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Wisconsin Bookwatch

Volume 3, Number 12 December 2008 Home | WBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Archaeology Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf Native American Shelf
Women's Studies Shelf Biography Shelf Christian Studies Shelf
American History Shelf Science Shelf Philosophy Shelf
Gaming Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Music Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf Photography Shelf
Travel Shelf Architecture Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Astronomy Shelf Black Studies Shelf Fiction Shelf
Education Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Cookbook Shelf
Railroading Shelf Military Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Economics Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf Judicial Studies Shelf
Sports Shelf Art Shelf Genealogy Shelf
World History Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf Business Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Fill'er Up
Jim Draeger & Mark Speltz
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
816 State Street, Madison, WI 53575
9780870203930, $29.95, www.wisconsinhistory.org

The automobile was as much an integral aspect of Wisconsin's economic and cultural evolution as it was for the rest of the country. Co-authored by Wisconsin historians Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz, "Fill'er Up: The Glory Days Of Wisconsin Gas Stations" celebrates one of the key institutions responsible for the success of the automobile in the Badger State. Beginning with an informed and informative introduction and historical overview entitled 'Wisconsin Gas Stations: Tracing Their Evolution', "Fill'er Up" showcases fifty-nine representative stations in Wisconsin's western eastern, northern, and central regions. The informative text is superbly enhanced with both historical black-and-white photos, as well as full-color photos of those original stations as they exist today. Featuring an appendix providing a map of station locations, a section of notes, and a comprehensive index, "Fill'er Up" is a unique, entertaining, and fascinating examination of the cultural and economic history of the Wisconsin gas station, making it a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, school, and community Wisconsin History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The Transition Handbook
Rob Hopkins
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
9781900322188, $24.95, www.chelseagreen.com

All elements of the American political spectrum now agree on the importance of getting America off its dependence on foreign oil. Fueling this agreement is a collective awareness of the deleterious impact fossil fuels have upon the environment, the crippling impact of high fuel prices upon the American economy, as well as the national security implications of being so dependant upon the occasionally hostile foreign nations supplying our oil imports. Rob Hopkins draws upon his many years as a teacher of permaculture and natural building in "The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency To Local Resilience" to write a seminal instruction manual on just how communities can go about growing their own food, generating their own power, building their own houses using local resources and materials -- thereby reducing the need for imported oil to fuel their economies and activities, while at the same time keeping money in the local area and strengthening the local economy and fostering local prosperity. Enhanced with References, Resources, an Index, "The Transition Handbook" offers a thoroughly 'reader friendly', informed and informative text laced with figures and 'Tools of Transition' commentaries on everything from making the most of public events to designing productive meetings. Simply stated, 'The Transition Handbook" is a critical important contribution to the growing body of Environmental Studies literature and a 'must read' for environmental activists, city administrators, and governmental policy makers.

Scrapbooks
Jessica Helfand
Yale University Press
PO Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040
Goldberg McDuffie Communications (publicity)
www.thedailyscrapbook.com
9780300126358, $45.00, http://yalepress.yale.edu

Scrapbooking has become a popular and widespread activity for those who wish to create commemorative collection which is usually themed based and showcasing a particular life, event, or subject. In "Scrapbooks: An American History", academician and design expert Jessica Helfand as written and compiled a fascinating and seminal history of the scrapbook as a cultural phenomena from the late 19th and early 20th centuries down to the present day. Identifying notable scrapbookers ranging from Zelda Fitzgerald to Lillian Hellman to Anne Sexton, "Scrapbooks" draws from Jessica Helfand's own personal collection of more than 200 scrapbooks that collective span more than one hundred years of American history. "Scrapbooks" also covers the techniques and tools of scrapbook making, many of which are still applicable to create unique scrapbooks without the use of pre-fabricated materials such as those readily available in any craft store today. Profusely and colorfully illustrated throughout, "Scrapbooks" is a work of impressive and articular scholarship, making it an enthusiastically recommended addition to academic and community libraries, as well as informed and informative reading for anyone who has engaged in scrapbooks for themselves or a loved one.


The Archaeology Shelf

Skeletal Biology and Bioarchaeology of the Northwestern Plains
George W. Gill & Rick L. Weathermon, editors
University of Utah Press
1795 East South Campus Drive, #101, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9402
9780874809282, $50.00 www.uofupress.com 1-800-773-6672

Skeletal Biology and Bioarchaeology of the Northwestern Plains is a compendium of scholarly and scientific essays by diverse authors, concerning what the human bones found in America's northwestern plains have to tell us about the prehistory and early history of the people who lived there. Most of the presented essays were originally part of a symposium at the Plains Anthropological Conference in Oklahoma City in 2003; the topics discussed range from paelopathology, dental pathology and human osteology to the customs of prehistoric Native American burials as compared to burials of the pioneer era and burials of Indian War-era casualties. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this seminal compendium, enhanced with an index for ease of use and a list of references cited for further study. Highly recommended.

Epigraphy and the Greek Historian
Craig Cooper, editor
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
9780802090690, $75.00 www.utppublishing.com 1-800-565-9523

Epigraphy and the Greek Historian is an anthology of essays examining how epigraphy, the study of inscriptions found on ancient artifacts such as stones, coins, and statues in order to extrapolate and corroborate historical data, has served scholars in the reconstruction of Greek history. Divided into two parts, one covering Athens and the other about the wider Greek world, individual essays include "Drakonian Procedure", "The Slave-Names of IG i3 and the Ideology of Slavery at Athens", "Rescuing Local History: Epigraphy and the Island of Thera", and much more. Extensive notes, tables, and indexes supplement this excellent contribution to the study of ancient Greek history, highly recommended especially for college library collections.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Little Green Handbook
Ruth Cullen
Peter Pauper Press, Inc.
202 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601
9781593598297, $9.95, www.peterpauper.com

Concern for the environment is now universal with hundreds of thousands of people altering their lifestyles to more eco-friendly behaviors. The principles of 'reduce, reuse and recycle' are widespread and becoming embedded in community policies and federal standards affecting the home, office, garden, travel, consumerism-based shopping, art and architecture. In "The Little Green Handbook", environmental activist Ruth Cullen has compiled 145 simple, easy, practical, and effective steps that anyone can use for the benefit of preserving and improving the environment upon which all live depends. From such elemental ideas as scraping plates before loading them into dishwashers and taking shorter showers in order to conserve water, to turning off lights when leaving rooms and setting timers for outdoor lighting of driveways and walkways to conserve energy, to using e-mail instead of snail-mail to conserve energy and paper, to joining a farmer's cooperative, using cloth shopping bags and diapers, to supporting 'green business', "The Little Green Handbook" is packed from first page to last with solid recommendations fully explained. As with all the Peter Pauper Press 'Little Book' titles, "The Little Green Handbook" is spiral bound to lay out flat, comes with a handy elastic band place holder, and is only 4-1/4 x 5-3/4 inches in size making it, quite literary, able to fit into a pocket. Simply stated, "The Little Green Handbook" is an ideal and highly recommended, environmentally conscious gift.

Liberty Hyde Bailey: Essential Agrarian and Environmental Writings
Zachary Michael Jack, editor
Cornell University Press
512 East State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
9780801447099, $29.95 www.cornellpress.cornell.edu 1-800-666-2211

Edited by Zachary Michael Jack (Assistant Professor of English, North Central College), Liberty Hyde Bailey: Essential Agrarian and Environmental Writings is an anthology of essays by horticulturalist and botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954), a premier voice of his era known for helping make nature study a popular subject in U.S. classrooms, lobbying for women's rights on and off the farm, and supporting President Theodore Roosevelt's landmark conservation efforts. The essays discuss matters of workmanship, conscience, education, community, nature, the farm, poetics, and more. From "The Democratic Basis of Agriculture" to "The Fundamental Question in American Country Life" (namely, "How is one to make country life what it is capable of?") to "The Keeping of the Beautiful Earth", Liberty Hyde Bailey: Essential Agrarian and Environmental Writings is as thought-provoking today as it was when each essay was first penned. Highly recommended, particularly for college library Environmental Studies collections.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Yantra Yoga
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
Snow Lion Publications
PO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
9781559393089, $34.95 www.SnowLionPub.com 1-800-950-0313

Written by Dzogchen and Tantra master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, Yantra Yoga: The Tibetan Yoga of Movement is an in-depth study of Yantra Yoga, the Buddhism-influenced line of yoga in parallel to the Hathayoga of Hindu tradition. This system of poses, body movements, breathing exercises, and visualization, currently found in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism in relation to the Anuttaratantras, is described in depth with a number of black-and-white photographs and diagrams serving as visual aid to anyone interesting in learning and performing Yantra Yoga. An extensive commentary of the oral instruction of Tibetan yogins and siddhas of the twentieth century, Yantra Yoga is an enthusiastically recommended addition to Tibetan Buddhism studies shelves.

Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse
Michael Tweed, editor
Ani Jinba Palmo, translator and compiler
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
9781590302842, $35.00 www.shambhala.com 1-800-733-3000

Brilliant Moon: The Autobiography of Dilgo Khyentse is a compilation of anecdotes, stories, and recollections from the friends, family, and students of Buddhist meditation master and scholar Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Half of Brilliant Moon consists of Dilgo Khyentse's early life story told in his own words; the other half draws testimony from his wife, grandson, and spiritual heir, as well as such notable figures as the Queen Mother of Bhutan and many more. Enhanced with a handful of black-and-white photographs, extensive notes, a glossary, and a bibliography, Brilliant Moon is a welcome addition to Buddhist studies shelves strong in biographies of spiritual leaders.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Ghosthunting Virginia
Michael J. Varhola
Clerisy Press
c/o Menasha Ridge Press
2204 - 1st Avenue South, Suite 102, Birmingham, AL 35233
9781578603275, $14.95 www.menasharidge.com 1-888-60-HIKES

Ghosthunting Virginia explores thirty legendary haunted sites in the state of Virginia, including the District of Columbia. From the Poe Museum, which is located near where Edgar Allen Poe lived and worked and is reputedly haunted by ghosts, to Ford's Theatre, subject to strange occurrences ever since President Lincoln was assassinated there, to cemeteries, battlefields, and much more, Ghosthunting Virginia is as enjoyable for armchair travelers to read as it is a useful tour destination guide for occult lovers. A scattering of black-and-white photographs illustrate this user-friendly compendium.


The Native American Shelf

Plains Apache Ethnobotany
Julia A. Jordan
University of Oklahoma Press
2800 Venture Drive, Norman, OK 73069
9780806139685, $34.95 www.oupress.com 1-800-627-7377

Research anthropologist Julia A. Jordan presents Plains Apache Ethnobotany, an in-depth study and reference of how the Plains Apache native people of North America used more than 110 plant species in food, medicine, and rituals, and material culture. Traditionally a hunter-gathering tribe that engaged in trade with its neighbors, the Apache's abiding connection with wild plants is exhaustively documented through fieldwork and interviews conducted with elders of the Oklahoma Apache Tribe in the mid-1960s. The text is studious yet accessible to readers of all backgrounds. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this thoroughly comprehensive reference and resource, highly recommended for ethnobotany and Apache tribe Native American studies collections.

American Indian
National Society for American Indian Elderly
Gold Street Press
c/o Weldon Owen, Inc.
814 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
9781934533123, $50.00, www.weldonowen.com

Native American cultures are neither monolithically homogenous nor simplistic. They are richly diverse and sophisticated. In "American Indian" we are presented with a kaleidoscopic wealth of knowledgeable and profusely illustrated essays ranging from the Steve Wilson's informative introduction ('The Knowledge Preservation Project'), through Nephi Craig's 'Harvests of Land and Sea', to Iris HeavyRunner-Pretty Paint's 'Songs to the Spirits', to George Charles 'Bounty of the Elders. The eight informed and informative essays cover foodways, cooking, medicine and health, feasts and festivals, music and movement, art and craft, beauty in utility, and shared wisdom. enhanced with a 'Map of featured Tribes' (including the Creek, Cherokee, Apache, Navajo, Potawatomi, Crow, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Pawnee, and Yup'ik); author and expert reviewer biographies, bibliography, and index, "American Indian" is an impressively and recommended work that is an essential addition to community and academic library Native American Studies reference collections, as well as highly recommended to non-specialist general readers with an interest in the diversity and history of Native American cultures.


The Women's Studies Shelf

Shapers of the Great Debate on Women's Rights
Joyce Duncan
Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
9780313338694, $75.00 www.greenwood.com 1-800-225-5800

Part of the "Shapers of the Great American Debates" series, Shapers of the Great Debate on Women's Rights: A Biographical Dictionary is a collection of brief yet information-dense biographical portrayals of pivotal speakers on the issues of women's rights from the 1800's to the present day. The first part especially focuses upon the once contentious issue of women's suffrage; the section about speakers who lived in the 1900's and represented "second-wave" and "third-wave" feminism covers a much wider range of issues. "In 1993, Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, where she revitalized the court's interest in women's rights, including calling hostile work environments a type of sex discrimination under Title VII. She was noted as being principled, diligent, and the author of scholarly, balanced opinions." An excellent quick reference and resource, especially for women's studies shelves.


The Biography Shelf

Samuel Adams: A Life
Ira Stoll
The Free Press
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
9780743299114, $28.00 www.simonsays.com 1-800-223-2336

Written by veteran journalist and managing editor of "The New York Sun" Ira Stoll, Samuel Adams: A Life is an in-depth biography of one of America's founding fathers, Samuel Adams. Adams helped stir up the Boston Tea Party (though he did not participate in it), denounced "taxation without representation" as a newspaper editor, and after the Revolution he worked in politics, eventually serving as elected governor of Massachusetts. Notes, a bibliography, and an index round out this eminently readable biography balancing what is known about Adams personal and religious life with his historic contribution to early American independence and politics. Samuel Adams: A Life is highly recommended for public and college library collections alike.

Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane
James D. McLaird
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
9780977795598, $12.95 www.sdshspress.com

Written by James D. McLaird (professor emeritus of history at Dakota Wesleyan University), Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane is a biographical examination of the legendary relationship between two Wild West wanderers whose behavior wavered along the fine line between law-abiding and outlaw. Though Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane were in together in the city of Deadwood for only a few weeks, their exploits have become the stuff of tall tales and folklore. In Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane, McLaird also examines the impact that writers and the city of Deadwood itself had on the legacy of this infamous couple. Their subsequent burial next to one another in Mount Moria Cemetery would cement their star quality status, and immortalize them in pop culture mythology. A fascinating read for anyone who wants to learn about how the daring real-life deeds (and misdeeds) of Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane were destined to grow beyond imagination through the telling.


The Christian Studies Shelf

Medieval Christianity
Daniel E. Bornstein, editor
Denis R. Janz, general editor
Augsburg Fortress Publishers
100 Fifth Street, Suite 600, Minneapolis, MN 55402-1210
9780800634148, $35.00 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Volume 4 of "A People's History of Christianity" series, Medieval Christianity is an in-depth scrutiny of the religion and institution of Christianity from the fall of Rome and the conversion of the Germanic tribes to the beginning of the Reformation. Drawing upon primary sources ranging from handbooks, sermons, and confessional manuals to illuminated manuscripts and altarpieces, Medieval Christianity probes te nuances of medieval Christian art, architecture, devotional practices, pilgrimages, relics, heresies, revivals, crusades, programs, and much more. "The medieval church's age-old campaign against clerical incontinence... had a salutary effect, allowing it to block the process by which priestly dynasties threatened to privatize churches and treat church property as familial patrimony. In so doing, the church without any doubt assured its own survival as an independent institution within a society that was being feudalized." A scholarly and thoughtful account, accessible to readers of all backgrounds and enhanced with a handful of black-and-white illustrations as well as color plates, Medieval Christianity bears the highest recommendation for public and college library religious reference shelves, along with the rest of "A People's History of Christianity" series.

Big Picture of the Bible - Old Testament
Lorna Daniels Nichols
Winepress Publishing Group
1730 Railroad Street, Enumclaw, WA 98022
9781579219291, $24.95 www.winepressgroup.com

Big Picture of the Bible - Old Testament is a consumable study guide of Old Testament Bible stories presented in an easy-to-follow, bulleted format. "Review Questions" and "Personal Reflections" sections offer questions such as "Who fought the Battle of Jericho and how?" and "What spiritual growth lessons did you learn from the period of the Judges?" and blank lines for the user to write down their answers. A handful of maps and color illustrations, appendices, and a glossary round out this user-friendly resource for persons of faith.

Macarius Of Jerusalem
Abraham Terian
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
575 Scarsdale, Road, Crestwood, NY 10707-1699
9780881413236, $30.00, www.svspress.com

Ante-Nicenean Fathers refers to the Christian leaders and theologians that came immediately after the generation of the original apostles and their acolytes. Macarisu Of Jerusalem, who lived and worked in the 4th Century A.D. was one of these influential men who were to shape the course of the Christian movement during the increasingly oppressive activities of the Roman Empire which finally ended with Emperor Constantin's 'Edict of Milan' in A.D. 313 which legalized and legitimized the Christian Church throughout the empire. We have only a relative scattering of letters and other writings to document the struggle of these early church fathers, but one such surviving document has now been translated with an informed and informative introduction and commentary by Abraham Terian and published by the St. Vladimir's Seminary Press as "Macarius Of Jerusalem: Letter To The Armenians, A.D. 335". An significant and critically important contribution to 4th Century Christian Studies, "Macarius Of Jerusalem" is an academically impressive model of meticulous and painstaking scholarship, and presents a seminal body of informed and informative work that is solidly recommended for personal, pastoral, academic, and seminary Christian History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The American History Shelf

The Forgotten History Of America
Cormac O'Brien
Fair Winds Press
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
18705 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com
9781592332991, $19.99, 1-800-328-0590

There is so much more than is taught in public school American history classes or published in traditional American history textbooks. That is why "The Forgotten History Of America: Little-Known Conflicts Of Lasting Importance From The Earliest Colonists To The Eve Of The Revolution" by historian Cormac O'Brien is such an important contribution to personal, community, and academic library American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists. The focus on the often overlooked events that shaped the course of American political life and helped to create the country that we all live in today. For example, it was not Jamestown or Plymouth that holds the honor of being the first European settlement in America, but rather the Spanish town of St. Augustine in Florida. While George Washington was indeed an exemplary leader of the newly emergent United States of America, while a young office in the it was an incident he created in the Pennslyvania woods in 1754 that set of an international conflict that came to be called the French & Indian War. These stories and more are the subject of an informed, informative, and iconoclastic history of our country. Nicely enhanced by a profusion of color illustrations throughout, "The Forgotten History Of America" is especially recommended for school and community library American History reference collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in knowing 'the rest of the story' of America's past that was to prove so influential in creating its present.

Mud Blood and Gold
Rand Richards
Heritage House Publishers
PO Box 194242, San Francisco, CA 94119
9781879367067, $25.95 www.heritagehousesf.com

Mud Blood and Gold: San Francisco in 1849 is a historical chronicle of how the (in)famous Gold Rush affected the California city of San Francisco, especially at the peak of the gold frenzy. Drawing upon eyewitness accounts and official records, historian Rand Richards meticulously reconstructs San Francisco of over a century and a half ago, offering a vivid picture of what daily life must have been like. From the overriding ambition to get rich that drove all the comers, to how the most successful of San Francisco's wealthy actually amassed their gold (such as merchants who traded in coveted goods, and real estate speculators) to the corruption that ran rampant among city officials and the explosion of greed-fueled violence, gambling, and prostitution, Mud Blood and Gold is as colorfully descriptive as it is informative and analytical. A welcome contribution to San Francisco history shelves.

The South Dakota State Capitol
Marshall Damgaard
South Dakota State Historical Society Press
900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SC 57501-2217
9780979894022, $29.95, www.sdshspress.com

In celebration of the centennial anniversary of Pierre, the state capitol of South Dakota, Marshall Damgaard and the South Dakota State Historical Society Press have collaborated to publish "The South Dakota State Capitol: The First Century", a superbly illustrated historical overview from its founding down to the present day. Informed and informative, "The South Dakota State Capitol" is an information packed compendium that is enhanced with the inclusion of an Appendix, a Bibliography, and an Index. The fourth volume in the South Dakota State Historical Society Press 'Historical Preservation Series', "The South Dakota State Capitol" is a core addition to all South Dakota historical society, community and school library reference collections, and would serve as a model template for similar historical studies of other state capitals as well.

Speaking Through The Aspens
J. Mallea-Olaetxe
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166, Reno, NV, 89557-0166
www.unpress.nevada.edu
9780874177626, $29.95, 1-877-682-6657

Carving names, dates, phrases, figures and symbols into trees is probably as old as the human race itself. Today in the 'Basque country' of California and Nevada, the ubiquitous aspen tree is occasionally found to have been subjected to mysterious carvings called 'arborglyphs', often featuring human and animal figures and with words or symbols in several languages. In "Speaking Through The Aspens: Basque Tree Carvings In California And Nevada", J. Mallea-Olaetxe (an independent scholar and researcher at the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno) has compiled an historical overview and representative examples of arborglyphs and provides as a context an introduction to the lives of Basque sheepherders in the America West. Enhanced with 94 black-and-white photographs and line drawings, "Speaking Through The Aspens" is a seminal work of original scholarship and a strongly recommended addition to community and academic library Basque Studies and American Western History Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Arcadia Publishing
420 Wando Park Blvd., Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
www.arcadiapublishing.com, 1-888-313-2665

Photography makes the past come alive and enhances any simple history of a community. Such is the basic premise of Arcadia Publishing's outstanding 'Images of America' series. Each volume in this photography oriented history showcases a specific American town, its people, its buildings, notable events, and evolution as a community. Heather D. Ferguson's "Arkansas City" (9780738552408, $19.99) began as a Kansas border town to Indian Territory, grew to be a major trade hub and transportation center, and is particularly noted for the Cherokee Strip Land Rush of September 16, 1893. The collaborative work of Katherine Mansfield Tassini, Douglas B. Rauschenberger, and the Historical Society of Haddonfield, "Haddonfield" (9780738556741, $19.99) was founded in 1701 as a place for Quakers and others to live and worship in freedom in New Jersey and played an important role in the Revolutionary War and is today a suburb noted for its residential and educational resources. "Hemet" (9780738558462, $19.99) by members of the Hemet Area Museum Association is located in California's San Jacinto Valley and the product of two 19th Century real estate developers. Originally a farm town, Hemet is now a retirement center and bedroom suburb of 150,000 people. "Big Stone Gap" (9780738553931, $19.99) by Sharon B. Weing features one of Virginia's towns that began with the coal fields of the 1880s, and became a prosperous municipality with its railroads, hotels, businesses and cultural events. A change of pace from the town histories, Tracey Gold Bennett and Nizam B. Ali's "Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 years of A Washington, D.C. Landmark" (9780738554242, $19.99) showcases a Washington D.C.-based business enterprise that opened as a hot dog and chili shop on U Street and became a renowned restaurant in the heart of the nation's capital. A characteristic of each and every one of these highly recommended 'Images of America' titles is that they are profusely illustrated with photographic images serving as perfect enhancements for the informed and informative historical texts that relate the histories that make these cited towns and cities (and restaurant) so notable additions to regional American History collections.

The Irish Americans
Jay P. Dolan
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781596914193, $30.00 www.bloomsbury.com

Jay P. Dolan (Professor Emeritus of History, University of Notre Dame) presents The Irish Americans: A History, a narrative examination of Irish-Americans. "The Irish Americans" covers the saga of Irish-American immigrants and their descendants from the American colonial era to the historical potato famine that spurred an exodus of millions of poor immigrants, to rise of Irish political power and the election of John F. Kennedy as President of the United States, to the end of the twentieth century in the year 2000. "For those Irish who rode the economic escalator up to middle-class respectability, a move to the suburbs generally followed. But more was involved than just an increase in income. A decisive influence was the migration of blacks and Hispanics into the old Irish neighborhoods... The Irish were too numerous and too complex a group to be identified with only one side of the controversy. Many were conservative bigots, hurling epithets at King and his supporters; many were numbered among the liberal activists marching shoulder to shoulder with King. The same type of division present in Chicago was true in Philadelphia and other cities where the migration of blacks into old immigrant neighborhoods led to racial confrontation... a study done in the 1980s by the sociologist Andrew M. Greeley concluded that a majority of the Irish 'have been more sympathetic to integration' than other Catholic ethnics as well as all Protestants during the 1970s." A fascinating, account that academicians and lay readers alike can enjoy, The Irish Americans: A History is an especially welcome addition to public and college library shelves.

The First 100 Years
C.W. Guthrie
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
9781560373360, $39.95 www.farcountrypress.com 1-800-821-3874

Part American History chronicle, part photography compendium, The First 100 Years is a remarkably in-depth survey of the history of Glacier National Park from 1900 to 2000. Featuring more than 200 vintage black-and-white or stunning full color photographs, The First 100 Years also has detailed text chronicling the park's astonishing and colorful history. A chronology, bibliography, and index round out this captivating volume, highly recommended especially for public library collections due to its wealth of historical information balancing quality photographs on virtually every page.


The Science Shelf

Geology of Utah's Rivers
William T. Parry
University of Utah Press
1795 East South Campus Drive, #101, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9402
9780874809336, $19.95 www.uofupress.com 1-800-773-6672

William T. Parry (professor emeritus of geology and geophysics, University of Utah) presents Geology of Utah's Rivers, a thoughtful, in-depth guide to Utah's rivers including black-and-white shaded relief and geologic maps. From the natural history of the rivers, to comments on the historical exploration that discovered them, to the development of the stunning scenery that can be found nearby, Geology of Utah's Rivers is sure to appeal to geology enthusiasts of all backgrounds, from amateur hobbyists to experts interested in a fresh look at Utah's evolving landscape. A welcome addition to public library geology collections, and an excellent giftbook for any enthusiast of Utah's natural beauty!

Researching Children's Experiences
Melissa Freeman & Sandra Mathison
Guilford Publications, Inc.
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
9781593859954, $30.00, www.guilford.com

Basic research skills are a fundamental part of all scientific endeavors, but most especially crucial to the social sciences which can be particularly sensitive to distortion through effectively solicited data. Co-authored by Melissa Freeman (Assistant Professor of Qualitative Research Methodologies in the College of Education, University of Georgia) and Sandra Mathison (Professor of Education at the University of British Columbia), "Research Children's Experiences" focuses specifically on research methods and approaches to planning and implementing research projects with children and youth using a social constructivist perspective. A wealth of illustrative examples are provided with respect to eliciting life experiences of diverse youth. Such varied data-collection methods as drawing, photography, the Internet, games, interviewing, focus groups, the use of journals, and direct observation are covered, as are strategies for fostering active contributions from children as part of the research process. Of special note are the attention paid to consent and ethical issues, as well as the role of parents, teachers and school personnel, and other community members in the research process. Enhanced with the inclusion of end-of-chapter questions and exercises to insure comprehension of covered materials, a reference section, and an index make "Researching Children's Experiences" an essential and recommended addition as a curriculum text and a core addition to professional and academic library reference shelves and supplemental reading lists.


The Philosophy Shelf

The Philosophy of Human Nature
Howard P. Kainz
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60601
9780812696196, $29.95 www.opencourtbooks.com 1-800-815-2280

Howard P. Kainz (Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy at Marquette University in Milwaukee) presents The Philosophy of Human Nature, a thoughtful, in-depth reflection upon the philosophical controversies concerning the definition and purpose of human nature. From whether human beings are (or can become) free, to whether human instincts differ from animal instincts, to whether human personality traits and intelligence can truly be inherited, and more, The Philosophy of Human Nature tackles age old conundrums with the professionalism of a trained philosopher. At the same time, The Philosophy of Human Nature avoids bogging itself down in needless obfuscation, remaining accessible even to readers who do not have extensive training in philosophy. "Karl Marx, as is well known, analyzed patterns of exploitation taking place in nineteenth-century capitalist systems. In his early philosophical works, he makes an interesting socio-political application of gender dynamics. According to Marx, the male attitude toward females offers us the best indication of their general attitude toward nature, the environment, society in general, and the lower classes in particular. If males take women as objects to be exploited, Marx argued, they tend to have the same attitude toward the environment, the lower classes, and so forth... Communism, unfortunately, was not spectacularly successful in eliminating female exploitation; but Marx's general observation about attitude patterns may be worth considering." Highly recommended, especially for college library collections.

Heidegger: A (Very) Critical Introduction
S.J. McGrath
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
2140 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
9780802860071, $16.00 www.eerdmans.com 1-800-253-7521

Heidegger: A (Very) Critical Introduction is, as its title suggests, a highly skeptical discussion of ideas attributed to philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976). Sticking to the neologisms Heidegger himself used rather than take the "analytic" tack of swapping more commonly used philosophical terms for Heidegger's precise words, Heidegger: A (Very) Critical Introduction notes that Heidegger frequently ignored ethical, political, and theological criticisms of ontology, embodying a common flaw in logical thinking that is to accept fundamental issues (in Heidegger's case, ethical-political and theological issues) as conclusively proven when they are not. An scholarly text suitable for college library collections and intermediate to advanced philosophy students, Heidegger: A (Very) Critical Introduction is especially recommended for its willingness to challenge complex concepts even as it familiarizes the reader with their intricacies.

Philosophy Looks at Chess
Benjamin Hale, editor
Open Court Publishing Company
70 East Lake Street, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60601
9780812696332, $19.95 www.opencourtbooks.com 1-800-815-2280

Philosophy Looks at Chess is an anthology of twelve essays by expert philosophers, each of which critically examines fascinating (and sometimes playful) philosophical questions that draw upon chess as a reference point, metaphor, or source of inspiration. Among the topics discussed at length are "Do chess players think in words?", "Is chess really a game?", "Does chess explain how a benevolent God might exist in a world permeated by evil?", and "Is Garry Kasparov a cyborg?". "The moves chess players make during chess games are in large part determined by the threats they see to the aspects of the game they choose to value most. For example, chess players who place the highest value on their queen would be less likely to sacrifice that piece for attacking chances or mating possibilities. Just as players who value their pawn structure would be less likely to accept an open file as a compensatory justification for double pawns. These dispositions are in large part related to narratives we play by in a game, or the myths that we believe determine the 'right moves'." A highly intellectual discussion that philosophers and chess players of all experience levels can enjoy.


The Gaming Shelf

Starting Out: The C3 Sicilian
John Emms
Everyman Chess
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
9781857445701, $24.95 www.everymanchess.com 1-800-243-0495

Written by chess Grandmaster and coach John Emms, who has captained the English Team at two Chess Olympiads, Starting Out: The C3 Sicilian is an in-depth guide to how White can counter one of Black's most widely used defenses to 1 e4. Meticulously laying out the reasoning behind different moves and the core ideas driving them, Starting Out: The C3 Sicilian is packed cover to cover with diagrams and sample games to illustrate its points. Enthusiastically recommended as a supplementary resource for intermediate to expert chess players interested in fine-tuning their skill.

Dead Reign
Kevin Siembieda, et al.
Palladium Books
39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185-7606
9781574571400, $22.95, www.palladiumbooks.com

Traditional role-play gaming as pioneered by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books is an enduringly popular pastime, even in this era of computerized gaming. Combine the fun of fantasy roleplay with the popularity of zombies and you have "Dead Reign" which has been written and designed by roleplay expert Siembieda with the assistance of Josh Hilden and Joshua Sanford. Civilization has ended as we know it with the emergence of the undead. There is no government, no army, no television or internet. The cities have gone dark and zombies are everywhere. "Dead Reign" players are provided with a complete gaming universe that includes six apocalyptic character classes; sen types of zombies (plus the Half-Living); background information on zombies, 'Death Cults', random tables, a wealth of adventure ideas, all combining to make a complete role-playing game that will provide hours (and even days) of non-repetitious gaming fun. Enhanced with occasional black-and-white illustrations and 'Quick Find Tables', "Dead Reign" is a welcome addition to personal role-play gaming collections. Also very highly recommended from Palladium Books are "Beyond The Supernatural" and "Nightbane" dark fantasy role play games.

Canada Crosswords
Barbara Olson & Dave Macleod
Nightwood Editions
c/o Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
9780889712256, $12.95, www.harbourpublishing.com

Crossword puzzles have been a popular form of entertainment for generations. Co-created by crossword puzzle enthusiasts Barbara Olson and Dave Macleod, "Canada Crosswords" offers 75 Canadian themed daily-sized crossword puzzles that will offer hours of engaging fun and intellectual challenges. Featuring tricky wordplay that will test the ability of the crossword puzzle enthusiast to 'think outside the box'. Remember when totally stumped -- the answers are in the back. But no cheating now! "Canada Crosswords" is enthusiastically recommended for all crossword puzzle fans -- and not just those from Canada!


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Watching the Watchmen
Dave Gibbons, Chip Kidd, and Mike Essl
Titan Books
readerfeedback@titanemail.com
9781848560413, $39.95 www.titanbooks.com

Co-creator Dave Gibbons presents Watching the Watchmen, a treasure trove of previously unpublished, behind-the-scenes source material for the classic superhero deconstruction graphic novel Watchmen. Extensive black-and-white and color images of roughs and layouts, concept art and more make up the bulk of Watching the Watchmen; a small amount of text enhances this in-depth experience. An absolute "must-have" for anyone who considers Watchmen a beloved classic or a work of genius, and wants to know more about the process that brought it to life.

The Complete Peanuts 1969-1970
Charles Schulz
Fantagraphics Books
7563 Lake City Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115
9781560978275, $28.99 www.fantagraphics.com 1-800-657-1100

The Complete Peanuts 1969-1970 is the latest in a compendium that seeks to present Charles Schulz's classic Peanuts comic strip as never before - complete and unabridged! Featuring an introduction by Mo Willems, the latest volume gives Woodstock a name for the first time, shows Snoopy's ultimately disastrous stint as the Head Beagle, chronicles Charlie Brown's heartbreak when the little red-haired girl moves away, offers a fascinating extended glimpse into the text of Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night" novel, and much more. One sequence particularly reflective of the stormy 1960s shows poor Snoopy caught in the middle of a riot with tear gas at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm! A "must-have" for collectors of Charles Schulz's work, highly recommended.

The Prince of Heroes Chapter 1
Rod Espinosa
Antarctic Press
7272 Wurzbach Suite #204, San Antonio, Texas 78240
9780980125504, $9.95 www.antarctic-press.com www.princeofheroes.com

The Prince of Heroes Chapter 1 is the first graphic novel in a full-color, space opera series in the tradition of Star Wars. A young boy discovers that his legacy gives him birthright to a galaxy-spanning kingdom, but only if he can remain alive long enough to claim it! He dares to make a stand against those who would tyrannize the weak, culminating in a battle against a chaotically malevolent Baron and his martial arts expert sister, (with an amusingly indecent finale!) Recommended for readers age 13 and up due to violence and mild nudity, The Prince of Heroes Chapter 1 is a wonderfully entertaining, adventure of action, drama, and simple good-versus-evil that leaves the reader eager for more.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Twilight Zone
Martin Grams, Jr.
OTR Publishing
PO Box 252, Churchville, MD 21028
9780970331090, $49.95, www.amazon.com

When it debuted in October 1959 on CBS television, Rod Serling's science fiction and fantasy show 'The Twilight Zone' became a part of America's popular culture and continues to this day to be an enduringly popular classic of the Golden Age of television, brought back to new generations of viewers in what seems like perpetual reruns. This seminal and groundbreaking series has influenced Hollywood producers, screenwriters, directors, actors, comics books, magazines, and even major motion pictures. Now in "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking The Door To A Television Classic" Martin Grams has compiled and written a 798-page history of the show, including a detailed episode guide for all five seasons. Of special note are the appendices providing Production Notes and a bibliography of Twilight Zone books, comic books, and station list. Enhanced for the reader with a comprehensive Index, "The Twilight Zone" is highly recommended for community and academic library Television History and American Popular Culture reference collections, and a 'must' for the legions of Twilight Zone fans.

You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story
Richard Schickel & George Perry, author
Running Press
2300 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
9780762434183, $50.00 www.runningpress.com 1-800-345-5359

Featuring a foreword by Clint Eastwood, You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story is the jam-packed, coffee-table book history of the media giant Warner Bros. Studios, from the decisions that made them stand out from competitors such as MGM, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox, to the shift that had Warner Bros. create grittier and more socially conscious movies during Hollywood's golden era, to what Warner Bros. stands for in today's multi-media conglomerates. Filled with black-and-white and color photographs, movie stills and posters, and more on virtually every page, You Must Remember This balances the wealth of illustrations with a deep and thoughtful analysis, accessible to lay readers yet sure to be appreciated by film studies students and scholars as well. Highly recommended.


The Music Shelf

Janos Starker, King of Cellists
Joyce Geeting
CMP Publishing
1409 Kuehner Drive, Suite 4, Simi Valley, CA 93063
9780975473405, $24.95, www.joycegeeting.com

A legendary figure in the music world, Janos Starker was so gifted a cellist that at the age of twelve he was teaching five students to play the instrument. He went on to enjoy a phenomenal recording career with a productive output unrivaled in his field to this very day. In "Janos Starker, King of Cellists" musician, author, and former Starker student Joyce Geeting has written an informed and informative biography of the man and his music. Covering his formative years as a young student, then as a budding professional, and finally his mature career as a teacher, concert artist and recording artist, "Janos Starker" also includes a chapter of Starker's cartoons and anecdotal stories about him by some of his students. Enhanced with a an accompanying CD, a Coda, Starkers recordings available on Amazon.com and on iTunes; a bibliography, a 'Chronology of Events', and a 'user friendly' index, "Janos Starker" is a seminal work and recommended for personal and academic library Music History & Performer reference collections and supplemental reading lists. Indeed, "Janos Starker, King of Cellists" would well serve as a template for similar biographies of other outstanding musicians.

So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star
Christopher Hjort
Jawbone Press
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94708
c/o Publishers Group West (distribution)
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781906002152, $29.95 www.jawbonepress.com www.pgw.com 1-800-788-3123

So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star is a thorough account of the rock group The Byrds, which chronicles the band's life and music, from their worldwide hit "Mr. Tambourine Man" in 1965 to their final concert in 1973. A text-heavy account interspersed with occasional black-and-white period photographs (and print memorabilia!), So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star draws upon eyewitness accounts, press reports, concert reviews, set lists, tour dates, gig locations, record releases, reviews and more to put together its day-to-day narrative. A worthy treasury, highly recommended for fans for the Byrds.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Tying Terrestrials for Super Fishing
C. Boyd Pfeiffer
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
9780881507638, $29.95 www.countrymanpress.com 1-800-245-4151

Featuring step-by-step instructions, with each step illustrated by a different, full-color photograph, Tying Terrestrials for Super Fishing is an in-depth guide to creating and tying top-quality fishing lures. Techniques for crafting flies that resemble bait ranging from ants and termites to beetles and jassids to grasshoppers, bees, inchworms, and more are all covered, as well general advice on tools and materials, and even a some experience-tested fishing tips. The next best thing to personally receiving lessons from a fly-tying master, Tying Terrestrials for Super Fishing is enthusiastically recommended for fly fishers everywhere - the step-by-step photography is quite novice-friendly, and even veterans are sure to learn a trick or two!


The Photography Shelf

Of Woods and Water
Ron Leonetti and Christopher Jordan
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404-3797
9780253352767, $34.95 www.iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796

Photographers Ron Leonetti and Christopher Jordan present Of Woods and Water: A Photographic Journey across Michigan, a coffee table photography compendium displaying more than 100 breathtaking, full-color images of forests, prairies, savannas, wetlands, the shorelines of the four Great Lakes, and terrain crossing the Upper Peninsula. One particularly striking image shows a singularly beautiful, cloudy sunset over Lake Michigan in Duck Lake State Park. A minimal amount of text describes and frames these timeless glimpses of nature's beauty. Of Woods and Water unquestionably lives up to its title, and is an absolute must-have for nature photography enthusiasts. Highly recommended.

Wisdom
Andrew Zuckerman
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10011
9780810983595, $50.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

Crafted by multiple award-winning photographer and filmmaker Andrew Zuckerman, Wisdom is a coffee-table compendium of fifty original, black-and-white portraits of the world's leading writers, artists, designers, actors, politicians, musicians, and religious and business leaders. Among the people features are Clint Eastwood, Jane Goodall, Billie Jean King, Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Andrew Wyeth, and many more. All individuals are in their elder years, have dedicated much of their lives to their craft or service. The photographic portraits for each include a full page headshot and a bodyshot, and the text includes inspirational quotations and insightful essays from these renowned figures, such as Kris Kristofferson's statement "The heart is what matters most of all." An excellent addition to photography collections that celebrate humanity, enhanced with an accompanying documentary DVD.


The Travel Shelf

The Road Atlas 2009: Deluxe Midsize
Rand McNally & Company
8255 North Central Park, Skokie, IL 60076
9780528942075, $9.95, www.randmcnally.com

Rand McNally is a premier publisher of road atlases and maps. One of their latest and most 'traveler friendly' is the 'Deluxe Midsized' edition of "The Road Atlas 2009" which is a spiral bound compendium of state and province maps, as well as a definitive collection of North American City Guides. More than just pages of maps, "The Road Atlas 2009" features selected attractions, recommended shopping opportunities, and useful visitor information resources. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "The Road Atlas 2009" covers all of the major metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada, is enhanced with a 'Map Legend', border crossing information, tourism contacts, even a mileage chart. All this and more makes "The Road Atlas 2009" a very highly recommended reference for personal and community library map and travel guide collections.

Equitrekking
Darley Newman
Chronicle Books
680 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com
9780811865272, $27.50, 1-800-722-6657

Before the coming of the automobile, the only way to travel the trails, roads, and countryside was by horse -- either astride a horse or in a wagon hauled by them. With the coming of 'the horseless carriage', these equine companions became relegated to recreational uses on ranches. But the public's love affair with the horse has never gone away. Published as a companion to the PBS television series 'Equitrekking' is a superbly illustrated compendium of some of the world's best horse riding destinations ranging from the romantic coast of Ireland, to the wilderness of southern Spain, to the wine country of California, to the rugged back country of Colorado, and more! The informative and engaging text by Darley Newman is liberally illustrated throughout with the color photography of Chip Ward. The result is "Equitrekking: Travel Adventures On Horseback", a compendium of places that will inspire a whole new generation to the adventure of horseback riding as a means of touring and experiences truly memorable reaches of the world both at home and abroad.

Arlington National Cemetery
James Edward Peters
Woodbine House
6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD 20817
9781890627928, $19.95 www.woodbinehouse.com 1-800-843-7323

Now in its third newly revised edition, Arlington National Cemetery is a thorough guide to America's shrine upholding the highest respect in memory of the astronauts, actors, writers, and Supreme Court justices among its 300,000 honored dead. Chapters discuss Arlington's history up to the present day, the American patriots and noted heroes buried there, major monuments and memorials including living memorials (a.k.a. tree dedications), and a handy visitor's guide. Appendices and an index round out this superb guide for any traveler seeking to visit and pay his respects to these hallowed burial grounds.

A Natural History Guide To Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Donald W. Linzey
The University of Tennessee Press
293 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0325
9781572336124, $22.00, www.utpress.org, 1-800-621-2736

One of the country's loveliest protected wildlife and wilderness preserves, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in the southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. It is a prized travel destination and provides habitat to more than 100,000 species of plants and animals. "A Natural History Guide To Great Smoky Mountains National Park" by wildlife biologist and ecologist Donald W. Linzey (Professor of Biology at Wytheville community College, Wytheville, Virginia) is a superbly illustrated 292-page compendium of information providing readers with a history and environmental survey of what this national park has to offer. Drawing upon his more than fifty years of experience and expertise as a naturalist dedicated to every aspect of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Professor Linzey provides eleven tables ranging from such issues as the park's geological time line, to new species recorded in the park from 2000-2007, to bird-banding from Tremont and Purchase Knob. An informed and informative text comprehensively covering the park's flora and fauna is enhanced with the inclusion of a wealth of full color photography. With the inclusion of four appendices, extensive Notes, a Selected Bibliography, and an Index, "A Natural History Guide To Great Smoky Mountains National Park" is a work of seminal scholarship and highly recommended for professional and academic library reference collections, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in visiting the Great Smoky Mountains national park.


The Architecture Shelf

From Control to Design
Michael Meredith, et. al.
Actar D
158 Lafayette Street, 5th floor, New York, NY 10013
8496540790, $39.95 www.actar.com

Created with contributions from a wealth of experts and featuring a conversation between architecture writer Sanford Kwinter and GNUFORM studio co-founder Jason Payne, Control to Design: Parametric/Algorithmic Architecture is a thoughtful presentation of six independent practices that each engage in current applications of parametric and algorithmic design techniques in architectural production. A step well beyond the first generation of digital modeling techniques, parametric and algorithmic architectural design may well be the future of architectural practice - but what precisely do they offer the discipline, and what are their weaknesses? Extensive black-and-white photography and diagrams, as well as some color photographs, illustrate this fascinating look at the cutting edge of a modern industry. An absolute "must-have" for anyone striving to keep abreast of current challenges in the field.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Falcons of North America
Kate Davis, author
Rob Palmer and Nick Dunlop, photography
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806
9780878425532, $22.00 www.mountain-press.com 1-800-234-5308

Written by avian raptor enthusiast and environmental educator Kate Davis, Falcons of North America is not a typical avian field guide; it gives an in-depth profile and analysis of six North American falcon species, including the results of research that has never been previously published in a single volume. Printed on high-quality paper and illustrated with stunningly beautiful, full-color photography on almost every page, Falcons of North America is sure to appeal to bird lovers of all backgrounds, not just conservationists and avian biologists. "...for nearly all raptor species, there is a noticeable size difference between the sexes, with the females being larger. This is called reverse size sexual dimorphism (RSSD)... Researchers have struggled to explain RSSD in raptors, and several hypotheses have been proposed. Perhaps the most accepted theory is that a larger female can lay a larger egg, and subsequently guard the nest and fend off predators, as most of the incubation and brooding duties fall on her." The six species discussed are American Kestrel, Merlin, Aplomado Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, and Gyrfalcon, along with an extensive general discussion of falcons from morphology and physiology to their behavior, feeding, nesting, and breeding habits, to their relationship with humans. Highly recommended, and an absolute "must-have" for falcon enthusiasts of all backgrounds.


The Astronomy Shelf

The Handy Astronomy Answer Book
Charles Liu
Visible Ink
43311 Joy Rd. #414, Canton, MU 48187-2075
9781578591930, $21.95, www.visibleink.com

Everyone who has ever stared deep into space has always asked many questions that they couldn't find the answer to. "The Handy Astronomy Answer Book" is a collection of questions and answers involving the great universe that lies beyond our atmosphere. Everything, ranging from the fundamentals of the subject to the deep discussion of the formation of life in the universe is explained, enhanced with full color photographs of relevant concepts. "The Handy Astronomy Answer Book" is a solid recommendation to anyone who is in love with what lies beyond the Earth.

Observing The Night Sky With Binoculars
Stephen James O'Meara
Cambridge University Press
32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473
9780521721707, $34.99, www.cambridge.org

Throughout recorded time, and judging by such pre-historical sites as Stonehenge, the night sky with its wheeling starry canopy has been an enduring source of interest for ground level human observation. Even in this modern age of astronomical observatories and Hubble Space Telescopes, there is a great deal of pleasure to be taken from simply observing the ever changing night sky through the various seasons of the year with a simple pair of binoculars. That's where Stephen James O'Meara's "Observing The Night Sky With Binoculars: A Simple Guide To The Heavens" comes in. Especially appropriate and recommended for novice stargazers, "Observing The Night Sky With Binoculars" features informative anecdotes about the stars and constellations, guides the beginning stargazer in locating and identifying the brightest stars in each constellation, colorful stars, double or multiple stars, star clusters and asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, variable stars, and so much more. Profusely illustrated with black-and-white images, "Observing The Night Sky With Binoculars" is specifically recommended to amateur astronomers as an excellent instruction guide to enjoying the wonders of the heavens from backyards to mountain tops.


The Black Studies Shelf

History Of The Mosaic Templars Of America
A. E. Bush & P. L. Dorman, editors
The University of Arkansas Press
McIlroy House, 201 Ozark Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557288828, $24.95, www.uapress.com, 1-800-626-0090

The darkest days of America's post-Civil War era of segregation saw the emergence in the southern states of black institutions created to provide the African-American populace with services and opportunities denied them by the racist white majorities in their communities. The 'Mosaic Templars of America' was one such institution that was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in the late 18th Century by two former slaves. It was an organization that provided illness, death, and burial insurance when those services were not available through traditional and white-owned companies and organizations. The Mosaic Templars operations expanded by 1900 to also include an insurance company, a building and loan association, a publishing company, a business college, a nursing school, and a hospital. But 1905 the Templars had expanded their number of chapters or 'Lodges' across Arkansas and had a membership roster in the thousands. When the Templars opened a new headquarters building in 1913 it was no less than Booker T. Washington who delivered the dedication speech. In the 1920s, the Templars had grown to found chapters in twenty-six states and six foreign countries. But the coming of the Great Depression of the 1930s had a traumatic effect on the Templar organization and, due to economic hardships that beset the entire nation but which were felt even harder in the African-American communities, the chapters closed and the Templars ceased operating their companies. Today only a single chapter located in the Barbados remains active. The original Little Rock headquarters building burned down in 2005 but is scheduled to be rebuilt and house the New Mosaic Templar's Cultural Center in the fall of 2008. To commemorate this unique organization and to celebrate the new cultural center, the University of Arkansas Press has reissued a photomechanical copy of the original 1924 edition of "History Of The Mosaic Templars Of America". This long out of print history is a highly recommended and welcome addition to academic library Black Studies reference collections and especially appropriate for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the history and development of segregation era African-American institutions and organizations.


The Fiction Shelf

Galaxy Press
7051 Hollywood Blvd, Suite 200, Hollywood, CA 90028
www.galaxypress.com, www.goldenagestories.com

Before he became an icon of the Scientology movement, L. Ron Hubbard was a working writer whose popular stories appeared in many of the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s. Now Galaxy Press is bringing those tales of fantasy, adventure, mystery, westerns, and romance back into print in their 'Stories from the Golden Age' series. "Orders Is Orders" (9781592122950, $9.95) is the story of Marin Gunnery Sergeant James Mitchell and Private First Class Spivits who are called upon to make a 200-mile trek to bring an anti-cholera serum to a remote American consulate in Shunkien, China against impossible odds and the risk of their very lives. "Danger In The Dark" (9781592123674, $9.95) finds that when Billy Newman purchases a South Sea island he finds it to be haunted by the giant shark-god Tadamona who is bent on destroying the entire island and everyone on it -- including Billy! L. Ron Hubbard was a master storyteller and Galaxy Press is to be congratulated for bringing this vibrant and entertaining stories back in print as 'time lost' classics and the enjoyment of a whole new generation of appreciative readers.


The Education Shelf

Teaching The Story
Carol Baldwin
Maupin House Publishing
PO Box 90148, Gainesville, FL 32607
9781934338353, $23.95, www.maupinhouse.com

Teaching a child to read and write is one of the fundamental missions of any private or public school. Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, "Teaching The Story: Fiction Writing In Grades 4-8" features twenty new lessons, each of which infuse technology into the writing process. Ideal for use with reluctant writers by including wikis, digital media, podcasts, and other electronic media resources, "Teaching The Story" offers a compendium of 'classroom friendly' mini-lessons to teach children critical craft elements of writing short fiction, employing critical-thinking skills, and transfer those skills into informational writing, as well as writing in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, history, sports, and mystery. Enhanced with the inclusion of a CD with more than 70 reproducibles and customizable transparency masters, student written samples, and a how-to reference guide on implementing technology in the classroom setting, "Teaching The Story" is a strongly recommended addition to professional and curriculum supplement writing instruction reference materials collections.

Teaching Reading Sourcebook
Bill Honig, et al.
Arena Press
c/o Academic Therapy Publications
20 Commercial Boulevard, Novato, CA 94949-6191
9781571284570, $69.00, www.atpub.com

Reading is a fundamental skill that is the foundation for academic achievement and 'real-world' success. Now in a significantly updated, revised and expanded second addition, "Teaching Reading Sources continues to be a core instruction manual for classroom teachers and administrators charged with the creation and implementation of reading instruction curriculums. A part of the 'Core Literacy Library', "Teaching Reading Sourcebook" begins with an introductory overview to assessing reading levels and instruction, then comprehensively addresses the issues of word structure (both English and Spanish); print awareness; letter knowledge; and phonemic awareness. The section focusing on decoding and word study includes chapters on phonics, irregular word reading, and multisyllabic word reading. Additional sections address reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Of special note is the section 'Comprehensive Reading Model' offering a three-tier model of instruction. Enhanced with the inclusion of sample tests, activity masters, and teaching charts, "Teaching Reading Sourcebook" also features a 'Connect to Theory Answer Key', extensive references, and a comprehensive index. With this new edition providing reproducible activity masters and sample lesson models, "Teaching Reading Sourcebook" is a strongly recommended addition to professional, school district, and academic library Reading Instruction reference collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knit One Below
Elise Duvekot
XRX Books
PO Box 1525, Sioux Falls, SD 57101
9781933064130, $19.95, www.knittinguniverse.com

Knitting clothing for family and friends is a time-honored activity. In "Knit One Below", needlecraft expert Elise Duvekot focuses on showing aspiring knitters how to combine colors, weights, fibers, and types of yarn into versatile fabrics suitable for a divers series of step-by-step illustrated projects ranging from vests, jackets, and sweaters, to shawls, scarves, socks, and more. Each project is rated as to level of difficulty (beginners, intermediate), and full-color photographs by Alexis Zenakis of the finished garment. Even the most novice needlecrafter will quickly master the k1b stitch and each of the more than 36 designs, providing a basis to go on and create their own unique patterns and garments. "Knit One Below" is a welcome and highly recommended addition community library needlecraft reference collections in general and to personal knitting instruction in particular.


The Cookbook Shelf

New Orleans Classic Appetizers
Kit Wohl
Pelican Publishing Company
1000 Burmaster Street, Gretna, LA 70053-2246
9781589806122, $15.95, www.pelicanpub.com

What separates an ordinary dining occasion into a truly elegant dinner party is the inclusion of hors d'oeuvres. What makes any celebratory occasion at home uniquely special is the quality of the appetizers served to family and guests. That's where Kit Wohl's "New Orleans Classic Appetizers" with her 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for fifty mouth-watering, palate pleasing, appetite sparking appetizers and hors d'oeuvres comes in. Featuring a range of delightful delicacies ranging from Remoulade's Crab Cakes with Creole-Mustard Sauce; P&J Oyster Company's Oysters Bienville; Bistro Daisy's Crab Meat and Roasted-Garlic Aioli over Roasted Beets with Chives and Croutons; and Chief Greg Reggio's Redfish on the Half Shell with Dill Sauce; to La Cote Brasserie's Satsuma-Marinated Duck with Mango Relish and Satsuma Vinaigrette; Gene Bourg's Lamb Lollipops with Pecan-Mint Pesto; Cafe Giovanni's Prosciutto and Creole Cream Cheese Puffs; and Cochon's Barbecued Pork Ribs, "New Orleans Classic Appetizers" lives up to the culinary reputation of one of cuisine capitals of America. Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full-color photography, "New Orleans Classic Appetizers" is enthusiastically recommended for personal, professional, and community library specialty cookbook reference collections.

Gluten-Free Baking Classics
Annalise G. Roberts
Agate Publishing
1501 Madison Street, Evanston, IL 60202
9781572840997, $17.95, www.agatepublishing.com

Today in America there are approximately three million people who are allergic to wheat, having a condition diagnosed as 'Celiac Disease'. These are people who must avoid the consumption of gluten and therefore all traditional wheat-based baked goods from breads, to muffins, to cakes, to even the simple donut. Now in a significantly revised and expanded second edition, "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" by Annalise G. Roberts offers a culinary wealth of 'kitchen cook friendly', delicious, gluten-free baked goods that will result in cakes and muffins, pies and tart shells, cookies and brownies, pizza crusts and sandwich breads, pancakes and pastas that are as light, as flavorful, and as filling as those made with wheat. Of special note are the 'Chef's Notes' providing tips and advice throughout. Enhanced with the inclusion of an introduction to gluten free baking, a section listing measurements and equivalents, and a comprehensive index, the recipes range from such classics as Cinnamon Rolls; Buttermilk Biscuits; Gingerbread; and Chocolate Doughnuts; to more exotic fare as Hazelnut Biscotti; Savory Crepes; Babka (Ukrainian Style); and Golden Italian Bread with Raisins and Fennel. "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" is a welcome addition to community library cookbook collections in general, and the family cookbook shelves of anyone having to deal with Celiac Disease for themselves or a loved one.

The Anti-Cancer Cookbook
Julia B. Greer, MD, MPH
Sunrise River Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Beach, MN 55056
www.sunriseriverpress.com
9780962481499, $19.95, 1-800-895-4585

It has long been known and clinically demonstrated that food has a direct link to health, and that some foods are not only nutritious for the human body, they are also medical and remedial. In "The Anti-Cancer Cookbook: How To Cut Your Risk With the Most Powerful, Cancer-Fighting Foods", Dr. Julia B. Greer has compiled more than 200 specific recipes featuring ingredients that have a particular relevance for fighting various forms of cancer. The step-by-step instructions for each individual recipe are in accordance with cooking methods that protect the anti-cancer properties of the ingredients. Of special note is the cogent, practical, 'real-world' advice for making healthy menu choices when dining out. From Chilled Apple Oatmeal; Red Pepper Hummus; Maple-Pecan Broccoli; and Newport Beach Turkey Pasta Salad; to Portobello Tofu Tacos; Mahi Mahi with Citrus Sauces and Black Beans; Spice-Rubbed Filet Mignon with Grilled Tomatoes; and Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Zucchini Brownies, "The Anti-Cancer Cookbook" is a veritable cornucopia of dishes suitable for every dining occasion and highly recommended for anyone having to prepare meals with cancer prevention and treatment in mind.

Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider
Margaret Dubin & Sara-Larus Tolley
Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
9781597140782, $21.95, www.heydaybooks.com

California's aborigines, like all Native Americans, took complete advantage of every edible resource Mother Nature could provide them. "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast" is a meticulously researched and impressively presented collection of authentic Californian aboriginal cuisine based on the local foods available to them. Included in this beautifully illustrated cookbook collection are recipes involving fish, shellfish, meats, vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, nuts, seeds, and acorns. The collaborative work of Margaret Dubin and Sara-Larus Tolley, "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider" showcases step-by-step instructions enabling any kitchen cook to produces palate pleasing and appetite satisfying Native American recipes ranging from Barbecued Clams; Rabbit Liver with Watercress; and Roasted Agave Hearts; to Sweet Elder Jelly; Fried Yucca Petals; and Pine Nut Soup. Of special note are the extensively informed and informative commentaries and background information about the tribes, their habitats, histories and cultures. Profusely illustrated throughout, "Seaweed, Salmon, And Manzanita Cider" is a unique addition to any family or community cookbook collections, as is also very highly recommended for academic Native American Studies reference collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Native American cultures.

Gaia's Kitchen
Julia Ponsonby
Green Books
c/o The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
www.countrymanpress.com
9781900322256, $25.95, 1-800-245-4151

Vegetarian culinary traditions are as varied and diverse as the climates and geographies from which they originate around the world. Now in a newly revised and significantly updated edition "Gaia's Kitchen: Vegetarian Recipes For Family & Community" features a culinary wealth of delicious vegetarian dishes that range from the simple to the complex, the classic to the exotic. Compiled by Julia Ponsonby with the assistance of friends at Schumacher College, "Gaia's Kitchen" showcases vegetarian recipes from the Mediterranean, as well as California, Mexico, and India. Of special note is the commentary concerning nutritional issues, special diets, and the ecological ramifications of food production. With thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes ranging from Leek and Potato Soup; Broccoli & Red Pepper Quiche; No Frills Macaroni Cheese; and Tricolor Rice; to Fennel & Chicory Salad with Orange; Mushroom & Cream Cheese Spread; Pears Poached in White Wine & Blackcurrant; and Julia's Chocolate Cake, "Gaia's Kitchen" is a veritable compendium of nutritious, delicious, natural foods that will please both vegetarian and non-vegetarian palates alike!


The Railroading Shelf

Chicago Stations & Trains: Photo Archives
John Kelly
Iconografix
PO Box 446, Hudson, WI 54016
9781583882160, $29.95, www.iconografixinc.com

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago was the rail center hub of the United States and boasted some of the finest railroad stations anywhere in the country. Compiled by railroad history enthusiast John Kelly, "Chicago Stations & Trains: Photo Archives" is a 128 page compendium showcasing 136 captioned black-and-white archival images showcasing Chicago's six major railroad stations and the trains that served them. Each of these stations was unique in its architecture. Enhanced with maps, station drawings, travel brochures, and even promotional advertising, "Chicago Stations & Trains: Photo Archives" is a seminal contribution to the growing library of railroading historical reference material and an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, community and academic library Railroading History collections.

Building A Ready-To-Run Model Railroad
Jeff Wilson
Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53186
www.kalmbachbooks.com
9780890247402, $19.95, 1-800-533-6644

Model railroading is an enduringly popular hobby and pastime. Kalmbach Publishing is a premier publisher of instructional reference books for the model railroading enthusiast and one of their newest titles is Jeff Wilson's "Building A Ready-To-Run Model Railroad" which is a compilation of illustrated, step-by-step instructions specifically designed to enable the novice model railroad builder to create simple benchwork and design a track plan; create scenery with grass, trees, and more; assemble structure kits; add such realistic embellishments as roads, signs, and vehicles; select trains and get them quickly operational for a full-bodied model railroading experience. With the emphasis on utilizing 'off-the-shelf' components for a quick and easy layout, and featuring a thoroughly 'user friendly' text illustrated with more than 200 photos and diagrams, "Building A Ready-To-Run Model Railroad" is the perfect introduction for anyone wanting to engage in this entertaining hobby.

Inside The Lionel Trains Fun Factory
Robert J. Osterhoff
Project Roar Publishing
PO Box 599, Winfield, IL 60190
9781933600055, $34.95, www.projectroar.com

Few toys are of such an iconic force for nostalgia as the Lionel model train. Lionel train expert Robert J. Osterhoff draws upon his many years of research and expertise to present a superbly illustrated and definitively informative history of the Lionel model train company and its enduringly popular toy train creations that were to thrill children (and adults!) here at home and around the world. It's not widely known that the Lionel company was one of America's first mass market manufacturing factories. Osterhoff lays out the origins and early years of the company in the first of four major parts comprising "Inside The Lionel Trains Fun Factory" in 'Building the Fun Factories'. Part II covers 'New Opportunities & Diversification', Part III features 'Lionelers & Their Inventiveness', and Part V is a compilation of appendices detailing Lionel Factor Departments; Timeline of Major Lionel Fun Factories; and Lionel Patents. Enhanced with a bibliography and an index, "Inside The Lionel Trains Fun Factory" is a model of meticulous scholarship, thoroughly 'reader friendly', and a welcome addition to personal, community, and academic library American Popular Culture History collections in general, and the supplemental reading lists of all model railroading enthusiasts in particular.


The Military Shelf

Tanks
Michael Green
Zenith Books
c/o Quayside Publishing Group
400 Fist Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401
9780760333518, $14.99, www.mbipublishing.com

From its original introduction to European battlefields in World War I, down to the present day, the tank has been an integral part of armored warfare. In "Tanks", Michael Green (with the assistance of James D. Brown and Christophe Vallier) has written a beautifully illustrated and informative history of the evolution of tank design from its earliest incarnations to modern productions. Among the tanks featured in dramatic detail are the American M4 Sherman and M48 Patton; the American M1 Abrams; the German Panther and German Tiger E; the Russian T34 and T55; the Russian T72; the British Centurion; the French AMX-13; and the Israeli Merkava III. Enhanced with 208 color photographs and 52 b/w photos, "Tanks" packs its 192 pages with solid information organized into chapters showcasing British, French; German; American and Russian Tanks. Of special note is the concluding chapter on 'Tanks from Other Nations'. "Tanks" is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Military History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Introduction To Communication Electronic Warfare Systems
Richard A. Poisel
Artech House
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
9781596934528, $149.00, www.artechhouse.com

Today wars are fought with more than guns, tanks, and bombs. They are also fought with computer chips, electronics, telecommunications, and satellites. Now in a newly updated and significantly expanded second edition, "Introduction To Communication Electronic Warfare Systems" by Richard A. Poisel (Senior Engineering Fellow at Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona and formerly the Chief Scientist at the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey), is the definitive textbook on the engineering aspects of communications electronic warfare systems. This newly revised edition is enhanced with the inclusion of a chapter on jamming performance over fading channels and is supported with more than seven hundred equations. Covering such diverse issues as the components, systems, and operations of electronic warfare systems; modern direction finders for communication signals; hyperbolic emitter location technologies; geolocation of low probability of intercept/antijam targets; and expert commentary concerning the future direction of communication electronic warfare systems, "Introduction To Communication Electronic Warfare Systems" is an essential and core addition to professional and academic library Military Science, and Contemporary Electronics reference collections and course studies reading lists.

Pepys's Navy
J. David Davies
Seaforth
c/o Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
9781848320147, $74.95, www.navalinstitute.org

It was during the mid- to late-1600s that Britain's navy became the basis for what would develop as a world-wide empire upon which 'the sun would did not set'. J. David Davies is Britain's leading naval historian and an expert on British 17th Century navy, it composition, leaders, ships, and deployments. He draws from his decades of research to write "Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men & Warfare 1649-1689", a comprehensive and meticulous history that begins when the 'Fleet Royal' was brought under Parliamentary control during the civil wars through to the accession of William and Mary to the throne of England in 1689 and the conclusion of the naval-based war with the Dutch. Every element of the British navy is addressed from its administration, ship types, shipbuilding, and naval recruitment, to its crews, seamanship, gunnery, shipboard life, dockyards, and bases. Of special note are the three major wars fought against the Dutch in the Channel and the North Sea during this forty year time span. A seminal work of superb and painstaking scholarship, "Pepys's Navy" is profusely embellished with both color and black-and-white illustrations, a list of abbreviations, notes, appendix, a bibliography, and an index. "Pepys's Navy" is a core addition to personal, community, and academic library Naval History reference collections.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches
Jeff Yeager
Broadway Books
1745 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036
9780767926959, $12.95, www.broadwaybooks.com

Times are hard and only going to get harder as we plunge deeper and deeper into recession. But even in prosperous times it well becomes us to be careful with our money, to live frugally, and with the right kind of attitude and knowledge base, to live well, to enjoy life, and to accomplish both our personal and our professional goals within the budgetary limits of our resources both financial and otherwise. That's where "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches", Jeff Yeager's compendium of information, advice, suggestions, and resources will come in handy for the non-specialist general reader seeking to enjoy life more while spending less. Everything has a cost -- but you'd be surprised how many times that cost is negotiable. True value is measured in more than price tags, it's also a factor in having access to the resources required for having a successful life -- and what resources are irrelevant to obtaining a working, workable, and customized definition of 'The Good Life'. "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches" is replete with thoughtful and thought-provoking commentaries, lists and exercises for money-management, financial alternatives, and low-cost/no-cost activities accessible to us all. Simply stated, "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches" is an inspired and inspiring volume of things to consider and things to do to live better on less -- especially when the general economy is in decline.


The Economics Shelf

Does North America Exist?
Stephen Clarkson
University of Toronto Press
10 St. Mary Street, Suite 700
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4Y 2W8
9780802096531, $29.95, www.utppublishing.com

The 'North American Free Trade Agreement' and the American reaction to the Islamic fundamentalist attach of September 11, 2001 were to affect the relationship of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in ways that were previously unheard of an unimaginable. "Does North America Exist?: Governing The Continent After NAFTA And 9/11" by academician and scholar Stephen Clarkson is a seminal body of exhaustive scholarship specifically addressing the question of North America as a political and economic entity that is currently in the process of becoming a tri-part economically integrated trading block -- and the forces striving to prevent it on the grounds of national protectionism, immigration and national security issues, and political identity. "Does North America Exist?" addresses such cogent factors as institutional and judicial implications, water and environmental protection concerns, the role of corporations, capital markets, intellectual copyrights, border security, and national defense. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, a model of seminal scholarship, and a well documented body of original research, "Does North America Exist?" is a highly recommended addition to personal, corporate, governmental, academic, and community library 20th Century Economics and Political Science studies collections in general, and NAFTA reference/supplemental reading lists in particular.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Understanding Islam
Idris Tawfiq
Olive Branch Press
c/o Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
9781566567206, $10.00, www.interlinkbooks.com

With approximately 1.4 billion worshipers making it the second largest religious group in the world today, Islam is a diverse, complex, often misunderstood faith. "Understanding Islam: A Primer" is a basic introduction and exploration of the Islamic faith from the perspective of Idris Tawfiq, a Roman Catholic priest who is also an accomplished Muslim scholar. Readers are presented with cogent and descriptive explanations of Islam's core beliefs and tenets, the role of Islam as a religion in an increasingly secular world, and which offers spiritual enlightenment and tolerance rather than a source of conflict and oppression as is far too commonly construed from today's geopolitics and newspaper headlines. A highly portable pocket-sized body of impeccable scholarship, "Understanding Islam" is especially appropriate for the non-specialist general reader wanting a better understanding and grasp of Islamic principles, tenets and beliefs as they would apply to today's issues, controversies, politics, international relations, and news stories.

Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature
David Cook
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13244-5160
0815631952, $19.95, www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu

You can tell much about a culture through its literature. "Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature" is a scholarly examination of the modern Islamic view of the apocalypse and how it applies to today's touchy and tricky ground involving the religion. Looking at the sources, the influences, the impact on society, and the messages of the literature on modern Islamic society, "Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature" is a solid way to help understand a culture that needs understanding in today's shrinking world.


The Judicial Studies Shelf

Avoiding Legal Liability
John Sample
Krieger Publishing Company
PO Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
www.krieger-publishing.com
1575242737, $49.50, 1-800-724-0025

Providing any form of service or product to the general public must always take into consideration issues of liability should members of that public take issue with what was proffered with respect to matters of health, safety, and associated or unforeseen consequences. The simple fact is that a successful law suit can break a company or devastate an individual. In "Avoiding Legal Liability For Adult Educators, Human Resources Developers And Instructional Designers", John Sample draws upon his thirty years of experience and expertise as a consultant, educator, and administrator in human resource management, training and development to provide a comprehensive, practical, real-world instruction manual on protecting an organization and its employees from legal liability lawsuits. "Avoiding Legal Liability" covers such cogent issues as liability and the training/development enterprise, equal employment opportunity and related liability, occupational safety and health related liability, negligence avoidance training and related liability, adventure training and New Age related experiential learning liability, intellectual property (copyright & trade secretes) liability issues, corporate ethics and the federal sentencing guidelines. A core addition to personal, professional, organizational, academic, and community library Judicial Studies & Practices reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Avoiding Legal Liability" is enhanced with the additional inclusion of a number of appendices which include a glossary of basic legal terms, summaries of relevant federal statues, federal and state requirements or harassment prevention training, OSHA general industry training requirements, as well safety and workplace violence training resources. Also included is a supervisory audit of training related liability, checklists for compliance with the TEACH Act and the Fair use Privilege for Educators. There is an example of a 'Permission Request' letter, guidelines for copyright registration, and examples of non-disclosure agreements for training materials, a trade secrets agreement, and a non-compete agreement. With the addition of both a Reference and an Index section, "Avoiding Legal Liability" is also the perfect textbook for MBA and Education Department curriculums as well.


The Sports Shelf

Favre: His Twenty Greatest Games
Doug Moe
Trails Books
c/o Big Earth Publishing
145 North Commercial Street, Suite 100, Neenah, WI 54956
9781934553039, $18.95 www.bigearthpublishing.com 1-800-258-5830

Written by "Capital Times" and "Wisconsin State Journal" newspaper columnist Doug Moe, Favre: His Twenty Greatest Games is a tribute to the triumphs of Wisconsin's most famous football quarterback. From the highlights of the "Packers' New Glory Era" to Favre's record-breaking 2007 season, Favre is filled with play-by-play recollections of football excitement. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this must-have for any dyed-in-the-wool Favre fan.

Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb
Bo Ryan with Mike Lucas
KCI Sports Publishing
3340 Whiting Avenue, Suite 5, Stevens Point, WI 54481
9780979872914, $24.95 www.keisports.com

Madison "Capital Times" newspaper sports columnist Mike Lucas combines his talents with Bo Ryan himself to present Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb, a sports autobiography University of Wisconsin basketball coach well known for having surpassed 500 victories during the course of his record. How did he earn this impressive achievement? In his life story he explains the events and elements that shaped his coaching philosophy, and offers a wealth of insights into the world of college team sports. "I have never made it 'us against them.' That would be counter-productive. In no way do you gain any kind of an advantage by waging in your own mind a psychological battle with an individual or a particular school. It clouds your vision. So I don't do it." An inset handful of black-and-white and color photographic plates round out this testimony of how to blaze the path to victory, in an expert coach's own words.

Phillies Photos
Mark Stang
Orange Frazer Press
PO Box 214, Wilmington, OH 45177
9781933197586, $34.95, www.orangefrazer.com

From its late 19th century origins down to the present day, professional baseball has enjoyed an enduring popularity with local communities taking special pride in their teams. This has been especially true with respect to the Philadelphia Phillies. In "Phillies Photos: 100 Years Of Philadelphia Phillies Images", baseball enthusiast Mark Stang has compiled more than 245 black and white photographs of players and managers representing the 100 years of the team's existence from the days of Chuck Klein and Robin Roberts to the careers of Mike Schmidt and Ryan Howard. Drawn from fourteen public and private photo archives, "Phillies Photos" celebrates the famous and the obscure. Each player photo is accompanied by the position they played, the years they were with the team, and a succinct biographical overview of their performance and statistics. Of special note are the anecdotal stories Stang was able to glean from the owners, managers, and broadcasters. "Phillies Photos" is a 'must' for all Phillies fans, and would serve as an excellent template for similar photographic histories of other major league teams.


The Art Shelf

Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920
John E. Bowlt
The Vendome Press
1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (distribution)
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
9780865651845, $50.00, www.abramsbooks.com

Before the domination of Communist state-sponsored and approved art with the political ascension of the Bolsheviks, Moscow and St. Petersburg, the premier cities of Russia, were home to vibrant, creative, and extraordinary communities of artists, architects, writers, dancers, and musicians. "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920 -- Art, Life & Culture Of The Russian Silver Age" by academician and specialist in Russian art history John Bowlt (Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Southern California, Los Angeles) is a superbly written work of meticulous scholarship providing an informed and informative history of the artistic personalities and achievements represented by two outstanding decades of an artistic renaissance in a Tsarist Russia that were the last free form art movement that country was to see until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Enhanced with the inclusion of 650 illustrations (400 of which are in color), "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" also features a section of extensive notes, a glossary of terms and abbreviations, a bibliography for further reading, and a comprehensive index. A truly seminal work, "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" is especially recommended for academic library European Art History and Russian Cultural Studies reference collections in general, and the personal reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in pre-Soviet Russian contributions to the arts in particular.

Chihuly Black
Dale Chihuly
Portland Press
PO Box 70856, Seattle, WA 98127
9781576841662, $95.00, www.portlandpress.net

Art springs from the imagination of the artist and is as diverse in range, scope and composition as the talents, life experiences, and mediums employed by them. Dale Chihuly is an artist living and working in Washington state. "Chihuly Black" is an elegantly black leather bound, 208-page, coffee-table compendium showcasing 138 spectacular full color photographs of the best of his work with blown glass sculptures. For more than 30 years Dale Chihuly's work has been recognized for its artistic merit and displayed in a number of museums and his sculptures established in site-specific public places around the world. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of an informed and informative essay by Barbara Rose on the historical relevance of black works in glass and Chihuly's influence in glass sculpture, "Chihuly Black" is a seminal work whose inclusion into personal, professional, and academic library Art History reference collections must be considered essential. Also very highly recommended from Portland Press is the "Chihuly Black Note Card Set" (978157684144, $12.00) consisting of twelve note cards and envelopes.

Brilliant Strokes
Ka Bo Tsang
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
9781551952161, $29.95, www.uap.ualberta.ca

Chinese art is as diverse as its European and American counterparts. "Brilliant Strokes: Chinese Paintings From The Mactaggart Art Collection" is a compilation of Chinese art compiled with commentary by Ka Bo Tsang (Curator of Chinese Painting at the Royal Ontario Museum) to showcase such varied techniques as 'baimiao' (plain drawing), 'shuanggou (double outlines), gongbi (meticulous drawing), 'xieyi' (jotting down ideas), and 'mogu' (images rendered in washes with no contours), among other Chinese painting techniques. The selected paintings span some five hundred years, from the 15th Century to the present day. It should be noted that these selected examples are only a fragment of the entire Chinese Art paintings that comprise the University of Alberta's Mactaggart Art Collection. Superbly illustrated throughout, "Brilliant Strokes" is a seminal work of scholarship that is both highly recommended for academic Art History collections and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Chinese Art.

The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design
Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris
Ava Publishing (UK) Ltd.
55a Chaple Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1BE, UK
annmiddlebrook@comcast.net (publicity)
9782940373826, $34.95, www.avabooks.ch

Graphic design is a fundamentally important aspect of contemporary daily life, ubiquitously influencing commercial advertising and consumer decisions. Co-authored by professional graphic designer Gavin Ambrose and veteran freelance writer Paul Harris, "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" provides an informed and informative introduction to all the varied aspects of the graphic design process. Beginning with a chapter defining graphic design, "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" continues with graphic design influences and creative elements; the processes comprising graphic design; the usage of graphic design with respect to print, direct mail, informational design, packaging, screen design, and environmental design; procuring graphic design employment through self-promotion and portfolios; and concludes with a chapter on graphic design production processes. Enhanced for graphic design studies with an appendix, glossary, and index, "The Fundamentals Of Graphic Design" is specifically recommended as an introductory text for graphic design students and is a core addition to academic library Art & Graphic Design reference collections.


The Genealogy Shelf

The Sleuth Book For Genealogists
Emily Anne Croom
Genealogical Publishing Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
9780806317878, $34.95, www.genealogical.com

Genealogy is an enduring popular activity and the Genealogical Publishing Company is the premiere publisher of reference, resource, and instruction materials for both amateur and professional genealogists. In "The Sleuth Book For Genealogists", genealogist Emily Anne Croom has compiled a thoroughly 'user friendly' compilation of advice, tips, strategies and resources for the aspiring genealogist seeking to undertake genealogical research with respect to their own family history and members. Designed for the complete novice, "The Sleuth Book For Genealogists" will help them to determine their genealogical research goals, organize what they already know or have access to, practice 'cluster genealogy' research, document their research, and note when their specific research questions have been answered and their goals met. Illustrated with case studies and research examples, practical steps are cogently laid out with a wealth of tips and the occasional quotes from fictional literary detectives that are particularly apt and germane to genealogical research. Very strongly recommended for personal and community library Genealogy Reference collections, "The Sleuth Book For Genealogists" is ideal for beginners and has much to offer even the more experienced genealogist.


The World History Shelf

Medieval Knights
Jose Sanchez Toledo
Andrea Press
c/o Casemate
1016 Warrior Road, Suite C, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
www.casematepublishing.com
9788496527898, $45.95, 1-610-853-9131

Today the armored knight is often romanticized in popular culture. But historically, the armored knight was a dominant instrument of war upon the European battlefield from the early medieval period to the coming of the English longbow, followed by gun powder fueled canon and rifles. Jose Sanchez Toledo is an expert in the field of Classical Antiquity and the Medieval Age who in "Medieval Knights: The Age Of Chivalry" has provided the curious reader with a superbly illustrated and informative historical overview of the methodology, customs, battlefield strategies and utility of the armored knight in the land wars of medieval Europe. A work of impressive scholarship, "Medieval Knights" is a welcome addition to any community or academic library reference collection, and especially recommended reading for students and re-enactors of medieval warfare.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs
Laurence Shatkin, et al.
JIST Publishing
875 Montreal Way, St. Paul, MN 55102
9781593576233, $16.95, www.jist.com, 1-800-648-5478

Never was a job search resource guide so timely as the publication of "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs". Every day the news headlines are revealing more and more layoffs by established corporations and business sectors. The current jobless index is at a record 6.5 and climbing higher every quarter. "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs" is specifically designed to be thoroughly 'user friendly'. Readers are encouraged to first browse through the 75 best job lists to find recession-proof jobs matching their particular interest and needs. Then turn to the definitive yet succinct job description of the particular job selected for details on earnings, growth, industry information, tasks, educational requirements, work conditions, and more. Of special note are such informational tidbits as the three states with the highest concentration of recession-proof jobs being Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut; to the best recession-proof job overall being that of a Computer Systems Analyst. Simply stated, "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs" is a 422-page compendium of practical, real-world, job search information that should be on the shelves of every community library and employment center in the country.


The Business Shelf

Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business
Fred S. Steingold
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
9781413307542, $29.99, www.nolo.com, 1-800-955-4775

Nolo Press is the premier publisher of do-it-yourself legal guides and resource publications specifically designed for non-specialists. Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fifth edition, Nolo Press has published "Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business" by corporate law expert and attorney Fred S. Steingold in which is compiled an exhaustive collection of professional advice, commentary and explanation for the small business entrepreneur on how to create legal contracts, hire employees and consultants, protect trade secrets, create non-compete agreements, prepare corporate bylaws, prepare an LLC operating agreement, record meeting minutes, borrow and lend money, buy a business, lease commercial space, purchase real estate, and more. "Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business" includes more than sixty relevant business forms and an accompanying CD-ROM includes all the information and step-by-step instructions needed and necessary to completing and using the forms correctly. As is a continuing feature of all Nolo Press titles, "Legal Forms for Starting & Running a Small Business" is thoroughly 'user friendly' from first page to last. Also very highly recommended is Fred Steingold's companion publication, the Nolo Press edition of "Legal Guide For Starting & Running A Small Business" (9781413308532, $34.99).


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