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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 7 July 2007 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Egyptology Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Poetry Shelf World History Shelf Biography Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Art Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Aviation Shelf Literary Shelf Native American Shelf
Judaic Studies Shelf Mechanical Engineering Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Library Science Shelf Photography Shelf
American History Shelf Genealogy Shelf Business Shelf
Education Shelf Philosophy Shelf Civil War Shelf
Library CD Music Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Economics Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Parenting Shelf Self-Help Shelf Science Shelf
Political Science Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf Travel Shelf
Gardening Shelf Social Issues Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations: 2nd Edition
Robert F. Gorman and Edward S. Mihalkanin
Scarecrow Press
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780810855489, $85.00 www.scarecrowpress.com 1-800-462-6420

Political Science Professor Robert F. Gorman and Assistant Political Science Professor Edward S. Mihalkanin present Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations, now in a complete revised and updated second edition. Historical Dictionary of Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations is a comprehensive reference of alphabetically arranged, cross-referenced entries describing private, governmental, national, and international human rights organizations; significant people and events in the history of human rights movements; critical treaties in history; and much more. A chronology, appendices, black-and-white photographs, and a bibliography round out this ideal reference for college library shelves and students of human rights and international politics.


The Egyptology Shelf

Imagining Egypt
Mark Millmore
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
151 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011
9781579125479, $24.95 www.bdlev.com 1-800-722-7202

In "Imagining Egypt: A Living Portrait Of The Time Of The Pharaohs", artist and author Mark Millmore provides the reader with a beautifully illustrated historical survey and account of the society, customs, rituals, beliefs, architecture, government, monuments, and daily life of ancient Egypt. Of special interest is Millmore's pairing of color photographs of sites and structures as they appear today along side beautifully executed computer recreations of how those same sites and structures appeared in their own time and place. Readers will learn how hieroglyphs how decoded, how the pyramids were built, and the religious beliefs and theologies that made Egypt so distinctive among the nations and empires of antiquity. Superbly organized and presented, "Imagining Egypt" is ideal for the non-specialist general reader and would make a popular addition to school and community library World History and Ancient History collections.

Tehuti Research Foundation
PO Box 39406, Greensboro, NC 27438-9406
www.egypt-tehuti.org 1-336-855-8111

Author and Egyptologist Moustafa Gadalla has published two more titles in his impressive series of independent researches into the history, culture, impact, and legacy of ancient Egypt. In "The Ancient Egyptian Culture Revealed" (9781931446273, $19.95) Gadalla relates many hitherto obscure aspects of a 36,000-year-old Egyptian civilization including their societal/political system as the source of Greek philosophy as exemplified by Plato's 'Ideal Republic and Laws', as well as Hellenic knowledge and practices with respect to medicine, music, science, manufacturing, industries, trade policies, and so much more that has been recognized by traditional scholarship. Additionally readers will be introduced to the simplicity, coherence and beauty of the religion of Ancient Egypt; and their ability to determine the sex of an unborn child; their population migration, settlements and influences throughout the ancient world. In "The Ancient Egyptian Roots Of Christianity" (9781931446297, $12.95), Gadalla connects certain historical and spiritual aspects of Christianity to their roots in Ancient Egypt including the prominent ancestors (Moses, David, and Solomon)of the historical Jesus, Christian tenants of the early church; the names Christ, Mary, Lazarus, and others; the creation story as set down in the Book of Genesis; and such Christian concepts as Christmas, epiphany, Last Supper; Easter, transfiguration, and more. Both of these two new volumes of discovery and interpretation are welcome and iconoclastic additions to the growing body of alternative archaeology and Egyptology. Both of these informed and informative volumes are especially recommended to the attention of students in Egyptology, Christianity, Metaphysics, and Archaeology. Readers with an interest in Egyptology would do very well to visit the Tehuti Research Foundation website at www.egypt-tehuti.org for a complete listing of all their available titles on the subject.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Science and Religion... and Culture in the Jesuit Tradition
Jose Mario Francisco SJ & Roman Miguel de Jesus, editors
ATF Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9781920691356, $21.00 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Edited by Jose Mario Francisco SJ (associate professor, Loyola School of Theology) and philosopher Roman Miguel de Jesus, Science and Religion... and Culture in the Jesuit Tradition: Perspectives from East Asia is an anthology of essays by learned authors in the context of a Jesuit mission in the Philippines. Individual essays are bound by the common theme of finding the proper balance between science and religion, from "Genetically Modified Crops: An Assessment from a Christian Ethical Perspective" to "A Critique of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Statement on the Environment" and much more. The scholarly essays frequently offer helpful suggestions and steps Christians can take, both individually and collectively. "...every religion has similar potential, based on different sets of belief. It is the religious ethicist's task to unlock that potential as the human family faces the brave new world of bio-technology. Theology, religious ethics and people of faith are not the opponents of science. They are both its humanisers and its potential beneficiaries." In today's era of cutting-edge technological advances, Science and Religion... is invaluable for its precepts that apply far beyond the Philippines, indeed to the world as a whole.

Core Christianity
Elmer Towns
AMG Publishers
6815 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421
9780899571096, $12.99 www.amazon.com

Written by Elmer Towns, who co-founded Liberty University with Jerry Falwell, Core Christianity: What is Christianity All About? rejects the postmodern way of thinking that eschews the miraculous and the supernatural aspects of Christian faith. Core Christianity accepts the Bible at face value, beginning with the central tenet that Christianity is central to the person of Jesus Christ. Chapters unambiguously stress that Christianity is an exclusive salvation, a disciplined lifestyle, a movement that transforms culture, a global directive to follow God's plan to evangelize the world, and the ultimate hope. "It is impossible to convince the mind through reason alone that the Bible is God's book. Salvation involves all aspects of a person's personality. You must know (with your mind) the facts of your lost condition and that Jesus died for you. Second, you must feel (with your emotions) sorrow for sinning against God, as well as love for Him because of what Christ has done for you. Third, you must choose (with your will) to put your trust in Christ to save you from sin." A solid, highly accessible guide to fundamentalist evangelical Christian belief, as penned by a true believer.

The Quick-Start Beginner's Guide to the Bible
J. Stephen Lang
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
9780736919388, $11.99 www.harvesthousepublishers.com 1-800-547-8979

Bestselling author J. Stephen Lang puts his religion degree to the test in The Quick-Start Beginner's Guide to the Bible, a no-nonsense, easy-to-understand resource for readers of all backgrounds who need to swiftly familiarize themselves with the basics of what the Bible is about, where it came from, and why it is relevant today. Chapters cover the history of the Bible's creation and the "authority problem" of interpretation, learning how to pray with the Bible, and much more. All the books of the Bible are summarized very succinctly in one chapter; The Quick-Start Beginner's Guide to the Bible spends the majority of its emphasis on facts about the Bible and guidance for Christian readers seeking to enrich their prayers. An excellent guide especially for Bible study groups and Christians who are relative novices to the Bible.

12 Steps to Congregational Transformation
David C. Laubach
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
9780817015022, $12.00 www.judsonpress.com 1-800-458-3766

Written by Reverend Dr. David Laubach, 12 Steps to Congregational Transformation: A Practical Guide for Leaders is a guide especially for pastors and church leaders to helping one's church survive and thrive. Grounded in the author's years of experience in helping churches transform, chapters give practical tools, tips, tricks, techniques and advice for revitalizing one's congregation and community. Biblical text commentary, questions for reflection and action, and the occasional black-and-white cartoon enhance this handy and motivational guide. "I am amazed when I ask church leaders who have a vision statement to recite it and they stumble. If you fall into that category, you may want to begin the visioning process afresh. A statement drafted by the pastor or crafted by a committee may contain wonderful sentiments and cause heads to nod in assent, but it will not be emotionally owned by the entire congregation." An invaluable resource for church leaders of all denominations.

Worship Without Words, expanded edition
Patricia S. Klein
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
9781557255044, $19.95 www.paracletepress.com

Now in an expanded second edition, Worship Without Words: The Signs and Symbols of Our Faith is a solid quick-reference guide to terms, symbols, clothing, titles, and more used in Christian liturgical worship. From dictionary-like sections that spell out definitions with visual aid from simple black-and-white pictures, to the cycles and holidays of the liturgical year, to lessons and books of worship, the concept of the body of Christ, vestments, and more, Worship Without Words is an excellent primer for anyone new to liturgical worship whether through conversion or rediscovery. A reader-friendly, highly accessible resource. Also highly recommended is author Patricia S. Klein's "A Year With C.S. Lewis".

The Magdalene Moment
Joanna Manning
Raincoast Books
9050 Shaughnessy Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6P 6E5
9781551928739, $29.95 www.raincoast.com

The Magdalene Moment: A Vision for a New Christianity is a thoughtful discussion of Christian spirituality and problems inherent in the Catholic church, as written by former nun Joanna Manning. Chapters discuss the difficulties Manning endured to become a nun, how she left the convent to get married, the shock of learning about scandals involving priests committing sexual abuse of children, how her efforts to speak out against such unforgivable betrayals of trust was the final straw that broke apart her marriage, and much more. The Magdalene Moment is at its heart a spiritual book with elements of memoir, rather than a memoir with elements of spirituality, and its core precept is an effort to draw upon Mary Magdalene as an inspirational model of "justice from the heart" as well as a call for women everywhere to take part in religious leadership. The Magdalene Moment seeks to reconcile and integrate sexuality with spirituality, rather than reject sexuality in the name of spirituality; to exalt the virtue of respect for religious pluralism into worship; and to reconcile the wonder of Biblical Creation with empirical truths revealed by modern science. A thoughtful, honest, and loving testament to worship in today's changing modern era and myriad social problems, enthusiastically recommended for Christians of all denominations.

Swedenborg Oetinger Kant
Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Swedenborg Publishers
320 North Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380
9780877853213, $19.95 www.swedenborg.com 1-800-355-3222

Wouter J. Hanegraaff (Professor of History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents, University of Amsterdam) presents Swedenborg Oetinger Kant: Three Perspectives on the Secrets of Heaven is both a close scrutiny of spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg's "Secrets of Heaven", and an examination of how philosophers Friedrich Christoph Oetinger and Immanuel Kant responded to Swedenborg's ideas, including Oetinger's transition from qualified acceptance to unqualified rejection, and Kant's reviews and later lectures on metaphysics. Number 18 in the Swedenborg Studies Series, Swedenborg Oetinger Kant is a scholarly, intellectual discussion of the intersection of three quintessentially notable thinkers of their era. Especially recommended as a companion study volume to Swedenborg's "Secrets of Heaven" itself.

Statements of the LDS First Presidency
Gary James Bergera, compiler
Signature Books
564 West 400 North, Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3411
9781560851950, $34.95 www.signaturebooks.com 1-800-356-5687

Compiled by acclaimed Mormon studies scholar Gary James Bergera, Statements of the LDS First Presidency: A Topical Compendium is an amalgamation of writings by the First Presidency, that is, the President of the Church and his counselors. These communications, as issues by the men of the First Presidency over many decades, represent the authority to speak for God to Mormon believers. Statements of the LDS First Presidency arranges fundamental precepts on every aspect of life by topic, encyclopedia-style. Topics range from abortion (deemed sinful except in cases of rape, incest, a threat to the mother's life or health, or severe defects that ensure the child cannot survive beyond birth) to Judaism ("We have a message for the Jews. We shall be most happy to give it to them if they will listen.") to welfare ("History, of course, is replete with the downfall of nations who, instead of assuming their own responsibility for their religious and economic welfare, mistakenly attempted to shift their individual responsibility to the government.") and much more. All statements are referenced so that readers may consult the original documents or publications. Though not directly a publication of the Latter-Day Saints Church, Statements of the LDS First Presidency is a seminal listing the unequivocal positions of the Church and strongly recommended for religious reference shelves.


The Poetry Shelf

Wild Mercy
Elizabeth Cunningham
Creatrix Books
PO Box 366, Cottage Grove, WI 53527
9780976060451, $12.95 www.creatrixbooks.com

An impressive and enthusiastically recommended compilation of tarot inspired poetry, the free verse poetry of Elizabeth Cunningham is unique with its metaphysical and Wiccan implications of image and mysticism. Inspired and inspiring, thoughtful and thought-provoking, this is a body of distinctive and imaginative verse that will resonate, line by line, image by image, and poem by poem in the mind and mind's eye of the reader. 'Failed Gods': All parents are failed gods./They do not keep the world safe./They do not deliver happiness.//They throw their children out of Eden/to cover their own shame.//They grow old and frail./Sometimes they are forgiven.

The Clearing
Philip White
Texas Tech University Press
PO Box 41037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037
9780896726055, $18.95 www.ttup.ttu.edu 1-800-832-4042

Written by Shakespeare and early English literature teacher Philip White, The Clearing is an anthology of brief, free-verse poems gravitating upon the somber topics of the deaths of White's parents and first wife. Ranging in emotion from detached solemnity to grief-stricken, The Clearing probes the inescapable twining of love and the sadness of loss, with a haunting yet ultimately captivating melodic tone. "Why Orpheus Looked Back": Even her voice is soundless now. She moves / like the damselflies in honeysuckle leaves / along the stream, their torsos iridescing, / wings so black they seem fluttering rents / in the tangible scene: so much silence / fringing every word, so much dark around / each wavering gleam. But what else could I / have asked of absence? I had seen its world, / the blank, evacuated gaze that wants nothing / yet embraces all we do. It was the world / I saw before me, coming back. I sang then / not for it but her, fainter though she'd grown / than air. I looked back because I knew / whichever way I looked it would be there."

Land Dreaming: Prose Poems
Kelwyn Sole
University of KwaZulul-Natal Press
Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa
c/o International Specialized Book Services (ISBS)
920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213-3786
9781869140786, $21.95 www.ukznpress.co.za www.isbs.com 1-800-944-6190

Written by Kelwyn Sole (Professor of English, University of Cape Town), Land Dreaming: Prose Poems is an anthology of poetic landscapes - flowing waves of descriptive language evoking the visceral sense of character, place, and time. Most poems are brief; all have a uniquely vivid quality that alights the imagination. An ideal read to experience amid the wonder of the outdoors, perhaps during a rest stop while hiking. "Kommetjie": A deserted moon plumbing down its well of brightness to clot / the ocean surface with light // also wefts the clouds that spume and melt, spume and melt, / over and over, hiding the mountain's summit. // The wind stays steady from the south-east. // On the beach two sets of footprints are a broken necklace flung / behind to be slowly scrubbed away. // He stops: wants to know why her face - when she looks at / him - becomes shipwrecked between emotions // and she speaks quietly. If we have nothing more to say to one / another, whose voice is it that cries out // from inside our silence?

Rebirth of Wonder
David M. Johnson
University of New Mexico Press
MSC04 2820, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
9780826339751, $21.95 www.unmpress.com 1-800-249-7737

Written By David M. Johnson (professor emeritus of English and creative writing, University of New Mexico) Rebirth of Wonder: Poems of Wonder is an anthology of prose and poetry drawn from Johnson's life experiences in adventures across the world, from Minnesota to Mexico, Spain, and Greece. Each prose segment or free-verse poem is brief, yet at times wryly contemplative of the characteristics of diverse locales, as well as the foibles of human nature. "Epiphany": There's not a day / I'm not amazed / by God's excess. // Yesterday / birds filled every branch / of our apple tree. / Today / a young friend / had her womb removed." From the well-meaning hubris of family members to the gentle wonder of nature to the miracle of human birth itself, Rebirth of Wonder strikes a balance between dry humor, contemplative insight, and breathtaking amazement.


The World History Shelf

The Present State of Germany
Samuel Pufendorf, author
Michael J. Seidler, editor
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
9780865974937, $12.00 www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Originally published in 1667 by Sweden's and Brandenburg's official state historian Samuel Pufendorf (1632-1694), The Present State of Germany is a classic volume that sparked incendiary debate in its time due to its controversial and utterly unapologetic deconstruction of mainstream German constitutional law. This edition has been meticulously assembled by comparing its 1696 translation by Edmund Bohun with Pufendorf's 1667 Latin original and Gundling's 1706 edition. The original prefaces to the two Latin editions have been translated into English for the first time, and an introduction by editor Michael J. Seidler offers historical and philosophical setting and context. An index rounds out this informative and instructive volume which is very highly recommended for classic history text reference collections.


The Biography Shelf

When Grownups Play at War
Ilona Flutsztejn-Gruda, author
Sarah Cummins, translator
Sumach Press
1415 Bathurst Street, Suite 202, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5R 3H8
9781894549431, $9.95 www.sumachpress.com

When Grownups Play at War is the true-life childhood memoir of author Ilona Flutsztejn-Gruda, a survivor of World War II in Europe. She was nine years old, a Jew living in Poland, when the German planes began to drop their bombs. Her experiences of terrible horror, desperation, surviving on little, witnessing both the kindness and the murderousness of strangers, have been fluently translated into English by Sarah Cummins. She survived in part by escaping to the Soviet Union with her family, only to witness Communist cruelty and paranoia replace Nazi genocide after the close of the war - even prisoners of war liberated from German concentration camps were at risk for being sent to prison camps in Siberia. A telling story of hardship and coming of age amid ruthlessly trying times, highly recommended.

Inside Intermarriage
Jim Keen
URJ Press
633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6778
9780807409664, $15.95 www.urjpress.com 1-888-489-8242

Written by Jim Keen, a Christian father committed to helping his Jewish wife raise Jewish children, Inside Intermarriage: A Christian Partner's Perspective on Raising a Jewish Family is a one-of-a-kind testimony about the unique dynamics of interfaith love, matrimony, and child-rearing. "A friend of mine recently asked me how I decided to give this 'gift' [the decision to raise the children Jewish] to my wife. She wanted to know what were the factors that made this the right choice. I had a hard time answering that one. I finally said that, technically speaking, there wasn't one thing per se that did it. Nothing forced us to decide one way or the other. The only criterion that we had was that we both had to be happy with the resolution. There is no right or wrong answer." Chapters address the author's experience as an outsider to his wife's culture, well-treated but still a "non-Jew", learning to make family connections at the Jewish Community Center, difficult choices during family celebrations of the holidays, particularly in the ubiquitously marketed Christmas season, and much more. "Fortunately, Bonnie's stepmother offered us a refreshing bit of wisdom. She said, 'One day out of the year isn't going to make or break their Jewish identity. It's how you raise your kids as Jews the other 364 days that counts." A fascinating testimony in its own right, and enthusiastically recommended reading for anyone contemplating interfaith marriage or especially interfaith parenting.

Facing the Night
Ned Rorem
Shoemaker & Hoard, Publishers
1400 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville, CA 94608
9781593760885, $25.00 www.shoemakerhoard.com

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem, Facing the Night: A Diary (1999-2005) and Musical Writings is the latest installment of Rorem's musings on his life in his own words. An eclectic anthology of musings day by day, Facing the covers how Rorem, a gay man, had to cope with the terrible loss of Jim Holmes, his companion of thirty-two years. Overwhelmed with grief, he searched for the path to continue in an ever-turning world, even has his eightieth birthday was celebrated nationwide with concerts and programs as is often done for celebrities. Facing the Night's topics range from the profound matters of life itself, to discussions of nuances in efforts to translate works, to reflections on the myriad dimensions of music and much more. "Music has nothing to do with intelligence, or even with culture - or how do you account for so many educated intellectuals, including major creative writers and painters like Kafka and Picasso, being tone-deaf? Nor does music improve us so much as make us more of what we already are - or how do you account for Nero fiddling while Rome burns, or Nazis playing Beethoven quartets to drown the prisoners' screams? Music is not morality, and many a miraculous musician, starting with Wagner, is no better than he should be. To use music as therapy is to belittle the composer." Highly recommended and eminently readable, a few vignettes at a time or all at once.

Elena Poniatowska: An Intimate Biography
Michael K. Schuessler
University of Arizona Press
355 South Euclid Avenue, Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719-6654
9780816525010, $19.95 www.uapress.arizona.edu 1-800-426-3797

Elena Poniatowska: An Intimate Biography is an amazing window into the life and work of socially conscious writer Elena Poniatowska, a descendant of the last king of Poland, whose voice is best known in Mexico but deserves to be known everywhere else. Written by Poniatowska's friend of fifteen years Michael K. Schuessler, Elena Poniatowska: An Intimate Biography draws upon numerous interviews to reveal a multiplicity of perspectives - from fellow writers, literary critics, her nanny, her mother, and herself - upon Poniatowska's remarkable life and works. 40 black-and-white photographs, an annotated bibliography of Poniatowska's writings including those translated into English and those yet to be translated, and an index round out this "must-have" companion to any college library or literature shelf featuring Poniatowska's work.

Adorno in America
David Jenemann
University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
9780816648092, $22.95 www.upress.umn.edu

Written by David Jenemann (assistant professor of English, University of Vermont) Adorno in America is a biography of German philosopher and cultural critic Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969), who lived in exile in the United States from 1938 to 1953. Drawing upon Adorno's theories and archival materials ranging from Adorno's unpublished writings to FBI files, Jenemann reveals Adorno's experiences in New York and Los Angeles, and proffers not only the Adorno's story, but an evolving perspective on the rise of mass culture and consumerism. An exalting portrait of Adorno as a defender of intellectual democracy, as well as an intriguing portrait of mid-twentieth century cultural shifts, Adorno in America is highly recommended for philosophy and cultural criticism shelves as well as biography shelves.

Distinguished Service
Thomas C. Reeves
Marquette University Press
PO Box 3141, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3141
9780874620177, $45.00 www.marquette.edu/mupress

Written by retired history teacher Thomas C. Reeves, Distinguished Service: The Life of Wisconsin Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr. is an in-depth, studious biography of Walter J. Kohler, Jr. (1904-76) who served as Wisconsin's governor during the mid-twentieth century. Distinguished Service spares no detail, from its recounting of Kohler's genealogy to the meticulous analysis of his life and gubernatorial service to its contemplation of his legacy. An inset section of black-and-white photographic plates and an index complement this scholarly account, especially recommended for public library and biography shelves.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Lefty Kreh's Longer Fly Casting
Lefty Kreh
The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781599210872, $14.95 www.globepequot.com 1-800-243-0495

Lefty Kreh is an internationally renowned and acknowledged master of the art and science of fly fishing. Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, "Lefty Kreh's Longer Fly Casting: The Compact, Practical Handbook That Will Add Ten Feet -- Or More -- To Your Casts" is certain to improve the fly casting performance of any angler. This 98-page, profusely illustrated instruction manual analyses the basic forward cast, explains its different parts and dynamics, and then builds on that to fully illustrate the essential fly casting technique for targeting fish at the arm's maximum range known as the 'double haul'. Of special note is the cogent explanation of properly using a shooting head and overcoming many common obstacles to successful fly casting including wind factors, trees, casting from boats, and more. "Lefty Kreh's Longer Fly Casting" should be considered mandatory reading for anyone seeking to improve their fly cast fishing performance. Also very highly recommend are Lefty Kreh's other fly fishing instruction manuals and guides: "Presenting The Fly"; "Fly Fishing in Salt Water"; "Saltwater Fly Patterns"; "Practical Fishing Knots"; "Solving Casting Problems", and "101 Fly-Fishing Tips".

Tying & Fishing Soft-Hackled Nymphs
Allen McGee
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
9781571884039, $24.95 www.amatobooks.com

A preferred food source by trout, underwater aquatic insects make an effective lure for those who know how to create them. Typical lures are in the form of the size, shape, and color of the natural insect. but soft-hackled nymphs also imitate the insect's movement and behavior -- thereby enhancing their ability to lure a trout to attack. In "Tying & Fishing soft-Hackled Nymphs", fly fishing expert Allen McGee clearly and methodically explains how to imitate sub-surface aquatic insects using both traditional and modern soft-hackled nymphs along with their most effective presentation techniques. When combining thread and translucent fur body material, these flies take on truly life-like properties that, when fished throughout the water column from the stream bottom, imitate immature nymphal forms. The result is a more successful fly fishing experience and catching more trout! A welcome and specialized addition to fly fishing instructional reference collections, "Tying & Fishing Soft-Hackled Nymphs" is especially recommended reading for novice anglers and will prove to be an invaluable instructional reference for every the more experienced fly fisherman.


The Art Shelf

The Uffizi Gallery Museum
Alexandra Bonfante-Warren
Hugh Lauter Levin Associates
9 Burr Road, Westport, CT 06880
0883635127, $75.00 1-203-227-6422

The Uffizi Gallery is Europe's first and oldest museum founded in 1546 when Cosimo I, the Medici due of Tuscany, envisioned bringing Florence's administrative and judicial entities and most powerful guilds under a single roof. The Uffizi Gallery houses two outstanding collections: The Galleria with masterpiece paintings dating from the 13th to the 19th century (as well as great works of sculpture from classical antiquity); and the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe, a collection comprised of almost 120,000 drawings and prints. "The Uffizi Gallery Museum" is the story of these impressive collections and is superbly illustrated with more than 300 full-color illustrations combined with an informed and informative text. This is a showcase of the Renaissance that took place in Florence, Italy and has proved to be influential as a resource and example for every generation of artists from its inception down to the present day. No serious academic or community library Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of a copy of "The Uffizi Gallery Museum" by Alexandra Bonfante-Warren.

The Art And Architecture Of Persia
Giovanni Curatola & Gianroberto Scarcia
Abbeville Press
137 Varick Street, Suite 504, New York, NY 10019-1105
9780789209207, $95.00 www.abbeville.com 1-800-343-4499

The collaborative work of Giovanni Curatola (Professor of Islamic Archeology and Art History at the University of Undine) and Gianroberto Scarcia (Professor of Arabic-Islamic Culture History at the University of Venice), "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" is a comprehensive and superbly presented introduction that is as informed and informative as it is visual enhanced with the inclusion of 217 illustrations (188 of which are in full color). Covering both pre- and post-Islamic Persian art, this thoroughly 'reader friendly' coffee table art book traces the artistic develop of ancient Persia and its influence throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" commences with the Achaemenids and the Sasanian (who dominated pre-Islamic Persia) and proceeds down through the centuries covering each successive phase of Persia's traditional traditions. From the needlecraft arts, to metalurgy, to pottery, to monuments, memorials, temples, mosques, and palaces, "The Art And Architecture Of Persia" offers a stunningly beautiful tour of an incredible complex and extended culture. Also very highly recommended for both academic and community library collections is a related title edited by Giovanni Curatola, "The Art And Architecture of Mesopotamia" (9780-7892-0921-4, $95.00, Abbeville Press).

Shine Hanga
Barryh Till
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
PO Box 808022, Petaluma, CA 94975-8022
9788764940392, $24.95 www.pomegranate.com 1-800-227-1428

from the late 19th through mid-twentieth century, the 'shin hanga' or new print movement flourished in Japan under the influence of Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962). This novel and distinctive art form employed a traditional production system that combined the efforts of artists with those of carvers, printers, and publishers who came together to form 'studio teams' to create wood block prints that often included Kabuki actor portraits, landscapes, birds, flowers, and other natural themes familiar to the Japanese. "Shin Hanga: the New Print Movement Of Japan" is a superbly illustrated history of the 'shin hanga' movement while showcasing works by its principal artists. Featuring more than one hundred full color images combined with an impressively informed and informative text, "Shin Hanga" by Barry Till (Curator of Asian Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a seminal work and very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History and Japanese Popular Culture reference collections.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Broadsword And Singlestick
R. C. Allanson-Winn & C. Phillipps Wolley
Paladin Press
Gunbarrel Tech Center, 7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581605129, $16.00 www.paladin-press.com 1-800-392-2400

Co-authored by weapons experts R. C. Allanson-Winn and C. Phillipps Wolley who originally published this unique self-defense instruction guide in England in 1890, "Broadsword And Singlestick" is one of the earliest books available to the general public on the use of everyday items as weapons of self-defense. Featuring chapters on the use of the quarter staff, bayonets, cudgels, shillalahs, walking-sticks, umbrellas, and other miscellaneous but common objects, "Broadsword And Singlestick" also contains useful insights into armed combat training and how such training relates to real-world self-defense considerations and issues which still has relevance and value for men and women today. A classic work with resonate value for martial arts students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in self-defense today, "Broadsword And Singlestick" is a very highly recommended, thoroughly 'user friendly' reading, and appreciatively welcome addition to the growing library of self-defense and martial arts literature.


The Aviation Shelf

Return-To-Flight
Dennis R. Jenkins & Jorge R. Frank
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
158007104X, $16.95 www.specialtypress.com 1-800-895-4585

The collaborative work of Dennis R. Jenkins (a thirty year veteran engineer and manager on the Space Shuttle Program and other space-related programs and currently the Verville Fellow at the Smithsonian Institutions' national Air and Space Museum) and Jorge R. Frank (an aerospace engineer with eighteen years' experience on the Space Shuttle Program), "Return-To-Flight: Space Shuttle Discovery Photo Scrapbook" is the illustrated story of how NASA grounded the entire Space Shuttle fleet after the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003, in order to find out what had gone wrong and fix it. After thirty months of hard work, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Program's Return-to-Flight (STS-114) using the space craft Discovery. This was the most photographed flight in Space Shuttle history (including images taken from inside the cockpit and from a camera mounted on a long, robotic arm used to examine almost every inch of the Orbiter) and the foundation for this informed and informative history of this cutting edge aviation program. Superbly illustrated with 350 full color mission photos and an informative text, "Return-To-Flight is a seminal work and a core addition to personal, academic, and community library Aviation & Space Exploration History collections.


The Literary Shelf

Masterpieces Of Beat Literature
Michael J. Dittman
Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780313332838, $49.95 www.greenwood.com 1-800-225-5800

"Masterpieces Of Beat Literature" by Michael J. Dittman (Instructor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Butler County Community College) provides students with literary survey and analysis of that body of 20th Century counter-culture literature from what has become known as the 'Beat' generation. This was a body of literature that included novels, poetry, essays, and commentaries written during the chaos and changes of an America coping with the threat of nuclear war, the rise of anti-Communist hysteria, and the pressures to conform to social conventions. From Alan Ginsburg's 'Howl' to Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road', these were writers of the 1950s who were to influence an entire generation and laid the ground work for the counter-culture and anti-war movements of the 60s and 70s, and whose writings still have relevance for the protest movements of today. "Masterpieces Of Beat Literature" is a superb body of scholarship that is strongly recommended for inclusion into academic and community library American Literary History reference collections and college level supplemental reading lists.

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyere
Harold Bloom, editor
Bloom's Literary Criticism
c/o Chelsea House Publishers
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001
9780791093627, $30.00 www.chelseahouse.com 1-800-678-3633

'Bloom's Guides' is a series of reading and study guides designed use by students and adults seeking to gain a more sophisticated and erudite understanding of major works of literature. Written by Charlotte Bronte and published in 1847, 'Jane Eyre' is the story of a governess who, despite her plainness, catches the eye of her employer, a man named Edward Rochester. Considered a classic of Gothic and Victorian literature, 'Jane Eyre' has been popular among readers (and adapted to stage, film, and television productions) from its beginning. "Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre" offers concise critical excerpts that provide a scholarly overview of the novel, a 'Story Behind the Storey' commentary detailing the conditions under which the Bronte wrote her book, a biographical sketch of Bronte, a descriptive list of characters in the novel, an extensive summary and analysis of the work, as well as an annotated bibliography for further study. Offering insights into the literary themes and motives of a masterpiece of 19th century literature, "Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyere" is a welcome addition to school and community library Literary Criticism reference collections. Other very highly recommended titles in the 'Bloom's Literary Criticism' series for highschool and college library collections include "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (9780791093580, $30.pp); "Geoffrey Chaucer: Undated Edition" (9780791094389, $45.00); and "Stephen Crane: Updated Edition" (9780791094297, $45.00);

Dreams of Departure
Naguib Mahfouz, author
Raymond Stock, translator
The American University in Cairo Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
9789774160677, $19.95 www.aucpress.com 1-800-758-3756

Written by Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, and skillfully translated into English by biographer Raymond Stock, Dreams of Departure: The Last Dreams Published in the Nobel Laureate's Lifetime is the second collection Mahfouz's writings drawn from his own dreams, as serialized in a Cairo magazine in the time shortly before his death. Over two hundred dreams are presented; each one is brief, rarely more than a few paragraphs. An afterword by the translator rounds out this beautiful, prideful, and memorable collection. "Dream 118: I was in Ramle Station, always bustling with people, when at one end I caught sight of the man whose slogans the masses love to repeat, wooing a stunning woman. 'If you're doing something scandalous,' I whispered in his ear, 'then you should be discreet.' But he answered me bluntly, 'Is there anything more discreet than this?'" Highly recommended.


The Native American Shelf

The Essential Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa)
Michael Oren Fitzgerald, editor
World Wisdom
1501 East Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
9781933316338, $19.95 www.worldwisdom.com

The first native American author (eleven books published from 1902 until 1918) to live simultaneously in both the traditional world of the Santee Sioux (where his name was Ohiyesa) and the modern civilization of the white man, Charles Eastman was an intelligent, thoughtful man who sought to explain the philosophy and moral code of the Plains Indian to the dominant white culture. Eastman attended the injured at the infamous Battle of Wounded Knee, and knew first hand the plight of Native Americans seeking a spiritual way for themselves while having to live in a once nomadic society that was becoming increasingly dominated by materialism and industrial technology. He received his medical degree from Boston College and became the government physician on the Pine ridge Sioux reservation in South Dakota. He was presented a special medal honoring the most distinguished achievements by an American Indian. "The Essential Charles Eastman" is enhanced with an informative Foreword by Raymond Wilson, an excellent introduction by Janine Pease, ten sepia photographs illustrating Eastman's life, biographical notes, a bibliography of his works, and a useful index. "The Essential Charles Eastman" is an important and seminal addition to academic and community library Native American Studies reference collections and especially recommended reading for students of Native American metaphysics, philosophy, and spirituality.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Jewish Spiritual Direction
Rabbi Howard A. Addison & Barbara E. Breitman
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
9781580232302, $30.00 www.jewishlights.com 1-800-962-4544

Compiled and co-edited by Rabbi Howard A. Addison (G. G. Scholem Professor of Jewish Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Foundation and a faculty member at Temple University) and psychotherapist, teacher and writer Barbara Eve Breitman, "Jewish Spiritual Direction: An Innovate Guide From Traditional & Contemporary Sources' draws upon both Judaic traditions and classical foundations of spiritual direction to provide readers with an informed and insightful approach to Jewish spirituality. "Jewish Spiritual Direction" comprehensive covers diverse elements and issues of spirituality including theology, practice, rituals, meditations, companionship, group work, social justice, and 'embodied spirituality'. Representative and knowledgeable contributors are drawn from all four contemporary Jewish movements. "Jewish Spiritual Direction" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal, synagogue, academic, and community library Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Mechanical Engineering Shelf

Practical Plant Failure Analysis
Neville W. Sachs, P.E.
CRC Press
c/o Taylor & Francis Group
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
0849333768, $99.95 www.crcpress.com 1-800-272-7737

"Practical Plant Failure Analysis: A Guide To Understanding Machinery Deterioration And Improving Equipment Reliability" provides students of mechanical engineering with an interdisciplinary approach to the concept that component failures result from a combination of factors that involve materials science, mechanics, thermodynamics, corrosion, and tribology. Author Neville W. Sachs draws upon his more than thirty years of experience and expertise to provide the reader with a practical, informative, guide to improving machinery maintenance and reliability. "Practical Plant Failure Analysis" presents practical guidance on failure mechanism, including what leads to these failures and how to avoid them, as well as featuring 'user friendly' charts to logically diagnose a failure and take the appropriate correction action. "Practical Plant Failure Analysis" offers a clear and detailed explanation of the differences between through- and case-hardened gear teeth, while its informed and informative text is enhanced with more than 300 photographs and illustrations to develop competence and confidence in visually diagnosing machinery failures. An essential reference and comprehensive instructional guide to diagnosing and dealing with machinery failure, "Practical Plant Failure Analysis" is a core addition to academic, trade school, and professional reference library collections.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Devil Who Tamed Her
Johanna Lindsey, author
Laural Merlington, narrator
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
9781423327790, $36.95 www.brillianceaudio.com 1-800-854-7859

Bestselling author Johanna Lindsey presents The Devil Who Tamed Her, now in audiobook form. The sharp-tongued beauty Ophelia Reid has a cruel talent for starting and spreading rumors; in order to escape marriage to a future marquis, she applies her skill at scandal to sabotage him. The marquis' friend, Raphael Locke dares to meet the marquis in a bet to tame the wild beauty and turn her into a suitable match. Given the go-ahead by Ophelia's parents, he commandeers her coach and takes her (chaperoned, naturally) to the countryside, where he strives to teach her the wrong of her ways. Yet as he learns more about her, and considers her side of the story, he begins to question himself, questions that turn to pangs of the heart when Ophelia re-enters society looking to marry. Read aloud by professional theater and voice work actress Lural Merlington, The Devil Who Tamed Her is a sweeping romance novel of strong wills, tempestuous passions and forceful personalities, sure to please fans of Lindsey's prior works. 8 CDs, approximately 9 hours.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Harriet Jacobs, author
Nikki Giovanni, narrator
MasterBuy Audiobooks
20 Vesey Street, Suite 401, New York, NY 10007
9780974208824, $59.95 1-212-217-0977

As poignant and powerful today as it was when originally published in 1851, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is the unabridged audiobook autobiography of author Harriet Ann Jacobs (who used the pseudonym Linda Brent), who was born an African-American slave in 1813 and willed as property to the infant daughter of Dr. Flint, a man determined to sexually possess her. As his cruelty and brutality mounted, threatening her children, she took flight with help from the white and black friends of her free grandmother. She hid in the uninsulated attic crawl space of her grandmother's house for seven years before the opportunity to escape to freedom came; but even in the North, the threat of being kidnapped or recaptured remained. A stark, true portrait of life as a slave, in her own words, compellingly narrated by celebrated poet Nikki Giovanni. 8 CDs, approximately 10 hours.

The Alibi Club
Francine Mathes
Tantor Media, Inc.
114 Mill Rock Road East, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
1400133131, $69.99 www.tantor.com 1-877-782-6867

In a notorious after-hours joint called the Alibi Club a man named Philip Stilwell dies in a sex game gone wrong. His murder is part of a web of lies, passions, and espionage -- all connected to a desperate attempt to keep a new and deadly atomic weapon out of the hands of the Germans during the early years of World War II. Four women find themselves trying to smuggle a brilliant scientist and his nuclear research away from the Nazis. Superbly narrated by Ellen Archer, "The Alibi Club" by Francine Mathews is a deftly written historical espionage thriller that combines fiction and facts arising from an obscure but real-life incident from the war. Enthusiastically recommended listening for mystery/suspense fans, "The Alibi Club" is a complete and unabridged nine hour audiobook in a library edition that makes it an ideal acquisition for community library collections. "The Alibi Club" is also available in a trade edition (1400103134, $34.99, 8 CDs) and an MP3 format (1400153130, $24.99, 1 CD).

Blooding at Great Meadows
Alan Axelrod, author
David Drummond, narrator
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969, Ashland, OR 97520
9780786168668, $72.00 www.BlackstoneAudio.com 1-800-729-2665

Written by historian and creative consultant to television documentaries David Drummond, Blooding at Great Meadows is the unabridged audiobook version of the true story of George Washington long before he was the leader of the American Revolution and father of our country. Blooding at Great Meadows examines George Washington as a twenty-two year-old lieutenant colonel, who led four hundred American militiamen against a larger, more experienced French army and paid a steep price for the effort. Washington lost a third of his men, and the Battle of Great Meadows ignited the French and Indian War. In the crucible, Washington forged his intellect, his tactical skill, and his spirituality, all of which would be put to test in the future. Read by David Drummond, Blooding at Great Meadows is an amazing scrutiny of life-shaping events in a legendary national leader, highly recommended. 7 CDs, 9 hours.

The Good Guy
Dean Koontz, author
Richard Ferrone, narrator
Books On Tape, Inc.
400 Hahn, Westminister, MD 21157
9781415936351, $110.00 www.booksontape.com 1-800-541-5525

The Good Guy is an unabridged audiobook of Dean Koontz's suspenseful novel. When ordinary bar patron Timothy Carrier is mistaken for the wrong person - a hired killer - he is given ten thousand dollars and the photography of a woman marked for death. Shortly thereafter the assassin he was mistaken for sits next to him, mistaking him for the client, and Tim thinks on his feet, saying "I've had a change of heart. You get ten thousand - for doing nothing. Call it a no-kill fee." Following the apparent assassin out of the tavern, Tim discovers that the assassin is a cop! The relentless intrigue deepen in this extraordinary mystery, and the race to protect an innocent life from a ruthless murderer is on. Tim must discover his inner resources and the quality that can transform an ordinary man into a hero - into The Good Guy. Chillingly read by Richard Ferrone, The Good Guy is an audiobook to keep the listener on the edge of their seat to the very end. 8 CDs, 9 hours 18 minutes.

Never Better
Garrison Keillor
Highbridge Audio Books
201 Sixth Street SE, Suite 220, Minneapolis, MN 55414
9781598870947, $24.95 www.highbridgeaudio.com 1-800-755-8532

Never Better: Stories from Lake Wobegon is a compilation of ten new stories from live radio broadcasts of "A Prairie Home Companion", the popular, gently humorous show by Garrison Keillor. From the mighty effort of the girls' volleyball team to the migration of turtles to a reflection upon 2006 Christmas and how the most hardcore of traditionalists seem to be children, listening to Never Better is a truly heartwarming experience, sure to stir up fond memories of home and hearth. Highly recommended. 2 CDs, 2 1/4 hours.

Play Dead: A Novel
David Rosenfelt, author
Grover Gardner, narrator
Listen & Live Audio
PO Box 817, Roseland, NJ 07068
9781593160975, $29.95 www.listenandlive.com 1-800-653-9400

Novel and screenplay author David Rosenfelt presents Play Dead: A Novel, now in a complete and unabridged audiobook version narrated by award-winning voice actor Grover Gardner. Attorney Andy Carpenter is a golden retriever's best friend, and when he dares to appeal a golden retriever's death sentence, he discovers that the gentle dog is a key witness to a murder from five years ago. Andy must put his legal knowledge and persuasive oratory to the test in order to convince a disbelieving judge to accept canine testimony and free an innocent man from jail. At the root of the mystery is a threat to both dog and man, in this sensationally suspenseful audiobook especially recommended for golden retriever aficionados. 6 CDs, 8 hours.


The Library DVD Shelf

The Chambermaid
MTI Video
14216 SW 136th Street, Miami, FL 33186
DVD, $24.95 www.mtivideo.com

Michael runs a hotel while his overbearing and domineering mother runs Michael's life. But it's when Michael hires the young and beautiful Julia to be a housemaid that the real problems begin. Julia is on probation and trying to support herself while paying for her boyfriend Istvan's nasty habits. The result is that eternal triangle -- complicated by a mother's hatred, blackmail, manipulation, and double-crosses. Starring Fiona Horsey, Paul Conway, and William Rowsey, "The Chambermaid" was shot on location in Northern England. This enthusiastically recommended DVD edition of a suspense thriller movie experience also features a photo gallery, interactive menus, scene selection, trailers, and the option for Spanish subtitles. Full color, 94 minutes.

Grace Kelly
Janson Media
88 Semmens Road, harrington Park, NJ 07640
#20340, $24.95 www.janson.com

Born to a wealthy and competitive Philadelphia family, Grace Kelly was a lovely and talented woman who went from model, to stage and television actress, to movie star, to becoming the Princess of Monaco. Ably narrated by Richard Kiley, "Grace Kelly: The American Princess" is part of the Janson Media 'The Hollywood Collection' DVD series and presents the life and death of one of America's most beloved celebrities. This one-hour biography is enhanced further with the inclusion of a Grace Kelly Photo Gallery; an interview with filmmaker Gene Feldman about Grace Kelly which aired on the television show 'Good Morning America'; and a 'Meet the Producers' segment. "Grace Kelly: The American Princess" is a 'must' for the legions of Grace Kelly fans and would make a popular addition to community library DVD collections.

Journey Into The Unknown
Vision Video
PO Box 540, Worcester, PA 19490-0540
#501169D, $19.99 www.visionvideo.com 1-800-523-0226

Hanneke van Dam worked as a child psychologist at the courthouse in Amersterdam, Holland, when she heard God's voice asking her to give up her job and move to Mongolia, leaving behind everything she had and everyone she knew. When she experienced this request Hanneke didn't even know where Mongolia was on a map. But she felt obliged to carry out God's mandate for her and went. When she got to Mongolia (an adventure in itself) she found herself in one of the coldest countries on earth where the majority of men were alcoholics, fueling violent behavior and disruptions of family life. "Journey Into The Unknown: The Inspiring Story Of Hanneke van Dam" is a 52 minute, full color, DVD documentary of a most remarkable woman who know lives in Mongolia, giving of herself to those who need the Christian message. We learn of successes and failures as she works with the struggles and broken lives men, women, and children. Very strongly recommended viewing for adolescent and adult members of the Christian community, "Journey Into The Unknown" is a testament to the power of faith and the willingness to obey God's calling into service as a stranger in a strange land.

Drills & Techniques for Catchers
Marty Schupak
Youth Sports Club
9 Florence Court, Valley Cottage, NY 10989
9780978945121, $24.95 1-800-511-2101

Physical education expert and baseball coach of 18 years' experience Marty Schupak Drills & Techniques for Catchers is a DVD offering creative drills and techniques for training young adults for the responsibilities of the catching position. Topics include blocking techniques, agility drills, throwing techniques, set-up and positioning, framing, snap throws, equipment overview, and fun games to play while honing one's strengths. A user-friendly DVD with easy-to-follow demonstrations of all exercises, Drills & Techniques for Catchers is especially recommended for baseball coaches, and also aspiring and practicing catchers interested in learning a few new tricks.

Into the Fire: American Women in the Spanish Civil War
Julia Newman
First Run Features
The Film Center Building, 630 Ninth Avenue, Suite 1213, NY, NY 10036
FRF 912631D, $24.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

Into the Fire: American Women in the Spanish Civil War is an award-winning DVD documentary about the brave and idealistic American nurses who volunteered, in defiance of the US Government, to serve the Spanish government in defiance of the right-wing Fascists led by General Franco during the Spanish Civil war. Of the eighty women who volunteered, sixteen share their stories of their commitment to the cause, and reveals a uniquely female side to the terrible, horrifically bloody war fought by men. An unforgettable viewing experience. 58 minutes, b&w and color.

Carol Argo's The Anti Aging Method
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
DVD, $18.00 www.411videoinfo.com

Carol Argo's The Anti Aging Method is a total body workout DVD that blends elements of Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, and dance into an energetic whole. Featuring three different workout options - a comprehensive total workout (50 minutes), a brief energize & dance workout (20 minutes), an all-floor Yoga & Pilates session (27 minutes) and bonus Chair Yoga one can do anytime (6 minutes), The Anti Aging Method is sure to mesh with fitness-conscious viewers on all kinds of schedules. Hosted by the limber and genial Carol Argo herself, who has traveled worldwide to train instructors and teach east/west fusion workouts, The Anti Aging Method is enthusiastically recommended for personal fitness DVD libraries everywhere.

Pilates for Sex Volume 1
Pilates in the City
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
DVD, $24.95 www.411videoinfo.com

Pilates for Sex Volume 1 is a one-of-a-kind Pilates workout DVD, designed especially to help women strengthen the pelvic floor (sex muscles), transverse abdominis (deepest abdominal muscles), and the multifidis group (back muscles that support the spine) - also known as "the Core" in Pilates lingo. These exercises, particularly those that improve the pelvic floor, are useful for heightening vaginal sensation for stronger orgasms. Kegel exercises, created by a gynecologist to help women recover from childbirth, are a crucial key to Pilates for Sex Volume 1, and to improving the quality of one's sex life. A viewer-friendly, easy-to-follow exercise video enthusiastically recommended for women everywhere.

Warlords
Acorn Media Group
801 Roeder Road, Suite 700, Silver Spring, MD 20910
AMP-9292, $39.99 www.acornmedia.com

Warlords is a four-part documentary on DVD examining World War II from the perspective of mind games played by its principal historical figures. Taking a viewer on a tour of the psychological duels waged - Hitler v. Stalin, Churchill v. Roosevelt, Churchill v. Stalin, and Roosevelt v. Stalin - Warlords traces evidence of mutual suspicion, false promises, hidden motives, and conflicting ideologies. Why did Stalin sign a pact with Hitler? How did Roosevelt bolster Churchill's resolve early in the war without committing troops? Why did Roosevelt trust Stalin more than Churchill? These questions and many more are explored at fascinating length in this must-see documentary offering not just the big picture, but the biggest picture possible of World War II. 200 minutes, full screen, b&w and color, 2 DVDs.

Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun
WGBH
c/o SSA Public Relations
148 Madison Avenue, 16th floor PH-1, New York, NY 10016
9781593757212, $19.95 1-877-807-2622

Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun is a DVD episode of the acclaimed public television documentary series that seeks to answer the question: can solar power help save the Earth from the depredations of global warming? Caught amid rising oil prices and turbulence in the Middle East, the possibilities for making solar power more efficient and affordable range from individuals adding solar panels to their roofs to industrial-scale projects in the Mojave desert using massive arrays of mirrors. Germany is the world's leading developer of solar power, seeking to provide 30 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020. Nanotechnology advances could further enhance solar power's potential in the future. A captivating, enlightening, and ultimately hopeful viewing experience, highly recommended. 56 minutes, color.

Fluid Yoga-Tai-Lates Workout with Katharine McLarty
Future Waves Fitness, Inc.
c/o Brickman Marketing (publicity)
395 Del Monte Center, Suite 250, Monterey, CA 93940
0973954604, $19.95 www.futurewavefitness.com

Fluid Yoga-Tai-Lates Workout with Katharine McLarty is a wonderful DVD guide to yoga exercises that can be performed in the pool, in order to isolate and strengthen muscles, improving one's posture and flexibility. Using shallow water, a noodle and five-foot resistance band, these replications of land exercises done on mats, barrels and chairs allow for a broader range of muscular challenge in all planes of movement. Over 75 exercises total are presented; each exercise has at least two different progressions demonstrated. An accompanying 60-minute audio CD offers music and coaching, and is meant for exercisers to take with them to the pool. A wonderful way to get into yoga training, especially for people whose joints and bodies are sensitive to the stresses, gravity and stiffness of land-based practice. 60 minutes, color.

Last National?
Marty Schupak
Nersesian/Zuzolo Productions
c/o Youth Sports Club (distributor)
9 Florence Court, Valley Cottage, NY 10989
DVD, $24.95 www.lastnationalmovie.com 1-800-511-2101

Last National?: What Is the Future of the American Enduro? is a DVD documentary about the history and future of American National Enduros, an off-road motorcycle race. Opening at the 2006 Delaware National, the last race to use the traditional timekeeping concept, and closing at the 2007 Longhorn National in Texas, the first race to embark upon a controversial new format, Last National? offers poignant insights into what these drastic changes mean for participants and fans alike of off-road motorcycle races. Policy makers, top factory-supported riders, and "weekend warriors" all speak their minds about the new format's impact on Enduro racing. A "must-have" for all fans of the sport. 65 minutes, color.


The Library Science Shelf

Library Contests
Kathleen R.T. Imhoff & Ruthie Maslin
Neal-Schuman Publishers
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038-4512
9781555705596, $55.00 www.neal-schuman.com 1-866-672-6657

Contests are an excellent way to engage their communities, schools, and patrons with what libraries have to offer by way of services and facilities. A superbly organized and presented instruction guidebook, "Library Contests: A How-To-Do-It Manual" provides school and community librarians with step-by-step instructions through all the stages of planning, promoting, budgeting, and running a contest. The essential steps for contest development begin with the selection of a contest planner and choosing a judge, to promoting the contest, defining its theme, defining eligibility criteria for contest participants, and evaluating contest success. Offering a wealth of practical advice, tips, tricks and techniques for mounting an effective contest, librarians are provided with four real-world examples: Earth Day Coloring Contest; Guess the Number of Bricks in the New Library Contest; Create a Clothing Accessory from Duct Tape Contest; and One Book, One City Essay Contest. A very highly recommended reference for Library Science collections, "Library Contests" is an impressive compilation of novel and tested ideas for every category of library whether their contest is to be local, regional, statewide, or even national in scope.


The Photography Shelf

The National Road
Clarence Carvell
Noble House
c/o American Literary Press
8019 Belair Road, Suite 10, Baltimore, MD 21236
9781561679522, $19.95 www.americanliterarypress.com 1-800-873-2003

"The National Road.. a photographic journey" is a compilation of photographs with captions by master printmaker, academician and lecturer Clarence Carvell. "The National Road" offers a visual celebration of what is to be found along U.S. Route 40 by the traveler. The black-and-white photography showcases the sights and sites of towns and villages revealing very special perspectives of American history and an American yesteryear that is all but forgotten by the advancing decades. This 104-page hardcover photographic study is especially recommended for academic and community library American Photography and American History reference collections and would well serve as a template for similar historic studies of other regional American road systems.

Picturing The Past
Jay D. Vogt, Stephen C. Rogers, Scott Myers
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
0974919578, $29.95 www.sdshspress.com

The third volume of the South Dakota State Historical Press 'Historical Preservation' series, "Picturing The Past" is a compilation of seventy-eight vividly dramatic, black-and-white photographs of various buildings and places taken by professional photographer Scott Myers and which are provided with historical context by Jay D. Vogt and Stephen C. Rogers. Showcasing the architecture and scenes tangible associated with life on the Great Plains, "Picturing The Past" is a welcome memorial and tribute to an American yesteryear of hard work, high hopes, and pioneering history. Indeed, "Picturing The Past" is so well done that it could readily serve as a template for similar photographic studies for other American regional history projects.


The American History Shelf

True Tales of the Prairies & Plains
David Dary
University Press of Kansas
2501 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049
9780700615186, $24.95 www.kansaspress.ku.edu 1-785-864-4154

Award-winning historian David Dary presents True Tales of the Prairies & Plains, an anthology of true stories of the Old West gathered from newspaper accounts and little-known published sources. From the legend behind the origin of the word "rawhide", to legends of buried treasure, to the unmitigated roughness of an era when women were scarce and buffalo roamed the plains. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this exciting tell-it-like-it-is collection, enthusiastically recommended for Western buffs.

Dear Medora
Sydney Stevens
WSU Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
9780874222920, $24.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu 1-800-354-7360

Medora Espy was the eldest daughter of Washinton State senator and dairy farmer Harry Albert Espy. She grew up in the quaint, somewhat remote, coastal village of Oysterville. "Dear Medora: Child Of Oysterville's Forgotten Years" is a collection of letters Medora wrote and received from 1902 to 1916 (as well as personal diary entrees) -- until a devastating tragedy occurred soon after her 17th birthday. Compiled and organized by Sydney Stevens (the daughter of Medora's youngest sister, Dale), "Dear Medora" is profusely illustrated with historical photographs and illustrations. This body of lively correspondence opens a 'window' into an American yesteryear through the life and observations of a sensitive young woman. "Dear Medora" is fascinating, rewarding, highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to American Regional History & Biography reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Genealogy Shelf

Ancestral Trails
Mark Herber
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
080631771X, $34.95 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

Now in a completely updated and substantially revised second edition, "Ancestral Trails: The Complete Guide To British Genealogy And Family History by Mark Herber continues to be an invaluable and indispensable genealogical reference guide for novice and experienced genealogists alike whose researches require them to access the voluminous British archives of records and other published resources. Originally published in 1997 in association with the Society of Genealogists based in London, this new and expanded edition of "Ancestral Trails" provides an informed and informative guide to what records and published sources are available, how to access them, how to analyze what they archive; how to use the divers 'finding-aids' and indexes. "Ancestral Trails" also shows how to obtain and process information from living relatives, how to construct family trees, how to utilize the preserved records of birth, marriage, death, and other census data. Also covered are such sources as wills, parish records, civil and ecclesiastical court records, poll books, and property records. "Ancestral Trails" is a core addition to any professional genealogy library reference collection and a 'must' for aspiring genealogists having to deal with British source material.

Searching For Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors
Joseph J. Goethals & Karel Denys
Clearfield Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
0806353422, $19.50 www.genealogical.com 1-800-296-6687

"Searching For Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors" by Joseph J. Goethals (co-founder of the Genealogical Society of Flemish Americans) with the assistance of genealogist Karel Denys provides an informed and informative introduction for aspiring genealogical researchers to Flemish records and the methodology to access them. This thoroughly 'user friendly' guide is deftly organized to provide accessible information with respect to Belgian genealogical sources in the U.S.A.; the civil records in Flanders from 1796; parish records; and other sources of the Old Regime including tax lists and estate inventories. Enhanced with the inclusion of five appendices (Flemish Surnames and First Names; State Archives in Flanders; The Flemish Association for Family History; Currency and Land Measurements; Glossary of Flemish, French and Latin Terms), "Search For Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors is a welcome and highly recommended addition to Genealogy Library Resource and Reference collections in general, and genealogists needing to research Flemish/Belgian records in particular.


The Business Shelf

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

Specifically co-written and designed as an instruction guide for senior management on identifying and analyzing weak points in their business operations and addressing problems associated with staff and business performance by Ap Eigenhuis (a former Senio Vice President of Human Resources at Unilever and founder of Applico HR Consultancy) and managerial consultant Rober van Dik, "High Performance Business Strategy: Inspiring Success Through Effective Human Resource Management" offers guidance on creating individualized programs employing proven managements strategies and techniques to enhance productivity and performance. Based on illustrative real0-world examples, corporate business managers will learn how to create higher levels of employee engagement and commitment, build effective work teams, compelling communicate their vision and values; coach for improved management and team performance; and create a corporate climate conducive to organizational achievement and success. "High Performance Business Strategy" is very strongly recommended reading for MBA students in general, and corporate managers seeking to improve their company's performance in particular.


The Education Shelf

Crystal Art Display Cards
Crystal Productions
PO Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025-6159
CP-1823-1, $15.95 www.crystalproductions.com 1-800-255-8629

The new Crystal Art Display Cards series from Crystal Productions is comprised of fourteen cards, each of which reinforces basic art concepts and provide an instant visual reference for art students. The concepts include Line, Shape, Color, Value, Form, Texture, Space, Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, rhythm, and Unity. The individual cards can be easily displayed in a school classroom or an art room and materially aid students in the process of learning the various elements of art and principles of design. Very highly recommended for gradeschool and middle school art education resource collections, "Crystal Art Display Cards" would also prove invaluable supplements to homeschooling art instruction curriculums as well.

The Historian's Toolbox, second edition
Robert C. Williams
M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504
9780765620262, $55.95 www.mesharpe.com 1-800-541-6563

Written by Robert C. Williams (Vail Professor of History and Dean of Faculty Emeritus, Davidson College) The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History is a reader-friendly guide for aspiring historians of all skill and experience levels. Now in an updated second edition with five new chapters, The Historian's Toolbox covers everything from how to choose a good history topic and write a solid paper, to evaluating primary, secondary, and tertiary historical sources, to format guidelines for credits and acknowledgments, to historical narrative as compared to interpretation or speculation, to even the potentials and abuses of the user-modified website Wikipedia. A "must-have" guide for history majors and a useful quick-check resource for professional historians, highly recommended.


The Philosophy Shelf

The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature
Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault
The New Press
38 Green Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10013
9781595581341, $14.95 www.thenewpress.com 1-800-233-4830

The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature collects and presents an integral debate held between two of the world's top intellectuals, Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, held in 1971 (during the height of the Vietnam War) to wrestle with the ancient question: Is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences? In addition to reproducing the debate verbatim, The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature includes later writings by each speaker: "Politics" (1976) and "A Philosophy of Language" (1976) by Noam Chomsky, and "Truth and Power" (1976), "Omnes et Singulatim: Toward a Critique of Political Rason" (1978) and "Confronting Government: Human Rights" (1984) by Michel Foucault. "The concept of legality and the concept of justice are not identical; they're not entirely distinct either. Insofar as legality incorporates justice in this sense of better justice, referring to a better society, then we should follow and obey the law... Of course, in those areas where the legal system happens to represent not better justice, but rather the techniques of oppression that have been codified in a particular autocratic system, well, then a reasonable human being should disregard and oppose them, at least in principle; he may not, for some reason, do it in fact." Highly recommended, and a welcome contribution to library philosophy shelves.

Culture Counts
Roger Scruton
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York, NY 10003
9781594031946 $20.00 www.encounterbooks.com 1-800-786-3839

Written by Roger Scruton (Research Professor, Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia), Culture Counts: Faith and Feeling in a World Besieged declares that rumors of the demise of Western culture are greatly exaggerated. Countering academic, external, and internal critics of Western Culture, such as dismissive attitudes toward the legacy of "dead white European males", Culture Counts reveals Western cultural contributions to moral education, defends traditional architecture and figurative painting, and urges renewed respect for the positive achievements of Western civilization. "We should see culture as Schiller and other Enlightenment thinkers saw it: the repository of emotional knowledge, through which we can come to understand the meaning of life as an end in itself. Culture inherits from religion the 'knowledge of the heart' whose essence is sympathy. But it can be passed on and enhanced, even when the religion that first engendered it has died. Indeed, in these circumstances, it is all the more important that culture be passed on, since it has become the sole communicable testimony to the higher life of mankind." A highly recommended, thought-provoking philosophical treatise.


The Civil War Shelf

Army of the Potomac, Volume III
Russel H. Beatie
Savas Beatie LLC
521 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3400, New York, NY 10175
9781932714258, $45.00 www.savasbeatie.com

Written by former army lieutenant Russel H. "Cap" Beatie, Army of the Potomac: McClellan's First Campaign March-May 1862, Volume III is the latest in a series of in-depth, extensively researched and thoroughly footnoted civil war military histories, as told primarily through the eyes of high ranking officers, staff officers, and politicians. Drawing upon Beatie's laborious firsthand research, Army of the Potomac, Volume III scrutinizes "Little Mac" McClelland's efforts to force his way up the Virginia peninsula and capture Richmond in a daring campaign. Army of the Potomac examines the factors working against McClelland's venture, and reveals how President Abraham Lincoln interfered both politically and militarily, worsening McClelland's odds of success. Illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs and maps, Army of the Potomac, Volume III is a captivating, solid, and seminal contribution to civil war military history shelves.


The Library CD Music Shelf

Esta Tierra Es Tuya
Sones de Mexico
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
216 West Allen Street, Suite 137, Bloomington, IN 47403
SM-0407, $16.00 www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Esta Tierra Es Tuya (translation: This Land Is Your Land) is the latest music CD release by Sones de Mexico, and a listening experience that draws upon rock, folk, and Western classical elements as well as Mexican culture. Created entirely with acoustics - no synthesizers at all! - Esta Tierra Es Tuya includes both traditional and original songs: Yo Vendo Unos Ojos Negros (5:17), Esta Tierra Es Tuya (3:27), La Presumida (5:00), Tabasco Suite (4:11), Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major (5:07), La Rabia (4:31), Inchapikua (Danza de las Mariposas) (4:30), Eres Bella Flor (2:54), Jarabe Planeco (4:07), La Llorona (4:42), Four Sticks (4:32), Los Panaderos (6:29), four interludes, and an epilogue. A lively, experimental, and toe-tapping album that reclaims the vibrancy of Mexican music, especially acoustic guitar and mariachi music, from the negative stereotypes of American popular culture. Highly recommended.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Mystery Writing In A Nutshell
John McAleer & Andrew McAleer
James A. Rock & Company, Publishers
9710 Traville Gateway Drive, #305, Rockville, MD 20850
9781596635050, $9.95 www.rockpublishing.com 1-800-411-2230

John McAleer taught crime fiction at Boston College for almost forty years and is an Edgar Allan Poe Award winner, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and best-selling author in the mystery and suspense genre. Now, in collaboration with his son Andrew McAleer (who is also a Professor of Crime Fiction at Boston College), John McAleer draws upon his extensive expertise and experience to provide aspiring writers with a succinct manual of instruction with "Mystery Writing In A Nutshell: The World's Most Concise Guide To Mystery And Suspense Writing". Comprised of seven densely packed chapters that focus on 'Creating Suspense and Action'; 'The Story & The Hook'; 'Fodder for Writing (Ideas for Getting Ideas)'; 'Voice, Voice, Voice'; 'Clues & Making Tracks'; 'Character Development'; and 'Plot Pourri', "Mystery Writing In A Nutshell" also features a 'Final Word', 'Final Tips', and 'Notes'. Of special interest is the concluding section (Miscellaneous) featuring important addresses for mystery writers, conversations about writers and writing, questions for William G. Tapply, Robert B. Parker, Margaret McLean, 'The Writer in Us', and a short essay on 'Writers Influencing Writers'. Thoroughly reader friendly, informed and informative in presentation, "Mystery Writing In A Nutshell" is superbly organized and very highly recommended as being one of the best introductory guides to writing commercially successful mysteries available to aspiring writers and novice authors today.

How To Do Local History
Gavin McLean
University of Otago Press
International Specialized Book Services (ISBS)
920 Northeast 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213
9781877372414, $24.95 www.isbs.com 1-800-944-6190

Written by Gavin McLean (senior historian at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage) and illustrated with a handful of black-and-white photographs, How To Do Local History is a step-by-step guide for would-be local history writers. From how to handle "difficult" or touchy issues in local history, to formulating the right questions to ask while doing research, to investigating both online and offline historical resources, and considerations to keep in mind when publishing - whether just publishing on a website or printing up a book - How To Do Local History is a seminal primer ideal for genealogists, church and institutional historians, thesis writers, and the people who commission them. "Develop an economical writing style in which you 1) tell the main story and ignore most of the historical sidetracks; and 2) cut the waffle. Compression requires self-discipline and hard work, but the results are worth it. Use your computer's word-counting tool... Rewriting is the key to successful writing. And the key to rewriting is reduction." Though written especially with a New Zealand audience in mind, How To Do Local History is packed cover-to-cover with practical tips, tricks, and techniques sure to prove useful regardless of the reader's background.


The Cookbook Shelf

Living In The Raw Desserts
Rose Lee Calabro
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
9781570672019, $16.95 www.bookpubco.com 1-800-695-2241

In "Living In The Raw Desserts" culinary expert Rose Lee Calabro has assembled a series of gourmet quality recipes showcasing delicious desserts that avoid the use of wheat, sugar, dairy and eggs, while showcasing such rich sources of healthy eating as organic nuts and fruit. Designed specifically for the growing numbers of people who suffer from food allergies, the easy-to-prepare recipes range from German Mock Chocolate Cake; Heavenly Apricot Torte; Persimmon Candy; and Hazelnut Spice Cookies; to Pistachio Nut Bread; Mango Sorbet; Carob Mousse; Heavenly Rice Pudding; and Pina Colada Pie. Featuring "kitchen cook friendly" instructions, and nicely illustrated with occasional full color photographs, "Living In The Raw Desserts" is a superbly presented cookbook, especially recommended for personal and community library 'kitchen cook friendly' cookbook collections.

Classic Vegetarian Cooking
Habeeb Salloum
Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
9781566563987, $19.95 www.interlinkbooks.com

A superbly organized and presented compendium of recipes reflecting vegetarian cuisines from the countries and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, "Classic Vegetarian Cooking" offers a cornucopia of wonderful dishes showcasing the use of pungent herbs and diverse spices, aromatic stews and soups, falafels and breads, couscous, stuffed grape leaves, greens and vegetables, hummus, pizzas, pies, omelets, pastries and sweets, yogurt drinks and amazing coffees. Many of the recipes have their origins with the peasantry who could not afford meat as a part of their daily diet. In "Classic Vegetarian Cooking" author and culinary expert Habeeb Salloum presents 330 distinctive, gourmet quality recipes that have stood the test of time and taste. To put it simply, any kitchen chef or community library wanting to add elegance to their vegetarian cookbook collection would be well advised to add a copy of Habeeb Salloum's "Classic Vegetarian Cooking From The Middle East And North Africa"!


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

When Your Parents Sign The Paychecks
Greg McCann
JIST Publishing
8902 Otis Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46216-1033
9781593573232, $19.95 www.jist.com 1-800-648-5478

Most family businesses don't survive the next generation of family members. "When Your Parents Sign The Paychecks: Finding Career Success Inside Or Outside The Family Business" by Greg McCann (Founder of the Family Business Center, Stetson University and the family business consulting firm of McCann & Associates ) offers a comprehensive and superbly organized guide to having a career within or without the family business. Professor McCann teaches the reader how to create and evaluate an education and career plan where decisions are made for the right reason instead of by default; develop 'marketability' for themselves instead of merely feeling entitled to a position through nepotism; build a career portfolio, obtain work experience outside their family business, and recruit objective mentors for themselves. Of special note is what Professor McCann has to say about preserving relationships while dealing with family expectations with respect to entering the family business; the importance of attitude and communication styles; and avoiding the downside of undeserved pay and benefits arising from participation in a family business. Using examples of three young people with family businesses, "When Your Parents Sign The Paychecks" deals with 'the amateur', 'the semipro', and 'the professional'. If you have a family business that you'd like to see your children take on, of if you are the child of a parent with a family business expecting you to take over, you need to give Professor McCann's "When Your Parents Sign The Paychecks" a close and careful reading. This is a unique and seminal work that should be a part of every college and community library's Jobs & Careers reference collection.

The On-The-Job-Training Handbook
Douglas Cox Landa & Henry C. Landa
The Film Instruction Company of America
5928 West Michigan Street, Wauwatosa, WI 53213-4248
0931974283, $56.95 www.politicalbookreviws.com/ojthandbook.htm ficoa@milwpc.com

"The On-The-Job-Training Handbook" is the collaborative effort of Douglas and Henry Landa, a father-and-son team who between them have drawn upon their more than seventy years of experience and expertise in training and educating others to provide a unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional manual and guidebook for anyone charged with the managerial assignment of training someone else in an on-the-job function or task. It is also ideal for those who are seeking to improve their own job-related skills or advance themselves in their chosen career. "The On-The-Job-Training Handbook" methodically lays out the basics of the learning process; presents an organized curriculum of 'how to' instruction with respect to on-site training; covers exams and testing to insure the trainee has mastered the required skills or information content required; and so much more. Of special note is the section devoted to the conveyance of information which could contain company trade secrets with the resultant need for security considerations as part of the on-site training program. Enhanced with an appendix featuring a range of twenty short articles on topics of practical utility for mangers, trainers, and dedicated employees, "The On-The-Job-Training Handbook" also includes a glossary of specialized terms and a comprehensive index. Also available in a soft cover edition (0931974259, $34.95), "The On-The-Job-Training Handbook" is very highly recommended and seminal addition to state and municipal job center, academic, and community library reference collections.


The Economics Shelf

The Economics Of Public Private Partnerships
Darrin Grimsey & Mervyn K. Lewis
Edward Elgar Publishing
9 Dewey Court, Northampton, MA 01060-3815
1843762498, $255.00 www.e-elgar.com 1-800-390-3149

Part of 'The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics' series fro Edward Elgar Publishing, "The Economics Of Public Private Partnerships" is the collaborative work of Darrin Grimsey (Partner, Ernst & Young, Melbourne, and Fellow, Australian Centre for Public Infrastructure, University of Melbourne) and Mervyn K. Lewis (Professor of Banking and Finance, University of South Australia, Australia, and Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia), who have compiled, organized and edited thirty six knowledgeable contributions by economists and academics on the subject of public/private partnerships. The contributions are organized around six major themes: The Changing Market for Public Services; The Private Financing Model; Organizations of PPPs; The UK Experience; Experience Elsewhere; and Risk Management. A seminal body of work, "The Economics Of Public Private Partnerships" is a welcome addition to the growing body of international economic literature and a core addition to professional and academic library Economics Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

10 Steps To Better Living With Diabetes
Ginger Kanzer-Lewis
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
9781580402590, $16.95 www.diabetes.org 1-800-342-2383

A past president of the American Diabetes Association, Ginger Kanzer-Lewis draws upon her more than twenty-five years of experience instructing health care professionals how to teach their patients how to control their condition of diabetes while continuing to enjoy their lives in writing "10 Steps To Better Living With Diabetes". Diabetics must monitor their blood sugar levels, exercise every day, eat healthy, and take their medications properly if they are to enjoy a high quality of life despite their disability which, if left ignored and untreated, could prove life threatening. "10 Steps To Better Living With Diabetes" is characterized by offering solid information in a jargon-free text that makes it ideal for the non-specialist general reader seeking to help themselves and/or a loved one to get the most out of what life has to offer by taking proper care of their diabetic condition. Also very highly recommended for personal and community library Health & Medicine reference collections is "The Diabetes Dictionary: What Every Personal With Diabetes Needs To Know" (9781580402521, $5.95) from the American Diabetes Association providing succinct definitions for more than five hundred terms and concepts (including common abbreviations and acronyms) associated with diabetes.


The Parenting Shelf

Moving with Kids
Lori Collins Burgan
The Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
9781558323438, $9.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

Written by social worker and mother of three Lori Collins Burgan, Moving with Kids: 25 Ways to Ease Your Family's Transition to a New Home is a no-nonsense practical guide to minimizing stress on the family, helping one's kids keep old friends and make new ones, create a sense of belonging in one's new community, and much more. Chapters cover basic precepts parents should internalize before, during, and after a move, from "Don't be afraid to throw your own goodbye party" to "Take deliberate steps to ease the transition to a new school" to "Keep in touch with old friends" and "Don't forget to take care of yourself." "When your children are feeling down before or after a move, find something to laugh about. Rent a funny video. Pull out the baby pictures. Take turns doing impressions of your favorite lines from movies or songs. When our family needs a good laugh, we often pull out the journal I keep of the cute things the kids have said." An absolute must-have for any family embarking upon the transition of a move.

School Success for Kids with Asperger's Syndrome
Stephan M. Silverman, Ph.D. & Rich Weinfeld
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
9781593632151, $16.95 www.prufrock.com 1-800-998-2208

Child/adolescent psychologist Stephan M. Silverman, Ph.D. and educational advocate for gifted children with learning difficulties Rich Weinfeld pool their talents in School Success for Kids with Asperger's Syndrome, a no-nonsense guide for parents and teachers to helping children with Asperger's Syndrome, or AS (a mild form of autism spectrum disorder that affects language and social skills) rise to their full potential. Chapters discuss how to recognize and diagnose AS, effective classroom strategies, ideal practices for parenting with AS, preparing young people with AS for college, work, and independent living, and much more. "Children with AS frequently feel affection but do not know how to appropriately express those feelings. They need to have guidelines as to who is an appropriate recipient of affection and under which conditions. They need to know when someone is a friend or an acquaintance and when intimacy is appropriate." A reader-friendly, tell-it-like-it-is guide enthusiastically recommended for parents, caretakers and educators responsible for young people with AS.


The Self-Help Shelf

Rejuvenation
Ken Counts, Ph.D.
Blue Dolphin Publishing
PO Box 8, Nevada City, CA 95959-0008
9781577331575, $17.95 www.bluedolphinpublishing.com 1-800-643-0765

Written by practicing psychologist Ken Counts, Ph.D., Rejuvenation or, "My Birthday-Suit Doesn't Fit Me Any More!" is a self-help guide to improved quality of physical and emotional health through good nutrition, exercise, and a positive attitude. Chapters address how to modify your grocery list and eating behavior for healthier living, balancing cardiovascular, resistance, and flexibility training, the basics of stress management and keeping a healthy attitude, and much more. "I have a very simple truth for you. Forgiveness is a good thing. Grudges are a bad thing. No question about it. I have witnessed this truth many times. When you hold a grudge, and you are angry with someone, you basically end up punishing yourself. Why would you want to do that?" Black-and-white photographs illustrating descriptions of specific exercises and day-by-day meal plans and recipes round out this holistic guide to feeling young again.


The Science Shelf

The Sacrifice
Lynda Birke, Arnold Arluke, and Mike Michael
Purdue University Press
1207 South Campus Courts, Bldg. E, West Lafayette, IN 47907
9781557534323, $32.95 www.thepress.purdue.edu 1-800-933-9637

The Sacrifice: How Scientific Experiments Transform Animals and People is a scholarly examination of the sociological aspect to animal experimentation. Historical material, media reports, professional debates, interviews with scientists and animal technicians, ethnographic data from laboratory settings, and more comprise the raw source material from which The Sacrifice distills its analytical observations. Chapters discuss the dynamics of political animal rights activism, the animal model as applied in modern-day scientific practice, the division of emotional labor in the laboratory, and much more. "In becoming part of the research community, scientists must learn to take many things for granted. As part of the wider culture, they have inherited a highly complex but also highly ambivalent set of attitudes and beliefs about animals that tell them that they should respect animals and at the same time be able to use them." An excellent, unbiased and impartial contribution to college library and sociological studies shelves.


The Political Science Shelf

Metropolitan Governing
Eran Razin & Patrick J. Smith, editors
The University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2EI
9789654932851, $34.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Edited by Eran Razin (Associate Professor at the Department of Geography, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Patrick J. Smith (Professor at the Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University), Metropolitan Governing: Canadian Cases, Comparative Lessons is an anthology of scholarly writings by learned authors concerning the numerous and large-scale metropolitan reforms implemented in Canada and the precedents they are setting. Offering comparative insights from other countries, Metropolitan Governing especially scrutinizes the strengths and weaknesses of "old regionalism" territorial reforms versus "new regionalism" horizontal networks of governance; while old regionalism is best for effectively sharing fiscal burdens, new regionalism approaches can be notably more effective in development. Individual essays include "Urban Governance Reform in Toronto: A Preliminary Assessment of changes made in the late 1990s" and "Initiatives to Reform Metropolitan Government in Israel: A Sisyphean Task?" in this highly recommended collection for college political studies shelves.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Compassionate Action
Chatral Rinpoche, author
Zach Larson, editor
Snow Lion Publications
PO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
9781559392716, $14.95 www.SnowLionPub.com 1-800-950-0313

Compassionate Action is the first English-language book of Himalayan yogi Chatral Rinpoche, who has influenced Western Buddhist consciousness for decades and was dubbed "the greatest man I ever met" by Father Thomas Merton in 1968. Presenting Chatral Rinpoche's biography and autobiography, six of his essays, five prayers that he wrote, an exclusive interview, and color photographs from the different phases of his life, Compassionate Action is a "must-read" for anyone seeking to learn from this quintessential wise and holy man. "Conscious abstention from hunting and killing living beings, besides inspiring others to do the same, are actions behooving the kind-hearted and pious. For instance, the milk of human kindness requires us to not harm migratory birds in any way, such as casting stones or nets or shooting them while they are resting for brief moments in the course of their long journey from one country or continent to another. On the contrary, we should provide help to them in all possible ways before they reach their final destination." Highly recommended especially for students and practitioners of Buddhism.


The Travel Shelf

The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, 4th edition
Blair Howard & Renate Siekmann
Hunter Publishing
130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818
9781588435897, $19.99 www.hunterpublishing.com 1-800-255-0343

Now in an updated fourth edition, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos is a travel guide covering the 700+ islands of the Bahamas as well as the Turks and Caicos. Fabulously illustrated with full color photographs on virtually every page, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos lists the best hotels in different price ranges, restaurants, dive sites, dive operators, tours, fishing guides, historic forts and pirate hideouts, where one can walk through tropical forests or play with dolphins, find duty-free shops with bargains, and much more. An easy-to-use, reader-friendly field guide printed on durable, high-quality paper ideal for withstanding the rigors of travel. Highly recommended for tourists and business travelers alike.

Chasing The Rain
Taylor F. Lockwood
Privately Published
PO Box 1412, Mendocino, CA 95460
Baker & Taylor (distributor)
9780970944924, $29.95 www.KingdomofFungi.com

A very special blend of travelogue and horticultural study, "Chasing The Rain: My Treasure Hunt For The World's Most Beautiful Mushroom" by Taylor F. Lockwood is beautifully illustrated throughout with the author's simply gorgeous, full-color photography of an astonishing variety of mushroom plants. The text offers fascinating and informative anecdotes about everything from having to doge deadly snakes in China, to warding off swarms of mosquitoes in Borneo, to outsmarting a band of monkeys in Bali, to hunting for mushrooms at 14,000 feet in Tibet's thin air, to the difficulties of finding mushrooms in drought-stricken Europe. The culmination (to date) of his passionate appreciation for fungi and mushrooms, "Chasing The Rain" is also an account of the connection felt by people who, like esthetic mycologist Taylor Lockwood, hunt the mushrooms of the world. A joy to page through and a highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library collections, "Chasing The Rain" is as entertaining as it is informative.


The Gardening Shelf

Design Your Natural Midwest Garden
Patricia Hill
Trails Books
c/o Big Earth Publishing
923 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703
9781931599818, $29.95 www.bigearthpublishing.com 1-800-258-5830

Patricia Hill is a professional landscape designer who specializes in designs featuring only native species. Her work has been featured in a variety of regional and national gardening and landscaping publications. She won 'Best of Show for an exhibit garden she designed for the 2000 Chicago Flower and Garden Show. In "Design Your Natural Midwest Garden", Patricia Hill draws upon her more than twenty-five years of experience and expertise to present both experts and non-specialist general readers alike with an easy-to-follow and beautifully illustrated instructional guide to gardening with native species. The results are gardens that are low-maintenance and good for the environment while simply lovely in appearance and perfect for upper Midwestern soils and climates. The designs are organized around Entrance Gardens; Patios and Terraces; Specialty Gardens (including the very popular Butterfly Garden); Borders; Hillsides; Woodlands; and Water Gardens. Of special note is the concluding chapter dedicated to planning a Prairie Garden. "Design Your Natural Midwest Garden" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscaping instructional reference collections.


The Social Issues Shelf

The Diagnosis & Treatment of Medicare
Andrew J. Rettenmaier and Thomas R. Saving
American Enterprise Institute
1150 - 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
9780844742519, $20.00 www.aei.org

Written by Andrew J. Rettenmaier (executive director of the Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University) and Thomas R. Saving (professor of economics, Texas A&M University), The Diagnosis & Treatment of Medicare is a timely scrutiny of the woes of Medicare, which has seen its expenses balloon from, $200 billion to, $450 billion over the past decade. As the Baby Boom generation approaches 65, Medicare's demands on the Federal Reserve climb, and threaten to overshadow other policy priorities. The Diagnosis & Treatment of Medicare is more than a catalogue of Medicare's woes; it proposes workable solutions, and offers meticulous ratings and scorings of different reform ideas from controlling first-dollar coverage to means-tested Medicare and more. Of especial interest is the idea of making a transition to prepaid retirement health insurance and how such a move can be accomplished. A desperately needed, scholarly and practical analysis of a looming governmental problem in dire need of solutions

Apathy and the Media
Kenneth Quade
Vantage Press, Inc
419 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
9780533154814, $11.95 1-212-736-1767

Written by Wisconsin resident and concerned citizen Kenneth Quade, Apathy and the Media: You Give People What They Want To Know, Not What They Ought To Know is a severe indictment of the improprieties of modern-day media, including newspaper, television, and other venues of delivering "news". Apathy and the Media reveals how the media had access to information pointing toward an oil shortage and an energy crisis for decades prior to today's modern debacle; how the media has recklessly urged Americans to spend and consume without worrying about the consequences of neglecting recycling or planned obsolescence; and how vital information the public needs to know is either not reported at all or buried amid ridiculous trivia and meaningless pop culture stories. Quade speaks of his own experience trying to write letters, create and deliver presentations, and get the word out. He struggled to raise awareness about excessive gas guzzling and inefficient vehicle mileage; the deleterious effects of the Alaskan oil pipeline; and biotechnological efforts to genetically modify human beings, or even enable artificial human reproduction without pregnancy. Access to abortion and information about the gender of a fetus has already started to skew the male/female population ratio in other nations; how long before America is directly affected? Above all, Apathy and the Media warns readers not to trust the media to tell them all they need to know, and encourages them to search for solutions to the stranglehold that commercial empires have on the disbursement of information - a message vital to the survival of a democratic state.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Financial Armageddon
Michael J. Panzer
Kaplan Publishing
888 Seventh Avenue, 22nd floor, New York, NY 10106
9781419596087, $25.00 www.kaplanpublishing.com 1-800-223-2336

Written by New York Institute of Finance faculty member Michael J. Panzer, Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future From Four Impending Catastrophes is a dire warning of the four most severe financial risks confronting Americans today. Private and public debt has been climbing to record levels; the aging population is putting so much pressure on Social Security that eventually retirement will be simply a hopeless mirage; systemic overindulgence in "hedge funds" and other house-of-cards derivatives that depend on assets losing their value to make a profit place negative pressures on the economy. Financial Armageddon does not pull punches in its warnings of doom and gloom, and what raw economic realities can potentially inflict upon Americans everywhere, yet its greatest asset is its solidly practical advice for preparing for the worst. From the importance of prioritizing maintenance investitures over acquisitional investitures (skipping the regular tune-up of a car is more likely to cause more expense further down the line) to knowing when to spend and when to hold off (it's valuable to buy up tangible and practical commodities such as nonperishable food when the threat of hyperinflation reigns, but not when prices are falling), to the singularly invaluable sentiment of "Trust but verify" - the importance of utilizing the internet to thoroughly check out the credentials and track records of any individual or institution with whom one is considering a financial relationship. Written in plain terms, and notable for its painstakingly clear definitions of terms like "derivatives" that cause many a lay reader's eyes to glaze over, "Financial Armageddon" is a must-read for anyone in the unfortunate modern era of ballooning fiscal irresponsibility, not to mention outright swindles. Highly recommended.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

The Cygnus Mystery
Andrew Collins
Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016
9781842932025, $24.95 1-800-805-5489

Written by Andrew Collins, organizer of the Questing Conference (Great Britain's premier event on alternative history, forbidden archaeology, and ancient wisdom), The Cygnus Mystery: Unlocking the Ancient Secret of Life's Origins in the Cosmos is an examination of the origins of life - not in the strict Darwinian sense, but in the sense of humanity's earliest ancestors' awareness of life and death, as connected to a cosmic source. Exploring what astronomic lore has to say about 15,000 BC, in the Paleolithic era when Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus, was the Pole Star, The Cygnus Mystery probes the roots of the amazing physical and neurological transformation in humanity from beasts to fully conscious and complex psychological beings, a metamorphosis that happened almost overnight in geological terms. The Cygnus Mystery proposes that the cause of this sudden shift lay in a sudden spike in the cosmic rays reaching Earth, offering evidence that the rays, which have left behind subatomic traces in deep caves, emanated from the binary star system Cygnus X-3. A handful of color photographic plates illustrate this blend of archaeo-astronomy, scientific revolution and spiritual wisdom.


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