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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 3 March 2007 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Poetry Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf
Science Shelf Self-Help Shelf Fiction Shelf
Psychology Shelf Travel Shelf Humor Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Civil War Shelf Archeology Shelf
Cookbook Shelf American History Shelf Parenting Shelf
Education Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf World History Shelf
Theatre/Cinema Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Art Shelf Photography Shelf Music Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Architecture Shelf Biography Shelf
International Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Native American Shelf Railroading Shelf Gardening Shelf
Crafts Shelf Gaming Shelf Interior Design Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

The Dragon Lover
Yong-Sheng Xuan
Shen's Books
40951 Fremont Blvd., Freemont, CA 94538
1885008317, $7.95 www.shens.com

Written and illustrated by Yong-Sheng Xuan, "The Dragon Lover And Other Chinese Proverbs" is one of those beautifully imaged books that will strongly appeal to adults and children of all ages. Each saying is drawn from Chinese culture and has a story using animals to illuminate human nature. There's a lazy farmer who hopes his food will come to him without effort on his part; a Sheriff who claims to only love dragons as a why of masking his fear; and other proverbial lore showcasing human nature. Wonderfully colored paper-cut illustrations are perfectly matched to the story texts which are printed in both English and Chinese. The painstakingly detailed artwork and the delightfully entertaining stories combine to present an enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal, family, school, or community Mythology/Folklore picturebook collection.

Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com 1-800-233-3130

Dover Publications is famous for their design books. Now they have released a new series of design and illustration books that include an accompanying CD of electronic clip art containing all the images presented in the book along with the very special and 'user friendly' Dover Design Manager system allowing the reader to easily browse, print, crop, and rotate the images. Among the newest titles in this outstanding Dover Publications series are "Beardsley Illustrations: 221 Royalty-Free Designs" (0486997707, $14.95 showcasing the work of Aubrey Beardsley whose exotic renderings of the sensual and the grotesque shocked London society in the 1890s and have continued endured in popularity as magazine cover designs, title pages, and poster art. "Victorian Goods And Merchandise: 949 Royalty-Free Designs" (0486997898, $14.95) showcases images drawn from rare nineteenth-century periodicals and organized into categories ranging from Victorian era gardening, music, photography and sports, to stationery, writing supplies, foot items, and more. "Victorian Women's Fashion Photos: 239 Royalty-Free Designs" (0486997774, $14.95) showcases period photographs of women's Victorian era clothing ranging from the 1840s to 1900 and will be of especial interest to costume designers and students of women's fashion. "Historic Fashion From Around The World: 96 Royalty-Free Designs" (0486998118, $19.95) offers a unique survey of more than 400 years of 'high fashion' ranging from the late fifteenth century to the mid-1800s as revealed in portraits by celebrated artists ranging from Durer and Titian to Rubens and van Dyck, making this an indispensable reference for students of fashion history, commercial artists, and costume designers. "Gibson Girl Illustrations: 200 Royalty-Free Designs" (0486997634, $14.95) showcases the turn-of-the-century illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson who became renowned for his ability to capture the style and spirit of the American woman in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth society. Drawn from period advertising, catalogs, posters, newsletters and other Gibson projects, this is a 'must' for students of American art history as well as costume designers and students of American women's fashions.

Satanic Purses
R. T. Naylor
McGill-Queen's University Press
3430 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 1X9
0773531505, $34.95 1-800-387-0141

R.T. Nayor is an expert on money laundering, the underground economy, and terrorism. In "Satanic Purses: Money, Myth, And Misinformation In The War On Terror" he applies his extensive experience and expertise to debunk commonly held myths about how Islamic terrorist groups like Al Qaidah, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others finance their operations. Misinformation, propaganda, misconceptions, and flawed intelligence are to be found in every war, but the War On Terrorism has been particularly plagued with untruths, lies, mistakes, misunderstandings, governmental manipulation, and more. Critically important reading for policy makers, academia, and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in understanding the financial issues of terrorism, "Satanic Purses" is a thoroughly 'reader friendly' presentation that will go far in correcting the confusion and misrepresentations that have evolved over the past six years with respect to the on-going global terrorist war with respect to the finances of both stateless and state-sponsored terrorist groups.

The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide And Cookbook
Albert Bates
New Society Publishers
PO Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC, Canada, V0R 1X0
0865715688, $19.95 www.newsociety.com 1-800-283-3572

Albert Bates draws upon his expertise and experience that has included being the Director of the Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology since 1984 and the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm in Tennessee since 1984 to write and compile "The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide And Cookbook", a practical, informative, positive, upbeat, optimistic manual for making the transition from a petroleum-based lifestyle to a way of life that will come into play when the world's supplies of petroleum run out. Bates addresses a wide range of subjects including the rebuilding of a civilization based on petroleum energy and products when they are no longer cheap and affordable; changing our needs to adapt to petroleum-free conditions; water and waste disposal; energy and transportation that don't rely on petroleum; equipment and tools; food storage; and even first aid. Also featuring a series of superb recipes for organic, flavorful, locally grown produce, "The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide And Cookbook" is a strongly recommended addition to personal and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists. This is a book to have on hand when the inevitable happens – be it next year or the next decade. Also highly recommended from New Society Publishers are four other thematically appropriate titles: "Better World Handbook" (0865715750, $18.95); "Better World Shopping Guide" (0865715769, $9.95); "Eating Fossil Fuels" (0865715653, $11.95); and "Oil Depletion Protocol" (0865715637, $16.95).


The Poetry Shelf

Black Velvet Elvis
J.D. Black
The Porcupine's Quill Inc.
68 Main St., Erin, Ontario N0B IT0
0889842779 $16.95 www.sentex.net/~pql

The debut poetry collection of J.D. Black, Black Velvet Elvis is a unique free-verse compilation that varies in tone from gritty and brutal to urgent to painfully awash with memories. From the loss suffered by a Holocaust survivor, to the sudden manifestation of the fierce wolf within an ordinary dog, to the recurring figure of a menacing redneck and a guest appearance by the sadly diminished presence of "The King" Elvis Presley, Black Velvet Elvis keeps the reader guessing with its heart-rending surprises up to the very last poem. "Nonet: Cheshire Cat": Cheshire Cat (who'd lain dangling a shin, / Straddling a branch, lazy as sin, / Lashing his tail in chagrin / With a slow tail-tip spin) / Vanished like a jinn, / From tail-tip in, / Past his chin, / To thin / Grin.

The Kitchen Sink
Albert Goldbarth
Graywolf Press
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203, Saint Paul, MN 55114
1555974627, $26.00 www.graywolfpress.org 1-651-641-0077

Award winning poet, essays and novelist Albert Goldbarth is an accomplished and prolific writer whose distinctive voice showcases one of the best and most imaginatively original minds creating literature today. A highly recommended and core contribution to personal, academic, and community library poetry collections, "The Kitchen Sink: New & Selected Poems 1972-2007 is a retrospective of his signature verse that spans a career of more than thirty-five years. "A Photo of a Lover from My Junior Year in College": Or the Earth: One half in sun,/one half in darkness.//The planet can be its two selves at once./Not us; we're either asleep, or awake.//We're either walking over the countless graves,/or in them. Here, or there.//We rarely pay attention to the moment of transition./Blood, being oxygenated. Love, when it's still just chemicals.//She has one of her arms in an arm of her blouse,/and the other one wonderfully not.

Come-By-Chance
Carl Leggo
Breakwater Books
100 Water Street, St. John's, NL, Canada A1C 6E6
1550810820, $14.95 www.breakwaterbooks.com

The latest addition to the Newfoundland Poetry Series, "Come-By-Chance" is a fascinating, engaging, highly recommended compilation of deftly written poetry by Carl Leggo who is a poet as well as a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. 'Traces': Three gulls, gray and white, gasp/in a gust of winter wind.//On the hill next door,/spruce trees like stoic giants/guard the deserted house.//The day is a Gerry Squires lithography,/lines of light etched lightly.//In this place where we dwell for a year/before resuming our old lives,/we leave a swathe pressed by snowshoes,//but our tracks fill up almost as fast/as we walk, leaving few traces//as the gulls write a long story/with the quills of their wings/filled with India ink and hoarfrost.

Uncoded Woman
Anne-Marie Oomen
Milkweed Editions
1011 Washington Avenue South, #300, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1246
1571314253, $14.95 www.milkweed.org 1-800-520-6455

"Uncoded Woman" is a compilation of rather impressive and highly recommended verse by poet, playwright and essayist Anne-Marie Oomen (Founding Editor of the 'Dunes Review' and Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Interlochen Arts Academy). All of the individual poems (each of which is headed by semaphore letters) combine to tell the story of a woman named Bead and her search for a safe harbor which involves ship's pennants and how they are used to communicate – and miscommunicate. 'UC - Is a Pilot Available in This Place?': Only one birch here not yet gone/to blight, dirty sleeve shines/its tattered column even in/this spring racked with fog.//Not yet riddled with punk, it holds/up a night sky that's too close,/holds up blind stars who see who I am,/not who I could be. I follow its rules://Hide in the dark./Stand alone./Move when the wind does./Don't talk.

One Season Behind
Sarah Rosenblatt
Carnegie Mellon University Press
5032 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15289-1021
0887484662, $14.95 www.cmu.edu/universitypress 1-414-405-8471

Wisconsin poet Sarah Rosenblatt has had her verse appear in such publications as 'The Clark Street Review', 'Ploughshares', 'Poetry East', 'The Portland Review, and 'Free Verse', as well as in the pages of "American Poetry: The Next Generation". "One Season Behind" is a compendium of her compelling poems that will well serve to introduce readers to one of Wisconsin's best when it comes to contemporary poetry. 'Outgrowing Our Homeland Security': This leader had always had more than enough,/like certain girls in grade school/who acted as if they had an edge/on the rest of us.//In the cafe a homeless woman/turns from person to person/asking if he or she/is angry with her.//A well-kept woman/waits for her coffee,/looks straight ahead–/not intending to face/up to anyone's gaze.

Aqua Regia
F. J. Bergmann
Parallel Press
372 Memorial Library, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
1893311872, $10.00 http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu 1-800-636-0071

F. J. Bergmann is the kind of award winning poet who sells used books, has had considerable experience training horses, has illustrated a manual of interesting diseases, and was even a rural postal carrier. These days she contributes her verse and commentary to madpoetry.org and has her own website at www.fibitz.com "Aqua Regia" is a little chapbook compendium of her own very special prose poetry that entertains, reminisces, and occasional inspires thoughtful reflection. 'Summer': it is best to succumb/soon after the solstice/just before warm dusk/in the dwindling amber/gold striking through trees/to stroke our naked skins/in shadowy quagga stripes/cinnamon bracken rustles/far away the phalarope sings


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Aiming At Amazon
Aaron Shepard
Shepard Publications
1102 Olympia Avenue NE, #18, Olympia, WA 98506
093849743X, $15.00 www.shepardpub.com

Amazon.com is the 800 pound gorilla of online bookselling. There are a large and growing number of other online booksellers (some are independent 'virtual' stores, while others, like Borders.com, are affiliated with traditional 'brick-and-morter' bookstores, and still others are specific to a particular publisher, like iUniverse.com) , but Amazon.com is by far the oldest, largest, best known, successful, and most important of them all. Amazon.com can (and often does) make the difference between a self-published author, a print-on-demand (POD) published author, a small-press author, or a major press mid-list published author being able to make a profit on their books. No small press publisher can afford to not list their titles with Amazon.com for the same reason – connecting with the reading public. In "Aiming At Amazon: The New Business of Self Publishing", an experienced writer of children's books for major publishing houses, as well as a successful self-publisher, Aaron Shepard draws upon his considerable expertise to teach novice authors who have (or are contemplating) self-publishing just how to utilize Amazon.com as a marketing resource for selling their book(s). The first major section, 'Publishing for Profit' begins with a basic introduction to the value of (and preparation for) online bookselling. The next section, 'Building Your Book', covers everything from title selection factors, to creating spin-offs, to crafting a marketable cover, to portability, to reprinting. Next is 'Meeting the Marketing' where Shepard covers data collection, publishing dates, pricing, book returns, book classification and description, publicity/promotion, and keeping track of book sales. "Aiming at Amazon' is specific to getting the book registered on Amazon.com, maximizing the benefits of being listed on Amazon.com, the various relevant features of Amazon.com, and 'the other Amazons'. The final section, 'Finessing the Future' addresses the issues of fine tuning a book, 'keeping it fresh', publishing more books, and how to deal successfully with a publishing industry and marketplace that is in a steady state of flux, change, and technological evolution. "Aiming At Amazon" is an essential read for anyone having to market a self-published or POD published book – and has a wealth of very practical and valuable information for small press publishers, novice free-lance book publicists, and mid-list authors of the larger publishing houses who find themselves having a major responsibility for promoting and publicizing their titles.

Beating the Odds
Shelley B. Wepner & Linda B. Gambrell, editors
International Reading Association
800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139
0872075893 $25.95 www.reading.org

Edited by professors Shelley B. Wepner & Linda B. Gambrell, Beating the Odds: Getting Published in the Field of Literacy combines essays from seventeen contributors presenting more than eighty guidelines to cope with the often confusing labyrinth that is the publishing process. Though compiled especially for classroom teachers, reading specialists, faculty and administrators affiliated with literacy programs and others seeking to publish their writings in the field of literacy, much of the practical advice in Beating the Odds is applicable to writers of all walks. Whether one is trying to get a literacy article published in a journal, newspaper or magazine, or responding to rejection or revise-and-resubmit decisions, writing or editing a book, or just getting started, Beating the Odds offers sound advice on every step of the way. Of especial note are the topics not covered by most other writing guidebooks, such as the advantages and pitfalls in collaboration in writing for publication, and the importance of establishing a "write-for-publication" mindset. Highly recommended.

Berlitz Spell It Right Dictionary
Christine Maxwell
Lande Communications
PO Box 979, Spring House, PA 19477
9812469818 $7.95 www.berlitzbooks.com

Teacher Christine Maxwell presents Berlitz Spell It Right Dictionary, a one-of-a-kind reference especially for students, English-language learners and others who have extreme difficulty in spelling words - and as a result, find it hard to look up the words' proper spellings in an ordinary dictionary. Berlitz Spell It Right lists both commonly misspelled words and their most frequent misspellings, in two-color format so as to make it perfectly clear which spelling is the correct one. Berlitz Spell It Right Dictionary does not give dictionary definitions of words or pronunciations, though it does offer specific tips for searching for words when a first glance and guess at the word's spelling yields no success. A key to spelling rules is on the bottom of each page for easy reference in this user-friendly, go-to guide for aspiring writers regardless of their personal level of spelling skill.

Vocabulary Dictionary and Workbook
Mark Phillips
A. J Cornell Publications
18-74 Corporal Kennedy Street, Bayside, NY 11360
0972743944 $16.95

University teacher and editor of 30 years' experience Mark Phillips presents Vocabulary Dictionary and Workbook: 2,856 Words You Must Know, a quick-study self-teaching tool for expanding one's English vocabulary. Vocabulary Dictionary Workbook is divided into over two hundred chapters, each chapter presenting a dozen or so words with straightforward dictionary definitions and an example of the word's use in a sentence, plus simple bonus exercises at the end to reinforce the reader's familiarity. The words are organized alphabetically among all chapters as a whole, so that looking up any individual word is a simple matter regardless of what chapter it is from. The words covered include many that are most likely to be on the SATs and other standardized tests, or included on the job or peppering everyday conversation. An absolute "must-have" for anyone preparing for college entrance exams, and an excellent, easy-to-use literacy improvement resource for everyone else.

The Fiction Editor, the Novel, and the Novelist
Thomas McCormack
Paul Dry Books, Inc
117 South 17th Street, Suite 1102, Philadelphia, PE 19103
1589880307 $14.95 www.pauldrybooks.com

Now in a revised second edition that incorporates author's additional years of experience in the publishing industry since the publication of the first edition, The Fiction Editor, the Novel, and the Novelist: A Book for Writers, Teachers, Publishers, and Anyone Else Devoted to Fiction is a no-nonsense guide to planning, writing, and revising a novel. Written by award-winning publisher Thomas McCormack, The Fiction Editor, the Novel, and the Novelist offers constructive advice for each step of the creative process, from how to structure a novel, choose characters, and drive the story, to identifying common flaws in narratives, and apply appropriate remedies. Written in an amiable tone, often using examples, hypothetical writing scenarios, or dialogue-style discourse between industry professionals to clarify its points, The Fiction Editor, the Novel, and the Novelist is a superb handbook for fiction writers but especially recommended for prospective and professional fiction editors.

The Writer's Quote Book
Jim Fisher, editor
Rutgers University Press
100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8099
0813538823 $22.95 http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu 1-800-446-9323

Edited by Jim Fisher (professor emeritus, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania), The Writer's Quote Book is intended for aspiring writers combating writer's block, writer's of all walks, genres, and seasons, and book lovers who simply relish the printed word. Compiling the thoughts of five hundred published writers about the quintessence of literary life and what it means to write, The Writer's Quote Book offers passages ranging from one sentence to one paragraph long, each with its own distinct and often witty insight. Highly recommended. "Turning out flashy, dense, complicated prose is a breeze; putting things down in simple terms that anyone can understand takes brainwork." -Patricia T. O'Conner

How To Write A Children's Picture Book
Eve Heidi Bine-Stock
E & E Publishing
1001 Bridgeway, No. 227, Sausalito, CA 94965
3 Volumes, www.EandEGroup.com/Publishing

"How To Write A Children's Picture Book" is an impressive trilogy of instructional books by children's author and illustrator Eve Heidi Bine-Stock that provides other aspiring children's authors with sound, practical, time-tested advice on constructing a picturebook story for children that will hold their interest from beginning to end. Volume 1 is devoted to the structure of writing and draws examples from a series of popular and successful children's books that include 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'Sylvester and the Magic Pebble', and several other children's stories. Applicable to both concept books and picture storybooks, "How To Write A Children's Picture Book: Structure" demonstrates and documents that being able to properly structure a story is the key to writing a picture book that will appeal to children preschool through first grade. Volume 2 focuses upon the use of words, sentences, scenes, and the story when developing a successful picturebook for children. Examples and illustrations are drawn from such picturebook favorites as 'Harry the Dirty Dog', Harold and the Purple Crayon', 'Frog and Toad Are Friends', and several other well known picturebooks, in order to help aspiring picturebook authors understand the critical role of word choice and storytelling strategies for a picturebook's appeal to its intended and age appropriate readership. Volume 3 explores the importance and usage of figures of speech when writing the text for a child's picturebook. Illustrative examples are taken from a series of successful picturebooks that include 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile', 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'Caps for Sale', and 'Fish is Fish'. The deft and careful inclusion of figures of speech are more that just the occasional use of similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole and personification. They are clever, subtle, sophisticated expressions that can make characters and stories truly memorable and raise the level of a good picturebook to the status of a great one – a picturebook that will endure in popularity through many generations of young readers. To each volume of this truly outstanding and unique series of 'how to' books specializing in the techniques of crafting picturebook stories, Eve Heidi Bine-Stock brings her own particular expertise in communicating her instructions, advice, recommendations, and observations, making "How To Write A Children's Picture Book: Structure" (0971989885, !8.95); "How To Write A Children's Picture Book: Word, Sentence, Scene, Story" (0974893323, $18.95; and "How To Write A Children's Picture Book: Figures of Speech" (097489334X, $14.95) an indispensable, unique, and enthusiastically recommended instructional reference set specifically intended for dedicated authors wanting to hone their craft in the deceptively demanding field of picturebooks for children.


The Science Shelf

Central Sites, Peripheral Visions
Richard Handler, editor
The University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711
0299219208 $50.00 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress 1-800-621-2736

Edited by Richard Handler (professor of anthropology, University of Virginia), Central Sites, Peripheral Visions: Cultural and Institutional Crossings in the History of Anthropology is volume eleven in the History of Anthropology series, and collects five in-depth, scholarly essays by learned authors under one cover. The topics discussed are "Ethnographic Publication and Emergent Nationalism in the Sixteenth Century", "Tracking, Offshore Incarceration, and Ethnology in the Back of Beyond", "Diffusion, Race, and the Culture Paradigm in the History of Anthropology", "The FBI and the History of Anthropology at Chicago and in Nigeria", and "Historical Particularism and Cultural Ecology in Court". Overall, Central Sites, Peripheral Visions traces how the science of anthropology has been affected, sometimes distorted, by forces both central and peripheral, from Cold War politics to jousting for status among academia. A thoughtful, serious-minded scrutiny of specific aspects of the gradual evolution of a scientific discipline, enthusiastically recommended along with the rest of the History of Anthropology series for college library reference shelves.


The Self-Help Shelf

Singular Existence
Leslie Talbot
Citadel Press
c/o Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022-6222
Gulotta Communications (publicity)
341 Lexington Street, Newton, MA 02466
0806527994, $12.95 www.kensingtonbooks.com 1-800-345-2665

Being single is always a choice – sometimes a voluntary decision, sometimes an involuntary one. Whether singleness has been selected deliberately or the unhappy and unwanted result of personal circumstance, it has always been a source of advice for schlock counselors, mercenary dating services, and those well (and not so well) meaning friends and family. Leslie Talbot's "Singular Existence" is a wickedly funny, smartly written, shrewdly realistic compendium of observation and advice based on her own dating experiences as an unmarried woman in a culture that prizes women getting married. Of special note is her declaration of independence for the proudly unmarried she calls her 'Manifesto Destiny'. If you are single and looking for that special someone, if you are single and have given up looking for anyone at all, or if you are married and wish you weren't – then read Leslie Talbot's "Singular Existence"!


The Fiction Shelf

Mountain Top
Robert Whitlow
Westbow Press
c/o Thomas Nelson
P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
1595541314 $21.95 www.westbowpress.com

Attorney and novelist Robert Whitlow's background makes him the perfect author for a novel exploring the legal system and the influence of dreams in MOUNTAIN TOP, a novel telling of mysterious visions which plague Sam and land him in jail for crimes he appears to know too much about. Attorney Mike, a lawyer-turned-minister, represents him – and finds himself in the unusual position of having to justify the visions' authenticity to prove his client's innocence. Spiritual insights and social issues blend in a fast-paced story line especially recommended for religious readers and lending libraries.

The Drifter's Revenge
Owen G. Irons
Thorpe
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
1846175860 $20.99 www.ulverscroftusa.com 1-800-955-9659

"The Drifter's Revenge" by Owen G. Irons is one of the Linford Western Library series of large print western novels. It's the story of Ryan, a drifter who had taken a job in a railroad's timber camp in Montana. But when company men kill his friend Ben Comfrey over owed wages of seventy-four dollars and fifty cents, Ryan must flew the camp in fear for his own life. Ryan knows that Ben's widow and son need that money to get them safely through the harsh Montana winter, now with a gun in his hand and vengeance on his mind, Ryan is going to seek frontier justice in behalf of his friend and that orphaned family. Highly recommended reading and a popular addition to any community library's large print fiction collection, "The Drifter's Revenge" is a classic western yarn that will hold the reader's rapt interest from first page to last. Also very highly recommended western titles in the Lindford Western Library large print series are; Terry Murphy's "Broken Star" (1846175879), Tom Benson's "The Land Grabbers" (978-1846175831), David Bingley's "Lawman's Lament" (978-1846175848), and Jake Douglas' "Sound Of Gunfire" (978-1846175855).

Falling To Him
Tamara Lyon
Goblin Fern Press, Inc.
3809 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705
1595980369, $12.95 www.GoblinFernPress.com 1-888-670-2665

Faryn is eighteen years old and trying to balance her constricted life as the daughter of a Lutheran pastor with the heady anticipation and experiences of being on her own as enters college. It's there that she first discovers her budding sexuality. Faryn's mother Alice is also having to cope trying to keep up appearances as a devoted preacher's wife while struggling with her husband's neglect of a 38-year old woman's needs – compounded by his embarking on an extended mission trip in Mexico and leaving her alone in an empty house and with an aching heart. "Falling To Him" is a story of generational struggles, the mother's growing attraction to the handsome assistant pastor at her husband's church, a young woman in college struggling to reinvent herself (and falling in love with an older man with the inevitable heartbreaks), and both women's ultimate attempts to satisfy their needs, achieve their heart's desires, and connect with God and the men in their respective live. "Falling To Him" is a deftly written and highly recommended novel of complex and engaging characters caught up in a web of personal issues that will grip the reader's rapt attention from beginning to end.


The Psychology Shelf

Divorce Doesn't Have To Be That Way
Jane Appell
Impact Publishers
PO Box 6016, Atascadero, CA 93423-6016
1886230714, $27.95 www.impactpublishers.com 1-800-246-7228

"Divorce Doesn't Have To Be That Way: A Handbook For The Helping Professional" by Jane Appell (a private practice psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Tufts new England medical Center, and President of the Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem) offers marriage counselors and family therapists with a complete guide to divorce counseling with an emphasis on providing healthy support to clients that is family centered and non-adversarial. Step-by-step therapeutic intervention procedures are outlined and explained covering all of the key elements of the divorce process from initial decision to relevant legal issues. Highly recommended as informed and informative reading, "Divorce Doesn't Have To Be That Way" covers working with 'problem' personalities, domestic abuse, child custody, alternatives to litigation, and more. Also strongly recommended from Impact Publishers' 'The Practical Therapist Series' for therapists counseling couples considering or engaging in divorce actions is "Defusing The High-Conflict Divorce: A Treatment Guide For Working With Angry Couples" (1886230676, $27.95).


The Travel Shelf

Adventure Guide: Peru
Nicholas Gill
Hunter Publishing
130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818
1588435938, $22.99 1-800-255-0343

The newest addition to the acclaimed 'Hunter Travel Guides' series from Hunter Publishing, "Adventure Guide: Peru"is a profusely illustrated, compact, 'traveler friendly', 584-page carry-along guide for anyone traveling anywhere in Peru and enjoying the best of Peru's amenities, sights, restaurants, hotels, festivals, and attractions. "Adventure Guide: Peru" provides an informed and informative introduction to Peru's history, culture, and basic travel information; what to see and do in the Peruvian capital city of Lima; the sights and resources when traveling along Peru's Southern Coast, Central Highlands, Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, Cordillera Blanca, Northern Highlands, the North Coast, the Amazon, and the Southeastern Jungle/Madre de Dios. Enhanced with maps and practical information on transportation, "Adventure Guide: Peru" is the ideal guidebook for planning and enjoying a visit to Peru whether for business or vacation.

The Smart Traveler's Passport
Erik Torkells
Quirk Books
215 Church Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
1594741778, $14.95 www.quirkbooks.com

Very highly recommended for both the novice and the seasoned traveler alike, "The Smart Traveler's Passport" is a compact, pocket-sized, 244-page compendium offering 399 practical and valuable tips from experienced travelers on everything from locating an appropriate hotel online, to what to pack in a bag small enough to carry on an aircraft, to navigating through airport security with a minimum of frustration. Included are thirteen different uses for Ziploc bags, how dental floss can double as a tape measure, where to find the best street food when in a strange city, how a digital camera can help to find your rental car, how to avoid long lines at popular attractions, and so much more. If you are contemplating a trip anywhere at home or abroad, especially if you are traveling on a budget, then "The Smart Traveler's Passport" will prove to be a welcome and throughly 'user friendly' reference to getting the most out of your trip.


The Humor Shelf

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis The Menace 1955-56: Volume 3
Hank Ketcham
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE , Seattle, WA 98115
1560977701, $24.95 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

The brain child of cartoonist Hank Ketcham, Dennis the Menace became an American favorite and a staple of the comic section of newspapers across the country. Ketcham's mischievous little boy was so popular that the character also appeared in comic books, a television series, and even the movies. Fantagraphic Books has been compiling the Dennis the Menace series for a new generation of readers and has now released the third volume which covers the newspaper cartoons published from 1955 and 1956. Very highly recommended for academic and community library American Popular Culture reference collections, this Dennis the Menace series is a 'must' for American comics buffs in general, and the legions of Hank Ketcham fans particular. For those new to this series, or who have an interest in American comics art and history, visit the Fantagraphics Books website for a complete listing of their available cartoon and graphic novel titles.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft
Simon Gane, et al.
Eureka Productions
8778 Oak Grove Road, Mount Horeb, WI 59572
0974664898, $11.95 www.graphicclassics.com

H.P. Lovecraft was a reclusive and idiosyncratic New England writer whose horror fantasy stories were to influence generations of authors down to the present day. Now seven of his macabre tales have been illustrated by a series of skilled artists into the newly revised and enlarged second edition of the fourteen volume of the increasingly impressive Graphic Classics series from Eureka Productions. The illustrated stories comprising "Graphic Classics; H.P. Lovecraft" include 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' (Simon Gane); 'Dreams in the Witch-House' (Pedro Lopez); 'The Shadow Out of Time' (Matt Howarth); 'The Cats of Ulthar' (Lisa K. Weber); 'The Terrible Old Man' (Onsmith Jeremi); 'Sweet Ermengarde' (one of Lovecrafts attempts at comedy and illustrated by Kevin Atkinson); and 'Herbert West: Reanimator' (presented in four chapters illustrated by Richard Corben, Rick Geary, J.B. Bonivert, and Mark A. Nelson respectively). A 'must' for the legions of Lovecraft fans and very highly recommended reading for graphic novel enthusiasts, this second edition 'Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft" is enhanced with the addition of illustrations by Skot Olsen, Gerry Alanguilan, Jim Nelson, and Maxon Crumb.


The Civil War Shelf

Confederate Spies At Large
John Stewart
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
0786428686, $35.00 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187

Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell were two southern spies during the American civil war and through their involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, became the most wanted Confederate agents of that conflict. In "Confederate Spies At Large: The Lives Of Lincoln Assassination Conspirator Tom Harbin and Charlie Russell" by John Stewart provides a fascinating account of these two men, their activities in behalf of the Confederacy, their genealogy, and their contribution to the killing of an American president. "Confederate Spies At Large" is a unique and strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, or community library Civil War reference collections and reading lists.

Fire On The Water
James Gindlesperger
Burd Street Press
c/o White Mane Publishing Company
PO Box 152, Shippenburg PA 17257
157249378X, $27.95 1-888-948-6263

On June 19, 1864, the Union warship Kearsage fought an epic battle off the coast of France with the Confederate warship Alabama. "Fire On The Water" is the riveting story of that epic naval confrontation by author and civil war historian James Gindlesperger. Captained by Raphael Semmes, the CSS Alabama had been raiding Union merchant ships for the better part of two years and accounted for almost one of every four union merchant ships lost during the American Civil War to a total of more than 60 ships sunk. The USS Kearsarge (first captained by Charles Pickering and the later by John Winslow) chased the Alabama around the seas and oceans of the world and finally caught up with her. Profusely illustrated (including maps of 'The Cruise of the Alabama' and 'The Battle'), and featuring appendices listing the ships captured or detained by the Alabama; officers and crews of both vessels; extensive chapter notes; and a comprehensive index, "Fire On The Water" is a work of impressive and detailed scholarship, making it a strongly recommended addition to personal and academic library Civil War and American Naval History reference collections and supplemental reading lists. Also very highly recommended are two earlier Civil War studies by James Gindlesperger: "Escape From Libby Prison" (0942597915, $24.95) and "Seed Corn Of The Confederacy" (157249056X, $24.95).

Battlefields & Blessings
Terry Tuley
AMG Publishers
6815 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421
0899570437 $16.99 www.amgpublishers.com

Compiled by Baptist pastor and Civil War enthusiast Terry Tuley, Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from The Civil War is a unique daily devotional for Christians - one that compiles true quotes and stories from Christians who served in the American Civil War. Each day of the year has a corresponding page with an anecdote concerning the uplifting power of faith, especially amidst a lethal war in which death by bullets, shrapnel, and disease were ever-present. These real-world examples of courage and faith, in the very words of the individuals who personally faced the dark hours of war, make Battlefields & Blessings a truly unforgettable means to contemplate God with each new dawn.


The Archeology Shelf

Forbidden Archeology
Michael A. Cremo & Richard L. Thompson
Bhaktivedanta Institute
c/o Torchlight Publishing
PO Box 52, Badger, CA 93603
0892132949, $44.95 www.torchlight.com

The scientific discipline archeology (the study of antiquity through ancient writings and artifacts) is taught in every university in this country and abroad. Archeology seeks to illuminate human origins and the development of human civilization down through the millennia. A constantly evolving field of scientific inquiry, theory and findings, archeology has a number of anomalies that are either glossed over or ignored in traditional courses of archaeological instruction. In "Forbidden Archeology: The Hidden History Of The Human Race", Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thomson from the Bhaktivedanta Institute (a research center founded in 1975 and dedicated to the advanced study of the nature and origin of life and the universe in light of ancient India's Vedic literature) have collaborated to compile and present these anomalies that have been suppressed by established, traditional archaeological studies because they contradict or simply don't fit in with the accept theories about human origins and earlier cultures. Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Forbidden Archeology" is a very strongly recommended, 914-page volume that is specifically written and organized to be thoroughly accessible for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in archeology and anthropology, and has a great deal of value for dedicated students, academicians, and working professionals in these sciences as well.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Crockery Cook
Mable Hoffman
Running Press
125 South Twenty-Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4399
0762426004, $14.95 www.runningpress.com 1-800-345-5359

A professional home economist, Mable Hoffman is the five-time winner of the R.J. French Tastemaker Award.. In "The Crockery Cook" she has drawn upon her very special expertise to compile delicious, nutritious, 'kitchen-cook friendly' slow-cooker recipes for the family crock pot. From Potato Shitake Soup; Chinese Braised Chicken; Irish Corned Beef Dinner; and Mediterranean Ratatouille; to Brazilian Feijoada; Tropical Baby Back Ribs; Sweet-Sour Pork Chops; and 'No Chopping' Vegetable Soup; each recipe lists their calories, grams of protein, fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates per serving. Enhanced with a section devoted to hassle-free entertaining, Mable Hoffman's "The Crockery Cook" is the perfect addition to any household cookbook shelf. Also very highly recommended are her earlier culinary collections: "Crockery Cookery Favorites" and "The Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Cookbook".

Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide And Cookbook
Bonnie Sanders Polin & Francis Towner Giedt
Cleveland Clinic Press
9500 Euclid Avenue, NA32, Cleveland, OH 44195
0767921682, $29.95 www.clevelandclinicpress.com 1-216-444-1158

Showcasing more than 150 superb recipes, the "Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide And Cookbook" is the collaborative effort of experienced cookbook authors Bonnie Sanders Polin and Francis Towner Giedt, and the medical experts at the Cleveland Clinic's highly respected Heart & Vascular Institute. More than just another cookbook designed for 'heart healthy' dining, the "Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide And Cookbook" is also a compendium of sound, practical, professional advice on reshaping the modern American lifestyle so as to enhance cardiovascular health and physical well-being. From Salmon Mousse; Warm Arugula with Polenta Croutons and Mozzarella Cheese; and Linguine with Spicy Broccoli and Portobello Mushrooms; to Grilled Black Sea Bass over Summer Vegetables with Japanese Dressing; Asian Chicken Wraps; Curried Lentils and Cauliflower with Cucumber Raita; and Orange Upside-Down Cake, the "Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide And Cookbook" offers a culinary wealth of savory, 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes that would grace any family meal or celebratory dining event.

Hot Dish Heaven
Ann L. Burckhardt
Minnesota Historical Society Press
345 Kellogg Boulevard, West, St. Paul, MN 55102-1906
0873515684, $16.95 www.mnhs.org/mhspress 1-800-647-7827

A former reporter, columnist, and editor for the Taste section of the 'Star Tribune', Ann L. Burckhardt has written or edited more than twenty-five books on food – including the original edition of the "Betty Crocker Cooky Book". So she brings a very special expertise to "Hot Dish heaven: Classic Casseroles From Midwest Kitchens" where she has compiled an impressive collection of mouth-watering, palate-pleasing, appetite satisfying, kitchen-cook friendly recipes showcasing what the casserole can do ranging from ordinary family meals to gourmet dishes fit for even the most elegant celebratory dining event. The recipes (ranging from Old Standby Hamburger and Rice Bake, to Satisfying Shepherd's Pie, to Beef Chow Mein Hot Dish, to Mom's Bread Pudding) are grouped into seven sections; Casserole Classics; Round the World in a Casserole Dish; Comfort Foods for Busy Days; Hot Dishes for Potlucks and Church Suppers; Satisfying Side Dishes; Breakfast and Brunch Casseroles; and Warm, Wonderful Desserts. Enhanced with two appendices featuring 'Cream Sauce' and 'Pastry Crust', as well as an informative introduction by Karal Ann Marling, "Hot Dish Heaven" is a simply wonderful addition to any family cookbook shelf, and a 'must' for the community library culinary collection.

Eating Well: Serves Two
Jim Romanoff
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
0881507237, $24.95 www.countrymanpress.com 1-800-245-4151

Featuring 150 wonderfully healthy and savory recipes for quick and easy meal preparation for the time-constrained kitchen cook, "Eating Well: Serves Two" covers planning the meal, shopping wisely, and step-by-step cooking instructions for a perfect result. Culinary author Jim Romanoff (Food Editor and Recipe Developer of 'EatingWell Magazine') offers delectable dishes ranging from Captiva Shrimp and Chicken Salad; Tunisian Vegetable Tagine; Grilled Chicken with Chipotle-Orange Glaze; and Turkey fingers with Maple-Mustard Sauce; to Saffron-Scented Mussels; Pork with Dried Apples and Prosciutto; Poached Salmon with Creamy Piccata Sauce; and Penne with Vodka Sauce and Capicola.. Profusely illustrated with full color photography of the finished dishes, "Eating Well: Serves Two" is strongly recommended for kitchen cookbook collections for its time-conserving, elegantly presented, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, culinary cornucopia of imaginative recipes.

The Dutch Oven Cookbook
Sharon Kramis & Julie Kramis Hearne
Sasquatch Books
119 South Main Street, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98104-2555
1570614989, $19.95 www.sasquatchbooks.com 1-800-775-0817

Sharon Kramis is a former student and protege of the famed culinary chef and cookbook author James Beard. She has also been a food consultant for Anthony's Restaurants in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years. Julie Kramis Hearne has been a professional chef at the Herbfarm and studies at the Culinary Institute of America. Together, in "The Dutch Oven Cookbook", this mother and daughter team have collaborated to showcase a culinary wealth of savory recipes to be prepared in a 'Dutch Oven' – the original slow cooker. From Provencal Vegetable Soup with Pistou; Seafood Stew in Red Curry Sauce; Slow-Cooked Beef Short Ribs; and Roasted Mussels with Pinot Grigio; to Smothered Chicken with Mushrooms; Roasted Red Pears; Lemon Cake Pudding with Blueberries; and Simple Curried Lobster Chowder, "The Dutch Oven Cookbook" is a superbly illustrated and kitchen cook friendly compendium of highly recommended and easy to prepare recipes that will turn any ordinary meal into a gourmet dining occasion.

Japanese Cooking
Shizuo Tsuji
Kodansha America, Inc.
575 Lexington Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10022
4770030495, $45.00 www.kodanshaamercia.com 1-800-451-7556

Now in a superbly presented 25th Anniversary Edition, "Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art" by the late Japanese master chef Shizuo Tsuji (1933-1993) has been considered to be the best and most comprehensive single volume on the variety and preparation of Japanese cuisine. More than a simple compendium of instructions for Japanese dishes, "Japanese Cooking" provides a core background on the concepts underlying Japanese traditions and ideas about food and dining. Here presented are the quintessential qualities that professional chefs and amateur gourmets need to understand if they are to fully appreciate and expertly prepare Japanese cuisine whether it be for a simple family meal or an extravagant celebratory occasion. Featuring more than 100 recipes that fully showcase the best of Japanese cuisine and the culinary expertise to make even the most novice kitchen cook the peer of a competent Japanese chef, "Japanese Cooking" is a core addition to any and all personal, professional, or community library multicultural cookbook collections.

New Orleans Classic Desserts
Kit Wohl
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
1589804449, $15.95 www.pelicanpub.com 1-800-843-1724

In "New Orleans Classic Desserts", culinary enthusiast Kit Wohl has compiled a series of recipes drawn from Big Easy restaurants for memorable desserts that are gorgeously illustrated in full color and guarantee to please any palate and satisfying any craving for something sweet and delicious at the end of a meal or any other time a bit of dessert is called for. Organized into sections devoted to Cakes & Pies, Custards & Puddings, Candies & Cookies, Flambe, Ices & Ice Creams, Accompaniments, Sauces & Garnishes, the recipes range from Chef Emeril Lagasse's Banana Cream Pie; to the Palace Cafe's White Chocolate Bread Pudding; to Chef April Bellow's Pecan lace Cookies; to Angelo Brocato's Cantaloupe Ice. Enhanced with an informative little section on 'Baking Essentials', the "New Orleans Classic Desserts" will prove a very popular and 'kitchen cook friendly' addition to any cookbook shelf.

Single Malt And Scotch Whiskey
Daniel Lerner
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
151 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011
1579125778, $14.95 1-800-722-7202

Knowledgeably compiled and expertly organized by Daniel Lerner, "Single Malt And Scotch Whisky" is an informed and informative 199-page reference guide to more than two hundred brands and varieties of scotch whisky. This superbly illustrated, newly revised and expanded addition covers the varieties, strength, aroma, flavor, and distinguishing characteristics of each cited brand. Comprehensive, 'reader friendly', and easily portable, readers will begin with an informative introductory chapter on 'How to Use this Book', and then move on to learn about the distilling process, what constitutes Scotch Whiskey, labels, and more. Enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary, a resource guide, and a comprehensive index, "Single Malt And Scotch Whiskey" is clearly an ideal reference and guide which is very highly recommended for novice whiskey drinkers, restauranteurs, barkeeps, and collectors.

Savor Oregon Cookbook
Chuck Johnson & Blanche Johnson
Wilderness Adventures Press
45 Buckskin Road, Belgrade, MT 59714
1932098062, $14.95 www.wildadvpress.com 1-866-400-2012

Featuring impressive dishes contributed by the chefs and head cooks of some of Oregon's finest restaurants and lodges, "Savor Oregon Cookbook" is an enthusiastically recommended compendium of regional recipes collaboratively compiled by the husband and wife team of Chuck and Blanche Johnson. Very nicely illustrated throughout with period photography, the recipes in this celebration of Oregonian cuisine ranges from Molasses and Caraway Seared Elk Loin with Black Barley Risotto and Honey-Mead Demi-Glace (Salishan Lodge); to Hazelnut Encrusted Halibut Florentine with Champagne Oyster Cream (Silver Salmon Grille); to Alder Smoked Duck Breast with Raspberry Anjous (Morton's Bistro); to Gungeness Crab Cakes with Artichoke Tapenade, Garlic Coulis, and Caper Berries Appetizer (Hood River Hotel). Four other regional and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' collections by the team of Chuck and Blanche Johnson include: Savor Colorado Cookbook: Mountains and Western Slope (1932098070, $24.95); Savor Idaho Cookbook (1932098216, $24.95); Savor Greater Seattle Cookbook (1932098089, $24.95); and Savor Montana II Cookbook (1932098259, $24.95).


The American History Shelf

Copper Chorus
Dennis L. Swibold
Montana Historical Society
225 North Roberts, PO Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201
0975919601 $24.95 www.montanhistoricalsociety.org

Former reporter and current professor of the University of Montana School of Journalism Dennis L. Swibold presents Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics, and the Montana Press, 1889-1959, a straightforward look at newspapers owned or controlled by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company over the course of seven decades, and their profound influence on state politics. A cautionary tale for free citizens in today's world of increasing media consolidation, Copper Chorus examines the notoriety and abuse of power observed in the industrial press during times of war and peace. Extensively researched and illustrated with a smattering of black-and-white photographs, Copper Chorus is an engaging slice of little-known American history that deserves to be studied, lest it be repeated.

Crossroads In Time
Dennis J. Connors
Onondaga Historical Society
c/o Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
0815681496, $49.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Dating from its beginnings in 1862, the Onondaga historical Association (OHA) is one of the oldest cultural organizations in Central New York. A nonprofit organization, OHA is the primary historical agency for the Greater Syracuse area and has the mission of preserving historical materials and teaching about local area history through exhibits, publications, tours, programs, and educational services at its Museum and its Research Center located in downtown Syracuse. Co-published by the Onondaga Historical Society and the Syracuse University Press, "Crossroads In Time: An Illustrated History Of Syracuse' by local Syracuse historian Dennis J. Connors provides an informed and informative history of this venerable institution, its mission and accomplishments. Highly recommended and profusely illustrated reading, as well as a welcome addition to American History reference collections, "Crossroads In Time" could well serve as a template for other regional and state historical societies seeking to record and publish their own histories.

Alabaster Cities
John Rennie Short
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13244-5160
0815631057 $29.95 www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu

Written by John Rennie Short (Professor of Geography and Public Policy, University of Michigan), Alabaster Cities: Urban U.S. Since 1950 is an in-depth, scholarly study of urban America since 1950, with especial focus on "urban renewal" that all too often demolished working-class city zones that were not slums, failed to provide adequate public housing, and therefore left too many poor and lower-income people with no place to go; the positives and negatives of increasing suburbanization; and political and social fallout from changing urban and suburban dynamics. Though serious-minded, drawing heavily on research, and careful not to mistake correlation for causation (are suburbs often more conservative politically because conservatives tend to move there, or because life there tends to give residents a more conservative perspective?), Alabaster Cities is thoroughly accessible to lay readers as well as scholarly readers. Highly recommended.

Where We Lived
Jack Larkin
The Taunton Press
63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CN 06470-5506
1561588474 $40.00 www.taunton.com

Written by museum scholar and historian Jack Larkin, Where We Lived: Discovering The Places We Once Called Home is a coffee-table book that blends eyewitness accounts of early American life with black-and-white Depression-era photography to give a historically accurate accounting of everyday life during America's formative years. From the lives of slaves and paupers to the hardships faced by frontiersmen to the relative luxury of east coast elites, Where We Lived offers a mosaic of the American experience for readers of all backgrounds, sure to enrich one's understanding of American history and culture. A wonderfully descriptive treasure, enthusiastically recommended for public library collections.

Abraham Lincoln Portrayed In The Collections of The Indiana Historical Society
Harold Holzer, editor
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
0871952017, $49.95 www.indianahistory.org

Harold Holzer is co[-chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and an acknowledged authority on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. Therefore he brings a very special expertise to compiling and editing "Abraham Lincoln Portrayed In The Collections of The Indiana Historical Society", a 264 page volume that includes 150 images (many of which are in full color) and a complete catalog of the Indiana Historical Society collection compiled by IHS William Henry Smith Library staff members Emily Castle and Barbara Quigley. Here are contemporary and later images of Lincoln with his family, generals, and cabinet members, as well as political cartoons, illustrate sheet music, book and newspaper illustrations of the period.. A work of impressive, detailed and original scholarship, "Abraham Lincoln Portrayed In The Collections of The Indiana Historical Society" is a singularly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American History reference collections in general, and supplemental reading lists for students of Abraham Lincoln's life and times in particular. Also very highly recommended are Harold Holzer's other works on Abraham Lincoln: "The Lincoln Image"; "Lincoln Seen and Heard"; "Dear Mr. Lincoln"; "The Lincoln Mailbag"; and "Lincoln at Cooper Union".


The Parenting Shelf

A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children
James T. Webb, et al.
Great Potential Press Inc.
PO Box 5057, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
0910707529 $24.95 www.giftedbooks.com

Written by the team of James T. Webb, Ph.D., Janet L. Gore, M.Ed., Edward R. Amend, Psy.D. and Arlene R. DeVries, M.S.E, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children is a well-rounded resource written especially for parents and lay readers. Chapters cover the characteristics of gifted children, emotional concerns such as unhappiness and depression, guidelines for aiding gifted children in the social development when they often have more in common with a notably older peer group than children their own age, concerns for "twice-exceptional" children who are gifted in one area and disadvantaged in another, and much more. Extensive endnotes, references, and an index round out this sensible, "must-have" for parents of gifted children.


The Education Shelf

Where You Stand Is Where You Sit
Robert V. Smith, author
Dusty Higgins, illustrator
The University of Arkansas Press
201 Ozark, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557288305 $19.95 www.uapress.com

Written by Robert V. Smith (Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs, University of Arkansas), Where You Stand Is Where You Sit is a no-nonsense guide for academic administrators of all stripes, from provosts and vice-presidents to deans to department chairs and administrative support professionals. Chapters cover how to communicate effectively with one's supervisor, the model of the integrated scholar, common joys, challenges and failures of professional life, common conflicts of interest or commitment that can arise, and much more. Where You Stand Is Where You Sit literally tells it like it is, and will prove as invaluable to those contemplating or just starting out in an administrative academic career as to those who are already long-time veterans in the field. Highly recommended.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Bare Bones Bible Handbook
Jim George
Harvest House Publishers
990 Owen Loop North, Eugene, Oregon 97402-9173
0736916547 $12.99 www.harvesthousepublishers.com 1-800-547-8979

Christian author and speaker Jim George applies his extensive degree learning from Talbot Theological Seminary to The Bare Bones Bible Handbook: 10 Minutes to Understanding Each Books of the Bible, a plain-text, straightforward guide to what the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible have to say. Written for lay people, and designed so that the reader can absorb the essence of each book of the Bible in ten minutes at a time, The Bare Bones Bible Handbook is enthusiastically recommended as a quick-study aid especially for anyone new to bible studies. An excellent, no-nonsense primer and introduction to sacred texts.

Constantine's Bible
David L. Dungan
Augsburg Fortress Publishers
PO Box 59304, Minneapolis, MN 55459-0304
0800637909 $17.00 www.fortresspress.com

Written by David L. Dungan (Professor of Religion, University of Tennessee in Knoxville), Constantine's Bible: Politics and the Making of the New Testament is an inquiry into accepted canon of the New Testament that explores the social-historical context of the Greek polis ideology. Chapters examine the precise definition of what is and is not canon, the influence of Greek philosophy upon early Christianity, defense of Catholic scriptures against "pagans and heretics", how the intervention of an Emperor reshaped religious history, and much more. A scholarly, well-researched and succinctly reasoned treatise, shedding new light on our understanding of ancient scriptures, highly recommended for religious studies shelves.

Interpreting the Historical Books
Robert B. Chisholm Jr.
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
0825427649 $19.99 www.kregelpublications.com 1-800-733-2607

Written by Robert B. Chisholm Jr. (chair of the Old Testament department and professor of Old Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary), Interpreting the Historical Books: An Exegetical Handbook is an in-depth scrutiny of Old Testament books Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Chapters examine the components of narrative (setting, characterization, and plot) in each of these Old Testament historical books, interpreting the narrative writings through a common lens to promote understanding. A scholarly, serious-minded assessment written for intermediate to advanced Biblical or literary scholars, Interpreting the Historical Books includes a glossary and an introduction to narrative literary, structural, and dialogue terms to aid relative newcomers to the field of Biblical study. A welcome contribution to theology and Biblical studies shelves.


The World History Shelf

I Was There
Ellen Schoeck
The University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
0888644647 $39.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Written by former University of Alberta student and senior administrator Ellen Schoeck, I Was There: A Century of Alumni Stories About the University of Alberta 1906-2006 is a work of oral history chronicling the accomplishments and contributions of the University of Alberta over the past century. Collecting testimonies from generations of students, professors, and staffs who lived and worked at the University of Alberta, I Was There reads fluidly throughout its length of seven hundred pages, as it walks the reader through highlights, anecdotes, funny stories, and moments that would shape history. Notes, an index, and black-and-white vintage photography scattered through I Was There adds a visual touch to this soulful compendium and tribute that is surely the next best thing to having experienced the University of Alberta for oneself.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

With Our Good Will
Doug Copsey
Caxton Press
312 Main Street, Caldwell, ID 83605-3299
0870044567, $37.95 www.caxtonpress.com 1-800-657-6465

Compiled and written by Doug Copsey, "With Our Good Will: 30 Years Of Shakespeare In Idaho" is a profusely illustrated history of performances of Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies in the theatres of Idaho. In addition to photos of performers and performances, this compendium details Shakespearean productions arranged chronologically beginning with 'The Downtown Years' of 1977 to1980; 'The Plantation Years' of 1981 to1983; 'The Parkcenter Years' of 1984 to1997; and 'New Beginnings' from 1998 to 2006. Concluding with a chapter on 'What the Future Holds', "With Our Good Will" is enhanced with the further inclusion of Acknowledgments, Appendix, Index, and '30 Years of Posters'. A unique and welcome contribution to American Theatrical History reference collections, "With Our Good Will" would also serve as an excellent template for other regional and statewide theatre histories.

Cinema By The Bay
Sheerly Avni
Welcome Books
6 West 18 Street, New York, NY 10011
1932183884, $39.95 www.welcomebooks.com 1-800-733-3000

"Cinema By The Bay" by San Francisco-based film and culture writer Sheerly Avni is a profusely illustrated survey of influential, full-length, post-1960s feature films produced by five movie studios located in the San Francisco Bay Area (American Zoetrope, The Saul Zaentz Company, Lucasfilm Ltd., Pixar Animation Studies, and Pacific Data images), or which were directed by independent filmmakers living and working in Northern California (many of whom were recent graduates of the California Institute of the Arts and Stanford – where they had studied experimental animation). Enhanced with the inclusion of an informed and informative introduction by film critic Michael Sragow, filmographies, an index, credits and acknowledgments, "Cinema By The Bay"is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Cinema History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Quilt Toppings
Melody Crust
Breckling Press
283 Michigan Street, Elmhurst, IL 60126
1933308028, $29.95 1-800-951-7836

"Quilt Toppings: Fun And Fancy Embellishment Techniques" by quilting expert Melody Crust features hundreds of color photos illustrating close-up details of quilting embellishment techniques, before-and-after shots of projects that transformed plain quilts into works of the needlecrafter's art, and a wealth of impressive resources for inspiration and for embellishment techniques ranging from beading to painting, buttons and bows, thread play, and fabrics. Each individual chapter includes an 'Idea Gallery' of unique quilt toppings. "Quilt Toppings"is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to instructional quilting reference collections for the novice needlecrafter and has a great deal to offer even the more experienced quilt maker.

Contemporary Machine-Embroidered Fashions
Eileen Roche
Krause Publications
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990-0001
0896893030, $29.99 www.fwpublications.com 1-800-726-9966

Eileen Roche is the founding editor of 'Designs in Machine Embroidery' and so brings a special expertise to "Contemporary Machine-Embroidered Fashions: Transform Everyday Garments Into Designer Originals". Enhanced with a profusion of colorful illustrations, as well as the inclusion of a bonus CD offering 30 original designs, "Contemporary Machine-Embroidered Fashions" focuses upon fashion embroidery using the sewing machine. Needlecraft enthusiasts are provided with twenty projects with their step-by-step instructions and coordinating outfit ideas; techniques and tips for selecting and using blanks, notions, designs, templates, stabilizers, hoops and machines; as well as invaluable information on embroidering tops and bottoms, necklines, collars, cuffs, pockets, and trim. A thoroughly 'user friendly' manual of projects and concepts, "Contemporary Machine-Embroidered Fashions" will prove a welcome and even inspiring addition to needlecraft reference collections.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Eros & Equus
Laura Chester, editor
Willow Creek Press
PO Box 147, Minocqua WI 54548
1595433880, $29.95 www.willowcreekpress.com 1-800-850-9453

Selected, compiled and edited by Laura Chester, the extracts and quotations comprising the text of "Eros & Equus: A Passion For The Horse" are beautifully enhanced throughout with the black and white photography of Donna Demari. The result is a terrific read for horse lovers of all ages. From the boisterous enthusiasm of the young colt to the stolid stoicism of the older horse, "Eros & Equus" offers a series of moving tributes, observations and commentaries that connect humans to their horses. From a band of wild girls racing their horses through a river, to an elder gentleman riding his prized stallion, to a nude woman swept into the saddle of a bandit, to a drunken father protecting his daughter's blind horse from the gun, each exquisite piece and their accompanying photographic images simply sweep the reader along from first page to last. "Eros & Equus" is a dramatically recommended addition to personal and community collections on Pets/Wildlife in general, and the horse in particular.

Brackish-Water Fishes
Neale Monks, editor
T.F.H. Publications
1 TFH Plaza, 3rd & Union Avenue, Neptune City, NJ 07753
0793805643, $39.95 www.tfh.com 1-800-631-2188

Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by zoologist and aquarium fish expert Neale Monks "Brackish-Water Fishes: An Aquarist's Guide To Identification, Care & Husbandry" is a complete, 384-page, authoritative and 'user friendly' guide to rare, common, and easy-to-obtain species of brackish-water fish species which would prove ideal for the home aquarium. In addition to full color photographically illustrated descriptions of each fish, "Brackish-Water Fishes also features sound recommendations for themed aquarium tank setups, and tankmates for each identified species. Very highly recommended and an indispensable reference, "Brackish-Water Fishes" is a specialized and core addition to any personal, professional, academic, and community library Pets/Wildlife collection in general, and aquarium fish reference shelf in particular.

Portraits Of The Bison
Wes Olson
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
0888644329, $39.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Profusely illustrated throughout and especially recommended for both community and academic library Pets & Wildlife collections, "Portraits Of The Bison" by Wes Olson (Senior Warden at Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada) showcases the bison herd at the Elk Island National Park and deftly explores the distinctions between wood bison and plains bison species. A superbly presented and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide for non-specialist general readers with an interest in bison, "Portraits Of The Bison" and their life cycles, notable individuals, families, bands, clans and herds making up bison society.


The Art Shelf

Circling Around Abstraction
Georgia O'Keeffe
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, 74-2 Union Street, Manchester, VT 05254
0943411491, $50.00 www.hudsonhills.com

Georgia O'Keeffe continues to be regarded as one of America's most creative and original painters whose work continues to influence and inspire new generations of artists long after her death."Circling Around Abstraction" beautifully traces and showcases O'Keeffe's experiments with circular forms throughout her lengthy career from hypnotic swirls in charcoal abstractions in the 1910s, through her carefully constructed still lifes of the 1920, to close-up depictions drawn from the natural world in the 1930s, to her seminal pelvis series of the 1940s, and concludes with a selection of her late paintings in which she went back to the visionary roots of her earliest days as an artist. Enhanced with a pare of informed and informative essays by exhibition curators Jonathan Stuhlman and Barbara Buhler Lynes, "Circling Around Abstraction" is an invaluable contribution to O'Keeffe studies and a critically important addition to academic library American Art History reference collections.

Rubens
Susan Lawson
Chaucer Press
20 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3JH
www.chaucer-press.com
International Publishers Marketing (distributor)
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
1904449204, $55.00 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Rubens, while best known today for his paintings, was also a collector, a diplomat, a linguist, a renowned scholar, and a master of Baroque theatricality who won acclaim for his powerful religious altarpieces and large-scale commissions for the royal courts of Europe. His profound influence on artists of future generations also rested on his superbly executed landscapes and intimate portraits of family and friends. Now the life and work of Rubens is superbly presented in an historical survey by Susan Lawson (Commissioning Editor in Contemporary Art and Visual Theory at I.B. Tauris Publishers) that put into context Ruben's politics, religious beliefs, and artistic mastery of brush and canvas. Superbly illustrated throughout, "Rubens" is divided into eight chapters ranging from his 'Life and Times', to 'Arcadia: Portraits and Landscapes', to 'Architecture and Theatre in the Mature and Late Styles', to 'Figures, Flesh, and the Rubenesque'. Enhanced with a recommended selection for further reading on the artist and his work and a core addition to any personal, academic, or community library Art History collection, "Rubens" is a strongly recommended study of meticulous scholarship that is as articulate as it is informative.

Art At Work/L' Au Travail
Victoria Henry, editor
Goose Lane Editions
500 Beverbrook Court, Suite 330, Fredericton, NB, Canada, E3B 5X4
0864924291, $50.00 www.gooselane.com 1-800-565-9523

Possessing more than 18,000 paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures by more than 2,500 contemporary artists which they accumulated over the past 35 years, the Canada Council Art Bank is the largest public collection in Canada outside a public gallery. Featuring a bilingual French/English text, "Art At Work" showcases a representative survey of the artwork created by some of the best of Canada's aborigines. Compiled and edited by Victoria Henry (Director of the Canada Council Art Bank), "Art At Work" is profusely illustrated with full color photography and the informative contributions of Adrienne Clarkson (Governor General of Canada from 1999-2005 and selector of many Art Bank pieces); Toronto critic and independent curator Peggy Gale; art historian, consultant, freelance researcher and writer Pierre Landry; David P. Silcox (the Canada Council's first arts officer); and noted photographic artist and curator Jeffrey M. Thomas. "Art At Work" is a seminal work of impressive dimensions and a welcome addition to Canadian Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Romance Of Modernism
George T. M. Shackelford
MFA Publications
c/o Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
0878467092, $50.00 www.mfa-publications.org 1-800-338-2665

Scott M. Black was named one of the world's top 200 art collectors by ARTnews magazine and is well known for his more than twenty years of collecting Impressionist, Post-impressionist, and Modernist works. The Scott M. Black collection includes sculptures by Rodin, Maillol, and Moore, paintings by Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Leger, Picasso, Braque, Vuillard, Signac, De Chirico, Miro, and magritte; as well as works on paper by Chagall, Pissarro, and Dega. Now for the first time, the general public can appreciate the breadth and depth of this superb collection with "The Romance Of Modernism: Paintings And Sculputre From The Scott M. Black Collection". Showcasing 60 representative items from the collection as carefully selected by George Shackelford, "The Romance Of Modernism" offers a panoramic and informative survey of the Modernist period from 1870 to 1970. Indeed, "The Romance Of Modernism" is an important and seminal addition to personal, community, and academic library Art History reference collections.


The Photography Shelf

In Search Of Peace
Yousef Khanfar
Art Blanc
6957 N.W. Expressway, PMB 210, Oklahoma City, OK 73003
0974732001, $50.00 www.yousefkhanfar.com

A compendium of museum-quality photography, Palestinian photographer and writer Yousef Khanfar's "In Search Of Peace" features a poetically articulate, emotionally passionate, and philosophically inspiring essay on the need for a universal healing for humanity's ills. The photographic images are organized into principle segments devoted images of awe-inspiring power and conflict inherent in natural phenomena and which reflect on the harshness of human conflict; impressionist images conveying human aspirations for freedom of expression, religion, speech, truth, peace, and love; and images that reflect peace, tranquility, and properties of the spirit that can establish a paradise of peace for the whole of the human race. "In Search Of Peace" is a unique compendium of images and a highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Photography collection.


The Music Shelf

Hollywood Shack Job
Harvey Kubernik
University of New Mexico Press
MSC04 2820, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
082633542X, $24.95 www.unmpress.com 1-800-249-7737

An impressive body of work that includes a compilation of thirty-one interviews impressive, author Harvey Kubernik draws upon his years of experience and expertise as a former West Coast director of A&R for MCA Records and as a former TV music and talk show host in "Hollywood Shack Job: Rock Music In Film And On Your Screen" to chronicle the role rock and pop music have played in films and on television in terms of their esthetics and influence on commerce and culture. A kind of oral history spanning sixty years of film and television production, Kubernik includes observations by and on directors, music supervisors, musicians, historians, screenwriters and others. A unique and strongly recommended contribution to music fan, film buff, as well as professional and academic music history, in addition to film history reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Santorella Publications, Ltd.
13 Pleasant Avenue, Danvers, MA 01923
www.santorellapublication.com 1-877-600-0049

Santorella Publications has become an established and trusted name in sheet music because of their dedicated attention to quality and diversity. Four of their highly recommended titles for violinists include "Classical Duets for Violin" (TS367, $14.95) featuring arrangements by Jonathan Robbins; "Popular Wedding Classics for Violin" (TS368, $14.95) including Wagner's 'Bridal Chorus', Schubert's 'Ave Maria', Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March', 'Pachelbel's Canon', Brackett's 'Simple Gifts', and seven other pieces; and Larry McCabe's "The Magic of Irish Fiddling" (TS362, $9.95) and "The Magic of Light Classical Fiddling (TS360, $9.95). Both "Classical Duets for Violin" and "Popular Wedding Classics for Violin" feature an accompany CD. These titles are all very strongly recommended for students of the violin as well as professional violinists performing for the public.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Star Babies
Judy Flower
Allison & Busby
c/o International Publishers Marketing
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
0749081902 $15.95 www.allisonandbusby.com

Written by Astrological Studies graduate and grandmother Judy Flower, Star Babies: Discover What Astrology Has In Store For You And Your Baby is a simple guide to what astrological star signs have to say about mother-child relationships. Divided into sections covering every possible mother-child, father-child, and two-sibling starsign combination, Star Babies offers its wisdom in a charming, affable narrative style. "For the Libran baby, who'll happily settle for a peaceful existence and harmonious surroundings, its Aries mother can be quite a challenge. She, of course, just loves the wonderfully amenable baby but is blissfully ignorant of just how changeable and self-indulgent her little son or daughter is going to be." An easy-to-use general guide, not constrained to any specific or current year.

Divining The Asian Zodiac
Fumio Shiozawa
Heian
c/o Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
0893469491, $18.95 www.stonebridge.com 1-800-947-7271

A gifted illustrator and expert art director, Fumio Shiozawa's Divining the Asian Zodiac: Ancient Guide to Life And Love" is a full-color, in-depth exploration of Asian astrology that includes the use of horoscopes, personality profiles, compatibility charts, and Zodiac animal fables. Based on the work of ancient astrologers who invented the Asian zodiac because they held that each human being has a destiny that guides th way we feel and act, this metaphysical divination system sought to explain the influence of birth years in the forms of animals and their related folklore. Through the pages of "Divining The Asian Zodiac", Shiozawa seeks to aid his readers in discovering their own paths into the future. A unique and inherently beautiful work of text and image, "Divining the Asian Zodiac" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to Metaphysical Studies reading lists and Astrology reference collection.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

The Lawyer's Guide To Balancing Life & Work
George W. Kaufman
American Bar Association
321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610
1590316746, $39.95 www.ababooks.org 1-800-285-2221

Now in an newly updated and expanded second edition, George W. Kaufman's "The Lawyer's Guide To Balancing Life & Work" is designed and written to help attorneys to achieve both personal and professional satisfaction and success in their chosen careers. An experienced lawyer himself, Kaufman describes and comments on how the legal profession has evolved over the last five years, then provides the reader with philosophical and practical advice, examples, and exercises that will substantially assist attorneys to reconcile their goals and expectations with the realities and demands of the legal profession including private practice, law firms, courts, and clientele. "The Lawyer's Guide To Balancing Life & Work" is a 'must' for anyone aspiring to or newly enrolled in the legal profession, and a core addition to law school and university library reference collections.


The Woodworking Shelf

Traditional Wooden Toys
Cyril Hobbins
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
193350210X, $24.95 www.lindenpub.com 1-800-345-4447

In "Traditional Wooden Toys: Their History And How To Make Them", woodworking expert Cyril Hobbins provides aspiring woodworkers with colorfully illustrated, step-by-step, do-it-yourself instructions for a broad range of traditional wooden toys, dolls and games from cultures and countries around the world. These are toys that have provided entertainment for countless generations of children. Informed and informative reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of toys and toymaking, "Traditional Wooden Toys" is especially recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library woodworking reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide
Stephen D. Carpenteri
Stoeger Publishing
17603 Indian Head Highway, Suite 200, Accokeek, MD 20607-2501
088317331X, $9.95 www.stoegerpublishing.com

A compact and pocket-sized instructional reference, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide: Successful Hunting With A Rifle Or Shotgun" by expert hunter Stephen Carpenteri provides a wealth of thoroughly 'user friendly' information, advice and tips for preparing and conducting a successful hunt for the white-tailed deer. In addition to the basics on selecting rifles and shotguns, Carpenteri offers expert counsel on marksmanship, gun safety, deer cartridge performance, deer behavior and habitats, hunting locations, deer stands, ground hunting, and scent control. Of special note are the sections dealing with field dressing, butchering, and the trophy deer. Essential for the novice and offering an invaluable refresher for the seasoned hunter, "The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide" is confidently recommends as being among the best and most easily portable of all the 'how-to' books on deer hunting basics.

Guide To Pheasant Hunting
M.D. Johnson & Julia Johnson
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
081170176X, $32.95 www.stackpolebooks.com 1-800-732-3669

Seasoned pheasant hunters, M.D. Johnson and his wife Julia collaborate to provide a nostalgic but practical and informative handbook on hunting pheasants that includes strategies for conducting a successful hunt, the guns and ammo to use in hunting America's favorite game bird, what clothing to protective clothing to wear when hunting, gun dogs, hunting tactics, even tasty recipes preparing the birds for eating. Of special note is their comments and observations on pheasant conservation efforts. The text (which is profusely illustrated with the full color photography of Julia Johnson) employs amusing and illustrative anecdotes, informal interviews, and personal observations covering everything from the effects of weather on roosters to the use of nontoxic shellshots. The Johnson's "Guide to Pheasant Hunting" is very highly recommended reading – especially to those new to the sport and its incumbent responsibilities.


The Architecture Shelf

The Architecture Of Ratcliff
Woodruff Minor
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
1597140422, $39.95 www.heydaybooks.com 1-510-549-3564

The architectural firm of Ratcliff is the oldest architectural company in San Francisco and beginning in 1906 has been lead by a single family of gifted architects. "The Architecture Of Ratcliff" is a survey of the impressive architectural accomplishments of the members of this firm whose influence with respect to innovative, creative building solutions on West Coast architectural designs continues to the present day. Among their successes is the Oakland International Airport Terminal 2; the Mills College Concern Hall; various buildings on Berkeley's 'Holy Hill'; and an architectural wealth of houses and manors that range from the quaint to the contemporary. "The Architecture Of Ratcliff" is a welcome addition to professional and academic Architectural Studies reference collections and very highly recommended reading for students who aspire to becoming architects themselves.


The Biography Shelf

Adolph Hitler: A Portrait
Michael Fitzgerald
Spellmount Publishers Ltd.
The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucstershire, GL5 2QG
1862273227, 20.00 (British Pounds) mikfitz@lycos.com www.spellmount.com

There have been dozens of biographies on Adolph Hitler. Not surprising in view of his impact on Europe and the world in the early decades of the 20th century. Michael FitzGerald's biography differs from the others in several significant ways. Readers are presented with a portrait of Hitler that arising from the influence of Western European art, architecture and culture on his 'world view'. FitzGerald reveals that Hitler was the first European leader to adopt radical economic policies which were primarily responsible for bringing Germany out of the disastrous recession and runaway inflation brought about by the draconian provisions forced upon the nation by the victorious Allies after World War I. It will come as a surprise to most readers that Hitler was also the first world leader to adopt 'green' policies for his countries natural environment. An impressively researched, deftly written, and confidently recommended biography, "Adolph Hitler: A Portrait" also reveals the origins of Hitler's anti-Semitism and the very curious and unexpected phenomena of high-ranking anti-Semitic Jews within the Nazi Party.


The International Studies Shelf

A Common Hunger
Joan G. Fairweather
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
1552381927 $39.95 wwww.outcross.com

Written by South African historian and Canadian resident Joan G. Fairweather, A Common Hunger: Land Rights in Canada and South Africa is a unique treatise comparing and contrasting indigenous people's legal battles for rights to land that are currently taking place in modern-day Canada and post-apartheid South Africa. Penned with scholarly precision and attention to detail, A Common Hunger traces treaties in both nations, respective histories of negotiation, litigation, restitution, and self-government, the quest to restore dignity, and much more. Ultimately, A Common Hunger seeks to understand and explain why land rights matter both to individuals and to collectives, outline the difficult task of nation-building in South Africa, and explore options for the future. An extensively researched, highly recommended study, with a thorough bibliography and an index.


The Political Science Shelf

Absentee and Early Voting
John C. Fortier
American Enterprise Institute Press
1150 Seventeenth Street, NW Washington DC 22036
0844742473 $20.00 www.aei.org

Written by American Enterprise Institute research fellow John C. Fortier, Absentee and Early Voting: Trends, Promises, and Perils is examines how nearly a quarter of Americans today vote before election day, either through absentee ballot or early voting places. Absentee and Early voting questions whether or not the convenience of these practices has undermined the integrity of the process and weakened a unifying civic experience. Exploring the legal and historical reasons for alterations in the voting system, as well as the many variations across states, Absentee and Early Voting offers measured, rational conclusions about that changes in the system have meant for the nation across the decades, how America can better protect itself against voter fraud, and what should be America's next step. A cutting-edge study as accessible to lay readers as it is to scholars, Absentee and Early Voting is enthusiastically recommended for political science library and reference shelves.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Swords and Plowshares
Edwin C. Goldberg
URJ Press
PO Box 933364, Atlanta, GA 31193-3664
080740943X $14.95 www.urjpress.com

Written by Edwin C. Goldberg, D.H.L., Swords and Plowshares: Jewish Views of War and Peace collects excerpts from biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and contemporary texts in search of answers to the question: What insights can Judaism offer on the problems of war, violence and terrorism? The volatile modern-day situation in the Middle East demonstrates that now more than ever is the time for greater religious understanding concerning what faith has to say about protecting oneself through war and fostering prosperity through peace. Some passages are presented in both their original Hebrew and in English translation for the reader's benefit; all are dissected at length with scholarly precision, in this insightful account.


The Native American Shelf

Indian Spirit
Michael Oren Fitzgerald & Judith Fitzgerald, editors
World Wisdom
1501 E. Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
1933316195 $14.95 www.worldwisdom.com

Featuring an introduction by Thomas Yellowtail, and now in a newly revised and enlarged edition, Indian Spirit combines spiritual and religious quotations from Native American leaders, individuals, and rituals with black-and-white photography. The result is a deeply spiritual collection that reaches out to share wisdom and insight to readers of all faiths. An inspirational and memorable invigoration of the soul, Indian Spirit carries the highest possible recommendation. "Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors - the dreams of our old men, given them in the solemn hours of night by the Great Spirit; and the visions of our sacred medicine men, and is written in the hearts of our people." -Seattle, Dwamish.


The Railroading Shelf

Burlington Zephyrs
Gerry Souter
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
1580070825, $24.95 www.specialtypress.com 1-800-895-4585

The newest addition to the acclaimed 'TrainTech' series from Specialty Press, "Burlington Zephyrs" showcases the elegant American streamliners that became so popular with the railroading public from its debut in 1933 at the Century of Progress Exposition, to its record breaking run from Denver to Chicago. The first diesel-electric powered streamlined train in America, the Burlington Zephyrs featured a 600-horsepower, 8-cylinder, 2-cycle Winton 201A diesel engine – making it the fasted locomotive for its time. Author, historian, and train experts Gerry Souter enhances his informative historical survey with 100 color and 200 black/white photographs, making "Burlington Zephyrs' a core addition to personal and academic Railroading History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

American Railroad Collections
Pentrex
2652 East Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91107
www.pentrex.com 1-800-950-9333

Pentrex is the premier producer of railroading videos in a DVD format. One of their titles in particular is worthy of attention -- especially for those with a special interest in railroading history. "American Railroad Collections: Volumes 1 & 2 Combo DVD" (1563421100; $29.95; 2 hours, 51 minutes) showcases eight rare promotional, training, and safety films produced in the 1950s through the 1970s. Among those railroads featured are the Missouri Pacific (Mo-Pac), Burlington Northern, Chicago & North Western, CN Rail, and AAR freight yard safety, railroad competition and federal law, special-duty cars and container trains, and how to handle dangerous trains featuring the new York Central. Three other very highly recommended Pentrex additions to the video shelves of dedicated railroad buffs and community library railroading collections are: "Steam To The Grand Canyon: 3751 NRHS Convention Special" (1563421178; $29.95; 2 hours); "Daylight Freedom Special" (1563421135; $29.95; 1 hour); and "Classic St. Louis Railroading and Santa Fe Vintage Diesels: Combo DVD" 1563421232; $29.95; 98 minutes).


The Gardening Shelf

Timeless Landscape Design
Mary Palmer Dargan & Hugh Graham Dargan
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
0941711854, $29.95 www.gibbs-smith.com 1-800-748-5439

The collaborative effort of professional landscape architects Mary Palmer Dargan and Hugh Graham Dargan, "Timeless Landscape Design: The Four-Part Master Plan" lays out their unique and thoroughly 'user friendly' methods for creating award-winning gardens and landscapes for more than 30 years. "Timeless Landscape Design"showcases four distinct elements of landscape designs beginning with the approach and arrival sequence to create a sense of anticipation, the hub as the landscape property's natural center, the perimeter consisting of outdoor spaces wrapped tightly around the house, and passages to destinations which animate movement around the property and invite the enjoyment of garden places. Profusely illustrated in full color to provide a visual accompaniment to an informative text, "Timeless Landscape Design" can enable any homeowner or aspiring landscape student to master the basic principles in developing truly enduring landscaped properties in all climate zones and conditions. No personal, professional, academic, or community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of Mary and Hugh Dargan's "Timeless Landscape Design".

A Celebration Of Clematis
Kaye Heafey & Ron Morgan
Half Full Press
1814 Franklin Street, Suite 820, Oakland, CA 94612
0971955263, $34.95 www.halffullpress.com

The collaborative work of Kaye Heafey and Ron Morgan, and enhanced with the brilliant photography of Keith Lewis, "A Celebration Of Clematis" is the story of how the Chalk Hill Clematis (a established flower farm and renowned clematis nursery) was created. Showcasing this unique flower grower, the reader is treated to over forty varieties of clematis, as well as Chalk Hill's memorable interiors and beautiful landscape. The newly established Mary Toomey Clematis garden is also features, presenting the potential of clematis that is available for any home garden. Enhanced with a glossary of three hundred varieties, as well as sound, practical information on the selection, planting, care, and cultivation of clematis, "A Celebration Of Clematis" is a single volume, comprehensive, authoritative, beautifully presented, and thoroughly 'user friendly' reference which is especially recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collections.

Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do
Lin Wellford
ArtStone Press
c/o KSB Promotions
55 Honey Creek, NE , Ada, MI 49301
0977706516 $22.99

Truly lovely gardens often require more than simply lovely plants. They also depend on the use of stepping stones, scalloped border pieces, manufactured field stones, natural river rocks, and other such raw materials to create maintenance-free borders, flower beds, and accent pieces. In "Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do", gardening expert Lin Wellford presents eleven complete projects and patterns that even the most novice gardener can immediately apply to their own gardening and landscaping efforts. There are projects here that will help the gardener or landscaper to make the most out of limited space, compensate for not having time enough to keep annuals from looking their best, deal with otherwise doggedly shady areas and worn spots in the year, using relatively inexpensive and low-maintenance water features. A very strongly recommended and thoroughly 'user friendly' instructional reference for aspiring gardeners, Lin Wellford's "Painted Garden Art Anyone Can Do" is profusely illustrated with more than three hundred color photographs and a welcome addition to community library Gardening & Landscaping reference collections.


The Crafts Shelf

A Basketmaker's Odyssey
Lyn Syler & Carolyn Kemp
TSE Worldwide Press
c/o Word Weavers Ink
PO Box 1214, Matthews, NC 28106
0977194116, $23.95 www.WordWeaversInk.com

Lyn Syler is a basket making expert who taught this craft to students over the years. That's how she met Carolyn Kemp who was one of her first students in 1981. The two of them have teamed up to produce a series of 'how-to' booklets on basket making, as well as two major works on the subject: "The Basket Book" and "Handmade Baskets". Now they have collaborated with the publishing of their newest title showcasing twenty-four terrific basket making patterns, "A Basketmaker's Odyssey: over, Under, Around & Through" where Lyn's superbly informative and 'reader friendly' text is wonderfully enhanced with Carolyn Kemp's photographic and drawn illustrations. These beautiful basket patterns with the 'user friendly' step-by-step instructions range from 'Easy Beginner' projects to baskets that will challenging the more advanced and experienced basket maker. From an Abenaki Style Knitting Basket, to Emily's Lit'l Pot Belly Purse, to a Natural Vine Wall Basket, to Woven Watercolors, "A Basket Maker's Odyssey" is the perfect addition to the dedicated basketmaker's reference shelf, and any community library's Homemade Crafts collection.


The Gaming Shelf

Omaha High-Low
Bill Boston
Cardoza Publishing
PO Box 1500, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276
158042175X $19.95 www.cardozapub.com

Written by expert Omaha high-low player Bill Boston, Omaha High-Low is a no-nonsense guide for serious gamblers determined to win and make money. Based on the premise that Omaha is driven by hand value more than any other poker game, Omaha High-Low spells out the mathematical chances every one of the 5,278 Omaha high-low hands has for winning the high end or the low end of the pot. Half text and hints, half reference charts, Omaha High-Low is the definitive resource for learning how to play to win with the odds in their favor. Highly recommended for all Omaha High-Low fans.


The Interior Design Shelf

Inspired High-End Interior Design
Shane Reilly
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
0764324993, $44.95 www.schifferbooks.com

Shane Reilly draws upon her many years of professional experience and expertise running an interior design company with offices in new York and San Francisco, helping a wide variety of clients in developing customized high-end designs for their homes and offices in writing "Inspired High-End Interior Design". Reilly also draws upon the contributions of 83 of the country's leading interior designers and examines the different sources of inspiration these designers call upon for their concepts and ideas. Reilly also addresses such diverse interior design issues as the use of art and collected objects, furniture and fabric, personality, concept, color and architecture in forming a concept for the look of a room. Profusely illustrated with more than 300 photographs of beautiful and beautifully diverse rooms and a strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Interior Design Studies reference collections, "Inspired High-End Interior Design" emphasizes focusing on unique, high-quality pieces in a room design resulting in a work of liveable art that will have an enduring appeal for dedicated designers, homeowner esthetics, and anyone seeking to live and work in an hospitable, elegant, luxurious surrounding. Also very highly recommended are two other Interior Design titles from Schiffer Publishing: Decorator Show Houses: Tour 250 Designer Rooms (0764320513, $44.95) and "Designer Showcase: Interior Design At Its Best (0764323989, $44.95).


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


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