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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 8 August 2003 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Biography Shelf Science Shelf
Metaphysical Studies Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Computer Shelf
Education Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Business Shelf Travel Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf American History Shelf Artbook Shelf
Psychology Shelf World History Shelf International Studies Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Musicbook Shelf
Native American Shelf Fiction Shelf Library Science Shelf
Library Video/DVD Shelf Audiobook Shelf Gaming Shelf
Buddhist Studies Shelf Aviation Shelf Graphic Novel Shelf
Railroading Shelf Gardening Shelf Environmental Studies Shelf
Black Studies Shelf Woodworking Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Photography Shelf Poetry Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf
Criminology Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Native American Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Archaeology Shelf
Parenting Shelf Sports Shelf Political Science Shelf
Military Shelf Self-Help Shelf Architecture Shelf
Cookbook Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

We Need To Talk About Kevin
Lionel Shriver
Counterpoint Press/Perseus, dist.
387 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016
1582432678 $25.00 1-800-242-7737

Novelist Lionel Shriver brings a personal touch and drama to headline news as he presents the point of view of a parent whose child has killed others in a spate of high school violence in We Need To Talk About Kevin. Eva's son murdered seven of his fellow classmates; Eva probes her own downfalls and involvements as she tells of her son's upbringing through a series of introspective letters. Intense drama.

Dover Publications, Inc.
31 East 2nd St, Mineola, NY 11501
1-800-223-3130 www.amazon.com

Lewis Spence's History Of Atlantis (048-6427102, $10.95) covers the romantic possibilities of Atlantis by an author who wrote five books on the topic this being considered his best. H.A.R. Gibb's Damascus Chronicle Of The Crusades (048-6425193, $14.95) provides a colorful survey of the region just before the invasion of the Crusaders, using written documentation and oral reports as a foundation for presenting Arab history to Western readers. DeLacy O'Leary's Arabic Thought And Its Place In History (0486427625, $16.95) provides a rich history of Eastern and Western philosophy's different developments, and how cultural transmissions between the two affected cultural evolution. Dover's arts strengths lie in its books on costuming and illustration: Lou Darvas' You Can Draw Cartoons (0486426-044, $10.95) provides a professional cartoonist's tips on the field and topic-specific cartoon creations, while James T.D. Kendrick's Druids And Druidism (0486427196, $11.95) documents Druidic culture from its earliest times, Charles Squire's Celtic Myth And Legend (0486-425118, $14.95) captures the legends of Celtic kings and saints in a title which blends history and myth; and W.Y. Evans-Wentz's Fairy-faith In Celtic Countries (0486425223, $18.95) tells of elfin fairy folk legends across Celtic lands, reproducing a 1911 classic. Robinson Planche's Illustrated Dictionary Of Historic Costume (0486423239, $34.95) packs in thousands of terms associated with apparel worn in the countries of Europe in a hearty reference spanning nearly 2,000 years of fashion history.

Cultivation Of Whiteness
Warwick Anderson
Basic Books
387 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016
0465003052 $45.00 basicbooks.com

The Cultivation Of Whiteness: Science, Health, And Racial Destiny in Australia is a region-specific, college-level collection which is strong in anthropology and which Australian or multicultural studies will find to be a revealing survey of science and racial destiny. In 19th century Australia doctors were the main commentators on race and biological differences this examines their perceptions of racism and differences between whites and other cultures, using the foundation of science and medicine as a basis for surveying and even experimenting upon other peoples. An eye-opening set of revelations.

Ivan R. Dee
1332 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60622
1-800-462-6420 www.amazon.com

Renee Winegarten's Accursed Politics (1566634997, $27.50) offers a fine presentation on French women writers and politics between 1715-1850. Blending biography with literary insights and interpret-ations, this follows the efforts and achievements of French women of the times, from the life of Germaine de Stael, born into politics and an influential writer, to George Sand, whose controversial novels helped change the status of women. Especially recommended for college-level classes in French history and culture. Robert Thomas Fallon's A Theatergoer's Guide To Shakespeare (156663508X, $18.95) provides a revealing window to Shakespeare's time, examining the most frequently staged plays scene by scene, and others act by act, in chapters designed to be absorbed in one half-hour setting or so. Insights on characterization, settings, and plots are meant to enhance an appreciation of Shakespeare, not just to interpret or explain it. For an observational analysis suitable for actors, choose Louis Fantasia's Instant Shakespeare (1566635039, $14.95), which expands and refines works for performers, directors and teachers at all levels of experience. Instructors are taught various methods for demystifying Shakespeare and performing his plays in new, original manners.

Reflections On The Neches
Geraldine Ellis Watson
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
1574411608 $37.95 unt.edu/untpress

Deftly written by Geraldine Ellis Watson (a plant ecologist and former ranger for the National Park Service), Reflections On The Neches is an absorbing memoir of a past childhood as well as a commentary upon the natural and social history of the Neches (one of the last "wild" rivers in Texas, just now being subjected to dams) region of the Big Thicket country. A moving and insightful reflection of the ecology and the natural beauty of the land itself, Reflections On The Neches is informed and informative reading, and highly recommended to students of Natural History in general, and the Neches River Valley country in particular.

The American Family
H.W. Wilson Company
950 University Ave , Bronx, NY 10452
0824210204 $45.00 1-800-367-6770

The American Family is part of the H.W. Wilson Company's "The Reference Shelf 2003" series for academic and community library collections. This 182 page reference is comprised of twenty-five scholarly articles plus abstracts of additional articles and a bibliography of sources. The focus is upon the diversity of contemporary American family lifestyles including homes led by divorced or single parents, stepfamilies, interfaith and interracial marriages, gay partnerships, childless couples, the traditional nuclear family, an other domestic structures. Also covered are such family relevant issues as reproductive technologies and the emerging controversy of reproduction by cloning. The American Family is a seminal, timely, and invaluable contribution to academic, govern-mental, and professional demographic reference resources.

The Cook's Companion
Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen
Barron's
250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge NY 11788
0764158167 $16.95 1-800-645-3476

The Cook's Companion provides a very basic, step-by-step guide to techniques for slicing vegetables, making basic sauces and stocks, storing ingredients and using them properly: as such, The Cook's Companion makes the perfect beginner's guide for cooks who want to use proper techniques. A lay-flat comb binding with hardcover over makes it easy to both locate on a shelf and use in the kitchen, while a wealth of color photos provides plenty of visual reinforcement.

A Visit With The Tomboy Bride
Duane A. Smith
Western Reflections Publishing Co.
219 Main Street, Montrose, CO 81401
www.westernreflectionspub.com
1890437875 $12.95 1-800-993-4490

Wonderfully illustrated with superbly vintage black-and-white photographs, A Visit With The Tomboy Bride: Harriet Backus & Her Friends is an impressive and inherently interesting collection of the correspondence that took place between Harriet Fish Backus (author of the classic book "Tomboy Bride") and Colorado historian Duane A. Smith. Delving into the adventures of Harriet's life, and exploring a unique picture of an era gone by in the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado, A Visit With The Tomboy Bride is a unique and enthusiastically recommended contribution to Colorado History reading lists and library collections.

Happily Ever After
Meliss Bunce
August House
Box 3223, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203
0874836743 $14.95 1-800-284-8784

Relationships are rough, and sources of insight and support are in constant demand. Happily Ever After gathers folktales meant to impart relationship basics and wisdom to adults, presenting an accessible set of folk stories with insights into marriage and commitment. The perfect wedding gift!

D.A.P.
155 6th Ave., New York NY 10013
1-800-338-2665 www.amazon.com

Two outstanding art titles are highly recommended picks for art library collections. Daniel Abadie's Magritte (189102-4663, $45.00) provides an outstanding showcase of Magritte's works, accompanying an exhibition highlighting his works. Paintings, drawings, and collages as well as photos capture the range of his pieces from 1925 to 1967, with each page sporting a fine bordered color reproduction of his works. Introductory articles survey Magritte's life, times, persona and achievements. Sugimoto: Architecture (189102454X, $55.00) also accompanies an exhibition of works, this providing an oversized format to accompany full-sized black and white plates of Sugimoto's architectural achievements. Students of Japanese art in particular will welcome introductory articles which provide history and perspective on not only his achievements, but Japanese architecture in particular. Hatje Cantz's Alfred Kubin: Die Sammlung Leopold Collection (3775712623) provides a bilingual German/American overview of Kubin, who demonstrated a talent for drawing at an early age and soon found himself immersed in the art world. Beautiful full-page duotone reproductions of his drawings accompany a survey of his early influences and his achievements. Hatje Cantz and Marie-Jo Lafontaine's Babylon Babies (3775791191) is presented in multi-lingual edition to survey photos and portraits of teens and youth reflecting on world conditions and social change. All present different faces to the camera; each are accompanied by a reflection in their native tongue. All are outstanding specialized works worthy of an art library collection.

Roget's Descriptive Word Finder
Barbara Kipfer, Ph.D.
F&W Publications Inc.
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1582971706 $24.99 1-800-289-0963

Roget's Descriptive Word Finder blends a dictionary and thesaurus devoted exclusively to adjectives, offering thousands of descriptions for people, places and things and presenting a theme organization which brings related words together. There are over five hundred entries which are designed to appeal both as quick references and as browsing material.

Workman Publishing Company
708 Broadway, 6th Fl., NY, NY 10003
www.workman.com www.amazon.com

What's different about the set offered by David Schiller In All-American Carioke (07611130683 $14.95)? It's the ultimate cd/book blend designed for rousing sing-alongs in the car and not just for kids. The entire family will relish the variety here, which includes classic folk songs such as Day-O and Red River Valley to the Star-Spangled Banner and Proud Mary. The lyrics and booklets designed for both back and front-seat passengers makes this a real treat. Bonnie Timmons' Hold Your Horses (07611115366, $10.95) provides hilarious commentary blended with practical wisdom for horse fans, commenting on everything from frequency of horse shoe buying (and expense!) to assessing breeds and dispositions. The cartoons are zany and hilarious the perfect gift for that horse person who 'has everything'.

The Dane County Farmer's Market
Mary Carpenter with Quentin Carpenter
The University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711
0299184641 $19.95 1-800-621-2736

Written by Mary Carpenter with the collaborative assistance of Quentin Carpenter (veteran vendors at the Dane County Farmer's Market since the year 1983), The Dane County Farmer's Market: A Personal History brings together black-and-white photographs, oral histories, anecdotes, insider's tips, recipes, and more concerning this engaging tradition of commerce, confusion, fun and fresh food. A warm and inviting testimonial and celebration, The Dane County Farmers' Market is a unique and welcome contribution to personal reading lists and Wisconsin Historical Studies library collections.

Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin
John G. Motoviloff
Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc.
45 Buckskin Road, Belgrade, MT 59714
1932098003 $28.95 1-800-925-3339

Accessibly written and arranged by experienced outdoorsman and writer John Motoviloff, the Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin is a very knowledgeable and quite handy guide to over 250 of the best fly-fishing waters in Wisconsin ranging from the Kickapoo River to the American Legion State Forest. The fish species range from Rainbow Trout, to Coho Salmon, to Smallmouth Bass, to Northern Pike, and a great many other warmwater denizens. Extensive maps, directions, advice, practical tips, recommendations for fly shops and sporting goods, and more, combine to make Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin an enthusiastically recommended "quick reference" resource for Wisconsin anglers. Wisconsin libraries should have a copy of the Flyfisher's Guide To Wisconsin in their Hunting/Fishing collections.

Where Are They Buried?
Tod Benoit
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
151 West 19th St., New York, NY 10011
1579122876 $14.99 www.amazon.com

Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die?: Fitting Ends And Final Resting Places Of The Famous, Infamous, And Noteworthy is a unique anthology of information concerning the deaths and final resting places of more than 450 memorable historical and cultural figures ranging from Elvis Presley and River Phoenix, to John Dillinger, Thomas Edison, Ernest Hemmingway, Bob Marley, and 444 more! Each famous individual's demise is succinctly recounted, and accompanied by precise directions for reaching the cemetery where they are buried, as well as relevant information on paying memorial respect to that particular person's gravesite.

Ancient Egyptian Wisdom For The Internet
Anna Mancini
University Press of America Inc.
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
www.univpress.com
0761823786 $28.00 1-800-462-6420

Ancient Egyptian Wisdom For The Internet: Ancient Egyptian Justice And Ancient Roman Law Applied To The Internet by Anna Mancini is a unique resource that applies the codes of ancient Egyptian justice and Roman law to the conditions of the present-day Internet and the growing phenomena of the World Wide Web. In our modern, technological era where complex grey areas abound, Ancient Egyptian Wisdom For The Internet reaches deep into the past for answers to information development and distribution that have withstood the millennia. Ancient Egyptian Wisdom For The Internet is a thoughtful and thought-provoking manifesto, and offers much-needed and timely ideas from antiquity in dealing with contemporary informational issues and concerns for the 21st Century.

The Guns Of The Gunfighters
Doc O'Meara
Krause Publications
700 East State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001
0873494334 $34.99 www.krause.com

The Guns Of The Gunfighters: Lawmen, Outlaws & Hollywood Cowboys by firearms historian and expert Doc O'Meara, is a meticulous and detailed survey of the weaponry carried by some of the most famous (and infamous) gunmen of the Wild West and the silver screen, including Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley, Roy Rogers, and many, many more. Black-and-white photographs, extensive attention to detail, and a wealth of hidden gun lore make The Guns Of The Gunfighters a superb giftbook for gun buffs, Western American history enthusiasts, and those having a special interest in Hollywood portrayals of the Old West.


The Biography Shelf

Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother
Valerie Garner
Headline
c/o Trafalgar Square Publishing
Box 257, North Pomfret, VT 05053-0257
0747223297 $35.00 1-800-423-4525

This historical survey of the Queen Mother of Great Britain is intended as a tribute to her life as much as a biographical coverage, and covers her various challenges and contributions as the queen. Many full-page color photos accompany this survey of her life, making for a fine coffee table edition or as an anglophile keepsake.

Mrs. Robert E. Lee
John Perry
Multnomah Books
PO Box 1720, Sisters, OR 97759
1590521374 $14.99 1-800-929-0910

Mrs. Robert E. Lee: The Lady Of Arlington by author and biographer John Perry is the absorbing life story of Mary Custis Lee, the proud, patriotic, articulate and passionate woman, who was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, and who married Robert E. Lee, military leader the Southern forces during the American Civil War. Mary Custis Lee's dynamic life, including the stoic weathering of years of separation from her husband, the loss of two of her children, her abiding faith in God, and more, are expertly chronicled in this superbly written and highly recommended account.

King Edward II
Roy Martin Haines
McGill-Queen's University Press
3430 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 1X9
0773524320 $65.00 1-800-387-0141

Roy Martin Haines is a life member Clare Hall, Cambridge University, a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and the author of numerous scholarly works concerning British history. In King Edward II: His Life, His Reign, And Its Aftermath, 1284-1330, Haines presents a scholarly, exhaustive, painstakingly researched, in-depth, and authoritative account of the days and rule of Edward of Caernarfon (1284-1327). King Edward II inherited a war with Scotland, yet his lack of skill in the art of war would eventually precipitate Scotland's independence. Ultimately, Edward would also become the first anointed king of England to be dethroned since Ethelred in 1013. King Edward II is an informed, informative, and very highly recommended contribution to personal and academic British History & Biography reference collections.

My Life With Regis And Joey
Trustin Howard
Seven Locks Press
PO Box 25689, Santa Ana, CA 92799
0974076007 $17.95 1-800-354-5348

Wonderfully written by Trustin Howard (an accomplished television script writer and a close friend of celebrated game show host Regis Philbin), My Life With Regis And Joey And Practically Everyone Else is a insider's revelation offer the reader an informed and informative look inside the world of the backstage world of Hollywood stars. My Life With Regis And Joey is packed from cover to cover with memorable moments, tips for young writers and stand-up comics, unforgettable glimpses of celebrity life, and so much more. A lively, candid, involving tell-all, My Life With Regis And Joey is enthusiastically recommended for anyone who remembers those glory days of broadcast television before the onset of cable, satellite, VCRs, and TIVOs.

Predators, Prey, And Other Kinfolk
Dorothy Allred Solomon
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
0393049469 $24.95 1-800-233-4830

Predators, Prey, And Other Kinfolk: Growing Up In Polygamy is the startling and personal memoir of Dorothy Allred Solomon, who grew up in a fundamentalist compound that promoted polygamy. Ms. Solomon recounts the familial and social costs of her upbringing, including the inevitable poverty of being one of forty-eight children born to one father, the scattering of her family to hide from government raids, and even a murder when a rival fundamentalist group assassinated her father. Predators, Prey, And Other Kinfolk is a starkly revealing autobiographical "tell-all" expose of contemporary polygamy that also speaks of the author's dedicated striving to find God's path as a woman caught up in a patriarchal fringe society.

Knut Hamsun Remembers America
Knut Hamsun
Richard Nelson Current, translator
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Blvd, Columbia, MO 65201
0826214568 $29.95 1-800-828-1894

Written by Knut Hamsun (1920 Nobel Prize winner for his novel "The Growth of the Soil", and who later became infamous for betraying his country of Norway to support the Nazis even as Vidkun Quisling did), Knut Hamsun Remembers America: Essays And Stories 1885-1949 is inherently interesting presentation of thirteen essays and stories based on Hamsun's experiences during the four years he spent in the United States when he was a young man. Translated into English and edited for a contemporary readership by Richard Nelson Current, these individual pieces reflect the negative side of "Yankeeland" all too well, though they are not unilaterally anti-American, and some even recall fond images. Knut Hamsun Remembers America is recommended for its gripping and absorbing perspectives on American civilization, while reflecting Hamsun's anti-Americanism in his perceptions and writings.

Malcolm Muggeridge
Gregory Wolfe
ISI Books
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, Del. 19807
1932236066 $15.00 1-800-526-7022

A very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library collections, Malcolm Muggeridge: A Biography is a straightforward study of the life and impact of Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), a British writer and social critic at the center of controversy for his generation. In his creation of an absorbing portrait of a man did not shy from speaking out, biographer Gregory Wolfe has created an informed and definitive presentation on one of the most influential minds of the 20th Century.


The Science Shelf

Alpha & Omega
Charles Seife
Viking Press
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
0670031798 $24.95 1-800-847-5515

How was the universe born, and how will it die? These are questions asked in other books: what sets Alpha & Omega apart is a focus on the discoveries in science which have led to major shifts in theories about the universe and the modern discoveries which promise to link new cosmological discoveries to daily living. A fascinating account of how lives and worlds change.

The Big Splat Or How Our Moon Came To Be
Dana Mackenzie
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
605 Third Avenue, NY, NY 10158-0012
0471150576 $24.95 1-800-225-5945

Expertly written by skilled freelance science writer Dana Mackenzie (whose articles have appeared in the magazines "Science," "Discover," "American Scientist," "Astronomy"), The Big Splat Or How Our Moon Came To Be presents lunar scientific theory in a format that is ideal for the non-specialist general reader, and outlines the latest hypotheses concerning how the Earth's moon came to be. From views humans have had of the Moon throughout history, to an informative reconstruction of cosmic events before the dawn of life on earth, The Big Splat Or How Our Moon Came To Be is an absorbing and informative account which would be an ideal addition to personal, school, and community library Astronomy reference collections.

Realspace
Paul Levinson
Routledge
29 West 35th St., New York NY 10001
0415277434 $21.95 1-800-634-7064

Cyberspace is part of daily living, with most people spending part or most of each day on the Internet. But what happens to reality when technology moves more and more into the virtual world? Realspace addresses a myriad of issues and concerns in the course of such a move; from the human need to explore and the lack of efforts to further space exploration to why humans need to constantly expand knowledge bases. Realspace is an essential, thought-provoking purchase for any science collection or reader.

The Science Of Disorder
Jack Hokikian, Ph.D.
Los Feliz Publishing
PO Box 291899, Los Angeles, CA 90029
www.losfelizpublishing.com
0970895321 $27.95 1-323-662-8260

The Science Of Disorder by Jack Hokikian is a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of how increasing human population, globalization, and technological advances come with harmful side effects such as new diseases, electronic viruses, environmental degradation, and more. With an eye on how the Laws of Thermodynamics, Energy, and Entropy affect all the processes in the universe (including daily human life), The Science Of Disorder strives to make sense of a seeming disarray, while addressing a keen interest in the big picture and what it means for humanity's future. The Science Of Disorder is sometimes iconoclastic, inherently interesting, exceptionally well written, and a highly recommended addition to Environmental Studies, General Science, and Human Ecology Studies reading lists and reference collections.

AIDS: The Biological Basis
I. Edward Alcamo, Ph.D.
Jones and Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
0763702382 $49.95 www.jbpub.com

Compiled and written by I. Edward Alcamo (Professor of Microbiology at the State University of New York at Farmingdale), AIDS: The Biological Basis (newly revised and updated in a third edition) is an extensive, college-level textbook focusing expressly upon the deadly worldwide threat of the HIV virus. Individual chapters comprehensively cover the epidemiology of AIDS; the prevention of HIV transmission; various means of testing, diagnosis, and treatment; the possibility of a vaccine; the virus' crippling interaction with the human immune system, and much, much more. AIDS: The Biological Basis is a scholarly, straightforward text equally recommended for personal informational reading lists, or as a college-level Disease Studies curriculum textbook.

From Elements To Atoms
Robert Siegfried
American Philosophical Society
Box 40098, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3387
0871699249 $TBA www.amphilsoc.org

From Elements To Atoms: A History Of Chemical Composition by Robert Siegfried is a scholarly and intriguing look at how the science of chemistry has shaped and evolved its theories as mankind made new discoveries down through the centuries. From the historiographic digression of the concept of "phlogiston", to the latest chemical atomic theories, From Elements To Atoms is a meticulous, detailed, and involving presentation of how man has developed chemical science and how chemical science has influenced mankind.

Nature's Magic
Peter Corning
Cambridge University Press
40 West 20th Street, NY, NY 10011-4211
0521825474 $28.00 1-800-872-7423

Written by Peter Corning (Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems in Palo Alto, California), Nature's Magic: Synergy In Evolution And The Fate Of Humankind presents a "Synergism Hypothesis" that combines economic theory with the complexity of biology and life science. Applying theory to the evolution of humanity from the level of apes, to the acquisition of language, science, and projections of the future, Nature's Magic is a quite profound and widely encompassing amalgamation of inductive reasoning and broad repeating patterns directly affecting society itself. A work of impeccable, documented, ground breaking scholarship, Nature's Magic is so well written as to be complete accessible to academic and non-specialist general readers alike.

Gravitation Master Key To The Universe
Karel Havel
Grevyt Press
PO Box 51015, 379-25 Peel Center Drive, Brampton, ON, Canada L6T 5M2
0968912001 $14.95 grevytpress.com

Deftly written by Karel Havel (a professional engineer with particular interest in theoretical physics and astronomy), Gravitation Master Key To The Universe pre-sents an atomic model to explain gravitation, one of the greatest mysteries of science heretofore explained only in mathematical or geometrical models. A seminal, thoughtful, technical, yet quite "reader accessible" study of a complex mystery governing how the Universe itself works, Gravitation: Master Key To The Universe is a welcome contribution to the growing library of theoretical physics in general, and the study of gravitation on the atomic level (and why the galaxies in the universe are drifting away from one another) in particular.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Tarot D'Amour
Kooch N. Daniels & Victor Daniels
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
368 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
1578632927 $18.95 redwheelweiser.com

Written by a husband and wife team (Victory Daniels is a professor of psychology skilled at using Tarot to gain insight, while Kooch N. Daniels has read Tarot cards professionally for twenty-five years) Tarot D'Amour: Find Love, Sex, And Romance In The Cards is a unique and thoroughly "reader friendly" instructional tarot manual that expressly studies love, sex, and romance through the art of tarot card divination. Offering romantic interpretations, emotional interpretations, sexual interpretations, sexual play, and more, corresponding to each of the major and minor cards of the standard tarot deck, Tarot D'Amour is a "must-read" acquisition to round out the reference shelf of any dedicated tarot card enthusiast and student of Metaphysical Studies.

Calling On Extraterrestrials
Lisette Larkins
Hampton Roads Publishing Company
1125 Stoney Ridge Road, Charlottesville, VA 22902
1571743723 $15.95 1-800-766-8009

Author Lisette Larkins draws from her personal experience of being mentored by extraterrestrials in Calling On Extraterrestrials: 11 Steps To Inviting Your Own UFO Encounters. This is essentially an instructional guide to inviting contact with enlightened beings that have a message for those of humanity willing to listen. The individual steps (which involve learning forgiveness, energy, celebration, and more), also serve as solid advice for living one's life regardless of how one feels about extraterrestrial encounters. Calling On Extraterrestrials is an insightful, straightforward primer which is deliberately written to be accessible to readers of all metaphysical backgrounds. Also very highly recommended is Lisette Larkins' companion volume, Talking To Extraterrestrials: Body Mind Spirit (1571743340, $15.95).

Ley Lines And Earth Energies
David Cowan & Chris Arnold
Adventures Unlimited Press
PO Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946
1931882150 $18.95 1-815-253-6390

Collaboratively written by David Cowan and Chris Arnold, Ley Lines And Earth Energies is a seminal and original guide to the energies of the Earth itself, and how those energies affect human health and well-being, as well as the effects such things have had in creating "sacred" places that simply feel special. A powerful, metaphysical spiritual guide to tapping into the infinite bounty of nature, and illustrated with black-and-white photographs and maps, Ley Lines And Earth Energies is a welcome and very special addition to metaphysics, geology, and Earth Studies.

The Witch's Coven
Edain McCoy
Llewellyn Publications
PO Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383
0738703885 $12.95 llewellyn.com

Very highly recommended and informative reading, The Witch's Coven: Finding Or Forming Your Own Circle by self-initiated Witch and Pagan community activist Edain McCoy offers the reader a practical and informative look at how modern-day covens operate, with a keen eye toward choosing the right coven to suit one's own practices and beliefs. Structures for teaching circles, as well as methods for mediating conflicts are also nicely covered in this well-thought-out and insightful guide. Many of the general principles laid forth apply wholeheartedly not just to Wiccan and Pagan groups, but to organizations, clubs, and gatherings of all types and categories.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

Jewish History
Ralph Shapiro
Vantage Press Inc.
516 West 34th Street, NY, NY 10001
0533138035 $24.95 1-212-736-1767

Ralph Shapiro's Jewish History: 4,000 Years Of Accomplishment, Agony, And Survival is an informed and informative reference covering everything from Biblical history; to the history of Jewish people in Europe and the Unites States; to the Holocaust; the evolution of Israel; and prospects for Jewish endurance in the future. A powerful testimony of endurance, survival, and an acknowledgment of the great works that influenced the ages, Jewish History is a welcome and enthusiastically commended addition to Judaic Studies personal reading lists and library reference collections.

Evolving Halakhah
Rabbi Moshe Zemer
Jewish Lights Publishing
PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
1580231276 $29.95 1-800-962-4544

Evolving Halakhah: A Progressive Approach To Traditional Jewish Law is drawn from author Rabbi Moshe Zemer's thirty-five years of work in the Israel Movement of Progressive Judaism. Examining traditional Halakhah (Jewish law) as it applies to marriage, divorce, illegitimacy, conversion, the state of Israel, the status of women, medicine, burial practices and more, as well as striving to find an approach that is both flexible for modern circumstances yet sensitive to traditional issues of both morality and faith, Evolving Halakhah is a quite thoughtfully written, articulate, and persuasively presented.

Free Jerusalem
Zev Golan
Devora Publishing
40 East 78th St., #16D, NY, NY 10021
www.devorapublishing.com
1930143540 $21.95 1-800-232-2931

Knowledgeably written by Zev Golan (a Nazi hunter who has worked with the Israeli police to capture infamous war criminals), Free Jerusalem: Heroes, Heroines And Rogues Who Created The State Of Israel is an historically accurate and quite dramatic history of the Zionist revolution and the events of history that led to the creation of the State of Israel, as well as that fledgling nation's imperiled beginnings. An enthusiastic, deftly written, and "reader involving" accounting of the heroic traits and foibles of the men and women who helped create the state Israel, Free Jerusalem is an enthusiastically recommended addition to Judaic Studies, International Studies, and Israeli History Studies reference collections and reading lists.

Studies In Jewish Civilization
Leonard Greenspoon & Ronald Simkins
Creighton University Press
University of Nebraska Press, dist.
2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
1881871428 $29.95 1-800-755-1105

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Leonard J. Green spoon (Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University) and Ronald A. Simkins (Associate Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Creighton University), Studies In Jewish Civilization: Spiritual Dimensions Of Judaism is a selection of scholarly essays by learned authors that examine the spiritual power of Judaism; the quest for spirituality; the importance of textual materials as the source and starting point for spiritual journeys; and vehicles for Jewish spiritual expression including art, synagogue architecture, prayer books, liturgy, and rites of passage. A philosophical and contemplative compilation, Studies In Jewish Civilization is a seminal and critically important contribution to Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Computer Shelf

The First Week With My New PC
Pamela R. Lessing
Capital Books
22841 Quicksilver Dr, Sterling, VA 20166
1892123223 $12.95 1-800-758-3756

Written originally for the author's 85-year-old mother (and who is now a PC master), The First Week With My New PC: A Very Basic Guide For Mature Adults And Everyone Who Wants To "Get Connected" by Pamela R. Lessing is a simple, basic, "reader friendly" primer written especially for adults (and mature youngsters!) who are brand new to, and clueless about, owning and operating a personal computer, -- as well as the capabilities of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Offering easy-to-follow, "user friendly" instructions concerning how to use e-mail and browse the web for the first time, The First Week With My New PC would make a truly excellent gift for the technologically challenged.

Technical Java
Grant Palmer
Addison-Wesley Professional
75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116
0131018159 $49.99 awprofessional.com

Technical Java: Developing Scientific And Engineering Applications by Grant Palmer (Scientific Programmer at NASA Ames Research Centre, Moffett Field, California) is a basic introduction and "user friendly" instructional guide to technical programming in Java which was specifically written and intended for programmers of all skill and experience levels. Whether learning Java as a first language, or making the transition from FORTRAN, C, or C++, Technical Java careful and competently walks the reader through step-by-step instructions to using Java's built-in classes in order to create fully functional technical applications for the World Wide Web utilizing graphical user interface, Swing/AWT, and much more besides. Technical Java is very confidently recommended as a superb primer and core addition to personal and professional Java reference collections.

XML And Perl
Mark Riehl & Ilya Sterin
New Riders
201 W 103rd St, Indianapolis, IN 46290
0735712891 $55.75 onewriders.com

Using practical, real-world examples, XML And Perl is the collaborative effort of Mark Riehl and Ilya Sterin to demonstrates how to perform a variety of XML tasks, ranging from such basic tasks as XML parsing, to more advanced tasks such as writing XML event handlers, RDBMS integration, and XML transformation. XML And Perl is a continuingly useful addition to personal and professional XML and Perl reference collections.

Stochastic Models In Queueing Theory
Medhi
Academic Press
525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495
0124874622 $79.95 academicpress.com

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Stochastic Models In Queueing Theory by Medhi is a computer science and mathematics textbook that closely studies stochastic processes, queueing system general concepts, queueing networks, a wide variety of different queues, and more. A thorough background in calculus and computer science is required to understand the equations and their direct applications to computer science. An advanced pedagogical text, Stochastic Models In Queueing Theory is an excellent and highly recommended curriculum textbook for computer science college students, graduate students, professionals, and specialists.

McGraw-Hill Computer Books
2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
1-800-722-4726 www.amazon.com

FreeBSD: The Complete Reference (00-72224096; 900 pages; $49.99) by Roderick Smith is a very comprehensive guide to FreeBSD covers installation, file and kernel configuration, operation, and more. FreeBSD: The Complete Reference is also a quite valuable resource in helping to integrate this powerful operating system with existing hardware and software in order to take advantage of system management and administration benefits, graphic and office tools, even multimedia and gaming features. Build Your Own Server (0072227281; 352 pages; $29.99) by Tony Caputo is a step-by-step guide which covers everything from picking the individual components and where to find them, to setting up a secured Web server. Build Your Own Server covers the details of building a server from scratch - with tips, hints, and troubleshooting steps, and features more than 200 photographs illustrating how to install and configure hardware components and set up a Workgroup, Domain (Active Directory) and VPN network, etc.

ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook
Steven A. Smith, et al.
Sams Publishing
201 West 103rd St Indianapolis IN 46290
0672325241 $39.99 www.mcp.com

The collaborative effort of Steven A. Smith, Rob Howard, and The ASP Alliance, ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook is a definitive resource designed especially for experienced programmers who are using (or aspire to use) ASP.NET, Microsoft's platform for designing data-driven web applications. Demonstrating useful, practical, effective solutions to common problems, the text is enhanced with a wealth of examples, straightforward instructions and easy-to-adopt techniques. ASP.NET Developer's Cookbook is a confidently recommended instruction manual and dilemma-solving answer guide that lets the code speak as plainly as written advice.


The Education Shelf

Observations Upon Liberal Education
George Turnbull
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, #300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1684
0865974128 $12.00 1-800-955-8335

First published in the 1700's, Observations Upon Liberal Education is a classic treatise by George Turnbull (1698-1748), a contemporary of Francis Hutcheson and one of the driving intellecutal forces behind the Scottish Enlightenment. This new edition has been carefully edited by Terrence O. More, Jr. (who also provided an informed and informative Introduction) for a contemporary readership. In Observations Upon Liberal Education, Turnbull sought to place a groundwork for creating a society of free, enlightened, upstanding and educated citizens. Drawing upon educational debates and sources to put forth his inspired ideals, his work is a classic and optimistic commentary.

Read All About It!
Diane Findlay
Upstart Books
PO Box 800, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
1579500854 $17.95 1-800-448-4887

Children's biographies are many, and Read All About It! by Diane Findlay is an excellent and highly recommended educator's guide to choosing quality children's biographies that pair classroom objectives to the explorations and accomplishments of individuals who have been great leaders. Annotated bibliographies for each individual chapter include titles which are superior in grabbing attention and teaching lessons teachers will find Read All About It! to be an important reference.

The Well-Managed Classroom
Theresa Connolly, et al.
The Boys Town Press
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Boys Town, Nebraska 68010
0938510614 $24.95 1-800-282-6657

Presenting a model that has been successfully used in hundreds of high school classrooms, The Well-Managed Classroom: Promoting Students Through Social Skill Instruction is the collaborative effort of Theresa Connolly, Tom Dowd, Andrea Criste, Cathy Nelson, and Lisa Tobias. The Well-Managed Classroom covers student rights; the importance of building and maintaining relationships; as well as principles of behavior; effectively using praise; preventive teaching, and much, much more. A solid guide to instilling a harmonious environment that would best promote traditional learning, The Well-Managed Classroom is a welcome and commended addition to Educational Studies reference collections and classroom instruction reading lists.

Grant Writing In Higher Education
Kenneth T. Henson
Allyn and Bacon
75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116
0205389198 $30.50 1-617-848-7320

Written by successful grant proposal writer Ken Henson, Grant Writing In Higher Education: A Step-By-Step Guide is a practical, informative, authoritative, and thoroughly "user friendly" instructional guide clearly and methodically presenting a variety of effective techniques for "action research", developing a serviceable writing style, using the best resources technology has to offer, and a great deal more. Grant Writing In Higher Education is emphatically recommended for classroom instructors, support staff members, administrators, alumni support organizations, and anyone involved in or charged with the responsibility of seeking grants to support educational programs, personnel development, academic research, and classroom instruction.

Teaching Diversity
William M. Timpson, et al.
Atwood Publishing
2710 Atwood Ave., Madison, WI 53704
1891859455 $25.95 atwoodpublishing.com

The collaborative effort of William M. Timpson, Silvia Sara Canetto, Evelinn Borrayo, and Raymond Yang, Teaching Diversity: Challenges And Complexities, Identities And Integrity collects essays by learned contributors each of whom focus upon a fundamental issue: how should diversity be pursued in higher education, and how can issues of diversity be handled in both a sensitive and adventurous manner? From the daunting task of teaching the diversity of world religions, to disability as part of the diversity curriculum, to a Native American perspective on teaching Federal Indian Law, and more, Teaching Diversity fully captures the reader's attention with its thoughtful, thought-provoking, and timely discourse.

Honoring Diverse Teaching Styles
Edward Pajak
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
0871207761 $22.95 1-800-933-2723

Written by Edward Pajak (Professor and Chair of the Department of Teacher Development and Leadership, Johns Hopkins University), Honoring Diverse Teaching Styles: A Guide For Supervisors is a brief (118-page) yet quite practical guide for encouraging and supervising classroom teachers. Descriptions of the four basic styles of teaching; tips for matching one's communication style to the nature of the teacher; understanding the clinical cycle; and much more, fill the pages of this succinct instructional manual specifically designed for helping educational administrators to assist teachers into becoming the best they can be.

Learner-Centered Teaching
Maryellen Weimer
Jossey-Bass
989 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
0787956465 $33.00 josseybass.com

Expertly written by Maryellen Weimer (Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning, Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Pennsylvania State University), Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes To Practice is an invaluable resource for college and university educators concerning the learner-centered teaching approach that takes into account what, how, where, and what conditions under which students are learning. Individual chapters convincingly address implementation and fine-tuning adjustments to adopting the learner-centered teaching style, and the appendices include a syllabus, sample learning log, and more. A very useful and well-researched approach, Learner-Centered Teaching is an important and strongly recommended addition to Educational Reference collections and Classroom Instruction reading lists.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Shape Of The River
Horton Foote
Applause Theatre Books
151 W. 46th St., New York NY 10036
1557835195 $16.95 1-800-637-2852

This teleplay presents Mark Twain's late years, and has been reprinted from the only surviving copy of the script, representing a remarkable re-discovery and a first-time publication of the lost teleplay. Add a history and analysis by Mark Dawidziak and you have a production which is rich in setting and history.

Smith & Kraus, Inc.
PO Box 127, Lyme, NH 03768
1-800-895-4331 www.amazon.com

Barbara Field'as New Classics From The Guthrie Theater (1575253690, $19.95) provides seven classical works rewritten for the American stage. These have been commissioned and staged over the past three decades by the Guthrie Theater and range from the traditional, familiar Christmas Carol to Camille, Great Expectations and beyond. All are proven hits and the new packaging for American production assures they will remain an actor's choice. Barbara Lhota and Janet Milstein's Duo Practice & Performance (1575253097, $14.95) presents over thirty 8-10 minute original dramatic scenes created especially for high school and college performers. Coaches of forensics dramatic duo competition will find this packed with challenging material which invites students to excel in a specific dramatic area. Christopher Durang's Complete Full- Length Plays (1575252953, $19.95) provides original and fresh writings selected from his productions from 1975-95, presenting seven out of eight of his full-length works ranging from a satire to an anti-war play and a parody of Hollywood. Humor is a common thread in his works: this and pieces rich in social commentary which poke fun at life and politics. Actors and dramatists seeking something different will find this very inviting.

Nazi Propaganda Flims
Rolf Giesen
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
0786415568 $55.00 1-800-253-2187

Written by experienced film historian and writer Rolf Giesen, Nazi Propaganda Flims: A History And Filmography is an informed and informative encyclopedic compilation feature films and feature-length documentaries created between 1933 and 1945, expressly to fuel the propaganda needs of the Nazis. Some of the discussed works were produced expressly on the order and the financing of the German Reich. A straightforward, extensive, and sober scholarly resource about a dark chapter in film history, Nazi Propaganda Films is a unique contribution to Cinematic History Studies collections and a seminal addition to Nazi Studies supplemental reading lists.

The Encyclopedia Of American Independent Filmmaking
Vincent LoBrutto
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0313301999 $74.95 greenwood.com

Compiled, organized and edited by Vincent LoBrutto (School of Visual Arts), The Encyclopedia Of American Independent Filmmaking consists of alphabetical entries covering everything from respected independent filmmakers, to notable independent films, and showcases critical views, basic information about the industry, various working methods, and more. Extensively researched and with an index for easy cross-referencing, The Encyclopedia Of American Independent Filmmaking is an excellent scholarly resource and a definitive professional reference recommended for anyone interested in making independent films as a career, or simply viewing them as a personal hobby.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion
Martin Grams, Jr. and Patrik Wikstrom
OTR Publishing
PO Box 252, Churchville, MD 21028
0970331010 $29.95 1-717-456-6208

Presented through a special arrangement with Universal Studios, The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion by Martin Grams and Patrik Wikstrom is a complete and authoritative guide to the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" television series, including a thorough episode guide with plot summaries, behind-the-scenes looks, over 100 black-and-white photographs, documentation on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" collectibles, information concerning the 1980s remake series, notes on Hitchcock spoofs, and more. The definitive and comprehensive resource for fans of this classic spine-chilling series, The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion is also a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal and academic Television History reference library collections.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

A Day Of Gladness
Herold Weiss
University of South Carolina Press
937 Assembly St, Columbia, SC 29208
1570034680 $39.95 1-800-768-2500

Impressively and accessibly written by Herold Weiss (Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana), A Day Of Gladness: The Sabbath Among Jews And Christians In Antiquity is a thoughtful and scholarly comparison and contrast of views among Christians and Jews that focuses especially upon major extant texts portraying the most crucial concerns of the authors and their communities with regard to the holy day of Sabbath. From Rabbinic and Qumranic texts reflecting views of the ancient Jews; to the Synoptic Gospels; the Gospels of John and Thomas; and letters to the Galatians, Romans, Hebrews, and Colossians (to represent ancient Christian views), A Day Of Gladness is a carefully researched, meticulously organized, and very highly recommended contribution to Religious Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.

War And Religion
James W. Rice, Ed.D.
Vantage Press, Inc.
516 West 34th St., NY, NY 10001
0533143942 $8.95 1-212-736-1767

War And Religion: A Handbook For Everyman by educator James W. Rice is a soul searching treatise that strives to explain why devastating conflicts have been waged between people who believe in the same God, and even share the same dogmatic roots. Surveying the beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and presenting basic information about each faith, as well as insights into major and wars involving these religions laid out in completely accessible layman's terms, War And Religion is a thoughtful and succinctly written primer which is especially recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in issues of faith and conflict.

Worldly Wonder
Mary Evelyn Tucker
Open Court
332 S. Michigan Ave. #1100, Chicago, IL 60604
0812695291 $17.95 opencourtbooks.com

In Worldly Wonder, Mary Evelyn Tucker argues that the challenge for modern world religion is to re-envision our role as citizens of the universe and members of a global community. To this end, chapters discuss how religious structures and thoughts can influence such diverse topics as environmental preservation, resource management, and conflicts between tradition and modernity.

Pick A God Any God
Doug Olson & Doris Neumann
Xulon Press
11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 800, Fairfax, VA 22030
1591602513 $13.99 www.pickagod.com

Collaboratively written by Doug Olson and Doris Neumann, Pick A God Any God is a stirring spiritual testimony about a difficult subject - that of widely diverse perspectives of God as interpreted among the world. Introducing the reader to a wide diversity of religious perspectives ranging from Mormonism, to Bahai, Zen, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, viewpoints on Lucifer, and more, Pick A God Any God is far more than simply a dispassionate survey of world faiths - it is reading that charges the reader with the importance of keeping a clear mind and heart in the quest for enlightenment, faith and understanding. Pick A God Any God is a very highly recommended addition to personal reading lists and Religious Studies reference collections.

Religion Across Borders
Helen Rose Ebaugh
Janet Saltzman Chafetz
Rowman & Littlefield
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
0759102260 $70.00 1-800-462-6420

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Helen Rose Ebaugh (Professor of Sociology, University of Houston) and Janet Saltzman Chafetz (Professor of Sociology, University of Houston), Religion Across Borders: Transnational Immigrant Networks is an impressive collection of essays by a number of learned authors who examine the networks between American immigrant religious communities, as well as the individuals, and religious institutions overseas from which the immigrants originally came. Surveying Catholic, Protestant, and Buddhist faith groups, these insightful and analytic discourses trace a larger picture about threads connecting cultures with the influence of historic, geographic, economic, and more factors. An involving and astutely presented account, Religion Across Borders is a work of impeccable scholarship and a welcome addition to Religious Studies supplemental reading lists and Sociology academic reference collections.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Wine Country Quilts
Cyndy Lyle Rymer & Jennifer Rounds
C&T Publishing
PO Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549
157120203X $24.95 1-800-284-1114

These nature-inspired quilts comprising Wine Country Quilts are truly gorgeous productions which focus on the outdoors and provide fifteen nature-inspired quilting projects, from easy pieced works to fusible-web designs and mini-quilts. The dual focus on American winemaking regions and vineyard quilts inspired form these traditions makes for an impressive collection which is as visually appealing as it is inviting and recommended to both avid beginners and experienced quilters.

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

Three new publications provide very different quilt projects and designs which will especially attract quilters seeking something different in the way of piecing and results. Debbie Bowles' Dancing Quilts From Straight Pieces (1574328-182, $24.95) fosters a technique which shows how to partner pieces to achieve movement characteristics. From contrasting fabrics and adjusting placement strategies to producing a 'dancing quilt' from original ideas, this uses twelve sample projects to introduce the concept and its many variations. Susan McKelvey's Fancy Feathered Friends For Quilters (1574-328123, $24.95) tells how to applique bird designs into quilting art. There are 24 patterns from easy to advanced to invite quilters to use bluebirds, dove, and swallows in quilt projects. The patterns can be painted, appliqued or embroidered, and can also form the foundation for other projects and birds. Sally aulmon's Keepsake Signature Quilts (1574328166, $24.95) pre-sents over twenty block patterns and a series of insights on how to put together signature quilts which contain signed or inscribed blocks to create not only a built, but souvenirs of the past. Stencils, stamps, embroidery or computer work is used for creating these signatures, with the quilt using them for keepsake mementos. All are recommended quilter's guides.

Beadwork Creates Beaded Beads
Jean Campbell
Interweave Press
201 East Fourth Street, Loveland, Colorado 80537-5655
1931499276 $16.95 interweave.com

The first book to be specifically devoted to this unique form of needlecraft, Beadwork Creates Beaded Beads: 30 Designs is compiled and edited by author, artist, and beadwork expert Jean Campbell. Each bead project is suitable for both the novice and the experienced beadworker, and offers a pattern enhanced with a materials and notions list, clear step-by-sept instructions, illustrations, and color photography. Each design can be completed in 30 minutes or less and ranging from Doris Coghill's Crystal Cluster (featuring Czech cut crystal rondelles huddled around wire) to Diane Fitzgerald's Star Flower (utilizing bi-cone, rice, round, or oval fire-polished or faceted beads. Beadwork Creates Beaded Beads is a unique, "user friendly", and very highly recommended addition to any dedicated needlecrafter or jewelry maker reference collection.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Collector Books
PO Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42001
1-800-626-5420 www.amazon.com

Collector Books issues a wide range of important collector's guides, offering virtual bibles of facts, history, and price guides often packed with color photos and updated often enough to keep up with rapidly changing collector's trends. The second edition of Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book (1574323342, $29.95), by Geoffrey Carlton, for example, includes over 17,000 photos and a quick alpha organization by item to make it easy to look up identification and values for a range of Star Wars collectibles, from cards and blank books to toys. Stefanie Deutsch's Barbie: The First 30 Years (1574323164, $24.95) also appears in its second edition to cover values and trends of Barbies from 1959 through 1989 and beyond. Color photos of Barbies, often still in their packaging, make for easy identification while the history is fascinating. Gene Florence's Treasures Of Very Rare Depression Glass (1574323369, $39.95) narrows the focus to rare items which stand out from the everyday crowd, all with values ranging over a hundred dollars per item. This is a recommended pick for the avid Depression glass collector who wants to hone their skills at locating real rarities. Lillian Baker's Plastic Jewelry Of The 20th Century (157432327X, $24.9) provides with black and white and a large selection of color photos in its survey of plastic jewelry, which has been updated by Karima Parry and Ginger Moro. There are plenty of excellent historical insights to accompany this value guide, making it an excellent introduction to the topic which beginners will well appreciate. James Webster's Wheeling Decorating Company Identification And Value Guide (1574323385, $24.95) profiles the fine gold-lined plates and glassware developed by the Wheeling company, and produced by other fine company lines over the decades. The history of this gold-lined production is as fascinating as the photos and values. Richard Cler's Old Magazines (1574323296, $19.95) details the history and production of a wide range of magazines; from the well-known Time, Poplar Science and Saturday Evening post to MAD, Mechanix Illustrated, and Mystic Magazine. The excellent color photos of magazine covers add life and action to discussions of magazine evolution, major issues, and values. All are highly recommended picks for all levels of collector.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Berkeley Prime Crime
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
1-800-847-5515 www.amazon.com

Libby Fischer Hellmann's Picture Of Guilt (0425191079, $6.50) tells of a high-profile Chicago murderer and the involvement of Ellie, who takes on an investigation of his crime, certain she's seen him before. When the Mob and the FBI become involved, Ellie finds more than she anticipated in this fast-paced thriller. Ayelet Waldman's Death Gets A Time-out (0425190145, $22.95) tells of a public defender turned stay-at-home mom who sleuths part-time. Juliet's involvement in a friend's gala party turns dangerous and involves her in an unusual mystery which demands the most of her family/job juggling skills in this thriller. Lawrence Block edits the new Mystery Writers of America collection Blood On Their Hands (0425190358, $23.95). Here are almost two new stories by Jeremiah Healy, Tom Savage, and others which focus on ordinary individuals handling extraordinary circumstances. Nero Blanc's Corpus De Crossword (0425190218, $13.00) presents an intriguing blend of crossword puzzle and mystery as it tells of a crossword editor's sleuthing in New England. A Massachusetts developer uncovers a skeleton of a young woman and involves the crossword sleuths in a real puzzler. All are excellent mysteries which excel in strong characterization.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Managing The Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis
Randall Schapiro, MD
Demos
386 Park Avenue South, NY NY 10016
1888799781 $19.95 www.amazon.com

This updated fourth edition of Dr. Randall Schapiro's Managing The Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis uses clear language and illustrations to explore all the common symptoms of MS and tested, proven treatments for it; from tremor and weakness to bladder and sexual difficulties. From a survey of common symptoms to helpful exercises, Dr. Shapiro covers the latest information on MS and its impact.

Hidden Causes Of Heart Attack And Stroke
Christian Wilde
Abigon Press
Gulotta Communications (publicity)
PO Box 4564, Valley Village, CA 91617
0972495908 $19.95 www.Abigon.com

Using a large font size especially suitable for the needs of older readers, Hidden Causes Of Heart Attack And Stroke by author, researcher and lecturer Christian Wilde is a superbly organized and presented "reader friendly" health guide to being proactive and taking good care of one's body. From the undeniable hazards of smoking; to the importance of stress management; the value of taking heart-friendly supplements such as fish oil and omega 3; the dangers of sleep apnea (a.k.a. snoring; and much more, Hidden Causes Of Heart Attack And Stroke is a highly recommended supplement to health and fitness reference shelves -- particularly for the non-professional general reader.

Introduction To Human Nutrition
Michael J. Gibney, et al.
Blackwell Publishing
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
063205624X $49.99 1-800-216-2522

The collaborative effort of health and nutritional experts Michael J. Gibney, Hester H. Vorster and Frans J. Kok, Introduction To Human Nutrition is an extensive, college-level, academic textbook written especially for beginning students of nutrition and dietetics. Individual chapters cover the metabolism of amino acids, proteins and carbohydrates; general dietary reference standards; vitamins, minerals, and trace elements; food policy and regulatory issues; the public health issue of food safety, and more. Introduction To Human Nutrition is very highly recommended for anyone pursuing a career in food science and is especially commended to the attention of the non-specialist general reader with an interest in learning about the basics of effective human health and nutrition.

Managing The Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis
Randall T. Schapiro, M.D.
Demos Medical Publishing, Inc.
386 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10016
1888799781 $19.95 demosmedpup.com

Ably written by Doctor Randall T. Schapiro (the Medical Director of The Fairview Multiple Sclerosis Center) and now in an newly updated and expanded fourth edition, Managing The Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis is a practical, informative, and medically sound instructional guide to dealing with the day-to-day difficulties induced by MS, ranging from bladder and bowel difficulties, to spasticity, tremors, physical weakness, and sexual problems. Managing The Symptoms Of Multiple Sclerosis is especially commended as being a "reader accessible" resource written especially for those with MS and their medical/familial caretakers.

Exercises For Chemotherapy Patients
Harry Raftopoulos & Erin O'Driscoll
Healthy Living Books/Hatherleigh Press
5-22 46th Avenue, Suite 200, Long Island City, NY 11101
1578260930 $14.95 1-800-528-2550

Co-written by Harry Raftopoulos (Assistant Professor of Medicine in the division of Medical Oncology and Director of Respiratory Oncology Program, New York Presbyterian Hospital) and Erin O'Driscoll (Registered Nurse, Exercise Physiologist, and Certified Health and Fitness Instructor), Exercises For Chemotherapy Patients is a significant and critically important instructional guide for those under-going chemotherapy and who could benefit from exercise for their personal health and increasing the quality of their lives. From walking and exercise programs that do not require any expensive equipment; to practical advice for dealing with side effects of chemotherapy; to nutrition concerns during chemotherapy treatment, Exercises For Chemotherapy Patients is a very strongly recommended and quite upbeat resource encourage cancer patients to taking charge of their own health, fitness, and recovery.

Heaven Can Wait
Charlie Jones & Kim Doren
Seven Locks Press
3100 W. Warner Avenue, #8, Santa Ana, CA 92704
1931643261 $16.95 1-800-596-7437

Charlie Jones is a prostate cancer survivor. Kim Doren is a motivational speaker. Together, Jones and Doren have compiled Heaven Can Wait: Surviving Cancer, a poignant collection of the personal experiences of cancer survivors, along with the wisdom and observations of respected doctors and researchers in the field of cancer. Most of the insights are only a page or two in length, yet contain a heart-pulling inner fire that propel the reader to continue to the end of this unforgettable anthology. If you, a friend or a loved one is dealing with cancer, then give a careful reading to Heaven Can Wait!

An Ovarian Cancer Companion
Diane Sims Roth
General Store Publishing House
PO Box 28, 1694B Burnstown Road, Burnstown, Ontario, Canada K0J 1G0
1894263839 $17.95 1-800-465-6072

Ably written by ovarian cancer survivor Diane Sims Roth, An Ovarian Cancer Companion is an important resource, especially for those seeking to learn more about this particular and deadly form of cancer in women. Presenting solid information on the risk factors, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis of ovarian cancer, as well as providing personal anecdotes drawn from over one hundred women who have experienced ovarian cancer, An Ovarian Cancer Companion is clearly distinguished as a highly recommended and authoritative informational resource approved by the National Ovarian Cancer Association, and should carefully read by all women (and those who love them) who are having to deal with this increasingly common medical condition.

Disease Prevention And Treatment
Life Extension Media
1100 W. Commercial Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
www.lifeextension.com
0965877752 $49.95 1-800-544-4440

Now in an updated and expanded fourth edition, Disease Prevention And Treatment from the Life Extension Foundation is an exhaustive, 1535-page encyclopedic style, "user friendly" resource compiling information drawn from research studies and the experiences of physicians worldwide. The "reader friendly" entries range from allergies, to thyroid disease, to scientific protocols that integrate mainstream and alternative medicine. Disease Prevention And Treatment is an impressive and strongly recommended resource for medical students, medical practitioners, and the non-professional general reader in need of quick and authoritative medical reference.

Question The Silhouettes
Norma A. Burdett & Thomas F. Dwyer
Infinity Publishing.com
519 West Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 194041-1413
0741414368 $13.95 www.amazon.com

Written by retired registered nurse Norma A. Burdett with the assistance of author and retired businessman Thomas F. Dwyer, Question The Silhouettes: AIDS And A Family In Crisis is the true and moving story of a family with a gay son. From their son's decision to come out and tell them the truth about himself, to his death from AIDS over ten years later, Question The Silhouettes is a poignant and personal testimony shaded with the ups, downs, and confusions of daily life. Question The Silhouettes is especially recommended reading for anyone having to deal with homosexuality, high risk sexual behavior, AIDS, or other forms of terminal illness within their own lives and families.


The Business Shelf

A Business Tale
Marianne M. Jennings
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814471978 $19.95 www.amazon.com

This is the story of ethics, choices, and business presented the tale of one Edgar Benchley, a nerd who studies well and enters the world of business, where his questionable dealings keep resulting in his being fired. Ethics are brought to real life in this fable, which uses the story format to impart basics of ethics in the business world.

Information Today Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 080551-800-300-9868 www.amazon.com

Two excellent titles provide fine resources on research and internet reference systems. Margaret Metcalf Carr's Super Searchers On Competitive Intelligence (0910965641, $24.95) provides the 12th in the series; this focusing on online and offline secrets of internet researchers who work in the competitive intelligence field. Leading consultants and experts from CI-savvy organizations share tips and models which can be applied to other business intelligence projects. Paula Berinstein's Business Statistics On The Web (09109-6565X, $29.95) tells how to locate financials and company information for free or low cost. Use the web to locate industry and company data and learn how to evaluate and organize statistics with the help of this invaluable tool, loaded with important tips.

A Portable Mentor For Organizational Leaders
Kendall L. Stewart, M.D.
SOMCPress, Inc.
1805 27th St., Portsmouth, OH 45662
097256070X $23.95 www.somc.org

In A Portable Mentor For Organizational Leaders, hospital medical director Kendall L. Stewart combines his professional experience and observational skills with the wisdom of the frontline managers and supervisors of Southern Ohio Medical Center, to offer the reader a solid primer to achieving excellence in structured leadership. A Portable Mentor For Organizational Leaders is a practical, straightforward, "reader friendly" management guide and covers how to most efficiently direct others ranging from such considerations as the proper tone to take and the priorities of a leader, to the rules of engagement in dealing with others, handling criticism, choosing one's battles wisely, and much more. A Portable Mentor For Organizational Leaders is thoughtful and thought provoking, highly recommended reading for any manager having to deal with employee absenteeism, staff infighting, low productivity, customer dissatisfaction, vendor incompetence, and more.


The Travel Shelf

Paris Revisited
Gary Lee Kraut
Words Travel International Press
740 River Road, Trenton, NJ 08628
0972398511 $18.95 parisrevisited.com

Accessibly written by Gary Lee Kraut (winner of FracePress' Prix d'Excellence for work on France), Paris Revisited: The Guide For The Return Traveler is an excellent travel guide to exploring the splendors of France's grand capital, whether you are returning for revisit or are experiencing Paris' cultural, historical, and architectural grandeur for the very first time. Covering both famous and infamous historical sites, grand museums, prime shopping locals, choice hotels, extensive adventure and gastronomical delights in the restaurant scene, and so much more, Paris Revisited is a superbly organized and enthusiastically recommended reference for enhancing one's travel experience.

Going Places
Michelle Roehm McCann
Beyond Words
20827 NW Cornell Rd. #500, Hillsboro, OR 97124
1582700702 $9.95 beyondword.com

Compiled by Michelle Roehm McCann, Going Places: True Tales From Young Travelers is an exciting anthology of traveling experiences written by young people, for readers of all ages to enjoy. From the different sides of East Indian culture, to a young woman's struggle to endure a week of boot camp, to a magnificent journey through Europe, and more, Going Places is a stimulating, original collection and very highly recommended reading.

Let's Go Buggy!
Troy Corley
Corley Publications
PO Box 16969, Encino, CA 91416-6969
0970624204 $14.95 letsgobuggy.com

Compiled and written by Troy Corley, Let's Go Buggy!: The Ultimate Family Guide To Insect Zoos And Butterfly Houses is a straightforward vacation guide to over 100 insect-themed, family-friendly places in the United States. From acquiring pet bugs, to butterfly releases, to honey harvest celebrations, and more, Let's Go Buggy! is chock full of locations, descriptions, and solid information concerning hours, admission fees, web sites, and more. Let's Go Buggy! is very highly recommended for planning a unique, distinctive, memorable, educational, and thoroughly fun family trip.

Walking The Camino De Santiago
Bethan Davies & Ben Cole
Pili Pala Press
2934 Woodland Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5N 3R1, Canada
097316980X $20.00 pilipalapress.com

Collaboratively researched and written by Bethan Davies and Ben Cole, Walking The Camino De Santiago presents an ancient pilgrimage route across northern Spain that was once used by Celts and Christians, and is now available to contemporary travelers wishing to share and partake in this historic route. Extensive directions, detailed sketch maps, medieval history, tips on identifying local flora and fauna, information concerning pilgrim hostels, and much, much more pack the pages of this detailed "must-have" travel guide for anyone seeking to embark on the Camino De Santiago pilgrimage. Also very highly recommended is the newly revised and expanded second edition of Bethan Davies and Ben Cole's Walking In Portugal (0952266814, $20.00).

Day Tripping
Teri J. Brown
Champion Press, Ltd.
4308 Blueberry Road, Fredonia, WI 53021
189140041X $13.95 championpress.com

Day Tripping by Teri J. Brown is an exciting field trip and family travel guide offering a variety of field trip themes that are as educational as they are fun. How-to tips for preparing and carrying out trips, as well as inspiring ideas for trips to gardening centers, art museums, dairies, construction sites, and more fill this guide from cover to cover. Day Tripping is not location-specific, nor does it contain the addresses of places to visit; rather it is a compendium of suggestions and advice especially useful for planning a fun and rewarding family vacation no matter where one happens to live.

Backroads Of Pennsylvania
Marcus Schneck
Voyageur Press
123 North Second Street, Stillwater MN 55082-0338
0896585506 $19.95 1-800-888-9653

Part of the outstanding "Pictorial Discover Guides" series from Voyageur Press, Backroads Of Pennsylvania by Marcus Schneck (outdoor editor and environmental contributor for the Harrisburg "Patriot-News") is an intimate travel guide to out-of-the way rustic, historic, and inspirational locales in this great state. Illustrated with both black-and-white and color photographs by Glenn Davis, and fleshed out with extensive histories of noteworthy sites, Backroads Of Pennsylvania is highly recommended for vacationers and will prove thoroughly entertaining reading for armchair travelers as well!

Hunter Publishing
130 Campus Dr., Edison, NJ 08818
1-800-255-0343 www.amazon.com

Two new adventure guides provide outdoors-oriented travelers with the basics of sightseeing in a different manner, surveying activities which rely on health and an interest in the outdoors. Shelagh McNaly's Guatemala (1558433471, $16.99) provides a candid assessment of many different outdoors opportunities in the country; from viewing Mayan ruins in the jungle and taking organized tours to independent sightseeing and cultural attractions. From places to stay and eat to experiences unique to the country, this provides all the suggestions and tools necessary to put together an outstanding trip. Patricia and Robert Foulke's Champlain And Hudson River Valleys (1558433455, $17.99) is also an outstanding guide to the outdoors, selecting the best accommodations, restaurants, and outdoors experiences to be found in these regions. From scenic drives to walks in the mountains and shopping, nothing is missed as the authors survey the different historic and natural opportunities open to visitors to the area.

Discover Boston
Bob Cushing
Dorrance Publishing Company
643 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2505
0805961240 $9.00 1-800-788-7654

Discover Boston is designed as both a casual tour survey of the city and as a text for those who relish Boston trivia, mixing in quick historical dates and anecdotes with advice on what to see in the city. What sets Discover Boston apart from weightier surveys is its focus on little-known facts, neighborhood history, and Beantown oddities.

Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail
Julie Fanselow
The Globe Pequot Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437
0762725893 $15.95 www.falcon.com

Now in an expanded and updated bicentennial edition, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail by travel author Julie Fanselow is an invaluable and "user friendly" resource that modern-day enthusiasts can use to retrace the route of the two famous early American explorers commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson after acquiring the Louisiana Purchase from the French. Filled with from cover to cover with authoritative information concerning activities, attractions, recommended itineraries, maps, black-and-white photographs, and more, Traveling The Lewis And Clark Trail is a comprehensive and enthusiastically recommended guide for any vacationer seeking to retrace footsteps of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their companions.

You've Got Mail From Kazakhstan
Sally Mesh & Stan Mesh
Higganum Hill Books
PO Box 666, Higganum, CT 06441
0963518593 $17.95 1-860-345-4103

The collaborative effort of Stan and Sally Mesh, You've Got Mail From Kazakhstan is a collection of emails that record personal observations and experiences of their memorable six-day trip along the Silk Road of Central Asia to central Uzbekistan. Sally and Stan's work for The International Executive Service Corps assigned them to develop business plans for three young companies in Kazakhstan. It is their once-in-a-lifetime journey and uniquely rewarding efforts which are engagingly chronicled in this true-life collection of electronic epistles. You've Got Mail From Kazakhstan is especially recommended for travelogue enthusiasts and has much to commended it to anyone with an interest in making their own business or recreational visit to such exotic old Silk Road locales as Kazakhstan, Samarkand and Uzbekistan.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Warblers Of The Great Lakes Region & Eastern North America
Chris G. Earley
Firefly Books
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1552978036 $24.95 1-800-387-5085

Knowledgeably and accessibly written by Chris G. Earley (an interpretive naturalist who regularly teaches bird identification workshops), Warblers Of The Great Lakes Region & Eastern North America is a superbly organized and presented ornithology field guide which packed from cover to cover with brilliant color photographs of various warblers, including separate photographs to show seasonal, gender, and juvenile versus adult variations in species plumage. Basic information about each species is provided with a strong slant toward concerning how to identify and distinguish it from similar species. Simply put, Warblers Of The Great Lakes Region & Eastern North America is a "must-have" for those birdwatchers with a special interest in tracking, sighting, and recognizing Upper Midwest and Eastern North American warblers.

HUP! Training Flushing Spaniels The American Way
James B. Spencer
Alpine Publications, Inc.
225 S. Madison Ave, Loveland, CO 80537
157779043X $22.95 1-800-777-7257

Now in an updated second edition, HUP! Training Flushing Spaniels The American Way is a practical, user friendly, and very highly recommended instructional guide written by James B. Spencer, an award-winning dog and outdoor writer with over 500 magazine articles to his credit. From an examination of different types of flushing Spaniel breeds; to training a Spaniel from puppyhood in various retrieval and hunting techniques; to working certificate tests, and much, much more, HUP! Training Flushing Spaniels The American Way is marked by especially straightforward instructions and advice, based on years of professional experience.

Your Outta Control Puppy
Teoti Anderson
T.F.H. Publications, Inc.
One TFH Plaza, Neptune City, NJ 07753
0793829003 $12.95 www.tfh.com

Written by Teoti Anderson (a professional dog trainer with eight years of experience), Your Outta Control Puppy is a solidly written, thoroughly "user friendly" instructional guide to training and control-ling common puppy misbehavior, and ranges from housebreaking a precocious pet, to curbing puppy tendencies to chew, bark, nip, bite, or jump up. Full-color photographs, straightforward instructions, numerous examples, and a wealth of sound advice distinguish this "owner manual" and confidently recommend it for anyone owning, or considering the ownership, of a puppy.

The Cat's Meow
Bill Zimmeran
Willow Creek Press
PO Box 147, Minocqua WI 54548
1572236868 $14.95 1-800-850-9453

The Cat's Meow: Feline Answers To Life's Big Questions by journalist and author Bill Zimmerman is dedicated to showcasing the daily life of the cat. From stretching out in the sun, to demonstrating feline independence, to disappearing for a couple of hours each day, to pouncing with passion on what is wanted, The Cat's Meow is replete with a "cat wisdom" that would do their human companions a lot of good to emulate! Zimmerman's delightful and perceptive text is superbly illustrated throughout with the artwork of Tom Bloom. Also very highly recommended is Zimmerman and Bloom's companion volume: The God's Bark: Simple Truths From Wise Pets (157223685X, $14.95)

Snakes Of The United States And Canada
Carl H. Ernst & Evelyn M. Ernst
Smithsonian Institution Press
Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012
1588340198 $70.00 1-800-782-4612

The team effort of Carl H. Ernst (Professor of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia) and Evelyn M. Ernst (Director of Information for the National Science Resource Center in Washington DC), Snakes Of The United States And Canada Is a brilliantly conceived and presented, 668-page encyclopedia filled from cover to cover with concise descriptions and up-to-date information concerning habitats, predators, behavior, reproduction, and more for all of the American and Canadian snake species from coast to coast. Full color photographs of each fascinating species are combined with meticulous, detailed, definitive descriptive entries, making Snakes Of The United States And Canada a professional quality addition to professional and academic Herpetology Resource reference collections.

University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637
1-800-621-2736 www.amazon.com

Two college-level texts are highly recommended picks for library collections specializing in science and natural history. Carol Boggs, et.al. Butterflies (0226063-186, $45.00), in which the world's leading experts blend the latest knowledge and findings on butterflies to examine their evolutionary and ecological processes. Broad areas focus on genetics, ecology, behavior and conservation biology, providing the first international synthesis of butterfly biology in over two decades. A highly specialized but essential title. Thomas Kunz and M. Brock Fenton edit Bat Ecology (0226462064, $55.00), a technical title covering the natural science and ecology of bats from migration to the evolution of ecological diversity among bat populations. Anticipate a highly technical set of discussions particular to college-level students of ecology and natural history. Both are exceptional presentations and recommended for lasting lending value to libraries specializing in science and nature.

Guide To The Reptiles Of The Eastern Palearctic
Nikolai N. Szczerbak
Krieger Publishing Company
PO Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
1575240041 $73.50 1-800-724-0025

Compiled and written by the late Soviet academician and herpetologist Nikolai N. Szczerbak (1927-1998) and with the technical editorial assistance of Michael L. Golubev, Guide To The Reptiles Of The Eastern Palearctic covers the reptile fauna of the Soviet Union, offering information on 161 different species, including their general distribution, type locality, reproduction and growth rates, ontogenetic, sexual, and geographic variation, ecology, behavior, and much, much more. An inset section of color photographs illustrates the professional style text of this solid biological handbook. Guide To The Reptiles Of The Eastern Palearctic is a meticulously prepared, seminal, scholarly addition to both academic, zoological, and professional reptile/herpetology reference collections.


The American History Shelf

Wild Women Of The Old West
Glenda Riley & Richard Etulain
Fulcrum
16100 Table Mtn Pkwy #300, Golden, CO 80403
1555912958 $17.95 1-800-992-2908

Wild Women Of The Old West is the story of early American Western rebels, daughters, cowgirls and female outlaws adds the fourth volume to a series on notable Westerners, and focuses on nine notorious women from frontier times. From Calamity Jane to Emily D. West, Wild Women Of The Old West provides a lively history of their lives and influence on their changing times.

Hope In Hard Times
Mary Murphy
Montana Historical Society Press
Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201
0917298810 $22.00 1-800-243-9900

Compiled from archives of photographs taken by Arthur Rothstein, Russell Lee, John Vachon, and Marion Post Wolcott (four of the United States' best-known photographs from the Depression era), Hope In Hard Times: New Deal Photographs Of Montana 1936-1942 is an absorbing visual presentation of black-and-white images that add a personal touch to the events of history, as the state of Montana and indeed the nation of America struggled to lift itself out of economic collapse. The extensive text provides an informed and informative commentary which provides an invaluable context and rounds out the memorable pictures creating a vivid total presentation. Hope In Hard Times is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to academic and community library 20th Century American History reference collections and reading lists.

Chace Of A Lifetime
Grace Anselmo D'Amato
Down The Shore Publishing Corp.
Box 3100, Harvey Cedars, NJ 08008
0945582757 $26.95 down-the-shore.com

Chance Of A Lifetime is the inside history of how Atlantic City earned its reputation for being the Queen of Resorts, especially focusing upon the lives and labors of political boss Enoch "Nucky" Johnson and 500 Club owner Paul "Skinny" Johnson who founded an economy on vice as a matter of civic pride. An engaging, uproarious true tale of sin, scrambling, and glittering legacy, Chance Of A Lifetime is a unique and welcome addition to 20th Century American History in general, and New Jersey State History in particular.

At The Edge Of Empire
Eric Hinderaker & Peter C. Mancall
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
0801871379 $17.95 jhupbooks.com

Co-written by Eric Hinderaker (Associate Professor of History, University of Utah) and Peter C. Mancall (Professor of History, University of Southern California), At The Edge Of Empire: The Backcountry In British North America focuses upon the interplay between Europeans and Native Americans during the seventeenth century. The "backcountry" that existed just beyond the imperial reach of Britain is the primary subject of this acutely written, meticulously researched, scholarly history which closely examines the manifold causes of conflict, as well as the ordinary situations of daily life which were to significantly contribute to the American Revolution of 1776.

Alcatraz
Michael Esslinger
Ocean View Publishing Company
PO Box 222317, Carmel, CA 93922
0970461402 $26.99 alcatrazhistory.com

Historian Michael Esslinger offers readers an in-depth portrait of the intimidating and seemingly inescapable American prison in Alcatraz: A Definitive History Of The Penitentiary Years. Black-and-white photographs enhance a detailed chronicle of this penal institution and its inmates, from its creation as a Mexican military fortress, to it's first use as an American Civil War facility of incarceration for prisoners of war by the Union in 1861, down to its final closure in 1963. A detailed, in-depth, definitive, informative, and superbly presented account of an infamous institution of American history, Alcatraz is a unique and welcome contribution to Penology Studies and American History reference collections.

Fort Union And The Upper Missouri Fur Trade
Barton H. Barbour
University of Oklahoma Press
1005 Asp Avenue, Norman, OK 73019
0806134984 $19.95 1-800-627-7377

Fort Union And The Upper Missouri Fur Trade by Barton H. Barbour (Assistant Professor of History, Boise State University), is a comprehensive history of the city of Fort Union, one of the most important and enduring fur-trading posts of the nineteenth century. Historian and author Barton Barbour transport the reader to a yesteryear teeming hub of communication and activity between pioneers, Native Americans, trappers, traders, and more. An involving discussion of the legal, political, and sociocultural influence this trading hub had upon American history, Fort Union And The Upper Missouri Fur Trade is an impressive work of deftly presented scholarship which has clearly earned its finalist ranking for the 2002 Western Writers of America Spur Award in the Best Western Nonfiction-Historical category.

The Rockies
David Lavender
Bison Books/Univ. of Nebraska Press
233 N. 8th St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0255
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
080328019X $19.95 1-402-472-3581

Enhanced with an informative introduction by Duane A. Smith, The Rockies by David Lavender (Professor of History and Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College) is an informed and informative history of the majestic Rocky Mountains ranging from the gold strikes of 1859 to struggles that brought about law codes unique to the mountainous American West. An engaging presentation as much about the impact of humanity as it is about the mountain range itself, The Rockies is a welcome addition to American History Studies reading lists and academic library collections. Also very highly recommended is Professor Duane Smith's earlier works: The Way To The Western Sea: Lewis And Clark Across The Continent (0803280033, $18.95) and Westward Vision: The Story Of The Oregon Trail (0803279159, $18.95).


The Artbook Shelf

Looking North
Karal Ann Marling
Afton Historical Society Press
PO Box 100, Afton, MN 55001
www.aftonpress.com
1890434566 $27.95 1-800-436-8443

Compiled and presented by curator and writer Karal Ann Marling, Looking North: Royal Canadian Mounted Police Illustrations - The Potlatch Collection is a full-color artbook collection showcasing classic illustrations of Canada's famous traditional mounted police, men who embodied the virtues of the Victorian era. A thoughtful introduction and an informative commentary fully enhances this bold and impressionable treasure trove embodying the spirit of a Canadian yesteryear! Highly recommended!

Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press
David Tatham
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210
0815629745 $39.95 1-800-365-8929

A work of impeccible scholarship by David Tatham (Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts at Syracuse University), Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press presents an informed and informative text which is enhanced with black-and-white reproductions of the art of Winslow Homer. One of the best-known American painters of the nineteenth century, Professor Tatham provides extensive insights into Homer's career, and how he necessarily relied on his great artistic skill and talent to make ends meet. Accurately portraying all sides of American life as experienced and interpreted by Homer, Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press is commended as an especially thoughtfully written work and an outstanding contribution to American Art History and American Publishing History reference collections.

Bright Earth
Philip Ball
University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637
0226036286 $18.00 1-800-621-2736

Bright Earth is an impressive and informtive survey of the art and invention of color. Philip Ball knowledgeably chronicles art history from wall paintings in Egypt to the Internet, analyzing both the science and art of how colors were developed and displayed. The dual focus on technological and artistic achievement makes Bright Earth a powerful survey which could have proved technical under another hand, but which proves delightful accessible to lay readers in all disciplines.

The Art Of The Pen
Lee Hendrix & Thea Vignau-Wilberg
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
0892366222 $14.95 www.getty.edu

The Art Of The Pen is a lavishly beautiful, full-color reproduction of classical works of calligraphy and miniature painting drawn from the era of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. These selected pages from the "Mira calligraphiae monumenta" or Model Book of Calligraphy, one of the major manuscripts in the J. Paul Getty Museum collection, The Art Of The Pen is enthusiastically recommended to calligraphy enthusiasts as a rapturously enticing work of exquisite artwork that transcends the test of time.

A Painter's Year In The Forests Of Bhutan
A. K. Hellum
The University of Hawaii Press
2840 Kolowalu St, Honolulu, HI 96822
0824824865 $35.00 1-888-847-7377

A Painter's Year In The Forests Of Bhutan by scholar and painter A. K. Hellum is an impressively presented artbook offering unique botanical and visual insights into the flora and culture of the land of Bhutan. Featuring color illustrations of more than 100 rarely seen Bhutanese plants, Hellum's extensive and thoughtful commentary enhances the gentle, museum quality illustrations, and provides the reader with a thoughtful perspective in the form of an exotic giftbook which is most especially recommended for lovers of nature and students of botany.

Sanctuaries
Peter C. Stone
The Writers' Collective
780 Reservoir Avenue, Suite 243, Cranston, RI 02910
193213350X $19.95 1-617-848-9909

Sanctuaries blends beautiful artworks by Peter C. Stone portraying the Wampanoag Homeland of southern New England, with Peter's brief notations communicating the importance of understanding the value and wonder of the natural world. A gentle and inspirational picture book which is suitable for all ages, Sanctuaries truly and visually celebrates the joy and transcendence of life, growth, and love.

Window On The West
Judith A. Barter & Andrew J. Walker
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Av, Chicago, IL 60603
PO Box 205, Manchester, VT 05254
0865591997 $50.00 1-312-443-3600

In association with Hudson Hills Press, The Art Institute of Chicago's Window On The West is a truly inspirational artbook collecting and showcases individual pieces originally created from 1890-1940 In a Chicago art community that romanced the ideal of the American West. Oil-on-canvas works, portraits of (sometimes overly romanticized) Native American heroes, sculptures, and much, much more, combine with an informed and informative text providing the reader with an extensive art history. A vivid artbook and treasure, illuminating to read and rapturous to view, Window On The West would make a welcome and popular addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library American Art History collection.

Drawing Mammals
Doug Lindstrand
Fox Chapel Publishing Co., Inc.
1970 Broad St, East Petersburg, PA 17520
www.foxchapelpublishing.com
1565232062 $25.00 www.amazon.com

Now in its third edition, Drawing Mammals: An Artist's Reference Guide To North American Mammals is an emphatically visual reference manual created by Doug Lindstrand, an artist with 30 years of experience in photographing and sketching wildlife. The sketches and full-color photographs are generally allowed to speak for themselves, with the text being limited to basic information concerning the biology of each mammal species presented - there are no how-to verbal drawing instructions in this extensively illustrated resource. A truly "user friendly" instructional guide, Drawing Mammals is most especially recommended for those novice artists who consider a picture to be worth a thousand words -- at least when it comes to learning how to draw.


The Psychology Shelf

Patterns
Marilyn Charles
The Analytic Press
101 West Street, Hillsdale, NJ 07642
0881633720 $39.95 analyticpress.com

Patterns: Building Blocks Of Experience By Marilyn Chambers (Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology, Michigan State University) traces how primary sensory and affective experiences coalesce into patterns which evolve to reflect a unique subjectivity on the part of every individual personality. These are life patterns through which we interact and affect one another beyond any overt physical connection or activity. Professor Charles draws upon case examples to illustrate and document these patterned experiences comprising life narratives. Of special not is the chapter devoted to "The Language of the Body: Allusions to Self-Experience in Women's Poetry". Patterns is a seminal and scholarly contribution to Psychoanalytic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Getting Personal
Michael G. DeFilippo
Second Chance Publishing
PO Box 1632, Nixa, MO 65714
www.secondchancepublishing.com
0971679525 $16.95 www.amazon.com

Compiled by Michael G. DeFilippo (who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome in 1998), Getting Personal: Stories Of Life With Tourette Syndrome is a collection of true anecdotes from those who have the Tourette condition, often called the "cursing disease" as it is characterized by involuntary verbal outbursts such as curse words. Informal insights into the daily lives of those with Tourette Syndrome combined with "first-person" journal entries to make for a rewarding, informative reading that speaks directly from experience to life and which is especially recommended reading for the friends and families of those who are afflicted with Tourette Syndrome.


The World History Shelf

Travel In The Middle Ages
Jean Verdon
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
0268042233 $25.00 undpress.nd.edu

An original and scholarly work by Jean Verdon (Professor Emeritus of Literature and Humanities at Limoges University), and ably translated into English by George Holoch, Travel In The Middle Ages presents the personal testimonies of those who adventured upon perilous roads in the Middle Ages, including clergy, merchants, agents of the king, sailors, and many others. An expertly researched history and a thoroughly "reader friendly" descriptive text offers the students and non-specialist general reader alike, a rare and informative insight into life and times of Europeans several centuries past. Travel In The Middle Ages is seminal and enormously important contribution to Medieval Studies reference collections and reading lists.

The Columbian Exchange
Alfred W. Crosby, Jr.
Praeger Publishers
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275980928 $24.95 www.praeger.com

The Columbian Exchange: Biological And Cultural Consequences Of 1942 by Alfred W. Crosby Jr. (Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Geography, University of Texas - Austin) is the 30th anniversary edition of a classic treatise that shows how the voyages of Columbus caused a sweeping biological change as organisms large and small spread to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. From the deadly toll of smallpox among the Indians of Mexico, to the introduction of Old World plants and animals to the New World, and so much more, The Columbian Exchange is a seminal, educational, and uniquely insightful contribution to Native American, Medical History, and World History Studies reference collections and reading lists.

The Tuareg: People Of Ahaggar
Jeremy Keenan
Sickle Moon Books/Dufour Editions
Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
1900209144 $29.95 1-800-869-5677

First published in 1977, The Tuareg: People Of Ahaggar by Jeremy Keenan is an even-handed and objective look at the culture of the Tuareg people of the central Sahara, who are perhaps most famous for a fierce defense of their homeland against French imperialism, a struggle which ultimately resulted in the expulsion of France from Algeria in 1962. Part history, part anthropology, The Tuareg: People Of Ahaggar is offers an historical analysis which is very highly recommended for Mideast Studies reference library collections.

The Great Land Rush
John C. Weaver
McGill-Queen's University Press
3430 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 1X9
0773525270 $55.00 1-800-387-0141

The Great Land Rush And The Making Of The Modern World, 1650-1900 by John C. Weaver (Professor of History, McMaster University) knowledgeably examines how the European appropriation and distribution of land in the New World affected nations and civilizations. Covering the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, The Great Land Rush And The Making Of The Modern World, 1650-1900 is a thoughtful, scholarly, and confidently recommended analysis offering impressive insights on the international power plays and specific human interactions that shaped two and a half centuries of colonial era history.

Encyclopedia Of Barbarian Europe
Michael Frassetto
ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
1576072630 $95.00 1-800-368-6868

Compiled, written, and edited by Michael Frasetto (Religion Editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica), Encyclopedia Of Barbarian Europe: Society In Transformation presents a wealth of up-to-date information concerning the figures, places, events, laws, ideas, and social orders of the late ancient period down through the Middle Ages in Europe. Nearly 200 entries are organized alphabetically in order to offer an extensively researched, "user friendly" portrait of how men and women of the era once lived, and how European society itself evolved over the centuries. Encyclopedia Of Barbarian Europe is a core addition to any dedicated academic or community library European History reference collection.


The International Studies Shelf

The United States And Coercive Diplomacy
Robert J. Art & Patrick M. Cronin, editors
United States Institution of Peace
1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036-3011
1929223447 $19.95 www.usip.org

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Robert J. Art (Professor of International Relations, Brandeis University) and Patrick M. Cronin (Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development), The United States And Coercive Diplomacy is a collection of learned essays by a variety of authors, each of whom look at American "coercive diplomacy", that is, the striving to change the behavior of a state or group through the threat of, or limited use of, military force. Studying cases in Bosnia, Haiti, Iraq, Taiwan, North Korea, and others, The United States And Coercive Diplomacy affords a series of perceptive views of this trend in American international relations and what it means for the present and future. The United States And Coercive Diplomacy is a welcome and highly recommended contribution to International Studies reading lists and reference collections.

Peace & War
Raymond Aron
Transaction Publishers
Rutgers, State University of New Jersey
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854
0765805049 $39.95 1-888-999-6778

A work of impressive scholarship by political and social theorist Raymond Aron (1905-1983), and featuring a new introduction by Daniel J. Mahoney (Associate Professor of Political Science, Assumption College) and Brian C. Anderson (Senior Editor of "City Journal"), Peace & War: A Theory Of International Relations develops and presents analytical tools necessary for prompt, clear, cogent thinking about the stakes, conflicts, and possibilities of contemporary international relations. Denouncing the idea that a simple "science" can deterministically and inflexibly predict the complexities of international relations, and rejecting both the amoral view of Machiavellians and the naivete of political idealists, Peace & War: A Theory Of International Relations is an absorbing, informative study of human behavior on a grand scale which is very highly recommended for International Studies, Political Science, and Multinational History reference collections and reading lists.

The Illusion Of Control
Seyom Brown
Brookings Institution Press
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-2188
0815702639 $18.95 1-800-275-1447

A work of impressive scholarship by Seyom Brown (Professor of International Cooperation in the Department of Politics, Brandeis University), The Illusion Of Control: Force And Foreign Policy In The 21st Century is a informed and informative survey and analysis of the usage and impact of force in world politics as a crisis reaction, and the dangers of mistakenly estimating the ever-changing nature of war itself in today's volatile and confusing world. A cautionary presentation warning of the consequences of the overuse of brute force as a first resort, The Illusion Of Control is a timely and welcome contribution to the contemporary national dialogue regarding American foreign policy and the role of a military-based diplomacy in our now global efforts in the war against terrorism.

Pirates And Emperors, Old And New
Noam Chomsky
South End Press
7 Brookline St. #1, Cambridge, MA 02139
www.southendpress.org
0896086852 $18.00 1-800-533-8478

Now in a newly updated edition, Pirates And Emperors, Old And New: International Terrorism In The Real World by Noam Chomsky (an internationally acclaimed philosopher, scholar, and political activist). Chomsky's critical analysis of America's role in the Middle East and how the media tends to manipulate the beliefs of the public is presented with the addition of new chapters focusing upon the second Palestinian Intifada which began in October 2000, as well as the harsh impact that September 11 has had on the formation and conduct of American foreign policy. Pirates And Emperors, Old And New is a very highly recommended and timely addition to Contemporary International Studies reading lists and reference collections.

Traditions, Values, And Humanitarian Action
Kevin M. Cahill, M.D.
Fordham University Press
University Box L, 2546 Belmont Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
0823222888 $24.00 1-800-247-6553

Compiled and edited by Kevin M. Cahill (Director of the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, Fordham University), Traditions, Values, And Humanitarian Action is a collection of nineteen erudite essays by various learned and scholarly authors informatively examining some of the fundamental issues surrounding humanitarian action, including reaching beyond practical difficulties of providing humanitarian assistance in a world of global politics, to the intermeshing of different religious, cultural, and social systems in often hostile circumstances. From Christianity and its religious sponsored humanitarian missions; to the concept, theory, and reality of terrorism; to the impact the September 11th attacks have had on global civil society, Traditions, Values, And Humanitarian Action is a thoughtfully informative and seminally important addition to International Studies reference collections, as well as corporate, governmental, and NGO policy maker reading lists.

Facts About China
Xiao-Bin Ji, editor
H.W. Wilson Company
950 University Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452
0824209613 $105.00 1-800-367-6770

Deftly organized and edited by Xiao-Bin Ji (Assistant Professor of History, Rutgers University), Facts About China is an extensively packed, 751-page resource comprehensively covering the geography, climate, history, belief systems, economy, governmental institutions, chronology and more, regarding the People's Republic of China. An authoritative and "user friendly" reference offering up-to-date and relevant information (especially for prospective travelers and visitors), Facts About China is an impressive, seminal, and very highly recommended contribution to Chinese Studies reference collections.

The Austrian Nation
Ernst Bruckmuller
Ariadne Press
270 Goins Court, Riverside, CA 92507
1572411155 $46.00 aridadnepress.com

Initially published in 1984, The Austrian Nation: Cultural Consciousness And Socio-Political Processes by Ernst Bruckmuller (Professor of Economic and Social History, University of Vienna, and Chairman of the Department of Austrian Studies) is a revised translation into English and provided an informative Afterword by Lowell A. Bangerter (Professor of German, University of Wyoming) of a seminal and scholarly work that combines historical analysis, social research, and a broad survey of the unique culture forces and politics that have shaped present-day Austria. Individual chapters address controversies, myths, stereotypes, the wide variety of ethnic groups, and more. As pertaining to the political, social, and cultural tapestry of Austria itself, The Austrian Nation is thoughtfully recommended as being a seminal and ground breaking study of a European nation.


The Social Issues Shelf

Wilson's Ghost
Robert S. McNamara & James G. Blight
PublicAffairs
250 W 57th St, #1321, NY, NY 10107
www.publicaffairsbooks.com
1586481436 $14.00 perseusbooks.com

The collaborative effort of Robert S. McNamara (educator, businessman, and Secretary of Defense to Presidents Jack Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson), and James G. Blight (Professor of International Relations, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University), Wilson's Ghost: Reducing The Risk Of Conflict, Killing, And Catastrophe In The 21st Century is a clear, hard look at the twentieth century as being the bloodiest era in the whole of human history, with over 160 million people worldwide as victims of wars and other armed conflicts. Studying the means of avoiding war and sustaining peace, and presenting a plan to realize Woodrow Wilson's dream of a peaceful planet, McNamara and Blight cogently set forth a radical means to reducing the bloodshed and progressing toward a more enlightened future. Wilson's Ghost is very highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to personal reading lists and academic Peace Studies reference collections.

Theatre Of Hell
Dr. Haha Lung & Christopher Prowant
Loompanics Unlimited
PO Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368
1559502355 $19.95 loompanics.com

Theatre Of Hell explores and reveals the routine, systematic torture carried on by supposedly civilized countries, cataloging over 100 countries where legal 'judicial' tortures ranging from amputation and caning to beheading, and surveying state-sanctioned punishments for offenses. The common view is that torture is used by uncivilized nations or that torture has long been abolished: Theatre Of Hell shows otherwise.

Good News For A Change
David Suzuki & Holly Dressel
Greystone Books
1700 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710
155054926X $16.95 www.amazon.com

Good News For A Change isn't just another account of disasters and future problems; instead it provides a positive focus and a blueprint for survival by gathering the stories of everyday people and how they are helping to change their world. The solutions to saving the planet exist, the authors maintain: they just have to be identified and implemented on a range of levels. An intriguing survey results.

Still The Target
Theodore Shackley & Richard Finney
Noble House
8019 Belair Rd. #10 Baltimore MD 21236
1561677868 $18.95 www.amazon.com

How can the general public cope with threats of terrorism and crime? Still The Target examines issues of protecting high level individuals and how these strategies can be used by corporations, private individuals, and governments alike. Case studies, research findings, and the authors' CIA backgrounds blend to reveal methods of observation, self-defense, and even attack. The focus on a proactive attitude makes Still The Target an intriguing and highly recommended guide.

Aging In Today's World
Renee Rose Shield & Stanley M. Aronson
Berghahn Books
604 West 115th St, New York, NY 10025
1571814205 $29.95 1-800-540-8663

The collaborative effort of Renee Rose Shield (Clinical Associate Professor of Community Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island) and Stanley M. Aronson (University Professor of Medical Science and Dean of Medicine Emeritus, Brown University), Aging In Today's World: Conversations Between An Anthropologist And A Physician is an informed and informative inquiry the addresses the complex subject of aging, and which confronts some very tough questions from a sociological and a medical standpoint, including "What is successful aging?"; "Is aging a burden or a gift?"; and "Where is aging located?" A college-level study covering both common issues and more obscure philosophical dilemmas, Aging In Today's World is a welcome and very highly recommended contribution to Geriatric Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Gender And The Welfare State
Mary Daly & Katherine Rake
Polity Press/Blackwell Publishing
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148
0745622321 $34.95 www.polity.co.uk

Co-written by Mary Daly (Professor of Sociology, Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland) and Katherine Rake (Director of the Fawcett Society), Gender And The Welfare State: Care, Work And Welfare In Europe And The USA is a crucial and scholarly examination of the intersection between gender and the welfare state in eight countries: France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA. From acutely dissecting feminist and comparative literature on the welfare state; to presenting a new theoretical framework for understanding these issues and drawing connections between gender and household resources (as well as explanations of national configurations and cross-national patterns) and a great deal more, Gender And The Welfare State offers a wealth of documented social insights and would make an excellent addition to Gender Studies, Women's Studies, and Feminist Studies reference collections and reading lists.

The Architects Of Rap
Les Taha
Silverstone Press
PO Box 8429, Tacoma, WA 98418
0974071005 $12.95 silverstonepress.com

The Architects Of Rap: Poison In Our Culture by Les Taha is a stinging, articulate, timely denouncement of the negative influences that rap and hip-hop culture and lyrics have on African Americans today, ranging from its portrayal of stereotyped violence, to promiscuity, to criminality among black people, to its glorification of despicable and inhumane behavior. Pen-and-ink cartoons add a satirical punch to this strident, much-needed "wake-up" call concerning how prejudice and poisonous values influence our impressionable youth through the guise of rap and hip-hop.

Mexifornia: A State Of Becoming
Victor Davis Hanson
Encounter Books
665 Third Street, Suite 330, San Francisco, CA 94107-1951
1893554732 $21.95 www.encounterbooks.com

Mexifornia: A State Of Becoming by Victor David Hanson scrutinizes the impact that massive illegal immigration from Mexico to California has had upon the state, its civil services, and its culture. Emphasizing the importance of making American citizenship a priority, sharply criticizing those who stymie discussion of the illegal immigration issue, and lauding the American traditions of assimilation, integration, and intermarriage, Mexifornia is a distinct wake-up call concerning a serious social issue and should be required reading for state and federal policy makers, as well as the immigration activist and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in immigration issues.

No One Is Illegal
Steve Cohen
Trentham Books/Stylus Publishing
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
1858562910 $29.95 1-800-232-0223

No One Is Illegal: Asylum And Immigration Control Past And Present by immigration lawyer and activist Steve Cohen is a carefully researched and clearly presented look at the political and historical background to governmental immigration controls. A meticulous and authoritative study of immigration history is then extended into the present day, in which migrants, immigrants, and refugees are increasingly being turned away by a "global fortress" mentality. A thoughtful and thought-provoking account of a critical modern-day issue No One Is Illegal is a seminal, ground breaking, and very strongly recommended contribution to Immigration Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Out Of The Ashes
Karen Koehler
Black Death Books
PO Box 588, Effort, PA 18330
0967922038 $16.00 khpindustries.com

Janna is a woman who dedicated herself to avenging the victims of her home planet's globally catastrophic war. Then she became a victim herself with face and body destroyed beyond recovery or recognition by sadistic warmongers who left her for dead. But Janna survived, as much machine as woman, and on a mission to punish the guilty of atrocities such as those inflicted upon her. Janna's enemies are now on Earth and are bringing their intergalactic grudge match to a world unable to withstand them. But Janna is coming for the unrepentant on a mission of revenge. The debut title in Karen Koehler's "The Maiden" science fiction action/adventure series, Out Of The Ashes is a compelling and entertaining read, and also documents Koehler as a master storyteller and a welcome addition to the pantheon of Science Fiction authors with a natural gift for the genre.

DAW Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
1-800-847-5515 www.amazon.com

As a newcomer to Tanya Huff's writings and arriving in the middle of her Keeper's Chronicles with Volume 3, Long Hot Summoning (0756401364, $6.99), I wasn't anticipating the thrill which resulted from this refreshing story. Huff's style made it easy to enter the world of talking cats, witch families, and conflicts between good and evil forces, even mid-series; and the humor and innuendoes run non-stop through this fantasy. Here Diana and her sister Claire find themselves confronting shopping center elves and evils alike as they battle against a staged takeover from the Otherside. Add lesbian attractions, cat sarcasm, and an abundance of wit and you have a strong fantasy which wins on its solid and refreshingly different, wry humor. Jude Fisher's Wild Magic (0756401-453, $23.95) provides Book 2 of Fool's Gold, continuing the story of traditional enemies the Eyra and Istria peoples, and a group of unlikely young men and women who could be the key to stopping or enhancing the violence between the two peoples. A rich plot, this will prompt newcomers to consult its predecessor for more insights. Emily Drake's Dragon Guard (0756401410, $19.95) provides Book 3 in the 'Magickers' series and is a recommended fantasy for any who enjoy Harry Potter and similar series titles. Here Jason searches for a stable sanctuary for the Magickers group of adults and young adults who are honing their magic and fighting evil forces in the process. Time is running out, complicated by confrontations with both daily living and evil forces. Solid, fast-paced action throughout keeps this series lively.

Baen Books
PO Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 14071
1-800-223-2336 www.amazon.com

Harry Turtledove's Marching Through Peachtree (0743436091, $7.99) tells of a different kind of civil war in Detina, a land in which a king has decided to liberate its blond surfs. This war will be fought not only with arms, but with wizards and magic as the king searches for a united front. Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill's Spirits White As Lightning (0743436083, $7.99) tells of a boy who has left the Underhill world to settle into New York and school at Julliard, trying to forget he once led victory in Underhill against a dark Lord. It takes the plans of a man whose love was murdered by a human to involve Eric in a new Underhill battle: can he handle summer school and wizard alike? James Hogan's The Anguished Dawn (0743435818, $26.00) is set in a world which has been nearly destroyed by a space hazard from Jupiter. Civilization on Earth has ended, and only the colony of Kronia, living on one of Saturn's moons, survives with the dream of founding a new civilization on a reborn Earth. Political conflicts invariably arise in the process of this effort. Steve White's Forge Of The Titans (0743436113, $22.00) tells of a young man pulled out of Naval flight school to participate in a government project involving telepathy. Derek's talent for psi powers leads to a contact with a woman who can open portals through spacetime in this excellent science fiction thriller. William Mark Simmons' Dead On My Feet (0743436105, $24.00) also offers something different: a fantasy revolving around a man hunted by both human and vampire alike for the secrets he now knows and the powers of his mutated vampire blood. Abandoned by his werewolf lover and hunted by both sides, Chris finds life more than sucks in this whimsical, fast-paced story which is a recommended pick for readers seeking a plot out of the ordinary.

Niamh And The Hermit
Emily C. A. Snyder
Arx Publishing
10 Canal St, #231, Bristol, PA 19007
1889758361 $14.95 www.arxpub.com

Emily Snyder's Niamh And The Hermit: A Fairy Tale is a fantasy novel written in the verbose and lyrical style associated with Lord Dunsany. It is the imaginative tale of the daughter of a King, and the story of a Fairy whose beauty is so great that it drives ordinary men mad. Only a hermit with the piety of a saint can hope to share happiness as her bride, yet a vengeful Count lays plots and schemes to sow misery for the princess and her destined one. Niamh And The Hermit is highly recommended for fans of "high fantasy" as being an original, captivating, and thoroughly enticing fable.

Something From The Nightside
Simon R. Green
Ace Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
0441010652 $6.50 1-800-847-5515

Something From The Nightside by Simon Green will delight fans of detective novels and alternate universe science fiction who are seeking something a little different to read. John Taylor is an expert on finding lost things thanks to his alternate reality experiences in the Nightside. A runaway teen daughter seems like a simple case for his talents until he discovers she's run away to the Nightside, where monsters and myths come alive and where Taylor must return home to win his case.

Betnoni's Prophecy
Elizabeth A. Merz
Quiet Storm Publishing
PO Box 1666, Martinsburg, WV 25402
www.quietstormpublishing.com
0971429693 $26.95 www.amazon.com

Betnoni's Prophecy is a dramatic science fiction epic saga, the first title in a seven novel series called "The Last Gate". The last of an ancient race must follow an ancient prophecy to bring the Last Gate into the world. Very highly recommended for fantasy fans and science fiction enthusiasts, Betnoni's Prophecy is an evocative story filled with sensual description and exotic culture blended with down-to-earth heroes and villains.

The Guin Saga
Kaoru Kurimoto
Vertical
257 Park Avenue South, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010
1932234519 $22.95 vertical-inc.com

The Guin Saga Book One: The Leopard Mask By Kaoru Kurimoto is a disturbing and dramatic fantasy of a deadly war between ancient kingdoms. The only surviving royalty of the losing kingdom are rescued by a creature with a man's body and a leopard's head, a being who remembers nothing of his past except for his name - Guin. It is Guin's search for his identity and destiny that leads to an exciting political intrigue and an evolving, exhilarating journey of discovery.

ROC
375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014
1-800-847-5515 www.amazon.com

Two outstanding new titles provide science fiction stories which are hard to put down. Lou Anders edits Live Without A Net (0451459253, $14.95), an anthology of stories from speculative fiction writers which considers alternative histories and other dimensions in cyberspace. Stephen Baxter, Paul Di Filippo, Mike Resnick and others provide stories which are exceptional in their diversity and vision of an alternate mankind and future. Kristine Rusch's Extremes (0451459342, $6.50) tells of a man whose assignment is to find the Disappeared outlaws wanted for crimes against alien cultures. Blend science fiction and intrigue with a detective-like focus and you have a story which should satisfy a wide audience.


The Musicbook Shelf

No Direction Home
Robert Shelton
Da Capo Press
11 Cambridge Ctr., Cambridge MA 02142
0306812878 $19.95 1-800-242-7737

Expertly written by Robert Shelton (the New York Times music and popular culture reviewer generally credited for "discovering" Dylan in 1961), No Direction Home: The Life And Music Of Bob Dylan is a faithful and definitive biography of the talented artist and his unforgettable music. An extensively detailed chronicle which explores all sides and aspects of a cherished and popular figure in American music, No Direction Home is a welcome addition to 20th Century Music History Studies collections and "must" reading for all Bob Dylan fans.

How To Be A Hit Songwriter
Molly-Ann Leikin
Hal Leonard Corporation
PO Box 13819, Milwaukee, WI 53213
063405001X $14.95 halleonard.com

How To Be A Hit Songwriter: Polishing And Marketing Your Lyrics And Music offers practical creative and career advice from an Emmy-nominated songwriter Molly-Ann Leikin. From rewriting without overwriting, to coping with rejection, to meeting deadlines, to developing business smarts, and so much more, How To Be A Hit Songwriter is a definitive, down-to-earth, accessibly written, "must-read" instructional reference guide for all aspiring song writers and composers of popular music.

The Art Pepper Companion
Todd Selbert, editor
Cooper Square Press
200 Park Avenue South, Suite 1109, New York, NY 10003-1503
www.coopersquarepress.com
0815412657 $16.95 www.amazon.com

Compiled and edited by Todd Selbert, The Art Pepper Companion: Writings On A Jazz Original is an anthology of essays by a vast variety of music critics on the often troubled career and life of famous jazz musician Art Pepper. A diverse selection of perspectives adds an extra dimension of appreciation to the distinctive and memorable impression of his work. The Art Pepper Companion is essential reading for the legions of Art Pepper fans, and a welcome contribution to personal and academic 20th Century American Music History Studies collections.


The Native American Shelf

Walking The Choctaw Road
Tim Tingle
Cinco Puntos Press
2709 Louisville, El Paso, TX 79930
0938317741 $16.95 1-800-566-9072

Written by acclaimed Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle, Walking The Choctaw Road is a delightfully presented, inherently entertaining, and thoughtfully informative collection of original tales drawn from personal, mythical, and oral accounts. Written in a down-to-earth, highly accessible style, Walking The Choctaw Road is a joy to read, embracing tribal traditions with wry humor, enhanced with liberal highlights of both energy and excitement. Walking The Choctaw Road is an enthusiastically recommended contribution to personal reading lists and Native American Studies collections.

Native American Studies In Higher Education
Duane Champagne & Jay Stauss, editors
Rowman & Littlefield
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
0759101256 $26.95 1-800-462-6420

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Duane Champagne (Professor of Sociology and Director of the American Indian Studies Center, UCLA) and Jay Stauss (Director of American Indian Studies, University of Arizona), Native American Studies In Higher Education: Models For Collaboration Between Universities And Indigenous Nations brings together informed and informative essays contributed by a variety of learned authors concerning Native American studies courses in American and Canadian universities. From the opposing forces of assimilation agendas; to the long battle to represent Native American cultures as worthy of study; to the struggle to reach out to and retain Native American students, so much more, Native American Studies In Higher Education offers a cornucopia of diverse commentaries with a common theme of embracing knowledge to promote a better tomorrow for all Native Americans, as well as the broader and dominant North American culture.

Comanches
T. R. Fehrenbach
Anchor Books/Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th fl, NY, NY 10019
1400030498 $16.00 1-800-726-0600

First published in 1974, Comanches: The History Of A People by T. R. Fehrenbach is a classic history of one of the most influential Native American tribes. Tracing their origins from prehistory, down to the wars fighting to turn back the advance of European colonization, and then on to the ultimate dismantling of their old ways by the implacable forces of the American government, The U.S. Army, and the Texas Rangers, Comanches is the absorbing saga, and a welcome addition to Western American History reading lists and Native American Studies reference collections.


The Fiction Shelf

The Ecumenical Cruise
Walter Benesch
None The Less Press
20332 W. 98th St., Lenexa, KS 66220
1932053077 $24.95 nonethelesspress.com

Written by Walter Benesch (Professor of Philosophy, University of Alaska, Fairbanks), The Ecumenical Cruise And Other Three-Legged Chicken Philosophy Tales is an impressive and original anthology of brief, yet insightfully philosophic tales, stories that stimulate the mind and prompt reflection upon their conclusion. The Ecumenical Cruise is enthusiastically recommended as being a delightful and thoroughly entertaining read, one that reaches out to expand the intellectual horizons both within the mind and imagination of the reader.

Winding River
Jeff Weir
Grimgribber Books
PO Box 430, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
0972619607 $24.95

Winding River by Jeff Weir is a compellingly written novel about John Hall, a young law school graduate who gets an eye-opening dose of reality when he lands a job in a small village in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Love, fierce clashes of will, and the energetic drive to make the most of oneself and one's profession pepper this invigorating story. Winding River documents Jeff Weir as a considerably talented regional author and someone who has a definite flair for creating the kind of novel that is so easy to pick up and so hard to put down.

Play Money
Phillip Allen
Soho Press, Inc.
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
1569473382 $24.00 sohopress.com

Play Money is an intense and engaging novel set in the 1990s, about Wall Street's inexorable churn of commerce, the heady lure of the internet as a moneymaking resource, and the human lives swept up in the endless pursuit for wealth that is often all too precarious. Insightful, sharp-witted, and deftly written with a keen eye for the undercoating of greed that permeates human nature, Play Money clearly establishes Phillip Allen as a master storyteller of considerable skill and ability.

Gathering Storm
Lauran Paine
Five Star Books
295 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME 04901
0786238011 $25.95 1-800-223-1244

Gathering Storm collects under one cover, two short Western novels by Lauran Paine, both of which are characterized with a strong feel and imagery of the wild frontier. In "The Calexico Kid" a mysterious bandit who defies description threatens to elude justice. In "Gathering Storm", two gunfighters arrive in a town even as two men are shot down. An exciting and flavorful read cover to cover, Gathering Storm is enthusiastically recommended reading for dedicated fans of the Wild West.

Dancing With The Analysts
David A. Mallach
Penhurst Books
Suite SJO 2086/1601 NW 97th Avenue, Miami, FL 33102
0970568428 $21.95 1-877-496-0416

Dancing With The Analysts by David A. Mallach is an exciting and unusually well written novel of a son who, when bequeathed a secret gift of a million dollars from the father he never knew, must rise to the challenge and turn his life around - for the money comes only with conditions that will either make him or break him. A turbulent and involving story of learning to change, grow, and adapt, and set in the volatile and often treacherous high finance world of Wall Street, Dancing With The Analysts is an exceptional and very highly recommended read.

Mighty Mountain
Archie Binns
Binford & Mort Publishing
5245-C N.E. Elam Young Parkway, Hillsboro, OR 97124
0832302597 $9.95 1-503-884-4960

Set in the early 1850s in the Old West, Mighty Mountain by Archie Binns is a superbly crafted, 440-page novel of greed, land grabbing, conflict, and the struggle of human beings to build a home and a life for themselves. A poignantly told story embracing the quality and the darkness of human nature in difficult times, Mighty Mountain is enthusiastically recommended reading, especially for those who enjoy especially well written sagas of the western frontier.

A Day To Pick Your Own Cotton
Michael Phillips
Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
0764227017 $12.99 bethanyhouse.com

A Day To Pick Your Own Cotton is the engaging story of two girls, one the daughter of a slave and the other the daughter of a plantation owner. Both girls have been orphaned by the Civil War and must struggle to live and provide a sanctuary to others. An enduring story by popular and prolific Christian novelist Michael Philips, A Day To Pick Your Own Cotton is enhanced by vivid description and poignant characterization.

Silicon Secrets
Catherine Burr
Gardenia Press
Box 18601, Milwaukee, WI 53218-0601
0972234918 $14.50 1-866-861-9443

Lucky Lukovich is a young man who thoroughly enjoys the companionship of women and has an energetic flair for living life to the fullest. Then Lucky meets free-spirited Heather and his personal world is about to get complicated and unpredictable! Silicon Secrets is about unintended consequences in human relationships and how the course of true love (and lust!) never seem to run smoothly. Silicon Secrets is the debut novel of Catherine Burr, a genuinely gifted author who demonstrates an undeniable ability to craft memorable, entertaining characters and then thoroughly embroil them into a hectic and unpredictable sequence of events that produce one of those all-to-rare reading experiences that linger in the mind long after the book is set back upon the library shelf. Highly recommended!

For Love And Grace
Kendra Norman-Bellamy
Guardian Books/Essence Publishing
44 Moira Street West, Belleville, Ontario, Canada K8P 1S3
1553063945 $17.95 1-800-238-6376

For Love And Grace by Kendra Norman-Bellamy is a deftly written novel of a biblical David and Jonathan-like friendship, but set in the present day. Two men who are closer than brothers (one a doctor and one a lawyer) are driven apart when the lawyer's mother tragically dies in an accident and the doctor must perform a life-saving surgery on a young woman. Written with depth, exploring the complex tapestry of conflicting human relationships and the profound power of forgiveness and putting one's trust in Christ, For Love And Grace is a unique and reflective story and enthusiastically commended reading.


The Library Science Shelf

Creating Policies For Results
Sandra Nelson & June Garcia
ALA Editions
50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611
0838935354 $50.00 www.ala.org

Collaboratively written by experienced public library consultants Sandra Nelson and June Garcia for the Public Library Association, Creating Policies For Results: From Chaos To Clarity is a soundly presented instructional guide to creating legally defensible policies for community library needing to respond to a diverse spec-trum of circumstances ranging from an unattended child present at closing time, to nonresidents requesting a library card. An effective and knowledgeable "how-to" guide for developing and implementing seamless governance of sound policies, in addition to recommending specifics and practical enforcement procedures for a wide variety of common library and library community situations, Creating Policies For Results is very highly recommended reading -- especially for library workers, administrative staff, and library board policy makers.

A Core Collection For Young Adults
Patrick Jones, et al.
Neal-Schuman Publishers
100 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013
www.neal-schuman.com
1555704581 $65.00 1-212-925-8650

The collaborative effort of Patrick Jones, Patricia Taylor, and Kirsten Edwards, A Core Collection For Young Adults recommends 1,200 titles for public libraries as well as junior and high school libraries. Each noteworthy title is presented with a brief yet accurate plot summary, title, author, price and ISBN number. An accompanying CD-ROM allows for quick browsing and reference of the information concerning these vital and quality recommended titles on one's computer. A Core Collection For Young Adults is very strongly recommended for school and community librarians charged with the responsibility of building and maintaining Young Adult materials in both fiction and non-fiction categories.


The Library Video/DVD Shelf

Leisa Hart's Fit Mama Prenatal Workout
Natural Journeys
c/o Goldhil Home Media International
411 Video Information (publicity)
137 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., #207, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
1585657565 $14.98 1-800-250-8760

A disclaimer on Leisa Hart's Fit Mama Prenatal Workout notes that expecting women should consult a physician before initiating this exercise program. With that warning firmly in mind, Leisa Hart's Fit Mama Prenatal Workout is a fat-burning video workout regimen intended especially for expectant mothers who seek to feel better, stay in shape, ease back discomfort, and build abdominal strength in preparation for labor and delivery -- including kegel exercises to strengthen one's pelvic floor. An excellent instructional workout resource, Leisa Hart's Fit Mama Prenatal Workout was created by an ACE and AFAA certified instructor with nineteen years' experience in the fitness industry, including service as a "Buns of Steel" exercise instructor

The Shaman's Apprentice
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
VHS $TBA 1-800-543-3764

Mark Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who is dedicated to preserving and researching rain forest botany and the tribes who live in the Amazon rain forest. The Shaman's Apprentice is a 54 minute historical survey and documentary of the Amazonian people and plant life -- and of the damage that has been done by the incursions of missionaries, technologies, and industries of the west. Indeed, it turns out that the single most endangered element of the Amazonian rain forest is the Shaman, the medicine man, lore keeper, and human encyclopedia of plant properties and uses. The Shaman's Apprentice is an informed and informative documentary which is very strongly recommended viewing for students of ethnobotany, anthropology, rain forest ecology, and Native American studies. All school and community libraries are advised to acquire the Bullfrog Films video catalog for a complete listing of available titles.

Chuck Jones - Extremes & Inbetweens
Warner Video
1271 Avenue of the Americas, #913, New York, NY 10020
www.warnervideo.com
0790752921 $9.94 1-800-759-0190

Chuck Jones - Extremes & Inbetweens: A Life In Animation is a wonderful and biographical celebration of the contributions of Chuck Jones to the art of animated cartoons. Enhanced with commentary from Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Steven Spielberg, Leonard Maltin, Matt Groening, Ron Howard, John Lasseter, Chuck Jones - Extremes & Inbetweens details and illustrates the career and contributions by a man who is an acknowledge master of his craft and who has had a lasting influence on whole generations of cartoonists and animators. Clips drawn from his cartoon productions are used to illustrate both his career and his accomplishments. Of special note is the film clip from the Academy Award ceremonies in which Chuck gives his acknowledgment speech for winning the Oscar. Chuck Jones Extremes & Inbetweens is a video delight for his legions of fans -- and a "must see" for anyone who aspires to a career of their own in cartoon animation.

Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
1-800-934-4336 montereymedia.com

The Mark Twain Library is series of six outstanding videos showcasing films based upon the novels and stories of one of America's most famous authors. The Diaries Of Adam & Eve (#31213, $19.95) is a tour de force filmed play starring David Birney as Adam and Meredith Baxter Birney as Eve. The Innocents Abroad (#32575, $19.95) is based upon Mark Twain's adventures in 1867 as he joined an excursion to see the sites of Europe, Palestine and Egypt. The Private History Of A Campaign That Failed (#33530, $19.95) is the story of the Marion Rangers -- fifteen inexperienced boys whose romanticized notions of the Civil War are quickly disabused by reality. There is also the bonus feature of a recitation of Mark Twain's famous war poem. Pudd'nhead Wilson (#33543, $19.95) takes on the subject of slavery, mistaken identity, deceit and murder. The Mysterious Stranger (#33183, $19.95) is set in 13th century Austria and is one of Mark Twain's ventures into science fiction fantasy. Life On The Mississippi (#37010, $19.95) is actually drawn from Mark Twain's own experiences in learning to become a steamboat pilot. Although each video can be purchased individually, community libraries would be best advised to acquire all six volumes as a set (#32966, $109.95) for a significant savings in acquisition costs.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Time Machine
H. G. Wells
Tantor Media, Inc.
931 Negocio, Suite F, San Clemente, CA 92673
1400100771 $29.00 www.tantor.com

The Time Machine is a complete and unabridged audio CD presentation of H. G. Wells defining science fiction classic. A meek culture of future humans called the Eloi live in seeming paradise, comforted and dulled by the machines that continually provide for them - yet who runs these machines, and why are the Eloi afraid of the night? Superbly narrated by Scott Brick, H. G. Well's The Time Machine is a compelling listen and a very highly recommended addition to personal and community library audiobook collections. 4 CDS, 3 hours, 58 minutes. Also highly recommended are three other new unabridged CD audiobook titles from Trantor Media: Zane Grey's Riders Of The Purple Sage (1400106623, $48.00); George Macdonald's The Princess And Curdie (1400-100852, $33.00); and George Macdonald's The Princess And The Goblin (1400-100844, $33.00).

Recorded Books
270 Skipjack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
1-800-638-1304 recordedbooks.com

Blend durable plastic hard case packaging with unabridged productions of popular novels and stories and you have a set of audios which lends particularly well to the public library arena. The latest new arrivals from this prolific publisher include Lisa Scottoline's Dead Ringer (1402548-281), with veteran narrator Barbara Rosenblat bringing alive the story of an attorney who takes on a lucrative class-action suit, only to face her own mystery when her id is stolen and a possible forgotten relative may be at fault. The mystery comes to life in audio format under Rosenblatt's skilled voice. Larry McMurtry's The Wandering Hill (140254362X) receives a captivating performance by Henry Strozier, a professional actor with a long career in film and stage who now lends his powerful voice to the audio arena. This is Book 2 of the Berrybender Narratives, focussing on a family of English sportsmen who travel to America to hunt buffalo and other big game. The old west comes alive under his voice. Sandra Brown's Not Even For Love (140-2516118) receives Barbara McCulloh's smooth and acting-inspired voice as it tells of Jordan Handlock surprised to find a fellow American in her bookshop in Switzerland. Romance comes to her door and adds confusion to her already-rich love life in this evocative romance. John Sandford's Naked Prey (1402543964) pairs Richard Ferrone's powerful and brisk voice with the story of Lucas Davenport, a husband and new father who investigates a lynching in the Minnesota woods, only to find that more than racial violence is at work. All are especially recommended picks for discriminating library listeners.

Clark's Big Book Of Bargains
Clark Howard, Reader
Time Warner Audiobooks
1271 Ave. of the Americas, NY NY 10020
1401397417 $16.98 1-800-759-0190

Spend the least and get the most from it; from TVs and clothes to cosmetics and drug prescriptions, with an audiobook which tells how to locate bargains, whether they be on the web or in the store. From saving money on event tickets to buying a car, Clark's Big Book Of Bargains will prove a bargain hunter's dream ticket.

Random House Audio Books
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
1-800-726-0600 www.amazon.com

Dean Koontz's The Face (0739301748, $49.95) receives the dual benefits of Dylan Baker's strong voice and an unabridged presentation which cuts nothing from the exciting plot as it tells of a Hollywood star who faces a series of enigmatic messages breaching his home's elaborate security. Threats escalate with each new delivery until he finds an insidious killer is at the heart of the drama. A moving, involving story spiced with tension and laced with enthusiasm. Louis L'Amour's Sky-Liners (0739302825, $25.95) joins others in the Sacketts series, with Jason Culp's experienced and smooth voice perfectly capturing the Western drama. The Sackett brothers are seeking their fortune on the frontier when they come across an offer to escort a fiery young woman to her father in Colorado. Robbery, murder, and danger follows their acceptance of his offer in this Western drama.

Sound The Trumpet
Gilbert Morris
Blackstone Audiobooks
PO Box 969, Ashland, OR 97520
ZP2949, $64.00 1-800-729-2665

Gilbert Morris' Sound The Trumpet is dramatically narrated by Robert Whitfield who tells the story of Daniel Bradford, a poor British lad who is separated from his sister Lyna and sent to Dartmoor Prison. To get out of that awful place Daniel consents to a seven year indenture in America under a cruel and exacting master. It is in America that Daniel eventually marries Holly Blanchard settles near Mount Vernon. There they meet George Washington and experiences the heady promise of freedom. Tragedy strikes and Daniel moves his family to Boston where he meets Sam Adams.The storm clouds of revolution are gathering and like so many others, Daniel and his sons must choose between their loyalty to England and the promise of liberty in a new land. Sound The Trumpet is enthusiastically recommended!

Audio Editions/Audio Partners

Four new arrivals from this publisher promise engrossing listening highly recommended for listeners of audio mysteries. Agatha Christie's Sittaford Mystery (1572703164, $25.95) comes to life with Nathaniel Parker providing the embellishing drama to an unabridged story of a s‚ance turned dangerous. A brutal killing following the s‚ance which points to murder makes for a deadly follow-up to this story. Dorothy Sayers' Busman's Honeymoon (1572703172, $34.95) appears unabridged and receives Ian Carmichel's warm and dramatic voice: the perfect pairing for the story of a lord and his new bride who finds no reception at their new country house, and the previous owner's body instead. The Lord and Lady are about to embark upon a honeymoon to truly remember in this fine British drama. Agatha Christie's Body In The Library (1572703245, $25.95) enjoys Stephanie Cole's smooth voice and a fine unabridged audio presentation as it tells of Basil, who buys a cottage and invites his London crowd for a change of atmosphere, only to find himself involved in a murder. Rex Stout's A Right To Die (1572703148, $24.95) pairs Michael Prichard's audio and acting background with the story of Nero Wolfe, assigned to dig up dirt on a do-good heiress, only to find her murder part of his new investigative duties. All are satisfyingly complex mysteries vividly brought to life in audio.

In The Ravine & Other Short Stories
Anton Chekhov
Naxos AudioBooks
416 Mary Lindsay Polk Drive, Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067
9626342617 $19.98 1-877-629-6723

A very strongly recommended addition to school and community library collections, The Ravine & Other Short Stories presents an unabridged audio CD anthology of classic Anton Chekhov short stories, including Oh! The Public; The Chorus Girl; An Actor's End; The Trousseau; A Story Without A Title; Children; Misery; Fat And Thin; The Beggar; Hush!; and The Orator. Classical music enhances a dramatic narrative performance by film, television, and stage actor Kenneth Branagh who does full justice to these timeless works of literature. 3 CDS, approximately 3 hours and 35 minutes.

Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1-800-854-7859

Powerful narrators and exceptional plots make this company's audios outstanding choices for home listeners who want captivating stories. Amy Gutman's The Anniversary (1590866207, $24.95) tells of Laura, whose former boyfriend was killed for his link to the murder of over 100 women. On the 5th anniversary of his death she receives a note which may come from him in this thriller, brought to life by narrator/actress Melanie Ewbank. Sharyn McCrumb's Ghost Riders (1590867904, $24.95) receives an excellent dual narration by Dick Hill and Susie Breck as it tells of 1861 Southern legends of the Civil War. Two overlapping narratives weave the stories of different mountain residents who must calm the Civil War clashes still alive in the South's most remote regions. Marcia Muller's Cyanide Wells (1590868-250, $19.95) also benefits from a powerful duo narration team: veteran Sandra Burr and J. Charles, who bring to life this story of a man on the hunt for his vanished wife in Soledad County. Matt must join forces with the locals to solve the mystery in this thriller. Johanna Lindsey's A Man To Call My Own (1590863836, $24.95) enjoys Laural Merlington's excellent style as it tells of 1870s Texas and the lives of rival twin sisters who vie for the cowboy they both love. Barry Eisler's Hard Rain (159-0869567, $24.95) enjoys veteran Dick Hill's gripping style as it tells of a freelance assassin who faces his old nemesis from the Japanese FBI who has a job for him. If it's compact disc format you need, don't miss Stephen White's Harm's Way (1590868587, $26.95), which also enjoys Hill's strong style as it tells of a doctor whose friend becomes a killer's victim. Catherine Palmer's Fatal Harvest (1590-869222, $19.95) receives Kathy Garver's smooth and strong voice as it tells of a teen who discovers a dangerous secret closely held by a conglomerate who controls the world's food supply. Kavita Daswani's For Matrimonial Purposse (159-0869443, $29.95) receives Anne Flosnik's powerful voice as it tells of a woman who can't find a usband she wants to marry. Considered a failure in Indian culture, she decides to leave India for the U.S. and to search for a husband in New York. Michael Palmer's Side Effects (1590868552, $26.95) receives Heather McLennan's ability to dramatize and enhance the story line as it tells of Kate, a hospital pathologist with a loving husband who faces a puzzling illness which has killed two women and endangers her closest friend, her marriage, and her life. This is medical drama at its best, coming alive in the audio format. All are recommended picks.

Dilbert And The Way Of The Weasel
Scott Adams
Recorded Books
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
1402537948 $69.00 1-800-638-1304

Dilbert And The Way Of The Weasel is a complete and unabridged CD audiobook rendition of celebrated "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams' look upon the grey area between moral and outright criminal behavior, where most human beings reside. Offering stinging insight into the selfish manner in which humans tick, packed with a wicked humor combined with critically insightful revelations, Dilbert And The Way Of The Weasel is wonderfully narrated by professional storyteller Norman Dietz. Dilbert And The Way Of The Weasel is especially recommended to the legions of dedicated Dilbert fans! 7 CDS, 8 hours.


The Gaming Shelf

Rifts Chaos Earth
Kevin Siembieda
Palladium Books
12455 Universal Drive, Taylor, MI 48180
1574570846 $17.95 palladiumbooks.com

Rifts Chaos Earth: A Complete Role-playing Game by role gaming expert Kevin Siembieda is a invaluable sourcebook for dedicated role gaming adventures with a unique, stand-alone setting. Placing the player characters in a desperate apocalypse, using power armor, advanced weapons, robots, mystic powers, anything and everything to save some fraction of humankind from terrible cataclysm, Rifts Chaos Earth offers a superb and superior role gaming experience. Fully compatible with all other Rifts expansions and sourcebooks, Rifts Chaos Earth paints a vivid picture seamlessly interweaving drama with functional game mechanics, and is confidently recommended for gamers and game masters looking to spice up their campaigns.

Cardoza Publishing
Box 1500, Cooper Station, NY, NY 10276
1-800-577-9467 www.amazon.com

Avery Cardoza (a professional gambler whose skill at winning money has prompted casinos from coast to coast to bar him from playing), offers fast yet workable strategies to beat the house in Quick Guide To Winning Blackjack (1580420-265, $9.95 ). Straightforward instructions specific to this simple yet popular card game, and how to bend the odds in one favor through counting tips, mnemonics, memorizing charts and understanding which cards lend the most weight to the house or to the player make Quick Guide To Winning Blackjack a first-rate and highly recommended guide for anyone who plays this popular game. Avery Cardoza's Winning Casino Blackjack For The Non-Counter (1580420494, $12.95) is a straightforward guide to bets, odds, best strategies and more, featuring easy-to-comprehend charts, detailed explanations of techniques, strategies for money management, and much more. An exceptional guide remarkable in that its methods do not rely on counting cards and keeping a memorized tally in one's head. Both the Quick Guide To Winning Blackjack and Winning Casino Blackjack For The Non-counter are invaluable additions to personal and professional Blackjack gaming reference collections.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Romancing The Buddha
Michael Lisagor
Xlibris Corporation
436 Walnut Street, 11th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
1401094996 $20.99 1-888-795-4274

Romancing The Buddha: Applying Buddhism To Everyday Life is the published version of author Michael Lisagor's web site, www.romancingthebuddha.com, a resource which provides excellent insights into applying Nichiren Buddhism to the difficulties of daily life, including depression, spousal illness, the challenge of raising two daughters, and the quest for happiness. An absorbing and inspirational selection of vignettes touched with wisdom, Romancing The Buddhist is an impressive and welcome contribution to Buddhist Studies reading lists and is available in a hardcover (1401095-003, $30.99).

The New Meditation Handbook
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Tharpa Publications
PO Box 430, Glen Spey, NY, NY 12737
0948006900 $11.95 1-888-741-3475

Ably written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (a meditation master and Tibetan-born teacher of Buddhism), The New Meditation Handbook offers a Buddhist perspective in both general words of wisdom concerning the benefits and practice of meditation, and twenty-one individual meditations for broadening the depth of one's thought and mind. An insightful volume with parables that clear the mind and assist one in expanding consciousness and understanding, The New Meditation Handbook is also available in a hardcover edition (0948006-919, $14.95).

In Buddha's Kitchen
Kimberley Snow
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
1590300475 $18.95 shambhala.com

Congenially written by Kimberley Snow, (a resident of a Tibetan Buddhist community for six years and who served the center as head cook), In Buddha's Kitchen: Cooking, Being Cooked, And Other Adventures In A Meditation Center is a wry memoir of both physical and spiritual work, and which showcases the those transcendent values of meditation which can be found in mundane tasks and the simple joys of everyday life. A delight to read, In Buddha's Kitchen is enthusiastically recommended to students of Buddhist philosophy and practice as being deeply spiritual and embracing the crucial importance of compassion, love, and joy in even the most menial of life's duties.

Tibetan Relaxation
Tarthang Tulku
Thorsons/HarperCollins
10 East 53rd St, NY, NY 10022-5299
0007662386 $19.95 1-800-242-7737

Written by Tarthang Tulku (a man who has been educated in Tibet in the Buddhist Tradition, and who has devoted himself to teaching and publishing rare Tibetan texts, as well as founding the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley, California in 1973), Tibetan Relaxation: Kum Nye Massage And Movement is a straightforward, "reader friendly" guide to Buddhist physical and spiritual health and wellness practices and techniques that trace their origins to 8th-century Tibetan texts. Full color illustrations, photographs, and diagrams combine with meticulous instructions to introduce readers of all backgrounds and experience levels to the positive benefits of an ancient mediational wisdom. Tibetan Relaxation is a very welcome and commendable addition to any Buddhist Studies reference collection.


The Aviation Shelf

Taking Flight
Richard P. Hallion
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10016-4314
0195160355 $35.00 www.oup-usa.org

Composed by NASA historian and international authority on aviation Richard P. Hallion, Taking Flight: Inventing The Aerial Age From Antiquity Through The First World War combines primary sources such as journals, diaries, and memoirs of aviation pioneers, with a scholarly and meticulous recounting of the evolution of aviation technology. Black-and-white photographs and keen attention to detail distinguish this recommended trove of an informed and informative history which is especially recommended for aviation buffs and an invaluable addition to academic and community library Aviation History reference collections.

Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy
Bill Norton
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
1580070612 $16.95 1-800-895-4585

Volume 36 of the "Warbird Tech" series, Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy by aviation expert and aeronautical flight test engineer Bill Norton offers the reader an in-depth account of an aircraft type designed in the mid-1960s for the purpose of transporting vast amounts of material worldwide. The largest aircraft in the world, the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy was plagued with frequent breakdowns and criticisms, and only 81 of these fantastic flying machines were produced. With an extensive history and description of these planes, profusely illustrated with black-and-white photographs, and a text which is accessible to all ages while enhanced with a wealth of technical information, Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy is particularly recommended reading for aviation buffs and a welcome addition to academic and professional Aviation History library reference collections.

X-15 Photo Scrapbook
Tony R. Landis & Dennis R. Jenkins
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
1580070744 $16.95 1-800-895-4585

Collaboratively compiled and written by aerospace experts Tony R. Landis and Dennis R. Jenkins, X-15 Photo Scrapbook is a collection of over 350 black-and-white photographs and 50 color photos showcasing the last in a line of manned rocket-powered research airplanes to be built during the 1950s. Brief commentary with an eye for technical details is fully enhanced by the pictures, in this visual distinguishment which is very highly recommended for aviation buffs. Also highly recommended is the Landis and Jenkins aerospace history: Hypersonic: The Story Of The North American X-15 (158007068X, $39.95), which offers a detailed 276-page history of this remarkable aircraft. The X-15 Photo Scrapbook collects photographs that could not be included in Hypersonic due to space limitations.


The Graphic Novel Shelf

Inu Yasha: Volume 13
Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Communications Inc.
655 Bryant St., San Francisco, CA 94107
1569318085 $8.95 1-800-394-3042

Inu Yasha: Volume 13 is the impressive storytelling ability and artwork of Rumiko Takahashi. Originally appearing as Japanese manga episodes, this anthology is comprised of Kikyo's Arrow; Where is the Imp?; Death by Illusion; Death Wish; Naraku's True Form; Toto-Sai The Swordsmith; Tenseiga; Scare of the Sword; and The Invisible Path. This latest addition to the continuing saga Kagome (a modern Japanese high school girl) who is thrust into an ancient Japanese "alternate world" of heroes and peasants, ghosts and demons, is a "must read" for the legions of Rumiko Takahashi fans in America, and will well serve to introduce a whole new generation of readers to Japanese manga adventure and romance storytelling.

Graphic Classics
Ambrose Bierce
Eureka Productions
8778 Oak Grove Road, Mount Horeb, WI 53572
0971246467 $9.95 graphicclassics.com

Graphic Classics is a rousing and impressive anthology of the illustrated stories by Ambrose Bierce, tales of war, satire, the occult, and more. Bringing together contributions from a very wide variety of artists, Graphic Classics features sharp wit, biting insight, and a vast range of illustrative styles. Enhanced with an Introduction by S. T. Joshi, Graphic Classics is very highly recommended for graphic novel enthusiasts, and a "must read" for the legions of fans of the literary legacy of Ambrose Bierce.


The Railroading Shelf

Workin' On The Railroad
Richard Reinhardt
University of Oklahoma Press
1005 Asp Avenue, Norman, OK 73019
0806135255 $19.95 1-800-627-7377

With Workin' On The Railroad: Reminiscences From The Age Of Steam, Richard Reinhardt presents a compendium of firsthand accounts and stories of engineers, brakemen, porters, conductors, section men, round house workers, and many more of the oft-overlooked contributors to the construction of American railroads in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A seminal and informative primary source documenting the history of railroad construction with anecdotes and human experiences, Workin' On The Railroad is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and academic Railroad History reference collections.

American Railroads In The 20th Century
Pentrex
PO Box 94911, Pasadena, CA 94911-4911
AMR20-VHS $29.95 1-800-950-9333

Ably narrated by Mike Blazak and George Smerk, and shot by noted railroad photographer Bill Warrick, American Railroads In The 20th Century is a 52 minute railroading video that takes the viewer on an informed and informative evolutionary historical survey of the American railroad industry from the age of the railroading empires which dominated at the beginning of the century down through the mergers that marked the closing years of the century. From the mechanized track work, electrified lines, bigger stations, larger steam engines, and the emergence of the diesel era of the 1920s, through stramliners, piggyback services, and "headline" trains of the 1930s, to the war effort years of the 1940s, to the passenger service declines of the 1950s, to the creation of Amtrak and Conrail in the 1970s, to the deregulation of the 1980s and the mainline mergers of the 1990s, this stunningly visual tour showcases the lines and equipment, and experiences of the American railroad industry through the ten decades of the 20th Century.

Mid-Sized & Manageable Track Plans
Iain Rice
Kalmbach Publishing Company
PO Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187
0890246238 $18.95 1-800-533-6644

Written by Iain Rice (a model railroad enthusiast and author of 11 modeling handbooks), Mid-Sized & Manageable Track Plans is a straightforward guide to creating track plans and track backgrounds to appropriate N & HO scales. Full color photographs, extensively detailed instructions, and no-nonsense advice combine to make Mid-Sized & Manageable Track Plans a first-rate addition to any dedicated model railroad hobbyist's personal reference collection.


The Gardening Shelf

All About Creating Natural Landscapes
Meredith Books
1716 Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50336
0897214900 $11.95 1-800-678-8091

All About Creating Natural Landscapes: Take Cues From Nature To Create An Easy-Care Landscape At Home is a practical, adaptable, and "user friendly" instructional guide to creating beautiful, easy-care natural landscapes for any home and in any climate condition. Full color photographs and detailed instructions concerning natural gardens in arid or humid regions; ponds and pond making; encouraging wildlife; and much, much more make All About Creating Natural Landscapes an excellent and enthusiastically recommended primer and a welcome addition to personal or professional gardening and landscaping reference collections.

The Gardener's Guide To Growing Irises
Geoff Stebbings
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland OR 97204-3527
0881925195 $19.95 1-800-327-5680

Written by Geoff Stebbings (the establisher of the National Collection of Award-winning Irises), The Gardener's Guide To Growing Irises is a professional-quality botanical guide profusely illustrated with full-color photographs, and suitable for flower gardens of all caliber and experience levels. Extensively detailed information concerning a wide variety of irises makes The Gardener's Guide To Growing Irises an eminently suitable and "user friendly" reference, from choosing the right strain of iris, to properly caring for and presenting it. The Gardener's Guide To Growing Irises is an essential and strongly commended addition to any dedicated personal or professional gardening collection, as well as an academic Horticultural Studies reference library.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Fish For All
Michael J. Chiarappa & Kristin Szylvian
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, Michigan 48823
0870136542 $24.95 msupress.msu.edu

The collaborative effort of Michael J. Chiarappa (Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Western Michigan University) and Kristin M. Szylvian (Associate Professor of History, Western Michigan University), Fish For All is a seminal and scholarly study of the environmental history of the Great Lakes freshwater fisheries. Fish For All reveals how tradition, cultural heritage, economic livelihood, scientific background, and more, have affected the carefully dispensed allocations of these resources in the Great Lakes region. Stressing the importance of building coalition over common concerns such as water pollution, habitat degradation, invasion of exotic species and more, Fish For All is an extensive, varied, and an intrinsically interesting collection of testimonials that combine for a sweeping, comprehensive, and very highly recommended regional environmental history of Great Lakes fish and fisheries.

Ecological Restoration Of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests
Peter Friederici
Island Press
1718 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., #300, Washington, DC 20009-1148
155963653X $30.00 1-800-828-1302

Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Peter Friederici (Ecological Restoration Institute), Ecological Restoration Of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests presents a variety of essays by learned and articulate authors in the fields of forestry, biology, philosophy, ecology, political science, archaeology, botany, and geography. Ecological Restoration Of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests brings together perspectives from all these fields with a special focus upon the task of renewing the pine forests of Southwestern Ponderosa. The thoughtful and scholarly writings are enhanced with black-and-white photographs, as well as charts, maps, and graphs addressing all aspects and difficulties pertaining to contemporary efforts to encourage mother nature. Ecological Restoration Of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests is an important and welcome contribution to professional and academic Environmental Studies reference collections.


The Black Studies Shelf

Race Code War
Khari Enaharo
African American Images
1909 West 95th Street, Chicago, IL 60643
0913543845 $19.95 1-773-445-0322

Accessibly written by Khari Enaharo (the host of the popular radio talk show "Straight Talk Live"), Race Code War: The Power Of Words, Images, And Symbols On The Black Psyche offers readers an illuminating and informative look at the hidden code words, racial images, and symbols that divide and communicate harm to Americans of all races. From the negative impact images of a white Jesus and a European beauty standard have upon persons of color, to the white media glamorization of despicable and stereotypical African-American movie characters, and much, much more, Race Code War is bitingly insightful and an articulate warning of harmful race relations secrets that will fester in the American body politic if not properly lanced. Race Code War should be a part of every personal and academic Black Studies reference collection and Race Relations reading list.

Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, And The Struggle For Racial Uplift
Jacqueline M. Moore
Scholarly Resources, Inc.
104 Greenhill Ave, Wilmington DE 19805
0842029958 $19.95 www.scholarly.com

Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, And The Struggle For Racial Uplift by Jacqueline M. Moore (Associate Professor of History at Austin College, Sherman, Texas) is an informed and informative depiction of two remarkable and quiet different men who helped shape Black American history. Placing each man's work in historical context, and studying the debate conflict of ideas that both had and alternatives to either one's point of view, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, And The Struggle For Racial Uplift is an intelligently written, scholarly, evenhanded, and "reader friendly" analytical survey and presentation which is strongly recommended for students of Black Studies, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in the contributions of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois to American society and culture.

I Will Not Apologize
Joe C. Hopkins
Milligan Books, Inc.
1425 W. Manchester Avenue, Suite C, Los Angeles, CA 90047
0972594167 $14.95 milliganbooks.com

Attorney Joe C. Hopkins has served as the editor of the Pasadena Journal and in that capacity, fearlessly voiced his uncompromising (and at times quite controversial) thoughts concerning the infestation of negative image of Black youth in the media and the best means to provide economic empowerment of Black youth today. I Will Not Apologize is a manifesto of Hopkins' articulated opinions and proposed solutions to fight against economic and social dilemmas that plague contemporary African-Americans. From the importance of teaching young black men and women to succeed, to the value of entrepreneurship, government lies, as well as the importance of learning to speak Spanish, and denouncing gangster rap artists as "role models for failure", I Will Not Apologize collects diverse and individual short pieces that, brought together, offer a rigorous path to a better future. I Will Not Apologize is especially recommended reading and a welcome addition to Black Studies supplemental reading lists.


The Woodworking Shelf

A Complete Guide To Hardwood Plywood And Face Veneer
Ang Schramm
Purdue University Press
509 Harrison St, West Lafayette IN 47907
1557532427 $24.95 thepress.purdue.edu

A Complete Guide To Hardwood Plywood And Face Veneer by wood processing expert Ang Schramm is an indispensable and valued resource specifically written for wood product manufacturers, educators, construction industry experts, and do-it-yourself woodworking project enthusiasts needing details on the nature and manufacture of hardwood plywood and face veneer. From grades and product standards to trouble-shooting common problems such as panel movement, adhesive contamination, and insect infestation, A Complete Guide To Hardwood Plywood And Face Veneer is a practical, all-encompassing, highly recommended reference.

Making Japanese-Style Lamps & Lanterns
Edward R. Turner
Hartley & Marks Publishers
PO Box 147, Port Roberts, WA 98281
0881791989 $19.95 1-800-277-5887

Making Japanese-Style Lamps & Lanterns by graphic artist and expert woodworker Edward R. Turner is a superbly presented and thoroughly "user friendly" compendium of woodworking projects showcasing a Japanese motif for lanterns and lamps. From the Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Table Lantern, to the Wisteria (Fuji) Floor Lantern, to the Phoenix (Hoo) Lantern, to the Hokkaido Outdoor Garden Lantern, each project incorporates the use of contemporary lightning technology and easily available materials and tools in specific lists that are an integral part of each individual project. In addition to being enthusiastically recommended for do-it-yourself woodworking hobbyists, Making Japanese-Style Lamps & Lanterns would make a unique and welcome addition to Interior Design and Japanese Decorative Art reference collections as well.


The Martial Arts Shelf

Muay Thai: A Living Legacy
Lesley D. Junlakan, author
Kat Prayukvong, researcher
Spry Publishing Co., Ltd.
440/7 Soi Ratchawithi 3, Ratchawithi Rd., Ratchatewee, Bangkok 10400 Thailand
9748855376 $40.00 sprypublishing.com

Written and edited by Lesley D. Junlakan, as well as coordinated and researched by Kat Prayukvong, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy is an expertly informative and stunningly presented introduction, survey, and guide to the martial art of Muay Thai in an instructional manual which is illustrated with full-color photographs on every page in an unforgettable visual display. An extensively practical resource, as well as a pictorial and emotional celebration of this ancient traditional style, Muay Thai is a unique and welcome addition to the growing library of Martial Arts literature.

Maximize Your Martial Arts Training
Dr. Art Brisacher
Turtle Press
PO Box 290206, Wethersfield, CT 06129-0206
188033609X $14.95 1-800-778-8785

Maximize Your Martial Arts Training: The Martial Arts Training Diary by Art Brisacher is a specialized and consumable martial arts book for serious practitioners needing to record their goals, technical achievements, conditioning progress, sparring records, winning strategies, and more. A straightforward, easy-to-use, self-written journal, Maximize Your Martial Arts Training is applicable and relevant to students and practitioners of all the diverse martial arts styles. If you are dedicated to becoming proficient in one or more of the martial arts, then acquire your own personal copy of Maximize Your Martial Arts Training.

Chin Na In Ground Fighting
Al Arsenault & Joe Faulise
YMAA Publications
4354 Washington St, Roslindale MA 02131
1886969663 $29.95 1-800-669-8892

Written by extensively experienced martial artists Al Arsenault (a twenty-four year veteran of the Vancouver Policy Department) and Joe Faulise (a teacher of the Alaska Martial Arts Academy), Chin Na In Ground Fighting: Principles, Theory And Submission Holds For All Martial Styles is a straightforward instructional guide to the joint locks, pressure points, bone displacement techniques and more as especially suited to ground fighting. A "must-read" supplement for martial arts self-defense reference libraries containing techniques adaptable to all martial arts styles, Chin Na In Ground Fighting is authoritative, practical, detailed, step-by-step "user friendly", and very highly recommended.


The Photography Shelf

London/Wales
Robert Frank
SCALO
560 Broadway, #301, NY, NY 10012
3908247675 $45.00 www.scalo.com

The collaborative effort of Scalo in collaboration with the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, D.C.), London/Wales is a photography collection 72 early 1950's tritone images taken by the famous and "museum-worthy" photographer Robert Frank. An informed and informative text is minimally present in this collection, which is primarily dedicated to showcasing the powerful still images of urban life and the people who lived in 1950s London, England and Careau, Wales. A superbly presented and enthralling compilation, London/Wales memorably illustrates the very essence of London and Wales and is a strongly recommended addition to professional, academic, and community library History of Photography collections.

Wood-Tikchik
Robert Glenn Ketchum
Aperture
20 East 23rd St, NY, NY 10010-4463
1931788111, $45.00 1-800-929-2323

Wood-Tikchik: Alaska's Largest State Park is an impressive and superbly presented compendium of Robert Glenn Ketchum's magnificent color photography showcasing the pristine natural areas comprising the largest state park in Alaska. A vast, river-laced landscape, Ketchum approached this project with a true artist's eye to visually capture extraordinary photographs of unforgettable Alaska mountain and tundra landscape. Also very highly recommended are Robert Glenn Ketchum's previous master collections of photographic excellence: Rivers of Life: Southwest Alaska, the Last Great Salmon Fishery (0893819670, $50.00) and The Tongass: Alaska's Vanishing Rain Forest (0893816000, $29.95).

Holmespun
Laura Hurwitz, author
Amanda Lumry & Loren Wengerd
Eaglemont Press
PMB 741, 15600 NE 8th #B-1, Bellevue, WA 98008
0966225767 $45.00 eaglemontpress.com

A 2003 Independent Publisher award finalist, and winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award of the Publishers Marketing Association, Holmespun: An Intimate Port-rait Of An Amish And Mennonite Community is a lavishly presented portrait of life in Amish and Mennonite communities. Photographers Amanda Lumry and Loren Wengerd effectively collaborate to produce a thoroughly fascinating and visually wonderful presentation filled with captivating color photographs which are complemented by an informed and absorbing text written by Laura Hurwitz and describing the events of daily life. Holmespun is a simply wonderful addition to personal photography book collections and recommended for community library collections seeking to include commendable materials for readers seeking information on Amish and Mennonite lifestyles and communities.


The Poetry Shelf

Hiding From Salesmen
Scott Poole & Robert Helm
Lost Horse Press
105 Lost Horse Lane, Sandpoint ID 83864
0971726523 $24.95 losthorsepress.org

Hiding From Salesmen is a collection of wry poems by Scott Pools that mix humor with quizzical insight and a dash of the fantastic. Black-and-white surrealist illustrations by Robert Helm enhance this unforgettable collection. The Sexy Shakers: Shaker architecture is as simple as sex./Two naked elms in a field wait to be/wooden bowls filled with light./Each scratch visible./Staircases. The sound of rising and descending steps/into clouds of bleached wood./Rows upon rows of plain drawers without labels.//All doors are open. The hinges greased./Cold air dances without music./A Shaker house is as sexual as a waiting skillet.//I don't care what you think./The Shakers are the sexiest people.//All their chairs are empty.

Conversation With A Stonemason
D. H. Melhem
Ikon, Inc.
151 First Avenue, #46, NY, NY 10003
0945368070 $9.95 IkonInc@aol.com

Conversation With A Stonemason is a collection of poetry by D. H. Melhem that embraces both beauty and the strength of families, women, and the compelling need for social justice. An emotional combination of day-to-day evocation and uplifting vision. Athlete: It is the shoulder touches me, the one/dislocated in football--not the cleat mark/on your nose or the scar on your arm/or the birthmark burn on your leg/so wisely knit so/perfectly detailed/for speed

The Cloud Of Knowable Things
Elaine Equi
Coffee House Press
27 North Fourth Street, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401
1566891426 $15.00 coffeehousepress.org

The Cloud Of Knowable Things is a collection of free-verse and varied-style poems by Elaine Equi that peer closely into everyday surroundings and unearth the overlooked enigma of the sublime workings of the cosmos. Minutia and grand unknowable designs combine in a cavalcade of lilting syllables. The Lost Poems: Your Average Dream/Fetish-Shroud/Victor Mature's Kiss/The Snow Queen's Summer House//In a Nutshell/De-composing/vintage Blouse/Politics and Vaseline//Mister Preface/Charm-Quake/Postponing the Future/Notice Each Part//The Cloud's Tantrum/Harlequin with a Gun


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Recreational Dungeness Crabbing
Scott Haugen
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
PO Box 82112, Portland, Oregon 97282
157188288X $12.95 amatobooks.com

Recreational Dungeness Crabbing by Scott Haugen is a "user friendly" how-to guide to the popular sport of crab catching. Full-color photographs enhance down to earth instructions on selecting the right gear and bait, setting traps, diving for crabs, as well as cleaning and preparing one's catch (along with a handful of favorite crab recipes). Recreational Dungeness Crabbing is a first-rate primer to crabbing for fun and good food.


The Criminology Shelf

The Circuit
Jacquieline Davis
Lucky Press
126 S. Maple St., Lancaster, Ohio 43130
www.luckypress.com/thecircuit
0971331898 $14.95 1-800-462-6420

The Circuit is the true story of Jacquieline Davis, a young female London police officer who dared to enter the dangerous realm of covert operations. Jacquieline's duties would lead her to infiltrate a Columbian cocaine cartel, rescue hostages from Asia and the Middle East, protect a royal family, and more. A riveting and unforgettable true-life memoir, The Circuit is a welcome contribution to Criminology Studies reference collections, as well as being of intense interest to non-specialist general readers with an interest in how police approach such global problems as organized crime and political terrorism.

Honolulu Cop
Gary A. Dias
The Bess Press
3565 Harding Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816
1573061468 $11.95 1-800-910-2377

Honolulu Cop: Reflections On A Career With HPD is an inside memoir of author Gary Dias' dutiful service to the Honolulu Police Department from 1971 to 1998. An inherently fascinating and candid assessment of the law's strengths and weaknesses, and the characters found among the good and the bad, Honolulu Cop is provides the reader with a refreshingly open, no-holds-barred account, highly recommended account which is absorbing reading and offers a "real world" glimpse of how policing and careers in law enforcement have evolved since the 1970's.

Inside Out
Harry Camisa & Jim Franklin
Windsor Press and Publishing
PO Box 332, Windsor, NJ 08561
www.windsorpress.net
0972647309 $25.00 1-866-577-6327

Written by Harry Camisa (a professional correction officer with twenty-nine years of experience, and who returned to the prisons as a civilian employee administrating GED tests to inmates) with the assistance of Jim Franklin, Inside Out: Fifty Years Behind The Walls Of New Jersey's Trenton State Prison is the candid and accurate memoir of a life spent within New Jersey's Trenton State Prison, including the daily responsibility of guarding dangerous inmates. Harry Camisa was taken hostage twice, witnessed thirteen executions by electrocution, and strived to maintain balance in a world filled with retaliation, reprisals, and paybacks. An inside look at notorious criminals as well as one man's life (and the surprising friendship he would grow to share with Teddy Roberts, black inmate serving a life sentence for murder) Inside Out is a compelling autobiography and a welcome contribution to Penology/Criminology reading lists.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Publicize Your Book!
Jacqueline Deval
Penguin Putnam
375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014
0399528636 $15.95 penguinputnam.com

Publicize Your Book!: An Insider's Guide To Getting Your Book The Attention It Deserves by Jacqueline Deval (Publisher of Hearst Books and former director of publicity for several publishing houses) is a solidly presented "how-to" guide to getting the word out about a new book. The issues and topics range from the basics of crafting a marketing plan; to forming press materials; to setting up and conducting publicity tours; to giving a great interview; and even how to get on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". An excellent primer that superbly reflects the experience-based "know how" of author, publisher, and book publicist Jacqueline Deval, Publicize Your Book! should be considered "must" reading by anyone who aspires to be commercially successful as an author and/or publisher in today's supremely competitive publishing industry.

The Freelance Success Book
David Taylor
Peak Writing Press
PO Box 14196, Savannah, GA 31416
097173304X $19.95 peakwriting.com

The Freelance Success Book by writer, editor, and teacher David Taylor is a solidly presented instructional and advice guide to making money off of one's writing. The subjects covered is such a "user friendly" manner range from learning how to create quality writing quickly; to ethical and legal issues (including protecting one's copyright); to the best way to submit query letters; to finding editors interested in one's work; to the basics of successful book writing, and much, much more. An excellent and confidently recommended primer for anyone seriously considering a writing career, covering both writing skills and business, The Freelance Success Book would make a welcome addition to any aspiring writer's reference shelf.

My Book Kit
PageFree Publishing, Inc.
8175 Creekside Dr, #200, Portage, MI 49024
www.pagefreepublishing.com
1589610733 $12.95 1-616-692-3926

My Book Kit: The Definitive Guide To Independent Publishing Using On-Demand Technology is a production of PageFree Publishing and presents aspiring authors seeking to become published with a compact, no-nonsense, "user friendly" guide to independent publishing "on-demand". Individual chapters specifically address striving for quality in one's writing, choosing the right publisher, maximizing reviews, marketing for optimum sales, and much, much more. A simple and straightforward primer written especially with the challenges of financially successful self-publishing in the twenty-first century in mind, My Book Kit is a complete introduction to publishing on demand (POD) and strongly recommended for Writing/Publishing reference collections.

Publish Or Perish
Allan A. Glatthorn
Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
0761978674 $29.95 1-805-499-9734

Publish Or Perish: The Educator's Imperative by academician and writer instructor Allan A. Glatthorn (Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus, East Carolina University) is a superbly organized and presented writing and publishing instructional guide and reference especially intended for academic and educational professionals. From writing research journals, to creating articles, op-ed pieces, literature reviews, theses, funding proposals, and more, Publish Or Perish offers a wealth of practical "how to" and "what to expect" information about making the most of the Internet's resources, mastering the academic style, working with editors and publishers, and getting published to one's greatest personal and academic advantage. Publish Or Perish is the definitive and strongly recommended introduction to converting ideas into the printed world in order to establish and achieve professional goals through the process of writing and being published.

Writing And Developing Your College Textbook
Mary Ellen Lepionka
Atalantic Path Publishing
Box 1556, Gloucester, MA 01931-1556
www.atlanticpathpublishing.com
0972816402 $24.00 1-877-861-2276

Writing And Developing Your College Textbook by Mary Ellen Lepionka (a veteran development editor in higher education publishing for more than twenty years) is a straightforward guide to creating an easy-to-understand, comprehensive, well-thought-out, accessibly organized textbooks for college-level courses. Individual chapters cover how to publish the text manuscript, as well as the importance of structure, ways to make drafting and revising easier, the right way to acquire permissions when needed, and much, much more. Writing And Developing Your College Textbook is very highly recommended for aspiring textbook writers regardless of the subject matter of the book itself.


The Interior Design Shelf

Basements: Step-By-Step Projects
Creative Homeowner
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
creativehomeowner.com
1580111424 $8.95 www.amazon.com

Part of the outstanding "Smart Guide" series from Creative Homeowner, Basements: Step-By-Step Projects is a no-nonsense, "user friendly" collection of step-by-step projects to insulate walls, update plumbing, install new wiring, eliminate moisture problems and much more in the basement of one's home. Color photographs, diagrams, and detailed instructions distinguish this excellent do-it-yourself resource which is confidently recommended for personal "do-it-yourself" and Interior Design technical reference shelf collections.


The Native American Shelf

Giving Voice To Bear
David Rockwell
Roberts Rinehart/Rowman & Littlefield
200 Park Avenue South, Suite 1109, New York, NY 10003
1570983933 $19.95 www.amazon.com

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Giving Voice To Bear: North American Indian Myths, Rituals, And Images Of The Bear by David Rockwell is a thoughtful and informative survey of the bear as depicted in Native American stories, art, and culture. Presenting legends that involve the bear; as well as providing eighty-nine black-and-white photographs of bear designs on works of art; along with extensive research; and informed comparisons and contrasts between how the bear is perceived by various Native American tribes, Giving Voice To Bear is a welcome and "reader friendly" contribution to personal reading lists and Native American Studies reference collections.

Isaac McCoy And The American Indians
Carol Spurlock Layman
Still Waters Press
2730 W. County Road 200 N, North Vernon, IN 47265
0759689733 $30.95 isaac-mccoy.com

Isaac McCoy And The American Indians offers the reader an accurate and riveting slice of American history as told through the viewpoint of Isaac McCoy (1784-1846), a missionary that took up a three-decade struggle to help keep Native Americans alive through establishing an Indian territory that would become a separate state within the United States. This proposed state was to be governed by Indians and represented in Washington by Indians. Considered to be the creator of the concept of Indian Territory, McCoy offers invaluable firsthand accounts of events in the lives of Native Americans drawn from his thirty years of personal experiences with them. A compelling chronicle, Isaac McCoy provides contemporary readers with the "inside story" into how missionaries and American Indians interacted with each other. Also available in a soft-cover edition (0759689725, $20.95), Isaac McCoy And The American Indians is an exceptionally well written and very welcome contribution to Native American Studies supplemental reading lists.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Dress Like A Million Bucks Without Spending It!
JoAnn Janssen & Gwen Ellis
Fleming H. Revell
c/o Baker Book House Company
Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
0800758323 $12.99 bakerbooks.com

Collaboratively written by JoAnn Janssen and Gwen Ellis, Dress Like A Million Bucks Without Spending It! is a practical and economic guide of making the most out of a personal clothing budget. Tips for shopping, organizing, accentuating the positive, keeping an eye out for quality, learning how to sew buttons or fix split seams, passing shoestring budget ways on to the children, and more are all covered in this superbly organized, "user friendly", and highly recommended primer.

Basic Wills Simplified
Daniel Sitarz
Nova Publishing Company
1103 W. College St, Carbondale, IL 62901
093575590X $22.95 1-800-748-1175

Ably and knowledgeably written by an experienced attorney-at-law Daniel Sitarz, Basic Wills Simplified is a straightforward and thoroughly "user friendly", do-it-yourself instructional guide to preparing a standard will without the help and expense of a lawyer. Simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step, instructions (enhanced with sample forms and a glossary of legal terms) make Basic Wills Simplified strongly recommended not only for those who choose to write their own wills, but also for those looking to educate themselves on the process before seeking potentially costly legal counsel.

How To Protect And Manage Your 401(k)
Elizabeth Opalka, CPA, ESQ
The Career Press, Inc.
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
156414660X $15.99 careerpress.com

How To Protect And Manage Your 401(k) is a straightforward guide by Elizabeth Opalka (a CPA and experienced tax lawyer) written especially for those 401(k) account investors seeking to protecting their hard-earned funds from the volatile fluctuations of the market, employer misconduct, excessive fees, and other financial hazards and missteps. A practical and "user friendly" guide written for men and women at all skill and experience levels of money management and retirement financial planning, How To Protect And Manage Your 401(k) is emphatically recommended for novice investors and has a great deal of value to offer even the more experienced 401(k) holders.

Blind Faith
Edward Winslow
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94104-2916
1576752526 $14.95 bkconnection.com

Knowledgeably written by Edward Winslow (the Founder and Manager of First American Financial Cooperative), Blind Faith: Our Misplaced Trust In The Stock Market And Smarter, Safer Ways To Invest denounces "playing the stock market" as being little better than gambling, and presents wiser, safer, more effective means to invest and put money to work. From why ordinary Americans should steer clear of stocks; to intelligent risk management strategies; to protected investments and means geared for retirement, and more, Blind Faith a cutting edge, no-holds-barred financial guide which is especially relevant in light of recent economic pitfalls, Wall Street volatility, and dramatic stock-related corporate scandals.

The Bargain Hunter's & Smart Consumer's Field Guide
Art Beroff and Rob & Terry Adams
Avebury Books
Box 27309, Panama City Beach FL 32411
0971459819 $14.95 1-850-636-4006

Collaboratively written by Art Beroff (a professional investment banker and member of the Small Business Administration National Advisory Council), with the collaborative assistance of Rob Adams and Terry Adams (real estate development and property management experts who buy distressed properties and then remodels and furnishes them for a profit), The Bargain Hunter's & Smart Consumer's Field Guide is a solid and accessibly presented money-saving guide to getting discounts when shopping or utilizing service providers; using the Internet for finding bargain prices; negotiate like a professional over real estate; and much, much more. The text is comprised of motivational, down-to-earth language, showcasing accessible and practical strategies for getting the best possible deal, while avoiding scams. The Bargain Hunter's & Smart Consumer's Field Guide is a thoroughly "user friendly" how-to guide that will literally pay for itself over and over again.


The Archaeology Shelf

Parallels
Diane E. Wirth
Stonecliff Publishing
PO Box 911060, St. George, Utah 84791-1060
0960209603 $17.95 1-435-652-8279

Parallels: Mesoamerican And Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions is an impressive and scholarly survey by Diane E. Wirth of fascinating similarities in the archaeological legacy of diverse parts of the world. Looking at both the isolationist and diffusionist perspectives, and exploring scholarly explanations for the remarkable resemblances that can be found between cultures separated by oceans and continents, Parallels is a thoughtful, in-depth, informative, occasionally iconoclastic, and an always "reader friendly" work which would make a most welcome contribution to any personal, professional, or academic Archaeological Studies reference collection and supplemental reading list.


The Parenting Shelf

Becoming A Father
William Sears, MD
La Leche League International
Box 4079, Schaumburg, IL 60168-4079
0912500964 $10.95 lalecheleague.org

Now in a newly revised edition, Becoming A Father: How To Nurture And Enjoy Your Family by physician and author William Sears is an informational guide and a practical "what to do" manual written especially for fathers, and concerns everything from what a man should do during his wife's labor and childbirth; to proper discipline of young ones ranging from toddler through teens; coping with the demands children place on upon a marriage; balancing family and career needs; being a role model, and more. Becoming A Father is enthusiastically recommended reading for new and "about to be" fathers, and has much to recommended it to veteran fathers (and even grandfathers!).

Signals From The Child
Jean Coles
EMBA House
PO Box 100891, Denver, CO 80250
0972352929 $19.95 1-303-871-8720

Signals From The Child: Learn To Read The Secrets In Drawings And Refrigerator Art by forensic handwriting expert Jean Coles is a "parent friendly" psychological guide to interpreting how a child feels from the drawings and artworks he or she creates. A tool for learning to what to expect and what to extrapolate, Signals From The Child is very highly recommended reading for parents, grandparents, teachers, and counselors seeking to facilitate better communication and understanding between themselves and a child.


The Sports Shelf

100 Baseball Legends Who Shaped Sports History
Russell Roberts
Bluewood Books
38 South B Street, Suite 202, San Mateo, CA 94401
0912517522 $7.95 1-650-548-0754

Compiled and deftly organized by baseball enthusiast Russell Roberts, 100 Baseball Legends Who Shaped Sports History is a simple compilation of one hundred major figures from the sport of baseball. Each one-page biography features a photograph of the baseball personality, along with a brief summary of his life and professional career. Enhanced with locator maps, a trivia quiz, a timeline and an index, 100 Baseball Legends Who Shaped Sports History is an engaging and "reader friendly" resource for baseball fans to page through for quick reference and simple fun.

The John Wooden Pyramid Of Success
Neville L. Johnson
Cool Titles
12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1201, Los Angeles, CA 90025
0967392020 $23.95 www.cooltitles.com

Now in its revised second edition with an extended biography section and more "Woodenisms" (maxims and sayings) added, The John Wooden Pyramid Of Success is very highly recommended as being the only authorized biography of the famous UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Compiled and written by nationally prominent entertainment and media attorney Neville Johnson, The John Wooden Pyramid Of Success offers the solid biography of a life well lived, enhanced with interviews, recollections, and comments from many who knew Wooden well, and offering the reader a profusion of unique insights into the world of basketball.


The Political Science Shelf

The Illusion Of Freedom
Martyn Babitz
Triple Eagle Press
PO Box 4445, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
www.tripleeaglepress.com
0974025232 $19.95 1-800-905-4826

Ably written by Martyn Babitz for a non-specialist general readership, The Illusion Of Freedom: How To Restore The True Constitution And Reclaim Liberty Now is a politically charged manifesto articulately exhorting the importance of reversing gradual encroachments on the Constitutionally reserved sovereignty of America's citizens which have taken place over the past few decades. The importance of standing up to the increasing control government has over private lives, as well as taking personal responsibility for defending, maintaining, and exercising cherished constitutional liberties form the core of this practical, timely, powerfully written call to get involved. The Illusion Of Freedom should be on the Political Science shelves of every community library in the country -- and read by all political activists of the Right or of the Left.

Politics And Administration
Frank J. Goodnow
Transaction Publishers
Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854
076580512X $29.95 1-888-999-6778

Originally published in 1900, Politics And Administration: A Study In Government by the late Frank J. Goodnow is a seminal and scholarly study of the unique balance of power between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government in American democracy. Tracing the evolution of the United States from a "spoils" system as embraced during the Jackson area, into a government that distinguishes political officials from civil administrators, Politics And Administration has endured the test of time with its solid insights into the workings of our nation. No Political Science or American Studies collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Frank Goodnow's Politics And Administration.

After Communism
Donald R. Kelley, editor
The University of Arkansas Press
201 Ozark Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557287465 $24.95 1-800-626-0090

Compiled and edited by Donald R. Kelley (Director of the Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas), After Communism: Perspectives On Democracy is an impressive and scholarly collection of erudite and informative essays by a variety of academics studying the social, political, economic, and cultural aftermath of Communism, as well as the sometimes painful process of democratization. From democracy and counterinsurgency in Southeast Asia; to how the Russian people cope with economic difficulties that still persist a decade later; to consolidation as a work in progress, and much, much more, After Communism is a welcome contribution to Russian Studies collections and especially recommended reading for scholars, governmental policy makers, corporate managers, and non-specialist general readers exploring the paths to transition that may yet lead to a more stable and vibrant future for a post-Soviet Eastern Europe.


The Military Shelf

Silence Of A Soldier
William J. Duggan
Elderberry Press
1393 Old Homestead Drive, 2nd fl., Oakland, Oregon 97462-9506
www.elderberrypress.com
1930859570 $19.95 1-541-459-6043

Silence Of A Soldier is the personal memoir of Bub Merrill, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, as told to William J. Duggan. A strong and vividly recounted testimony of survival in the face of the exceedingly brutal and often lethal treatment that Japanese forces inflicted upon their American and British prisoners of war, Silence Of A Soldier is told with candor and unflinching detail. A welcome contribution to the growing library of World War II autobiographies, Silence Of A Soldier is very highly recommended reading.

World War II Military Records
Debra Johnson Knox
MIE Publishing
PO Box 17118, Spartanburg, SC 29301
1877639915 $23.95 militaryusa.com

World War II Military Records: A Family Historian's Guide is a straightforward, specialized genealogy reference and instructional guide to finding and interpreting key information from military personnel records, casualty reports, WW II draft registrations, burial sites, awards and medals, and more. An excellent tool for anyone interested in genealogy or military research, World War II Military Records is an important addition to both Genealogy and Military Studies reference collections.

Captured Honor
Bob Wodnik
Washington State University Press
Box 645910, Pullman, WA 99164-5910
0874222605 $19.95 wsupress.wsu.edu

Bob Wodnik's Captured Honor: POW Survival In The Phillippines And Japan presents the stories of Americans, in their own words, who were held captive by the Japanese as prisoners of war. These strong and articulate personal testimonies of enduring starvation, threats to the lives, the loss of friends, and the difficulty in adjusting to ordinary life after being liberated from the dark years of war and capture, form an unforgettable body of eye-witness testimony. Simply put, Captured Honor is a very strongly recommended addition to World War II Military History collections -- and serves as an impressive memorial to the enduring spirit of American POWs which must never be forgotten by those of us who enjoy liberties that their blood, suffering, and confinement helped to secure.

The Wings Of Change
Thomas E. Alexander
McWhiney Foundation Press
PO Box 637, McMurry Station, McMurry University, Abilene, TX 79697
189311435X $29.95 1-915-793-4682

Expertly written by Thomas E. Alexander (a former Air Force Captain and Major in the Illinois Air Guard), The Wings Of Change: The Army Air Force Experience In Texas During World War II is a superbly presented military history of how sixty-five Army airfields came to be located in Texas during the years of World War II. From an economic influx that helped spur the state's lift out of the Depression, to the local residents adaptation to living with Army Air Force soldiers, The Wings Of Change blends history, black-and-white photography, and historical insights to accurately portray the manifold changes that the Army Air Force brought to Texas. The Wings Of Change is a welcome and original contribution to Aviation History and Military History reference collections.

December 8, 1941: MacArthur's Pearl Harbor
William H. Bartsch
Texas A&M University Press
Drawer C, College Station, TX 77843
1585442461 $40.00 1-800-826-8911

December 8, 1941: Macarthur's Pearl Harbor by William H. Bartsch aptly and accessibly studies the Japanese surprise attack against American forces in the Philippines that took place scarcely ten hours after the famous assault on Pearl Harbor. A number of historical questions are adroitly addressed including why Lt. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was caught with all his planes on the ground after he had been informed that morning of the Pearl Harbor attack. December 8, 1941: Macarthur's Pearl Harbor probes this episode of American military history with painstaking research drawn from both American and Japanese records, and uses this information to present a startlingly detailed portrayal of those tumultuous events in the opening days of American military involvement in the Pacific Theater of World War II.


The Self-Help Shelf

Swim Lessons
Nick Irons
Clydesdale Press
PO Box 2375, Kensington, MD 20891
0972960600 $24.00 TenLessons.com

Swim Lessons: Ten Secrets For Making Any Dream Come True is a self-help book ably written by Nick Irons, a determined dreamer who achieved a historic swim down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Wisdom, encouragement, insight, and enthusiasm fill the pages of this enthusiastically recommended "go-getter" self-help, self-improvement, self development instructional guide to making things happen.

Diving In
Mark Bodnarczuk
Elton-Wolf Publishing
2505 Second Avenue, Suite 515, Seattle, Washington 98121
1586190458 $19.95 elton-wolf.com

Written by Mark Bodnarczuk (an expert in Franklin Covey-style time management), Diving In: Discovering Who You Are In The Second Half Of Life is an inspirational guide to making life-altering changes in our later years. From making three commitments (one to relationships, one to making a difference, and one to effective aging); to embracing our freedom to choose; to learning to assess ourselves and our problems objectively, and more, Diving In is an exceptionally insightful, superbly presented self-help, self improvement guide to effective (even dramatic) personal growth which is especially recommended for anyone over the age of 50.

Loving: Tapping Your Spiritual Source
Catherine Corona
Infinite Horizons
Elizabeth Caluder (publicity)
637 South Broadway B334, Boulder, CO 80305
1893722139 $22.95 1-888-851-5778

Created and designed by Catherine Corona (a teacher and speaker with a doctorate degree in spiritual science and a certificate in counseling), Loving: Tapping Your Spiritual Source is an impressively presented, "user friendly", self-help guide specifically created to assist men and women in reconnecting with their loving center and increasing their capacity to embrace and share with others. Part guidebook, part consumable journal for one's voyage, Loving (bound so as to lay flat when opened for easy reference) is an astute and enthusiastically recommended guide which is enhanced with an accompanying audio CD offering guided meditations.


The Architecture Shelf

Cordwood Building
Rob Roy
New Society Publishers
37 Cherry St, Easthampton, MA 01027
0865714754 $26.95 1-800-283-3572

Cordwood Building: The State Of The Art by Rob Roy (cordwood builder, researcher, teacher, and co-founder of the Earthwood Building School) presents construction professionals and do-it-yourself home improvement hobbyists with the latest techniques of the ancient building method called cordwood masonry where the walls are constructed of short logs are laid transversely in much the same manner as a cord of firewood is stacked. Author Rob Roy draws upon his many years of experience, along with 25 of the world's best practitioners to describe the long history of cordwood masonry, how to build a cordwood home, as well as the use of Lomax corners, paper-enhanced mortars, creating round, hexagonal, and other building shapes. Cordwood Building outlines the "5-E" advanced of this construction style: Ease of Construction; Economy, Esthetics; Energy-Efficiency; and Ecological Harmony. Profusely illustrated, Cordwood Building is an unusual and invaluable contribution to personal and professional Building Construction reference collections.


The Cookbook Shelf

The Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy
Chef Michel Stroot
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton, Utah 84041
158685254X $29.95 1-800-748-5439

The Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy: Delicious Recipes From America's Premier Spa by Michel Stroot (Executive Chef at the luxury southern Californian spa "Golden Door", is a one-of-a-kind cookbook featuring genuine "spa cuisine", with recipes that do not require butter or unnecessary fats, but rather rely on the seasonal freshness of ingredients. Easy-to-follow instructions for cooks of all skill levels offer professional level techniques for creating scrumptious and healthy dishes such as Vegetable Terrine Provencale; Turkey Basil Mozzarella Pizza; Rose Hip and Cranberry Tea; and many more appetizing dishes. An excellent and delectable compilation, the Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy is a welcome addition to any personal or professional cookbook collection.

Toscana Mia
Umberto Menghi
Douglas & McIntyre
201-2323 Quebeck Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5T 4S7
155054909X $24.95 1-800-367-9692

Written by Umberto Menghi (a professional chef and restaurateur who grew up in Tuscany, Italy), Toscana Mia: The Heart And Soul Of Tuscan Cooking is a splendid cookbook that celebrates Italian (and especially Tuscan) culinary traditions with its savory and taste-tested recipes. From Deep-Fried Cauliflowers; Florentine Cannelloni; and Tuscan Braised Beef; to Pureed Vegetable Soup with Parmesan Foam; Saffron Risotto with Pumpkin; and Tuscan Ring Cake, the recipes come with extensively detailed instructions, as well as recommended wines and producers to accompany fine dining. Toscana Mia is very highly recommended for any kitchen cook interested in exploring exquisite Tuscan flavors and styles.

From Your Ice Cream Maker
Coleen & Bob Simmons
Nitty Gritty Cookbooks
c/o Bristol Publishing Enterprises
2714 McCone Ave, Hayward, CA 94545
1558672826 $8.95 1-800-346-4889

Homemade ice cream is the perfect response to summertime heat. It's cool, refreshing, less expensive than those "store bought" brands, and has a flavor variety limited only by the imagination. From Your Ice Cream Maker is a wonderful collection of do-it-yourself recipes for ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, frozen yogurts, gelatos, ice cream cakes, sundaes, shakes, ice cream sodas, banana splits and more. From Your Ice Cream Maker is an ideal addition to any and all family cookbook collections!

And Still I Cook
Leah Chase
Pelican Publishing Cookbook
PO Box 3110, Gretna LA 70054
www.pelicanpub.com
156554823X $22.95 1-800-843-1724

And Still I Cook is a recipe collection compiled from the culinary author Leah Chase's fifty years of restaurant work and cooking experience. From Baked Cheese Grits with Jalapeno Peppers; Pan-Fried Sac-A-Lait; and Rosemary Chicken; Cabbage Casserole; and Grilled Vegetables on Whole-Wheat Buns, And Still I Cook is an outstanding cornucopia of enthusiastically recommended home-style recipes offering a very special touch of taste-tested, appetite-satisfying charm.

The Dancing Gourmet
Linda Hymes
Lindergaff Books
643 Carolina St., San Francisco CA 94107
0971978204 $26.00 dancinggourmet.com

Written by professional ballet dancer and skilled cook Linda Hymes, The Dancing Gourmet is a celebration of elegant recipes, each presented with extensively detailed instructions, and enhanced with mouth-watering color photographs by Derek Gaffney. From Asian Red Cabbage Slaw; Sea Bass Wrapped In Pancetta; and Miso Sesame Noodles; to Grilled Tuna with Orange and Thyme Scented White Beans; Irish Soda Bread; and Capellini Scampi, The Dancing Gourmet offers lusciously tempting dishes, each of which is meant to be created with a keen sense of balance -- a quality as important to cooking as it is to dance!

Champagne...Uncorked!
Rosemary Zraly
FRP
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0965185508 $19.95 1-800-358-0560

Champagne is the premier beverage for parties, celebratory occasions, and truly elegant gourmet dining events. In Champagne...Uncorked!: The Insider's Guide To Champagne!, champagne expert Rosemary Zraly provides basic instructions on how to buy, serve, and save champagne. She also provides invaluable information on how to organize a tasting, showcases champagne recipes for everyday meals from diverse famous Chefs, and offers a section dedicated to cocktail recipes. Enhanced with quotes, toasts, a glossary, and a reading list, Champagne...Uncorked is a specialized and highly recommended addition to aspiring wine connoisseur reading lists and family specialty cookbook collections.

Best Of The Best
From New Mexico Cookbook
Gwen McKee & Barbara Moseley, eds.
Quail Ridge Press
PO Box 123, Brandon, MS 39043
0937552933 $16.95 1-800-343-1583

Collaboratively compiled from New Mexico oriented and published cookbooks, Best Of The Best From New Mexico Cookbook truly lives up to its title in offering an impressive diversity and variety of lively, spicy dishes with a New Mexican culinary heritage and orientation. From Mexican Omelet (New Mexico Cookbook); Roasted Scarlet Potatoes (Red Chile Bible); and Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Savoring The Southwest); to Blue Corn Muffins (A Little Southwest Cookbook); Taco Soup (Our Best Home Cooking); and Chocolate-Pinon Pie (Savoring The Southwest Again), Best Of The Best From New Mexico Cookbook is a welcome addition to any family cookbook collection -- and has the added bonus section listing all the contributing cookbooks!

Within the pages of books can be found the greatest treasures ever conceived by the minds of men.


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


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