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Library Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 7 July 2007 Home | LBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Photography Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf Business Shelf
Military Shelf Computer Shelf Real Estate Shelf
Psychology Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Art Shelf Hobby Shelf Biography Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Music Shelf Social Issues Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Self-Help Shelf Poetry Shelf Education Shelf
Railroading Shelf Library DVD Shelf Economics Shelf
Science Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Political Science Shelf
American History Shelf Parenting Shelf Civil War Shelf
Travel Shelf Gaming Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
International Studies Shelf Philosophy Shelf Fiction Shelf
Women's Studies Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Crafts Shelf
Gardening Shelf Black Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf
Graphic Novel Shelf Woodworking Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

A Thousand Names for Joy
Byron Katie with Stephen Mitchell
Harmony Books
c/o Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
9780307339232, $24.95 www.randomhouse.com

A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY: LIVING IN HARMONY WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE encourages a discovery of freedom and comes from an author expert in questioning the underlying roots of suffering who works with Stephen Mitchell, the translator of the Tao Te Ching, who uses excerpts from that text as a stimulus to talk about issues of life and death and fulfillment. An undercurrent of joy runs through A THOUSAND NAMES FOR JOY, which offers up descriptions of a self-realized, 'awakened mind' and the paths for achieving this. First-person vignettes blend with spiritual and social insights for a fine survey.

The Culture Of Al Jazeera
Mohamed Zayani & Sofiane Sahraoui
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
9780786429615, $35.00 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187

"The Culture Of Al Jazeera: Inside An Arab Media Giant" by Mohamed Zayani (Associate Professor of Critical Theory, American University of Sharjah, UAE) and Sofiane Sahraoui (Associate professor of Management Information Systems, American University of Sharjah, UAE) is the history of what has emerged as a significant television news source for the Islamic world. Al Jazeera is a satellite news channel that began in the mid-1990s when the emir of Qatar conceived the idea of using a television station to project a progressive image for his small Arabian/Persian gulf state. Coincidentally at the time a short-lived partnership between the BBC and a Saudi company had left a group of BBC-trained Arab journalists and broadcasters unemployed and available. The outcome of this confluence was the creation and emergence of Al Jazeera which would quickly evolve from an obscure regional news broadcaster to a multi-channel, multi-lingual, multi-service global enterprise with a dominant influence in the Mideast. More than a simple history, "The Culture Of Al Jazeera" also provides an in-depth examination of the culture, workings, and challenges of a unique media organization and addresses the question as to whether Al Jazeera is simple a transitory fad benefitting from a rising aspiration for free speech in the Middle East, or a new medium who success can be sustained by its organizational culture and model. A work of seminal scholarship, "The Culture Of Al Jazeera" is particularly and confidently recommended for academic library reference collections in the areas of International Studies, Journalism, Middle East Studies, and Media Studies.

Distributed Art Publishers
155 Sixth Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10013-1507
www.daab-online.com 1-800-338-2665

JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD (9783937718880, $32.95) is a pick for any contemporary arts collection strong in modern interior design artists. JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD explores the striking, unique forms, functions and inspirations of the urban architect, juxtaposing color photos of structures with cut-away drawings of interiors. The approach allows for a full appreciation of Massaud's approaches and logic. MATALI CRASSET (9783937718897, $32.95) is even more striking, blending full-page photos of interiors with several selected angle shots per page, and accompanying this colorful expose with five-language one-paragraph summaries of the structure and its unique attributes. These are perfect choices for art libraries specializing in modern architectural interior design.

Merrell Publishing
49 West 24th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10010
www.merrellpublishers.com

Francine Prose's WOMEN WHO WRITE (1858943752, $24.95) gathers images and profiles of many important women writers from the Middle Ages to modern times. These are some of the major figures in women's literature: Mary Wollstonecraft, George Sand and even Toni Morrison – all of whom created ground-breaking works that affected genres. Biography and literary criticism blend with black and white and color images throughout which range from photos of each author to reproductions of covers and illustrative artwork, making for a fine catalog inviting general-interest attention to a topic more commonly given too much detail and regulated to college-level collections alone. Joe Houston's OPTIC NERVE: PERCEPTUAL ART OF THE 1960s (1858943892, $49.95) covers 'Op Art' or the fine art of perceptual abstraction, and is published to accompany the first major exhibition of Op Art in over twenty years. More than just a catalog of some 250 works by key Op Artists in the field, though – packing in color images on nearly every page – OPTIC NERVE also provides a critical and biographical foundation for reference, making it a pick art libraries will want. Hilary Ballon and Kenneth T. Jackson edit ROBERT MOSES AND THE MODERN CITY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF NEW YORK (0393732061, $50.00), which offers a new look at legendary architect Robert Moses, who reshaped the skyline of New York City. Readers familiar with New York will readily recognize some of his major contributions from the Lincoln Center to the Cross Bronx Expressway – so it's surprising to note this is the first major publication since the 1974 biography THE POWER BROKER appeared – and ROBERT MOSES AND THE MODERN CITY: THE TRANSFORMATION OF NEW YORK comes packed with photos that his biography doesn't provide. Far from hastening the demise of New York, this book shows how his works strengthened the central city and brought it into modern times, altering road systems and creating an urban design plan to foster changes. Plenty of detailed history surround the photos and descriptions of each project's special challenges, making this a top pick not just for New York libraries, but for any college-level art or urban planning collection.

Evaluating the Science and Ethics of Research on Humans
Dennis J. Mazur, MD, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
0801885124, $23.00 www.press.jhu.edu

Biomedical research on humans is key to medical discovery, but when health and lives are at risk, ethical practice becomes the top priority. That's why committees are formed to oversee and regulate such research – IRBs, institutional review boards – and this guide is for new and veteran members or IRBs to help review the major points and issues. College-level holdings strong in medical and research issues or medical ethics will want this review, which surveys scientific protocols, informed consent, and offers both summaries and checklists throughout, based on the author's thirty years of research experience.

Parks Directory Of The United States
Darren L. Smith & Kay Gill, editors
Omnigraphics, Inc.
615 Griswold, Suite 1400, Detroit, MI 48226
9780780809321, $195.00 www.omnigraphics.com 1-800-234-1340

Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fifth edition, the Omnigraphics' "Parks Directory Of The United States" has been collaboratively compiled, organized and co-edited by Darren L. Smith and Kay Gill. Covering more than five thousand national and state parks, the "Parks Directory Of The United States" also includes a wealth of other designated recreational, scenic and historic areas in both the United States and Canada. Also included such recreational areas, historic sites, battlefields, monuments, forests, preserves, memorials, seashores, trails, urban parks, and other miscellaneous recreational areas which are administered by federal land agencies and state park departments. Additionally, more than three hundred park and conservation organizations are listed with descriptive information. Of special interest are the identification of job and career opportunities with the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the Fish & Wildlife Service; volunteer opportunities at national parks and federally protected lands; national park and protected lands entrance pass programs; the National Scenic Byways Program which covers all ninety-nine National Scenic Byways and the twenty-seven All-American Roads. The entries provide website addresses, each park's general location and directions from the nearest highway, and fifty state maps with parks located. A massive, informative, and superbly organized, 'user friendly', 1,100 page specialized reference, "Parks Directory Of The United States" should be a standard addition to every college, university, and community library reference collection in the country.


The Photography Shelf

Welcome to Oz
Vincent Versace
New Riders
c/o Pearson Technology Group
1249 – 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0735714002, $44.99 www.newriders.com

WELCOME TO OZ: A CINEMATIC APPROACH TO DIGITAL STILL PHOTOGRAPHY WITH PHOTOSHOP comes from a master fine art photographer who spent his career teaching perception and how to translate it into exceptional images. WELCOME TO OZ tells how to adapt workflow to the image, offering tips on how to locate such images, harvest them for maximum results, and how to create black and white prints without leaving the RGB color space. Any collection strong in Photoshop or photography books must have this: it creates a different perspective and approach to using Photoshop which relies as much on perceiving image potentials as on manipulating them.


The Audiobook Shelf

Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
www.brillianceaudio.com 1-800-854-7859

Sandra Brown's BEST KEPT SECRETS (1423324838, $38.95) receives veteran Dick Hill's skilled narrative style which pairs well with the vivid story of Alexandra, an attorney who sets out to avenge her mother's scandalous death. She's narrowed the suspects to one of three powerful men – each charming and reclusive about his past. Her investigations will probe at the heart of not only their lives, but her own past and her mother's realities which all come to life in a dramatic audio account. Elizabeth Lowell's FORGET ME NOT (1423323912, $34.95) receives veteran Laural Merlington's strong professional acting voice and background as it tells of Alana Reeves, whose amnesia masks a terrible tragedy in her past. A man has now appeared to shake loose those memories – he's arrived to make Alana see truths and heal – and she finds herself compelled to follow him to the darkest corners of her heart in this warm romance. Book eight of the 'Pilgrims of Rayne' series by D.J. MacHale, PENDRAGON (1597372935, $29.95) receives William Dufris' long-time background as a London audio narrator, lending a strong voice and personality to the ongoing saga of Bobby Pendragon, recommended for prior series fans and audio listeners. Here Bobby arrives on a tropical paradise world to uncover clues about the world's happy nature – until he discovers that happiness actually hides oblivion. The leaders are keeping a terrible secret from their people – and a healthy dose of subplots and action keeps PENDRAGON moving quickly to satisfying twists and turns of plot. Kate White's LETHALLY BLOND (1423334493, $34.95) receives Renee Raudman's fine acting voice and background performing on film, television, radio and stage as it tells of sleuth Bailey Weggins, crime journalist who finds herself involved in a dangerous search for a vanished actor. Her probe will take her in the middle of a dangerous story where she finds herself also in danger – just as she's struggling with a crush. Deepak Chopra's BUDDHA: A STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT (1423312260, $34.95) is read by the charismatic author and new age leader himself and provides a biography of a young prince who abandoned his inheritance to discover his spiritual nature. Buddha is seen today as an icon of peace, but his life story was filled with conflict – and comes to life here, in a vivid listen. Ken Follett's EYE OF THE NEEDLE (1423328612, $38.95) receives a lively full cast reading with all the life of a radio show, and tells of an enemy spy who holds the key to the ultimate Nazi victory. Only an isolated Englishwoman's love stands in his way in this vivid story of war, romance and drama. Debbie Macomber's BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET (1423305116, $36.95) tells of a new flower shop packed not only with blossoms, but romances gone awry, friendships between women, and more. It's at Lydia's knitting class that solutions evolve – and veteran Laural Merlington's professional background spices these vivid accounts. David Morrell's SCAVENGER (1423329872, $34.95) receives veteran classically trained stage actor Patrick G. Lawlor's vivid reading style, which brings to life the high-tech hunt for a 100-year-old time capsule – a hunt spiced by fear and danger. Any interested in audio stories of high intrigue and danger will love the drama here. Dale Brown's STRIKE FORCE (1423324277, $39.95) benefits from Christopher Lane's extensive experience narrating over a hundred audiobooks, which lends a high drama and action to this story of the battle for control of Iran – which begins in space. With the setting of an Iranian civil war affected by top-secret U.S. space plans, military and political tensions escalate in a vivid story of a Middle East on fire. All these are excellent leisure listening audio picks.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Basic Quilting
Sherrye Landrum, editor
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
9780811733489, $19.95 www.stackpolebooks.com 1-800-732-3669

Compiled, edited and arranged by quilting expert Sherrye Landrum, "Basic Quilting: All The Skills And Tools You Need To Get Started" is a fundamental introduction and instruction manual on quilting specifically designed for the novice beginner. Aspiring quilters are provided with expert and seasoned advice on choosing fabrics, batting, backing, thread, and quilt designs. Complete, illustrated, and methodical instructions are given for specific 'novice friendly' projects such as creating a pot holder, making a tote bag, quilting a table runner, and more. With expert contributions by Charlene Atkinson and photographs by Alan Wycheck, "Basic Quilting" is an ideal, spiral bound, instructional manual for anyone aspiring to acquire the basics of quilting that launch them into the creative and valued needlecraft hobby of quilting.

Martingale Company
20205 – 144th Avenue NE, Woodinville, WA 98072-8478
www.martingale-pub.com

Jennifer Rounds and Catherine Comyns' A DOZEN ROSES: BEAUTIFUL QUILTS AND PILLOWS (9781564776891, $26.95) offers a range of quilt project ideas based on roses, from a sampler or a baby quilt to entire coverlets and matching pillows. Full-page patterns color photos of finished projects, and rose lore embellish a step-by-step guide to materials, cutting, and assembly. Volume 2 of CREATIVE QUILT COLLECTION FROM THAT PATCHWORK PLACE (9781564777737, $24.95) offers eighteen designs culled from the latest That Patchwork Place books to create a synthesis of new and old techniques and styles. From wall displays to lap quilts, strip piecing to applique, and specialty weaves and finishing techniques, here's a primer packed with variety and ideas. Sherrill Kahn's CREATIVE EMBELLISHMENTS FOR PAPER, JEWELRY, FABRIC AND MORE (9781564776167, $27.95) tells how to identify and use dozens of embellishments made from paper, fabric, plastic, clay and more to blend into crafts projects. These can be used for quilts, clothing, journals and a range of crafts ideas, even down to small wall hangings and greeting cards, and offer excellent, easy step-by-step instructions paired with color photos throughout. All are top picks any needlework library will want.

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

Marie Monteith Sturmer's PAINT A QUILT PATTERNS (9781574329209, $22.95) focuses on stencils and how they can be adapted for applique, embroidery, scrapbooking and other projects. Over sixty stencil patterns are shown in nearly thirty quilt and home decoration projects, can be scaled up or down as needed for size, and are accompanied by full-page color photos of application results. The result will delight any who have wanted to incorporate stencils into a quilting project. Janet Jones Worley's QUILTS FOR ICE CREAM LOVERS (9781574329254, $21.95) provides patterns and ideas for ten quilts based on the author's love of ice cream, making for a fun companion to her prior chocolate theme. From party hats to fat quarter sundaes, QUILTS FOR ICE CREAM LOVERS is packed with innovative designs easy to piece or applique, and celebrates color and patterns. Pam Clarke's QUILTING INSIDE THE LINES: MACHINE & FRAME QUILTING (9781574329223, $24.95) provides insider tips and tricks for using different quilting machines for markless quilting projects. From practicing basic shapes such as swirl, leaf, loop and feather to free-motion quilting, this blend of workbook and sketchpad uses arrows and simple dots to teach how to create and fill blocks and borders with minimal marking. Over a hundred great ideas invites the quilter to try new ideas. Pepper Cory's QUILTING PATTERN COLLECTION (9781574329285, $24.95) is actually a collection of best-selling patterns from QUILTING DESIGNS FROM THE AMISH and QUILTING DESIGNS FROM ANTIQUE QUILTS, completely redrawn and compiled into this new collection. Over six dozen such designs have been resized to make for easier enlargements, reductions and scanning, while tips on how to blend these patterns into continuous lines, using stencils, and more offer both hand and machine quilters a range of options and ideas – and some twenty new designs, too. These are all top choices for any serious quilter or quilting collection.

The Art of Landscape Quilting
Nancy Zieman and Natalie Sewell
Krause Publications
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990-0001
9780896893146, $24.99 www.fwpublications.com

Landscape quilting techniques have their own demands and special tricks, and here to bring them all to light is The Art of Landscape Quilting, a guide to choosing fabrics, designing, cutting, and painting fabric. Over fifty quilts from the authors' own collections are used to provide directions on producing landscape designs, from ten simple scenes to get started to how-to directions on adding structural elements and customizing results. Color photos throughout make it easy to produce notable polished results with this book as a guideline.

Knit & Crochet Combined: Best of Both Worlds
Monette Lassiter Satterfield
Kalmbach Publishing Company
P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
9780871162403, $19.95 www.kalmbach.com

There are plenty of books on knitting and crochet on the market and seldom do the two meet: except in Knit & Crochet Combined: Best of Both Worlds. Here are some 15 patterns which combine the two methods to produce unique clothing and accessories, offering step-by-step instructions, color photos, and tips which lend to both beginner and advanced users. From a 'basics' guide to materials and stitches to step-by-step directions for blending crochet and knitting styles, KNIT & CROCHET COMBINED is packed with original, new ideas for blending both and any needlework collection will find it a unique, popular pick.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

The Drama Teacher's Survival Guide
Margaret F. Johnson
Meriwether Publishing
Box 7710, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7710
1566081416, $19.95 www.meriwether.com

Both experienced and beginning drama directors have easy, experience-backed tips on directing from THE DRAMA TEACHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE: A COMPLETE TOOL KIT FOR THEATRE ARTS. When this book says 'complete' it means it: collections strong in drama will appreciate the range of tips from instructions on organizing tryouts – complete with tryout sheets – to blocking out rehearsals, technical aspects of scene set-up, tips on locating costumes, and more. It's a 'must' for any library which caters to actors or drama teachers.

The Comedy Group Book
Diz White
Smith & Kraus Publishers
76 Ayer Road, North Stratford, NH 03590
9781575254524, $15.95 1-800-895-4331

Award-winning playwright and actress Diz White presents The Comedy Group Book, a practical, step-by-step guide to getting a comedy group off the ground and running. Chapters discuss not only how to perform comedy with panache and charisma, but also how to make money at it - from staying on a tight budget to the power of effective publicity to forming a legal business and obtaining start-up funding and more. Featuring a foreword by Ian Abercrombie (a.k.a. Mr. Pitt of television's "Seinfeld"), The Comedy Group Book is an absolute "must-have" for anyone seeking to professionalize their laugh-getting routine. "Avoid elaborate plots and too much exposition in the story structure of your shows. Don't lose the audience in the first ten minutes because of this. Set up the premise, the characters, and their goal as economically as possible. Do this in as visual a way as you can, and use minimal dialogue. Then cut to the chase and bring on the comedy business as quickly as you can."

The Art of Video Production
Leonard Shyles
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
9781412916752, $64.95 www.sagepublications.com

College-level libraries strong in video production techniques and teachings will find The Art of Video Production serves two purposes: as a classroom text it will offer a thorough grounding in the principles and skills of video production, and as a library reference it teaches not only how to make superior television programs, but how to juxtapose content and values and how to understand what makes for a superior production. Interviews with industry professionals offer analysis and concepts which can be used in all phases of production.


The Business Shelf

Private Label Strategy
Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
1422101673, $35.00 www.HBSPress.org 1-800-668-6780

Marketing professors Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict E.M. Private Label Strategy: How to Meet the Store Brand Challenge, a tell-it-like-it-is expose of how the old days of packaging generic brands in white wrapping and black lettering have passed. Today, the once-powerful brand manufacturers find themselves in direct competition for shelf space with the chains that are their biggest customers, like Tesco and Wal-Mart. Too many companies are still building their strategies around outdated myths that Private Label Strategy debunks. Chapters of Private Label Strategy cover how to compete on price with private labels, how to compete on quality with premium store brands, how to use private labels to maximize retailer profitability, how to cultivate innovation, and much more. "The financial community, of course, presses companies to be specific on the anticipated numbers because it makes the work of the analysts easier. But it may not be wise to play along with this game. For example, Nestle has a policy of not promising specific financial targets but instead articulating its strategy and letting analysts do the work of computing the expected numbers." An absolute "must-read" for anyone involved in branding responsibilities or branding strategy.

The Taboos of Leadership
Anthony F. Smith
Jossey-Bass, Inc.
989 Market Street, 5th floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741
978-0-7879-9582-9, $24.95 www.josseybass.com 1-800-225-5945

"The Taboos Of Leadership: The 10 Secrets No One Will Tell Your About Leaders And What They Really Think" by Anthony F. Smith (co-founder and managing director of the Leadership Research Institute -- one of the nation's leading management consulting firms specializing in leadership development and assessment) identifies three principle areas of leadership skills and behaviors that are not usually open to discussion. These are 'taboos' of persuasion, position, person and range from the double standards of leaders, leadership by charisma, the political aspects of leadership, the leadership qualities of women, the existence of favoritism and nepotism with respect to leadership, manipulation by leadership, and the role of credibility in establishing and maintaining leadership. Articulate, informative, superbly organized and presented, "The Taboos Of Leadership" is very strongly recommended reading for anyone holding or being considered for a leadership role in an organization, agency, or business whether in the private or the public sector.

Competing on Analytics
Thomas H. Davenport
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
9781422103326, $29.95 www.HBSPress.org

Business information can and should be used to outthink rivals, and there's no better way to outthink them than by using analytics to make decisions. COMPETING ON ANALYTICS: THE NEW SCIENCE OF WINNING argues that leading companies do more than just gather data – they are building company strategies around it by using analytics – sophisticated statistical analysis and predictive modeling supported by information technology. This book covers all the basics of using analytics to foster business and is a pick for any serious business library.

Manager's Guide to Improving Workplace Performance
Roger Chevalier
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814474187, $19.95 www.amacombooks.org

What separates good managers from ordinary ones is their ability to work with employees to fix problems and boost productivity, and Manager's Guide to Improving Workplace Performance is right up the alley of any who would move to this higher next level in management, creating a step-by-step approach to handling employees for optimum results. From using coaching tools and applying the Situational Leadership Model to team members to handling individuals, Manager's Guide to Improving Workplace Performance helps managers identify problems and pair them with tested solutions, making this a pick for both practicing managers and any business library catering to them.

Brandjam
Marc Gobe
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, Suite 510, New York NY 10010
1581154682, $24.95 www.allworth.com

Brands today must shift from commodity status to associations with emotion and inspiration – thus 'brandjamming', a metaphor Marc Gobe uses to support the idea that brands which succeed best connect with culture and emotions. Chapters tell how to encourage collaboration, innovation and intuition to support 'brandjamming', drawing on the author's vast experience as CEO of one of the world's top ten brand image creation firms. College-level students of business will find this real-world perspective goes beyond theory to create a foundation of standards and basics essential to re-vamping the brand association process, making BRANDJAM: HUMANIZING BRANDS THROUGH EMOTIONAL DESIGN a top pick.

Nolo's Quick LLC, 4th Edition
Attorney Anthony Mancuso
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
1413305652, $29.99 www.nolo.com

Most in business have learned the term 'limited liability company' – but few know what this means, let alone how to tailor a business as a LLC and to understand if and when such a structure would apply. NOLO'S QUICK LLC, 4TH EDITION provides all the basics to operating an LLC, from choosing different structures and understanding differences between a LLC and a corporation to handling legal and tax paperwork. The result is an excellent manual
essential not only to business owners, but to business libraries seeking an easy yet comprehensive reference.


The Military Shelf

America's Fighting Admirals
William Tuohy
Zenith Press
c/o MBI Publishing Company
Galtier Plaza, Suite 200, 380 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
0760329850, $25.95 www.zenithpress.com 1-800-458-0454

The American naval actions of the second world war were some of the most dramatic in the history of sea warfare, taking place over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans alike with an admiral overseeing each action and battle. The battles are here described from the perspective of American admirals who fought them and comes from a World War II navy veteran who not only covers all major campaigns and admiral leaders, but analyzes strategy and decision-making challenges during battle. Serious World War II military collections, particularly those with strong naval history sections, need AMERICA'S FIGHTING ADMIRALS: WINNING THE WAR AT SEA IN WORLD WAR II.

Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South Suite 806, New York NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com

US AIRBORNE DIVISIONS IN THE ETO 1944-45 (9781846031182, $23.95) joins others in the 'Battle Orders' series, discussing the mechanics and operations involved in delivering entire divisions to battlefields behind enemy lines via parachute and glider. Chapters survey the organization and operational history of these units throughout the war from 1944-45, charting their missions, details of their deployment and equipment, and military strategies alike. Two new to the 'Elite' series surveying elite forces and units are Richard Doherty's THE BRITISH RECONNAISSANCE CORPS IN WORLD WAR II (9781846031229, $17.95) and Gordon L. Rottman's VIETNAM AIRMOBILE WARFARE TACTICS (9781846031366, $17.95). BRITISH RECONNAISSANCE provides a history of the combat service and organizational structure of the 'Recce' Corps whose units provided mobile support to the British infantry divisions during the war. They were the forerunners of the battle, locating enemies, screening flanks, and engaging in early battle: chapters survey their strategies and battles and include rare photos from private collections. VIETNAM AIRMOBILE WARFARE TACTICS comes from an Army veteran of Vietnam and explores the equipment and capabilities of the US Army and Marine Corps helicopter and air units during the war. The narrowed focus allows for a thorough exploration of the machinery and methods used in Vietnam and is essential for any serious history covering the Vietnam War. The 'Osprey Aircraft of the Aces' series expands with John Weal's MORE BF 109 ACES OF THE RUSSIAN FRONT (9781846031779, $20.95) which considers the achievements of individual pilots of the BF 109: some 120 of them. The majority of these pilots have been largely forgotten as individuals: MORE BF 109 ACES OF THE RUSSIAN FRONT chronicles their achievements and returns their many amazing victories to the public eye. Douglas C. Dildy's DENMARK AND NORWAY 1940: HITLER'S BOLDEST OPERATION (9781846031175, $18.95) tells of an assault which represented the first joint air-land-and-sea campaign in the history of warfare, and thus marked a turning point not just in one battle, but in military strategy as a whole. The campaign led to Winston Churchill's appointment as British Prime Minister and was a key event beyond the ordinary: as such this history needs a place in any serious World War II or general military bookshelf. New to the 'Men-at-Arms' series is Ron Field's US INFANTRY IN THE INDIAN WARS 1865-91 (9781841769059, $15.95), a survey of the US infantry on the frontier, differing from the usual focus on the US Cavalry. From their daily lives and challenges to key battles, US INFANTRY IN THE INDIAN WARS follows not just strategy or biographies, but the uniforms, equipment and organization of the Infantry forces as a whole. The Fortress imprint title MEDIEVAL RUSSIAN FORTRESSES AD 862-1480 by Konstantin S. Nossov (9781846030932, $16.95) covers a myriad of Russian fortifications which revolutionized fortification-building strategies. From the history of medieval Russian fortresses from their first appearance to their evolution through the 14th century both in Russia and abroad, MEDIEVAL RUSSIAN FORTRESSES will enhance any military or Russian history collection. Dr. Kaveh Farrokh's SHADOWS IN THE DESERT: ANCIENT PERSIA AT WAR (9781846031083, $29.95) will please specialty collections strong in early Persian history or military history. It is unique in that it comes not from a Western perspective but from an academic of Iranian descent who has produced a nonpolitical, complete history of pre-Islamic Iran. Photos display artifacts, weapons and sites while military reconstructions blend in Islamic history and cultural heritage to make for one of the most authoritative histories of the Persian empires to see recent print: a 'must' for any serious college-level collection. Warren Thompson's F-117 STEALTH FIGHTER UNITS OF OPERATION DESERT STORM (9781846031823, $20.95) provides a fine survey of the F-117, developed by Lockheed with Stealth technology to take place as a key component of Operation Desert Shield. Military collections strong on aviation and recent military history will find this a fine blend of pilot experiences and memoirs and technical information juxtaposed by color photos throughout. Nic Fields' ANCIENT GREEK WARSHIP 500-322 BC (9781846030741, $15.95) is for any holding strong in early Greek or military history: it follows the design, development and history of warfare in ancient Greece with a focus analyzing the most potent battleship of its time. Color photos of artifacts and landscape enhance and capture the history. Brett Green's MODELING THE MESSERSCHMITT BF 109F AND EARLY G SERIES (9781846031137, $18.95) adds to Osprey's 'Modelling' series, this focusing on modeling one of the most recognizable fighter aircraft in history. Five different builds across the scales provide material for both beginning and expert modelers and is a 'must' for collections specializing in World War II models.


The Computer Shelf

Simple Computer Transfer and Backup
CA, with Eric Geier and Jim Geier
Wiley Publishing
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256
9780470068533, $24.99 www.wiley.com

Transfer to a new PC without using passwords, preferences or even photos with this book/software packages which can help link an old PC's information directly to a new one. A free copy of the CA Desktop DNA Migrator is included along with instructions on transferring data and a Wizard interface which makes such instructions a snap. From migrating data to backing up files, troubleshooting, and handling a network system, SIMPLE COMPUTER TRANSFER AND BACKUP is a manual no computer user should be without.

Ajax on Java
Steven Douglas Olson
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596101872, $29.99 www.oreilly.com

Web programmers working with Java will appreciate this guide, which tells how to make a Java web application more responsive and dynamic by incorporating new Ajaxian features, from suggestion lists and drag-and-drop modes to producing third-party tag libraries and using Ajax with Struts. The idea is to streamline operations and use Java developer backgrounds to understand Ajax's strengths: AJAX ON JAVA is the place to begin the process, and is a pick for any library strong in web programming topics in general and Java in particular.

Hot-Wiring Your Creative Process
Curt Cloninger
New Riders
c/o Pearson Technology Group
801 East 96th Street, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46240-3759
0321350243, $40.00 www.newriders.com 1-800-428-5331

HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS: STRATEGIES FOR PRINT AND NEW MEDIA DESIGNERS tells how to recognize and believe in creativity, using inspiration past and present to evaluate work, develop new experimental applications for standard tasks, and more. Any designer who would streamline creativity and develop more efficient work habits will find HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS comes packed with tips on how to put into practice an array of creative techniques.

Scaling Software Agility
Dean Leffingwell
Addison-Wesley
75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116
0321458192, $42.99 www.awprofessional.com 1-800-428-5331

Agile development practices involving bringing products to market quicker, making it easier to adapt to the rapid changes consumers bring to the software environment, and SCALING SOFTWARE AGILITY: BEST PRACTICES FOR LARGE ENTERPRISES is a key to understanding effective agile methods and how they translate in a business environment. Developers, testers and QA personnel, including managers, will find this an excellent survey of best practices which will prove advanced software libraries with a foundation for understanding the methods and importance of agile routines.

Murach's Java SE 6
Joel Murach & Andrea Steelman
Mike Murach & Associates
3484 West Gettysburg, Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93722
9781890774424, $52.50 www.murach.com 1-800-221-5528

A complete and 'user friendly' instruction manual, "Murach's Java SE 6" is a core textbook that allows the reader to learn the kinds of real-world Java skills they will need in their daily job, and master these skills at their own pace. An 'object-oriented' instructional, "Murach's Java SE 6" will teach the Java student the practical use of business classes, inheritance, and interfaces. As a GUI programming manual, "Murach's Java SE 6" explains how to develop graphical user interfaces which will efficiently handle events and validate data. In the area of data-access, "Murach's Java SE 6" takes the Java student through a step-by-step process on how to develop 3-tier, object-oriented, database applications on a professional level. An illustrated, methodical, comprehensive instruction manual that will prove invaluable for the novice and experienced Java user alike, "Murach's Java SE 6" is a substantial and very strongly recommended student instructional manual and professional reference guide for the Java user.


The Real Estate Shelf

How to Become a Million Dollar Real Estate Agent in Your First Year
Susan Smith Alvis
Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
1405 SW 6th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34474-7014
9781601380418, $24.95 www.atlantic-pub.com

Real estate agents who are newly licensed can't afford to miss this guide, which surveys the successful strategies of top seller and creates a business plan from these strategies. Any who want to learn how to begin a real estate business will find plenty of material from agents' personal experiences, paired with lessons from the author's own viewpoint. From handling competition and gaining referrals to setting up Internet marketing and keeping clients close by mailing out reminder cards, any business library catering to real estate agent clientele needs this.

Real Estate Disasters
Tammy Frosch Esponge
Adaly Publishing
1615 Ellerslie Ave., LaPlace, LA 70068
9780978917814, $15.99

Written by New Orleans resident and certified apartment manager Tammy Frosch Esponge, Real Estate Disasters: A Post Katrina Survival Guide for Housing, Property and Insurance Catastrophes is a vivid window of insight into the bureaucratic screw-ups, hurdles, and other problems plaguing New Orleans housing, property, and insurance owners after Hurricane Katrina - and also a spotlight on the positive efforts individuals and communities have infused in an attempt to rebuild what was lost. At times rueful, at times practical, and always informative, Real Estate Disasters examines problems from the viewpoints of both apartment owners and apartment tenants, and searches for solutions as well as pointing out problems. "Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts proposed that landlords be obliged to hire around-the-clock security if they were accepting federal housing subsidies... apart from the obvious issue that his proposal would tend to stigmatize all people on welfare as criminals, it seemed to us that there was every likelihood that the demands the councilman was making on landlords would just encourage those landlords to stop accepting federal vouchers." An absolute "must-read" for anyone dealing with housing, property, or insurance issues in today's New Orleans, and an insightful resource when preparing or coping with the fallout from property disaster anywhere else in America.

Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit
Heather Bayer
Self-Counsel Press Inc.
1704 North State Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
9781551807331, $15.95 www.self-counsel.com 1-800-663-3007

Written by Heather Bayer (CEO of CottageLINK Rental Management, a cottage rental agency based in Ontario, Canada) Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit is a practical guide to generating income through renting one's vacation home. Accessible to all readers regardless of their individual familiarity with real estate, Renting Your Recreational Property for Profit covers how to market one's vacation home, how to manage property oneself, rental management agencies, a guest guide, and much more. "Once you have a website up and running, you may receive unsolicited calls from a newspaper's advertising department offering highly discounted rates for a series of ads. Before being tempted, figure out how many weeks' rental you would have to sell in order to pay for that advertising - that is, what it takes to recoup the money." An accompanying Windows-compatible CD-ROM filled with templates, worksheets, checklists, and spreadsheets rounds out this handy and useful resource.


The Psychology Shelf

Freud's Wizard
Brenda Maddox
DaCapo Press
c/o Perseus Books Groups
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0306815559, $26.00 www.dacapopress.com

FREUD'S WIZARD: ERNEST JONES AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS discusses Freud's disciple and colleague who brought the international psychoanalytic movement to London and fostered its spread to the U.S. With so many books considering both Freud's life and theory, it's satisfying to find an adjunct which details a contemporary who had a dramatic impact both on Freud's personal life and in the promotion of his theories. FREUD'S WIZARD is essential for any college-level or general-interest collection that already houses biographies and discussions of Freud: it considers the history and evolution of early psychoanalysis and the man who vastly contributed to Freud's theory's promotion.

Almost Human
Lee Gutkind
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
0393058670, $25.95 www.wwnorton.com

At the cutting edge of science and technology are discussions over what constitutes a human being, and what elements of humanity may translate into robot functions. ALMOST HUMAN: MAKING ROBOTS THINK is part of this discussion, reflecting the author's investigation into the realm of robotic developments and science and its concurrent search for a language to talk to machines and enable machine/human communications. While ALMOST HUMAN could also have been reviewed in our science section, it's featured here for its challenging insights into the thinking process and how it differs between machine and human.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging
Kyriakos S. Markides, editor
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
97814129909495, $125.00 www.sagepub.com 1-800-818-7243

The aging of the baby-boomer generation has propelled geriatric medicine to a priority as 'old age' issues become dominate in terms of personal and national priorities. Compiled, organized and edited by Kyriakos S. Markides (University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas), "Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging" is a single 650-page volume of alphabetically presented resources and information covering researches and data on health and aging. More than 230 entries cover the biological, psychological, social, and even economic aspects of health and aging, including their impact upon and within the health care system. Of special emphasis is the focus on geriatrics with respect to syndromes and common diseases associated with the aging process. "Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging" is an up-to-date reference on a spectrum of aging issues ranging from acute illness, Alzheimers, bereavement, and economic dependency, to health care costs, health promotions, hospice care, long-term care, medications, public policy, quality of live, and widowhood. Included are discussions on landmark studies in aging, as well as such key programs as Social Security, Meals on Wheels, and Medicaid/Medicare. All of the relevant disciplines are represented along with their contributions in gerontology, epidemiology, sociology, medicine, and public policy. International in scope, "Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging" surveys health and aging issues from Mexico and Canada, as well as Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. A comprehensive and comprehensive work of impressive scholarship, "Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging" is as accessible to the non-specialized general reader with an interest in health and aging issues, as it is invaluable for students and professionals working in these fields. "Encyclopedia Of Healing & Aging" is an important and core addition to professional, academic, governmental, and community library Health & Aging reference collections.

Omnigraphics
615 Griswold Street, Detroit, MI 48226
www.omnigraphics.com

Sooner or later most consumers will have foot problems, and to explain the latest research into podiatry health is Ivy L. Alexander, Editor's Podiatry Sourcebook, 2nd Edition (9780780809444, $78.00), a revised sourcebook perfect for both health libraries and general-interest lending collections. The bones, joints, and muscles of the foot are surveyed in easily-accessed chapters which covering everything from conditions relating to growth to foot deformities, neuromuscular diseases, swelling of the joints, and more. Joyce Brennenfleck Shannon's EATING DISORDERS SOURCEBOOK (9780780809482) appears in its second updated edition to cover the basics of eating disorders and their treatment. From bulimia and binge eating to anorexia, EATING DISORDERS SOURCEBOOK outlines the problem, therapies, physical and psychological effects – and includes chapters on healthy ways of controlling weight. These are basic health references any health or general library needs.

Healing Arts Press
c/o Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
www.healingartspress.com

Robert J. Green Jr.'s NATURAL THERAPIES FOR EMPHYSEMA AND COPD: RELIEF AND HEALING FOR CHRONIC PULMONARY DISORDERS (1594771634, $14.95) shows that alternative holistic therapies from herbs to homeopathy offer relief in coping with COPD's symptoms – and can be blended into the author's comprehensive treatment program, presented here. From dietary changes and nutritional supplements to exercises from aerobics to yoga, a range of alternative therapies are brought into play in a survey alternative health libraries will want. David Winston and Steven Maimes' ADAPTOGENS: HERBS FOR STRENGTH, STAMINA AND STRESS RELIEF (1594771588, $18.95) will appeal into the general interest public library realm with a fine general guide to health, nutrition, and the potentials of nontoxic herbs to help the body 'adapt' to influences which causes fatigue and stress-related disorders. From a historical survey of the uses of these herbs around the world to medical explanations of why and how they work, ADAPTOGENS is a guide many a general lending library needs.


The Interior Design Shelf

The Pantry
Catherine Seiberling Pond
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
9781423600046, $16.95 www.gibbs-smith.com 1-800-748-5439

"The Pantry: Its History And Modern Uses" by author, architectural historian, and former house museum manager Catherine Seiberling Pond is a beautifully illustrated history of how the nature of the 19th century pantry began to change and evolve in the 20th and 21st centuries as American homemakers began to cook more, bake more, buy more, and stockpile more just as architects were designing and building homes that did not have pantries. The result was that 'big-box' items that once would have been stored in a pantry were now regulated to the garage. "The Pantry" offers cogent and persuasive arguments why the pantry should be restored to the contemporary American home as both a functional and an esthetic design element in keeping with the socio-economic and design changes that have affected and shaped the American home which ranges in style from Victorian to 20th Century, and from the great estate to the modern dwelling. While the use of the pantry has evolved, it continues to be an interesting, utilitarian space the combines nostalgia with cutting edge modern ideas for the family kitchen. "The Pantry" also covers what to put in one, food storage solutions, the selections of materials, design and layout, display, decor tips, and more. Of special note is the chapter dedicated to 'Pantries Open to the Public'. Informed and informative reading, "The Pantry" is particularly recommended to the attention of architects, home remodelers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the developmental history of the American home.

Taunton Press
Box 5507, Newton, CT 06470-5507
www.taunton.com

Russell Versaci's CREATING A NEW OLD HOUSE: YESTERDAY'S CHARACTER FOR TODAY'S HOME (9781561587926, $24.95 ) is for any who want the best of both worlds: the conveniences of modern styling with the look of yesterday. Interior and exterior shots of example houses accompany in-depth discussions of particular projects, remodeling challenges, pros and cons, how conversions were scaled and designed, and more. From diagrams of proportions and interior layout to surveys of construction options, CREATING A NEW OLD HOUSE will add to any lending collection already strong in home renovation, remodeling, and options. Marc Vassallo's THE BAREFOOT HOME (1561588075, $30.00) features over twenty house styles which reflect the modern inclination to go barefoot in the house and to live an informal lifestyle. These are homes connected to the outdoors, filled with light, and which make casual living easy: from making a house smaller to heat it more efficiently to considering what style elements lend to a feeling of 'casual', THE BAREFOOT HOME: DRESSED-DOWN DESIGN FOR CASUAL LIVING is packed with ideas. Sarah Nettleton's THE SIMPLE HOME: THE LUXURY OF ENOUGH (9781561588312, $40.00) defines the concept of a 'simple home' and offers interior design tips to achieving satisfaction from a basic home design. This involves eliminating non-essentials and practicing restraint: six avenues to achieving a 'greener' lifestyle from this approach blends full-page color photos with comments on designs which refine and simplify the home – perfect for new students of interior design and homeowners contemplating reconstruction.


The Art Shelf

Michael Taylor: A Geometry Of Meaning
Robert C. Morgan, et al.
Hudson Hills Press
PO Box 205, 74-2 Union Street, Manchester, VT 05254
National Books Network (distributor)
4270 Boston Way, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
1555952623, $60.00 www.hudsonhills.com www.nbnbooks.com 1-800-462-6420

With an informed and informative text provided by art critic Robert C. Morgan (Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute in New York City), Tina Oldknow (Curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, and William Warmus (former curator of the Corning Museum of Glass and a past editor of 'Glass' magazine), "Michael Taylor: A Geometry Of Meaning" showcases the work and creativity of one of American's true pioneers in glass art. Known for both his technical skills in a demanding artistic medium and his ability to imbue his objects with a kind of metaphysical geometry, this superbly illustrated coffee-table art book covers a body of work that spans 35 years of artistic creativity and excellence. Combining stunningly visual color plates with incisive essays, along with a detailed discussion with Taylor about his prodigious accomplishments (all carried out while he also had an impressive academic career as Professor and Chair of the Glass Department in the School for American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology), "Michael Taylor: A Geometry Of Meaning" is a fitting and highly deserved addition to the American Art History reference collections of academic libraries in general, and the supplemental reading lists for students of Glass Art Studies in particular.

The Silk Road And Beyond
Karen Manchester, editor
The Art Institute Of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603-6110
Yale University Press
PO Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040
9780300124286, $30.00 www.yalebooks.com 1-800-987-7323 1-312-443-3600

A collaborative project of The Art Institute of Chicago and the Yale University Press, "The Silk Road And Beyond: Travel, Trad, and Transformation" is expertly edited by Karen Manchester and features a two-page colored map illustrating the land and sea routes between Europe and Asia from 200 BCE to 1500 CE. Of special note are the icon symbols identifying the locations of ancient cities and archaeological sites of interest. An informed and informative essay by Milo C. Beach introduces readers to the history of the Silk Road and the way in which is fostered a two-way flow of goods, styles, and ideas between East and West. Also featured in "The Silk Road And Beyond" is a conversation between Chicago Art Institute present and director James Cuno and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Mar as they discuss the Silk Road as a metaphor for the circulation of ideas, motifs, and techniques both visual and musical. An extended and beautifully illustrated catalogue section features fascinating entries on forty objects in the Art Institute's collection ranging from ancient Chinese tomb figures to the works of contemporary artists including Lalla Essaydi. "The Silk Road And Beyond" is a beautifully crafted and presented history that would make a fine addition to personal, academic, and community library Art and History reference collections.

Art Office 2nd Edition
Constance Smith & Sue Viders
ArtNetwork
Box 1360, Nevada City, CA 95959
9780940899285, $14.95 www.artmarketing.com

The second updated edition of ART OFFICE packs in some eighty business forms, charts, sample letters and legal documents relating to either established or upcoming artists, helping them get organized and helping to reduce the paperwork involved in an art business. ART OFFICE packs in all the resources needed, from marketing plans and show planners to pricing worksheets, bills of sale, competition records and target market charts. An excellent study recommended for practicing artists at all levels.

Sticker City: Paper Graffiti Art
Claudia Walde
Thames & Hudson
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
050028668X, $24.95 www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Graffiti has its poster board roots on city walls, typically – but this worldwide survey documents a new trend: paper works glued to city surfaces. The author is a graffiti artist who traveled around the world surveying street art: some eighty artists' works are profiled in over 7,000 examples of this new 'paper art graffiti, providing both a historical survey and insights into the special demands of the new 'adhesive art' medium. Any art library holding will find this an excellent and unique acquisition.


The Hobby Shelf

Detailing Freight Cars
Jeff Wilson
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
9780890246917, $19.95 www.kalmbachbooks.com 1-800-533-6644

The Kalmbach Publishing Company is a premier publisher of books for model railroading enthusiasts. The newest addition to their 'Model Railroader' series of 'how to' guides is Jeff Wilson's "Detailing Freight Cars". Enhanced with more than two hundred color photographs and informative diagrams, this instruction manual will prove indispensable to hobbyists wanting to add realism and character to their model railroading layouts. With clear and profusely illustrated step-by-step instructions, model railroaders will learn how to add break and underbody details to their freight cars, upgrade couplers and trucks, weathering and painting their freight cars, use accurate decals for placards and markings, replace running boards and body details, and even make realistic freight loads. The techniques featured apply to model railroad layouts in all scales. "Detailing Freight Cars" is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any dedicated model railroad buffs personal reference collection.


The Biography Shelf

The Immortal Marilyn
John DeVito and Frank Tropea
Scarecrow Press
4501 Forbes Boulevard #200, Lanham, MD 20706
0810858665, $35.00 www.scarecrowpress.com

Marilyn Monroe appeared in barely thirty movies but quickly became a silver screen star: so many books have been written about her life and times it would seem overkill to have yet another – but what makes THE IMMORTAL MARILYN: THE DEPICTION OF AN ICON unique is a focus on her various representations in the performing arts from the 1950s to modern times. Four different modes are identified: each is explored in a series of individual works which reflect her persona, history and image and consider how that image has been supported through fact and fiction. Don't expect your usual light treatment for general-interest audiences: this is scholarly, college-level material perfect for college-level drama and acting collections, especially those with history holdings.

Laughing in the Dark
Chonda Pierce
Howard Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
9781582296418, $17.99 www.howardpublishing.com

Laughing in the Dark: A Comedian's Journey Through Depression is the true story of comedian, Christian, and depression survivor Chonda Pierce, in her own words. Pierce recovered with help from close friends, therapy, and a Zoloft prescription; she candidly shares her story as affirmation that "depression" is neither shameful nor a sign of faltering faith. Though the author's abiding faith in God is quite evident, Laughing in the Dark is intended for readers of all belief systems. "When your mind has been captivated by the dark for a long time and you finally experience some healing - whether instantaneously through an act of God or gradually through the gift of medicine - you feel liberated... But there's more work to be done. It's like having any other serious, debilitating injury. You're excited when you make it through all the surgeries, but you still have to battle through rehabilitation in order to learn to walk, talk, and feed yourself again." Highly recommended, especially for the personal shelves and reading lists of anyone suffering depression or their friends and families.

Placing the Academy
Jennifer Sinor & Rona Kaufman, editors
Utah State University Press
7800 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-7800
9780874216578, $34.95 www.usu.edu/usupress

Placing the Academy: Essays on Landscape, Work, and Identity is an anthology of memoir essays by a diversity of learned authors reflecting upon their experiences as teachers, students, and young adults experiencing the rites of passage. Essays include "On Frogs, Poems and Teaching at a Rural Community College", "The Blind Teaching the Blind: The Academic as Naturalist, or Not", "Levittown Breeds Anarchists! Film at 11" and much more. At times broadly insightful, at times intensely personal, these vignettes offer a unique, soul-satisfying glimpse of the universal quest to pass on human knowledge, and all the myriad ways in which dedicating one's career to that quest can touch one's life.

Stolen Beauty
Amy Madden
Syren Book Company
5120 Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis, MN 55416
9780929636740, $14.95 www.syrenbooks.com

Stolen Beauty: Healing the Scars of Child Abuse is the true-life memoir of Amy Madden, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse inflicted on her by her stepfather. Growing up with the shame, hurt, and vulnerability, feeling that the abuse she suffered was her fault, she retreated into a depressed, mistrustful state of despair. The road to recovery was a long and involved process of therapy, study, prayer, and developing strong faith in her own inner strength and spirit - the qualities she once possessed as a child so long ago. An invaluable testimony especially recommended as the experience of a kindred spirit for anyone seeking understanding during their own long journey to recovery from the trauma of abuse.

The True Story of Johnny Appleseed
Ophia D. Smith
Swedenborg Foundation Publishers
320 North Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380
9780877853237, $8.95 www.swedenborg.com

The True Story of Johnny Appleseed is a reprint Ophia D. Smith's classic biographical essay of real-life American man behind the legend. John "Appleseed" Chapman (1774-1845) was known for living in harmony with the wilderness, at peace with Native American tribes, and attuned to the animal kingdom. He was also a shrewd if unconventional businessman, who sold apple tree seedlings and apples to pioneers, and his great passion was for Emanuel Swedenborg's works about heaven, which he cherished so highly that he sought to circulate copies of Swedenborg's writings among pioneers, at his own expense. Small historical-style black-and-white illustrations on virtually every page and endnote updates by William Ellery Jones round out this thirty-nine page excursion into the lifetime achievements of gentle American hero.

Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me
Eddie Sherman
Watermark Publishing
1088 Bishop Street, Suite 310, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
0977914380, $22.95 www.bookshawaii.net

Written by longtime showbiz columnist Eddie Sherman, Frank, Sammy, Marlon & Me: Adventures in Paradise with the Celebrity Set is a unique memoir of hobnobbing in Hawaii with the celebrity scene - from the day Frank Sinatra almost drowned in the surf, to a fake brawl that Burgess Meredith staged in a Waikiki nightclub, to good times shared with Elvis, Lenny Bruce, Bette Midler, Muhammad Ali, and many more. Amusing "fast facts" about famous celebrities pepper this collection of good times and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of Hollywood elites. A treasury of amusing anecdotes for celebrity-philes everywhere.

Standing Eight
Adam Pitluk
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0306815354, $14.95 www.dacapopress.com

Fans of boxing will find the biography of boxer Jesus 'El Matdor' Chavez inspiring: he grew up impoverished in Mexico, became an illegal worker in Chicago, and learned both English and the boxing skills which would make him a three-time Gold Glove champion in years ahead, eventually arising to win the Lightweight Championship in 2005. His struggles and achievements come to life in an outstanding survey of boxing challenges and immigrant issues alike.


The Cookbook Shelf

Easy & Healthy Japanese Food For The American Kitchen
Keiko O. Aoki
Quill Driver Books
1254 Commerce Avenue, Sanger, CA 93657
188495667X, $24.95 www.quilldriverbooks.com 1-800-497-4909

Time-constrained gourmets who appreciate Japanese cuisine while having to eat as healthy as they can will appreciate "Easy & Healthy Japanese Food For The American Kitchen" by Japanese-American Keiko Aoki for the its savory recipes which are as easy to prepare as they are delicious to consume. From Keilo's Miso Soup; to Keiko's Easy Sushi Rolls; to Keiko's Everyday Miso Cod; to Keiko's Original Oven-Baked Chicken Yakitori; to Keiko's Original Healthy Lean Tofu Hamburger, each recipe is nicely organized and presented -- complete with a mouth-watering, full-page, color photograph of the finished dish. Thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly', "Easy & Healthy Japanese Food For The American Kitchen" is an enthusiastically recommended and elegant addition to any personal or community library cookbook collection!

Wild About Turkey
National Wild Turkey Federation
Tradery House
c/o The Wimmer Companies, Inc.
4650 Shelby Air Drive, Memphis, TN 38118
1879958309, $19.95 www.wimmerco.com 1-800-548-2537

Drawn from friends, members, and supporters of The National Wild Turkey Federation, "Wild About Turkey" is spiral-bound hardcover compendium of more than three hundred recipes for preparing and serving the turkey. Once primarily relegated to Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday fare, the consumption of turkey per person in the United States during the last decade has increases some 63%. Now presented is an impressive spectrum of recipes for both wild and domesticated turkeys that will well serve any dining occasion from appetizers, salads, side dishes, and soups, to stir-fries, casseroles, chilies, and main course entrees that roasted, fried, smoked, or grilled. There are even recipes for delicious and memorable deserts! Of special note is the chapter dedicated to 'Hunting the Basics on Turkey' which covers regional turkey species, skinning, thawing, stuffing, roasting, carving, and storing turkey. "Wild About Turkey" is completely 'kitchen cook friendly' and a welcome, recommended addition to any family or community library cookbook collection

INNcredible Cookin'
Editorial Staff
Guest Cottage
PO Box 774, St. Germain, WI 54558
9781930596665, $15.95 www.theguestcottage.com 1-800-333-8122

The newest addition to the outstanding and very highly recommended 'Bed & Breakfast' cookbook series from the Wisconsin-based regional publisher Guest Cottage, "INNcredible Cookin': Favorite Recipes From Louisiana's Best Bed & Breakfast Innes, Cottages & Guesthouses" is a culinary celebration of the best that Louisiana has to offer the informal traveler and vacationer. Beginning with a listing of the participating inns and where in this outstanding compilation they are to be individually found, the reader is also provided with a state map of Louisiana with the location of these inns pinpointed. This is followed by a city-by-city guide to their locations as well. Then the reader is treated to succinct descriptions of Cajun history and cuisine, instructions on 'How to Make a Roux', and an impressive roster of Louisiana's many festivals. The rest of "INNcredible Cookin'" is taken up with a brief description of a particular inn and the step-by-step recipes for one or two of their signature dishes. From White Cream Gravy (Susan's Cottages); to Shrimp Maison Reve (Maison Reve Farm); to Louisiana Redneck Potatoes (Log Cabin on Cane River Guest House); to Cheese Grits (Bayou Saint John Bed & Breakfast); to Raisin Bread Strata with Sausage and Plums (Sully Mansion); to Spinach Madeline (Green Springs Inn and Cottages); to Mardi Gras Vegetable Jambalaya (Nottoway Plantation Restaurant and Inn), "INNcredible Cookin'" offers authentic gourmet quality dishes that are as easy to prepare as they are palate pleasing and appetite satisfying.

Southern Scrumptious
Betty Sims
FRP Books
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0965905306, $19.95 www.frpbooks.com 1-800-269-6839

Opening with 'Tips and Guidelines for Catering Your Own Party', "Southern Scrumptious" by Betty Sims draws upon her more than 30 years of expertise and expertise in cooking, catering, baking, and restaurant ownership to compose what is an ideal combination of instruction manual and cookbook for planning parties and menus for any occasion. Aspiring hostesses are provided with a year's worth of complete menus; invaluable tips for hosts and hostesses; recipes for time-stressed party givers; as well as culinary ideas for spring luncheons, summer picnics, and holiday dining. From Sour Cream Cornbread; Wilted Spinach and Bacon Salad; Baked Ham with Sugar Glaze; and Red Onion Marmalade; to Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Soup; Chicken Supreme Casserole; Garlic Pickles; and Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Bars, "Southern Scrumptious" provides recipes that are elegant, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, gourmet quality, thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly'. Certain to become a favorite menu planning reference, "Southern Scrumptious" is a very highly recommended addition to both personal and community library cookbook collections.

Rick Black's Cabin Cookin'
Rick Black
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
9780811733854, $16.95 www.stackpolebooks.com

Rick Black's Cabin Cookin': The Very Best Recipes for Beef, Pork, Poultry, Seafood, and Wild Game for Dutch Ovens, Skillets, and Grills lives up to its title with step-by-step instructions for outdoor taste sensations. From "Skillet Sloppy Joes" to "Birds Be A-Chirpin' Chili Mac", "Caribbean Cabin Kebabs", "Sunday Morning Spice Cake" and much more, Rick Black's Cabin Cookin' is ideal for campers and outdoorsmen with a taste for seafood, domestic and wild game, all types of vegetables, and anything that can be prepared in heavy foil. A brief introduction and an index round out this compendium, which largely lets its mouth-watering recipes speak for themselves.

Western National Parks' Lodges Cookbook
Kathleen Bryant
North Atlantic Books
1435 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9780873589000, $24.95 www.northatlanticbooks.com 1-800-337-2665

The recipes compiled, organized and presented in "Western National Parks' Lodges Cookbook" by food expert and travel writer Kathleen Bryant are drawn from the menus of fifteen Great Lodges located in ten national parks located throughout the American West. Superbly presented with full-color photography and historical notations about the lodges themselves, the recipes range from Pan-Seared Salmon Tostatas (El Tovar, Grand Canyon National Park); to Navajo Eggplant (Zion Park Lodge, Zion National Park); to Strawberry-Poppy Seed Shortcake with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream (The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park); to Watermelon, Tomato, and Feta Salad with White Balsamic Vinegar (Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood National Forest). Each featured and gourmet quality recipe is methodically organized and thoroughly 'kitchen cook' friendly. A fascinating and informative read for anyone interested in America's national park system, "Western National Parks' Lodges Cookbook" is an elegant cookbook that will enhance any family or community library cookbook collection.

Farms & Foods Of Ohio
Marilou K. Suszko
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
9780781811729, $24.95 www.hippocrenebooks.com 1-212-685-4371

With an informative and inherently interesting background on Ohio farming personalities, including their barns, fields, and vineyards, "Farms & Foods Of Ohio" author and culinary instructor Marilou K. Suszko accompanies her compilation of delicious recipes with stories about the people and places that made them possible. Along with a map of Ohio farms and succinct series of farm histories, the recipes are arranged into categories: Eggs, Milk, & Cheese; Meats & Poultry; Fish & Seafood; Fruits & Vegetables. Of special interest are the chapters on 'Finding a Niche; Vineyards 7 Wineries; Ohio Chefs & Farmers; and 'Save a Farm'. The recipes range from Buttery Shortbreads; Roasted heritage Turkey; Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom Angel Hair Pasta; and Raspberry Tart in Nut Crust; to a Basil Pesto and Basil Pesto Dipping Sauce; Autumn Salad with Maple Vinaigrette; Markko vineyard Rice Pilaf; and Roasted Root Vegetables. Enhanced with the inclusion of a resource list, a bibliography, recipe credits, and a recipe index, "Farms & Foods Of Ohio" is a welcome and certain to be popular addition to any personal or community library cookbook collection.

500 Appetizers
Susannah Blake
Ronnie Sellers Productions
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
9781569069769, $14.95 www.makefun.com 1-800-625-3386

Compiled and organized by London-based food writer and editor Susannah Blake, "500 Recipes: The Only Appetizer Compendium You'll Ever Need" truly lives up to its title with a culinary wealth of easy-to-prepare recipes for delicious, palate-pleasing, appetite teasing, offerings that would grace any formal or informal dining occasion. Profusely illustrated with more than 200 photographs, this compact, 288-page cookbook features tips on how to select the right ingredients and how to make each individual appetizer look perfect in its presentation. There is a comprehensive introductory section on preparation and cooking essentials, techniques, equipment, ingredients, conversions, and troubleshooting. Variations for each recipes are also provided. From Mozzarella and Basil Quesadilla Wedges; Garlic Mushrooms; Chili Cheese Straws; and Spiced Carrot Salad; to Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Squares; Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce; Roasted Bell Pepper Salad with Mint and Pumpkin Seeds; and Sticky Glazed Pork Ribs, each recipe is gourmet quality, kitchen-cook friendly, and mouth-wateringly delicious. Of special note are the appetizers that are healthy, low-fat and low-sugar snacks ideal for evening soirees. "500 Appetizers" is a welcome addition to any family cookbook collection, but especially recommended for anyone who does a great deal of entertaining in their home.

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook
Fuchsia Dunlop
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
0393062228, $29.95 www.wwnorton.com

The tastes and influence of the Hunan region of China are fully explored in Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, which provides over a hundred dishes easy to make and accompanied by color photos and stories from the province. Dishes come with historical introduction, many a cultural insight, and the author's own experiences discovering and cooking the dish: all these factors make for a fine and well-rounded cookbook which goes far beyond the usual light Hunan coverage to probe the depth of Chinese culture and cuisine, making it a 'must' for any serious collection offering Chinese cookbooks beyond one or two basics.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

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

Poul Anderson's TO OUTLIVE ETERNITY AND OTHER STORIES (1416521135, $14.00) paints a number of evolutionary scenarios, from a world after World War III inherited by robots to starships carrying humans to other destinies. This collection also holds the complete novel AFTER DOOMSDAY, and thus binds all drama and themes together in a hard-hitting, fast-paced collection perfect for any library that holds some of Anderson's works and wants a hard-hitting short story collection to add to the mix. Barry N. Malzberg's BREAKFAST IN THE RUINS (1416521178, $14.00) is a nonfiction series of essays offering hard-hitting assessments of the evolution of cutting-edge science fiction over the decades. It's a pick for any avid science fiction or fantasy fan and offers some uniquely compelling viewpoints of science fiction's influence and progress as a genre.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

How to Raise Cattle
Philip Hasheider
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson #200, Saint Paul, MN 55101-3885
0760328021, $19.95 www.voyageurpress.com

Whether your goal is to raise one cow or a larger herd of dairy or beef cattle, HOW TO RAISE CATTLE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW offers easy directions for any who would house, feed, choose breeds and raise cattle and calves. From basic health issues to showing cattle at fairs, over 200 color photos accompanies basic details any would-be cattle owners will find invaluable. Rural library holdings or college-level collections strong in agricultural sciences will find it a top primer introducing the topic.


The Music Shelf

Classical Destinations
Matt Wills nd Paul Burrows
Amadeus Press
c/o Hal Leonard Corporation
512 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
1574671588, $30.00 www.amadeuspress.com

CLASSICAL DESTINATIONS: AN ARMCHAIR GUIDE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC considers the history and geography of classical music in Europe's greatest cities, blending over 200 color photos in a new title tied to the TV series and national PBS special of the same name. It's more than a biography, though it does consider the lives of the great world composers – it blends in a travelogue to the places they lived and created in, it shows how their works were influenced by the cities they lived in, and it blends travel with classical music insights in a delightful visual and written treat recommended for any library collection strong in classical music history and culture.

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

Santorella Publications is a respected publisher of inexpensive, professional quality, 'user friendly' music instruction materials for a wide spectrum of musical instruments. Among their latest titles for music students are "How To Play The Autoharp" (TS261, $9.95) in which autoharp expert Larry McCabe offers illustrated instructions and sheet music examples for playing this fascinating instrument. Larry also includes an accompanying CD with his instruction books on "How To Play Dulcimer" (TS256, $14.95), "How To Play Mandolin" (TS257, $14.95), "How To Play Ukulele" (TS260, $14.95), "How To Play Fiddle" (TS263, $14.95); and "How To Play Banjo" (TS262, $14.95). "How To Play Recorder" (TS134, $12.95) by Margaret Brandman shows beginners how to enjoy playing a recorder while learning the fundamentals of music. "How To Play The Harmonica: Method & Songbook For Diatonic Harmonicas" (TS136CD, $14.95) also includes a Performance CD to help the student master the harmonica. All of the Santorella instruction books feature clear, informative, methodical instructions and practice oriented sheet music that will enable the novice musician to master their instrument quickly and expertly. Each of these outstanding titles are very highly recommended for personal, school music department, and community library music instruction reference collections.


The Social Issues Shelf

City on the Edge: Buffalo, New York
Mark Goldman
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
9781591024576, $19.99 www.prometheusbooks.com

At first glance CITY ON THE EDGE would seem to be a title New York collections alone could appreciate – but look again: it's a story of urban dysfunction which holds strong social and urban planning messages for any American city. Chapters survey the history of Buffalo, New York: from its initial promising heyday to its decline, its many social issues, and the role of the arts in community life. Of particular note – and recommended for college-level holdings strong in urban planning – are discussions of how urban politics and city planning affected the development and outcome of Buffalo. People, places and events alike are surveyed.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

JPS Guide To American Jewish History
Norman H. Finkelstein
Jewish Publication Society
2100 Arch Street, 2nd floor, Philadelphia PA 19103-1399
9780827608108, $18.00 www.jewishpub.org 1-800-234-3151

Nicely illustrated with more than 70 occasional black-and-white historical photographs, maps, and charts, and laced throughout with informative sidebars, the "JPS Guide To American Jewish History" by Norman H. Finkelstein (series editor of the JPS Guides) is the story of Jewish communities and personalities in the 350-year history of North American and the 200+ history United States. From the earliest Jewish settlers on American shores, to the integration and success of Jews in American business, politics, arts, culture, entertainment, science, and more. Enhanced with the inclusion of concise biographies, timelines, notes, a bibliography, and an index, "American Jewish History is the perfect introductory survey of American Jewish history and a core addition to personal, academic, and community library Judaic Studies and American History reference collections. Also very highly recommended for the Judaic Studies reference shelf and supplemental reading lists are three other titles in the outstanding 'JPS Guides" series from the Jewish Publication Society: "JPS Guide To Jewish Traditions"; "JPS Guide To Jewish Women"; and the "JPS Dictionary Of Jewish Words".

Discovering Jewish Music
Marsha Bryan Edelman
Jewish Publication Society
P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960
0827608578, $28.00 www.jewishpub.org

DISCOVERING JEWISH MUSIC could have been featured in our 'Judaic Shelf' area, but is reviewed here for its excellent survey of key genres and important people in some three thousand years of Jewish music from the Bible to modern times. An accompanying cd reinforces the history and survey of key Jewish genres, which blends in Jewish history, culture and philosophy to trace not only the evolution of Jewish music, but the underlying ethics and principles differentiating it from other music. Libraries strong in Judaic studies as well as general-interest music history collections music have this.


The Self-Help Shelf

Life's 2% Solution
Marica Hughes
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
100 City Hall Plaza, Suite 501, Boston, MA 02108
9781857883657, $19.95 www.nicholasbrealey.com

Written by consultant and certified Bar-On EQ measurement tool trainer, Marcia Hughes, Life's 2% Solution: Simple Steps to Achieve Happiness and Balance is a straightforward guide to personal fulfillment through balancing and taking control of one's life. Chapters present a ten-step action plan designed to help the reader achieve short or long-term goals, true stories about real people who turned their lives around, and solid guidelines for applying the 2% solution - intentionally investing 2% of one's time in what one truly loves - to daily life. A motivational, easy-to-use guide to overcoming fear, sloth, and personal shortcomings in just 30 minutes a day.

Ancient Secrets Of Facial Rejuvenation
Victoria J. Mogilner, C.A.
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1577315529, $14.95 www.newworldlibrary.com 1-800-972-6657

Drawing upon her more than thirty years of experience and expertise, "Ancient Secrets Of Facial Rejuvenation: A Holistic, Nonsurgical Approach to Youth & Well-Being" by Victoria J. Mogilner (a certified acupuncturist, Chinese medicine practitioner, aesthetician, and tai chi instructor) presents a holistic alternative to caring for the skin without the use of chemical and surgical procedures. Advocating the use of facial acupuncture to counteract the signs of aging and which takes only a few minutes each day in the form of an 'Acupuncture Facelift' process that involves lightly pressing certain points on the face, "Ancient Secrets Of Facial Rejuvenation" also features strategies for attaining outer beauty and inner beauty through health nutrition, essential oils and aromatherapy, tai chi, qigong, and self-massage. A welcome addition to Alternative Medicine reference collections, "Ancient Secrets Of Facial Rejuvenation" is especially recommended reading for anyone concerned with rejuvenating their facial skin without resorting to plastic surgery.


The Poetry Shelf

Wisdom Of The Body
Judith Roche
Black Heron Press
PO Box 95676, Seattle, WA 98145
9780930773816, $14.95 www.blackheronpress.com

The poetry of Judith Roche takes such themes as sex, living, dying, and the inevitable changes the human body and the human experience are heir to. The poems comprising "Wisdom Of The Body" address a variety of issues and circumstances from Down Syndrome to open-heart surgery, from flower gardens to dealing with sorrow. This 96-page volume of superbly crafted free verse is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and whole-heartedly recommended reading. 'Wisdom of the Body': Because the gut is the center/it fills and empties, empties and fills./The core of us receives all we take in/of the world -- absorbs the gold,/discards the dross./Whole colonies of cooperating communities,/within our deepest twists and turns,/kindly labor together for our benefit./We mean Will when we say/someone has guts,/closely related to courage,/by coeur, heart,/cannot be other than true.//Once we get there,/though so many other agendas/can tangle the way./the mouth knows the taste of its own tongue,/hungers for savor, makes meaning/of sound, trying to name truth.//Or not, depending on the mind/The gut knows the difference/between shit and substance.//Keeps us honest.

In A Dybbuk's Raincoat
Bert Meyers, author
Morton Marcus & Daniel Meyers, editors
University of New Mexico Press
MSC04 2820, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-001
9780826337870, $24.95 www.unmpress.com

In a Dybbuk's Raincoat is a hardcover anthology of collected poetry by California lyricist and poetry teacher Bert Meyers (1928-1979). Most of the free-verse poems are brief; their eclectic diversity shines with polished, original flair and range in subject from gentle reflections on aging to a blunt summary of the good, the bad, and the ugly of Los Angeles. Some of the collected poems were previously published in literary reviews or journal entries; others were previously unpublished. A smattering of prose works round out this outstanding anthology of lifetime achievement. "By the Sea": Across that loud scroll of water / fishermen still sail out / to earn a living, / a boat leaves for Peru... // And always, a multitude / unpacks a paradise / of Sundays on the sand / to celebrate the passage of its blood.

Teeth
Aracelis Girmay
Curbstone Press
321 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT 06226
9781931896368, $13.00 www.curbstone.org

A writer, poet and educator, Aracelis Girmay brings a distinctive and creative voice to her free verse lyrics. Her poetry is energetic, original, and celebratory. She is also not afraid to express through her poetry views of the world and the human experience that are as thoughtful as they are thought-provoking. Very highly recommended to the attention of poetry enthusiasts who appreciate skill and imagination, "Teeth" is a compilation of Girmay's poetry that also reflects her Eritrean, Puerto Rican, and African American heritage. 'Limay, Nicaragua, April 1998': Mountains/tangled with bones,/fields, roads,/rivers jangled,/volcanoes jangled/with bones/on their backs,/into the earth/nevermind merengue/nevermind the cooking/nevermind the quiquiriqui/of roosters/singing Rise.

The Book Of Jobs
Kathryn Maris
Four Way Books
PO Box 535, Village Station, New York, NY 10014
University Press of New England, distributor
1 Court Street, Suite 250, Lebanon, NH 03766-1358
1884800718, $14.95 www.fourwaybooks.com www.upne.com 1-800-421-1561

The free verse poetry of Kathryn Maris offers a distinctive, original, passionate, 'word skilled' voice that will engage both the mind and the imagination. The profusely imaged poetry comprising "The Book Of Jobs" will well serve to introduce Kathryn's poetic wit and lyrical wisdom to an appreciative readership and is enthusiastically recommended for personal, academic, and community library Contemporary Poetry collections. 'The Heart that Works': In my abdomen there is a heart that works./For how long will it work? Will it work/if the heart in my chest is tethered or skewed?//Will it work in the artificial light, in the soup/of the Day, or when a song becomes a feint?/Will it work? Will it work?//O swift, regular beats on the incommensurate screen,/is a heart that works a heart that lurks behind the world?/You inside me, I envy you your working heart.//But will it work in the morning? Will it work insofar/as I haven't erred by bringing it to earth?/Will it work in the icy absence of others of its kind?

The Weather Of Dreams
J. E. Pitts
David Robert Books
PO Box 541106, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1106
978-1-933456-57-7, $17.00 www.davidrobertbooks.com

"The Weather of Dreams" offers appreciative readers the debut compilation of the free verse poetry of writer and visual artist J. E. Pitts. An accomplished wordsmith with an ear for the rhythmic cadence of words, Pitts' poetry is especially recommended to those who appreciate the hard work that goes into (and is essential for) the intelligible written word. 'In The Field': the orb, that summer sun,/swings over us like a/sickle shaving young wheat./Bringing out the rows,/going down the line,/coming back to double-check./Snapping and pulling,/checking for spots,/taking the good,/the manageable,/leaving the seconds and the poor./Filling the baskets and buckets to/go into the pantry for winter,/gearing up for the time/when it will all go bad.


The Education Shelf

Schools Where Everyone Belongs
Stan Davis with Julia Davis
Research Press
2612 North Mattis Avenue, Champaign, IL 61822
9780878225842, $24.95 www.researchpress.com

Written by family and child therapist and school counselor Stan Davis, Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying is a highly practical guide written especially for schoolteachers and other educational professionals, yet invaluable for anyone who oversees groups of children. Now in an updated second edition, Schools Where Everyone Belongs demystifies what bullying it is and common myths about its effects, what doesn't work to combat it, and most importantly of all, classroom-tested methods that do work to stop bullying and reverse its harmful effects. "When there are inconsistent consequences for bullying, young people are likely to continue. When we have to customize a consequence for each incident, the process of discipline becomes impossibly time-consuming. Planned, rubric-based consequences take much less time to administer and thus can be used more consistently. When consequences are predictable and based on a clear rubric, young people can learn from each other's misdeeds." An absolute "must-have" for grade school teachers and principals everywhere.

Reading the Media
Renee Hobbs
International Reading Association
800 Barksdale Road, Newark, DE 19714-8139
0807747386, $23.95 www.reading.org

Written by Renee Hobbs (Associate Professor of Communication, Temple University, Philadelphia), Reading the Media: Media Literacy in High School English is a sourcebook of empirical evidence of the effect media literacy has on the academic achievement of adolescents. Examining how high school teachers prepared their students to apply critical thinking to contemporary media culture through developing an innovative curriculum, and the measurable effect that this education had on the students, Reading the Media is a shining beacon of how modern students need to be educated to better comprehend, analyze, and evaluate eternally vociferous media messages. Though not an explicit "how-to" book per se, Reading the Media is an excellent source for devising one's own media literacy curriculum, and why media literacy matters. "Making informed choices, questioning texts, composing and sharing ideas using various symbol systems, tools, and technologies, and fully engaging in the practices of citizenship - these are key dimensions of literacy in an information age... This book has used compelling quantitative and qualitative evidence to show that there are specific ways in which young people can be prepared for the demands of life in a technologically sophisticated and communication-rich cultural environment." Highly recommended especially for high school educators.

Indoctrination U.
David Horowitz
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York NY 10003-1239
1594031908, $21.95 www.encounterbooks.com

In 2003 the author began a campaign to promote intellectual diversity and a return to academic excellence in American universities, devising an 'Academic Bill of Rights' and launching a nation-wide student movement to support it. INDOCTRINATION U: THE LEFT'S WAR AGAINST ACADEMIC FREEDOM presents a case for the intellectual corruption of American universities by faculty activists who have turned classrooms into political causes. Such academic radicals have no real interest in intellectual discourse deserving of university status, Horowitz maintains: INDOCTRINATION U provides an eye-opening argument.

Enhancing Professional Practice, 2nd edition
Charlotte Danielson
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
1416605177, $27.95 www.ascd.org 1-800-933-2723

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching presents a framework for K-12 educators that is based on Praxis III: Classroom Performance Assessment criteria as developed by Educational Testing Service, compatible with INTASC standards. Chapters cover the four domains of teaching responsibility (planning & preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities), methodologies for maintaining a professional attitude, specific concerns for specialist positions, a tutorial on how to use frameworks & charts to maximum effect, and much more. The framework system, along with sample logs and unit plans, is highly organized, and easy-to-use in this solid all-around guidance and structure tool.


The Railroading Shelf

Regional Railroads Of The Midwest
Steve Glischinski
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101
9780760323519, $36.95 www.mbipublishing.com 1-800-458-0454

The railroad was key to the development of the American Midwest as a means of East and West Coast communications and transport, as well as the settlement midwestern communities and the exploitation of the agriculture, mineral, and timber industries of the midwestern states. The latest addition to the outstanding 'MBI Railroad Color History' series, "Regional Railroads Of The Midwest" by railroading enthusiast Steve Glischinski is a superbly organized, illustrated, and presented historical overview of the twelve principle railroad systems , companies, and trains that are especially associated with the midwest including: Chicago Central & Pacific; Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern; Escanaba & Lake Superior; Indiana Rail Road; Kyle Railroad; Iowa, Chicago & Eastern; Iowa Interstate Railroad; Red River Valley & Western; Toledo, Peoria & Western; Twin Cities & Western; Wisconsin Central; and Wisconsin & Southern. Combining a knowledgeable text based on his own archives and studies, with Glischinski has very nicely integrated photographs in his accounts of each railroad's history, motive power, and operation. Enhanced with the inclusion of system maps, a bibliography, and an index, "Regional Railroads Of The Midwest" is an enthusiastically recommended core addition to personal, community, and academic library Railroading History reference collections.


The Library DVD Shelf

Stuntblasters Workout
Sandy Gimpel
Razor Digital Entertainment
12031 Ventura Blvd. Suite 3, Studio City, CA 91406
159552374X, $14.99 www.razordigitalent.com

This low impact cardio workout by a Hollywood stunt woman comes from a woman in her late 60s who stunt doubles for stars young enough to be her children, so the insights are particularly revealing. Stretches and kicks blend aerobics, yoga and ballet and a bonus segment includes clips of several of her stunts. Her regimens are fun and easy to duplicate for all ages and fitness levels, making STUNTBLASTERS WORKOUT a top pick for any serious exercise DVD collection.

The Goebbels Experiment
Kenneth Branagh, narrator
Lutz Hachmeister & Michael Kloft, filmmakers
First Run Features
FRF 912112D, $29.95 www.firstrunfeatures.com

"The Goebbels Experiment" is a 107 minute historical documentary focused upon the life and work of Joseph Goebbels, one of the key figures in the Nazi movement that took control of Germany in the late 1930s and was in charge of Hitler's propaganda machine throughout World War II until he took his life rather than fall into the hands of the Russians with the fall of the Third Reich in 1945. Drawing upon rare footage from the archives of German film and television, and interweaving quotations from Goebbels diaries (which he kept from 1924 to 1945) and his recorded speeches, the filmmakers Lutz Hachmeister and Michael Kloft decided not to interject commentary but let Goebbels words and recorded images speak for themselves. The German language is ably narrated in English by Kenneth Branagh. "The Goebbels Experiment" is a superbly produced documentary whose DVD format allows for the addition of Film Notes, Filmmaker Biographies, and a World War II Film Collection Preview. With its underlying message of the danger to a free and democratic society from a monolithic governmental control of the means of communication, "The Goebbels Experiment" is very strongly recommended viewing and a welcome addition to both school and community library video collections.

Stuntblasters Low Impact Cardio Workout
Sandy Gimpel
Razor Digital Entertainment
12031 Ventura Blvd., Suite #3, Studio City, Ca 91406
159552374X, $14.99 www.razorfitness.com

Hollywood stuntwoman Sandy Gimpel, 67 years young, shares her fitness secrets in Stuntblasters Low Impact Cardio Workout, a DVD exercise video that's easy-to-follow and suitable for all ages. Designed to build up endurance and cardio health while improving balance, Stuntblasters Low Impact Cardio Workout energizes the body with stretches, and kicks that blend Gimpel's own signature moves with techniques from aerobics, yoga and ballet. A bonus segment includes clips of a few of Gimpel's own camera stunts! A fun and engaging way to build up one's fitness or even warm up for a longer or higher-intensity workout. 35 minutes, color.


The Economics Shelf

Bureaucracy
Ludwig von Mises, author; Bettina Bien Greaves, editor
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
9780865976641, $10.00 www.libertyfund.org 1-800-955-8335

Written by professor former Vienna Chamber of Commerce economist Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973), Bureaucracy is a classic economic treatise, first published in 1944, about how the efficient aspects of private ownership and control of public good production ultimately produces superior results compared to the mishmash of publically administrated plans laced with codes of "officialdom", government incompetence, unforeseen legal wranglings, graft, and other ills. "Bureaucracy in itself is neither good nor bad," Mises states; rather, bureaucracy is a valuable resource for managing certain spheres of human activity, such as policing and courts of law, yet ultimately a failure or even harmful when applied to private enterprise, simply because forced obedience to strict rules hobbles entrepreneurial managers' room to maneuver amid fluctuating market situations, and stifles their innovation in response to evolving consumer wants. "Under socialism... the beginner must please the already settled. They do not like too efficient newcomers. (Neither do old-established entrepreneurs like such men; but, under the supremacy of the consumers, they cannot prevent their competition.) In the bureaucratic machine of socialism the way toward promotion is not achievement but the favor of the superiors... The rising generation is at the mercy of the aged." As timely and insightful now as it was over half a century ago, Bureaucracy is highly recommended especially for college library and economic studies shelves.


The Science Shelf

Deep Alberta
John Acorn
The University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2EI
9780888644817, $26.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Written by broadcaster and biologist John Acorn, Deep Alberta: Fossil Facts and Dinosaur Digs is an amazing glimpse into the dinosaur fossil legacy resting beneath the surface of Alberta, Canada. Based on the CKUA radio series "Deep Alberta", and prepared in collaboration with palaeontologists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum and elsewhere, Deep Alberta combines lively text with eye-catching full color photography on virtually every other page, from panoramic scenes of where fossils are found to unearthed bones and imagined reconstructions of prehistoric creatures. Deep Alberta is arranged more or less alphabetically, with each two-page spread devoted to the story behind a different geographic location, notable figure, or prehistoric species from "Basilemys, A Very Large Turtle" to "The Sternberg Family", a thumbnail biography of Canada's most famous dinosaur hunters. A lavishly gorgeous and inspirational treat for dinosaur and fossil lovers of all walks of life to page through.


The Christian Studies Shelf

The Beautiful Ache
Leigh McLeroy
Revell
c/o Baker Book House
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
DeChant Hughes & Associates, Inc. (publicity)
1440 N. Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60622
9780800731410, $12.99 www.bakerbooks.com

Former ghostwriter and creator of the "Wednesday Words" email devotional Leigh McLeroy presents The Beautiful Ache: Finding the God Who Satisfies When Life Does Not, a collection of inspirational writings reaching out to fellow Christians who feel unsatisfied despite the adventures of life, marriage, and career. From the ache to belong and hear God, to the aches of memory, labor, grief, and the ache to worship and feast with God, The Beautiful Ache poignantly illuminates Christian emotions and devotion. "How good is it to have a God who's made promises - wild ones! - and kept them? Who is keeping them still? How sweet to fall asleep to the lullaby of longing that he sings and wake up every morning searching for brand-new evidence of his arrival. And what a shame to deny that you're dying to do just that - not once a year but over and over until time cannot be counted anymore." The Beautiful Ache is deeply spiritual, and highly recommended for devout Christians of all walks of life.

Four Times Peter
Richard J. Cassidy
Liturgical Press
St. John's Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
9780814651780, $15.95 www.litpress.org 1-800-858-5450

Written by Professor of Sacred Scripture Richard J. Cassidy, Four Times Peter: Portrayals of Peter in the Four Gospels and at Philippi is a scholarly text studying the role of Peter in the Gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John. Chapters discuss aspects of narrative criticism in the four Gospels, Peter during the time of Jesus' public ministry, Peter and the risen Jesus, the reception of the four Gospels at Philippi, and much more. [Regarding 16:1-8] "Within the dynamic of Mark's narrative the fearful astonishment that the women of the tomb initially manifest is not a sufficient obstacle to prevent the promised reunion from being accomplished. Jesus and the heavenly messenger have both predicted a future for Peter and the disciples in Galilee, and the consistency of Mark's narrative regarding the fulfillment of Jesus' internal predictions argues that this external prediction will also soon come to pass." An excellent text for intermediate to advanced courses on the Gospels and parish study programs.

Catholic Q & A
Fr. John J. Dietzen
The Crossroad Publishing Company
30 Marin Street, Cumberland, RI 02864
9780824523091, $17.95 1-800-395-0690

Now in a newly updated edition, Catholic Q & A: Answers to the Most Common Questions About Catholicism by Fr. John J. Dietzen is an award-winning repository of Catholic belief, practice, worship, and viewpoints. Written in plain terms accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Catholic Q & A covers ubiquitous questions about how Catholics view the Bible, the Church, Mass, Holy Communion, baptism and confirmation, marriage and family living, divorce/annulment/remarriage, penance, devotions, saints, burial practices, and more. "Marriage vows are meant to be kept. But if the spouse is brutally and destructively abusive, part of keeping those vows is to do whatever is possible to end the circumstances that make the abuse possible. If removing herself and the children is the only way to take one's spouse out of an atmosphere that is destroying him and everyone else, the other spouse is being faithful, not unfaithful, to his or her marriage vows by following this course." An excellent introduction to modern-day Catholicism especially recommended for friends or would-be spouses of Catholics as well as lay Catholics themselves.

I'm OK - You're Not
John Shore
Navpress
PO Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935
9781600060571, $12.99 www.navpress.com

Humorist and Christian writer John Shore presents I'm OK - You're Not: The Message We're Sending Nonbelievers and Why We Should Stop, a frank discussion of a crucial flaw in modern evangelical movements - that they have come to resemble sales calls made during dinnertime, and as such are just as unlikely to achieve results. Emphasizing the concept that letter others experience God's love is far more potent than simply telling them about it, I'm OK - You're Not emphasizes the importance of listening to the Great Commandment above all. The Great Commandment referred to is as spoken by Jesus Christ and recorded in the Bible: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Penned with gentle charm, Christian humor, love, and understanding, I'm OK - You're Not deserves to be required reading for any Christian considering embarking upon an evangelical mission or career.

Overlook Much Correct a Little
Hans-Peter Rothlin, editor
New City Press
202 Cardinal Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538
9781565482616, $14.95 www.newcitypress.com

Part of the 99 Words To Live By series, Overlook Much Correct Little: 99 Sayings by John XXIII is a giftbook collection of memorable quotes by Angelo Roncalli, known to the world as Pope John XXIII (1881-1963). Charm, piety, and down-to-earth good humor distinguish these words and their gentle trust in the providence of God. "The believer is never fearful. He or she is not a pessimist. Faith is the serenity that comes from God." A warm and inspirational collection reflecting the spirit of the "Good Pope John".


The Political Science Shelf

The End of Government…As We Know It
Elaine C. Kamarck
Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 30th Street, Suite 314, Boulder, CO 80301
9781588264947, $19.95 www.rienner.com

Written by Elaine C. Kamarck, a former senior policy advisor to the Clinton administration, The End of Government…As We Know It: Making Public Policy Work is a nonpartisan examination of the failings of bureaucratic government models with newer, leaner, and more creative approaches in keeping with the fast-paced and ever-changing information age. Chapters address the problem of homeland security and why bureaucratic thinking has failed to solve it, tools for reinventing the public sector such as waivers, applying the reinvention of government to the problem of welfare dependence (one such positive example is the use of an electronic benefit card to supplant food stamps - since food stamps can be used like cash and are thus more susceptible to corruption) and much more. A plain-spoken, serious-minded plethora of twenty-first century solutions to problems compounded by bureaucratic quagmires left over from the twentieth century. Highly recommended, especially for anyone active in local, state, or federal government.

Mugged by Reality
John Agresto
Encounter Books
900 Broadway Suite 400, New York NY 10003
1594031878, $25.95 www.encounterbooks.com

MUGGED BY REALITY: THE LIBERATION OF IRAQ AND THE FAILURE OF GOOD INTENTIONS comes from an author who spent more than nine months in Iraq, helping to rebuild its system of colleges and vocational schools. While it's a memoir of the time he spent in Iraq and his encounters with the people there, MUGGED BY REALITY is also a testimony to the successes and failures after liberation and the struggles to promote a democracy within a world occupied by fanatics. Any who would understand the culture and problems of the Middle East will want to read this – and any library collection considering itself comprehensive in Iraq culture and experience must have it.


The American History Shelf

California: A History
Kevin Starr
Modern Library
c/o Random House, Inc.
280 Park Avenue, 8th floor, New York, NY 10017
9780812977530, $14.95 www.randomhouse.com 1-800-726-0600

"California: A History" by the award winning historian Kevin Starr (Professor of History, University of Southern California - Los Angeles) is a comprehensive and thoroughly 'reader friendly' history of the state of California beginning with the Spanish Conquest in the early sixteenth century, through the achievement of statehood, to the impact of the gold rush of 1848, to the advent of the railroads, to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, to the emergence of Hollywood as the entertainment capital of the world, to the rise of Silicon Valley in the age of the computer. Professor Starr covers the role of labor (both unionized and migrant), key industries including agriculture and aerospace, California's contributions to the politics, economics, and culture of the nation. Superbly researched, written, and organized, "California: A History" is a model of regional history, an enthusiastic recommendation for school and community libraries, and could well serve as a template for other state and regional histories.

Washington State
Robert E. Ficken
WSU Press
PO Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
9780874222883, $21.95 www.wsupress.wsu.edu 1-800-354-7360

The sequel to Washington State University Press regional history series that began with "Washington Territory", "Washington State: The Inaugural Decade, 1889-1899" by respected historian Robert E. Ficken covers the first decade after the state of Washington had formally entered the Union. This was a decade that saw the development of a new railroad system, a population explosion, systematic development of the vast natural resources, the expansion of agriculture made possible by irrigation, and significant financial investment by outside capitalists. It was also a decade marred by political corruption and incompetence, labor disputes, the rise of criminal activity, municipal budget crises, and a bitter controversy over the tidelands. This was also the decade in which Washington State was severely effected by the 1893 economic collapse resulting in the second worse depression in the history of America that took four years to reverse beginning with the railroads and the Klondike gold rush. A model of regional history, "Washington State: The Inaugural Decade, 1889-1899" is an informed and informative work of super scholarship and painstaking research which is of significant value for academia and recommended to the non-specialist general reader with an interest in Washington state history.

Lincoln Emancipated
Brian R. Dirck, editor
Northern Illinois University Press
2280 Bethany Rd., DeKalb, IL 60115-2854
9780875803593, $32.00 www.niupress.niu.edu 1-815-753-9905

Edited by Assistant Professor of History and Political Science Brian R. Dirck, Lincoln Emancipated: the President and the Politics of Race is an anthology of seven essays by learned authors examining the basic question: Did President Abraham Lincoln truly deserve to be remembered as the "Great Emancipator"? Though attributed with seeing America through the Civil War, Lincoln's stated top priority was not to end slavery, but rather to preserve the Union. Individual essays examine Lincoln's personal beliefs concerning blacks and whites, insofar as they can be pinned down, the ways in which America has opted to remember Lincoln's legacy, the historical context of Lincoln's views, statements, and actions, and much more. A thoughtful study that seeks to delve behind the propaganda and into the heart of a noble albeit imperfect (and therefore utterly human) President.

John Brown - The Cost of Freedom
Louis A. DeCaro Jr.
International Publishers
239 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011
9780717807420, $14.00 www.amazon.com

John Brown - The Cost of Freedom: Selections From His Life & Letters is a biography of religious leader and notorious abolitionist John Brown, the first white man to publically advocate and attempt violent revolution to end the American practice of slavery. His raid on Harper's Ferry, in hope of instigating a spreading slave rebellion, failed in its immediate goal and brought about his death when the state of Virginia hanged him for treason, yet ultimate brought the nation one step closer to the Civil War. John Brown - The Cost of Freedom not only recounts Brown's life, the shaping of his views, and the mettle of his deeds, but also presents numerous documents, correspondence, black-and-white photographs, and other primary sources of the life he lived and gave up on the gallows. To this day, Brown remains a divisive historical figure, praised as a martyr by some and reviled as a killer by others. John Brown - The Cost of Freedom offers a balanced historical perspective of John Brown, along with particular attention paid to his deep religious convictions and morals. Highly recommended especially for school library and public library American history shelves.


The Parenting Shelf

What Dads Need to Know about Daughters, What Moms Need to Know About Sons
John & Helen Burns
Howard Books
c/o Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York, NY 10020
9781582296265, $13.99 www.howardpublishingdealer.com 1-800-223-2336

Written by co-pastors and proud parents John and Helen Burns, What Dads Need to Know about Daughters, What Moms Need to Know About Sons is a simple, sensible guide to raising children that pays especial attention to what children need to have and learn from their opposite-gender parent. John Burns carefully explains what mothers need to know about their sons, and Helen Burns gives the inside scoop on what fathers need to know about their daughters. Though written from a Christian perspective, What Dads Need to Know about Daughters, What Moms Need to Know About Sons is overall a solid and sensible parenting guide for readers of all backgrounds. "It's good for a dad to encourage his daughter to use her talents and develop her skills to the best of her ability. But many parents have a tendency to only notice what is lacking in their children's performances and point out those deficiencies. A dad, with his natural sense of competitiveness, can be especially critical of a daughter's performance in competition. In a little girl's mind, this criticism often translates into a sense of inadequacy and an unhealthy pressure to become 'what Daddy wants,' rather than the unique and special woman God intends her to be." Highly recommended.


The Civil War Shelf

The Words Of War
Donagh Bracken
History Publishing Company
PO Box 700, Palisades, NY 10964-0700
9781933909325, $24.95 www.historypublishingco.com

Beginning with the firing on Fort Sumpter and concluding with the Appomattox surrender of General Lee to General Grant four years later, "The Words Of War" is a unique and seminal contribution to the American Civil War literature. What author and Civil War historian Donagh Bracken has done is to compile and organize in chronological sequence the reports by newspaper correspondents from both the North and the South with respect to how the journalists wrote about the war for their newspapers back home. Specifically, the reporters for 'The New York Times' like Franc Wilkie, L.L. Crounse and others who were embedded with the northern Armies of Grant, Sherman, McClellan, and other officers and admirals in the Eastern and Western Theatres; and the reporters for such southern newspapers like the 'Charleston Mercury' like Robert Barnwell Rhett Sr. & Jr. and George William Bagy (under the pen name of Hermes). The northern and southern newspaper accounts are placed in juxtaposition with each other making for an inherently fascinating, impressively informative, enthusiastically recommended contribution to personal, academic, and community library Civil War Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Portraits Of Conflict
Richard B. McCaslin
The University of Arkansas Press
McIlroy House, 201 Ozark Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
9781557288318, $59.95 www.uapress.com 1-800-626-0090

More than 20,000 Union and Confederate troops died at the Battle of Murfressboro in Tennessee. To commemorate this bloody episode of the American Civil War, "Portraits Of Conflict: A Photographic History Of Tennessee In The Civil War" by Richard M. McCaslin (Associate Professor of History at the University of North Texas) is a 430-page compendium of historic portraiture photographs of participants accompanied by their individual stories of men (and some women) who fought and lost their lives in defense of what they believed in. Among these 250 stories is that of a widow who worked as a Union spy to support herself and her children. A father emerged from his house to find his Confederate soldier son dying at his feet. The nine-year-old boy who attached himself to a Union regiment after his mother died. Historian Richard McCaslin drew upon recovered letters and diaries, as well as other sources of information to make this volume of the 'Portraits Of Conflict' series (of which this volume is the eighth) of immense interest to Civil War historians, students, and enthusiasts, and a necessary addition to academic and community library Civil War Studies and American Photography reference collections. This outstanding series includes two other titles by Professor McCaslin: "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of South Carolina in the Civil War" (9781557283634) and "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of North Carolina in the Civil War" (9781557284549), as well as "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Georgia in the Civile War (9781557284211) by Anne J. Bailey and Walter J. Fraser Jr.; and three volumes by the team of by Bobby Roberts and Carl Moneyhon: "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Mississippi in the Civil War (9781557282606) ; "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Louisiana in the Civil War" (9781557281593); and "Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Texas in the Civil War". Also very highly recommended by Professor McCaslin are two of his earlier histories: "Lee in the Shadow of Washington" and "Tainted Breeze: The Great Hanging at Gainesville, Texas".

Historic Photos Of Gettysburg
John S. Salmon
Turner Publishing Company
200 - 4th Avenue, Suite 950, Nashville, TN 37219
9781596523234, $39.95 www.turnerpublishing.com

A former archivist at the Library of Virginia and retired from a career as a staff historian with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, John S. Salmon draws upon the photographic archives of the Library of Congress, the Pennsylvania State Archives, and the Gettysburg National Military Park Library to compiled "Historic Photos Of Gettysburg". The result is an impress 216-page compendium of historic and period photographs visually documenting the American Civil War conflict known as the Battle of Gettysburg and fought out between the Army of the Potomac (Union forces led by Major General George G. Mead) and the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate forces led by General Robert E. Lee) from July 1 to July 3, 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This three-day engagement is considered by Civil War historians to have been the bloodiest battle of the entire four year conflict. The battle was a turning point in the Civil War and stopped Lee's invasion of the North. With captions and text by historian John Salmon, "Historic Photos Of Gettysburg" features some two hundred black-and-white photographs (many of them published here for the first time), making this unique volume a critically important addition to community and academic library American Civil War Studies reference collections, and a 'must read' title for all Civil War enthusiasts and students.


The Travel Shelf

San Juan
Edgardo Rodriguez Julia
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
0299203743, $19.95 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress 1-800-621-2736

Ably translated into English by Peter Grandbois (Assistant professor of English at California State University, Sacramento) and provided with an informative Foreword by Antonio Skarmeta, "San Juan: Memoir Of A City" by Edgardo Rodriguez Julia is a combination travel guide and memoir of Puerto Rico's capital city. More than just a guidebook for tourists, "San Juan" presents a personalized perspective on the city's history and culture by a gifted author who has created a unique work of literary merit as he describes everything the city has to offer from cockfighting clubs and smoke-filled bars, to cabarets and street traffic. The reader is vividly introduced to a living city conflicted with its colonial past juxtaposed with aspirations for a 'commercial future'. Also available in a hardcover edition (9780299203702, $45.00), "San Juan" is rewarding and highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in this fascinating, complex, colorful, and sometimes contradictory city.

Lonely Planet Eastern Europe
Tom Masters et. al
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden Street, Oakland CA 94607
9781741044768, $28.99 www.lonelyplante.com 1-800-275-8555

Eastern Europe is Lonely Planet's comprehensive travel guide compiled by thirteen authors who spent 4732 combined hours of on-the-road research, covering the nations of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Each nation's section features maps, festivals and events, specific dangers and annoyances for travelers, a concise mini-history, recommended places to sleep, eat, and see, and much more. "Bulgarians shake their head 'yes' and nod their head 'no'... If in doubt, ask 'da ili ne?' (yes or no?)." At nearly one thousand pages in length, Eastern Europe strives to squeeze in everything a world tourist absolutely needs to know about a staggering diversity of nations, cultures, and customs, and is a top quality guide for business and pleasure travelers alike.


The Gaming Shelf

The Great Mahjong Book
Jelte Rep
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
9780804837194, $19.95 www.tuttlepublishing.com

Written by globe-trotting mahjong enthusiast Jelte Rep, The Great Mahjong Book: History, Lore, and Play is a thorough guide to the history and play of mahjong world wide - illustrated throughout in full color, which is particularly helpful when it displays sample mahjong tile groups. The straightforward text covers both basic and advanced mahjong rules for gamers of all skill and experience levels, and an index allows for quick and easy reference. Anyone seeking to learn mahjong, improve their skills, or especially, play the game while visiting another nation, is enthusiastically recommended to immediately add a copy of The Great Mahjong Book to their personal library.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

One
Jerry Katz
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
9781591810537, $15.95 www.sentientpublications.com

Edited by nonduality instructor Jerry Katz, One: Essential Writings on Nonduality is a sourcebook anthology of writings crucial to the spiritual perspective of universal reality, and the mystical integration of the self within the universal. Exploring nonduality as understood within Sufism, Judaism, Taoism, Christianity, Buddhism, Native American traditions, and the Advaita Vedanta, One, as well as nonduality as experienced in psychotherapy, education, art, and even the pop culture movie "The Matrix", One is an integral primer to a powerfully transcendent concept. "The practical expression of the spiritual realization that life is interconnected is expressed in the forms we create, the work in progress of that understanding. Even a learning center that embodies freedom and responsibility is not complete until it seamlessly interfaces with the community of families, businesses, and institutions that surround it, as well as the world at large. Learning may finally be deinstitutionalized and returned to its natural state: curiosity-driven, lifelong, and incorporating every dimension of the human being." Highly recommended for religious and spiritual philosophy shelves.

Superconscious Meditation
Dr. Justin O'Brien (Swami Jaidev Bharati)
Yes International Publishers
1317 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105-2602
9780936663425, $15.95 www.yespublishers.com

Written by philosopher, theologian, and American Swami (Swami Jaidev Bharati) Justin O'Brien, Superconscious Meditiation is a straightforward how-to guide to learning how to meditate. Accessible to novices and practiced meditators alike, Superconscious Meditation avoids excessive technical language in its step-by-step guidelines for progressive relaxation, breathing techniques, clearing the mind, and applying meditation as a gateway to spirituality and higher consciousness. "Don't try to fight with your mind; don't try to stop your thoughts! Your job in meditation is just to note what's going on and do nothing about it. Keep no engagement with ideas or images. Instead, you are to maintain the stance of being aloof... Remaining a witness is your sole occupation." Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning meditation for its practical or spiritual benefits.


The International Studies Shelf

Live from Jordan
Benjamin Orbach
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814474276, $22.00 www.amacombooks.org

Any collection strong in modern Middle East issues and studies, whether it be at the college level for sociology courses or in public library holdings, will find LIVE FROM JORDAN: LETTERS HOME FROM MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST to be a winner. On the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq the Pittsburgh native and grad student Benjamin Orbach traveled to Amman, Jordan to finish a degree in Middle Eastern studies. He had no place to live, little money, and no friends in the region – and through his 13-month series of journeys he discovered a land and people not ordinarily presented through media reporter's eyes. Any who would really learn about the Middle East must have LIVE FROM JORDAN: its approach and presentation are winning.

Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia
Haggai Erlich
Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 30th Street, Boulder, CO 80301
9781588264930, $49.95 www.rienner.com

Written by Haggai Erlich (professor emeritus of Middle East and African history, Tel Aviv University), Saudi Arabia & Ethiopia: Islam, Christianity & Politics Entwined is an informative scrutiny of the history of Saudi-Ethiopian relations from 1930s to the present day. Chapters examine the conundrums that both Christian and Muslim Ethiopians face, the modern tensions between Ethiopia's apolitical Islam and Wahhabi fundamentalism, the global implications of an evolving Saudi-Ethiopian relationship, and much more. A scholarly, detailed assessment ideal for historians and anyone in search of a solid understanding of how Saudi-Ethiopian politics came to be where they are today, recommended for world history and international studies shelves.


The Philosophy Shelf

A Thoughtful Life
Dr. Ian Weeks & Dr. Duncan Reid, editors
ATF Press
c/o International Publishers Marketing, Inc.
PO Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
9781920691653, $18.00 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756

Edited by Philosophy of Religion instructor Ian Weeks and Anglican priest Duncan Reid, A Thoughtful Life: Essays in Philosophical Theology is an anthology of articles written by a diversity learned friends, students, and colleagues of philosophical theology professor Harry Wardlaw, known for his openness and the intense focus and scrutiny he applied to any question presented to him. The essays include "On the Difficulty of Talking about God", "A Jewish Experience of Jesus", "In Defiance of Fig Leaves: A Tangential Reflection on the Sexuality Debate in the UCA", and many more. Written with scholarly precision, these essays combine thought-provoking insight with respectful tribute for Wardlaw's rigorous search for theological, philosophical, and spiritual truth. "I vividly recall Harry Wardlaw posing to me the question, 'What is wrong with me when I talk about God?' He was not suggesting that 'God-talk,' as it came to be short-handedly referred to, was some sort of symptom of a pathological state, but rather to the general absurdity of an attempt to talk sense about so great a mystery." Highly recommended.


The Fiction Shelf

Reality [The Novel]
Jeff Havens
Academy Chicago Publishers
363 West Erie Street, 7th floor East, Chicago, IL 60610
9780897335485, $15.95 www.academychicago.com

Written by stand-up comedian and former English teacher Jeff Havens, Reality [The Novel] is an off-the-wall hilarious satire following Trent Tucker, a man who hates reality TV yet whose job it is to create new reality shows that go beyond the limits of outrageous. Flanked by co-workers as flamboyant, frosty, ill-tempered, conniving, or vapid as any reality show cast, Tucker is sucked in with them on increasingly surreal adventures, from being stranded on a deserted island to a murder plot, all of which cast eerie echoes on the fantasy lives he's try to put on television. A tongue-in-cheek hysterical parody.

The Woman in the Woods
Ann Joslin Williams
EWU Press
705 West First Avenue., Spokane, WA 99201-3909
9781597660198, $14.95 1-800-508-9095

Winner of the 2005 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, The Woman in the Woods is an anthology of linked short stories set in New Hampshire's mountain country, by author and teacher Ann Joslin Williams. Dramatic and personal, dwelling on relationships between man and woman, wilderness and humanity, The Woman in the Woods is a riveting portrayal of forces both within the self and larger than oneself, as well as the sheer beauty of the natural world. "The woman takes a different trail down. It's a sharp descent over sheer granite, until the trail hits a straightaway through dwarf spruce, and meanders along the easy ridge to Firescrew. Up close, the white braids of quartz woven into the granite are tinged with rust-colored veins. The plateau has more growth than she remembered. Yellow grasses, fine and tall with delicate feathery seeds; junipers and low blueberry bushes everywhere." Highly recommended.


The Women's Studies Shelf

She's Such a Geek!
Annalee Newitz & Charles Anders
Seal Press
1400 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville, CA 94608
9781580051903, $14.95 www.sealpress.com

Edited by syndicated technology columnist Annalee Newitz and award-winning author Charles Anders, She's Such a Geek!: Women Write About Science, Technology & Other Nerdy Stuff is an anthology of writings by stereotype-defying women who love science, computers, gadgets, genomics, video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and other "nerdy" pastimes. From geekdom in a lab or on the job to a computer scientist member of a video game creation team questioning the purpose perhaps even the morality of topless-girl-on-bikes game (called "BMX XXX") she was working on, to a biologist's view of the dating world, She's Such a Geek! is a one-of-a-kind tour of techno-savvy career culture and popular culture from the oft-overlooked feminine perspective. "During my first year of graduate school, three female classmates who frequented the clubs of Boston hit a serious snag in their search for boyfriends. Time after time, guys approached them - only to walk away the minute the women mentioned their occupation. So my friends started lying. They claimed to be flight attendants, yoga instructors, or kindergarten teachers. And the dating pool magically widened." Highly recommended.

Invincible Spirits
Felicity Leng, Compiler
William B. Eerdmans
2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
0802824536, $15.00 www.eerdmans.com

INVINCIBLE SPIRITS: A THOUSAND YEARS OF WOMEN'S SPIRITUAL WRITINGS provides words from women who have been some of the most vocal spiritualists of their times. Both forgotten and common voices come to life in this gathering of their words, from a 9th-century mother in France writing a spiritual self-help book to Teresa of Avila, Emily Dickinson and even Dorothy Day. Any collection strong in spiritual or inspirational gatherings will want this survey – and many a general-interest public library will find it a popular lend as well, moving behind religious borders to embrace the wider concepts of spiritual thinking.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Training Women in the Martial Arts
Jennifer Lawler & Laura Kamienski
Wish Publishing
PO Box 10337, Terre Haute, IN 47801
9781930546844, $16.95 www.wishpublishing.com

Written by martial arts instructors Jennifer Lawler and Laura Kamienski, Training Women in the Martial Arts: A Special Journey is a practical guide especially for male and female martial arts instructors. Addressing the unique challenge of training women to defend themselves in a male-dominated culture constantly bombarding them with messages of submission. Chapters address why women join the ranks of white belts at roughly even numbers as men yet only a small fraction earn black belts; common personality traits in fellow students or instructors that impede women (such as the "bully" or "rescuer" personas), the importance of teaching women to be aware of incursions on personal space and potential dangers from acquaintances and friends as well as from the proverbial stranger in the parking lot, and much more. "Combative classes reinforce the notion that it is best to retaliate only when there is no doubt a threat exists... it is only okay to fight when very clear-cut lines are drawn and a victim is sure there is going to be a physical confrontation, or after the physical assault has begun - too late to prevent it. But sexual assault is overrun with ambiguity and attempts to confuse the victim... These types of scenarios reject learning to rely on one's own sense of endangerment." Enthusiastically recommended for all martial arts instructors regardless of the type of martial art or self-defense training they specialize in.


The Crafts Shelf

The Beaded Dollhouse
Nobuyo Chiba
Japan Publications
c/o Kodansha America, Inc.
575 Lexington Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10022
9784889962123, $17.95 www.kodanshaamercia.com 1-800-451-7556

Offering meticulous, methodical, 'reader friendly', fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions, internationally-renowned bead artist Nobuyo Chica shows anyone how they can create charming miniature furniture and accessories out of beads in "the Beaded Dollhouse: Miniature Furniture And Accessories Made With Beads. Directions are provided for creating six complete rooms (four living rooms arranged by season and two different styles of bedrooms) that include couches, floor lamps, chairs, tables, beds, bureaus, mirrors, fireplaces, chandeliers, potted plants, and even a Christmas tree. All the items are on a ration of 1/24 in actual size. Of special note is the extensive and illustrated equipment list for the beading enthusiast. "The Beaded Dollhouse" is the perfect instruction guide and a very strongly recommended 'how to' manual for the novice seeking to make dollhouse furnishings out of beads.


The Gardening Shelf

Dream Gardens: 100 Inspirational Gardens
Tania Compton and Andrew Lawson
Merrell Publishers
49 West 24th Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10010
185894368X, $39.95 www.merrellpublishers.com

Libraries seeking a sourcebook of modern inspirational gardens designs will want to include DREAM GARDENS in their collection: it gathers modern gardens from around the world of all styles, and provides a range of lovely locations from large complex gardens to small, minimalist city gardens. The variety and scope is represented in a series of gorgeous color photos supplemented by discussions of key features and construction insights, including notes on how the garden matches to the house and environment around it. Any seeking an inspirational gardening guide will find DREAM GARDENS a welcome pick.

Growing Green
Jenny Hall and Iain Tolhurst
Chelsea Green Publishing
Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001
9781933392493, $35.00 www.chelseagreen.com

The foundation of GROWING GREEN: ANIMAL-FREE ORGANIC TECHNIQUES is the concept of stockfree organic growing which includes nothing from animals – and the concurrent idea that when growers abandon the use of manures, chemicals and genetic modifications, only then will they see healthier crops and fewer problems. GROWING GREEN also shows that anyone can make a living growing such organics, providing chapters packed with guidelines on how to follow organic practices at different scales of vegetable production. From assessing and improving soil fertility and understanding composting procedures to rotating crops and considering environment impact, GROWING GREEN is especially recommended for college-level agricultural holdings.

Landscaping with Native Plants of the Southwest
George Oxford Miller
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street #200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
0760329680, $24.95 www.voyageurpress.com

Any residing or gardening in the southwest will find Landscaping with Native Plants of the Southwest an invaluable reference, as will libraries catering to Southwest residents. It covers not just domestic plants but wildflowers, trees, and cacti, offering a compendium of 'top picks' chosen and rated for their best ornamental and growth qualities and including maps and charts as guidelines for planting, maintenance and landscape design. Over 350 native plant species, subspecies and varieties are detailed and as interest in xeriscaping arises, any area interested in low-water planting will find it of interest.

Chasing Wildflowers
Scott Calhoun
Rio Nuevo Publishers
PO Box 5250, Tucson, AZ 85703
9781887896986, $16.95 www.rionuevo.com

In "Chasing Wildflowers: A Mad Search For Wild Gardens", author and horticulture enthusiast Scott Calhoun celebrates the beauty of wildflowers in natural settings that range from Utah, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, to Arizona, California, and Sonora, Mexico. Profusely illustrated throughout with 69 color photographs, "Chasing Wildflowers" is part travelogue and part nature study, all presented with the author heading each chapter with the date of that particular trip, its destination, the total trip time, the vehicle use, the round-trip distance from his home-base of Tucson, his traveling companion, and even the music enjoyed along the way. Unique, unusual, and superbly written, "Chasing Wildflowers" is highly entertaining, informative, and recommended for personal and community library collections -- and the next best thing to traveling to these various destinations in person!


The Black Studies Shelf

African American Foodways
Anne L. Bower, editor
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6975
9780252031854, $35.00 www.press.uillinois.edu 1-800-545-4703

"African American Foodways: Explorations Of History And Culture" compiled, organized and edited by academician and food history expert Anne L. Bower covers African American cuisines ranging from West African fare, to Caribbean influences, to South American traditions, to contemporary fusion dishes using 'soul food' ingredients that had their origins in American slavery. The seven knowledgeable contributors draw from history, literature, sociology, anthropology, and African-American studies to illustrate and demonstrate how food's material and symbolic values have contributed to African American cultural identities for almost five hundred years. Of special note is Anne Bower's own contribution, 'Recipes for History: the National Council of Negro Women's Five Historical Cookbooks'. "African American Foodways" is a model of modern and seminal sociological scholarship, as well as a welcome and highly recommended addition to academic and community library American History, Culinary History, Popular Culture, and African-American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Everyday Herbs In Spiritual Life
Michael J. Caduto
Skylight Paths Publishing
PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
9781594731747, $16.99 www.skylightpaths.com 1-800-962-4544

"Everyday Herbs In Spiritual Life: A Guide To Many Practices" by author, ecologist, educator and storyteller Michael Caduto is a practical and informative guide to incorporating herbs into a spiritual life through the use of rituals and ceremonies. "Everyday Herbs In Spiritual Life" provides descriptions of the herbs and their applications across many cultural traditions. Of special note is the advice on how to utilize these herbs for personal spiritual growth. For example, creating herbal art inspired by faith and the beauty of nature; crafting herbal wreaths, sachets, garlands, pillows and soaps; preparing herbal teas, infused oils and meals; making potpourri and candles infused with herbs; celebrating holidays, births, weddings, and memorials with herbs; designing a simple herb garden of plants chosen from among different spiritual traditions; even how to construct spaces in which to use herbs for reflection and mediation. All this and more make "Everyday Herbs In Spiritual Life" an invaluable and very strongly recommended addition to personal and community library Metaphysical Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Gothic Classics
Ann Radcliffe, et al.
Eureka Productions
8778 Oak Grove Road, Mount Horeb, WI 53572
9780978791902, $11.95 www.graphicclassics.com

The newest addition to the fourteen volume 'Graphic Classics' series from Eureka Productions, "Gothic Classics" is the third multi-author anthology and wonderfully showcases the short story in graphic novel format. Comprising this outstanding compilation is Ann Radcliffe's archetypal gothic novel 'The Mysteries of Udopho' adapted by the collaborative work of Antonella Caputo and Carlo Vegara; the adaption of Jane Austen's gothic parody 'Northanger Abbey' by Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons; Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Oval Portrait' as illustrated by Malaysian illustrator Leon Wan Kok; Myla Jo Closser's canine ghost story 'At the Gate' which is illustrated by Shary Flenniken; and J. Sheridan Le Fanu's famous vampire tale 'Carmilla' as presented by the team of Rod Lott and Lisa K. Weber. "Gothic Classics" is very strongly recommended to illustrated graphic novel enthusiasts, as well as fans of Radcliffe, Austen, Poe, Closser, and Le Fanu. Readers, community librarians, and graphic novel collectors should visit the Eureka Productions website for a complete listing of all the titles in their continuing and highly accomplished 'Graphic Classics' series.

Our Gang
Walt Kelly
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781560978503, $12.95 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

The late cartoonist and political satirist Walt Kelly was best known and remembered for his 'Pogo' newspaper comic strip. What is not so well known is that from beginning in October of 1942 he wrote and drew another comic strip called 'Our Gang' which is now in the process of being rescued from an undeserved obscurity by Fantagraphics Books. The second and latest volume (which includes a new and informative introduction by Steve Thompson) is a compilation of the strip as it appeared in 1994 and 1945. The kids once again find themselves on a movie set as invited guests, but events transpire to launch them into another series of colorful adventures -- this time aboard a sailing ship, a Japanese held island, and a submarine. After this thrilling adventure comes another one closer to home for the kids where they must deal with saboteurs and spies. Reflecting a war-time America, this superb, full-color reproduction is impressively meticulous and a 'must read' for all Walt Kelly fans. Visit the Fantagraphics Books website to see all the currently available volumes of this outstanding and highly recommended series, as well as the many other professionally reproduced 'yesteryear' comics and graphic novels they have available for readers and collectors.


The Woodworking Shelf

Woodturning Tips & Techniques
Carol Rix
Fox Chapel Publishing
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
9781565233300, $19.95 www.foxchapelpublishing.com

Both new and experienced woodturners will appreciate this guide to woodturning, which covers everything from using a lathe and wood-making tools to planning designs. Carol Rix is a woodturning expert: her years of experience enhance a discussion which covers everything from setting up a workshop and choosing and maintaining tools to basic turning techniques and projects – all packed with color photos throughout to illustrate each step. Any newcomer to woodturning, as well as crafts-oriented libraries, will want this.


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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