The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design
Wendy Northcutt
Dutton Publishing
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014-3658
0525949607 $19.95 www.penguin.com
If you're looking for a laugh and a survey of outrageous events – especially if you know about the website www.DarwinAwards.com – you must look at this latest, new volume celebrating the wacky ways individuals remove themselves from the gene pool. Over 100 fatal mistakes committed by humans includes the drunken ‘man with an iron stomach' who chewed his beer glass and died, or the Coast Guard man who ventured onto the icy bay in his pickup. Morbid – but hilariously told.
Struik
c/o International Publishers Marketing Inc.
P.O. Box 605, Herndon, Va 20172-0605
http://www.internationalpubmarket.com/Books/Features.aspx
Zuretha Roos' THE SAFFRON PEAR TREE AND OTHER KITCHEN MEMORIES (1770070389, $14.95) provides a warm South African memoir which could've been featured in our ‘Biography and Autobiography' or ‘Cookbook' sections, but is included here for its fine blend of family memoirs, recipes, and South African culture. While few outside of her country may know her name, she's written several best-selling works of Afrikaans fiction and has forged a name in literary circles in South Africa, so THE SAFFRON PEAR TREE is certain to reach both old fans and new audiences with a satisfying, unusual blend of recipes, cultural insights, and more. Chris & Tilde Stuart's FIELD GUIDE TO THE LARGER MAMMALS OF AFRICA (1868725340, $29.95) is recommended as a take-along tote for destination-bound African explorers. Though it's slightly larger than pocket size, it will easily pack into a suitcase and its over 400 color photos accompany maps, animal track examples, descriptions and natural history – perfect for locating and identifying the big ones. Adrian Bailey and Robyn Keene-Young's OKAVANGO: A JOURNEY (1770072713, $24.95) is a gorgeous picture celebration packing in full-page color photos of the Okavango's wildlife on every page. Don't expect lots of description, here: this is the perfect compact coffee table book for any with an affection for African wildlife. Robyn Stewart's NOMADS OF THE SERENGETI (1868727629, $32.95) documents, using full-page color photos, the annual migration of wildlife which takes place yearly in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. The different regions of the park are epxlored with a focus on large-herd migration patterns: any armchair reader who would learn about the park's wildlife and habits must have this. All are top picks for libraries seeking to round out their holdings on African culture and wildlife.
How to Stay Bitter Through The Happiest Times of Your Life
Anita Liberty
Villard Books
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0812976193 $13.95 www.atrandom.com
An angry poet and performer meets the perfect man, falls in love, and struggles to escape a strange state of bliss in How to Stay Bitter Through The Happiest Times of Your Life, which uses blog entries, poems, to-do lists and more to explore her changed life. While it's difficult to neatly peg this title – it's part memoir, part humor, part psychology – it's something any public library collection should put on its display shelves, and is especially recommended for New Yorkers who will readily recognize the caustic humor.
Like Wind, Like Wave
Stefano Bolognini
Other Press
2 Park Avenue, 24th Floor, New York NY 10016
1590511794 $13.95 www.otherpress.com
It's hard to peg this title: not completely psychoanalytic treatise but more than a memoir, it stands out from the crowd in using the author's years of analytical experience to comment on anecdotes gleaned from personal experience. The result draws many important connections between experience and psychology. Like Wind, Like Wave is especially recommended for students and non-specialized general readers with an interest in psychology and counseling.
Miami Ink: Marked for Greatness
James Wagenvoord
Meredith Books
1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023
0696232235 $19.95 www.meredithbooks.com
Books about tattoo artists appear surprisingly rarely considering the popularity of the tattoo today, so MIAMI INK: MARKED FOR GREATNESS represents not only a publishing event in itself, but an outstanding survey of what makes a tattoo artist exceptional. Dozens of tattoo stories and photos and details from the TV show – some 400 color photos – accompany biographies of the artists, cast facts, details on the tattoo process around the world, and an episode guide. Whether you've seen the show or just like tattoos, any general-interest reader will find this a fine tribute to the TV show and to tattoo art alike.
The Ethical Brain
Michael S. Gazzaniga
HarperPerennial
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060884738 $14.95 www.harperperennial.com
Scientific advancements have led to many ethical quandaries covered elsewhere: THE ETHICAL BRAIN: THE SCIENCE OF OUR MORAL DILEMMAS is something different, surveying the link between increasing knowledge and the formation of new moral principles. It comes from a neuro-scientist who examines emerging social and ethical issues coming from the latest brain research, offering an exploration of interrelated scientific and social issues. From neuroscience in the courtroom affecting legal issues to new perspectives on differences between lab and real-world applications, THE ETHICAL BRAIN is an important acquisition for any collection concerned with medical or scientific ethical issues.
Tappan on Survival
Mel Tappan
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
9781581605099 $22.00 www.paladin-press.com
Mel Tappan's had a big influence on the survival movement with his newsletter Personal Survival Letter and a later column in various magazines, and his first book SURVIVAL GUNS offered up many practical firearm tips, so prior fans and newcomers alike are sure to eagerly anticipate the publication of Tappan on Survival. This comes back into print for a new generation with a new foreword by survivalist Bruce Clayton, and returns the ideas and practical applications of a man who before 1999 served up a series of recipes for survival in the event of any disaster, whether it be nuclear or caused by storms. An easy question/answer format supplements hard facts.
Come Fly with Us!
Johanna Omelia & Michael Waldock
Collectors Press
PO Box 230986, Portland, OR 97281
1933112069 $19.95 www.collectorspress.com
In the 1930s the first stewardesses were registered nurses who not only escorted passengers but repaired loose chairs, loaded baggage, and carried a railroad timetable to help passenger planning! By the 1950s they were bartenders and waitresses, and today they are limited enforcers of regulations. COME FLY WITH US! A GLOBAL HISTORY OF THE AIRLINE HOSTESS pairs vintage color photos with ads and colorful insights on the changing role, culture and appearance of airline a stewardesses around the world. A lively, colorful survey will interest any who fly.
A Girl's Guide to Man Management
Jane Matthews
Conari Press
c/o Red Wheel/Weiser
368 Congress Street, 4th floor, Boston, MA 02210
157324290X $16.95 www.redwheelweiser.com 1-800-423-7087
A GIRL'S GUIDE TO MAN MANAGEMENT: EVERY WOMAN'S GUIDE TO GETTING HER MAN WHERE SHE WANTS HIM…AND KEEPING HIM THERE offers strategies and skills to a woman on handling a man with savvy and smoothness. Color cartoons accompany the basics of being together, from self-assessments of strengths to considering sharing secrets and independence issues. A fun format imparts some serious lessons for all women.
The Bride's Year Ahead
Marguerite Smolen
Ronnie Sellers Productions
P.O. Box 818, Portland, ME 04104
1569065470 $22.95 www.MakeFun.com
THE BRIDE'S YEAR AHEAD: THE ULTIMATE MONTH-BY-MONTH WEDDING PLANNER offers all the inspiration and organization needed to pull off any kind of wedding; whether it be small or huge. Tabbed fill-in diary pages begin with '20 months before' and count down to the event with boxed ‘to do' lists, etiquette insights, sample invitations – everything you need to pull of a flawless production is here, under one cover. If you're giving a gift to a couple, this might be on the top of the pre-wedding gift list!
Roadshow
Neil Peart
Rounder Books
One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140
1579401422 $27.95 www.rounder.com
A ‘must read' for all Rush fans, ROADSHOW: LANDSCAPE WITH DRUMS: A CONCERT TOUR BY MOTORCYCLE is a unique title: published by a music cd publisher who has ventured into the world of books, it covers a 21,000 motorcycle trip across North America and Europe by a touring musician who investigates shows, culture, and the lure of the road. If you recognize the name of author Neil Peart, it's because he's the drummer and lyricist of Rush – and plenty of musical behind-the-scenes insights accompany his journey and reflection.
Ronnie Sellers Productions
81 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
$14.95 Each www.ronniesellers.com
Two ‘Things to Do' titles from Ronnie Sellers Productions offer the advice of experts as they probe essential things to do upon turning the key ages of 50 and 60. For 50 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU TURN FIFTY (156905590X), Garrison Keillor, Bobbi Brown, Marianne Williamson and others offer up keys to happiness, from trading strength for wisdom and reducing whining to indulging in fantasy and celebration. SIXTY THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU TURN SIXTY (1569069670) offers up essays by Keillor, Nicholas Perricone MD, Faith Ringgold and others which advice how to relax and enjoy life, become a ‘star', question more, and encourage kindness. Both are wonderful gifts and offer up important wisdom.
The Human Sexuality Shelf
Hooking Up
Amber Madison
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024706 $16.00 www.prometheusbooks.com
HOOKING UP: A GIRL'S ALL-OUT GUIDE TO SEX & SEXUALITY comes from a Tufts University graduate who studied human sexuality – but expect not a science-laden treatise, here. It's a most readable, hard-hitting advice column to young women on sexuality, dating, and sex and covers all the basics, from understanding monogamy and sexual risks to contraception – including how to correctly use a condom and assessing problems with their use. Expect a candid, yet analytical, survey which trends where other sex guides fear to go, making it much more useful for modern women than competitors which dance around the subject.
The Islamic Studies Shelf
Hezbollah: Born with a Vengeance
Hala Jaber
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
0231108346 $43.00 http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ 1-800-944-8648
HEZBOLLAH has been synonymous with terror for decade, but few books examine its reputation, evolution, and development. This book is an essential recommendation for any college-level or specialty collection strong in Muslim history and culture: it surveys the party's ties to Iran, its members, and its involvement in Islam and not only provides a history, but interviews hostage takers and victims alike to shed light on philosophy, action, and culture. Essential for any who would study the region's past, present and possible futures.
The American History Shelf
Fire In the Grove
John C. Esposito
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
030681501X $15.95 www.dacapopress.com
Fire In the Grove: The Coconut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath analyzes one of the deadliest firs in American history: the destruction of a Boston institution which killed nearly five hundred people in an overcrowded club. Boston politics, social issues, and the pursuit of justice which followed the fire are all chronicled in a survey essential for any Boston history collection and many a law library.
The Health/Medicine Shelf
Good Night
Michael Breus, Ph.D.
Dutton
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014
0525949798 $24.95 www.penguin.com
If you're not getting a good night's sleep, and conventional ideas haven't worked, then GOOD NIGHT: THE SLEEP DOCTOR'S 4-WEEK PROGRAM TO BETTER SLEEP AND BETTER HEALTH takes the next step. It comes from a Senior VP of Clinical Operations at a sleep clinic on the cutting edge of sleep research, and offers up a survey which outlines 6 common reasons for sleep disturbance, how to fix short-term and long-term problems, and how to refine the art of napping. Any sleep-deprived sufferer needs this.
When Roles Reverse
Jim Comer
Hampton Roads Publishing
1125 Stoney Ridge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
1571745009 $17.95 www.hrpub.com
WHEN ROLES REVERSE: A GUIDE TO PARENTING YOUR PARENTS joins others on the subject, but provides many important insights and differences not covered in competing titles. Public libraries in particular will find this a specific, top pick: it surveys everything from legal considerations and optins for acting on parens' behalf to handling dementia, hospital interactions, care team meetings and more. The author's first-person experiences blend with humor – such as what to do when finding 3 gallons of Scotch in a parent's retirement home closet – to provide insights on real-life scenarios.
Sciatica Solutions
Loren Fishman, MD & Carol Ardman
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avneue, New York NY 10110
0393058344 $25.95 www.wwnorton.com
Sciatica Solutions: Diagnosis, Treatment and Cure of Spinal and Piriformis Problems may sound technical but it's medical knowledge is most accessible to lay readers, making it a top pick for public libraries because of its ease of reference and because back problems are one of the most common medical conditions affecting the general population. Chapters cover symptoms, the neurology involved in the range of complaints sciatica shows, and identify seven primary causes, differentiating it from its related piriformis problems and surveying the treatment for both. Dr. Fishman holds some thirty years of clinical experience including alternative medicine, so his SCIATICA SOLUTIONS embraces the best of both worlds, making it a top pick for libraries seeking a comprehensive yet easy reference.
Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes or Less, 2nd Edn
Robyn Webb
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
1580402658 $11.95 www.diabetes.org
The problem with most diabetic meals is that new diabetics and their families tend to think cooking healthier means taking more time in the kitchen. Not so, as evidenced by the approach and dishes in Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes or Less, which features more kitchen-tested recipes selected for taste, health, and ease of preparation. From managing portion sizes and making savvy purchases to enjoying a range of dishes from appetizers to desserts in a quick, easy format, in Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes or Less is a top pick for those who equate diabetic meal preparation with ‘extra work'.
Why Men Never Remember and Women Never Forget
Marianne J. Legato, MD, FACP
Rodale Press, Inc.
400 South Tenth Street, Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
1594865272 $15.95 www.rodalestore.com
Here's another excellent ‘Men are From Mars' type expose of the underlying meaning of differences between the male and female psyche, this one explaining exactly how males and females are different – and how these differences, right down to brain processing and perception, affect common traits in both sexes. Science, psychology and medicine blend in a lively consideration of everything from cheating in marriage to differences in how men and women talk and problem-solve. Public libraries who found ‘Men Are From Mars' popular will find the same audience will readily gravitate to WHY MEN NEVER REMEMBER AND WOMEN NEVER FORGET.
Psycho-Pharmacology Handbook
Sophia F. Dziegielewski
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10110
0393704599 $27.50 www.wwnorton.com
All mental health providers must have knowledge about medications, as assignment of medications is no longer limited to psychiatry – and Psycho-Pharmacology Handbook is the reference of choice for any non-medically trained mental health provider who needs a clear and non-technical explanation for the latest medications. This is the first book which pairs an easily-understood discussion of the role of drugs in mental health to surveys of mental health treatment options, explaining how medications work within the mental health world, tolerance, addiction, and how to select and assign a regimen. Any college-level collection strong in mental health references must have this.
Breast Cancer Basics and Beyond
Delthia Ricks, M.S.
Hunter House
P.O. Box 2914, Alameda CA 94501
0897934547 $15.95 www.hunterhouse.com
From the basics of diagnosis, treatment options and follow-up care to the latest research on treatment progression, recurrence, genetic and ethnic factors in breast cancer, and more, here's a guide easy on the eye, not mired in confusing medical terminology and a fine primer on risks for any newly diagnosed with breast cancer. There are plenty of books on the market about the subject: what differentiates this from competitors is its focus on traditional treatments, activist responses, and choices which take into account quality of life and future health concerns.
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
Elizabeth W. Davidson
University of Arizona Press
355 S. Euclid Avenue, Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719
0816525447 $17.95 www.uapress.arizona.edu
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas: How Discoveries of Invertebrate Diseases are Advancing Modern Science makes a case for the history of insect-microbial interactions, offering up stories from around the world to trace these interactions and their impact on public health. Bug-against-bug battles have wide-ranging impacts on human conditions: they offer up lessons for fighting infection and surviving environmental degradation which can be keys to human health too. So while BIG FLEAS HAVE LITTLE FLEAS might initially seem a specialty science title on microorganism natural history, it holds valuable lessons for college-level health sciences students as well.
Men In Nursing
Chad E. O'Lynn & Russell E. Tranbarger, Editors
Springer Publishing Company
11 West 42nd Street, New York NY 10036
0826102212 $40.00 www.springerpub.com
MEN IN NURSING: HISTORY, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES comes from two practicing nurses and educators who offer their combined insider's experiences on how men work and survive in nursing. An introductory history of the professional as a whole and the introduction of men into nursing leads to a survey of common issues unique to males in nursing, examples of men working in nursing in other countries, and analysis of their future careers in the field. Chapters blend personal insights with industry analysis to provide excellent insights crucial to any student of nursing.
The Golden Bridge
Patty Dobbs Gross
Purdue University Press
509 Harrison Street, SCCE, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2025
155753408X $24.95 www.thepress.perdue.edu
Any working in the field of child development or disability will find THE GOLDEN BRIDGE: A GUIDE TO ASSISTANCE DOGS FOR CHILDREN CHALLENGED BY AUTISM OR OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES to be a rare treat. It blends personal and professional advice on how these dogs can help such kids and provides parents with all the keys to handling the issues related to raising such children. Dog breeders alike will find this an important key to understanding how to raise a dog who can work with a developmentally disabled child. Here are the tips, tricks, websites, and references needed to understand the entire field!
Staying Focused in the Age of Distraction
Elizabeth Hanson Hoffman, Ph.D. & Christopher D. Hoffman, MSW, LCSW
New Harbinger Publications
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland CA 94609
157224433X $16.95 www.newharbinger.com
Use Staying Focused in the Age of Distraction : How Mindfulness, Prayer & Meditation Can Help you Pay Attention to What Really Matters to hone attention and block out the ads, expectations and values of others whether they come from Internet, television or more. These modern distractions can create a desire for a more meaningful existence which is an illusion: learn how to avoid meaningless activities and interests and develop both a spiritual and a refined lifestyle through a book which cuts out the media expectations inherent in everyday living.
Homeopathy: An A to Z Book
Alan V. Schmukler
Llewellyn Publications
PO Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383
0738708739 $16.95 www.llewellyn.com 1-800-843-6666
If you're looking for an easy home handbook of natural remedies simpler than most yet filled with the essentials, here's a handbook of nearly two hundred illnesses, injuries, and physical conditions ranging from flu and headache to food poisoning remedies and tick bites. Symptoms outlines are followed by prevention tips, then natural remedies in a book very simple to follow and perfect for newcomers to the subject.
Beyond Rice and Beans
Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDN, CDE
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
1580402216 $16.95 www.ada.com
BEYOND RICE AND BEANS; THE CARIBBEAN LATINO GUIDE TO EATING HEALTHY WITH DIABETES comes in a unique English/Spanish format and assures its value will reach into the Spanish community as well. Here are food lists, exchange lists and sample meal plans geared to Latino culture and foods, offering shopping lists, health insights, and the basics. From how to read a nutrition label to balancing a meal, this isn't your usual recipe book – plenty of those elsewhere – but a fine diabetes management guide especially valuable to non-English speakers with different ethnic foods on board.
Broken Glass
Robert V. Hine
University of New Mexico Press
Albuquerque, NM 800-249-7737
0826339972 $18.95 www.unmpress.com
BROKEN GLASS: A FAMILY'S JOURNEY THROUGH MENTAL ILLNESS tells of an unhappy child who grows up to have a serious personality disorder. Elene reached her teens in the middle of the counterculture years: her professor father here shares his story of the family's struggles with Elene's ongoing mental health issues, charting hospital and doctor snafus and interactions, family adjustments, and ups and downs which eventually led to helping her raise her own children. An eye-opening story evolves with plenty of lessons for other families struggling with mental illness.
The Demon Under the Microscope
Thomas Hager
Harmony Books/Crown
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
1400082137 $24.95 www.randomhouse.com
THE DEMON UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: FROM BATTLEFIELD HOSPITALS TO NAZI LABS, ONE DOCTOR'S HEROIC SEARCH FOR THE WORLD'S FIRST MIRACLE DRUG tells of a world-wide race to find a drug which would change and save lives. Research Domagk saw hundreds of his fellow German soldiers die of infected wounds during the first world war, and worked for a solution for years before achieving a breakthrough which would lead his government to punish him. His discovery of the benefits of sulfa would eventually be overrun by penicillin – but in the meantime he'd languish in jail for his efforts. From how sulfa changed perceptions of drug treatments to why wartime needs spurred the discoveries in antibiotics, this is a rare history that should be a part of any comprehensive college-level medical library – and many a public library collection.
Medicare Meets Mephistopheles
David A. Hyman
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
1930865929 $9.95 www.cato.org
No ordinary survey, MEDICARE MEETS MEPHISTOPHELES takes the form of allegory, and is written as a memorandum from an underling demon to the devil himself. Devilish details demonstrate Medicare's pitfalls and the foundations that only undermine honesty and encourage greed and profiteering. In using satire as a vehicle for analysis, Hyman provides a biting analysis easy to digest.
The Political Science Shelf
Wake-Up Call
Kristen Breitweiser
Warner Books
1271 Avenue of Americas, New York NY
0446579327 $24.99 www.hachetteBookGroupUSA.com
In 2001 the author was a mother and housewife living a privileged life with her husband and daughter until 9/11 killed her husband and changed her life. Her memoir WAKE-UP CALL: THE POLITICAL EDUCATION OF A 9/11 WIDOW moves beyond the event and grief, though, providing an in-depth analysis of the politics she learned and used to shun. Her political awakening, as a result, creates a satisfying focus here that succeeds in standing apart from the other memoirs recounting events and changes.
American Vulgar
Robert Grudin
Shoemaker & Hoard Publishers
1400 – 65th Street, Suite 250, Emeryville CA 94608
1593761023 $15.00 www.shoemakerhoard.com
American Vulgar: the Politics of Manipulation Versus the Culture of Awareness is a call to action against forces of corruption which has permeated American society from the top down. It argues that marketers, political candidates, the media and others have succeeded in diminishing American self-awareness to maximize power – and it identifies these forces and how to act against them. Vulgarity can be overcome, philosopher and academic scholar Robert Grudin maintains: but only if its nature is understood. Use AMERICAN VULGAR to understand this nature, and how it manipulates: high school to college-level students in particular will find AMERICAN VULGAR key to debates surrounding social and political issues and accountability.
After Fidel
Brian Latell
Palgrave Macmillan
175 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010-7848
1403969434 $24.95 www.palgrave-usa.com
AFTER FIDEL: THE INSIDE STORY OF CASTRO'S REGIME AND CUBA'S NEXT LEADER is an important assessment given Fidel's recent health issues: it provides both a political history of Fidel's regime, an analysis of his approach and impact, and new information on his brother, their family life, and how Raul is growing more powerful. In analyzing Fidel and Raul Castro's relationship and evolving influence on Cuban history and culture, AFTER FIDEL provides all the historical and psychological analysis needed for an informed consideration of modern Cuba's future.
Globalized Islam
Olivier Roy
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023-7015
0231134991 $19.95 www.columbiaedu/cu/cup 1-800-944-8648
Globalized Islam: The Search for a new Ummah pinpoints growing Islam militancy not abroad but in the West, arguing that the revival of Islam among Muslims over the last few decades is more a force of the pressures of globalization than a reaction to the West. In moving beyond the traditional, more common ‘ East versus West' argument, GLOBALIZED ISLAM provides a new foundation for understanding modern Islam's sentiments and radicalism, offering an essential key to understanding not evident in similar-sounding discussions.
The Infiltrator
Harmon Leon
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024668 $17.00 www.prometheusbooks.com
Gonzo journalist Harmon Leon infiltrated the right-wing movement and published REPUBLICAN LIKE ME, a hard-hitting yet humor-laden take on Republican sentiments and insider experiences: now THE INFILTRATOR: MY UNDERCOVER EXPLOITS IN RIGHT-WING AMERICA arrives to expose more Republican views draws on Leon's underground experiences with O.J. Simpson, a civilian vigilante group on patrol for illegal aliens, and another group which eventually promotes him president. As an amazing story of ‘infiltration journalist' techniques, it's also a top pick for any college-level journalism library.
America Alone
Mark Steyn
Regnery Publishing
One Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
0895260786 $27.95 www.regnery.com
While diversity is the strength of America's melting pot culture, AMERICA ALONE: THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT offers up otherwise, considering problems with globalization, cultural changes and challenges to freedom in the U.S., and dangerous paths. Tongue-in-cheek humor blends well with observation in conservative columnist Mark Steyn's AMERICA ALONE: it considers the future of the West, the decline of European strengths, and the rise of challenges to belief systems in a hard-hitting survey offering keys to understanding for modern times.
The Towers of Deception
Barrie Zwicker
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island BC V0R 1XO Canada
0865715734 $24.95 www.newsociety.com
Several books have already been written questioning aspects of 9/11, but none so all-embracing or pointed as TOWERS OF DECEPTION: THE MEDIA COVER-UP OF 9/11 which comes with a DVD of 9/11 news coverage not aired before. 9/11, journalist Barrie Zwicker here maintains, was an ‘inside job' and a ‘false-flag operation'. Eighteen such psychological warfare operations from 1605 to modern times are described, along with close inspections of the ‘blackout' of key questions the traditional and alternative media alike have failed to address. Photos, diary entries, and profiles of those investigating the truth offer some eye-opening insights on liberty, 9/11 and media freedoms as a whole.
China Shakes the World
James Kynge
Houghton Mifflin
222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
0618705643 $25.00 www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
CHINA SHAKES THE WORLD: A TITAN'S BREAKNECK RISE AND TROUBLED FUTURE – AND THE CHALLENGE FOR AMERICA joins several other books on the topic, comes from a former bureau chief of the Financial Times in Beijing, and shows how China's vast and quick growth is reshaping world politics and world trade. Offsetting this vision of Chinese dominance are real problems, such as the country's problems with pollution and corruption at all levels of society. How China – and the world – can cope with its advancements and failures is the topic of a hard-hitting analysis essential for any who would understand the nation's future.
Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security
Kurt M. Campbell and Michael E. O'Hanlon
Basic Books
c/o Perseus Books
387 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
0465051669 $26.00 www.basicbooks.com 1-800-242-7737
Democrats have been losing elections for the past five years and if you want to understand just why, HARD POWER is the place to go. It shows how the Democrats have no viable strategy on the major issue of national security, and shows not only how foreign policy will decide elections of the future, but how Democrats have lost such credibility and how to get it back. With its chapters covering Middle East peace issues and processes, military management, and future problems with China's ascent, HARD POWER outlines all the major issues facing us in the future.
Capitalism 3.0
Peter Barnes
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco CA 94104
1576753611 $22.95 www.bkconnection.com
CAPITALISM 3.0: A GUIDE TO RECLAIMING THE COMMONS provides a strong critical eye on modern capitalism, which is rapidly destroying the heritage ‘the commons' imparts to future generations. Our modern approach will lead to economic and social collapse, Barnes warns; but capitalism can be ‘upgraded' by recapturing the focus on ‘the commons' of future generations, and here he proposes an update that includes innovative changes to preserve the system for the future. A fine roadmap for preserving capitalism's best features emerges.
The Oil Depletion Protocol
Richard Heinberg
New Society Publishers
Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
0856715637 $16.95 www.newsociety.com
Oil is the primary fuel of the world – and thus, vulnerable to terrorist efforts. THE OIL DEPLETION PROTOCOL: A PLAN TO AVERT OIL WARS, TERRORISM AND ECONOMIC COLLAPSE does more than the usual charting of a known problem: it offers up solutions, reviewing data on peak oil production and describing an accord where nations would voluntarily reduce their production and imparts by an agreed-upon formula to enable energy transition planning and ultimately more stable prices. A unique concept that deserves thought and which is well planned, here!
The Angry Right
S.T. Joshi
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024633 $25.00 www.prometheusbooks.com
It's a fact that Republications have enjoyed unprecedented power for the last eight years: so why is the right so angry? THE ANGRY RIGHT: WHY CONSERVATIVES KEEP GETTING IT WRONG uses twelve leading conservatives to document the roots of rate by the right, which believes conservatives have strayed from the righteous path. The writings of conservative icons here document this shift, using works from William F. Buckley, Russell Kirk and nine others. If you've ever wanted insights into the ideals of the conservative mind, THE ANGRY RIGHT tells all.
The Christmas Shelf
Christmas in New England
Amy Whorf McGugiggan
Commonwealth Editions
266 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
1889833983 $19.95 www.commonwealtheditions.com
Some fifty New England holiday regional traditions are gathered in a survey fit for either residents or ex-natives of the region, making for a lovely holiday celebration. From different interpretations of Santa – the flying version versus Secret Santa – to Christmas traditions in city and countryside and even historic holiday celebrations, Christmas in New England is a wonderful multi-faceted celebration any holiday enthusiast will love.
A Covington Christmas
Joan Medlicott
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
0743499212 $15.95 www.simonsays.com
When the new pastor at the Cove Road Church in Covington discovers the former pastor was never ordained as a minister – making five longstanding marriages invalid – trouble begins when the couples mark Christmas as an occasion for getting married for real. With a church falling down, the ladies of the town decide to embark on a renovation fund – and trouble really begins. The ‘Ladies of Covington' is delightful even without the warmth of the holidays: public libraries will find their exploits fun and the seasonal acquisition certain to receive repeated attention from patrons.
The Computer Shelf
Hacking the Cable Modem
DerEngel
No Starch Press
555 DeHaro Street #250, San Francisco CA 94107
1593271018 $29.95 www.nostarch.com
Cable modem owners who want to do more than see it placidly sit alongside a computer will want HACKING THE CABLE MODEM: WHAT CABLE COMPANIES DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW. What is there to know about the cable modem? Plenty, according to underground hacker DerEngel, who began hacking cable modems five years ago. Secrets of many popular cable modem products include step-by-step tutorials with source code examples, diagrams, and even schematics – something usually absent from hacker's guides – to survey files, applications, and how to unblock network ports, unlock hidden features, and modify a cable modem system. While it's touted for all users at all skills levels, obviously it's the curious and serious hacker who will best benefit from this extensive, well-detailed coverage.
Programming Atlas
Christian Wentz
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596526725 $34.99 www.oreilly.com
If you're not already using Microsoft's new framework for building Ajax-savvy web sites, you should be – and PROGRAMMING ATLAS is the perfect vehicle to take you there. It may look like a ‘cookbook' of recipes, but it's not – it's a survey of the underlying technology concepts that make Ajax work, from those most often associated with Ajax to understanding its design and tool intentions. With these basics in hand programmers will find Atlas a snap to master – thanks to PROGRAMMING ATLAS.
If you're using Adobe Flash or Flex software, you shouldn't be without the program-specific ‘recipes' in the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook. Here are the cross-referenced, quick look-up recipes for operating systems, formatting, accessibility, and options and alternates for strings. Solutions come from a leading consultant in the Flash arena, a Rich Internet Applications consultant, and a freelance Flash developer and pack in specific code suggestions and pros and cons of routines.
Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual
Barbara Brundage
Pogue Press/O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596527284 $39.99 www.oreilly.com
Photoshop Elements 5 is a powerful program that, surprisingly, comes without a user's guide, so let the colorful Barbara Brundage ‘bible' PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 5: THE MISSING MANUAL substitute for the publisher's lack. Here's a manual which goes beyond the usual tools overview to survey timesaving elements, differences between Photoshop and Elements tools, applications such as scrapbooking, and all the basics on removing unwanted color, tweaking images for professional results, and using filters and photo layouts. Photoshop 5 owners can't be without this manual; especially newcomers – but also those with some basics down who want to move easily to the next level.
Java Generics and Collections
Maurice Naftalin & Philip Wadler
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596527756 $34.99 www.oreilly.com
Java's had many changes since its initial release and programmers would find it easy to fall behind on all these new collection libraries, so Java Generics and Collections is an essential tool for any programmer working in Java lready, who would keep up with the design and nature of generics. From parameter basics and new features to using wildcards, generic libraries and understanding performance implications of their different options, Java Generics and Collections is a ‘must' for any working Java programmer.
PrenticeHall
One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
www.prenhallprofessional.com
These three excellent computer guides are recommended picks for programmers and designers who want at-a-glance reference capabilities combined with the ease of a primer. Christopher Hallinan's EMBEDDED LINUX PRIMER: A PRACTICAL REAL-WORLD APPROACH (0131679848, $44.99) covers all the basics for building efficient Linux-based embedded products. Many Linux guides permeate the market, but few offer the focus on embedded processing which includes everything from file systems and bootloaders to cross-development and real time solutions. It's this focus on advanced embedded applications which makes for a unique reference. Wesley Chun's CORE PYTHON PROGRAMMING, 2ND EDITION (0132269937, $49.99) provides developers with an in-depth survey of the updated Python 2.5, comes from a leading Python developer and trainer, and utilizes real-world code examples throughout to cover all the basics of Python programming. Other books on Python don't cover nearly as much – it's difficult to move smoothly from a basic introduction to advanced applications – but developers will appreciate the easy transitions here which focus on how to build more effective applications and how to use Python toolkits alongside the program itself. Alan Ezust and Paul Ezust's AN INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN PATTERNS IN C++ WITH QT4 (0131879057, $49.99) goes beyond C++ guides to add information on cross-platform development capabilities, offering up a blend of tutorial and reference which, surprisingly, assumes no prior knowledge of C, C++, objects or patterns. This enables newcomers to get up to speed quickly, mastering the basics of design patterns and objects and using QT and C++ together to understand many programming basics, even to creating applications that access databases and manipulate XML files. All are exceptional guides.
Lessons in Grid Computing
Stuart Robbins
John Wiley & Sons
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
0471790109 $34.95 www.wiley.com
Lessons in Grid Computing: The System Is a Mirror blends storytelling with IT analysis and business insights to attract any with affection for computer systems and management alike. The author believes IT systems are mirrors reflecting the dysfunctions and concepts of those who design and manage technology: chapters use fictional surveys to chart real struggles to overcome technical and management issues as a result of such a focus. The idea that computer and social systems are entwined isn't new: what is new is the identification of ‘grid computing' to allow readers to understand how this affects organizational structure and achievement.
Overselling the Web?
Charles Kenny
Lynne Rienner Publishers
1800 – 30th Street Suite 315, Boulder CO 80301-1026
1588264580 $45.00 www.reinner.com
OVERSELLING THE WEB? DEVELOPMENT AND THE INTERNET considers how the internet has and will continue to impact the world – and why it may be oversold as a result. Chapters survey the presence and evolution of the technology in both developing and under-developed nations with an eye to explaining business control of applications, cultural influences, differences within nations on how the Internet is promoted, marketed, and controlled, and more. An excellent college-level survey IT classes will appreciate.
ESRI Publishers
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100
www.esri.com
Two new GIS titles deserve a spot in any serious college-level collection: they cover analysis and evolutionary processes and provide both historical background and keys to future changes. Ayse Pamuk's MAPPING GLOBAL CITIES: GIS METHODS IN URBAN ANALYSIS (1589481437, $49.95) surveys modern urban policymaking processes and the impact of GIS results on the planning process. Important connections between data obtained from GIS and its strengths in spatial analysis makes for chapters which review how spatial data contributes to GIS analysis and the decision-making process as a whole. Nick Chrisman's CHARTING THE UNKNOWN: HOW COMPUTER MAPPING AT HARVARD BECAME GIS (1589481186, $34.95) narrows the focus to the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis, the origin of the birth of the modern GIS system. The history surveys early programming efforts, the evolution of Odyssey, the prototype for modern GIS software, and the influence of individuals and businesses on GIS development. An excellent background pick for any studying the history of GIS.
A to Z GIS
Tasha Wade and Shelly Sommer
ESRI
380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100
1589481402 $24.95 www.esri.com
Books about GIS are usually quite technical, surveying the applications and computer potentials of geographic information systems, so it's refreshing to note that A TO Z GIS: AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF GEOGEPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS is something different: a simple set of geography and cartography definitions designed to defines values, coordinates, reference systems, representations, and GIS data processing methods and routines. Students of GIS will find this essential to understanding the terminology of both computer and geography worlds.
Online Marketing Success Stories
Rene V. Richards
Atlantic Publishing Group
1210 S.W. 23rd Place, Ocala, FL 34474-7014
0910627657 $21.95 www.atlantic-pub.com
E-commerce is expected to increase by 500 percent through 2010, so any business anticipating success must have more than a retail brick n mortar presence: that's the message of a title which gathers over sixty true stories from those who have evolved successful businesses on the internet today. Learn from the culmination of hundreds of tips, which here represent the best, most successful advice. There are many books covering Internet strategies – but few packed with real-world success stories, as this provides.
Programming Python, 3rd Edition
Mark Lutz
O'Reilly Publishing
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596009259 $59.99 www.oreilly.com
The wonderful thing about a thick reference such as Programming Python, now in its updated third edition, is that it offers a virtual manual in book form which can quickly be consulted by novices and pros alike while in the middle of a programming quandry. This means no exiting or turning to a different computer for lengthy online support, but a quick glance at an appropriate chapter covering real problems from parallel processing and networking snafus to considering Java integration within the Python language. Here are chapters offering everything from troubleshooting to design specs, with an eye to realistically scaled problems and avoiding common hurdles. The author is an independent Python trainer and software developer who has worked with Python since 1992 and teaches classes in it: this dual expertise lends well to a popular ‘bible' packed with solutions.
Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook
Tim Patrick & John Clark Craig
O'Reilly Publishing
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596101775 $49.99 www.oreilly.com
Over 300 common and uncommon tasks Visual Basic 2005 programmers face often are arranged in a solution-oriented set of examples which is based on ‘recipes' and formulas but includes code, examples, complete solutions and even advanced projects. Particularly valuable for .NET developers as well as novice Visual Basic students, the Visual Basic 2005 Cookbook offers up a set of recipes for solving a wide swatch of common problems – and imparts the basics of pros and cons to the solving process.
Programming Embedded Systems
Michael Barr & Anthony Massa
O'Reilly
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596009836 $49.99 www.oreilly.com
Programming Embedded Systems with C and GNU Development Tools appears in its second updated edition to include even more real-world and Linux examples, and is a recommended pick for programmers with a familiarity with C. It's been used as a college textbook and covers everything from basic debugging skills to determining the applications and needs of real-time projects. In updating details and clarifying routines, the 2nd edition of Programming Embedded Systems should be considered both a classroom and lending collection standard.
The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
The Power of Film
Howard Suber
Michael Wiese Productions
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd, #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
1932907173 $27.95 www.mwp.com
THE POWER OF FILM offers up a UCLA film school teacher's definitive A-Z course on the motion picture, covering all the basic elements of the best films: chaos, power struggles, cute, opposites and more themes. Each entry by subject receives an analysis which cuts to the quick of successful production approaches, offering a synthesis of the psychological and technical sources which elevate a film from mediocre to successful, and using examples from the film industry. College-level film students, in particular, will find this absorbing and revealing – and a ‘must have' substitute for journeying to UCLA to attend one of Suber's popular, sold-out courses.
Will Power
John Basil
Applause Books/Hal Leonard
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York NY 10010
1557836663 $17.95 www.applausepub.com
WILL POWER: HOW TO ACT SHAKESPEARE IN 21 DAYS guides actors through the three-week rehearsal process which leads to an understanding of performance options of Shakespeare's plays, and comes from a teacher of the First Folio approach to Shakespearean directing and acting. His techniques have been developed for all kinds of performances: any high school to adult Shakespearean drama group must have this: it teaches the many opportunities and avenues available for exploring Shakespeare's plays, relating these opportunities to acting development as a hwole.
Forever Mame
Bernard F. Dick
University Press of Mississippi
3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6492
1578068908 $30.00 www.upress.state.ms.us
While much has been made of the classic film character Auntie Mame, relatively little has been written about Rosalind Russell, who portrayed her: that makes Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell a ‘must' for any serious film library collection specializing in film history. It is, surprisingly, the first full-length biography and uses personal interviews and private archives – including those of her film producer husband – to detail her life. While it includes black and white photos, the meat of the title lies in its biographical sketch of Russell's life and social circle: key to understanding her character and film career. Any serious film library needs this.
What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?
Joseph McBride
University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40508-4008
0813124107 $29.95 www.kentuckypress.com
Mention the name Orson Welles and his most famous involvement – with the radio scare ‘War of the Worlds' – immediately comes to mind; but for a deeper understanding of Welles' life and career you need What Ever Happened to Orson Welles?: A Portrait of an Independent Career. His later projects were largely self-financed and erratically distributed, but film critic and biographer Joseph McBride has a personal familiarity with Welles from previous projects worked on with him and here shows how the Hollywood studio system forced Welles out of the industry. Its value thus is twofold: as a biography for Welles fans, and as a history of film industry operations and politics.
Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence
Steven K. Kirsh
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
0761929762 $39.95 www.sagepublications.com
College-level collections strong in media history as well as education studies will find plenty to like with Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. Here are the analyses, studies and developmental perspective on media violence issues which focus on evaluating research with development in mind to identify the next research process step. Different forms of media violence, from animation to sports, are surveyed along with the major theories that explain the effects of such violence. Video games are included in chapters which will appeal to undergraduates and graduate students in a range of courses; from media history and communications to psychology and child development.
The Lost Films of John Wayne
Carolyn McGivern
Cumberland House
431 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
1581825676 $18.95 www.cumberlandhouse.com
Hollywood icon John Wayne's career spanned from 1926-76 and produced numerous movies, so you'd think most of them would have received much attention by now – but The Lost Films of John Wayne demonstrates there's a number which remain unavailable with only two kept from the public. These were released in the mid-1950s and based on novels by Ernest K. Gann, and are finally celebrated here, in a coverage which provides close inspection of the two movies and the reason why they were suppressed until the summer of 2005. A ‘must' for any definitive film holding strong in John Wayne's history, biography and productions.
The Alchemy of Theatre: The Divine Science
Robert Viagas, Editor
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
19 West 21st Street, Suite 201, New York NY 10010
1557836981 $29.95 www.applausepub.com
The Alchemy of Theatre: The Divine Science: Essays on Theatre & the Art of Collaboration includes essays by many notable composers and playwrights, including directors, conductors, actors and more, on the topic of theatre collaboration pros and cons. As such, it considers a wide range of artists working together in theatre who explore the entire collaborative effort and process, from how music is coordinated and translated to finished product to the process of understanding how collaboration reflects the self. First-person essays by those working in the field reflect a range of ideas with one important connection: producing a polished finished effort. Any working in theatre, especially those neo-pros at the college or high school level, must consider the wisdom packed into The Alchemy of Theatre: it comes not from theory alone but from the working artists themselves.
Red Star Over Hollywood
Ronald and Allis Radosh
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite, 400, New York NY 10003-1239
1594031460 $17.95 www.enocunterbooks.com
The Hollywood Blacklist is a story which has long been perpetuated by the film industry into popular culture, but RED STAR OVER HOLLYWOOD: THE FILM COLONY'S LONG ROMANCE WITH THE LEFT takes a different approach then most, documenting the large number of movie stars who did join the Communist Party and as a result had an impact on filmmaking trends. Material from the papers of Dalton Trumbo and other Hollywood insiders examine the concurrent growth of Communism through the 1930s and war years and the growing numbers of film greats who joined, experienced inner party disagreements, and influenced the industry as a whole. It's the first book to examine the discussion groups and members who helped define and promote Hollywood radicalism and makes for an important analysis filling many gaps.
Lone Eagle Publishing
5055 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.hcdonline.com
Two fine actor's guides are excellent picks for libraries specializing in film production. Rob Kendt's HOW THEY CAST IT: AN INSIDER'S LOOK AT FILM AND TELEVISION CASTING (1580650619, $18.95) surveys the casting process and comes from Breakdown Services, the starting point of most television and feature film roles in Hollywood. Here's an insider's view of how actors are matched with plots – and how major films achieved success through appropriate pairings. Aspiring actors must understand the casting and recasting process – and will, with HOW THEY CAST IT in hand. Rona Edwards and Monika Skerbelis' "I LIKED IT, DIDN'T LOVE IT": SCREENPLAY DEVELOPMENT FROM THE INSIDE OUT follows the process of how a screenplay is accepted or rejected – and why. What makes it a hit or miss, what happens after it's optioned or sold, and what it means to work with producers, directors, and executives offers up tips aspiring screenwriters can't afford to miss.
Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot
Peter Dunne
Quill Driver Books
1254 Commerce Avenue, Sanger, CA 93657
188495653X $14.95 www.quilldriverbooks.com
The revised edition of EMOTIONAL STRUCTURE comes from an award-winning producer and writer who here tackles the elements of adding emotional depth to a plot. The basics of creating an emotionally-charged scene are probed in chapters which show how to balance incidents and responses, follow logical paths and introduce unexpected emotional moments, and how to create emotional honesty within the context of a plot. An excellent survey provides writers with many keys to script success.
Lessons: The Craft of Acting
Tom Isbell
Meriwether Publishing Limited
Box 77110, Colorado Springs, CO 70933-7710
1566081114 $19.95 www.meriwetherpublishing.com
Plenty of books advise actors on how to act – but too few hone in on how to achieve truthful representation within the acting experience. Author Tom Isbell spent his professional career as a theatre, film and TV actor and this and his director's background lends to a survey which covers objectives, actions, and committing to choices. Lessons help novices, especially, pinpoint what actors do wrong, and how to fix problems.
The Genealogy Shelf
Family Skeletons
Ruth Paley and Simon Fowler
The National Archives
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
19033365546 UKL19.99 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756
Most families have ‘skeletons' carefully buried in the closet, and it's the family genealogist's want to dig up and review these skeletons. Here are histories of rogues, wanton women, victims and villains alike that permeate history and offer up plenty of insights not just into their backgrounds, but to the governmental sources which house such accounts. History buffs and genealogy fans alike will find this an involving and lively read.
Family Photographs 1860-1945
Robert Pols
Public Record Office/National Archives
c/o International Publishers Marketing
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
1903365201 $19.95 www.internationalpubmarket.com 1-800-758-3756
If you want to take a closer look at old photos handed down through generations, you also have to take a closer look at the history and nature of portrait photography itself – and there's no better resource to turn to than Family Photographs 1860-1945. Other books focus on the history of portraits with an eye to photographic insights or artistic analysis: this instead blends in important facts unique to genealogical research, such as changing family roles, changing fashions, and how to date and interpret images given little extra information. These aspects make FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS 1860-1945 an invaluable genealogist's tool.
In Search of Your Asian Roots
Sheau-yueh J. Chao
Clearfield Company
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211
0806349468 $41.00 www.genealogicalpublishing.com 1-800-296-6687
In Search of Your Asian Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames appeared some time ago but deserves ongoing recommendation as a unique coverage – one of the few – to focus on the special challenges of researching Asian archives. Names and titles are listed in both Chinese and English, discussing the origins of some six hundred surnames and adding in Chinese history which traces the changes to these surname styles over the centuries. It's simply an essential ‘must have' reference for any conducting more than a casual investigation into Asian family history.
The Business Shelf
CEO Road Rules
Mary Key & Dennis Stearns
Davies-Black Publishing
1055 Joaquin Road, 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94043
0891062173 $24.95 www.daviesblack.com
Two authors survey the ‘road rules' of the CEO using an unusual approach: by providing a contemporary parable story which winds through past, present and future relationships with family, colleagues, and the business community to illustrate how the protagonist ‘Joe' rediscovers values and meaning within his business pursuits. Profiles of some fifty top private company CEOS concurrently illustrate numerous techniques, tools and tips for effecting such transformation. Use CEO Road Rules as a road manual for implementing values-based business planning.
How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant
Shri L. Henkel & Douglas R. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Group
1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, FL 34474
0910627800 $39.95 www.atlantic-pub.com
There are plenty of books on the market which cover how to open a general restaurant and a few which even address high-class establishments; but pizza and sub venues are different and need the close inspection of a subject-specific treatment. That's why How to Open a Financially Successful Pizza & Sub Restaurant stands out from the crowd: with its companion cd-rom of all forms in the book plus an editable business plan in Word, it offers the specifics neeeded to tailor a plan to such a venue, from incorporating a wood fire stove into a structure to sales analysis and successful employee relations. A ‘must' for any would-be pizza or sub shop owner or franchisee.
Big-Box Swindle
Stacy Mitchell
Beacon Press
25 Beacon Street, Boston MA 02108
0807035009 $24.95 www.beacon.org
Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses goes beyond most similar condemnations of big retailers to outline just how their domination is dangerous to society – and then moves on to show how citizens are fighting the phenomenon. Since 2000 nearly two hundred big-box development projects have been halted by citizens groups and communities across the U.S. are banding together to keep them out, recognizing the value in locally owned, independent businesses. It's not just consumer desire which drives big box store expansions; it's public policy and politics: BIG BOX SWINDLE documents these factors and is an important acquisition for any public or college-level library concerned with consumer and business issues, trends, and influences.
20 Questions to Ask if You Have a Great Idea or Invention
Michael H. Jester
Career Press
Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
1564148653 $10.99 www.careerpress.com
If you have a great idea you have to protect it: that's the message of 20 Questions to Ask if You Have a Great Idea or Invention: a survey of how inventions are stolen and how they are legally protected. Jester's an experienced patent lawyer who uses an easy question/answer format to quickly and concisely answer questions frequently posed by inventors, from understanding trade secrets and confidential agreements to understanding the steps in the patent process. An invaluable ‘must' any creative inventor must have.
Fermenting Revolution
Christopher Mark O'Brien
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0 Canada
0865715564 $18.95 www.newsociety.com
Humor, history, and business savvy blends with a beer activist history so it's hard to peg this title for any one section – it's featured here because its strength is a coverage of the sustainability movement's values and business interactions, which documents beer marketing, the evolution and growing strength of microbreweries, and their interactions with local communities. A fine survey of corporate and non-corporate powers and divisions makes for involving reading.
Covert Processes at Work
Robert J. Marshak
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650
San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576754154 $27.95 www.bkconnection.com
Hidden agendas, office politics and underlying assumptions can all work against attempts to restructure an organization to be more effective, so you need Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change to understand these processes. Each chapters offers specific tools addressing specific processes and typical problems, blending case history examples with surveys of covert blocking factors, problems in addressing them, and maintaining focal points of change. Any business manager needs COVERT PROCESSES AT WORK.
Handbook of Global Supply Chain Management
John T. Mentzer, Matthew B. Myers and Theodore P. Stank, Editors
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
1412918057 $125.00 www.sagepub.com
The Handbook of Global Supply Chain Management is no light reference, but a solid pick for college-level libraries strong in holdings pertaining to global supply chains. It identifies emerging developments and compares and contrasts them with past GSCM methods, analyzes chains, functions, resources and techniques for making it happen, and uses contributors from professions around the world, both in academic and private business circles. It's this attention to well-rounded detail and depth from different approaches which makes The Handbook of Global Supply Chain Management a critical acquisition for any serious college-level collection offering grad students and researchers detailed perspectives on the subject.
Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos
Lynette Lewis
W Publishing Group
c/o Thomas Nelson
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
0849901863 $21.99 www.thomasnelson.com
If you're a woman in the working world looking to rise to the top and to encourage self-determination, Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos: 10 Strategies for Stepping Up to Success and Satisfaction at Work is the key to doing so gracefully. Chapters use stories from women who made that climb to provide case histories of success, from how to create a personal purpose statement to guide you through the business world to establishing business and personal contacts to encourage this rise. Get to the top without losing sight of the bottom line of values using CLIMBING THE LADDER IN STILETTOS.
101 Complaint Letters That Get Results
Janet Rubel, Attorney at Law
Sphinx Publishing
c/o Sourcebooks
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, IL 60567-4410
1572485639 $19.95 www.sphinxlegal.com
A well-written complaint letter can motivate a response like no phone call can: and here to tell you how to produce such a hard-hitting letter is 101 Complaint Letters That Get Results, which covers sample letters for every business and consumer situation, from an employee who doesn't act correctly to identify theft, a child's bullying at school, and contesting an insurance company non-payment, and more. An organization by topic – health, airlines, etc. – makes it easy to locate a letter sample.
Golden Arches East, 2nd Edition
James L. Watson, Editor
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
9780804749893 $21.95 www.sup.org
McDonald's Restaurants are to be found world-wide and books have been written on their business success and approach – but GOLDEN ARCHES EAST: MCDONALD'S IN EAST ASIA is something different, providing college-level readers with a blend of cultural insights and business savvy as it traces McDonald's role in five Asian countries. Chapters provide the author's first-person insights as he journeys to five Asian countries and asks questions on McDonalds management, promotion strategies, and impact on local culture. Also included are reflections on food and marketing within these nations, making GOLDEN ARCHES EAST essential for any overseas business or Asian holding.
Global Broadband Battles
Martin Fransman, Editor
Stanford Business Books
c/o Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
0804753067 $29.95 www.sup.org
GLOBAL BROADBAND BATTLES: WHY THE U.S. AND EUROPE LAG WHILE ASIA LEADS holds important lessons beyond the broadband industry it examines, contrasting the different broadband performance of different countries and covering international contributions to both internet and broadband developments. There are many puzzles inherent in this process, such as why Europe is behind both Asia and the U.S. in regulating electronic communications: technology, business pursuits and social and political influence and structures alike are examined in the course of clear explanations.
Marketing That Matters
Chip Conley & Eric Friedenwald-Fishman
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
235 Montgomery Street Suite 650, San Francisco CA 94104-2916
1576753832 $12.00 www.bkconnection.com
MARKETING THAT MATTERS: 10 PRACTICES TO PROFIT YOUR BUSINESS AND CHANGE THE WORLD demonstrates just how marketing can advance business values while retaining ethical roots. Any company which would promote both values and trust must have MARKETING THAT MATTERS: its simple contentions tells how to build a socially responsible business and comes not from ideals, but from applied tactics.
Juicing the Orange
Pat Fallon & Fred Senn
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
1591399270 $26.95 www.hbspress.org
JUICING THE ORANGE: HOW TO TURN CREATIVITY INTO A POWERFUL BUSINESS ADVANTAGE tells how the consumer is changing, and how businesses need to refine and redefine applied creativity to keep consumer interests. Organization managers and owners often inadvertently stifle creativity or move it in the wrong direction: JUICING THE ORANGE tells how to use innovations to achieve realistic marketing goals and approaches, and uses decades of successful marketing tactics to reinforce ideas. Avoid obsolescence and make sure products are keyed to market demands with JUICING THE ORANGE.
The Opt-Out Revolt
Lisa A. Mainiero & Sherry Sullivan
Davies-Black Publishing
1055 Joaquin Road, 2nd Floor, Mountain View, CA 94043
089106186X $28.95 www.daviesblack.com
Thousands of men and women across the country are foregoing the high-stress business world executive life and opting out of the rat race, developing ‘Kaleidscope Careers' and lifestyles defined by personal more than business needs and pursuits, and here to document their experiences and approaches is THE OPT-OUT REVOLT: WHY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING COMPANIES TO CREATE KALEIDOSCOPE CAREERS. Profiles of individuals and their pursuits offer insights not only into what kinds of work don't sacrifice home and life values, but how it's achieved – and its effect on rat race companies' needs and demands. From handling the drive for challenges to meeting company standards and needs, this book is a ‘must' for any working up the ladder of success – and redefining it in the process.
The Elements of Influence
Alan Kelly
Dutton
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014-3657
0525949844 $26.95 www.penguin.com
The Elements of Influence: A New Essential System for Managing Competition, Reputation, Brand, and Buzz provides a clear system and strategy for ‘playmaking' – how companies thwart others and provide value and competitive strengths. ‘Playmaking' is the fine art of controlling marketplace discussions, direction and strategies, and chapters here survey an array of disciplines – not just the business world – to cover everything from positioning to idea advancement.
The International Studies Shelf
An Introduction to the Economic History of China
E. Stuart Kirby
Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016
041538155X $145.00 www.routledge.com
College-level collections strong in Asian history and culture, especially those with powerful business holdings, must have An Introduction to the Economic History of China, which provides a combined history of Chinese culture, Marxism, and economic trends from ancient to modern times. Here's a primer that would do well as assigned college reading for an introductory course on the topic, packed with interpretations of economic history trends, changing perspectives, and changing influences.
The Religion/Spirituality Shelf
A History of the End of the World
Jonathan Kirsch
HarperSanFrancisco
353 Sacramento Street, San Francisco CA 94111-3653
0060816988 $25.95 www.harpersf.com
The Book of Revelation in the Bible predicts – down to description of events – the end of the world and the destruction of the earth: it outlived its creator and has had a major influence on Western civilization: an influence revealed and analyzed in A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization. Chapters offer an analysis of the questions raised by Revelation, juxtaposing analysis with historical references to events and people who made decisions and led paths based on the contents of Revelation. An eye-opening blend of history and spiritual analysis results, recommended not just for Christian readers, but for any who would understand influences on the course of the world.
African Saints
Frederick Quinn
Crossroad Publishing Company
481 – 8th Avenue, 16 Penn Plaza, New York NY 10001
082451971X $22.95 www.crossroadpublishing.com
AFRICAN SAINTS: SAINTS, MARTYRS AND HOLY PEOPLE FROM THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA surveys holy people from the African church – something often omitted from considerations of saints – and comes from an Episcopal priest and former foreign service officer who spent many years in Africa. His descriptions of the African church goes beyond most comparative accounts which come from missionary sources, reflecting a diverse background and approach producing chapters strong in not only biographical content, but inclusion of religious notes such as Islamic relationships.
The Pope's Army
Robert Royal
Crossroad Publishing Company
481 – 8th Avenue, 16 Penn Plaza, New York NY 10001
0824523954 $19.95 www.crossroadpublishing.com
The Swiss Guard is ‘The Pope's Army', and has been for centuries; yet it's received relatively few coverages outside of more general surveys of Vatican history, so it's satisfying to see an ‘exclusive' in The Pope's Army: 500 Years of the Papal Swiss Guard. The guard has defended popes and witnessed every major Vatican event for half a millennium: chapters here trace this institution's impact, changes, and representation of military/religious values over the centuries, with a centerfold of color photos enhancing the effort. Any comprehensive Catholic or spirituality collection must have this lively read.
The Truth about Muhammad
Robert Spencer
Regnery Publishing
One Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington DC 20001
1596980281 $27.95 www.regnery.com
THE TRUTH ABOUT MUHAMMAD is subtitled ‘Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion' – and that gives a solid indication of the bent of a hard-hitting assessment of Muhammad's violent life and teachings. Robert Spencer is an Islam expert and director of Jihad Watch: his survey uses detailed documentation from the sources Muslims themselves consider the most reliable about Muhammad to reveal his life, development, and revelations. An eye-opening survey any Muslim and non-Muslim interested in Islam needs to consider.
The God That Did Not Fail
Robert Royal
Encounter Books
900 Broadway, Suite 400, New York NY 10003-12390
1594031452 $25.95 www.encounterbooks.com
Secular humanists and others have been predicting the demise of religion for over two hundred years, but it's still going – and stronger than ever – and THE GOD THAT DID NOT FAIL: HOW RELIGION BUILT AND SUSTAINS THE WEST analyzes why. Here's a survey which offers up an original reading of religion in ancient Greece, Rome, and through the centuries, following how religion has changed and evolved but maintained its status as a part of society and human culture. In the end, a dialogue between faith and modern democratic principles is encouraged in a fine survey charting religion's social connections right up through modern times.
Afterlife
Emanuel Swedenborg
Swedenborg Foundation/Chrysalis Publishing
320 N. Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380
0877853193 $12.95 www.swedenborg.com
If you know anything of Swedeborg, it's probably his best-known work, HEAVEN AND HELL, so AFTERLIFE: A GUIDED TOUR OF HEAVEN AND ITS WONDERS might not present anything new to avid followers. It synthesizes Swedenborg's classic, rearranging and abridging it and offering up only passages that describe the awakening of the soul in the afterlife. Donald L. Rose has done a terrific job of editing, providing a smooth-flowing read.
The Samurai and the Sacred
Stephen Turnbull
Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
1846030218 $29.95 www.ospreypublishing.com
Books on the samurai warriors usually focus fairly exclusively on either culture or war, or both; so it's unusual to find a treatise which includes religious beliefs and how they inspired the samurai warrior's efforts. This could've been featured in our Military Shelf section – but is reviewed here because any studying the spiritual history of the Japanese must have it: it draws from all belief systems in its analysis.
Christianity for the Rest of Us
Diana Butler Bass
HarperSanFrancisco
353 Sacramento Street, San Francisco CA 94111-3653
0060836946 $23.95 www.harpersf.com
For decades the idea has been that America's mainline Protestant churches are increasingly irrelevant, replaced by suburban evangelical mega-churches: now CHRISTIANITY FOR THE REST OF US: HOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH IS TRANSFORMING THE FAITH comes from a church expert and former NY Times columnist to maintain there's a revolution taking place within the mainline churches across the country. Modern mainline churchgoers who don't use the evangelical approach are growing – and their views represent a wider community interested in religion and politics alike. Her three-year study, funded by the Lilly Endowment, surveys some fifty such churches across six denominations to chart not a decline, but a revolutionary change in the making. CHRISTIANITY FOR THE REST OF US is a guide no church leader can ignore.
The Cookbook Shelf
The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
Southern Living Publishers
Oxmoor House
PO Box 2262, Birmingham, AL 35201-2262
084873114X $34.95 www.oxmoorhouse.com
What makes this cookbook shine above others? For one thing, it's been revised extensively and packs in over a thousand recipes paired with over 500 color photos. Its dishes come from the favorites of Southern Living Magazine readers, and provide not on recipes proven both popular and successful, but includes cooking techniques, food dictionaries, and numerous tips guaranteeing success. Special notes above selected recipes note those that are favorites, low-calorie, or lend to make ahead. A special recommendation, THE ALL-NEW ULTIMATE SOUTHER LIVING COOKBOOK may just be the only basic you'll need, if you're a novice and seek easy, clear dishes.
Mom's Best Crowd-Pleasers
Andrea Chesman
Storey Publishing
210 MassMoca Way, North Adams, MA 01247
1580176291 $10.95 www.storey.com
Whether you're cooking for a few extra at dinner or for 100 at a potluck, MOM'S BEST CROWD-PLEASERS is for any occasion where the hostess wishes satisfying food without long hours of labor. General-interest public library holdings will find a pleasing array of dishes, an affordable price tag, and many homemade specialties. No color photos, but the easy dishes don't need ‘em.
Dutch Oven Cooking, 4th Edition
John G. Ragsdale
Taylor Trade Publishing
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
1589793528 $8.95 www.rowman.com
Many dutch oven cookbooks on the market are weighty and daunting: not so the 4th updated edition of a near-pocket guide Dutch Oven Cooking, which is perfect for taking along and meal planning for a camping trip. It's the outdoors orientation which differentiates this from similar-sounding, home-oriented coverages, offering up dishes perfect for campfires and overnights and moving the dutch oven from indoors to outside. From an intriguing Peppermint Pound Cake to Potato Soup, here's a fine pocket presentation also recommended for in-home use.
Esalen Cookbook
Charlie Cascio
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
P.O. Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1586858521 $34.95 www.gibbs-smith.com
If the name ‘Esalen' sounds familiar, it's because it's world famous: an institute located in California renowned for its beauty and place where people can meditate. What's less known outside its walls is that it also harbors a kitchen where fresh food is produced from the Esalen garden – and Esalen Cookbook: Healthy and Organic Recipes from Big Sur gathers the recipes for this food, pairing cooking tips and instructions with dishes ranging from Sourdough Raisin Bread and Greek Spinach Salad to Southern Baked Chicken and Cashew Rice & Veggie Loaf. Add color photos to the mix and you have a fine recommendation for any health-oriented cookbook collection.
Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave
Stefan Gates
Harcourt Trade Publishers
15 East 26th Street, New York NY 10010
0156030977 $14.00 www.harcourtbooks.com
Take a healthy dose of humor, add a healthier dose of food savvy, and you have Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave, which advocates readers go to the ‘wild side' of the culinary world to analyze cuisines, meals, and food-related oddities. From ‘Why Not Eat Insects?' to an essay on cheese-making and a popular South African ‘Monkey Gland' dish with roots in Victorian times, chapters pair hilarious observations, history and analysis with unusual recipes. A fun survey even avid cooks will appreciate for its light-hearted twists and unusual perspective.
Cooking with the Bible
Anthony Chiffolo & Rayner Hesse Hr.
Greenwood Publishing
P.O. Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007
0313334102 $75.00 www.greenwood.com
Judeo-Christian cooking has long centered on meals as a form of not only sustenance, but hospitality. Most cookbooks covering such cuisine focuses on the recipes; but COOKIGN WITH THE BIBLE: BIBLICAL FOOD, FEASTS AND LORE is different: recipes here are plentiful but secondary to the historical review of meal contents, rituals, and underlying cultural meaning. Bible stories of meals form the foundation of recipes which begin with a menu for a biblical feast, an essay surveying its historical and cultural significance, and explanations of traditional versus modern cooking methods. Any cook who also harbors affection for the Bible will find COOKING WITH THE BIBLE an intriguing, different guide.
Semi-Homemade 20-Minute Meals
Sandra Lee
Meredith Books
1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50336-0001
0696232634 $19.95 www.meredithbooks.com 1-800-678-8091
If you're a cook dedicated to the idea of homemade fare who wants to produce dishes nearly from scratch in half the time, Sandra Lee's ‘Semi-Homemade' is for you. Here are 20-minute meals which blend 70% ready-made foods with 30% fresh ingredients for the best of both worlds, with dishes a Creamy Succotash using frozen veggies and a white sauce mix to a unique Kahlua Jerk Chicken blending peanut butter with a jerk marinade and Poached Sole with Champaign Sauce. All are outstanding, easily-made dishes which feature the look of homemade and the convenience of pre-made ingredients.
Return to Tuscany
Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi
Trafalgar Square Publishing
P.O. Box 257, Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, VT 05053
0563493542 $29.95 www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
Return to Tuscany: Recipes from a Tuscan Cookery School comes from the husband/wife team behind two Italian restaurants and a cookery school in London. As such it offers up a different format than most cookbooks, beginning each chapter with a lesson based on their cookery course and pairing an overview of basic cooking techniques with regional recipes. Color photos throughout focus on both step-by-step techniques and pictures of food and finished dishes, including location shots, and provide a format that beginners, in particular, will welcome.
Culinary Biographies
Alice Arndt, Editor
Yes Press Inc.
P.O. Box 270744, Houston, TX 77277-0344
0971832218 $48.00 www.culinarybiographies.com
Plenty of books cover culinary history and within these usually are scattered references to cooks who have influenced the genre over the decades – but nowhere else will you find a collection devoted entirely to culinary biographies, and nowhere else will the combined scholarship of over eighty culinary scholars achieve this result. Here are all the pro names you'd expect to read about, from Betty Crocker to Fannie Farmer, plus those from other countries lesser known (but no less important) such as Erna Horn or Kenneth Lo. From cookbook authors to farmers, restauranteurs, scientists and food writers, CULINARY BIOGRAPHIES is packed with insights, with each biography including not just a survey of the culinary figure's life, but an overview of contributions and influences, providing a good bit of period history in the process.
The Professional Chef, 8th Edition
Culinary Institute of America
John Wiley
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
0764557343 $70.00 www.wiley.com
THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF has been named one of the five favorite professional culinary books of the last ten years by Food Arts, the professional magazine – and it's easy to see why. This revised, expanded edition for modern kitchens offers a blend of step-by-step cooking instructions and tips on techniques intrinsic to the aspiring chef's working routine. From nutrition to kitchen safety and specialty tools, techniques cover all dishes and restaurant situations and add charts and color photos throughout. Yes, there are plenty of recipes for everything from a basic broth to decorative food cutting – but it's the professional preparation details, also including easy sidebars of information as well as color photos of fish, herbs, and more which make THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF an outstanding college-level acquisition. Though many a home chef might take a look and learn, it's the neo-pro who will benefit here, making it a ‘must bible' for any serious culinary collection.
Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer
Maureen Ogle
Harcourt Books
15 East 26th Street, New York NY 10010
0151010129 $23.00 www.HarcourtBooks.com
There are numerous ‘brewer's guides' on the market and a few books which cover microbrew history; but AMBITIOUS BREW is one of the most comprehensive titles yet on how big brewers evolved in America. From early pioneers and founding fathers to immigrants who brought their brews to America, AMBITIOUS BREW follows the rise of corporate manufacturing in the country and provides a heady survey for any with more than a casual interest in beer or brewing.
Chronicle Books
85 – 2nd Street, San Francisco CA 94105
www.chroniclebooks.com
Marlena Spieler's MACARONI & CHEESE (0811849627, $16.95) is a surprise: how can you write a whole book on one dish? But Spieler proves you can: by providing the base of a traditional recipe and a host of international variations on the theme. From Roasted Tomatillo Mac and Cheese to macaroni based soups and salads, MACARONI & CHEESE provides an appealing, winning collection of comfort food variations spiced with color photos by Noel Barnhurst throughout. Mimi Luebbermann's THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO COOKBOOK (0811853551, $16.95) is a pick for any with affection for the full-flavored, unique heirloom tomatoes appearing in supermarkets today. No longer do you have to go to a health food store for these: just add THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO COOKBOOK to your recipe and you'll have a wealth of dishes which rely on heirloom flavors, from Cherokee Purple Tomato BLT to Tomato-Watermelon Agua Fresca. Rafael Palomino's FIESTA LATINA: FABULOUS FOOD FOR SIZZLING PARTIES (0811844102, $19.95) is a superb choice for any who hold parties and look for different kinds of foods to offer guests. Arlene Gargagliano works with Palomino to outline recipes for dishes as varied as Yellowfin Tuna and Coconut Ceviche to Quinoa and Sweet Plantain Egg Rolls. You won't find most of these recipes anywhere else, and Anastassios Mentis adds lovely embellishment with his color photos of finished dishes.
Stonewall Kitchen Favorites
Jonathan King, Jim Stott, Kathy Gunst
Clarkson Potter Publishers
c/o The Crown Publishing Group
1745 Broadway, #B1, New York, NY 10019-4305
0307336816 $32.50 www.clarksonpotter.com 1-800-726-0600
The owners of Stonewall Kitchen specialize in updated versions of comfort food, adding condiments, preserves and spices to jazz up these American favorites, so Stonewall Kitchen Favorites is packed with seemingly familiar dishes spiced with new flavors and approaches. Here's a Chopped Greek Salad with Lemon Caper Dressing or a Spaghetti Carbonara with Basil Swirl. Even the lowly Waldorf Salad receives jazzy embellishment. Any who like the familiar favorites but desire more variety will find this a fine pick, packed with color photos throughout.
The Good Home Cookbook
Richard J. Perry, Editor
Collectors Press
PO Box 230986, Portland, OR 97281
1933112255 $29.95 www.collectorspress.com
Here's another ‘bible' of cooking novices can use to learn from: a book that focuses on cooking from scratch, packing in 1,000 basic recipes that serve as mealtime foundations. These offer everyday dishes from Shrimp Scampi to Beef Stew, Breaded Pork Chops, Curried Rice with Peas, and more. Notes on special cooking requirements – such as giving risotto constant attention requiring 30-40 minutes of devoted time – are key to successful cooking. Recipes here have been handed down through the generations: beginning American cooks will find them appealing and many times, familiar.
The Literary Shelf
Hesperus Press/Trafalgar Square Publishing
P.O. Box 257, Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, VT 05053
www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com
Three classic titles will serve as strong supplements to any collection seeking a definitive representation of these authors, to include lesser-known works. Colette's CLAUDINE'S HOUSE (1843914158, $14.95) was the first of her best-selling Claudine novels and incorporates her memories of countryside and a loving family with the story of a French girl's interactions with family and culture. Pietro Aretino's THE SECRET LIFE OF WIVES (1843911299, $12.95) provides a fun sequel to THE SECRET LIFE OF NUNS and reveals ‘secrets' of married life, largely composed of myths and funny misperceptions. Fyodor Dostoevsky's THE GAMBLER (184391123X, $14.95) tells of one Ivanovich, who sinks into debt and emotional ruin. A set of fellow gamblers – each also plotting inheritance and political change – observes in this powerful psychological thriller. All are excellent literary additions college-level collections will relish.
Tales of Don Quixote Book II
Miguel De Cervantes
Tundra Books
P.O. Box 1030, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
0887767443 $18.95 www.tundrabooks.com
Four hundred years ago de Cervantes wrote ON QUIXODE: it was celebrated then, and its theme even stolen and embellished by a competing contemporary author. Barbara Nichol retells Book 2, which broke new ground when it appeared and here provides new contemporary audiences with an accessible, memorable account. Leaving intact the themes, structure and tone but adding contemporary language and drama, TALES OF DON QUIXOTE is appealing.
The Girl from Leam Lane: The Life and Writings of Catherine Cookson
Piers Dudgeon
Trafalgar Square Publishing
PO Box 257, Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, VT 05053-0257
0755314972 $29.95 www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com 1-800-423-4525
Prior fans of Catherine Cookson will appreciate a biography covering her troubled life, blending Cookson's own memoir with previously unpublished material which includes conversations between Cookson and the author to allow for a wide-ranging survey of her life and psyche. These conversations round out details on Cookson's contributions and the entire effort makes for an important addition to any who want an in-depth survey of Cookson's life.
The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice
Allen Ginsberg
Da Capo Press
c/o Perseus Publishing Group
11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.dacapopress.com
0306814625 $27.50 $27.50
The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice: First Journals and Poems 1937-1952 is edited by Bill Morgan and Juanita Lieberman-Plimpton and offers a rare view of the poet during his formative years rather than the more commonly covered later life works. As such, this will serve as a fitting and important introduction for both college-level and casual Ginsberg enthusiasts, surveying the contents of candid journals allowed to see publication only after his death, and including conversations with Jack Kerouac and other notable contemporaries. In packing in elements of his personal life and family relationships, succeeds in displaying many hitherto-unrevealed aspects of Ginsberg's life and personality – essential keys for a through, in-depth understanding of his writings.
Marketing the Bard
Don-John Dugas
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
0826216889 $42.50 www.umsystem.edu/upress
MARKETING THE BARD: SHAKESPEARE IN PERFORMANCE AND PRINT, 1660-1740 is more than just another biographical sketch of the bard: it offers a business perspective in considering exactly how he rose above the rest of his colleagues to make his reputation over the centuries. Performance and publication alike affected his growth, with London theatre and key performances changing him from just another author to the most popular playwright of his times. Chapters focus on both theatre and publishing history, providing close inspections perfect for college-level audiences studying in either theatre or literature. In fact, the latter would do well to absorb the business/marketing aspects of this unusual approach to a often-covered bard.
Reading Like A Writer
Francine Prose
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060777044 $23.95 www.harpercollins.com
READING LIKE A WRITER: A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE BOOKS AND FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO WRITE THEM delves at the heart of how writers learn to write and read. Writers learn by reading novels, stories, and literary works of fellow writers, developing style from what gives them pleasure. Thus READING LIKE A WRITER encourages amassing works of genius old and new to receive inspiration, and comes from the author of fourteen books of fiction who has used her technique to foster her own career. Included are more than just recommendations, but close technical analysis of the elements of good writing.
Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms
Paul Dickson
Walker & Company
104 – 4th Avenue, New York NY 10011
0802715311 $24.95 www.walkerbooks.com
Regional U.S. slang and uniquely ‘American' terms are covered here in Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms: a revised, updated version of a classic slang dictionary arranged by topic. The unique arrangement by subject rather than word allows for easier cross-comparison of slang: having an updated version with new chapters and 10,000 words further enhances its usefulness as a definitive slang reference.
Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches, 2nd Edition
Christine Ammer
Facts on File
132 West 31st Street, 17th Floor, New York NY 10001
081606279X $50.00 www.factsonfile.com
The meanings and origins of literally thousands of words and definitions come to life in a newly expanded, updated edition of a popular title, which adds hundreds of new cliches from all walks of life -including the business world as well as popular culture – and provides an indexed, cross-referenced survey of all. It's a recommended reference acquisition for both high school and college-level holdings – and many a public library will also find it important.
Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures
Luc Reid
F&W Publications
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1582974233 $14.99 www.fwpublications.com
Cross-cultural interpretations of meaning for language used by Goths, hackers, Trekkers and more are revealed in an unusual survey of modern slang and subcultures using it. Listings include each subculture and its key characteristics along with the meaning of words unique to that culture, allowing for an easy contrast and comparison between subcultures. More than just a simple terminology dictionary, TALK THE TALK offers a history of language's modern evolution.
The Sports Shelf
The History of Surfing
Nat Young
Gibbs Smith Publishing
PO Box 667, Layton, UT 84041
1423601211 $24.95 www.gibbs-smith.com
There have been numerous books over the years to celebrate methods of surfing or best surfing spots: now THE HISTORY OF SURFING provides an illustrated, definitive overview of the sport and its roots. From interviews with surfing champions of previous decades to reproductions of early Hawaiian and Australian surfing photos – some never before published – this covers the great boatmen, surfers, and their equipment and techniques in full color. A lovely gift any surfer will appreciate.
Out of the Shadows
David K. Wiggins, Editor
University of Arkansas Press
201 Ozark Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557288267 $34.95 www.uapress.com
Thirteen original essays provide an in-depth biographical focus on both famous and lesser-known Afro-American athletes from the 19th century to modern times, and is a key pick for college-level collections specializing in Afro-American studies or sports history. Here are surveys that link athletic endeavors to social issues and politics, examining the effects of segregation on ambition and achievement. Contributors are top sports history writers and their essays examine the close connections between race, prejudice, and sport.
Green Cathedrals
Philip J. Lowry
Walker & Company
104 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10011
0802715621 $26.95 www.walkerbooks.com
Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of Major League and Negro League Ballparks offers up a history of each of the ballparks that have hosted Major League and Negro League baseball, and appears in a revised, updated edition which has seen many changes since its initial appearance a decade ago. Over a hundred new ballparks and hundreds of new photos make for essentially a different presentation, covering each park's location, dimensions, capacity, and history. Baseball fans will love it.
When The Girls Came Out to Play
Patricia Campbell Warner
University of Massachusetts Press
P.O. Box 429, Amherst, MA 01004
1558495495 $24.95 www.umpress.umass.edu
College-level collections strong in both sports history, the arts and women's studies will equally find When The Girls Came Out to Play: The Birth of American Sportswear an important study, linking the evolution of women's clothing trends with the rise of women's involvement in recreational sports. The changes in sportswear brought with it and reflected a breakdown in traditional gender roles: Patricia Warner surveys the history of women's sports clothing from the early 19th to the mid-20th century and provides excellent analysis of women's participation in a male-dominated world. An excellent survey prompts readers to understand the connected basics of social and leisure movements and ideology.
The Hunting/Fishing Shelf
The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide
Stephen D. Carpenteri
Stoeger Publishing
17603 Indian Head Highway, Suite 200, Accokeek, MD 20607-2501
088317331X $7.95 www.stoegerpublishing.com
Plenty of large-size hunting guides specific to deer are on the market, but size (or lack thereof) is exactly what makes the difference in The Pocket Deer Hunting Guide. Here's something you can take along in the field, directing advice to both novice and experienced deer hunters and packing in facts for at-a-glance reference. From good stand sites and water crossings to refined versions of still hunting and short versions of tracking, THE POCKET DEER HUNTING GUIDE: SUCCESSFUL HUNTING WITH A RIFLE OR SHOTGUN offers something different: a quick, handy pocket reference which literally can fit in a jacket pocket while on the hunt.
Modern Shotgunning
Dave Henderson
Stoeger Publishing
17603 Indian Head Highway Suite 200, Accokeek, MD 20607
0883173123 $24.95 www.stoegerindustries.com
From learning about shotgun choices, options, and barrels and chokes to handling recoil, noise and typical problems, MODERN SHOTGUNNING is the item of choice for any sportsman who would learn more about the care, handling and technology of today's shotgun. Dave Henderson has studied shotguns and their use in sporting: his information offers up a wealth of detail based on both his studies and his personal experiences, and shooters, especially newcomers, will welcome its expertise.
The Gaming Shelf
The Bridge Player's Bible
Julian Pottage
Barron's
250 Wireless Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11788
0764159003 $21.99 www.barronseduc.com
If you're a bridge player you know just how many bridge books are on the market today – but THE BRIDGE PLAYER'S BIBLE offers something different: over 300 examples of how to bid, play, and defend on a range of hands. You can learn strategies, rules, and approaches from key players' techniques and advice, from signals and valuation to planning and deceptive card playing. And each technique receives full illustration for easy learning for novices, too.
Computer technology has taken over the world of gaming, and digital games have come not the exception but the norm, so DIGITAL GAMEPLAY: ESSAYS ON THE NEXUS OF GAME AND GAMER offers an important key to the role of the gamer and game-playing strategies. Half of the book discusses the physical and mental challenges of digital versus conventional game playing routines; the other focuses on play move influences. Both mainstream and controversial, alternative games are included in scholarly analysis which are especially recommended for college-level students.
The Travel Shelf
Fifty Great Escapes
Jonathan Lee
Prestel Publishers
900 Broadway, Suite 603, New York NY 10003
3791336452 $29.95 www.prestel-usa.com
FIFTY GREAT ESCAPES: A GLOBAL GUIDE TO CREATIVITY is the next best thing to hitting the road yourself: it focuses on the places that inspired the world's finest artists, and offers viewpoints through camera, art piece, composition, painting and writer. From urban settings to natural, Tahiti to India, color photos of these selected inspirational locales blend with practical travel advice and details on local cultural attractions. Add the full-page color photos and you have a winning set of recommendations.
Eating As I Go
Doris Friedensohn
University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40508-4008
0813191645 $25.00 www.kentuckypress.com
EATING AS I GO: SCENES FROM AMERICA AND ABROAD maintains that a common meeting ground for different cultures is over the dinner table – and offers a blend of travelogue, memoir and culinary exploration to reinforce this idea. It's an autobiographical account of the author's travels and investigations into food culture around the world, and offers both destination and armchair readers a heady mix of cultural interactions and insights all linked with a fascination of and appreciation for food. General-interest collections as well as college holdings strong in world culture or culinary history will find it a popular acquisition.
Not So Funny When It Happened
Tim Cahill, Editor
Traveler's Tales
853 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
1932361448 $14.95 www.travelerstales.com
Many of the best travel stories have their origins in mishaps, and here to offer up a satisfying dish of events is Not So Funny When It Happened, a survey of the best tales from travelers around the world. These come from Dave Barry, Bill Bryson, Anne Lamott and others: familiar authors whose funny encounters are not to be missed. Either travel fans or those who enjoy humor will love this ‘best of' travel writing collection which takes an unusual approach to the normally-serious topic of travel experiences. Highly recommended.
Road Atlas 2007
American Map/Langenscheidt Publishing Group
P.O. Box 979, Spring House, PA 19477-0979
0841628114 $12.95 www.americanmap.com
This new edition of a top-notch road atlas is the one map book American road traveler's can't afford to be without: it pairs color, easily-read maps with a lay-flat spiral binding and updated new edition to cover the latest information on roads. A 3-D elevation shading makes it easy to assess the geography of a route, while indexes for mileage, guides to metro areas and parks, and the latest details on travel options makes it an outstanding, practical take-along pick.
Authentic Bistros of Paris
Francois Thomazeau & Sylvain Ageorges
The Little Bookroom
1755 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York NY 10019
1892145340 $16.95 www.littlebookroom.com
If you're Paris-bound and looking for an easy pocket tote to take along – and have heard about the famous bistros of Paris – don't miss Authentic Bistros of Paris: there may be one on every block but this book separates wheat from chafe. It first appeared in France and now is accessible to U.S. audiences, selecting over fifty bistros which stand apart due to regional foods, wines, and atmospheres. Sure, you can visit French bistros without it – but why spend your trip on less than the best? AUTHENTIC BISTROS helps you define and find them.
Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby Street, Northampton, MA 01060-1804
www.interlinkbooks.com
Two outstanding French guides are fine picks for destination-bound visitors, serving as both advance research planners and solid choices for consultation when traveling the country. Christine and Dennis Graf's CAFE LIFE PARIS: A GUIDEBOOK TO THE CAFES AND BARS OF THE CITY OF LIGHT (1566566215, $20.00) selects cafes which serve up more than just French roast: they also serve up an atmosphere which may include music, literary pursuits, philosophical discussions, or more. These are the neighborhood venues that draw the locals – without CAFE LIFE PARIS, you'd be unlikely to find them. Then, go for a walk with Gillian and John Souter's WALKING IN FRANCE: EXPLORING FRANCE'S GREAT TOWNS AND FINEST LANDSCAPES ON FOOT. Two travel writers here provide a range of walking itineraries for both urban areas and French countryside alike, with such walks incorporating both man-made and natural marvels, from historic ruins and settlements to a stock and otter sanctuary in Alsace. France actually has walking clubs, nearly as old as their better-known cycling club counterparts: they have lent political power to create and maintain some 37,000 miles of long-distance paths, and WALKING IN FRANCE offers visitors a key to exploring some of the best.
Tarzan Was an Eco-Tourist
Luis A. Vivanco & Robert J. Gordon, Editors
Berghahn Books
P.O. Box 605, Herndon, VA 20172-0605
1845451112 $29.95 www.berghahnbooks.com
College-level collections strong in cultural anthropology or environmental studies and sociology will find Tarzan Was an Eco-Tourist suitable for display with its catchy cover art and perfect for college-level analysis, coming from two anthropology professors who examine the changing nature and effects of the concept of adventure in both tourism and culture. Chapters consider modern forms of adventure, contrast it with ideas from the past, and provide excellent analysis of shifts in perspective and how and why they occurred. Even public library holdings will find it intriguing.
Lapping America
Claude Clayton Smith
Burford Books
32 Morris Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081
1580801390 $16.95 www.burfordbooks.com
Lapping America: A Man, A Corvette and the Interstates appeared some months back and deserves ongoing recommendation to any strong travel library. It covers the author's journey across the interstates, commemorating their 50th anniversary, and his encounters with people across the country as he draws attention with his red Corvette. His story of human encounters blends with a history of Interstate oddities to lend to a fine survey indeed.
Through the French Canals, 11th Edition
David Jefferson
Sheridan House Inc.
145 Palisade Street, Dobbs Ferry NY 10522
1574092332 $29.95 www.sheridanhouse.com
Any boat owner who contemplates a cruising trip to France must have THROUGH THE FRENCH CANALS: now in its updated eleventh edition, it's long been a bestselling planning guide and here updates details on the latest boats, equipment rental costs, local facilities, and even tunnel lengths and heights and local wines. Over fifty routes are illustrated in full color with photos complimenting the boat-specific details.
The Consumer Shelf
Shopportunity!
Kate Newlin
Collins
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060888407 $23.95 www.harpercollins.com
SHOPPORTUNITY: HOW TO BE A RETAIL REVOLUTIONARY comes from a consumer advocate who confronts the idea of ‘available and cheap' with a vengeance, advocating a return to service and selection as a substitute for the modern ‘quick and dirty' approach to meeting consumer needs. The consumer, too, has given tacit approval to these new retail marketing techniques: SHOPPORTUNITY! Tells how to take back the power, using case studies, personal anecdotes, and reporting to go behind the scenes in the retail selection and pricing process.
Consumerism in World History, 2nd Edition
Peter N. Stearns
Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York NY 10016
0415395879 $28.95 www.routledge.com
Recent research on consumer experiences in Asia and the West fuel this updated second edition of Consumerism in World History, a survey that updates and adds new chapters and features throughout. With its new chapter on Latin America, Russian and Chinese developments since the 1990s, and updated bibliography and references, Consumerism in World History becomes an important, scholarly pick for college-level collections strong in not only world history, but consumer science.
The Toothpaste of Immortality
Elemer Hankiss
Woodrow Wilson Center
c/o Johns Hopkins University Press
P.O. Box 50370, Baltimore, MD 21211
0801884217 $24.95 www.wilsoncenter.org
Plenty of books document consumer history: but how many examine how consumer habits and choices shape consumer psyche and the nature of everyday living? The Toothpaste of Immortality just such, drawing important connections between everyday living and the mundane and how the very nature of being and perception are changed by consumerism. Chapters blend philosophy with consumer analysis to provide a surprisingly entertaining as well as revealing examination of consumer habits essential to any college-level collection strong in sociology.
Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce
Attorney Emily Doskow
Nolo Press
950 Parker Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
1413304524 $24.99 www.nolo.com
Anyone faced with divorce needs to run, not walk, to Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce, an updated legal resource which covers everything from the process and working with mediators and lawyers to how alimony, child support, and division of money and property are calculated. Also learn how to avoid court battles and draft a marital settlement agreement on your own – and learn common post-divorce issues which threaten such arrangements – in a guide written by an attorney-mediator in private practice who surveys everything from religion to property division laws. Public libraries in particular must have this.
Forty Acres and a Fool
Roger Welsch
Voyageur Press
380 Jackson Street, Suite 200, Saint Paul MN 55101
0760322562 $21.95 www.voyageurpress.com
Roger Welsch has lived in Nebraska with his wife and dogs for over thirty years, and here blends humor with rural insights in a blend of memoir and information guide to his years of experience living in the country. From a young farmer's survival process and mistakes to the author's changing ideas over motorized vehicles, FORTY ACRES AND A FOOL: HOW TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY AND STILL KEEP YOUR SANTIY offers up a light-hearted memoir of country trails pairing humor with solid insights.
The Art of Living Well
Joan Collins
Sourcebooks
Box 4410, Naperville, IL 60567-4410
1402209428 $24.95 www.sourcebooks.com
The Art of Living Well: Looking Good, Feeling Great offers up consumer beauty tips from one of the most famous, glamerous women in the world, covering everything from makeup secrets and exercise to eating, relationships, skincare, entertaining and more. As an all-around guide to enhancing life its chapters gather not only Collins' own success stories but those of other glamorous women, blending color photos with clear details on how to effect positive changes. An inspirational guide to the beauty and self-health world, this comes from a pro used to living her words.
Remember Me
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen
Collins
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060766832 $24.95 www.harpercollins.com
Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death tells of the author's travels around the country to portray how modern Americans are re-creating the rites of dying. Many books have been written on the death industry in the past; but none so revealing of future trends as this, which uncovers and defines new attitudes toward death and its ceremonies. Inherent in these changing ceremonial choices, of course, are changing perceptions of the nature of death itself. The author's tours and gravesite ‘crashing' provides intriguing food for thought.
The Biography Shelf
The Fellowship
Roger Friedland & Harold Zellman
ReganMedia
c/o HarperCollins
10 E. 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060393882 $34.95 www.harpercollins.com
The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright & The Taliesin Fellowshop is, surprisingly, the first comprehensive study of Wright's Fellowship, and uses new source materials to uncover some of the surprising sources of the Fellowship's influence of Wright's designs. A cultural sociologist and an architect and architectural historian uses ten years of original interview and primary research to reconstruct not just Wright's relationship with the Fellowship members, but the last thirty years of his life, which proved the wellspring of some of his finest works. A ‘must' for any comprehensive Wright collection.
Eiffel: The Genius Who Reinvented Himself
David I. Harvie
Sutton Publishing
Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2BU, UK
0750933097 $16.95 www.suttonpublishing.co.uk www.amazon.com
Eiffel: The Genius Who Reinvented Himself isn't just for history buffs: it's an excellent survey of an architect's unique challenges producing a tower which combined the needs of art and industry alike, and as such will appeal beyond history audiences into the arts. Those who know little about Eiffel other than his associations with his famous tower will be fascinated to learn of his collaboration on the Statue of Liberty and the locks for the French Panama Canal, as well as other endeavors. It's the perfect pick for a general-interest lending library collection.
Truck: A Love Story
Michael Perry
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022-5299
0060571179 $24.95 www.harpercollins.com
While TRUCK: A LOVE STORY is a follow-up to the author's best-seller POPULATION: 485, no prior familiarity with that memoir or Perry is required to fall in love with TRUCK. Here are three main themes: restoring a 1950s International Harvest truck, cultivating a garden, and discovering romance late in life – all of which blend beautifully in a story of colorful small-town characters and enchantment. Love on many different levels is the theme unifying all, creating a delicate, involving story which will appeal to general-interest audiences – even those with no prior connections to trucks or small towns!
A Taco Testimony
Denise Chavez
Rio Nuevo Publishers
451 North Bonita Avenue, Tucson, AZ 95745
1887896945 $16.95 www.rionuevo.com
This is no cookbook about tacos, but it is a food memoir reviewed here for its even wider-ranging survey of culture, family, and belief. Denise Chavez reflects on her coming of age in New Mexico, surveying her family's traditions, memories, and food-influenced lives. It's a fine leisure choice for any who would understand both family interrelationships and cultural infleunces.
Second Acts
Mark K. Updegrove
The Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, Guilford, CT 06437
1592289428 $24.95 www.LyonsPress.com 1-800-836-0510
Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House chronicles the activities of former presidents who, far from retiring from office, are making important contributions. Now ex-presidents perform valuable services such as international emissaries, taking their own agendas overseas. Interviews with former presidents, first ladies, family member and staff members not only present these activities, but analyze how ex-presidents are continuing to shape the politics and events of the Oval Office. Essential for any collection strong in American history or politics.
Blessed Motherhood Bitter Fruit
Elinor Accampo
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-4363
0801884047 $50.00 www.press.jhu.edu
One of French feminism's most courageous public figures has received relatively little in-depth mention until now: Nelly Roussel's crusade gave women control over their own bodies and sexuality and Blessed Motherhood Bitter Fruit reveals her sacrifices and accomplishments during the process. Roussel was an actress and beauty who defined parameters of the women's movement which would not be realized for over seventy years: she was the first feminist spokeswoman for birth control in Europe and her lectures, essays, and speeches promoted then-radical ways of thinking. Her biographer does an outstanding job of linking Roussel's life and thoughts to her times and the evolving history of the women's movement as a whole, making it a top pick for any definitive women's history collection.
All the Fishes Come Home to Roost
Rachel Manija Brown
Rodale Press, Inc.
400 South Tenth Street, Emmaus, PA 18098-0099
1594865264 $14.95 www.rodalestore.com
The author's childhood in All the Fishes Come Home to Roost: An American Misfit in India was distinctive indeed: not only did she come of age in India, but she was the youngest resident of an Indian ashram populated by hippies and fanatics. Her memories of her childhood there are permeated not only by cultural observation of India and hippies alike, but by humorous notes on a child's-eye view of a culture we rarely get to see: hippies overseas. A fascinating memoir emerges which is hard to put down.
Best Person Rural
Noel Perrin
David R. Godine, Publisher
PO Box 450, Jaffrey, New Hampshire 03452
9781567923070 $24.95 www.godine.com
Noel Perrin died several years ago so it's a surprise – and a treat- to see his essays gathered in a collection introduced by his close friend and fellow teacher – his final gathering of ‘country' essays reflecting on farming, the seasons, tools, and the joy of experiencing the countryside. Terry Osborne has selected the best of Perrin's works and provides a winning introduction to their lasting value.
The Joke's Over
Ralph Steadman
Harcourt Trade Publishers
15 East 26th Street, New York NY 10010
0151012822 $26.00 www.harcourtbooks.com
Author Ralph Steadman was a young Welsh artist on assignment when he went to the Kentucky Derby in 1970 on assignment and met co-journalist Hunter S. Thompson. THE JOKE'S OVER: BRUISED MEMORIES: GONZO, HUNTER S. THOMPSON, AND ME offers a survey of one of media's most classic duos, examining the evolution of their relationship over the decades and the journeys and encounters which began with that fateful meeting in 1970. Steadman's illustrations for each story pair with his tales, reprints of letter exchanges between the two offer insights on journalistic and personal experiences and issues, and any interested in Thompson or the two must have this.
How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years
Kaye Ballard with Jim Hesselman
Watson-Guptill Pulbications
770 Broadway, New York NY 10003
0823084787 $24.95 www.watsonguptill.com
Kaye Ballard's name is well known in show business: she's performed in burlesque, nightclubs, big bands, and stage and here provides a memoir packed with anecdotes from her career. Her upbeat memoir comes packed with anecdotes from her 50-year career and will prove a real treat for any familiar with either Kaye Ballard's career or the world of stage and TV.
Queen of Fashion
Caroline Weber
Henry Holt and Company
175 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0805079491 $27.50 www.henryholt.com
We could have featured QUEEN OF FASHION: WHAT MARIE ANTOINETTE WORE TO THE REVOLUTION in our Arts section but as it's as fine a history and biography as it is an arts coverage, we've featured it here in Biography for maximum coverage. Marie's attempts to reshape royal fashion had an impact not just on the world, but on her fate and the future of France: chapters survey Marie Antoinette's fashion, how she changed traditions, and how her life revolved around her own royal style as a method of seduction and political strength. An outstanding guide.
Iwoz
Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0393061436 $25.95 www.wwnorton.com
Anyone who knows the computer world well knows the name of engineer Steve Wozniak, who in 1975 came up with the idea of blending computer circuitry with a typewriter keyboard and video screen to create the first PC. It's all well-known fact, so why an autobiography? Surprisingly, here Wozniak tells his story for the first time, examining and analyzing the influence on his inventions and blending a surprising humor into his self-assessment and life story. Any with an affection for computers will want to learn from his story.
Eavesdropping
Stephen Kuusisto
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Avenue, New York NY 10010
0393058921 $23.95 www.wwnorton.com
EAVESDROPPING: A MEMOIR OF BLINDNESS AND LISTENING tells of a blind poet who had to cope with a life without sight – but it's much more than just another memoir of coping. EAVESDROPPING asks – and answers – the essential questions of why and how go on with life without sight, providing an emphasis on the author's travels and what he could experience on these journeys sans sight. Chapters tell not how to cope with being blind, but how to get the most out of life under conditions of affliction and change. Invaluable.
