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Volume 14, Number 8 August 2004 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Jobs/Careers Shelf Travel Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Science Shelf Music Shelf
Hunting/Fishing Shelf Criminology Shelf Biography Shelf
Computer Shelf Business Shelf American History Shelf
Gardening Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf Geography Shelf
Photography Shelf Nautical Shelf Metaphysical Shelf
Library Video/DVD Shelf Library CD Music Shelf Library Science Shelf
Needlecraft Shelf Automotive Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf Literary Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf
International Studies Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Architecture Shelf
Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Art Shelf
Fiction Shelf Economics Shelf Civil War Shelf
Political Science Shelf Poetry Shelf Martial Arts Shelf
Sports Shelf World History Shelf Psychology Shelf
Environmental Shelf Parenting Shelf Interior Design Shelf
Judiac Studies Shelf Social Issues Shelf Education Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Native Studies Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf Military Shelf
Humor Shelf    


Reviewer's Choice

Making The Right Move
Gilliam Eades Telford, RN, BSN
Self-Counsel Press
1704 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
www.self-counsel.com
1551804514 $14.95 1-877-877-6490

Seniors face some tough choices in deciding where to live and how to cope with the increasing limitations of aging: Making The Right Move provides some important keys to locating help in the US and Canada. Chapters cover the basics of different types of housing options and how to evaluate them, how to tell whether a home is right, and the key features to look for when evaluating either a senior facility or one offering more independence. Checklists help the rating process, while insights on transportation and health issues complete the housing focus of Making The Right Move.

Dover Publications Inc.
31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com

Dover Publishers works hard at returning classic arts titles to print in affordable paperback format: these new arrivals are some of the recent recommended picks from their latest holdings. Charles Oliver's Anatomy And Perspective (0486435407, $8.95) republishes a 1972 slim beginners title covering two fundamentals of figure drawing from classical Greece and the Renaissance. Students learn how to convey the structure and functions of the human figure following the elementary teachings in Anatomy And Perspective. R.L. Leonard and C.A. Glassgold's American Art Deco (0486433749, $19.95) returns a 1931 classic to print, providing over 200 black and white illustrations in a review of the Art Deco style's history and foundations. Dore's London (0486432-726, $12.95) isn't a reprint: it's an original publication gathering all 180 illustrations from Dore's classic London, A Pilgrimage. The gathering in London presents all 180 drawings from his 1872 classic. Students of costume history and costume design will welcome Caspar Luyken's return in Gallery Of Late-Seventeenth-Century Costume (0486429865, $12.95), republishing plates from an original German 1703 classic. Luyken collaborated on several books with German art dealer/publisher Christoph Weigel, and this reprints plates from one of his works.

Lords & Lemurs
Alison Jolly
Houghton Mifflin
222 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
0618367519 $25.00 1-800-225-3362

It's hard to neatly peg primate behavioralist Alison Jolly's wonderful Lords & Lemurs: somewhere between a autobiography, travelogue, geography exploration and social issue examination still doesn't aptly describe the magic of Jolly's encounter. Her focus on Madagascar's people, animals, and society brings to life the rugged individuals and colorful personalities and issues of the island, making Lords & Lemurs a testimony to Madagascar's past and future in the modern world.

Changing Minds
Howard Gardner
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
1578517095 $26.95 1-800-668-6780

Changing Minds: The Art And Science Of Changing Our Own And Other People's Minds is a guide to the seemingly impossible challenge of changing a person's mind. Psychologist and author Howard Gardner examines insights on what is required to actually break through long-held beliefs and persuade a person to re-examine their perspective. Progressing on to practical means and advice for changing people's minds in a logical, reasoned, and mannerly matter, chapters address how to lead a diverse population vs. a uniform population, changing minds indirectly through scientific discoveries or artistic creations, changing minds in a formal setting, and even changing one's own mind. Changing Minds is written in plain terms and accessible to readers of all backgrounds, but contains insights into the intelligence and thinking processes that affect everyone.

The Way Of Conflict
Diedre Combs
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1577314492 $15.95 newworldlibrary.com

Resolve disputes and overcome differences with the help of The Way Of Conflict, where common traps to progress are outlined and implications of conflict outside the situation at hand are considered. Chapters handle everything from initial conflicts to escalation to violence, using first-person and real-world experiences to explore problems and solutions.

Monkey Dancing
Daniel Glick
Public Affairs
250 W. 57th St., #1321, NY NY 10107
1586482378 $14.95 1-877-782-1234

What is a father to do when his brother dies of cancer, his marriage ends, and his life falls apart? Newsweek correspondent Daniel Glick decided his course of action would take him and his children on a journey around the world to see some of the planet's vanishing life forms, and Monkey Dancing is his account of that trip, taken in the summer of 2001. From the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to elephants in Nepal, Glick and his tree children embarked on an unforgettable adventure and Monkey Dancing tinges their experiences with insights on loss, fatherhood, and world changes.

Rodeo
Lynn Campion
The Lyons Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
www.lyonspress.com
1592284051 $19.95 1-800-836-0510

Lynn Campion grew up in Colorado where sports and horses were her major interests, moving to Idaho and Montana to run a ranch and raise a family. Her national recognition as a cutting horse non-pro champion and her rodeo insights from the inside contribute to Rodeo: Behind The Scenes At America's Most Exciting Sport. Most rodeo coverages either provide a single biographical focus on a rodeo star, or a review of rodeo in general: Campion's is one of the few to focus almost exclusively behind the scenes, covering everything from saddle terminology and preparation of equipment to how to buffer a fall. Simply outstanding.

Sterling Publishing Company
387 Park Avenue, NY, NY 10016
1-800-805-5489 www.amazon.com

Three excellent titles provide solid craft ideas for any seeking new projects. Vicki Payne's Traditional Leaded Glass Crafting (140270335X, $26.95) pairs techniques with project applications, packing in color photos to demonstrate such techniques as soldering panels, producing art deco effects, and cutting glass. An excellent introduction beginners will appreciate. Diana Light's Batik (1579904947, $14.95) tells how to learn batik by producing simple projects, from pillows to curtains. Over twenty such projects receive embellishment through color photos explaining how to create patterns and use dyebaths for maximum results. Ruth Lee's Creative Machine Knitting (1861083114, $14.95) presents a range of designs for all occasions, including the latest fashions and updates to classic designs. Especially valuable in Creative Machine Knitting is the attention to adapting patterns to suit different needs, and following knitting through clear diagrams rather than just the written word filled with code.

Old Glory
Robert Hedin, Editor
Persea Books
853 Broadway, Suite 604, NY, NY 10003
0892553103 $22.50 perseabooks.com

News commentator Walter Cronkite provides the foreword to Robert Hedin's fine Old Glory: American War Poems From The Revolutionary War To The War On Terrorism, the first comprehensive collection of American war poetry presenting 200 poems from over a hundred American poets. The legacy of American war poetry efforts is established in Cronkite's forward, providing a fitting introduction to a literary legacy which includes narratives, lamentations, tributes, protests, battle hymns and more. The organization by conflict allows scholars to easily pick the section which applies to their studies, making Old Glory a pick for both leisure and scholarly audiences alike.

The Business Of America
Graham Thompson
Stylus Publishing, Inc.
22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012
0745318088 $24.95 http://Styluspub.com

The Business Of America: The Cultural Production Of Post-War Nation is an exentended discussion concerning how ever greater transnational shifts in business culture may come to threaten the American values of individuality, family, and freedom, and how this tension is realized within modern literature. Focusing also on the emergence of American Studies as a discipline after the second world war, The Business Of America is sweeping in its search to connect seemingly disparate influences in post-war American literature and its evolution in parallel with the increasing globalization. Highly recommended.

Haunted San Francisco
Rand Richards, Editor
Heritage House Publishers
PO Box 194242, San Francisco, CA 94119
Email: hhprincon@aol.com
1879367041 $14.95 www.amazon.com

Rand Richards' Haunted San Francisco represents the first anthology of ghost stories completely set in San Francisco, providing over two dozen spanning over 150 years and including both literary writers and other popular writers of both fiction and non-fiction. The broad range of story styles, choices and settings will enhance the unusual San Francisco geographical locale, appealing to both San Francisco fans and ghost story enthusiasts alike.

Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful
Darryl R. Beers, et al.
Farcountry Press
PO Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604
www.farcountrypress.com
1560371854 $29.95 1-800-654-1105

The collaborative effort of expert and experienced photographers Darryl R. Beers, R.J. Miller, and Linda Miller, Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful is a wonderful, hardcover coffeetable book showcasing photographic images of Wisconsin's natural beauty and man-made wonders. Every image is in full color and is accompanied by a caption. Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful is the perfect giftbook for Wisconsin visitors wanting a "take home" souvenir. Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful is also an ideal Memorial Fund Acquisition selection or Friends Of The Library funded acquisition. Indeed, every Wisconsin community library should have at least one copy of Wisconsin: Simply Beautiful in their collection!

Miss America By Day
Marilyn Van Derbur
Oak Hill Ridge Press
7150 Leetsdale Drive, #312, Denver, CO 80224-1750
www.MissAmericaByDay.com
0972829849 $22.95 www.amazon.com

Miss America By Day is the powerful, 563-page autobiography of Marilyn Van Derbur, a woman who, once crowned Miss America, and was finally at age 53 able to say to the public, "I am an incest survivor." Sexually abused by her father from age 5 to 18, the scars of her maltreatment haunted her for years. Marilyn Van Derbur's personal story is one of seeking peace, working hard to achieve lasting love, and a cautioning of society against the depredations of the most vile types of human predators. Miss America By Day won the first place in the Writer's Digest national competition in the "Most Inspiration Book" catagory and is a very highly recommended addition to Women's Studies, Human Sexuality Studies, and Contemporary American Biography supplemental reading lists as well as academic and public library collections.

Ticks Off!
Patrick Guilfoile, Ph.D.
ForSte Press, Inc.
PO Box 1537, Bemidji, MN 56619
0975385607 $9.95 www.forstepress.com

Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease On Your Property is a practical guide for homeowners and others seeking to control Lyme disease transmitting ticks. Covering personal protection against tick bites, identifying whether blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) exist on one's property, strategies for keeping down infection rates by monitoring and influencing the animals that serve as tick hosts, and more fill this brief yet extraordinarily accessible and practical quick-read resource.

Meet The Sasquatch
Christopher L. Murphy
Hancock House Publishers
1431 Harrison Ave, Blaine, WA 98230
www.hancockwildlife.org
0888395744 $75.00 1-800-938-1114

In Meet The Sasquatch, Chris Murphy (with the assistance of John Gren and Thomas Steenburg) presents an amazing compendium of research on the fabled sasquatch. Written by the team who produced the work to accompany an exhibit at the Vancouver Museum in the summer of 2004, Meet The Sasquatch is an amazing, intriniscally interesting, in-depth, informed and informative compendium presenting the all that is known or suspected about the Sasquatch with detailed information and full-color photography, written for believers and skeptics alike. Definitive and up-to-date, Meet The Sasquatch is highly recommended reading!

Afrikan Alphabets
Saki Mafundikwa
Mark Batty Publisher LLC
6050 Boulevard East, Suite 2H, West New York, NJ 07093
www.markbattypublisher.com
0972424067 $34.95 1-201-453-1775

Afrikan Alphabets: The Story Of Writing In Afrika is the impressive result of author Saki Mafundikwa's 20-year effort to collect information on writing systems throughout Africa. Pictographs, mnemonic devices, syllabaries and alphabets are all graphically presented with pronounciation guides, and color photographs of people, art and documents, and brief essays concering the histories of various writing scripts. A superb reference guide and a fascinating linguistic history.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

The Unemployment Survival Guide
Jim Stringham & David R. Workman
Gibbs Smith
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
www.gibbs-smith.com
1586853732 $9.95 1-800-748-5439

Anyone who has quit a job, been laid off or fired will find The Unemployment Survival Guide provides practical solutions to surviving the months of low or no income which can result. From eliminating bad habits and money-spending habits to moving back with Mom, The Unemployment Survival Guide offers many choices and options for improvement.


The Travel Shelf

Backpacking Idaho
Doug Lorain
Wilderness Press
1200 - 5th St., Berkeley, CA 94710-1306
www.wildernesspress.com
0899973469 $17.95 1-800-443-7227

Idaho has more than four million acres of designated wilderness, impressive mountains, beautiful desert canyons, and adventuresome rivers. All of this spectacular Idaho scenery is perfect for nature-loving packbackers. Doug Lorain's Backpacking Idaho: From Alpine Peaks To Desert Canyons showcases 33 diverse "backpacker friendly" trips ranging from three day getaways to two week extended excursions. Backpacking Idaho lays out routes in the Selkirk and Sawtooth mountains, the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, the Continental Divide Trail, and in the Yellowstone National Park. Provided are trip summary charts with ratings for scenery, solitude, and degree of difficulty, as well as maps highlighting trail types, campsites, ranger stations, and elevation. If you are looking to personally experience Idaho's most memorable hiking opportunities, then you need a copy of Doug Lorain's Backpacking Idaho!

New Mexico Chow
Scott Sharot
The Intrepid Traveler
PO Box 531, Branford, CT 06405
1887140484 $11.95 chowbooks.com

New Mexico Chow: Restaurants For The Rest Of Us by Albuquerque-based food writer and chef Scott Sharot is a unique guide to a diversity of unique and sometime unexpected New Mexico dining establishments. While there are four-diamond restaurants with international reputations listed, there are also others which are Short's favorite and time-tested places that aren't really restaurants by traditional definition. Among them is a blue trailer that can be found (sometimes) parked on the side of the road near Santa Fe. Others are modest storefront establishments that double as ethnic food markets. Featuring almost one hundred restaurants (by what ever definition), New Mexico Chow showcases Sharot's short, succinct, energetic reviews delivered with wit, wisdom and humor. Sharot doesn't rate the different and differing restaurants other to guarantee that each and ever one of his selections offers "darn good chow" at a darn good price. If you are planning to eat out anywhere in New Mexico, then secure yourself a copy of Scott Sharot's New Mexico Chow!

The Streets & San Man's Guide To Chicago Eats
Dennis Foley
Lake Claremont Press
4650 North Rockwell Street, Chicago, IL 60625
1893121275 $12.95 lakeclaremont.com

The Streets & San Man's Guide To Chicago Eats is a no-nonsense guide to the tastiest places in Chicago to grab a bite. Each brief restaurant listing offers a rating for food quality, address and phone number, directions, and a sumptuous summary of the quality of food to be found therein. A selection of coupons good until December 2006 rounds out this useful and handy reference for travelers and Chicago natives alike.

Connecticut
Barnett Laschever & Andi Marie Cantele
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
www.countrymanpress.com
0881506079 $19.95 1-800-245-4151

Now in an updated fifth edition, Connecticut: An Explorer's Guide is a comprehensive guide for vacationers and business travelers alike. Offering an alphabetical "What's Where" subject guide to help plan trips, 20 regional and downtown maps, an extensive listing of events and activities to attend, lodging, dining, and selective shopping locales, and much more, Connecticut: An Explorer's Guide is an easy-to-use resource for finding what one needs when one needs it. The collaborative effort of Barnett D. Laschever and Andi Marie Cantele, Connecticut: An Explorer's Guide is a useful and practical guidebook, recommended for anyone visiting the small yet upstanding state of Connecticut.

RV In NZ
Carolyn Harris
Marble Mountain Press
1250 Biddle Rd., Suite F2-217, Medford, Oregon 97504
0974855200 $17.00 www.rvinnz.com

RV In NZ: How To Spend Your Winters Freedom Camping South-Way South In New Zealand by Carolyn Harris (a veteran of touring New Zealand in winter mootorcarvans) is the definitive guide for anyone wanting to explore the beauty and excitement of a New Zealand excursion. Readers are definitively provided with solid information and invaluable advice on everything from buying a motorcaravan and getting the motorcarvan on the road, to finding free and/or low cost parking as well as meeting and traveling with New Zealand "movaners". If you are planning a trip to New Zealand and want to explore that wonderful country first hand -- then give a careful reading to Carolyn Harris' RV In NZ!

Wanderlust
Troy M. Litten
Chronicle Books
85 2nd St., San Francisco CA 94105
0811842444 $14.95 chroniclebooks.com

Troy Litten's Wanderlust could as easily have been featured in our travel section, but is highlighted here for its fine art applications as well. A small pocket-sized paperwork offers Litten's paintings of travel topics and destinations, from hotel beds and bathtubs to market holdings and odd signs and scenes. A lovely survey of travel experience and world wonders evolves for the armchair wanna-be.


The Cookbook Shelf

American History Cookbook
Mark Zanger
Greenwood Press
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
1573563765 $24.95 greenwood.com

More than just another cookbook, Mark Zanger's American History Cookbook relies on historical commentary and recipes to trace the history and evolution of American cooking and culinary trends, from the first European contact with Native Americans to the 1970s. A chronological arrangement to American History Cookbook's chapters offers general commentary, historical background, and recipes for 3-4 dishes of the times or region. Dishes come from a range of historical cookbooks and other historical sources.

Indian Flavor
Jeeti Gandhi
Laurel Glen Publishing
c/o Advantage Publishers Group
5880 Oberlin Dr., San Diego, CA 92121
1571458646 $15.95 1-800-788-3123

Illustrated throughout with high-quality color photographs of its dishes, Indian Flavor presents 80 recipes for traditional Indian cuisine, from rice pulao dishes, tandoori lamb chops, and coconut fish to naan and other flatbreads, barbecued tricolor cheese, and so much more. What distinguishes Indian Flavor is not only its capture of mouth-watering spice combinat-ions, but also the author's careful incorporation of healthier ingredients such as yogurt and soy products for more nutritious and less fattening food preparation. An enthralling, zesty, and simple-to-follow cookbook for anyone interested in trying their hand at capturing the memorable flavors of India.

Low-Carb Vegetarian
Margo DeMello
The Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
1570671672 $12.95 1-800-695-2241

Compiled by culinary expert Margo DeMello, Low-Carb Vegetarian is a collection of "kitchen friendly", meatless and dairy free, nutritious and weight-control enhancing dishes that are as fun to make as they are easy to prepare and scrumptiously delicious to consume. Enhanced with timely information on low-carb diets in general, and their adaptation to the vegetarian palate and life-style, the recipes range from Spicy Black Bean Soup; Thai Cucumber Salad; Saag Tofu with Cauliflower Couscous; and Shish Kabob with South Asian Marinade; to Riceless Sushi; Mock Lunchmeat Rollups; Roasted Garlic, Onion, and Red Pepper Hummus; and Coconut Strawberry Pudding. Low-Carb Vegetarian is a unique and welcome addition to vegetarian cookbook collection!

Sweetly Southern
Lynda Moreau, editor
Pelican Publishing Company
PO Box 3110, Gretna, LA 70054
1589801814 $22.50 1-800-843-1724

Knowledgeably compiled, deftly organized so as to be completely "kitchen cook friendly, and expertly edited into an enthusiastically recommended compendium of 173 desserts, candies, punches, and sweet-tasting snack recipes in homage to favorite family treats and militarily inspired desserts, Sweetly Southern: Delicious Desserts From The Sons Of Confederate Veterans offer up a unique heritage of southern dishes to top off any meal or enhance any celebratory occasion. From Dying General Buttermilk Pie; Jeff Davis Pudding Pie; and Robert E. Lee Orange Pie; to Confederate Summer Punch; Martha Washington's Candy; and Cassie's Confederate Cherry Pie, these are delicious dishes embodying some of the best that Confederate era cuisine has to offer!

Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
www.harvardcommonpress.com

Paul Kirk has been known as the Baron of Barbecue and his Championship Barbecue (1558322426, $18.95) and companion Championship Barbecue Sauces (15583-2125X, $11.95) tells why. Each book provides a wide range of 'signature' innovations by grillmeister Kirk, ranging from Black Pepper Shrimp and a T-Bone Steak with Redeye Marinade in Championship Barbecue to Tarragon Chicken Baste and a lemon-dill Zesty Chicken Basting Sauce in Barbecue Sauces. Together, the two are a powerful pairing.

125 Best Toaster Oven Recipes
Linda Stephen
Robert Rose/Firefly Books
155 E. 34th St. #5B, NY, NY 10016
0778800865 $18.95 fireflybooks.com

Toaster ovens are ordinarily considered in reheating dishes here they are pursued for their ability to bake, broil and produce fresh dishes of their own. Linda Stephen has compiled the 125 best dishes which are finished in the toaster oven, from Sausage and Penne Bake to Swedish Chicken Meatballs. The result: 125 Best Toaster Oven Recipes wins hands-down as a quick main dish sourcebook.


The Science Shelf

Fleet Fire
L.J. Davis
Arcade Publishers
141 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10010
www.arcadepub.com
1559706554 $27.95 1-800-759-0190

'Fleet fire' is the old term for what modern users know as electricity: Fleet Fire: Thomas Edison And The Pioneers Of The Electric Revolution by L.J. Davis is an truly absorbing history of the electric revolution, ranging from its early use and experimental findings to modern times. Inventors around the world participated in the race to discover and use the new source of energy, with lab explosions, stolen patents, and religious banishment often the result. Anecdotes and little-known facts come together to make Fleet Fire a fascinating odyssey of discovery.


The Music Shelf

The Original Marvelettes
Marc Taylor
Aloiv Publishing
Box 340484, Jamaica, NY 11434-0484
www.touchofclassicsoul.com
0965232859 $22.95 www.amazon.com

Collections strong in soul music representation won't want to miss Marc Taylor's expose The Original Marvelettes: Motown's Mystery Girl Group, providing the history of Motown's legendary 1960s girl group. Katherine Anderson Schaffner is the only member of the group there from its beginning to end, so she serves as the focus and viewpoint of soul music enthusiast Taylor'' coverage, telling how the group rose from obscurity to the top of the charts in less than a year. Interviews with others on the scene at the time round out The Original Marvelettes.

No Woman No Cry
Eita Marley with Hettie Jones
Hyperion
77 West 66th St., NY, NY 10023-6298
0786868678 $22.95 1-800-759-0190

No Woman No Cry is the story of when the young Alphraita Anderson met Robert Nesta Marley at the age of 18, with neither imagining a musical and love relationship which would take the reggae world by storm: both came from slum families and Rita was a young unwed mother while Bob was a homeless teen. Their friendship, romance, marriage, and eventually immersion in the music world comes to life under Rita Marley's hand, providing a powerful memoir by the woman who knew reggae artist Bob Marley best. Powerful and gripping.

Clawhammer Banjo For The Complete Ignoramus!
Wayne Erbsen
Native Ground Music
109 Bell Road, Asheville, NC 28805-1521
188320643X $17.95 1-800-752-2656

Enhanced with an accompanying CD, Clawhammer Banjo For The Complete Ignoramus! is a basic introduction to the clawhammer banjo by Wayne Erbsen -- president of Native Ground Music and an acclaimed banjo picker in his own right! Filled with sample songs to practice by, tips, hints, and clues, advice for either cultivating "picking nails" or buying artificial nails if that is impossible, basic techniques such as different means of tuning and how to use a capo, and much more, Clawhammer Banjo For The Complete Ignoramus! is easy to use and a superb supplement, especially for the self-taught beginner.

The Continuum Publishing Group
370 Lexington Ave, NY, NY 10017-6550
$9.95 each www.continuumbooks.com

Two new additions to the music group biography '33 1/3' series focus on well-known, notable rock albums which have made lasting impacts on the music world. Joe Harvard's Velvet Underground And Nico (0826415504) shows how the star album by Velvet Underground influenced the sound of bands more than any other in history. Released in 1967, the LP record changed not only the recording process, but production as a whole. Author Harvard, as co-founder and owner of Fort Apache Studios, appears on numerous records by bands and puts him in the unique position of being both a musician and an industry commentator. Elisabeth Vincentelli's Abba Gold (0826415466) shows how the record defined the band's career upon its release in 1992, saving a group which had become almost a memory representing trash. Vincentelli is Senior Editor at Times Out New York and examines the impact the Abba Gold album made on the group and its image in the industry as a whole.

Wonderous Strange
Kevin Bazzana
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave., New York NY 10016
0195174402 $35.00 www.oup.com

Twenty years of interviews with friends and colleagues of classical pianist Glenn Gould contribute to the biography Wonderous Strange: The Life And Art Of Glenn Gould: a masterpiece probing not just Gould's artistic life, but his family and social relationships. Kevin Bazzana holds a doctorate in music history: perhaps this is why his coverage is so scholarly and detailed in scope: yet as a freelance writer and editor, he's also more than able to add spice and insight into his work, making Wonderous Strange a distinctive probe of Gould's memorable traits and influences.

See You At The Hall
Susan Gedutis
Northeastern University Press
360 Huntington Ave., 416CP, Boston, MA 02115
www.nupress.neu.edu
1555536107 $26.95 1-800-666-2211

From the1940s to the mid-1960s, several evenings a week, thousands of Irish and Irish Americans flocked to Boston's dance halls on Dudley Square to enjoy an unparalleled social scene of music, dance, and shopping. Musician and music book editor Susan Gedutis is also a performer of traditional Irish music in the New England area, and she's the logical author to add rich detail and social history to See You At The Hall, a probe of the history of Boston through the eyes of those who performed there. Narratives weave with social history to make for a compelling study in See You At The Hall.

DaCapo Press
11 Cambridge Ctr, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.dacapopress.com

Nat Hentoff's American Music Is (03068-13513, $16.95) comes from a jazz critic and commentator who began writing for the Village Voice back in 1957, providing a weekly column which was syndicated to over 250 newspapers across the country. Hentoff's latest collection of essays provides over sixty pieces probing not just jazz, but blues, country, gospel and more. Hentoff's observations of American classic musicians in different genres comes spiced with his own recollections of and friendships with many he writes about, making American Music Is something special indeed. Dave Zimmer edits Four Way Street: The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Reader (0306812770, $17.95), providing a collection tied together by the former BAM magazine editor's years of background in the industry. Any fan of the rock group will quickly discover that Four Way Street places under one cover some of the best writings of the past three decades, following the band through an era of change and discussing major transitions and pinnacles of success in the process.

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Songwriting
Joel Hirschhorn
Alpha Books
800 E. 96th St., Indianapolis, IN 46240
1592572111 $18.95 idiotsguides.com

So you know how to come up with a song, and you're no idiot but you're confused by the challenges of rhyming, steady logical beats, and all the elements which translate lyric to music. It's time for the updated second edition of Joel Hirschhorn's Idiot's Guide To Songwriting: a 'bible' to developing lyrics and melodies which go together. From analyzing the elements of a song to understanding dynamic lyric elements and writing for specific musical genres, this comes packed with hints and helpful insights.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

Fishing The Massachusetts Coast
Captain John Gribb
Burford Books
32 Morris Ave., Springfield, NJ 07081
1580801196 $16.95 burfordbooks.com

Some of the finest saltwater fishing in the United States has to offer is off the coast of Massachusetts in general, and Cape Cod in particular. John Gribb is a USGC Licensed Charter Captain specializing in light-tackle and saltwater fly-fishing who has compiled a life-time's experience and expertise in Fishing The Massachusetts Coast: A Guide To North Shore, South Shore, And Cape Cod Locations For Boat And Shore Angles. Offering a profusion of insider tips and accessible techniques ranging from chartering boat trips to the technical aspects of saltwater fly-fishing, this "how to" compendium and definitive guide is a "must" for anyone wanting to know where and when to cast their lines in the coastal waters of Massachusetts.

Encyclopedia Of Fishing Knots & Rigs
Geoff Wilson
AFN
c/o Cardinal Publishers Group
7301 Georgetown Road, Suite 118, Indianapolis, IN 46268
1865130400 $12.95 cardinalpub.com

Geoff Wilson's Encyclopedia Of Fishing Knots & Rigs is a 128-page compendium of fishing knots that are essential for anglers of all skill levels, and instructions that teach the most novice fisherman how to master them quickly. The revealing, step-by-step visual digrams make the instructions extremely explicit. This is an absolute "must-have", user friendly, quick reference for the dedicated fisherman.

Trolling Truths
Sep Hendrickson & Marilyn Hendrickson
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
PO Box 82112, Portland, Oregon 97282
1571883096 $15.95 amatobooks.com

Trolling Truths For Trout, Kokanee, And Landlocked King Salmon is a how-to guide concerning freshwater trolling with ultralight equipment. Written by the owners of SEP's Pro Fishing, Inc., manufacturers of ultralight tackle, Trolling Truths combines color photographs with explicit instructions for maximizing one's fish catch. Tips especially pertaining to trolling individual species of fish round out this practical and easy-to-assimilate guide for fishermen of all skill levels.


The Criminology Shelf

Murder Is The Charge
William C. Costopoulos & Brad Bumsted
Camino Books
PO Box 59026, Philadelphia, PA 19102
0940159880 $24.95 caminobooks.com

Written by defense attorney William C. Costopoulos with the assistances of award-winning political journalist Brad Bumsted, Murder Is The Charge: The True Story Of Mayor Charlie Robertson And The York, Pennsylvania, Race Riots is the true story of the aftermath of the deadly July 1969 race riots in York, Pennsylvania. Two people were murdered, a white police officer and a young black woman, but in the interests of preserving a delicate peace, the district attorney chose not to prosecute a case for the killings. Over thirty years later, New York Mayor Charlie Robertson, a former police officer, was arrested for alleged involvement murder, with the prosecution's chief witness claiming that he handed out ammunition to white gang members and instigated them to kill. Tainted testimony, conflicting ballistics evidence, and a trial steeped in emotion resulted, and cost Charlie Robertson any chance of a successive mayoral term. Murder Is The Charge lays out the true story of the trial and its resolution, and the "closure" it allegedly brought to the riots, though with some bias for the defendants' points of view. A compelling account of an attempt to serve justice; it is up to the reader to decide how successful that attempt was.

The Mafia In Havana
Enrique Cirules
Ocean Press
PO Box 1186, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10113
1876175427 $17.95 oceanbooks.com.au

The Mafia In Havana: A Caribbean Mob Story is a meticulously accurate and superbly written history of the Cuban underworld in terms of the interactions between the American Mafia, U.S. businesses, and governmental intelligence agencies. Revealed is the often brutal influences the Mafia had upon the conduct of Cuban politics and policies under the Batista dictatorship. This was the time of Mafia funded casino gambling under the auspices of Myer Lansky with the support of such figures as Lucky Luciano and the New York and Florida crime families. It took a revolution under the leadership of Fidel Castro to destroy Mafia influence and governmental corruption. The Mafia In Havana is a seminal and strongly recommended addition to personal and academic American Organized Crime historical studies and supplemental reading lists.


The Biography Shelf

Tapestry
Laurel Lee
Lighthouse Trails Publishing
PO Box 958, Silverron, OR 97381
www.lighthousetrails.com
0972151230 $22.95 1-866-876-3910

Tapestry: The Journey Of Laurel Lee is the compelling personal story of Laurel Lee and her literary "rags to riches" life story. In 1975 at the age of twenty-nine, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and told by doctors she was going to die. Unable to cope, her husband left her and her three children. Yet she fought for her life, keeping a journal that later became the basis for a best selling book and CBS movie "Walking Through The Fire", and Laurel embarked upon a world-wide travel and the enduring struggle to raise her children on her own, in a resounding journey that exalts the spirit. Illustrated with over sixty black-and-white photographs of Laurel and her children, and over ninety drawings done by her, it chronicles the events of her life with simplicity and narrative poise. Highly recommended and inspirational reading.

Rodeo Legends
Gavin Ehringer
Western Horseman
Box 7980, Colorado Springs, CO 80933
www.westernhorseman.com
1585747106 $17.95 www.amazon.com

If it's light and interesting biographical sketches of some selected extraordinary athletes of the rodeo world you're after, look no further than Gavin Ehringer's Rodeo Legends: Twenty Extraordinary Athletes Of America's Sport: here 20 athletes of rodeo each receive a healthy number of pages including interview insights, rodeo tips, and memorable moments. Punctuated with black and white photos throughout, Rodeo Legends is hard to put down.

Mark My Words!
Mark Hasten
Brotchin Books
11571 Westbury Place Drive, Carmel, IN 46032
0974983802 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Mark My Words! A Personal History is the memoir of Mark Hasten, a World War II survivor who became a successful businessman. Forced to flee the Nazis that overran his Polish hometown, author Mark Hasten's experiences among the ranks of the Free Polish Army during World War II, his eyewitness account of the first days of Israel's independence, his journeys to new homes in Canada and the United States, and his perseverance in the business world, Mark My Words! is a profound success story and a testament to human resiliance, determination, and faith.

Triumphant Mourner
Brian Matthew Jordan
Dorrance Publishing
701 Smithfield St,, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3906
www.dorrancepublishing.com
0805962859 $15.00 1-800-788-7654

Of all the U.S. presidents who have influenced American history, the least recognized and discussed is Franklin piece until the appearance of Brian Matthew Jordan's Triumphant Mourner, that is. Triumphant Mourner's biographical coverage tells of a man consumed by politics to the point of sacrificing his family life, children, and ultimately even his reputation. Even more unusual to note here: author Brian Matthew Jordan was a high school sophomore when he wrote this study yet his historical research is impeccable, and his writing style smacks of scholarly accuracy and a lively commentate tone which imparts important details in a readable manner.

Back From Betrayal
Suzy Farbman
Crofton Creek Press
Goldberg McDuffie (publicity)
2303 Gregg Road, SW, South Boardman, MI 49680
0970091729 $24.95 croftoncreek.com

The candid and compelling personal autobiographical story of Suzy Farbman, Back From Betrayal: Saving A Marriage, A Family, A Life is the candid story of marital infidelity and the hard road to recovery. After three decades of marriage, Suzy Farbman learned her husband was having an affair; rather than give up hope for her marriage, she elected to fight back and rebuild it. Her story, along with the story of her husband Burton, shows the pain of learning to trust again in plain terms. A compelling testimony about the power of forgiveness and renewed committment.

Didn't You Used To Be What's His Name?
Denny Miller
To Health With You Publishers, LLC
8550 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 102-374, Las Vegas, NV 89117
0975391704 $34.95 1-702-254-6272

Didn't You Used To Be What's His Name? is the superbly illustrated, organized, and presented autobiography of Denny Miller -- a man who was a professional actor playing such roles as Tarzan and King Arthur, has portrayed cowboys, surfers, and for fourteen years was the product spokesman for Gorton's Fisherman. Black-and-white photographs, fascinating tales of showbiz, and the sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, always dedicated exploits of a true professional actor makes for an engaging and intrinsically interesting Hollywood life story.

Pursuit Of Freedom
Susanne M. Reyto
Jet Publishing
10724 Wilshire Boulevard, #707, Los Angeles, CA 90024
094458120X $21.95 jetpublishing.com

Pursuit Of Freedom: A True Story Of The Enduring Power Of Hope And Dreams is the compelling autobiography of Susanne M. Reyto. She tells of life in Hungary, and the ravages that the nation faced - first from the Nazis, then from the rapacious claims of Communism, which exhorted taking from the people to give to the party. Families were torn apart; respected citizens were ostracized, and author Susanne Reyto had to navigate the treacherous environment to build her own life, and cling to hope amidst darkness all around. A moving true story of human endurance and the will to realize one's dreams.


The Computer Shelf

Top-Down Network Design
Priscilla Oppenheimer
Cisco Press
201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290-1097
1587051524 $60.00 ciscopress.com

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Top-Down Network Design by data communications and networking systems expert Priscilla Oppenheimer is a straightforward guide to designing reliable enterprise networks. Systematic methods for network designs that can be used with campus LANs, remote-access networks, WAN links, and large scale interworks are presented in scholarly instructional detail. From technical requirements to traffic flow, QoS requirements, selecting the optimum protocols and technologies, virtual private networks, ethernet scalability options, and much more, Top-Down Network Design a hands-on, in-depth, practical self-teaching reference and resource highly recommended for aspiring and practicing network designers.

Que Publishing
c/o Pearson Technology Group
201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290-1097
www.mcp.com www.amazon.com

The collaborative and expert work of Peter Kuo and Jim Henderson, Novell's Guide to Troubleshooting eDirectory (0789731-460, $59.99, 936 pp.) is the official update edition to the only eDirectory troubleshooting book currently available to computer users and web developers. This is a completely "user friendly", comprehensive, single-stop reference covers all eDirectory issues and topics ranging from good design to proactive/reactive problem resolution. Strongly recommended for the novice and seasoned expert alike, the superbly organized information was gathered directly from the hands-on, real world experiences of the authors. Now in an updated and highly enhanced second edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed (0672326671; $59.99; 1368 pp.) is the collaboration of a team of Microsoft experts: Rand Morimoto, Kenton Gardinier, Michael Noel, and Omar Droubi. Covering the 15 released feature packs of this seminal reference, and incorporating important reader feedback to make Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed an even stronger resource for the IT professional means that this is a seminal, essential, and "user friendly" addition to the dedicated computer reference shelf.

Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection
Jay Beale, et al.
Syngress Publishing
800 Hingham St, Rockland, MA 02370
1931836043 $49.95 www.syngress.com

Now in an updated and expanded second edition Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection offers completely up-to-date information and instruction ranging from the basics of installation, preprocessor configuraton, and optimization of the Snort software system. Enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM, Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection combines explict instructions for applying the software along with a wealth of sample code, tips, tricks, and techniques, and the option to participate in the Snort mailing list. A thorough and "user-friendly" introduction to a software option tailored especially guarding privacy and integrity in the digital age.

Osborne/McGraw-Hill
2100 Powell Street, 10th floor, Emeryville, CA 94608
1-800-722-4726 www.amazon.com

Now in a completely updated and significantly expanded second edition, Linksys Networks: The Official Guide (0072230-72X; 352 pages; $39.99) by computer networking experts Kathy Ivens and Larry Seltzer shows just how to share high-speed Internet access, voice, video, and data in the home or for a business using Linksys connectivity solutions. Linksys Networks is a very highly recommended instructional, authoritative and highly recommended resource which illustratively demonstrates how to build a network easily and affordably, as well as how to select hardware, set up both wired and wireless networks, resolve security issues with firewalls, use anti-virus software, and so very much more. Citrix Metaframe Access Suite For Windows Server 2003: The Official Guide (0072195665; 752 pages; $59.99) by Steve Kaplan and Tim Reeser deftly and concisely explains how to build a robust, reliable, and scalable thin-client computing environment and deploy Windows 2000/Windows 2003 Server and MetaFrame. Citrix Metaframe Access Suite For Windows Server 2003 is a strongly recommended choice enabling Windows users to also learn how to to centralize application management, reduce software on the desktop, and eliminate terminal emulation. In an expanded and updated second edition, Macromedia Flash MX 2004: The Complete Reference (007-2229209; 752 pages; $49.99) by Flash expert Brian Underdahl shows Macromedia Flash MX users just how to take effective advantage of Flash's increased functionality and flexibility, and discover even greater creativity and brighter, more effective Web content. A truly complete and comprehensive instructional reference, Macromedia Flash MX 2004 provides thorough and confidently recommended coverage of ActionScript, Flash's native programming language, Flash tools, animation, and a great deal more.

Inside .Mac
Chuck Toporek
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
1005 Gravenstein, Hwy N., Sebastopol, CA 95472-2811
www.oreilly.com
0596005016 $19.95 1-800-998-9938

Apple created .Mac (dot Mac) as a suite of services to let subscribers share information online, yet it hasn't received half the notoriety of its I-cousins, despite features range from an online contact management system and storage space to a customizable personal web site and more. Chuck Toporek's Inside .Mac is the first and only manual to prove the riches of this new suite, providing a quick reference to the entire program and its modules. If you own .MAC, you owe it to yourself to include this essential desk reference in your collection: .MAC is too valuable to miss.

Peachpit Press
1249 8th St., Berkeley, CA 94710
www.peachpit.com

So: you've bought your first digital camera, paid for Photoshop now where do you go for help? Digital photographers at all levels of experience interested in incorporating digital pictures and illustrations into their work will find the second edition of Katrin Eismann, Sean Duggan and Tim Grey's Digital Photography (0321223-721, $49.95) provides an invaluable guide to mastering the basic digital photography techniques important for producing a polished result. From editing digital images with Photoshop CS to improving tone, contrast, and colors, Digital Photography adds plenty of professional tips and techniques applicable to all digital cameras so that users can gain the most from their equipment. Russell Brown's The Photoshop Show (932120042X, $35.00) is designed for the bare-bones computer novice at Photoshop seeking to quickly achieve professional-polished results with the complex photo editing program. Brown's background providing exciting video educational shows at conferences translates well to the book and CD-ROM version of Photoshop Show, capturing the magic of the Brown technique without moving visuals. Seven essential tips encourage new ways to use Photoshop's powerful editor. Both are highly recommended picks.

Charles River Media
20 Downer Avenue, Unit 3, Hingham, MA 02043
www.charlesriver.com

Charles River Media's technical computer guides aren't meant for the novice or perhaps even the advanced user; but the intermediate programmer and system webmaster seeking detailed technical information with specific and in-depth insights. Eric Hunley's Web Design With Macromedia Studio MX 2004 (1584502835, $49.95) assumes a basic design background, providing beginning designs with a detailed step-by-step process for creasing a site using the new Macromedia Studio MX 2004 program. Web Design With Macromedia Studio MX 2004 covers more than just program basics: it actually tells how to plan a site, create a framework for construction, and how to use Flash and other sources to create dynamic content for the Web. Robert Firebaugh's Illustrating With Macromediaflash MX 2004 (15845-03157, $41.95) is the next place to go when it's illustration and graphics instruction which is needed. It includes a set of drawing tool techniques and illustration concepts based on the Macromedia Flash MX 2004 program, but Illustrating With Macromedia Flash MX 2004 goes beyond the basics to cover a range of technical illustrations choices and decision-making processes. Thom Robbins' Programming Microsoft Infopath (158450312, $41.95) is the place to go for developers who want to get their feet wet using the new Infopath 2003 addition to Microsoft Office. Robbins' code-oriented approach allows designers to develop skills through sets of hands-on examples and implementation applications. Buyers of the new Pro Tools technician's guide to mixing and editing audio will appreciate Clayton Walnum's Pro Tools Recording Guide (1584503114, $39.95), joining others in the 'Digital Filmmaking & Audio' series to prove step-by-step 'labs' of instruction. The most recent 6.1 release is included in a guide which also packs in a CD-ROM of different sample sessions and audio files. Not for the novice; but advanced programmers who appreciate solid reference texts with practical applications will find all of these vital additions to their reference collections.

The Glitterguru On Photoshop From Concept To Cool
Suzette Troche-Stapp
New Riders
800 East 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240
073571133X $39.99 newriders.com

Beginners to Photoshop daunted by the dry, thick appearance of most 'Bibles' on the topic will find themselves compelled by Suzette Troche-Stapp, the 'glitter guru' herself; if not by the cover, which shows a butterfly-painted pretty face rather than an imposing computer; than by the bright color-coded pages within, which invite browsing the learning. "Things that contain lots of glitter" are to be found here; from diagrams of real-life lighting setups and tips on marketing Photoshop results to make money, to fantasy re-touching studio models. The Glitterguru On Photoshop From Concept To Cool is simply compelling and a specially recommended pick for newcomers to the program.

Addison Wesley
75 Arlington St., Boston, MA 02116
awprofessional.com www.phptr.com

Web developers and database managers concerned with ongoing security threats will find invaluable two important guides to internet security. The second edition of the Honeynet Project's Know Your Enemy (0321166469, $49.99) comes with a CD-ROM of documentation and techniques for deploying 'honeynets': high-interaction honeypots designed to capture extensive information on how your company's hacker enemies operate so you can defuse them. Use this to plan, build and maintain honeynets and understand the basics of 'reverse engineering' concepts and techniques. Stuart McClure, et.al.'s Web Hacking (0201761769, $49.99) covers the basics of hacking and defense, analyzing a broad range of Web atacks and defenses for both novice and advanced audiences. Web Hacking provides an overview of the Web and the features hackers commonly go after, discusses countermeasures and effective changes, and reveals the frightening world of 'e-shoplifting'. An in-depth coverage keeps the report technical enough for web developers yet easy enough for relative novices with a minimum of programming background to absorb.

Code Hacking
Richard Conway & Julian Cordingley
Charles River Media
10 Downer Avenue, Hingham, MA 02043
www.charlesriver.com
1584503149 $54.95 1-800-382-8505

The collaboration of freelance computer consultant Richard Conway and security and distributed applications consultant Julian Cordingley, Code Hacking: A Developer's Guide To Network Security is a guidebook that teaches developers basic hacking techniques and hacker methodologies and thought processes, so that developers can write code that more effectively resists hacking as well as how to write network security test harnesses for application and infrastructure. Scanners, sniffers, and common exploits are also covered in this in-depth guide that uses the languages of C#, C++, and Java to present and explain its lessons. An accompanying CD-ROM contains a custom security scanner written in C#. Highly recommended for aspiring and skilled developer's in today's modern age of cybercrime.


The Business Shelf

Ugly Americans
Ben Mezrich
William Morrow
10 East 53rd St., New York NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
006057500X $24.95 1-800-242-7737

Ben Mezrich is a Harvard University grad with six novels under his belt, but Ugly Americans is only his second foray into nonfiction; so it's not surprising that it reads like a novel, with all the drama and strong characterization such would entail. Ugly Americans is the true story of John Malcolm a Princeton grad who traveled halfway around the world to pull off a trade in Asia which proved the biggest deal in the history of global financial markets. His approach would raid the Asian market for millions, bringing to it an unprecedented American business savvy and youthful trader resiliency the likes of which Asia had never seen before. Ugly Americans is the resulting gripping, lively, and informative study.

Prospect Factory
Ted Stevenot
Palmetto Publishing
Box 541145, Cincinnati, OH 45245-1145
www.palmettopublishing@fuse.net
0972542221 $26.95 1-513-528-2908

Written in a thoroughly "reader friendly", conversational style, Prospect Factory by experienced businessman and expert sales "prospector" Ted Stevenot offers a creative, effective, step-by-step approach to generating sales. Especially commended to the attention of small business owners and ambitious sales staffs, Prospect Factory shows just how to go about systematically generating large numbers of qualified sales leads without the necessity of calling people previously known to the salesperson, without depending on referred leads, and even without having a strong natural market for a specific product or service. A quick and easy read, Prospect Factory shows how to define a market for goods and services, identify higher-potential prospects; use "painless phone calls" to pre-quality prospects; even improve the quality of a salesperson's life in the competitive business of selling. If you make your living on commission, then you need to read Prospect Factory!

HarperBusiness
10 East 53rd St., NY, NY 10022-5299
www.harpercollins.com

Five important business references should not be overlooked on the bookshelves of any solid business library collection. Al Ries and Laura Ries's Fall Of Advertising And The Rise Of PR (0060081996, $14.95) has already achieved acclaim as a national bestseller on marketing and branding, and its appearance in paperwork should not be missed. Marketing experts are insisting the power of advertising to build new brands has become too massive and its impact is waning, and marketing strategist Al Reis along with partner/daughter Laura Ries use their background consulting Fortune 500 companies to explore alternative concepts. They also emphasize this and continue the focus and discussion in their newest Origin Of Brands (0060570148, $24.95), furthering the survey to reveal and discuss the 'natural laws' of product innovation and change. Here Darwin's idea of evolution is neatly applied to the branding process, revealing a new strategy for creating and promoting innovative products. Lewis Pinault's The Play Zone (0066621011, $25.95) tells how to unlock creative genuis as well as connect with the consumers who will appreciate it. Pinault is VP of consumer industries at a leading computer serve, he's been a researcher at the Imagination Lab Foundation, and he's provided exposes of the consulting industry in past. This time he analyzes the latest findings on consumer experiences and the relationship between play and innovative new technologies. John Kay's Culture And Prosperity (0060587059, $25.95) tells the truth about markets and why some nations are rich, but most poor. One of Britain's leading economists and a London Business School and Oxford University former professor, John Kay provides a surprisingly witty examination of the latest economic thinking which lends to rich or poor nations and differing strategies and insights on capitalist models. His attack on oversimplified market analysis makes for a thoughtful analysis appropriate for college-level economics classes. Chris Farrell's Deflation: What Happens When Pries Fall (0060576456, $22.95) raises the warning light about one of the most feared ideas in modern economics. Deflation conjures visions of no jobs and economic slumps, but author Farrell explains here that deflation need not lead to economic collapse. Backed by a strong business background as contributing economics editor at BusinessWeek, Farrell offers a new way of examining modern economics and markets.

Wacky Days
T. S. "Tom" Peric
Gregson & Lestrade, Publishers
c/o Galileo Communications, Inc.
2040 Fairfax Ave., Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
www.wackydays.com
0972621903 $19.95 1-856-874-0049

To put it simply, Wacky Days: How To Get Millions of $$$ In Free Publicity By Creating a "Real" Holiday & Other Tactics Used By Media Experts by Tom Peric should be required reading by all marketing directors and publicity managers regardless of what the product or service they are charged with promoting, publicizing, advertising, and selling. Free media is to be preferred over paid advertising not only on the economic grounds of budgets and capital outlay, but also because free publicity is more trusted by the consumer public than "bought & paid for" commercials. Tom Peric is a 25-year journalism veteran who clear provides the reader with an impressive body of succinct "tips, tricks and techniques" to interest media sources for stories thematically appropriate for your marketing efforts; even to the point of creating a recognized holiday that will promote a favorable marketplace awareness for you to do business in. Of special note is how to write "The Money Quote" and how to respond to a reporter's call. Then there are Peric's "Ten Commandments" guaranteeing free publicity! Wacky Days should be on the reference shelf of every professional and the supplemental reading list of every MBA student.

Making Work Work
For The Highly Sensitive Person
Barrie Jaeger, Ph.D.
McGraw-Hill
Two Penn Plaza, NY NY 10121-2298
007140810X $19.95 1-877-833-5524

Author/doctor Barrie Jaeger is renowned as a self-employment doctor and work therapist coach, giving seminars and workshops on workplace issues; so she's in the perfect position to tell how very sensitive people can provide their best in a stressful workplace environment with Making Work Work For The Highly Sensitive Person. The key to success for this group, maintains Dr. Jaeger, is learning when and how to bend when work or workplace issues seem overwhelming. Chapters are based on her studies, research, and interviews with sensitive people and hold plenty of case history examples on how to cope with workplace stress.

Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield St., Avon, MA 02322
$19.95 each www.businesstown.com

Three 'Streetwise' business guide books from the Adams Media Corporaton are the pick of the lot and should not be missed by any public or specialty business collection considering high-quality works. Take Alexander Haim's 24 Hour MBA (1580622-569), for example: his isn't just another survey of how to achieve an MBA quickly, it's a real-world collection of five main courses and four short courses designed to help the business entrepreneur and executive gain a hands-on set of business skills different than those learned in business school. Haim is a leading corporate consultant with books and seminars to his name, and his insights on accomplishing tasks within an organizational structure could not be more rooted in reality. Barry Feig's Low-Cost Web Site Promotion (1580625010) is also firmly grounded in reality, representing Feig's twenty years of developing marketing programs for major corporations and demonstrating how to learn from companies who have developed proven success strategies in low-cost website marketing. From building a site and e-identity to generating lots of traffic and interest, Low-Cost Web Site Promotion tells how to use tested methods to work with internet tools. John Woods' Business Letters (1580621333, $29.95) is just the ticket for that business person who wants a host of boiler-plate letters at hand. Including a CD-ROM of over 2,500 letters, this addresses situations as diverse as marketing surveys to public relationships and hiring or firing letters, making Business Letters an invaluable resource indeed.

Please I'd Rather Manage Myself
Marsha Haigh Arend
Rollaway Bay Publications, Inc.
6334 South Racine Circle, Centennial, CO 80111-6404
0974317608 $27.50 rollawaybay.com

Please I'd Rather Manage Myself is a solid guide for entrepreneurs that blends business building tips with a dash of humor to emphasize its message. Written by a business owner and drawing heavily upon real-life cases, Please I'd Rather Manage Myself warns against such common pitfalls as the craving to do things oneself instead of directing them, frittering away excessive resources on "bonding" retreats with no human resources or clientele payoff, and failing to protect one's own employees from irate customers who cross the line to verbal abuse. A highly recommended, thoroughly engaging collection of tips & tricks for small business owners and managers everywhere.

Defining The Really Great Boss
M. David Dealy & Andrew R. Thomas
Praeger Publishers
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275980375 $16.95 www.praeger.com

What elements make up a terrific boss? M. David Dealy is VP of Transport for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and co-author Andrew R. Thomas serves on the international business faculty of the University of Akron, so they blend scholarly savvy with applied business experience to analyze the question of elements which make exceptional bosses. These elements, outlined deftly in Defining The Really Great Boss, include high ethical standards, an ability to learn from mistakes, and the ability to approach their own superiors with action plans rather than complaints. Every boss should read Defining The Really Great Boss for insights on their own advancement.

M. Evans & Company Inc.
216 East 49th St., New York NY 10017
$24.95 Each www.mevans.com

Got a home business you'd like to make profitable, but don't know where or how to start? Use Barbara Brabec's track record for success and her outstanding 'Homemade Money' guidebook series to start smart. In fact, Starting Smart! (0871-319985) is the first guide, using the lifetime-self-employed author's experience to demonstrate how to begin with almost no investment. Starting Smart represents volume 1 of the 2-volume edition, explaining how to rely on existing talents and interests to develop a profitable business. Continue on with Bringing In The Bucks! (1590770013), presenting the second ingredient to home-based employment success: making money. This companion focuses on marketing and business manage-ment, telling how to scout for new business both traditionally and on the web, how to make the most of a limited ad budget, and how to sell through your own website. Both are exceptionally practical hands-on guide by a woman who has spent her life achieving just such a dream.

Lessons From The Edge
Jana Matthews & Jeff Dennis
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10016-4314
0195168259 $29.00 1-800-451-7556

Lessons From The Edge: Survial Skills For Starting And Growing A Company is the collaboration of international expert on corporate growth Jana Matthews and life-long entrepreneur Jeff Dennis, with material assistance by Peter Economy (Associate Editor of "Leader to Leader" magazine). Drawing upon interviews with more than 50 entrepreneurs, all of whom are under 45 years of age and are founders or presidents of companies with revenues over $1 million, Lessons From The Edge offers key insights, information, and tales of overcoming challenges to establish one's place in the competitive business world. Chapters cover the basics and pitfalls of partnerships, money moves, balancing personal and business issues, and much more. A useful reader packed with wisdom and lessons learned from the school of hard knocks.

The Accountable Organization
John Marchica
Davies-Black Publishing
3803 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto CA 94303
0891061851 $24.95 daviesblack.com

The Accountable Organization: Reclaiming Integrity, Restoring Trust by John Marchica (CEO of FWI, a medical information services firm and one of America's fastest growing companies) offers insightful analysis and solid advice, enhanced with personal testimony and an informed expertise with respect to the vital connections between corporate integrity, accountability, and trust that is essential to success in today's post-Enron business culture. Offering readers a practical and actionable guidance on how to identify a company's values and purposes, then integrating those values and purposes into a strategic plan to serve as a focused "roadmap" for execution, The Accountable Organization should be considered rquired reading for all supervisory and management level employees of national and international corporations -- an on the mandatory reading list of every MBA candidate in the country!

Primal Leadership
Daniel Goleman, et al.
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
1591391849 $14.95 www.hbspress.org

Primal Leadership: Learning To Lead With Emotional Intelligence is the collaborative effort of Daniel Goldeman (Co-Director of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Rutgers University), Richard Boyatzis (Professor of Organizational Behavior and Chair of the Department of Organizational Behavior, the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University), and Annie McKee (Faculty Member, School of Education, University of Pennsylvania). Primal Leader-ship is a seminal presentation and explanation of the inextricable link between emotional intelligence, leadership, and organizational success. Contemporary readers are offered a ground-breaking new model of leadership based upon how the emotional brain operates and brings a science-orientation to understanding the emotional factors in successful leadership. Primal Leadership is enthusiastically commended reading -- especially for psychology students and leadership/management personnel.


The American History Shelf

Peacekeeping On The Plains
Tony R. Mullis
University of Missouri Press
2910 LeMone Boulevard, Columbia, MO 65201
0826215351 $44.95 1-800-828-1894

Peacekeeping On The Plains: Army Operations In Bleeding Kansas by Tony R. Mullis (Assistant Professor of History, United States Air Force/Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery, Alabama) examines a violent microcosm of American history that served as a precursor to the civil war. Examining the useage of the army to conduct police and peacekeeping duties in the newly formed Kansas and Nebraska territories, Peacekeeping On The Plains offers a meticulous analysis of facts and records, regarding the true story of human greed, desperation, ruthlessness, and military efforts to contain potential riots with a strictly scholarly tone. Highly recommended, especially for American history and reference shelves.

The African American Experience
Karen L. T. Ackermann
Heritage Books, Inc.
1540 Pointer Ridge Pl, #C, Bowie, MD 20716-1859
0788425102 $25.00 HeritageBooks.com

The African American Experience: Personal And Social Activism In The 19th And 20th Centuries is compiled and edited by Karen Ackermann offering contemporary readers a series of nine informed and informative historical essays on diverse aspects of the African American experience after the Civil War and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution endowed them with citizenship and equal political rights -- but saw continuing racial discrimination (especially in the South) in the areas of social equity, economic opportunity, education resources, and public access facilities ranging from swimming pools, to hospitals, to restaurants, to community buses. From B. T. Arrington's "Exodus: African American Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction"; to Nasim Moalem's "Leading The Way: African American Women in Baltimore, Maryland, 1900-1950"; to Alphonso Simpson Jr.'s "When Culture sings: The Teaching and Learning Methodologies of Afro-American Children in the Educational and Religious Setting -- A Review of the Literature", The African American Experience is a seminal anthology and highly recommended for Black Studies supplemental reading lists and American History academic library collections.

Rediscovering The South's Celtic Heritage
Barry Vann
The Overmountain Press
PO Box 1261, Johnson City, TN 37605
1570722692 $24.95 1-800-992-2691

Rediscovering The South's Celtic Heritage is a scholarly work that explores the roots of America's pioneering Celts, and the role they played in settling the nation, particularly along the reaches of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Their culture tended to perpetuate itself in isolated pockets, existing on the edge of the mainstream until the 20th century brought about more homogenization and democratization of information and lifestyles than ever before. An intriguing examination of Southern Celtic religion, folklore, cultural practices and contributions to American history.

Lewis & Clark Passed Here
Phil Scriver
Heritage Books
1540 Pointer Ridge Place, #E, Bowie, MD 20716-1859
www.HeritageBooks.com
0788424785 $30.00 1-866-282-2689

Lewis & Clark Passed Here: New Perspectives Beyond The Adventure by Phil Scriver revisits one of the most famous and influential of the early American explorations. The Lewis & Clark expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to determine the extent of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and to seek a overland good route to the Pacific often referred to as "The Northwest Passage". Part I of this historical overview of the expedition provides a complete description of the expedition and the route it follows. Each chapter being referenced to a city and given a beginning and ending date providing the reader with a sense of geography and time. Part 2 is a compilation of the author's essays, experiences, and opinions derived from his own contemporary explorations of the Lewis & Clark route ranging from a keelboat ride on the Missouri River, to the the contributions of their female indian guide Sacajawea. A work of considerable expertise, Lewis & Clark Passed Here is a welcome addition to the growing body of Lewis & Clark literature, as well as being fun, informative, and highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in 19th Century American History.

Texas And The Mexican War
Cahrles M. Robinson III
Texas State Historical Association
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, D0901, Austin, TX 78712-0332
0876111924 $7.95 1-800-687-8132

In Texas And The Mexican War: A History And Guide, Texas historian Charles M. Robinson III (History Instructor, South Texas Community College, McAllen, Texas) recounts and analyses the essential role played by Texas during the Mexican War -- including battles fought on Texas soil and the contributions (both good and ill) of Texas troops throughout the conflict. Robins draws upon both American and Mexican sources to illustrate conditions in both countries that made the war inevitable. Profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, sketches, and drawings (many from Robinson's own personal collection), Texas And The Mexican War is an impressive and highly recommended contribution which will prove of immense interest to non-specialist general readers with an interest in Texas history, as well as students of 19th Century American frontier history in general.

Big Moose Lake In The Adirondacks
Jane A. Barlow, editor
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210
0815607997 $30.00 1-800-365-8929

Big Moose Lake In The Adirondacks: The Story Of The Lake, The Land, And The People is a local history project under the editorship of Jane Barlow and authorized by the Big Moose Lake History Project Committee. It tells the true story of the growth of the lakeside community that became famous because of the incident that inspired Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy." Beginning in the 1870's, and following how people's lives changed over the course of 100 years, Big Moose Lake In The Adirondacks uses both extensive, well-documented detail and black-and-white photographs to paint a revealing picture of humble daily life across the span of a century.

A Quick History Of Leadville
Christian J. Buys
Western Reflections Publishing
219 Main Street, Montrose, CO 81401
www.westernrefelctionspub.com
1932738002 $9.95 1-800-993-4490

One of the most famous of Colorado's 19th Century boomtowns was Leadville where placer gold was first discovered in 1860, and then rediscovered in 1868 with the first underground gold veins. In 1876 the area was fairly deserted when the local black sand was found to actually be a rich silver/lead ore combination and the boom was back on. By 1879 more than 10,000 people were in the area, and so were 120 saloons and 118 gambling houses to serve them. This was a time that Leadville was host to the likes of Doc Holliday, Tom Horn, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and other famous (and infamous) visitors. The 1893 "Silver Panic" ended Leadville's most notorious days, but the town was keep alive for decades with more stable development, including the massive Climax Molybdenum Mine. Christian Buys' A Quick History Of Leadville is a brief (104-pages) but superbly written and nicely illustrated (92 photographs) specialized regional history that could well serve as a model of how it could and should be done for other colorful communities in the west.


The Gardening Shelf

Storey Publishing
210 Mass MoCa Way, North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com www.amazon.com

Two new 'Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing' titles ($22.95 each) provide a basic run-down of practical tips for any interested in either novice or intermediate gardening topics. Growing Organic Food by Tanya Denckla (1580173705) is a one-source stop for growing over seven hundred varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits and nuts. Included are formulas and techniques for controlling over two hundred pests and diseases using organic methods, while the inclusions of helpful companion and incompatible plants makes for an invaluable reference. Growing Flowers From Seed To Bloom (1580175171) by Eileen Powell covers over five hundred annuals, perennials and bulbs, with a wealth of growing charts and handy care tips including not only basics, but cautions on invasiveness, toxicity and other issues. Both offer one-stop references to all levels of gardener.

Encyclopedia Of Water Garden Plants
Greg Speichert and Sue Speichert
Timber Press
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland, OR 97204-3527
www.timberpress.com
0881926256 $49.95 1-800-327-5680

Full-color photographs vividly illustrate Encyclopedia Of Water Garden Plants, a no-nonsense reference and identification guide to identifying and cultivating a vast array of flora available to water gardeners of all skill and experience levels. Carefully researched and written over the course of seven years by founding members of the American Water Gardening Society, Encyclopedia Of Water Garden Plants is an all-encompassing reference and resource and a horticultural pleasure simply to browse as well as a thorough, hands-on useful resource.

Northwest Weeds
Ronald J. Taylor
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806
0878422498 $14.00 1-406-728-1900

Featuring full color photographs without, Northwest Weeds: The Ugly And Beautiful Villains Of Fields, Gardens, And Roadsides is a handy guide to weed species, offering basic botanical information on everything from hawkweeds to rose campion and much more. A superb, easy-reference field guide, which pays particular attention to how aggressive or difficult to remove various species are, Northwest Weeds is an excellent addition to botanical and gardening identification, information and reference shelves.

Discover California Shrubs
MaryRuth Casebeer
Hooker Press
PO Box 3957, Sonora, CA 95370
0966546318 $17.95 1-800-696-5997

Enhanced with black and white illustrations by Peggy Edwards-Carkeet, Discover California Shrubs by MaryRuth Casebeer is the second title in the "With Eyes of Wonder" series focusing on plants native to California. Discover California Shrubs straightforwardly lists species of shrubbery found in California. Each two-page species description includes information on geographical distribution, physical description, medicinal properties, blooming season, fruit, trivia, and much more of the plant in question, along with illustrations of the shrub's foilage and flowers. An excellent field identification guide, offering a condensed but thorough survey.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Rediscovery Of Awe
Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D.
Paragon House
2285 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55114
1557788340 $19.95 paragonhouse.com

Written by a licensed, humanistic psychologist, Rediscovery Of Awe: Splendor, Mystery, And The Fluid Center Of Life is a spiritual work that focuses upon the concepts of fluidity and awe, and how their incoporation into education, work, and human development can reap great benefits. Case studies and persuasive discussed renditions concerning how human beings think and feel make Rediscovery Of Awe an inspirational, take-charge self-help guide for rejuvenating one's public and personal issues alike.

The Parthenon Code
Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr.
Solving Light Books
727 Mount Alban Drive, Annapolis, MD 21401
0970543832 $29.95 SolvingLight.com

In The Parthenon Code: Mankind's History In Marble, author Robert Bowie Johnson Jr. draws upon his own unique approach to combine elements of mythology, religion, spirituality, art, antiquarian classics, and world history to craft one of the most original, engaging, thoughtful and thought-provoking works advocating a kind of "alternative history" explanation for a post-Biblical Deluge association of Greek pagan themes and symbolism with the Hebrew biblical account of Noah's flood and its aftermath. The revelation that the Greeks knew Noah as Nereus and referred to him as the "Wet One" and built the Parthenon to celebrate a "victory" over Noah and his God, and in honor of the serpent-worshiping Eve of Genesis, makes The Parthenon Code an iconoclastic, mind-stimulating, and strongly recommended read for students of religion and Hellenic history!

Excavating Mormon Pasts
Newel Bringhurst & Lavina Anderson, eds
Greg Kofford Books, Inc.
PO Box 1362, Draper, UT 84020
1589580915 $39.95 1-801-523-6063

Collaboratively compiled, organized and edited by Newel G. Bringhurst (past president of the Mormon History Association) and Lavina Fielding Anderson (editor of "The Journal of Mormon History"), Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography Of The Last Half Century is an impressive and seminal work of substantial and informative research in the form of sixteen essays by various authors, on diverse aspect of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during the second half of the 20th Century. Essays include "The Mormon Experience in Missouri, 1830-39", "The LDS Church in the United States since 1945", "The New Mormon Women's History", and much more. A vital historical resource, enhanced with an extensive index for easy reference.


The Geography Shelf

Writing Geographical Exploration
Wayne Davies
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
1552380629 $29.95 www.uofcpress.com

Wayne Davis has authored over a hundred academic papers and nine books in a range of geography-oriented research areas in Canada. Editing and creating Writing Geographical Exploration was a logical assignment. This revisionist evaluation of the writings of Welsh 1600s explorer Captain Thomas James, who searched for the Northwest passage and published a lively narrative of his voyage, serves as a case study in Writing Geographical Exploration to consider how modern critical methods can probe an early explorer's underlying social and cultural influences. New perspectives are presented on many of the problems faced by explorer James, and while Writing Geographcal Exploration is a specialty item, college-level geography collections will not want to pass it up.

Devil In The Mountain
Simon Lamb
Princeton University Press
41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540
www.pup.princeton.edu
0691115966 $24.95 1-800-777-4726

How to high mountains form on Earth? Oxford University lecturer Simon Lamb tackles an ages-old question in Devil In The Mountain, using the formation of the Andes and a personal trek of discovery to find the answers. Lamb and his team of geologists didn't just make a single journey; they've spent much of the last decade probing the Bolivian Andes, the second highest mountain range on Earth: Devil In The Mountain is as scientific as expected, but add a current of travelogue to the mix and you have a most readable experience non-scientists will readily enjoy.

You Are Here
Katharine Harmon
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East 7th St., New York NY 10003
1568984308 $19.95 www.papress.com

Katharine was not a map collector of note: she began her pursuit as a hobby, collecting placement maps during a ten-month trip around the U.S. in 1986. Her hobby evolved into a gathering of works of geographical art, adeptly portrayed in YOU Are Here: Personal Geographies And Other Maps Of The Imagination, going far beyond placemats to present topographical works of art from around the country. Maps, charts, and art pieces alike share the common emphasis of geographical representation and Katharine Harmon's unique presentation should not be missed.

A Continent For The Taking
Howard W. French
Alfred A. Knopf
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
www.aaknopf.com
0375414614 $25.00 1-800-726-0600

Africa's magic first called New York Times journalist Howard French over twenty-five years ago, starting a lifetime involvement with the continent's issues and concerns which continues to this day, and which is reflected in his powerful A Continent For The Taking. No travelogue, this discussion probes the politics and societies of Nigeria, Liberia, Mali and the Congo, exposing the lasting legacy of colonization in the lives of modern African peoples and considering the social and political tragedies which continue to this day. A Continent For The Taking is simply a 'must read' for any concerned about African issues.


The Photography Shelf

Sunsets Romantico And Other Scenery
Cecile Marlowe
Prelude Press
PO Box 4035, Lantana, FL 33465-4035
0974496308 $24.95 prpress@fdn.com

Cecile Marlowe has long loved both photography and sunsets, so it seemed only natural for her to blend her two passions in Sunsets Romantico And Other Scenery, a guide to the variety and magic of sunsets throughout North America and the Caribbean islands. While Marlowe holds other business credentials to her name, photography has been a main passion for years, and her photo colletion of postcard-perfect sunsets will lighten the hearts of any sunset fan.

Discovering Lewis & Clark From The Air
Jim Wark & Joseph A. Mussulman
Mountain Press Publishing Company
PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806
087842489X $24.00 1-800-234-5308

In Discovering Lewis & Clark From The Air, Jim Warks amazing arerial photography is wonderfully enhanced with Joseph Mussulman's informed and informative narrative text focusing on the Lewis & Clark expedition which set out in the early 1800s in search of a Northwest Passage from the eastern states to the Pacific Ocean. Discovering Lewis & Clark From The Air presents the saga of their exploratory trailblazing in bite-sized bits, pairing a page that draws upon history to recount a piece of their journey with a sky-high photograph of the land Lewis & Clark once traveled. An original and engaging presentation, highly enjoyable for all ages to page through.


The Nautical Shelf

Small Boat Building
H. W. Patterson
Dixon-Price Publishing
9105 Leprechaun Ln, Kingston WA 98346
1929516045 $12.99 dixonprice.com

Originally published in 1916, Small Boat Building has withstood the test of time as a core how-to reference for the amateur boatbuilder. Illustrated with simple black-and-white diagrams, Small Boat Building guides the reader through selecting the right types of wood, fasteners, using tools to lay down lines, set up molds, and build the keel and the ribcage, optimum techniques for success, and much more. A traditional yet very effective pocket guide enthusiastically recommended for aspiring and dedicated boatbuilders of all skill and experience levels.

Around Cape Horn
Charles G. Davis; Neal Parker, editor
Down East Books
PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843-0679
0892726466 $15.95 1-800-685-7962

In 1893, renowned maritime author, model builder, and artist Charles G. Davis wrote down his remarkable adventure as a 22-year-old young man who went to sea out of New York aboard the bark "James A. Wright" on a voyage around Cape Horn. The voyage had been advised by his doctor as a cure for failing eyesight. During the nearly year-long voyage, young Davis kept a journal of his often terrifying experiences. Around Cape Horn: A Maritime Artist-Historian's Account Of His 1892 Voyage is based on that journal, but also goes on to describe the transition of seafaring from sailing ships to steamships, within the context of America shippers last attempts to keep deepwater sailing ships commercially viable. Twenty-five of Davis illustrations are included, as well as period photographs and an appendix listing locations where many of Davis' acclaimed ship models can be found. Neal Parker's deft editorial skills has made Around Cape Horn informative, engaging and very highly recommended reading for contemporary students and enthusiasts of American Nautical History.

Sheridan House
145 Palisade St., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
www.sheridanhouse.com

Sheridan House's wide and expanding range of boating guides makes it one of the more notable boat book publishers on the market, and these new titles add to their growing library of classics, which range from leisure browsing to practical references. Take Klaus Hympendahl's Pirates Aboard! (1574091654, $26.95), for example: here is an engrossing survey of the rise of piracy on today's modern waters and what bluewater cruisers can do about it. Both browsers and boat owners will find Pirates Aboard! a revealing survey of modern pirates, based on dozens of interviews and years of research. The firsthand retellings of ordeals and accompanying Q&A sessions provide candid, informative assessments of the dangers. Lee Hughes' The Biggest Boat I Could Afford (1574091921, $19.95) presents a boater's autobiography. Hughes couldn't afford more than a dinghy, but he wanted to sail solo 2500 miles up the U.S. coast and achieved his dream. His journey in a 16-foot open dinghy makes for high adventure.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Pop Goes The Witch
Fiona Horne, editor
The Disinformation Company
207 West 25th St., 4th fl, NY, NY 10001
0972952950 $19.95 www.disinfo.com

Painstakingly compiled and deftly edited by wiccan expert Fiona Horne, Pop! Goes The Witch: The Disinformation Guide To 21st Century Witchcraft is an anthology of information gathered from a wide variety of learned sources about the spiritual paths of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Paganism. Addressing many questions such as "What is the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft?" "Can men be Witches?" "Is Wicca the same as Satanism?" "Do you have to be naked?" and much more, Pop Goes The Witch addresses everything from the cultural need for rite of passage ceremonies to the top 5 crystals for a witch to why some of America's most prominent celebrities such as Cybill Shepherd and Tori Amos follow this spiritual path, and much more. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a better understanding of witchcraft today.

The Art And Practice Of Caballa Magic
Ophiel
Red Wheel/Weiser LLC
368 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110
www.redwheelweiser.com
1578633125 $14.95 www.amazon.com

The Art And Practice Of Caballa Magic reveals the long-held secrets of Caballa magic, including the symbols of the Tree of Life and how to use them on a daily basis. Written in a straightforward manner that makes abstruse principles easy for the lay reader to grasp, The Art And Practice Of Caballa Magic includes clear instructions and direct, to-the-point guidance. An excellent, plain-terms reference for occult and mysticism shelves.

Encyclopedic Sourcebook Of UFO Religions
James R. Lewis, Editor
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228
www.prometheusbooks.com
1573929646 $29.95 1-800-421-0351

The modern UFO era only began in 1947 when one man's observation of strange objects in the sky led to the latest flying saucer theories; yet centuries of mystery preceded the event. James R. Lewis edits Encyclopedic Sourcebook Of UFO Religions to document the societies, religions and belief systems surrounding such sightings, with articles on such diverse groups as Heaven's Gate, Aetherius Society, and more revealing the belief systems which have built religions out of UFO concepts. An intriguing set of scholarly discourses evolves in Encyclopedic Sourcebook Of UFO Religions.


The Library Video/DVD Shelf

The Cisco Kid
MPI Media Group
16101 South 108th Avenue, Orland Park, OL 60467
www.mpihomevideo.com
DVD 7569 $49.98 1-800-777-223

The Cisco Kid is the first volume of a truly classic television series of the 1950s featuring Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leo Carillo as his faithful sidekick Pancho. Often referred to as the "Robin Hood of the West", this terrific half-hour episodes were sent in a New Mexico of the 1890s and were one of the first television programs to be filmed in color. The series ran from 1950 to 1956 and was one of the most popular shows in the new mass medium of television. Also available in a VHS video tape format (MP 7569, 5 tapes, $49.98), this wonderful DVD collection has a total running time of eighth and a half hours, and would make a nostalgic and popular addition to any personal or community library video/dvd collection.


The Library CD Music Shelf

Sparks And Embers
William Eaton Ensemble
Canyon Records
3131 West Clarendon, Phoenix, AZ 85017
CR-7061 $15.98 canyonrecords.com

Enthusiastically recommended listening, Sparks And Embers is a two-CD album that showcases impressively new and original music by the William Eaton Ensemble. Disc 1 (Sparks) includes Falcon's Flight; Sonoran Shuffle; Earth Speak; Moonlight Dance; Claiming Infinity; Winter Sun March; Breathing Clay; Native Ground; Dancing on the Wind; Wild Life; Martha's Wild Adventure; Spiral Slide; Big Traffic; Racing Mon Shadows -- and has a total time of 60:40. Disc 2 (Embers) features Cameron Wind; Caverns of the Deep; Wild Flower Waltz; In the Garden; Taking in the Light; Soaring; Ten Suns; Dream Garden Lullaby; Meadowland Green; Forever in Our Hearts; Bed of Rivers Deep; Earth Pulse; Backing into Eternity -- and has a total time of 65:30. Flawless recording, Sparks And Embers show-cases the flawlessly recorded sounds of Eaton's unique instruments including the lyraharp guitar, 26 string guitar and spiral clef, plus flutes, pan pipes, mandolin, violin, violira, bass and ethnic percussion from around the globe.


The Library Science Shelf

The History Of The Library In Western Civilization
Konstantinos Staikos
Oak Knoll Press
310 Delaware St, New Castle, DE 19720
www.oakknoll.com
1584561149 $75.00 1-800-996-2556

An ideal "Memorial Fund" acquisition selection choice for academic and community library collections, The History Of The Library In Western Civilization: From Minos To Cleoptra is a superbly illustrated, 374-page, hardover coffee table book that debuts the visually and informationally impressive "The Great Libraries" series being published by Oak Knoll Press. Combining a wealth of text information with photographs, visual reconstructions of the architecture of great libraries of history, historical artifacts, charts of symbols and hieroglyphics used to convey information in the ancient world, and much more, The History Of The Library In Western Civilization is an amazing, eye-opening, and fascinating historical survey of ancient learning as embodied within the evolving institutional concept of the library.

The Coretta Scott King Awards 1970-2004
Henrietta M. Smith, editor
ALA Editions
c/o American Library Association
50 East Huron St, Chicago, IL 60611
0838935400 $35.00 1-800-545-2433

Now in a completely updated third edition and expertly edited by Henrieeta M. Smith, The Coretta Scott King Awards 1970-2004 offers tribute to the best African-American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. Featuring comprehensive listings and annotations of all winners, updated biographies, a sixteen-page color segment showcasing illustrations from award-winning books, insight into what motivates those who contribute to African-American literature and art, and more, The Coretta Scott King Awards 1970-2004 is especially recommended as a selection guide for children's librarians as well as a welcome contribution to literary reference shelves for African-American and children's literature.

Library Marketing That Works!
Suzanne Walters
Neal-Schuman Publishers
100 William Street, Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038-4512
1555704735 $65.00 neal-schuman.com

Library Marketing That Works! by marketing expert Suzanne Walters is an expertly written guide to promotion, fundraising, public relations, community building, and more especially for libraries. Part I, Strategic Planning, emphasizes a process for formulating mission, vision, and value statements that allow one to focus on express goals; the gritty hands-on work of applying appropriate marketing tools to enhance library success is deliniated in Part II; and Part III explores forward-looking concepts such as relationship marketing, the new customer service culture, partnerships, database marketing and optimum use of the Web, and much more. A companion CD-ROM with worksheets and PowerPoint presentations and handouts that can be easily duplicated and used rounds out this superb guide.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Fashions Of The Gilded Age
Frances Grimble, editor
Lavolta Press
20 Meadowbrook Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132
http://www.lavoltapress.com
0963651757 $49.00 (volume 1)
0963651765 $49.00 (volume 2)

Fashions Of The Gilded Age is a two-volume set packed from cover to cover with wardrobe information concerning women's styles from the late 1870's and early 1880's. Filled with a total of 343 patterns and 798 illustrations, volume 1 presents solid information concerning corsets, bustles, lingerie, skirts, day bodices, evening bodices, overskirts, polonaises, and day dresses, while volume 2 showcases evening dresses, ball gowns, wedding dresses, riding habits, bathing costumes, and outerwear. Millinery, accessories of all types, and needlework trimmings of embroidery and crochet are also discussed within volume 2. Presented with apportioning sclaes that allow the reader to draft custom sizes for any woman or even for a child's dollhouse, Fashions Of The Gilded Age is a superb reference especially for costume makers, historians concerned with identifying and dating clothing, and vintage clothing collectors.

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

Two new guides offer quilts excellent basic details and tips. Sally Terry's Pathways To Better Quilting (1574328514, $22.95) is an unusual oversized presentation of five shapes for machine quilt patterns. Learn to chose and quilt machine patterns through Terry's review of five simple questions about fabric and quilting decisions determined by the quilt top. 75 patterns for quilters with traditional sewing machines whether it be shortarm, midarm or longarm quilters and hand quilters alike make Pathways To Better Quilting a classic. Eleanor Levie's American Quiltmaking 1970-2000 (1574328-433, $25.95) provides an intriguing history of three pivotal decades of quilting, covering 30 years of quiltmaking history through the eyes and experiences of dozens of quilt teachers, lecturers, judges and authors alike. While there are plenty of colorful examples of quilts and trends over the decades, quilters will find American Quiltmaking a thrilling history more than a how-to example guide, and will relish the depth and detail of Eleanor Levie's pursuit of quilting history.

The Magic Of Handweaving
Sigrid Piroch
Krause Publications
700 East State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001
www.krause.com
0873493842 $23.99 1-888-457-2873

The Magic Of Handweaving: The Basics And Beyond is a thorough instruction guide by an experienced weaver. Featuring expert step-by-step instructions, design ideas, full-color photography, a glossary of tools and terms, a straightfoward guide to choosing one's loom, and extremely clear instructions for creating line counts, winding, warping, and much more, The Magic Of Handweaving is a must-have beginner's reference that is crystal clear in its attention to the detailed specifics of this fantastic skill.


The Automotive Shelf

Taplinger Publishers
c/o Parkwest Publications
PO Box 20261, NY, NY 10025-1512
$24.95 Each www.parkwestpubs.com

Two exceptional titles in Parkwest's "Design Heroes" series edited by Martin Pawley are highly recommended specialty picks for car history fans seeking depth and detail over glossy color photos. Paul Jodard's Raymond Loewy (0800866428) tells of a French-American auto designer known for designing everything from trains and lipstick commercials to cars. His reputation for 'vulgar taste' and 'knack' alike translated startlingly well into producing consumer products from Studebaker Starliners to consumer products, making Loewy a historic figure deserving of the depth Raymond Loewy provides. Stephen Bayley's Harley Earl (08-00838025) profiles the creator of such classics as the 1958 Cadillac Biarritz and the Buick. Earl gave the 1950s American car its distinctive flash, and Harley Earl profiles his achievements and memorable career. Packed with vintage black and white photos, Raymond Loewy and Harley Earl are exceptional biographies in and of themselves.
Dirt Track Auto Racing
Don Radbruch
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640
0786417250 $39.95 1-800-253-2187

Don Radbruch's pictorial history of dirt track racing starts in 1919 and goes to 1941, providing exciting features of the expensive machines financed by auto factors. Relatively little has been done on dirt track racing alone, and virtually nothing in book form with the depth to describe drivers, tracks, and specific races alike, making Dirt Track Auto Racing a 'must' for the dirt track car fan.

Route 66
Bob Moore
Northland Publishing
PO Box 1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1389
087358855X $12.95 northlandpub.com

Route 66 is one of the most famous American thoroughfares in American history, receiving mention in books, articles, and affectionate reflection across the country, but none are as visually pleasing as Bob Moore's Route 66, a visual celebration of the 'mother road' and its momentos. Color photos trace the route, its colorful roadside attractions and ads, and impart past and present culture.

David Bull Publishing
4250 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018-9692
www.bullpublishing.com

Two outstanding profiles of racing history are not to be missed by collections emphasizing auto racing backgrounds. Alan Cathcart and Marc Cook's Ducati 999 (1893618277, $49.95) provides a narrow focus on the introduction of the 2002 controversial motorcycle, following its new design changes, its revolutionary construction, and the processes which produced the technological marvel of the motorcycle world. Packed with color photos and equally packed with design detail and history, Ducati 999 is a fine achievement worthy of inclusion in the specialty motorcycle collection. Peter Wright's Ferrari Formula 1 (1893618293, $89.95) is even more outstanding with the potential for reaching into the hearts and pocketbooks of a wide audience of Formula 1 fans. Formula 1 auto racing is now a modern, high-tech business with high-finance implications for the auto design and construction worlds: Peter Wright's Ferrari Formula 1 is a unique presentation in that Ferrari itself granted the author and his illustrator Tony Matthews the opportunity to analyze the Ferrari F1-2000: the car which brought the latest champion to new heights.

Beautiful Danger
Stephen Davison
Black Staff Press/Dufour Editions
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425
085640747X $39.95 1-800-869-5677

Motorcycle fans who relish road racing photos in full color will consider Stephen Davison's Beautiful Danger an exceptional visual display of memorable moments. Chapters provide over a hundred action photos many never before seen and receive commentary by Davison along the way, making for a keepsake fan's coffee table prize. www.blackstaffpress.com

eBay Motors The Smart Way
Joseph Sinclair & Don Spillane
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org
0814472524 $17.95 1-800-250-5308

How can eBay Motors be used effectively to gain top dollar for a new or used vehicle, or how can a buyer be assured of getting the right deal through Ebay Motors? Buyers and sellers alike learn how to use eBay Motors most effectively, including tips on how to handle taxes, insurance, inspections, and lemon cars. Kee eBay Motors The Smart Way handy if you're ever inclined to buy or sell a vehicle via this method.

Vintage Cars
Craig Cheetham, general editor
MBI Publishing Company
Galtier Plaza, Suite 200, 380 Jackson St., St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
0760318735 $24.95 1-800-458-0454

Beautifully illustrated throughout with full-color photography, Vintage Cars: The Finest Prewar Automobiles showcases some of the very best of the antique automobiles of yesteryear. Each of many classic cars is presented in a two-page spread of full-color photography, with a diagram of its basic features under the chasis, and notes of specific features concerning its design. A superb anthology and general quick-reference for vintage automobile enthusiasts.


The Audiobook Shelf

The Queen Of The South
Arturo Perez-Reverte
Books on Tape
Box 25122, Santa Anna, CA 92799-5122
www.library.booksontape.com
1415902798 $96.00 1-800-541-5525

The world of illegal narcotics smuggling is hazardous to your health in more ways than one! When Teresa Mendoza's pilot boyfriend crashes and dies with a plan filled with cocaine, she must run for her life. The Queen Of The South is a riveting novel of cliff-hanger suspense that takes the reader from the dusty streets of Mexico to the coast of Morocco, to the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain as an original story of love and betrayal, cruelty and sensuality play out in the life of a woman who must learn to survive in an underground world of danger and drugs to emerge as the "Queen of the South". Arturo Perez-Everte's superb novel is deftly narrated by Lina Patel in this complete and unabridged audiobook edition which is especially recommended for community library audiobook collections. (twelve 90 minute cassettes)

Audio Editions
PO Box 6930, Auburn, CA 95604
www.audiopartners.com

Audio Editions adds to their excellent holdings of revealing audio guides, providing cd and cassette listeners with powerful authors backed by notable readers. David Colacci is a veteran narrator with theatre performances across the U.S. to his thirty-year credit, making him the perfect choice to pair with Donna Leon's Doctored Evidence (1572704179, $31.95), telling of an elderly household woman's murder and a Cmmissario Brunetti's investigation of a seemingly open and shut case. Red Stout's Too Many Cooks (1572-70392X, $32.95) receives L.A. actor Michael Prichard's strong background in stage and audio recordings over 350 to his name in the later endeavor as it tells of Nero Wolfe's participation in a gourmet gathering gone deadly. Agatha Christie's The Clocks (1572703946, $29.95) receives the narrative skills of one Robin Bailey, who enjoyed a 50-year career in British TV and film, as it tells of a baffling case involving a terrified young woman, a murdered body, and clocks which have all stopped simultaneously during the event. Donna Leon's Uniformed Justice (15727-04187, $34.95) also benefits from veteran David Colacci's strong acting skills as it tells of an apparent suicide which leads Commissario Brunetti on an investigation at an elite military academy. Agatha Christie has five complete short mysteries to enjoy with her Witness For The Prosecution And Other Stories (1572703989, $24.95), with narrator Christopher Lee providing the reading of murders ranging from an elderly woman's problems with a suitor and a mysterious blue jar. Dorothy Sayers' Gaudy Night (1572704012, $39.95) receives Ian Carmichael's studied voice and background as a BBC-TV broadcaster, bringing to life the unabridged story of an Oxford writer's reunion which ensnares a poison pen. This presentation on cassette will delight those who have cassette players in their cars. All are lively, excellent listens.

Full Cast Audio
618 Westcott Street, 1st floor, Syracuse, NY 13210
www.fullcastaudio.com

Five audios from this publisher provide listeners with unabridged full cast play/recordings which are highly dramatized and involving. Take Geraldine McCaughrean's The Kite Rider (1932076387, $37.00): a full cast narrates the gripping story set in the times of China and Kublai Khan, telling of young Haoyou, who learns to fly on a giant scarlet kite in a traveling circus and to recognize and thwart the winds of greed which accompany his fete. Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja (1932076530, $28.00) tells of a new kid at school who is the target for bullies and how outsider Justin's determination not to become involved is thwarted by a teacher's assignment. Elizabeth Winthrop and cast narrate her Red-Hot Rattoons (19320-76476, $34.00), telling of five young rats who love to dance, and who face dangers on the way to fulfilling their dream of dancing at the Boom Boom Room. Bruce Coville does an admirable retelling of Shakespeare's four selected stories, then joins with Cynthia Bishop and the Full Cast company in providing Volume 1 of Shakespeare's Greatest Hits (2943076-332, $25.00), covering the high points of MacBeth, Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet and Midsummer Night's Dream. Young adults will find a newfound affection for Shakespeare's language and drama, made more accessible both by the retelling and by the full cast drama. Robert Heinlein's Have Space Suit Will Travel (1932076-417, $39.00) will reach a wide audience from teens to adults with its excellent dramatic cast acting and the fascinating science fiction drama telling of a teen who moves from a soda jerk to a spacesuit winner and then an alien abductee.

Time Warner Audio
135 W. 50th St., New York, NY 10020
www.twbookmark.com/audiobooks

James Patterson's Sam's Letters To Jennifer (1586216325, $31.98) is simply not to be missed: take the powerful unabridged story of a woman summoned back to her hometown and old house to find a series of letters addressed to her which piece together a new world in her life, pair it with a shared reading by Anne Heche, a film and TV actress, and Jane Alexander, a Tony-Winning Broadway actress, and you have a gripping account which is packed with high tension and drama. Kate White's Till Death Do Us Part (1586216-49X, $26.98) is also a thriller not to be missed: with Cosmopolitan editor Kate White providing a steadfast sleuth story paired with Kate Walsh's actress skills from TV to stage, you have a multifaceted mystery which is hard to stop listening to in Till Death Do Us Part.

L.A. Theatre Works
681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291
www.fullcastaudio.com

Wendy Wasserstein's original and prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles (158-0812686, $24.95) comes to life in a full cast rendition by L.A. Theatre works, bringing to life the story of a baby-boomer's long climb from 1960s confusion and challenges to being a strong woman of the 1990s. The audio play will reach into many minds and hearts with its powerful story of survival and change. Austin Pendleton's Orson's Shadow (158-0812694 , $24.95) stars a powerful line-up of readers: Glenne Headly, Martin Jarvis and Simon Templeman, who bring to life this story of theatre champions who get together to rehearse a well-known play, only to find the new play exposes some private secrets and lives. An outstanding story of challenge and survival, brought to life in a full-cast presentation. Gore Vidal's The Best Man (1580812732 , $24.95) stars Marsha Mason and Fred Thompson and tells of political intrigue and bantering in 1960s America. Satire and political observation blend in the drama of two presidential contenders who seek the endorsement of an aging ex-president to win an impossible agenda. Perfect listening for modern times.

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

Brilliance Audio's exceptional holdings present some of the finest in fiction choices and audio enjoyment, and are recommended picks for discriminating listeners. Perri O'Shaugnessy's Unlucky In Law (1593556284, $38.95) receives Laural Merlington's long-time experience as an audio narrator and her smooth and expressive voice as it tells of attorney Nina Reilly, who challenges the law itself when she takes on a case which seems unwinnable. Eric Jerome Dickey's Drive Me Crazy (1593558368, $36.95) enjoys veteran Richard Allen's quick and dramatic voice in telling of an ex-con who shares an expensive secret and an affair with his boss's wife and finds himself in hot water. Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley's Reunion (159355852X, $21.95) enjoys veteran Sandra Burr's powerful rendition in presenting the final story of the Baxter family and their final religious redemption: read the others in the series first, for maximum effect. Dean Koontz's The Bad Place (15-93553420, $42.95) tells of an amnesiac who wakes in an alley knowing nothing but his name and facing danger. Carol Cowan and Michael Hanson's shared reading of this tense thriller assures the tension and drama will be fully drawn out. Catherine Coulter's Blowout (1587888599, $36.95) receives Sandra Burr's long-time reading experience and expert ability to build tension as it tells of a long weekend in the Poconos cut short by an investigation into a Supreme Court Justice's murder. Linda Howard's Kiss Me While I Sleep (1590861752, $36.95) receives a dual narration by veteran readers Joyce Bean and Dick Hill, who together bring alive the sensual story of a female hired assassin for the CIA who is drawn into an unsanctioned game of revenge. Determined to keep playing the game, it's up to Lucas to help reign in a former star agent. Nicci French's Secret Smile (1593559429, $26.95) receives Anne Flosnik's gripping voice and a style which lends to a story of romance and a broken affair which leads to obsession. And, don't miss Amanda Quick's The Paid Companion (159354-583, $24.95), with Michael Page's long-time background as an audio book recorder and actor lending to a tense story of an Earl who's seeking a woman. All are engrossing thrillers.

And The Shofar Blew
Francine Rivers
Recorded Books
270 Skip Jack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678
1402566654 $TBA 1-800-638-1304

Impressively narrated by Ruth Ann Phimister, And The Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers is a complete and unabridged audiobook production (16 cassettes, 22.5 hours) from the Recorded Books Inspiration series. Written by award-winning author Francine Rivers, And The Shofar Blew is a novel about a small church of elderly, long-time members that is gradually fading away. When an energetic young pastor takes over, he increases attendance so much that a new church building must be constructed; but gradually, he loses touch with the old devotees in his efforts to please the new. Then his own family starts to quietly become part of the background. A powerful parable, And The Shofar Blew is an involving, excellently narrated saga and highly recommended.

Harper Audio
10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022-5299
1-800-242-7737 www.harperaudio.com

For a gripping novel which doesn't let up from beginning to end, don't miss Leon Uris' O'Hara's Choice (0060569689, $25.95), performed by John Bedford Lloyd, who has numerous film credits to his name. Lloyd's gripping style brings to life the story of one Irish-American Zachary O'Hara, son of a legendary Marine and a critical player in the Marine Corps who faces a special challenge in romance. C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian (0060564393, $24.00) receives an unabridged presentation, a delightful performance by Lynn Redgrave, Oscar nominee, Tony Award nominee, and Emmy nominee, and a gripping continuation of Lewis' fantasy about Narnia. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are summoned back to Narnia to face new challenges in this wonderful fantasy.

Random House Audio
1745 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.randomhouse.com/audio

Terry Brooks' Elfstones Of Shannara (0739304283, $25.95) is the second volume of the classic series, enjoys Charles Keating's excellent television background and narrative skills, and tells of a magical Ellcrys tree which is loosening the spells keeping Demons from taking vengeance on the land. Another perilous journey is undertaken to save the protector tree in Brooks' exciting Shannara sequel. Dean Koontz's The Taking (0739301890, $39.95) receives Ari Meyers' extensive TV acting background and screenplay roles as her strong narrative voice lends to the story of a ceaseless rain which isolates a small town and brings terror to their world. Suspense rises and proves irresistible here. Kent Haruf's Eventide (073930-9390, $34.95) receives George Hearn's skilled Broadway voice, a smooth representation for a novel telling of a long winter faced by isolated brothers and a small town alike. Alienated families and confrontations between good and evil keep the small town together in this gentle story of change. Isaac Asimov's I, Robot (0739-312707, $27.50) comes just in time for the movie release and represents a powerful pairing of science fiction plot and actor/writer Scott Brick's smooth performance on tape. The robots of the future are controlled by three basic rules to harm no humans so why does one human investigator into murder suspect that robots have become all too human to the point of being able to violate the ingrained rules against harming their masters? A gripping account of human encounters with robots of the future. Danielle Steel's Second Chance (0553757180, $29.95) benefits from narrator Matt Walton's extensive theatre background as it tells of one Fiona, content with her life in the jet set, until she falls for a conservative widower with two daughters. Two very different people find their families, ideals, and lives disrupted by romance and new awakenings here. Robert Ludlum's Bourne Supremacy (07-3931114X, $18.00) enjoys Darren McGavin's powerful rendition as it tells of one Jason Bourne, an exert assassin plagued by his former life just as he is facing a dangerous killer who can threaten the world. The abridged cd presentation loses none of the power of its full-length presentation and preserves all the highlights. Dennis Boutsikaris and author Charles Palahniuk share readings on Palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction (0739312383, $25.95), bringing to life the oddball true stories of characters as diverse as an assembly line worker who works as a hospice volunteer driver by night, or weight trainers who live oddly regimented and drug-controlled lives. Essays and pieces from the author of Fight Club are engrossing and make Stranger Than Fiction a solid listening choice.


The Fantasy/Sci-Fi Shelf

Baen Books
PO Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
1-800-223-2336 www.baen.com

Baen's new releases will delight avid fans of the genre, bringing with them exciting politically-charged futuristic scenarios and food for thought. Paul Kozerski's Skylock (0743435702, $5.70), for example, deserves ongoing mention as a powerful profile of a devastated future facing a dangerous political figure's qwest for technological control. At the heart is a scientific secret gone awry, leaving courier Trennt and his sidekick crossing a land of toxins with a reluctant prisoner in tow. While the sudden romance between prisoner and seasoned courier is quickly done with less character development than might be anticipated, the overall driving action is relentless. Joel Rosenberg's Guardians Of The Flame: Legacy (074-3488206, $25.00) takes gaming to its extreme when college student Seven and his friends find a real wizard intervening, bringing them to a land where magic really works. Here returned from the first adventure, Seven and his comrades are seeing their experiences fade until new enemies emerge. John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson's The Hero (074348827X, $24.00) is a recommendation for fans of military science fiction, telling of a gentle species incapable of killing until humans attempt to exterminate them. Unit trust and an alien device provide charged action in The Hero.

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

Isaac Asimov's Robot Visions (0451450-647, $7.99) arrives just in time for release with I, Robot: the film promising to gain a large audience of prior and new Asimov fans. Robot Visions provides thirty-four of his landmark stories and essays three rare tales under one cover: while prior fans will find little new, those who've missed many of his robot themes will find this packed with his most famous creations, not to be missed! S.L. Viehl's Bio Rescue (0451459784, $22.95) creates a stunning setting also not to be missed: surgically altered life-form pilots performing planetary patrol find a true home on a world of aquatic underwater aliens in a story focusing on the altruistic Dair's increasing involvement in threats to the alien's security and lifestyle. A fine, fast-paced tale is presented replete with ethical and social reflection in the fine Bio Rescue plot.

Mobile Suit Gundam
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
1880656868 $14.95 stonebridge.com

Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation is the novelization of the original animated "Mobile Suit Gundam" story, by principal series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, now available in English for the first time in almost 15 years. "Mobile Suit Gundam" was and remains a captivating epic saga, set in the far-flung future when gigantic robotic weapons of war are used in devastating battles that threaten the survival of humanity - yet amid the chaos of conflict, a new stage of evolution has come to humankind, and the destiny of humans and Newtypes is inextricably linked for good or ill. The original animated series was so wildly popular it sparked a long saga of sequels and spinoffs; now, Gundam viewers can enjoy a rendition that departs significantly from its animated counterpart, exploring the future world in greater detail, yet retains the visionary science fiction themes of exploration, change, and the struggle to adapt and survive in a technology-driven era scarred with conflict. Highly recommended especially for Gundam anime fans.

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

Take classic fairy tale stories, translate them into modern-day urban visions, and add a spicing of panache to achieve the startling collection edited by Martin Greenebrg and John Helters in Little Red Riding Hood In The Big Bad City (0756402-336, $6.99). Contributors such as Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alan Dean Foster and Jody Lynn Nye provide riveting fantasies transported from their classic woods-and-castle roots to the big city, making Little Red Riding Hood In The Big Bad City compelling indeed. C.S. Friedman's The Wilding (075640164X, $24.95) tells of a war unable to achieve final victory or defeat which thus goes on for centuries. It's been 200 years since the personal war between two generals began: war has become a way of life for the universe, but new challenges are changing the worlds involved. The Wilding is a memorable