between the gazer and the gazed-upon.
A sumptuous feast for the eyes from one of the world's leading photographers, "Human Conditions) is a visual celebrates
of the artistic photographer's process, images, and the inspirations behind them.
Critique: "Human Conditions" is a coffee-table style (9.75 x 1.18 x 12.13 inches, 3.62 pounds) volume comprised of
black/white full page photos representing some of photographer Olaf Heines' best work to date. Of special appeal and
value to readers with an interest in celebrity photography and surrealist literary criticism, "Human Conditions" is a singular
and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary
American Photography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Olaf Heine (https://olafheine.com) who lived in Los Angeles for over ten years, is currently a Berlin-based
photographer and filmmaker known for his portraits and music videos. He has worked with the likes of Iggy Pop, Chris
Cornell, Jon Bon Jovi, and the band Rammstein, among others. Heine has published a number of books, including Leaving
the Comfort Zone (2008), Brazil (2014) and Rwandan Daughters (2019).
Michael Freeman on Color and Tone
Michael Freeman, author
Ilex Press
c/o Octopus Books
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781781578711, $29.99, PB, 176pp
https://www.amazon.com/Michael-Freeman-Color-Tone-Photography/dp/1781578710
Synopsis: Color isn't 'just there' in photography, an ordinary fact of life. It is far more special than that and can be a subject
and pursuit in its own right, because it triggers an emotional and aesthetic response like no other. Color is processed not in
the eye, but in the mind, and that makes it personal.
"Michael Freeman on Color and Tone: The Ultimate Photography Masterclass" is the third book in the series by
professional photographer Michael Freeman, who talks about color in photography in a completely fresh, thoughtful and
useful way, unlike any other instruction guide or 'how to' manual on the market.
In recent years, photography-about-color has exploded as a shooting phenomenon, taking inspiration not just from the great
colorist photographers like Outerbridge, Haas, Gruyaert, Leiter, Eggleston and Porter, but from the new freedom that
modern sensors and processing software give.
Fully living up to the promise of its subtitle, "Michael Freeman on Color and Tone: The Ultimate Photography
Masterclass" both celebrates and advises this new trend, drawing on Freeman's long experience editorially and
professionally, spanning the two eras of film and digital color.
Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "Michael Freeman on Color and Tone: The Ultimate Photography Masterclass"
is exceptionally well written, organized and presented, making it an ideal DIY resource for aspiring photographers and
especially recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Photography
collections and supplemental curriculum Photography studies lists. It should be noted for both photography students and
practitioners that "Michael Freeman on Color and Tone: The Ultimate Photography Masterclass" is also readily available
in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99).
Editorial Note: Michael Freeman (http://www.michaelfreemanphoto.com) is a professional photographer and author who
was born in England in 1945, took a Masters in Geography at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then worked in
advertising in London for six years. In 1971 he made the life-changing decision to travel up the Amazon with two
secondhand cameras, and when Time-Life used many of the pictures he came back with, he embarked on a full-time
photographic career. Since then, working for clients that include all the world's major magazines, most notably the
Smithsonian Magazine (for which he has shot more than 40 stories over 30 years), More than 60 of his titles are on the
practice of photography. For this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc by the
French Ministry of Culture. Freeman's books on photography have been translated into 27 languages.
The Native American Studies Shelf
Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe
Verne Pickering, author
Stephen Schaitberger, author
Beaver's Pond Press
939 Seventh Street West, St. Paul, MN 55102
www.BeaversPondPress.com
9781643439303, $32.00, HC, 224pp
https://www.amazon.com/Stands-Before-His-People-Enmegahbowh/dp/1643439308
Synopsis: Enmegahbowh (c. 1820 - June 12, 1902) was an extraordinary American. He spoke both Ojibwe and English,
lived among the Ojibwe, endeavored as a Christian missionary, and participated in the politics of relations and treaties
between the Ojibwe, the US government, and the settlers who desired land to log and farm.
While Enmegahbowh's first mission was with the Methodists, he eventually connected with Reverend J. Lloyd Breck and
was made an Episcopal priest by Bishop Henry Whipple, the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota. Importantly,
Enmegahbowh left a written record of his work, a plenitude of which is presented for the first time with the publication of
"Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe" which recreates the story of Enmegahbowh's life, from about
1813 to 1901.
Critique: Rescued from an undeserved obscurity and deftly co-authors by Verne Pickering and Stephen Schaitberger, with
"Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the Ojibwe", a new generation of readers will discover the life and legacy
of Enmegahbowh, who was the first Ojibwe Episcopalian priest in the United States and who, during the turbulent frontier
days of the 1800s, worked for peace, opportunity, and cooperation among all peoples. Impressively enhanced for the reader
with numerous historical photos and illustrations, Simply stated, "Stands Before His People: Enmegahbowh and the
Ojibwe " is an exceptional, informative, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and
university library Native American Studies & Biography collections,
Editorial Note #1: Verne Pickering began his writing career creating engineering documents for an editor who demanded
the three c's: completeness, conciseness, and clarity. The first book he published was Hatley: History of a Central
Wisconsin Village, written in collaboration with his brother, Donald Pickering. Verne Pickering lives in White Bear Lake,
Minnesota.
Editorial Note #2: Stephen Schaitberger first encountered stories of Enmegahbowh as a youth at Cass Lake Episcopal
Camp on the Leech Lake Reservation. In 1980 Schaitberger became the rector of St. Paul's Church in Brainerd, Minnesota,
the same area where Enmegahbowh began his own ministry. Schaitberger served for over twenty years as a chaplain in the
Minnesota National Guard and for ten years on the diocesan staff as a canon missioner for Northern Minnesota. He is a
professed member of the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis. Now retired, he splits his time between Minnesota and
Arizona.
The Mythology Shelf
The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think
Carolyne Larrington
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110-0017
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
9780500252345, $34.95, HC, 320pp
https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-That-Shape-WeThink/dp/0500252343
Synopsis: With the publication of "The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think" by Professor Carolyne Larrington is
a brilliantly original and accessible guide to exploring how Valhalla and its Valkyries have inspired our cultural landscape,
from Wagner to the Marvel Universe. Professor Larrington's elegantly written recounting of Norse legends and folklore
stories capture the beauty of the original myths, while also delving deeper into the history of their meanings, offering the
reader an intelligent and up-to-date take on these powerful stories.
A ruggedly handsome blond man swings his huge hammer. Gaunt- faced figures with icicle crowns and frost-rimmed
cheekbones march from the north through an endless winter. These strange supernatural figures might sound familiar --
and also like creatures of myth and legend. Yet they haven't stepped straight off the vellum of ancient manuscripts. Rather,
these compelling characters are contemporary reimaginings of mythic figures from Old Norse mythology.
All these legends and folk tales speak to our contemporary hopes and fears, bridging the gap between a vanished medieval
past and a vibrant, living present. Professor Larrington guides us on an enchanting journey through centuries of heroism,
cruelty, and magic, while also exploring how these stories speak to the enduring human condition.
Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of 14 color and 85 black/white illustrations, and also available in a
digital book format (Kindle, $16.99) "The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think" is especially recommended for
students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in understanding of Norse mythology and its
cultural resonances down through the centuries to our present time. A seminal work that is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in
organization and presentation, "The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think offers a thoughtful and thought-
provoking examination at the core values of Norse mythology -- revealing their cultural impact up from antiquity to the
present day.
Editorial Note: Carolyne Larrington (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyne_Larrington) is Professor of Medieval
European Literature at the University of Oxford. Her previous books include The Norse Myths: A Guide to the Gods and
Heroes, The Poetic Edda, and All Men Must Die: Power and Passion in Game of Thrones.
The Political Science Shelf
Illiberal Vanguard
Alexandar Mihailovic
University of Wisconsin Press
728 State Street, Suite 443, Madison, WI 53706-1418
www.uwpress.wisc.edu
9780299340506, $79.95, HC, 240pp
https://www.amazon.com/Illiberal-Vanguard-Populist-Elitism-United/dp/0299340503
Synopsis: Recent years have witnessed a growing affinity between increasingly radicalized right-wing movements in the
United States and Russia, countries that only recently viewed each other as intractable foes.
With the publication of " Illiberal Vanguard: Populist Elitism in the United States and Russia", Professor Alexandar
Mihailovic untangles this confluence, considering ethnonationalist movements in both countries and their parallel
approaches to gender, race, and performative identity. Rather than probe specific points of possible contact or political
collusion, Professor Mihailovic unveils the mirrored styles of thought that characterize far-right elitism in two erstwhile
enemy nations.
Professor Mihailovic investigates notable right-wing actors like Steve Bannon and Alexander Dugin and targets of
right-wing ire such as globalization, LGBTQ+ activism, and mobilizations to remove controversial statues (that honor
Confederate generals and Soviet leaders, for instance), but the argument extends beyond the specifics.
How and why are radical right-wing movements developing along such similar trajectories in two nominally oppositional
countries? How do religious sectarianism, the construction of whiteness, and institutionalized homophobia support each
other in this transnational, informal, but powerful allegiance?
Despite their appeals to populism and flamboyant theatrics, Professor Mihailovic argues, much of the answer can be found
in the mutual desire to justify and organize an illiberal vanguard of elite intellectuals, one that supports and advocates for a
new authoritarianism.
Critique: A seminal, informative, and impressively insight work of meticulous and deftly scripted, organized and presented
scholarship, "Illiberal Vanguard: Populist Elitism in the United States and Russia" is a timely contribution to our
understanding of the current political turmoil and polarity of American politics -- including the dramatic changes within
the Republican Party. Informatively enhanced with the inclusion of a two page listing of Acknowledgments, twenty pages
of Notes, a twenty-two page bibliography of Works Cited, and a twenty-one page Index, "Illiberal Vanguard: Populist
Elitism in the United States and Russia" is a critically important and highly recommended addition to personal,
professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science, Fascism, and US/Russian
Relations collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
Editorial Note: Alexandar Mihailovic is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Russian at Hofstra University
and visiting professor at Bennington College. His books include The Mitki and the Art of Postmodern Protest in Russia,
Corporeal Words: Mikhail Bakhtin's Theology of Discourse, and an edited volume, Tchaikovsky and His Contemporaries:
A Centenary Symposium. (https://www.bennington.edu/academics/faculty/alexandar-mihailovic)
The Audiobook Shelf
A Girl Called Samson
Amy Harmon, author
Tavia Gilbert, narrator
Brilliance Audio
www.brillianceaudio.com
9798400110443, $19.99, MP3-CD (13 Hours 14 Minutes)
https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Called-Samson-Novel/dp/B0BCQKB2S4
Synopsis: In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the
family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on,
she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.
Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the
cause, disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. Her impressive height and lanky build make her
transformation a convincing one, and it isn't long before she finds herself confronting the horrors of war head-on.
But as Deborah fights for her country's freedom, she must contend with the secret of who she is -- and, ultimately, a
surprising love she can't deny.
Critique: Of particular interest to fans of historical romance novels, this complete and unabridged audio book edition of
Amy Harmon's novel "A Girl Called Samson" is brought vividly to life in a deftly narrated edition by the vocal storytelling
talents of Tavia Gilbert -- making it an immediately popular addition to both personal and community library Historical
Romance audio book collections.
Editorial Note #1: Amy Harmon (www.authoramyharmon.com) has written nineteen novels, including the USA Today
bestseller Making Faces. Her historical novel From Sand and Ash was the Whitney Award-winning Novel of the Year in
2016. Her novel What the Wind Knows topped the Amazon charts for thirteen weeks and was on the top 100 bestsellers
chart for six months. Her novel A Different Blue is a New York Times bestseller, and her USA Today bestselling fantasy
The Bird and the Sword was a Goodreads Best Book of 2016 finalist.
Editorial Note #2: Tavia Gilbert (https://taviagilbert.com) is an award-winning storyteller with 20 years' expertise in audio:
Performer, producer, and writer, she has been a Grammy Award Nominee, a Booklist Magazine Narrator of the Year
winner, and an Audie Award Winner for Best Female Narrator.
The Library CD Shelf
Who Are You? The Music of Kenny Wheeler
Duncan Hopkins
duncanhopkins.com
TPR Records
tprrecords.ca
$TBA CD / $TBA digital
Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014) was a Canadian composer who played the trumpet and flugelhorn, known for his work in
jazz, free improvisation, and even rock music. Who Are You? The Music of Kenny Wheeler is the seventh album featuring
British/Canadian bassist Duncan Hopkins as a leader, along with Ted Quinlan and Reg Schwager on guitar, and Michel
Lambert on drums. Five songs are sourced from Kenny Wheeler's recordings, while the final three tracks are a suite written
by Hopkins at Wheeler's suggestion. An extraordinary celebration and tribute of Kenny Wheeler's legacy, Who Are You?
The Music of Kenny Wheeler is a treasure for jazz connoisseurs and highly recommended for personal and public library
music collections. The tracks are Who Are You?, Foxy Trot, We Salute the Night, Nicolette, Mark Time: The St.
Catharines Suite, Montebello, Kitts, and Salina St.
Cadence
Cinder Well
Privately Published
$14.98 CD / $20.98 vinyl / $8.99 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Cadence-Cinder-Well/dp/B0BV7GSXW1
Cadence is a beautiful, original folk music album featuring trance electric guitar, expansive string sections, and sweeping
lyrics that recall treasured memories of California beaches. A hint of Irish influence is also present in this emotional,
evocative soundscape. Cadence is a treasure for personal and public library collections, and also makes an excellent gift.
The tracks are Two Heads, Grey Mare; Overgrown; Returning; Cadence; Well on Fire; Crow; Gone the Holding; A
Scorched Lament; and I Will Close in the Moonlight.
Season's Journey
Fred Farell
Privately Published
$11.98 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Journey-Fred-Farell/dp/B0BTPDTWYV
Season's Journey is a jazz album featuring the dulcet vocals of Fred Farell, accompanied by musical director Roberto Piket
on piano and Ratzo Harris on acoustic bass. The resonant, emotional songs showcase Farell's passion and talent. Season's
Journey is jazz that communicates uplifting joy, and a treasure for connoisseurs as well as public library music collections.
Highly recommended! The tracks are Lost In The Stars; Waltz For Debby; Dindi; I'm Glad There Is You; Once I Loved;
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most; Zeal; My Ship, I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face; Skylark; Estate; What
Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life? and Eon.
Legacy
Paul Litteral
www.plitteral.com
Outrageous 8 Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZN15DXN
Legacy showcases jazz trumpeter Paul Litteral's performances of jazz songs by a variety of composers, and accompanied
by a multitude of talented instrumental and vocal music artists. A swinging, resounding way to experience inspired tracks
and arrangements of beloved classics, Legacy is a treasure for connoisseurs of sublime trumpet performances and library
music collections, highly recommended. The tracks are Hard Times; Accentuate the Positive; Lonesome Suzie; There Will
Never Be Another You; I Can't Make You Love Me; Makin' Whoopie; Desperado; For Once In My Life; Shiver Me
Timbers; Do It Again; and The Moon Ain't Made of Green Cheese.
Saxology
Wayne Alpern
www.waynealpern.com
Henri Elkan Music
$15.00 CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/Saxology-Wayne-Alpern/dp/B0C16TH33F
Composer Wayne Alpern presents Saxology, a showcase of 18 jazz arrangements for the New York Saxophone Quartet.
Wayne Alpert has arranged the pieces performed by four world-class saxophone performers: Steve Kenyon on soprano
saxophone, Todd Groves on alto saxophone, Dave Noland on tenor saxophone, and John Winder on baritone saxophone.
Saxology is a "must" for connoisseurs of great saxophone music, and highly recommended for personal and public library
collections. The tracks are All the Things You Are; Anthropology; Do Re Mi; Fascinating Rhythm; Hide Your Love
Away; It Never Entered My Mind; Joy Spring; Lady Is a Tramp; Little Darlin'; Lonely Goatherd; Moten Swing; My
Foolish Heart; Nessun Dorma; People; Rocker; Turn out the Stars; Two Sleepy People; and When I'm Sixty-Four.
Muse Cafe
Buzz Amato
buzzamato.com
Blue Canoe Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHWJGL27
Muse Cafe is an original album by independent producer, writer, arranger, and keyboardist Buzz Amato. Featuring eleven
original songs inspired by each of the Greek muses, Muse Cafe is artistic, introspective, and thoroughly inspirational. Muse
Cafe is a joy to experience, and also makes an excellent gift! Highly recommended. The tracks are Mount Helicon; Muse
Cafe; Tickle Me Blue; Angel In My Pocket; Melpomene; 'Round 12am; Bossame Mucho; Urania; The Dream; Sappho,
Last Call; and Going Home.
The Library DVD Shelf
Scrap
A film by Stacey Tenenbaum
First Run Features
www.firstrunfeatures.com
$19.95 DVD / $TBA digital
http://firstrunfeatures.com/scrapvod.html
Available digitally on Amazon, Apple TV, and iTunes as well as in physical DVD format, Scrap is a cinematic
documentary about recycling, especially the recycling of scrap metal objects, including run-down vehicles. Stories about
the human connections to objects, the sense of loss when those objects break down, and the joy of giving them a new
purpose add a heartfelt touch to this fascinating and educational showcase. Scrap is unforgettable, inspirational, and highly
recommended for both personal and public library DVD collections. 78 min.
The Sports Shelf
Hiking Safety Handbook
Art Hogling
Colorado Mountain Club Press
c/o Mountaineers Books
mountaineersbooks.org
9781937052867 $22.95 pbk / $21.80 Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Safety-Handbook-Art-Hogling/dp/1937052869
Synopsis: Hiking Safety Handbook is a comprehensive resource that teaches you the skills you need to stay safe. Seasoned
hiker and expert safety instructor Art Hogling brings experience, knowledge, and the latest research to bear on crucial
safety topics, such as weather, fire, and altitude sickness; what to do if you're lost; developing situational awareness; and
more. Combining research with useful tips, intel, and relatable, real-life stories, Hiking Safety Handbook gives you the
confidence to get out and explore, knowing that you can take care of yourself as well as help others in need.
Hiking Safety Handbook teaches core skills, such as dealing with weather, fire, altitude, animals, water crossings, and
staying found. Vital safety information is combined with relatable, real-life "teachable moments".
With more people discovering the excitement, beauty, and tranquility of the outdoors, hiking participation is at an all-time
high. Unfortunately, so too are hiking accidents. Knowing what to do in an emergency and--even more important--how to
keep yourself out of trouble in the first place are crucial.
Critique: Hiking Safety Handbook is an absolute "must-have" for hikers of all skill and experience levels. Full-color
photographs intersperse this practical-minded guide filled with safety advice ranging from wearing proper clothing, to
dealing with water hazards or hostile weather, what to do when lost, reacting to forest fires or animal encounters, and much
more. "Remove your vehicle registration from your glove box or leave a version without an address on it. Hikers have
reported being subject to break-ins where the crooks stole garage door openers and addresses from registrations left in
vehicles. Knowing the owners are out on the trail and not at home, the thieves compound the misery by quickly driving to
the victims' home and robbing it as well." While no guide can make outdoor activities completely safe, Hiking Safety
Handbook is a superb reference and resource to arm oneself with "outdoor street smarts" before hitting the trail! Hiking
Safety Handbook is worthy of the highest recommendation, and of a spot in every trail hiker's backpack. It should be noted
for personal reading lists that Hiking Safety Handbook is also available in a Kindle edition ($21.80).
Backpacking with Children
Malia Maunakea
Colorado Mountain Club Press
c/o Mountaineers Books
mountaineersbooks.org
9781937052874 $22.95 pbk
https://www.amazon.com/Backpacking-Children-Lightweight-Have-Trail/dp/1937052877
Synopsis: Backpacking as a family creates memories to last a lifetime and can be the start of a child's lifelong passion for
nature and the outdoors. But hiking successfully with kids takes planning. Knowing how to start, where to go, and what to
bring are crucial to everyone's enjoyment. The benefits of going lightweight with kids are huge, since the easier it is to
hike, the more fun everyone will have!
Lightweight Backpacking for Families teaches the basics of backpacking with kids--how to make it easy, fun, and as
comfortably lightweight as possible without breaking the bank. With intel on gear, meals, games, choosing a route, and
dealing with weather, animals, accidents, and more, Lightweight Backpacking for Families is an indispensable resource for
any family seeking to share their love of the outdoors together.
Backpacking with Children features un, safe, cost-effective ways to get out overnight with kids; crucial intel on gear: what
to splurge on, what to save on, and DIY projects; and information on route selection, games, meals, handling weather
challenges, and other tips and tricks.
Critique: Backpacking with Children: How to Go Lightweight, Have Fun, and Stay Safe on the Trail is a "must-have" for
families and anyone else planning outdoors activities with children. Chapters cover how to prepare, including what
clothing, footwear, and other gear to bring; how to select an ideal campsite and leave no trace upon the environment; how
to avoid or deal with obstacles ranging from biting insects to life-threatening safety hazards; and much more - such as
personal hygiene on the trail. "In heavily used areas, you may start to see more requirements to pack out your poop. Some
places offer free human waste bags and encourage backpackers to take everything out with them. Be sure to research area
specific requirements before you head out." Backpacking with Children is a thoroughly invaluable reference, resource, and
safety guide, worthy of the highest recommendation.
The Criminology Shelf
Sin City Gangsters
Jeffrey Sussman
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.rowman.com
9781538161234, $37.00, HC, 230pp
https://www.amazon.com/Sin-City-Gangsters-Decline-Vegas/dp/1538161230
Synopsis: With the publication of "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas", author Jeffrey
Sussman presents a fast-paced account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. It contains accounts of how the
most powerful mobsters in the country built, bought, and controlled not only gambling casinos in Vegas, but also many
important politicians, who did the mob's bidding.
Some of the more notorious mobsters were Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Dalitz, Sam Giancana, Tony Accardo, and
Nick Civella, as well as the men they chose to carry out their plans, such as Tony Spilotro, Lefty Rosenthal, and Donald
Angelini.
"Sin City Gangsters" devotes an entire chapter to Jimmy Hoffa, and how the Teamsters Pension Fund financed the mob's
casinos. It also offers fascinating accounts of the roles of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in Vegas. Another chapter is
devoted to Howard Hughes, who arrived in the dead of night in a sealed, germ-free railroad car and did not leave his suite
at the Desert Inn for years. During that time he bought one casino after another as if playing Monopoly. Following his exit
and that of the mob, Vegas became the domain of Jay Sarno, Kirk Kerkorian, Steve Wynn, and Sheldon Adelson.
These were visionaries who transformed Vegas into the entertainment capital of the world by building billion-dollars-plus
resorts and hiring the most popular contemporary entertainers.
"Sin City Gangsters: is the only account that charts Vegas from the first modest mob-owned casinos to the present
billion-dollar-resorts; its cast of characters is an assembly of exceedingly ambitious risk takers who let nothing stand in
their way of turning their dreams into stunning realities.
Critique: An absolute 'must read' for readers with an interest in Organized Crime in general, and the 20th Century history
of Las Vegas in particular, "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is an inherently
fascinating read that is further enriched by the inclusion of a four page Bibliography and a eight page Index. Exceptionally
impressive and well written history, "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is unreservedly
and especially recommended for community and academic library American Criminology & Organized Crime collections
and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise
and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $35.00).
Editorial Note: Jeffrey Sussman is the author of 16 books, six of which have been published by Rowman and Littlefield.
His most recent titles include Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York (2022), Holocaust
Fighters: Boxers, Resisters, and Avengers (2021) and Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science
(2019).
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
www.midwestbookreview.com
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