Return to home
page Book Reviews, Book Lover Resources, Advice for Writers and Publishers
Home / Internet Bookwatch

Internet Bookwatch

Volume 13, Number 12 December 2003 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Buddhist Studies Shelf
Artbook Shelf Metaphysical Shelf Theatre/Cinema Shelf
Health/Medicine Shelf Needlecraft Shelf Military Shelf
American Studies Shelf Education Shelf Sports Shelf
Business Shelf Photography Shelf Environmental Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf Musicbook Shelf
Religion/Spirituality Shelf American History Shelf Computer Shelf
Gaming Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Poetry Shelf
World History Shelf Biography Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
International Studies Shelf Large Print Shelf Economics Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf Civil War Shelf
Fiction Shelf Literary Shelf Political Science Shelf
Jobs/Careers Shelf Travel Shelf Science Shelf
Library Science Shelf Human Sexuality Shelf Gardening Shelf
Christmas Shelf Native American Shelf Criminology Shelf
Audiobook Shelf Architecture Shelf Nautical Shelf
Writing/Publishing Shelf Hunting/Fishing Shelf Money/Finance Shelf
Martial Arts Shelf Aviation Shelf Library Video/DVD Shelf
Genealogy Shelf Self-Help Shelf Fantasy/SciFi Shelf
Library CD Music Shelf Parenting Shelf  


Reviewer's Choice

The Imperial Tense
Andrew Bacevich
Ivan R. Dee/NBN, dist.
1332 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60622-2694
1566635330 $16.95 1-800-462-6420

This collection of arguments on compelling problems of America provides a range of viewpoints, invites debates and consideration of all sides, and surveys issues important to humanitarian causes. From assessments of American global domination and imperialist purposes in the world to its quest for security and expanded world influence, this provides an essential source of particular recommendation to high school and college-level courses on social issues.

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

Dover's excellent history coverages are affordable, recommended picks repacking classics and out of print surveys in eye-catching paperwork and adding a price tag which any collection will find choice. Pauquet Freres' Sourcebook Of French Fashion (0486428389, $19.95) provides a beautiful color reference to French styles of the 15th to 19th centuries, reproducing the lovely color plates of Hippolyte Pauquet and his brother and including both flamboyant royalty and well-dressed commoner displays. Hilda Amphlett's HATS (0486427463, $18.95) provides a fine unabridged republication of the edition originally published in the UK in 1974. This provides an illustrated review of 2,000 years of head coverings, with over 800 drawings by the author complimenting a chronological arrangement by century for easy art reference. JoAnne Olian's Children's Fashions 1900-1950 (0486423255, $14.95) narrows the coverage still further to selections from rare ears catalogs of the times. Costume curator Olian chronicles what kids ages 4-16 were wearing during these fifty years, from knickerbocker suits for boys to corsets for growing girls. Wiliam Miller Jr.'s Picture History Of The SS United States (0486428397, $16.95) provides a history of this particular vessel, pairing over a hundred rare photos revealing stages in the ship's construction with a comprehensive survey of this and other maritime achievements. Any intrigued with maritime history will find them absorbing. V.R. Grimwood's American Ship Models And How To Build Them (0486426122, $18.95) republishes a 1942 Norton edition in providing beginners with a basic treatise on ship modeling and history. Plans drawn from original ship measurements will also offer plenty of historical background and insights for any interested in American ship history. All are top picks.

Banker To The Poor
Muhammad Yunus
Public Affairs Books
250 W. 57th St. #1321, NY NY 10107
1586481983 $15.00 1-877-782-1234

In 1983 Yunus established a bank devoted to providing the poorest of Bangladesh with small loans, aiming to help the poor by supporting them with his own enterprise. Yunus' small loans paid off big time, and this provides a review of his theories of small loan impacts on the lives of third world peoples. An intriguing, important guide packed with ramifications for all.

Firefly
155 East 34th St., #5, B, NY, NY 10016
1-800-387-5085 www.amazon.com

Exceptional new titles from this publisher are recommended picks for science collections. The all-inclusive, bright Encyclopedia Of The Saltwater Aquarium (1552-978176, $49.95) covers everything from exploring different types of saltwater denizens to understanding the set-up and maintenance of a tank, creating specialized displays and habitats, and understanding fish breeding, health, and needs. Half the book contains entries on a range of marine fishes and invertebrates; the other covers tropicals in particular and their care and feeding. Packed with gorgeous color photos, this is a definitive, exceptional guide promising lasting reference interest. Sir Patrick Moore's Atlas Of The Universe (1552978192, $45.00) is also an outstanding coverage: it arrives packed with contemporary color photos and an outstanding history of human insights into astronomy and the universe. Chapters begin with the history of space exploration and move to a coverage of the solar system and then the universe and outer galaxies. Beginners also receive a basic coverage on astronomy for the new learner. An outstanding, basic reference. Daniel & Erin Prendergast's Tree Doctor (1552977412, $35.00) includes well over a hundred photos and diagrams as it covers the best sites for trees, how they are sold and maintained, hardiness zones, and other. Chapters provide insights into tree health, what makes a tree suitable for city versus rural areas, and how to care for and prune the tree after planting. A basic, invaluable health care guide for gardeners. Following in the same general theme is Allen Paterson's Best Trees For Your Garden (1552977-706, $39.95), which pairs beautiful color photos by Steven Wooster with a survey of different species of tree. The focus here is on choosing the right kind of tree for a garden: chapters blend a dictionary of varieties with insights on why one tree may be perfect for a given spot where another suffers.

Amphoto/Watson Guptill
770 Broadway, New York NY 10003
1-800-451-1741 www.amazon.com

Four new guides are highly recommended picks for artists and art library holdings. Jon Cox's Digital Nature Photography (0817437916, $24.95) provides a complete guide to the medium of digital nature photos, from equipment and basic techniques to understanding light, composition and animals. This fine survey charts the particular problems involved in digital nature photos. Steve Caplin and Adam Banks' Complete Guide To Digital Illustration (0817407847, $35.00) showcases the latest works from leading international illustrators who work in the digital world, including plenty of practical tips and applications ranging from how to make use of advanced techniques to pairing hardware and software for maximum effect. George Thomson's Digital Calligraphy (0817412972, $24.95) tells how to use a desktop computer to create calligraphy designs. The meat of this title lies in discussion of hardware and software interactions, and exercises which will help reinforce concepts. Dave Morris and Leo Hartas' Game Art (0817420800, $29.95) pairs insider secrets with stunning visual displays showcasing the creation and art involved in various computer games. Gorgeous color photos blend with exact surveys of creations and innovations. Alexandra Black's Tuscan Elements (0817454-802, $35.00) is a gorgeous home decorating guide to Tuscan-style d‚cor. Tuscan construction is relatively unchanged from its Middle Ages origin, and this surveys the materials, style and components which give the Tuscan form its unique qualities. Gorgeous color photos abound.

Information Representation And Retrieval In The Digital Age
Heting Chu
Information Today
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750
1573871729 $35.60 1-800-300-9868

Information Representation And Retrieval In The Digital Age is the first title to provide a simple, comprehensive focus on IRR, surveying the foundations of thought involved in the field and examining information methods, IRR languages, and Internet retrieval systems. The mechanics of system queries and their results make for important reading for any involved in the library or research industry.

Telling Tales
Gail De Vos, et al.
University of Alberta Press
Ring House 2, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
0888644027 $29.95 www.uap.ualberta.ca

Capably written by Gail De Vos, Merle Harris, and Celia Barker Lottridge (three internationally-known Canadian storytellers) and now in a considerably revised and expanded second edition, Telling Tales: Storytelling In The Family is a kind of guide to the joy and art of sharing favorite stories with one's family. Individual chapters discuss universal myths and legends versus stories from one's personal life, advice for an engaging presentation, tailoring one's story for very young children as compared to a general audience, and much more. Highly recommended reading -- especially for aspiring storytellers wanting to draw upon their own wealth of family stories, personalities, anecdotes, folklore, songs and poetry.

Lighthouses
Laurence Parent & Elinor DeWire
Graphic Arts Center
PO Box 10306, Portland, OR 97296-0306
1558686983 $34.95 1-800-452-3032

Photographer Laurence Parent joins forces here with noted lighthouse expert Elinor DeWire to provide a visually pleasing and fine book on American lighthouses, from the oldest standing in New Jersey to unique cliff-dwelling structures. Rare archival photos blend with plenty of history and background facts to make Lighthouses suitable for coffee table presentation as well as lighthouse study.

In The Presence Of Nature
Jerry Barrack & Jim Wright
Camino Books Inc.
PO Box 59026, Philadelphia, PA 19102
0940159759 $35.00 www.amazon.com

In the middle of northern New Jersey lies a preserved open space known as the Celery Farm Natural Area, housing foxes, herons, minks, ducks and dozens of flowers and plants. In The Presence Of Nature is a truly beautiful picturebook of photos from the Farm's residents covers all seasons and gathers a wealth of images many stunning wildlife photos will interest any nature enthusiast with some rare images indeed. An outstanding visual focus on a little-known area.

Atlas Of Languages
Bernard Comrie, et.al.
Facts on File
132 W 31st St., New York NY 10001
0816051232 $35.00 1-800-322-8755

This revised edition tackles the subject of the origins of language, using new clues from linguistic and archaeological evidence to provide general readers with a strong introduction to linguistics. From language families of different world regions to maps showing the geographic distribution of these languages, this provides in-depth details including facts on disappearing languages. Highly recommended for any high school or college collection strong in language references.

Google E-Encyclopedia
DK Publishing
375 Hudson, New York NY 10014
0789498693 $39.99 www.dk.com

This unusual 'e.encyclopedia' highlights any subject where you can get extra information on the web reports, video footage, and even sound recordings. It's organized so keywords for finding such information are highlighted, making it easy for students to use this e-dictionary in conjunction with the computer but the visual displays and color paired with the basic facts are plenty to also make this stand along as a superior reference. Highly recommended: a visual and practical treat illustrating the positive marriage between reference book and Internet.

Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Brian Alexander & Alistair Millar
Brasseys Inc.
PO Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960
1574885847 $55.00 1-800-775-2518

This expert analysis of considerable depth and weighty price tag might limit it to college-level collections strong in political issues and military insights, but this solid and very highly recommended analysis of three decades of arms control treaties and their legal and social impact makes for an important guide to any collection interested in international terrorism issues. Little has been published prior to this, making this critical debate on the issues surrounding tactical nuclear weapons an important addition to such a collection.

You're The Best Sister Ever
Maria Smedstad
Andrews & McMeel
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111
0740738569 $9.95 1-800-851-8923

A merry and joyful collection, You're The Best Sister Ever by Maria Smedstad is a simple tribute and delightful reading. It is also an excellent giftbook for sisters of all ages. Whimsical color illustrations add a humorous touch to the touching observations of the ways a sister brings joy to one's life, including "between the two of us, someone is bound to remember our relatives' birthdays" and "through you I get to meet more men."

Flight Patterns
Karla Huston
Main Street Rag
1830 West Glendale Avenue, Appleton, WI 54914
www.mainstreetrag.com/store
1930907362 $7.00

A book of good poetry is a pleasure for the mind and a treat for the soul. Karla Huston (winner of the 2003 Main Street Rag Chapbook Context) is someone with a natural talent for writing demonstrably good poetry. Flight Patterns is a compilation of the best of her work and will admirably serve to introduce an outstanding Wisconsin poet to an appreciate generation of readers. To My Husband Cutting The Lawn: First, let go your sense of indignation and any/amount of control. The grass grows more certain/each day and there is nothing you can do to stop it.//Smooth back the lawn's green brow; step slowly/upon her uneven back and shoulders./Pull the cord wisely. Don't anger Mr. Briggs//and Mr. Stratton. They've been at this so long/that they need to be stroked to start. Allow time/to adjust the resonance; how long have you been//moving against the grain, your hands wrapped/with sponge, knuckles tight from so much holding?/Not even drought can spare you now, so you might//as well come to the Zen of it, a synchronicity/of step and spray, walk and pray. Look over/your shoulder and know you could fall anytime.

The Sunstone Superstove
John Lago
Loompanics Unlimited
PO Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368
1559502371 $12.95 loompanics.com

The Sunstone Superstove: A Safer, More Efficient Way Of Heating With Wood is a straightforward guide by John Lago to utilizing wood-burning stoves for heating homes, cabins, and other structures. Practical instructions for renovating a wood burning stove in to burning less wood with better results, causing less pollution, maintain a stable temperature, and requiring less cutting and splitting of wood, form the core of this invaluable and enthusiastically recommended do-it-yourself guide to using wood burning stoves as a cheap and effective alternative to gas, oil, or electrical heating systems.

One Of Ourselves
James Robert Carroll
Images From The Past
PO Box 137, Bennington, VT 05201
www.imagesfromthepast.com
1884592406 $24.95

One Of Ourselves: John Fitzgerald Kennedy In Ireland by professional journalist James Robert Carroll is a informed and informative study of American President Kennedy's three and one-half day visit to Ireland in June of 1963. 44 black-and-white photographs and prints nicely illustrate the president's "homecoming" and its meaning at the time to both Americans and Irish alike. Meticulous attention to detail enhances a superbly written text in bringing to life this particular and unique intersection of human heritage and national office. No personal, academic, or community library Kennedy Studies collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of James Robert Carroll's One Of Ourselves!

Helena Rubinstein: Over The Top
Suzanne Slesin
Pointed Leaf Press
1100 Madison Ave, #3A, NY, NY 10028
www.pointedleafpress.com
0972766103 $75.00 1-212-535-1086

Helena Rubinstein: Over The Top is an eye-opening photographic showcase of the works of cosmetics industry and style making pioneer Helena Rubinstein. The text narrates the life of this extraordinary twentieth-century woman and offers the fascinating stories behind her many unique and creative works of art, trend, fashion and decoration. Helena Rubinstein: Over The Top is remarkable, unique, highly recommended, and an ideal choice for a Library Memorial Fund acquisition.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

The Complete Cookie Jar Book
Mike Schneider
Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310
0764318160 $29.95 schifferbooks.com

Now in its fourth edition, The Complete Cookie Jar Book by Mike Schneider is a 312-page catalogue and price guide of collectible and antique cookie jars. Filled from cover-to-cover with full color photographs illustrating each of the more than 2000 cookie jars featured, The Complete Cookie Jar Book is a superbly organized, expertly informative, and inherently fascinating resource for collectors and curiosity seekers with an interest in this traditional piece of kitchenware.

Collector Books
PO Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002-3009
1-800-626-5420 www.amazon.com

This publisher's rapidly expanding reference selection provide invaluable collector's details on specific areas, making for a fine set suitable for very specific collecting needs. Helen Guarnaccia and Barbara Guggenheim's Handkerchiefs (1574323-563, $24.95) offers a visually stunning collection and price guide which displays handkerchiefs from around the world. Organized by theme ranging from travel to the fifty states and botanicals, this provides gorgeous images. Jeannie Wilby's Decorative American Pottery Whiteware (1574323423, $29.95) also features a price guide and clear photo id reference suitable for identifying American pottery whiteware collectibles, holiday collectors will relish George Johnson's Pictorial Guide To Christmas Ornaments & Collectibles (1574323482, $29.95) and the second edition of Jill Gallina's Christmas Pins Past And Present (1574323490, $19.95), both of which bring the latest prices and details for collectors of specific holiday items. Gene Florence's Treasures Of Very Rare Depression Glass (1574323369, $39.95) covers uncommon Depression pieces, allowing collectors with a narrow focus to hone in on only the rarest pieces; Sarah Eames' Volume 3 of Barbie Doll Fashion (1574323458, $29.95) provides a complete history of the wardrobes of Barbie and her friends and family from 1975-79; Volume II of Marcia Brown's Signed Beauties Of Costume Jewelry(1574323-679, $24.95) selects more unusual pieces for display and price guide mention, and the more general Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide (1574323652, $14.95) comes updated for 2004 in its 22nd edition with the latest prices for over 50,000 antiques, as is Bud Hastin's Avon Collector's Encyclopedia (157432344X, $29.95) appearing in its 17th updated edition to cover Avon and California Perfume Company products from 1886 to present. Collectors will relish the authoritative holdings of these invaluable price guides.


The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Buddhist Philosophy
Daniel Cozort & Craig Preston
Snow Lion Publications
PO Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
1559391987 $18.95 1-800-950-0313

The collaborative translation and editorial effort of Daniel Cozort (Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Religion at Dickinson College) and Craig Preston (a private teacher of Classical Tibetan and Buddhist Philosophy in Ithaca, New York), Losang Gonchok's Short Commentary To Jamyang Shayba's Root Text On Tenets is an involved study by Tibetan writer Jamyang Shayba on the key differences between the major schools of Buddhist philosophy. Seeking to set the stage for an informed and reasonable dialogue between different manners of thought, individual chapters pay especial attention to "The Clear Crystal Mirror" and Losang Gonchok's attending views of a wide variety of schools. An in-depth study and technical study, Buddhist Philosophy is highly recommended for advanced students and academic scholars of Buddhism.

Spectrum Of Ecstasy
Ngakpa Chogyam & Khandro Dechen
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-4544
1590300610 $18.95 shambhala.com

Ngakpa Chogyam and Khandro Dechen (two Western-born lamas of the Nyingma tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism) impressively collaborated on Spectrum Of Ecstasy: Embracing The Five Wisdom Emotions Of Vajrayana Buddhism, an enthus-iastic survey that rejects the supposition that inner Vajrayana is primarily esoteric and filled with little but ritual and liturgy. Showing ways to embrace Vajrayana through emotions as represented through five-fold display, and offering advice for all who seek to awaken their supreme and enlightened potential, Spectrum Of Ecstasy is a welcome and significant contribution to Vajrayana Buddhism discourse and study.


The Artbook Shelf

Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press
David Tatham
Syracuse University Press
Syracuse, NY 13244-5160
0815629745 $39.95 www.amazon.com

Winslom Homer, the best-known American painter of the 19th century, also contributed extensively to the pictorial press a lesser-featured fact of his life. Winslow Homer And The Pictorial Press focuses on and reproduces illustrations from throughout Homer's career, from novice to established artist, examining his contributions to the pictorial press and its financial effects upon his career. An excellent survey.

The Beauty Of Life
Diane Waggoner, editor
Thames & Hudson, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10110-0017
0500284342 $24.95 1-800-233-4830

Painstakingly compiled and expertly edited by Diane Waggoner (Andrew W. Mellon foundation Curatorial Fellow in the Art Collections at The Huntington), The Beauty Of Life: William Morris & The Art Of Design is specifically devoted to the decorative artwork of William Morris, an influential leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Contemplative and informative essays by Pat Kirkham, Gillian Naylor, and Edward R. Bosley are added to those of Diane Waggoner and concern William Morris' diverse works of art (including his stained glass and interior decoration designs). These essays are enhanced with eye-catching, full color photographs. A joy to simply page through and savor, and presented with a deep respect for artistic traditions stretching back to medieval times and beyond, The Beauty Of Life is a superbly presented and heartily endorsed addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History collections.

Designing With Kanji
Shogo Oketani & Leza Lowitz
Stone Bridge Press
PO Box 8208, Berkeley, CA 94707
1880656795 $14.95 stonebridge.com

The collaborative effort of journalist and translator Shogo Oketani and Tokyo-based writer, editor, translator, and yoga instructor Leza Lowitz, Designing With Kanji: Japanese Character Motifs For Surface, Skin & Spirit is a simple and elegantly illustrated guide to common kanji (Japanese written words), that can be used to embellish a variety of art mediums ranging from tattoos to stationery, mugs, T-shirts, or just about anything else that has a surface. A representative selection of kanji are presented on a grid background, in a variety of fonts, to simplify their transferences and incorporation into the art of one's choice. Designing With Kanji is enthusiastically recommended as a fine and useful designer's aid.

Masaccio
Eliot W. Rowlands
Getty Trust Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, #500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
0892362863 $19.95 www.getty.edu

Masaccio: Saint Andrew And The Pisa Altarpiece by Eliot W. Rowlands (Senior Researcher, Wildenstein and Company, New York) reflects on the workings of Italian Renaissance artist Masaccio (1401-1428), who was the first artist to use light effects to create three-dimensional images on a two-dimensional plane. His lasting contribution to art history is documented and embraced with representations of Masaccio's classic works in black-and-white as well as in color. The paintings' religious themes, their histories, commissions, and locations today, as well as Masaccio's unfortunately brief life are all informatively discussed in this welcome contribution to Art History Studies reference and reading collections. Also very highly recommended is Eliot W. Rowlands earlier contribution to Art History Studies: The Collections Of The Nelson-atkins Museum Of Art I: Italian Painting, 1300-1800 (Nelson-Atkins Museum Bookstore; ASIN: 0942614259; $29.99).

I Bought Andy Warhol
Richard Rolsky
Henry N. Abrams
115 W. 19th St., 5th Flr., NY, NY 10011
0810942712 $24.95 1-800-759-0190

I Bought Andy Warhol by Richard Rolsky surveys both the art world and Polsky's journey through it in search of the truths of relationships between artists, galleries, auction houses and collectors. In 1987 Rolsky as an art dealer set aside $100K to purchase painting by Warhol for his private collection: a move which would lead to unexpected exposure to underlying art world influences. His account is revealing and highly recommended reading.

Heyday Books
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709
heydaybooks.com

The structures featured in David Stark Wilson's black and white photos in Structures Of Unity (1890771627 $45.00) may be functional pieces, but they're visually exciting and provide forms rooted in local history. This provides building photos from grain elevators to tank houses, celebrating agricultural landscapes and California seasons. A beautiful presentation which will appeal to art library collections as well as general California collections. Mark Dean Johnson's At Work: Art Of California Labor (1890771678, $35.00) traces over a hundred works by artists who have recorded, preserved and created the history of labor in California in visual form. Chapters reveal the works of artists who have contributed to the expansion of this genre.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Astrology & Weight Control
Beverly Flynn
ACS Publications
5521 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123
0935127917 $10.95

Astrology & Weight Control: The Jupiter/Pluto Connection is a metaphysical self-help guide to using astrology for identifying the challenges in one's life that could be manifesting themselves as extra poundage. Impressively written by Beverly Flynn who is an astrologer of thirty years' experience, Astrology & Weight Control informatively focuses on the roles of Jupiter as "enlightener" and Pluto as "eliminator" and how these two heavenly bodies influence mundane life according to astrological rhythms. An excellent and insightfully written guide meant to appeal to astrology enthusiasts of all experience levels, Astrology & Weight Control is a recommended example of "practical metaphysics" and highly recommended reading.

Secret Societies Of America's Elite
Steven Sora
Destiny Books/Inner Traditions
PO Box 388, Rochester, VT 05767
0892819596 $20.00 1-800-246-8648

From the Knights Templar, to Skull and Bones, to Masons, Secret Societies Of America's Elite provides a fine examination of the role secret societies play within the ruling families of America. Secret societies have always been a major force in Western civilization, building the fortunes of this country's most powerful families: Secret Societies Of America's Elite draws an important link between history and the movements and organization of these societies.

Learning Tarot Reversals
Joan Bunning
Weiser Books
368 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
1578632714 $16.95 redwheelweiser.com

Learning Tarot Reversals by writer, computer programmers, website developer, and tarot expert Joan Bunning thoughtfully and expertly considers an often overlooked nuance in the art of tarot card readings -- How to interpret cards that appear upside down. Offering extensive details on the reversed meanings for every card in tarot, as well as a concise summary of their upright meaning, Learning Tarot Reversals is a superbly presented instructional guide especially recommended for novice Tarot readers seeking to deepen and broaden their understanding of tarot based divination.

Human Devolution
Michael A. Cremo
Torchlight Publishing
PO Box 52, Badger, CA 93603
0892133341 $35.00 torchlight.com

Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative To Darwin's Theory by archaeologist Michael A. Cremo (Research Associate of the Bhaktivedanta Institute) responds to Darwinian evolutionary theory concerning human beings with the counter-proposal "We did not evolve up from matter; instead we devolved, or came down, from the realm of pure consciousness, spirit." Contemplating the nature of a human being as much more than the synthesis of mere physical elements, but rather a melding of matter, mind, and spirit, Human Devolution is a thoughtful and extended transcendental discussion of who and what we really are -- and a welcome, iconoclastic, and thought-provoking contribution to Metaphysical Studies and Anthropology Studies reading lists.


The Theatre/Cinema Shelf

The Stage Life Of Props
Andrew Sofer
University of Michigan Press
PO Box 1104, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1104
0472068393 $19.95 press.umich.edu

Also available in a hardcover edition (047209839X, $49.50), The Stage Life Of Props by Andrew Sofer (Assistant Professor of English, Boston College) is a thoughtful analysis of the role stage props have held in transcending dramatic convention to add extra dimension and vibrancy to the art of theatrical performance. From the Eucharistic wafer upon the medieval stage; to the bloody handkerchief of the Elizabethan stage; and the pistol on the modern stage; Professor Sofer reveals that any prop to be used in Act III (if shown in Act I), must be shown in Act I in order to be used in Act III. The Stage Life Of Props is a timely and fascinating discourse for theatre devotees and a welcome addition to Theatre Department reference collections and supplemental reading lists for aspiring playwrights.

Between Director And Actor
Mandy Rees & John Staniunas
Heinemann Publishing
PO Box 6826, Portsouth, NH 03802-6926
0325004323 $18.95 1-800-225-5800

Expertly co-written by Mandy Rees (who teaches acting, movement, and voice at California State University - Bakersfield) and John Staniunas (professional director, actor, and Associate Profess at the University of Kansas teaching directing, acting, and musical theatre), Between Director And Actor: Strategies For Effective Performance is an invaluable problem-solving guide especially intended and recommended for directors and actors of both professional and amateur theatrical performances. Between Director And Actor is a highly practical troubleshooter compendium filled from cover to cover with notes and advice for vocal and physical clarity; adding depth and variety to personal performances; addresses common rehearsal problems; and offers straightforward sit-down conversations with fellow professional directors and actors. No school theatre department, community theatre, or professional acting/directing reference collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Between Director And Actor.

Fade To Black
Paul Donnelley
Omnibus Press
c/o Music Sales Corporation
257 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10010
0711995125 $24.95 1-800-431-7187

Researched, compiled, and arranged by Paul Donnelley, Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries is the newly revised and expanded edition of a practical Cinematic Studies resource and reference, adding 100 new entries to the chronicles of the lives and deaths of over 1,000 movie personalities. Each separate entry efficiently condenses the individual's life into a single column or page of informative text. Big stars as well as crucial supporting characters from the history of film, (including scandals, success, great power, and hidden secrets preserved until after death) pack the pages of this fact-filled and enthusiastically recommended compendium.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

Leukemia Sourcebook
Joyce Brennfleck Shannon, Ed.
Omnigraphics
615 Griswold St., Detroit, MI 48226
0780806271 $78.00 1-800-234-1340

Basic consumer health information covers both adult and childhood leukemias in Leukemia Sourcebook, a fine title which ranges from diagnosis to alternative treatments, staging, and tips for life during and after diagnosis. Add a section of additional resources and you have an important health reference any comprehensive health collection should add.

Pocket Guide To Low Sodium Foods
Bobbie Mostyn
InData Group Inc.
PO Box 11908, Olympia, WA 98508-1908
www.indatapublishing.com
0967396913 $7.95 1-800-897-8440

Now in its 2003 edition, Pocket Guide To Low Sodium Foods by Bobbie Mostyn is a no-nonsense, but thoroughly "user friendly" informational pocketbook resource comprising more than 3,000 entries for generic and brand-name foods suited for low-salt diets. Each entry lists the estimated sodium content per serving, and often calories, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber, and sugars as well. An excellent resource and shopping guide for anyone looking to lower their salt intake, the Pocket Guide To Low Sodium Foods can be easily slipped into any purse or pocket for use when dining out or shopping at the supermarket.

Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation
Paulette Mehta, MD
Jones & Bartlett Publishers
40 Tall Pine Drive, Sudbury, MA 01776
0763718556 $134.95 www.jbpub.com

Compiled, edited, and arranged by Paulette Mehta (Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, as well as Director of Hematology/Oncology, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, Arkansas), Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation is a scholarly, graduate-studies level text concerning the rapidly developing medical science and process of cell transplantation as a technology and treatment approach for use with children. An extremely comprehensive reference text covering all aspects of the various practiced procedures, Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation is especially recommended as a core text for medical students and medical professional seeking to update or refresh their own knowledge basis in this specialized field of medical technology.

The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric & Discredited Diseases
Jeff Vandermeer & Mark Roberts
Night Shade Books
3623 SW Baird Street, Portland OR 97219
www.nightshadebooks.com
1892389541 $24.00 1-503-452-0761

The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric & Discredited Diseases by Dr. Jeff Vandermeer and Dr. Mark Roberts is the commemorative 83rd edition of a classic medical resource first disseminated to doctors worldwide in 1921. Listing "diseases" that modern medicine (rightfully) spurns to document, these spurious conditions range from false menustration in males, to "reverse Pinocchio syndrome", to "wife blindness", and more. The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric & Discredited Diseases is clearly meant to be read and savored with a grain of salt and a sense of humor, there is also a strong underlying message for consumers of health and medical services to be wary of medical frauds, fads, and fringes.

Health Secrets Of The Stone Age
Philip J. Goscienski, MD
New Century Books
PO Box 1205, Santa Teresa, NM 88008
0930751612 $15.00 1-505-589-1967

Health Secrets Of The Stone Age by Dr. Philip J. Goscienski (a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases who draws upon more than 35 years of experience in clinical and academic medicine) offers practical and insightful wisdom for improving one's diet and one's lifestyle drawn from what biology, prehistory, and science have to tells us of human evolution since Paleolithic times. From using "stealth exercise" to look and feel younger; to tips for minimizing risk of diabetes; to selecting foods geared toward overall health and nutrition, and so much more, Health Secrets Of The Stone Age is an extremely practical guide grounded firmly in medical knowledge. Highly recommended for non-specialist general readers concerned with improving their general well-being, Health Secrets Of The Stone Ages is also available in a hardcover format (0930751604, $25.00) especially recommended for community library Health & Medicine collections.

The First Year: HIV
Brett Grodeck
Marlowe & Company
c/o Avalon Publishing Group Inc.
161 William St, 16th Fl, NY, NY 10038
1569244901 $15.95 1-800-788-3123

The First Year: HIV is a guide specifically written for those newly diagnosed with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), by HIV-positive patient advocate Brett Grodeck who himself has lived with the virus for the past fifteen years. In accessible and plain terms ideal for the non-specialist general reader, individual chapters cover support group resources, advice and strategies for making the needed changes to one's lifestyle, words of wisdom and caution about discussing the issue of one's HIV status with friends and co-workers, the latest medical research, the option of having HIV-negative children even if one is a HIV-positive man or woman, and more. If you or a loved one is having to deal with the medical and social issues of being HIV positive, then this is the book you should begin your personal research with.

As Good As New
Charles A. Babbush, D.D.S., M.Sc.D.
The Dental Implant Center Press
29001 Cedar Road, Suite 103, Lyndhurst, Ohio 44124
www.TheDentalImplantCenter.net
0974208744 $19.95 1-440-995-5500

Leading dental implant surgeon Charles A. Babbush draws upon his professional experience and considerable expertise in As Good As New: A Consumer's Guide To Dental Implants, to present the reading public with an upbeat, "patient-friendly" guide to the pros and cons of dental implant surgery as used to restore teeth lost from accidents, sports injuries, or other causes. Full-color photographs illustrate a quite practical discussion of determining whether dental implants are right for one, understanding what to do if something goes wrong with an implant, daily adjustments to living with implants, and more. As Good As New is very highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating or seeking to learn more about dental implant surgery for themselves or members of their family.


The Needlecraft Shelf

A Colourful Journey: Book 5
Kaffe Fassett, e.al.
Rowan Publishing/C&T Publishing
1651 Challenge Dr., Concord, CA 94520
1904485073 $21.95 www.amazon.com

Over twenty designs from Rowan patchwork archives is presented in Colourful Journey: Book 5, a title which details quilt projects at all skill levels. From tile and handkerchief designs to table runners and cushions, Colourful Journey: Book 5 details a variety of quilt projects and applications, including plenty of bright color photos for inspiration and delight.

Passionate Patchwork
Kaffe Fassett with Liza Prior Lucy
The Taunton Press
63 South Main St., Newtown, CT 06470
1561586501 $24.95 1-800-477-8727

Ably written for needlecraft enthusiasts by the renowned decorative artist Kaffe Fassett, Passionate Patchwork is a detailed do-it-yourself guide to home-style needlework projects showcasing more than twenty main designs with variations, and offering new ways to sew everything from full-sized quilts to cushion covers and baby quilts. Full color photographs and highly meticulous instructions make Passionate Patchwork as easy to use as it is inspirational and creative.

Classic English Medallion Style Quilts
Bettina Havig
American Quilter's Society
PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002-3290
1574328298 $24.95 www.aqsquilt.com

Quilting expert Bettina Havig's Classic English Medallion Style Quilts is a superbly organized and presented instructional guide to the crafting beautiful patterned quilts featuring the sharp-edged triangles and patterns that comprise what is known as the "Medallion Style". Straightforward yet concise instructions and illustrative diagrams are combined with full-color photographs to make an excellent and "user friendly" how-to manual for quilting hobbyists of beginning to intermediate skill -- and the brilliant designs are sure to capture both the eye and the imagination!

Plum Creek Prairie Sampler
Johanna Wilson
Krause Publications
700 East State Street, Iola WI 54990-0001
087349542X $21.99 www.krause.com

Plum Creek Prairie Sampler: 27 Projects To Quilt For Your Home is by quilting expert Johanna Wilson a simple het elegant collection of fun and rewarding quilting projects, each of which is enhanced with full-color illustrations to clarify steps, quilt designs, tips, tricks, and techniques for fabric selection, pillow backs, borders, binding, and much more. Plum Creek Prairie Sampler is confidently recommended as being a truly great quilting project resource developed to be especially "user friendly".

1-2-3 Embroidery
Ellen Moore Johnson
Rockport Publishers Inc.
33 Commercial St, Gloucester, MA 01930
1564964752 $14.99 www.rockpub.com

Compiled and presented by needlecraft expert Ellen Moore Johnson, 1-2-3 Embroidery: Easy Projects For Elegant Living is a simple, elegant, "how-to" instructional guide to using embroidery for delightful decoration. Projects for the kitchen, bedroom, bath, living room, children's room, and more are presented with meticulous instructions enhanced with full color photography. 1-2-3 Embroidery is an excellent guide which is to be enthusiastically recommended to needleworkers of all skill and experience levels with an interest in gaining a personal expertise in carrying out embroidery projects for all occasions and purposes.

The Everything Quilting Book
Sandra Detrixhe
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor, Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
1580628729 $14.95 1-800-872-5627

In The Everything Quilting Book: Simple Instructions For Creating The Perfect Family Heirloom, avid quilter Sandra Detrixhe draws upon her more than twenty years of experience to provide novice quilters with a simple and easy-to-follow instructional for creating quilted potholders, wall hangings, pillows, watercolor quilts, and more. Straightforward, step-by-step instructions, diagrams, advice, tricks of the trade, are enhanced with a profusion of illustrations, including a color insert showcasing completed quilting projects. A wealth of practical, "user friendly" information fills the pages of this all encompassing and thoroughly practical guide for beginning quilters seeking to create the perfect needlecrafted gift for friends and family.


The Military Shelf

Paths Of Death & Glory
Charles Whiting
Casemate
2114 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083
1932033165 $29.95 1-610-853-9131

Veteran combat soldier and military historian Charles Whiting has painstakingly researched and deftly written, Paths Of Death & Glory: The Last Days Of The Third Reich, a military history which draws from interviews, battalion journals, and the experiences of ordinary soldiers to provide today's reader with a vivid and accurate picture of the closing days of the World War II's European Theatre. A sharp, no-nonsense and utterly absorbing account, Paths Of Death & Glory is the tenth volume of Casemate's "The West Wall Series" and a welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library World War II Military collections.

A Guide To Airborne Weapons
David F. Crosby
Nautical & Aviation Publishing Co.
2055 Middleburg Lane, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
1877853674 $26.95 nauticalaviation.com

A Guide To Airborne Weapons by military historian David F. Crosby presents accurate and informative descriptions of the diverse air combat weapons employed by the U.S. Armed Forces. Each entry consists of descriptions of the particular weapon system, with particular attention to its special employment, characteristics, and delivery aircraft. Also included is authoritative information concerning weapon manufacturers, line drawings for each weapon, its technical specifications, black-and-white photographs, and more. An excellent and informative resource, A Guide To Airborne Weapons is an important, seminal, and highly recommended contribution to personal, professional, and academic Military Studies collections.

Corry
Francis M. McKernon & Kevin McKernon
Easy Rudder Press
PO Box 16392, West Haven, CT 06516
0974069809 $15.95 easyrudderpress.com

Francis M. McKernon is a survivor of D-Day. Corry is his eyewitness, blow-by-blow accounting of the destroyer ship that led the Normandy shore invasion as told to Kevin McKernon. Destructive shelling eventually sank the USS Corry, and twenty-four crewmen lost their lives before the rest could be rescued. An intense saga of battle, death, and remembrances of the small touches and great friendships that transcend time and situation Corry is a welcome contribution to World War II European Theatre Military Studies reference collections and reading lists.


The American Studies Shelf

California's Arab Americans
Janice Marschner
Coleman Ranch Press
Box 1496, Sacramento, CA 95812-1496
0967706971 $18.95 www.crpress.com

Award-winning author Janice Marschner has meticulously researched and ably written California's Arab Americans. This is a uniformly excellent regional history and an ideal reference resource for all ages focusing upon the history of Arab Americans in the state of California and the contributions Arab Americans have made from the 1800's down to the present day. An informed and informative, easy-to-follow, and inherently fascinating discourse, California's Arab Americans is highly recommended reading and could well serve as a template for similar presentations on the contributions of Arab Americans in other states.

Asa Shinn Mercer
Lawrence M. Woods
The Arthur H. Clark Company
PO Box 14707, Spokane, WA 99214-0707
087062315X $32.50 www.ahclark.com

Asa Shinn Mercer: Western Promoter And Newspaperman 1839-1917 by historian Lawrence M. Woods is the impressively written and presented biography of a most remarkable surveyor, teacher, immigration promoter, editor and publisher, ship salvager, farmer, and rancher. Asa Shinn Mercer's eclectic life and contributions make for lively and engaging reading in this carefully researched and wholly enjoyable account of a life lived in the yesteryear of America. Also very highly recommended from the Arthur H. Clark Company for university American History collections is recently released 6th volume in the outstanding "Kingdom In The West" series: Fort Limhi: The Mormon Adventure in Oregon Territory 1855-1858 (0870623249, $39.50)

The Who, What, And Where Of America
Martha Farnsworth Riche
Deirdre A. Gaquin
Bernan Associates
4611-F Assembly Dr, Lanham, MD 20706
0890597634 $95.00 www.bernan.com

An impressively collaborative effort co-edited by Martha Farnsworth Riche (former Director of the U.S. Census Bureau) and Deirdre A. Gaquin, The Who, What, And Where Of America is an exhaustive, authoritative research and reference guide to understanding Census 2000 long form data (Summary File 3). Packed from cover to cover with tables of census data, as well as a demographic wealth of maps, charts, and lists of figures, The Who, What, And Where Of America is a solid, 1000 page reference and a "user friendly" resource which is most especially recommended for university and public libraries reference collections and professional demographer reference shelves.

Myth And History In The Creation Of Yellowstone National Park
Paul Schullery & Lee Whittlesey
University of Nebraska Press
233 North 8th Street, Lincoln, NE, 68588
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
0803243057 $22.00 1-800-755-1105

The collaborative effort of Paul Schullery (Professor of History, Montana State University) and Lee Whittlesey (Park Historian, National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park), Myth And History In The Creation Of Yellowstone National Park presents the complex and fascinating history behind the creation of the Yellowstone National Park. This unprecedented establishment came to be during the American Gilded Age, a time when corporate greed ran rampant and political altruism seemed almost extinct. Myths about the inception of Yellowstone National Park have persevered and found an enduring public acceptance, but the true story of the individuals behind the park's creation is actually one of flawed human beings with their own competing motives, and not necessarily pure-hearted conservational philosophies. Myth And History In The Creation Of Yellowstone National Park is a work of impressive scholarship and very highly recommended for university and community library American History collections.

Growth Of The American Revolution: 1766-1775
Bernhard Knollenberg
Liberty Fund, Inc.
8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300, Indianapolis, Indiana 46250-1684
www.libertyfund.org
0865974152 $28.00 1-800-955-8335

Very strongly recommended for academic and community library American History collections, Growth Of The American Revolution: 1766-1775 by Bernhard Knollenberg (Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University) is an impressively in-depth and informative study of American revolutionary history from the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 to the outbreak of violence at Lexington and Concord in 1775. Delineating key events and incorporating a discussion of the historiography, Growth Of The American Revolution: 1766-1775 is an expansive and scholarly work so heavily researched that the extensive notes to the chapters take up almost as many pages as the chapters themselves.


The Education Shelf

The Respectful School
Stephen L. Wessler with William Preble
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
0871207834 $23.95 1-800-933-2723

Collaboratively written by Stephen L. Wessler (a former state prosecutor and currently director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence) with the assistance of contributing author William Preble, The Respectful School: How Educators And Students Can Conquer Hate And Harassment addresses a pressing and endemic social problem of emotionally charged and vituperative public school atmospheres in which excessive teasing, racial slurs, and prejudice can (and all too often do) interfere with learning. Individual chapters specifically address how to most effectively work with student victims and their parents; how to confront perpetrators and their crimes; as well as the skills needed to enact effective intervention. The Respectful School is a very practical and empathetic manual which is a very strongly recommended addition to academic Education Library reference collections and for public educators charged with the responsibility for creating and maintaining a functionally effective "learning friendly" school environment - public or private!

Using Data To Improve Student Learning In Elementary Schools
Victoria L. Bernhardt, Ph.D.
Eye On Education
6 Depot Way West, Larchmont NY 10538
1930556608 $49.95 eyeoneducation.com

The first of a four book series concerning the analysis of data in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and across school districts, Using Data To Improve Student Learning In Elementary Schools by Victoria L. Bernhardt (Executive Director of Education for the Future Initiative) is a very highly recommended and in-depth resource to discerning such complex issues as how to focus on the most important data, using data to measure student learning, norm-referenced tests, the role of the administrator, and more. A useful and accessibly organized instructional guide to interpreting results and using the knowledge gained to improve education for all students, Using Data To Improve Student Learning In Elementary Schools is enhanced an accompanying CD-ROM with programs compatible with Windows or Macintosh OS.


The Sports Shelf

The Handbook Of Mascots And Nicknames
Peter J. Fournier
Raja and Associates
16807 Harrierridge Pl., Lithia, FL 33547
0974113603 $19.95 rajabooks.com

Compiled and organized by sports buff Peter J. Fournier, The Handbook Of Mascots And Nicknames is a straightforward reference listing nicknames and mascots of senior colleges, universities, junior colleges, and community colleges of the United States and Canada. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order for quick lookup in this fascinating reference which will prove invaluable for dedicated college and university sports fans everywhere!

The Crooked Path To Victory
Les Woodland
Cycle Publishing
KSB Promotions (publicity)
1282 7th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94122
www.cyclepublishing.com
1892495406 $16.95 1-877-353-1207

The Crooked Path To Victory: Drugs And Cheating In Professional Bicycle Racing by bicycling enthusiast Les Woodland examines the darker side of the sport of bicycle racing, including the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as some high- and low-profile deaths connected to such "doping", and the lies and schemes to hide such use from tightening competition controls. The Crooked Path To Victory is a hard-hitting and closely researched study of the grim realities of the drive to win at any cost.

The Long And The Short Of It
Andy North with Burton Rocks
Thomas Dunne Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
0312302886 $14.95 1-888-330-8477

Two-time United States Open champion and ESPN commentator Andy Roth pre-sents The Long And The Short Of It, a candidly personal memoir in which Andy shares his memories of growing up in general and his fond reminiscences on the great sport of golf in particular. Packed with insights to becoming a better golfer, as well as speculations on challenges facing the sport of golfing in the future, The Long And The Short Of It offers insightful commentary on multiple levels and is very highly recommended reading for all golfing enthusiasts from country club duffers to professional tour aspirants.


The Business Shelf

Meaningful Marketing
Doug Hall with Jeffrey Stamp, Ph.D.
Brain Brew Books/F&W Publications
Jane Wesman (publicity)
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236
155870681X $24.99 1-800-289-0963

The impressively collaborative effort of Dough Hall (CEO of the Ohio-based invention think tank Eureka! Ranch) and Jeffrey Stamp (Vice President of Research & Development, Eureka! Ranch), Meaningful Marketing is a practical, "user friendly", resource book which offers the reader 100 truths and 402 useful ideas to improve marketing, and move more product with less expenditure. A one hour audio CD complements and enhances the presentation of insightful and useful ideas, as well as caveats to guard against common mistakes and misconceptions. Meaningful Marketing is a superb resource for anyone considering, studying, or employed in the complex business of commercial marketing regardless of the products or services involved.

Digital Defense
Thomas J. Parenty
Harvard Business School Press
60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163
www.HBSPress.org
1578517796 $29.95 1-800-668-6780

Knowledgeably written by Thomas J. Parenty (a computer security expert of twenty years' experience), Digital Defense: What You Should Know About Protecting Your Company's Assets is a straightforward guide to protecting business information. Parenty stresses that it is the data itself, not the computers that store it, that is the most vital consideration when developing and implementing security systems and protocols. Digital Defense goes beyond such common measures as firewalls and virus protection software, to offers a corporate security process called the "Trust Framework" which is uniquely adapted and fine-tuned for the digital world. Simply put, Digital Defense is a "must-read" computer protection manual filled from cover to cover with invaluable and applicably technical information explained in terms expressly intended for non-specialist readers concerned with the security of their company's informational assets.

Administrative Assistant's And Secretary's Handbook
James Stroman, et.al.
Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
0814407846 $34.95 1-800-250-5308

This second edition of Administrative Assistant's And Secretary's Handbook has been completely revised with 10 new chapters to cover netiquette, Internet security ,office ergonomics and other modern-day concerns of secretaries and office personnel. From Internet travel planning and PDAs to computer applications common to office procedures, Administrative Assistant's And Secretary's Handbook provides an important reference not to be missed by any serious professional.

Mr. Shmooze
Richard Abraham
The Richard Abraham Company
Gulotta Communications (publicity)
700 Commerce Drive, 5th floor, Oak Brook, IL 60523
No ISBN $19.95 www.booktours.com

Knowledgeably written by expert real estate marketer Richard Abraham, Mr. Shmooze: The Art And Science Of Selling Through Relationships is an anecdote-packed guide to using the powers of listening, understanding, empathy, humor, relationships, and fun to greatly enhance and motivate the relationship between vendor and client. A highly enjoyable read for all, Mr. Shmooze is especially recommended reading for anyone interested in the sales as a career -- and the charisma it demands of its most successful practitioners.

The Transparency Edge
Barbara Pagano & Elizabeth Pagano
McGraw-Hill Book Company
Jane Wesman (publicity)
Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121
www.books.mcgraw-hill.com
0071422544 $19.95 1-800-722-4726

Co-written by Barbara Pagano (President of Executive Pathways - a company specializing in leadership and team development) and award-winning journalist and business reporter Elizabeth Pagano, The Transparency Edge: How Credibility Can Make Or Break You In Business is an expert guide to crafting and implementing the power of a "clear and open" business policy. The priceless value of an impeccable reputation, and how to cultivate favorable word-of-mouth for lasting success using nine key behaviors form the core of this invaluable and very highly recommended resource for those charged with insuring the success of their enterprise.


The Photography Shelf

Starting Your Career As A Freelance Photographer
Tad Crawford
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St. #510, NY, NY 10010
1581152809 $19.95 1-800-491-2808

Talented with a camera? Check out Starting Your Career As A Freelance Photographer, a basic guide to beginning a freelance photography career, which covers everything from skills needed to equipment, locating clients, and building portfolios of successful projects. The meat of Starting Your Career As A Freelance Photographer lies in its photography-specific business savvy, from negotiating contacts and pricing to studio management.

Vanished Kingdoms
Mabel H. Cabot
Aperture
20 E. 23rd St., New York NY 10010
1931788081 $35.00 1-800-929-2323

In the early 1920s, explorer Janet Wulsin and her husband Frederick journeyed the far reaches of China and Tibet to study the people and the lands of these remote regions the photos from their expedition come to life in this collection, along with several dozen hand-painted lantern slides that appear in color. Vanished Kingdomsis a rich archive of treasures which charts the findings and peoples of a bygone world. Any serious collection of Asian treasures both art and cultural will find Vanished Kingdoms an essential addition, unparalleled in scope and coverage.

The American Barn
David Plowden
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
www.wwnorton.com
0393025578 $50.00 1-800-233-4830

Photographed, compiled, and presented by David Plowden, The American Barn is a grand, black-and-white photographic survey and showcasing of classic barns across America -- many of which are disappearing in an increasingly urbanized world of agribusiness and suburban sprawl. A brief introduction complements a majority of the photos comprising this visually impressive tribute, which is devoted to nothing but full-page photographic images. A gorgeous coffee table book The American Barn is recommended academic and community library photography collections as well as to rural architecture buffs with a special interest in barns.


The Environmental Studies Shelf

Visible Bones
Jack Nisbet
Sasquatch Books
119 S. Main St. #400, Seattle, WA 98104
1570613761 $23.95 1-800-775-0817

This impressive survey of the Columbia River country concerns the journey of a fossil trilobite, the disappearance of condors, and other altered landscapes of the America Northwest. Author Jack Nisbet's intention in Visible Bones is to show how varied relics of the past have been altered over time: geology and changes blend with human records of change, taken from ship logs, field journals and news accounts, to make for a strong portrait of a dynamic, changing landscape.

Thermageddon
Robert Hunter
Arcade
141 Fifth Avenue, 8th fl., NY, NY 10010
www.arcadepub.com
1559706678 $24.95 1-800-759-0190

Robert Hunter has earned his place along side such eco-heroes like Rachael Carson and Jaques Cousteau, as the co-founder of Greenpeace. In Thermageddon Hunter persuasively argues that around 2030 the climate change will be irreversible what he calls "thermageddon" and reviews evidence to support this theory. Included is a discussion of the role each North American plays in contributing towards global warming patterns in the world. A moving call for action, backed by facts.

Island Press
1718 Connecticut Ave. NW #300, Washington, DC 20009-1148
1-800-828-1302 www.amazon.com

The eco-environmental coverages published by Island Press are not to be missed. Richard Ellis' Empty Ocean (1559639741, $26.00) tells of how careless harvesting has lead to numerous extinctions. The technological progression of hunting and fishing has lead to depletion but Ellis uses his narrative skills not to lecture, but to present informed vignettes on sea life and human interaction. The result is a cautionary note which lacks the usual excitable aura of fanaticism. Michael Glantz's Climate Affairs A Primer (1559639199, $18.95) argues that governments attempting to develop coping strategies for climate variability are in effect developing new international laws for climate management. From military incidents to social changes, this packs in some important assessments of climate affairs and global issues.


The Cookbook Shelf

World Hospitality Cookbook
Erma Sider
Dan & Betty Harman, Eds.
Evangel Publishing
PO Box 189, Nappanee, IN 46550
1928915345 $16.95 1-800-253-9315

A convenient concealed wire-o spiral binding makes it easy to both lie flat and locate World Hospitality Cookbook on a table or shelf, lending to its use in kitchen and library alike. Menus and insights on hospitality around the world include plenty of social and Christian insights as World Hospitality Cookbook presents easy and authentic local dishes.

Feast
Roy Strong
Harcourt
15 E. 26th St., New York NY 10010
0151007586 $35.00 1-800-543-1918

Roy Strong's Feast is inviting history of grand eating examines the social history and cultural phenomenon of entertaining and feasts; from its early heyday in the 9th century when a Babylonian emperor invited 70,000 guests for dinner, to modern times. Engaging historic black and white photos pepper a culinary history which provides plenty of insights on the background and evolution of the idea of the feast and the culinary celebration of food.

Everyday Greens
Annie Somerville
Scribners/Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl., New York, NY 10020
0743216253 $40.00 1-800-223-2336

Another wonderful vegetarian presentation reveals more dishes from Greens, the vegetarian restaurant, and provides enthusiasts with the first Greens book in a decade. Annie Somerville's Everyday Greens showcases main-dish salads, soups and casseroles which lie at the very heart of good vegetarian cooking. Everyday Greens presents feasts which sound exotic and may require a minimum of unusual ingredients, but which are a cut above any competing vegetarian guide.

Robert Rose/Firefly, dist.
155 East 34th Street, #5B, NY, NY 10016

Two excellent cookbooks from Robert Rose are highly recommended picks. Julie Hasson's 125 Best Chocolate Chip Recipes (0778800725, $18.95) covers creative dishes ranging from cakes, pies and breads to hot beverages and sauces. The author's provided her personal twist to many common recipes and turned them into extraordinary presentations in this highly recommended book. Katherine Younker edits America's Everyday Diabetes Cookbook (0778800644, $18.95), a guide for the entire family. From Orange-Basil Chicken Stir-Fry to Sheperd's Pie with Creamy Corn Filling, this packs in dishes and nutritional details to make it easy to follow.

Bittersweet
Alice Medrich
Artisan
708 Broadway, New York NY 10003
1579651607 $35.00 1-800-722-7202

Bittersweet by Alice Medrich offers the wisdom of thirty years of thinking about and working with chocolate. Bittersweet blends a memoir with a virtual treasure trove of ideas on working with chocolate and using new chocolates successfully in most recipes, includes a primer of terms and ingredients, and is especially invaluable in its troubleshooting sections on what to do with finicky chocolate recipe problems. A lovely gift presentation, Bittersweet is very highly recommended -- as much for its appealing descriptions and insights as for its recipes.

Harvard Common Press
535 Albany St., Boston MA 02118

Four outstanding new presentations provide wonderful introductions and recipe-packed collections. James Villas' Crazy For Casseroles (1558322175, $18.95) includes recipes for a wide range of savory dishes, from a Yukon Gold Potato and Goat Cheese Casserole to David's Chicken, Ham, Artichoke and Pasta Casserole and Country Ham, Spinach and Mozzarella Strata. Loaded with appealing, different casseroles which are quick and fresh. Clifford Wright's Little Foods Of The Mediterranean (1558322272, $21.95) provides over five hundred recipes for appetizers, snacks, and street foods. From Artichoke Bottoms Stuffed with Tuna to Sweet Bell Pepper Squares with Lebanese Crushed Cheese, this uses ingredients available in most any grocery store and provides some unusual combinations. Maria Baez Kijac's South American Table (1558322493, $19.95) covers home cooking dishes from Patagonia to Rio, packing in almost five hundred dishes ranging from a traditional Brazilian Black Beans with Smoked and Fresh Meats to Spicy Mashed Chickpeas. Some dishes require a good amount of preparation; others are quick and simple. Judith Fertig's All American Desserts (1558321918, $18.95) provides a rich selection of sweets with special regional appeals, from a Wild Plum Jelly Roll with Lemon Curd Filling to Wisconsin Cheddar-Crusted Apple Pie and Warm Grits Pudding with Roasted Apples. Ellen Wright's Around The Table (1558322523, $27.95) provides over twenty seasonal menus designed for easy entertaining. Her menus offer ideas for almost any occasion and are elegant without being overbearing. All of these cookbooks feature dishes which are anything but common fare.

Donner Party Cookbook
Terry Del Bene, Ph.D.
Horse Creek Publications, Inc.
4500 Highland Hills Drive, Norman, OK 73026
www.horsecreekpublications.com
0972221735 $15.95 1-405-364-9647

In The Donner Party Cookbook, anthropologist and archaeologist Terry A. Del Bene applies a dark humor with his accurate representation of 19th century cooking as reflected by the doomed Donner Party of 1846-1847. Deftly blending history, anecdotes, and recipes that have withstood the test of time, this unique and absorbing culinary tour of a bit of American frontier history is especially recommended for its authenticity and presentation style. From Rabbit; Gruel; and Brain Stew, to Bacon and Rice; Scrapple; and Carrot Coffee, the narration and recipes offers a glimpse of life and cooking on the westward trails of over a century ago, making The Donner Party Cookbook a superb read and a prized addition to dedicated cookbook collectors.

Lasagna: The Art Of Layered Cooking
Dwayne Ridgaway
Laurel Glenn
c/o Advantage Publishers Group
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
1592231551 $15.95 1-800-788-3123

Lasagna: The Art Of Layered Cooking by food and beverage consultant Dwayne Ridgaway is a mouth-watering compendium of varieties of lasagna, ranging from restaurant-quality one-serving entrees; to easy-to-make dishes filled with homestyle memories; to vegetarian lasagnas; to a diversity of flavorful varieties of lasagna including Greek-Style Lamb, Eggplant, Mexican Black Bean, and more. Full-color photographs throughout illustrate these sumptuous recipes that come fully equipped with explicit preparation instructions ideal for even the most novice of kitchen cooks.

Tasty, Quick, Cheap & Easy Cookbook
William Hincher
Pex Publishing
8625 Boysenberry Drive, Tampa, FL 33635-6202
0933767056 $14.95

To put it simply, William Hincher's Tasty, Quick, Cheap & Easy Cookbook clearly lives up to its title. This outstanding and thoroughly "kitchen cook friendly" collection of recipes are as quick and easy to make as they are budget friendly, palate pleasing, and appetite satisfying. From Salt and Pepper Sticks; Triple-Bean Salad; Cinderella's Magic Quiche; and Chicken-Cauliflower Delight; to Budget Stroganoff; Fish Peasant Style; Deep-Dish Country Custard; and Magic Cookie Bars, this spiral bound compendium of do-it-yourself recipes would grace any kitchen cookbook collection and soon become a family favorite recipe when budgets are tight and time is at a premium.

Panntree Press
PO Box 221, Ithaca, NY 14851
1-800-431-1579 www.panntree.com

Culinary innovator and expert Portia Little as compiled a series of fun and tasty recipes in five, spiral bound, pocket sized, enthusiastically recommended specialty cookbooks. Recipes, Roses & Rhyme (09-66306600, $6.95) is a collection of easy recipes ranging from Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake; Orange Marmalade Chicken; and Hot Mulled Cider, combined with romantic love poems. Lusty Limericks & Luscious Desserts (0966306643, $6.95) showcases a collection of succulent sweets and saucy sentiments that range from Chocolate Mousse Pie with Raspberry Sauce and Cherry Dessert Quickie; to Pineapple Chiffon Cake, and Irish Coffee Pie. New England Seashore Recipes & Rhymes 0966306627, $6.95) deftly counter posts New England poetry with New England recipes ranging from Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream; to Oven Fish Chowder; to Quick Zucchini Pancakes; to Sparkling Cranberry Punch. The Easy Vegetarian (0966306619, $6.95) is dedicated to adaptations of vegetarian and vegan recipes based on readily available ingredients set off by thematically appropriate quotations about vegetarianism and nature. Finger Lakes: Food, Fact & Fancy (0966306651, $6.95) showcases Upstate New York regional recipes ranging from Finger Lakes Grape Pie and Smoky Waldorf Chicken Sandwich, to Prosciutto with Pears and Mushroom Munchies, with each recipe nicely framed by food factoids and culinary anecdotes. All five titles are ideal for gift giving and party favors.

The Official Guide To Wine Snobbery
Leonard S. Bernstein
Barricade Books, Inc.
185 Bridge Plaza North, Suite 308-A, Fort Lee, NJ 07024
www.barricadebooks.com
1569802610 $17.50 1-800-592-6657

The Official Guide To Wine Snobbery by Leonard S. Bernstein is an amiably and expertly written guide to everything from how to properly hold a wine glass, to matching foods and wines, to popular controversies surrounding wines and their tasting, and a great deal more. Informed and informative, The Official Guide To Wine Snobbery is an enjoyable, accessible, 160-page instructional guide which is especially recommended for non-specialist general readers with an interest in the pastime and culture of wine tasting.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Messianic Hopes And Mystical Visions
Shahzad Bashir
University of South Carolina Press
937 Assembly Street, 8th Floor, Columbia, SC 29208
1570034958 $49.95 1-800-768-2500

Messianic Hopes And Mystical Visions: The Nurbakhshiya Between Medieval And Modern Islam by Shahzad Bashir (Assistant Professor of Religion, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota) is an impressively in-depth study of the Nurbakhshiya sect of Islam, which originated in fifteenth-century Iran and survives to the modern day in Pakistan and India. From a detailed biography of founder Muhammad Nurbakhsh (d. 1464); to the world view of this Islamic sect; to its eventual transplantation into Kashmir, Messianic Hopes And Mystical Visions is a meticulous and scholarly account which is a very highly recommended contribution for Islamic studies reference shelves and reading lists.

Islam In A Globalizing World
Thomas W. Simons, Jr.
Stanford University Press
1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1124
0804748330 $14.95 www.sup.org

Islam In A Globalizing World by Thomas W. Simons, Jr. (Consulting Professor, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University) is offers groundbreaking insights into the contemporary crises and historical roots of Islam in an contemporary era of globalization. Strenuously arguing that present-day Islamic terrorists can and will be increasingly marginalized as Islam progresses toward modernity, and providing an overview of the diverse changes which emerged during the eras comprising the first thousand years of Islam (when Islam itself was a force for globalization), down to the modern day, when revolutions of "blood and iron" placed other powers at the forefront of the globalization trend, Islam In A Globalizing World is an exceptional work of insight and a highly recommended contribution to Islamic Studies.


The Musicbook Shelf

Release The Butterfly
Robert Murray Diefendorf
Butterfly Press
150 John Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
www.releasethebutterfly.com
097298870X $15.95 1-609-252-9257

Release The Butterfly: A Manifesto For Change In The Studio is an informed and informative aid to the heart and spirit of studying music or any other creative learning pursuit. Humorous anecdotes from the life of author Robert Murray Diefendorf (a professional pianist and teacher); proverbs of how important it is never to give up; and ponderings that transcend the physical world fill the pages of this inspirational and enthusiastically recommended work.

Disco Divas
Sherrie Inness, Editor
University of Pennsylvania Press
4200 Pine Street, 3rd floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4011
0812218418 $19.95 1-800-445-9880

This study of women divas of the disco world of the 1970s provides a rare opportunity to examine the divas of the era, commenting on how the mass media and women's movements of the times changed women's lives and perceptions. From changed, genderized political concepts to TV shows and changing women's images in soap operas and features, Disco Divas provides a women's studies history which is essential to understanding the changes American women faced during the 1970s era.

Amadeus Press
133 SW 2nd Ave., Portland, OR 97204
www.halleonard.com www.amazon.com

Two outstanding music book/cd combinations provide lively histories of genres punctuated by musical interludes via the cd. Habib Hassan Touma's Music Of The Arabs (1574670816, $22.95) provides a readable introduction to Arabic music and includes a music cd profiling several traditional Arabic pieces performed by contemporary musicians. Chapters cover secular art music, Wazn rhythmic music, and the musical instruments and cultural identity wrapped up in Arabic styles. Robin Totton's Song Of The Outcasts (1574670808, $19.95) provides a cd sampler of flamenco music along with a discussion of the Gypsies, vocabulary, and song forms of the genre. From the guitar style to the dance and its future, this provides an excellent coverage. Both are highly recommended reads.

Jerry Herman: The Lyrics
Jerry Herman & Ken Bloom
Routledge
29 W. 35th St., New York NY 10001
0415967686 $35.00 1-800-634-7064

This celebration of Jerry Herman's works gathers all the famous lyrics by the composer of Hello Dolly, La Cage Aux Folles, and joins them with his memories and comments. The result is a lively discourse blending previously unpublished lyrics with production photos and a special cd of Michael Feinstein performing Herman's favorite songs. Fans of Broadway shows in general and Herman in particular will relish this memoir and songbook.

Coffin's Sounds Of Singing
Berton Coffin
Scarecrow Press, Inc.
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
0810844184 $34.95 scarecrowpress.com

Now in its second edition, Coffin's Sounds Of Singing: Principles And Applications Of Vocal Techniques With Chromatic Vowel Chart by Berton Coffin is an extensive instructional concerning vocal techniques for the advanced singer. A strongly recommended addition to professional and academic vocal music instructional reference collections, Coffin's Sounds Of Singing is an in-depth informational compendium concerning the production of resonating notes, and is informatively enhanced with interviews with expert teachers, diagrams, exercises and more, clearly marking it as a professional quality reference and instructional aide.

How To Succeed In An Ensemble
Abram Loft
Amadeus Press
512 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
1574670786 $24.95 halleonard.com

How To Succeed In An Ensemble: Reflections On A Life In Chamber Music by Abram Loft (Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester), is a combination personal memoir and practical advice sourcebook written by an impressively accomplished musician and educator who spent a quarter century in ensemble life with the Fine Arts. Individual chapters wonderfully illustrate such issues as overcoming hurdles to join quartets or ensembles; dealing with reviews; rehearsal difficulties; settling in to a new life of teaching chamber music; and a great deal more. An intriguing study, How To Succeed In An Ensemble is most especially recommended for aspiring musicians seriously considering pursuing a career in ensemble music.

Rock Guitar Chords And Accompaniment
Yoichi Arakawa
Six Strings Music Publishing
PO Box 7718, Torrance, CA 90504-9118
www.sixstringsmusicpub.com
1891370138 $15.95 1-800-784-0203

Rock Guitar Chords And Accompaniment by guitar expert Yoichi Arakawa is a methodical, step-by-step, technically flawless instructional guide to playing rock-rhythm guitar music. Filled from cover to cover with a variety of appropriate guitar chords, exercises, instructions for performing accompaniment patterns such as fingerstyle, comping, and riffs, music examples, sample songs, and more, Rock Guitar Chords And Accompaniment is confidently recommended as being a truly first-rate self-teaching tool or as a supplement to professional instruction curriculum materials. Also very highly recommended for personal and professional guitar instruction reference collections are Yochi Arakawa's previous instructional guides from by Six Strings Music Publishing: Guitar Chords And Accompaniment; More Guitar Chords And Accompaniment; Jazz Guitar Chords And Accompaniment; More Jazz Guitar Chords And Accompaniment; Country Guitar Chords And Accompaniment.; and Blues Guitar Chords And Accompaniment.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

The Jewish-christian Schism Revisited
John Howard Yoder
Michael G. Cartwright & Peter Ochs, eds
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
255 Jefferson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
www.eerdmans.com
0802813623 $30.00 1-800-253-7521

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Michael G. Cartwright and Peter Ochs, The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited is a posthumous collection of essays by John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) "revisiting" the Jewish-Christian split in the light of Yoder's primary thesis that the schism "did not have to be". The editors place Yoder's discourse within the context of dialogue with Rabbi Steven S. Schwarzschild. Examining the whole debate in light of theological understanding of what it means to be Christian, Jewish, or a "missionary" people, The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisited is a welcome and engaging contribution to Judeo/Christian Religious Studies collections and supplemental reading lists.

God Makes The Rivers To Flow
Eknath Easwaran, editor
Nilgiri Press
PO Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971
1586380087 $16.95 1-800-475-2369

Compiled and edited by Eknath Easwaran, God Makes The Rivers To Flow: Sacred Literature Of The World collects meditation passages, poetry, prose, and more of life-affirming writings drawn from the diverse religious traditions of the East and West. An eclectic collection of religious literature spanning continents, centuries, and divergent faiths, God Makes The Rivers To Flow is deeply inspirational and a highly recommended addition to Interfaith Religious Studies collections and Personal Spirituality reading lists.


The American History Shelf

Judgment Without Trial
Tetsuden Kashima
University of Washington Press
PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145-5096
0295982993 $35.00 1-206-543-4050

Judgment Without Trial is a college-level survey of Japanese American imprisonment during World War II and reveals that even before Pearl Harbor, the US government was making plans for the eventual internment of the Japanese American population. Newly discovered records traces this back to the 1920s and plans to prepare for a possible war with Japan. This plus new information on experiences of people of Japanese descent in the Justice and War Departments' camps for internees from Alaska, Hawaii and Latin America makes for an important, different guide which blends diaries, contemporary sources, and official communications in a revealing history.

The Weaver's Craft
Adrienne D. Hood
University of Pennsylvania Press
4200 Pine Street, Philadelphia PA 19104
www.upenn.edu/pennpress
0812237358 $35.00 1-800-445-9880

The Weaver's Craft: Cloth, Commerce, And Industry In Early Pennsylvania is a thoughtful and scholarly study by academician, historian, and museum curator Adrienne D. Hood, of the development of cloth manufacture in Pennsylvania from the seventeenth century to the dawn of the industrial age. Combining primary sources and a quantitative approach, The Weaver's Craft focuses especially on the textile markets that became so wide-ranging they were virtually a precursor to the modern globalized age. Recommended for both academic and community library collections, The Weaver's Craft will prove of immense interest for scholars, crafts workers, and non-specialist general readers alike.


The Computer Shelf

Rescue & Relief For Computer Users
Gini Maddocks, LMT
Good Natures Publishing
211 South Elm St., #E, Oxford, OH 45056
0971440700 $21.95 Holisticmatters.net

Rescue & Relief For Computer Users And Those At Risk of Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI) by Gini Maddocks is a holistic oriented self-care manual filled with self-massage, 2 second stretches, and breathing techniques to help the reader prevent and cope with the stresses, pain, and injuries of repetitive motion. Including full-color illustrations and brief yet effective stretching techniques for all parts of the body, from head and neck to fingers and ankles, as well as holistic healing tips and advice, Rescue & Relief For Computer Users is presented in a completely user-friendly format and features a spiral binding with the option of being vertically stood and displayed on the desk where one works. If you sit at a computer keyboard all day -- then you will need your very own copy of Gini Maddocks' Rescue & Relief For Computer Users!

Osborne/McGraw-Hill
2100 Powell Str., Emeryville, CA 94608
1-800-722-4726 www.amazon.com

How To Do Everything With Microsoft Office 2003 (0072229373; 480 pp, $24.99) by Laurie Ulrich (who has trained more than 10,000 people to use Office, and is well versed at explaining complex concepts to a varied audience) coherently explains the spate of splashy new buttons, menus, and colors, and shows how to maximize significant new features and functions of Office, including XML support, SmartTags, and more. The collaborative effort of Martin Matthews & Erik Poulson, Microsoft Office Frontpage 2003: The Complete Reference (0072229403, 800 pp, $39.99) makes it easy to create and manage professional-quality Web sites. Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003: The Complete Reference explains how to use this popular Web authoring tool to build a simple Web site from scratch, or design and manage a complicated e-commerce site using the latest tools, processes, and features. Noel Jerke's Microsoft Office Access 2003 Professional Results (0072229659, 400 pp, $34.99) is an advanced guide which authoritatively shows how to create and manage a robust Access database. Micro-soft Office Access 2003 Professional Results provides full coverage of all the new features, including Smart Tags and enhanced XML support, and demonstrates how to write advanced queries with the query wizard and the design view, import and export data, program with Web Matrix and .NET, and build Access Data Projects with SQL Server. Database backup and security issues are also ably covered. Virginia Anderson's Microsoft Office Access 2003: The Complete Reference (0072229-179; 752 pp, $39.99) comprehensively explains how to store, retrieve, and present accurate information effectively. Micro-soft Office Access 2003: The Complete Reference also provides an understanding of basic database concepts as well as intermediate to advanced database design and programming.

Applying Enterprise JavaBeans
Vlada Matena, et al.
Addison-Wesley Professional
75 Arlington St., #300, Boston, MA 02116
0201914662 $44.99 awprofessional.com

Now in its second edition updated to take into account changes in the EJB 2.1 specification, Applying Enterprise JavaBeans: Component-Based Development For The J2EE Platform is the collaborative effort of computer experts Vlada Matena, Sanjeev Krishnan, Linda DeMichiel and Beth Stearns, and the latest in "The Java Series" of instructional computer programming books endorsed an authored by the creators of Java technology at Sun Microsystems, Inc. Covering support for Java Web services, security management, message-driven beans and integrating with Java Message Service, transaction management, EJB query language, and much more, Applying Enterprise JavaBeans is a hands-on, example-filled, highly practical and enthusiastically recommended instructional and reference resource.

Absolute OpenBSD
Michael W. Lucas
No Starch Press
555 De Haro Street, #250, San Francisco, CA 94107
1886411999 $39.95 www.nostarch.com

Absolute OpenBSD is a thorough and comprehensive instructional guide by Michael W. Lucas to the most secure operating system in the world, with fewer holes than any version of Linux or Windows, and developed expressly for its correctness, security, and reliability, free for any use or purpose. Individual chapters offer a straightforward guide to installing and configuring Open BSD, implementing its unique security features, building flexible customized firewalls, encrypting filesystems, upgrading painlessly, and much more. Absolute OpenBSD is a very highly recommended and distinctly "user friendly" resource for OpenBSD users everywhere.

Sams Publishing
201 W 103rd St Indianapolis, IN 46290
www.mcp.com www.amazon.com

Two outstanding new titles from Sams Publishing are highly desirable additions to any self-directed computer studies reference collection. Robert Love's Linux Kernel Development (0672325128, $44.99, 600 pages, Intermediate - Advanced user level) details the design and implementation of the new Linux 2.6 kernel, presenting the content in a manner that is beneficial to those who wish to write and develop kernel code. Important computer science and operating system design details are also addressed, resulting in a not-to-be-missed addition to dedicated Linux users personal and professional reference shelf. The collaborative effort of Erik Rubin and Ronnie Yates, Microsoft .NET Compact Framework Kick Start (067232-5705, $34.99, 384 pages, Intermediate - Advanced user level) nicely bridges the gap between .NET and .NET Compact Framework development. This well organized and confidently recommended instructional reference compendium contains in-depth treatments in Windows Forms and Threading, Network Programming, ADO.NET Dataset, XML Serialization, SQL CE, Web Services, and performance management. Each concept is accompanied with a sample application that illustrates its implementation on the .NET Compact Framework.


The Gaming Shelf

The Games We Played
Margaret Hofer
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003
1568983972 $24.95 1-800-722-6657

Board game have long been a family passtime, and this history of the board game will intrigue any who enjoy games. Bright full-page color photos of vintage board and table games accompany descriptions of their themes and history. Games are organized around themes chapters survey a surprising one hundred of popular American games, drawn from over five hundred given to the New York Historical Society by Arthur and Ellen Liman, flea market devotees who amassed a large collection. Highly recommended for collectors and game enthusiasts alike: The Games We Played is a perfect gift pick for the Christmas season!


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

Deadly Divots
Gene Breaznell
Bridge Works/NBN, dist.
PO Box 1798, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
188259374X $23.95 1-800-462-6420

Deadly Divots is a suspenseful murder mystery centered about the golf course of an exclusive Long Island country club. Touches of golf humor will appeal to fans of the sport, while conflicting motives and intrigues flavor the meat of the mystery itself. A fascinating whodunit with a twist, Deadly Divots documents Gene Breaznell as a first class author and a master of the mystery/suspense genre.

Brown-on-Brown
Manuel Ramos
University of New Mexico Press
1720 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
0826331696 $21.95 1-800-249-7737

Denver defense attorney Luis is hired by a wealthy land-owner and rancher to defend his son, arrested on felony arson and murder charges, and also finds his case lies at the heart of water wars where private landowners go up against big water companies. When the son is killed in a jail riot, the plot thickens with unpredictable twists and turns in Brown-on-Brown, a riveting story blending social issues and mystery.

A Rendezvous With Death
W. Y. Boyd
Elton-Wolf Publishing
2505 Second Avenue Suite 515, Seattle, Washington 98121
1586190466 $21.95 elton-wolf.com

Engagingly written by W. Y. Boyd (a WW II veteran who served as a combat infantryman in Europe), A Rendezvous With Death is a historical fiction murder mystery which set in the European battlefields of World War II. When an American soldier and a civilian woman are murdered, Second Lieutenant Charles Donnelly must ferret out the truth of who did the deed and why - yet when the trail points to one of his fellow officers, it is his own life which is in grave peril. A Rendezvous With Death is suspenseful, original, and very highly recommended reading.


The Poetry Shelf

Poetry Of Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Farrar Straus Giroux
19 Union Square West, NY, NY 10003
0374299951 $40.00 1-888-330-8477

Poetry Of Pablo Neruda isn't just another slim coverage of poet Neruda's works: it's a definitive, comprehensive collection which makes available in a single volume of English nearly six hundred of his works, many in new translation, and many accompanied by the Spanish original. This sourcebook is an essential addition to any collection seeking a comprehensive gathering of Neruda's achievements under one cover: a 'must' for any college-level collection and many a public library holding.

A History Of Color
Stanley Moss
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013
1583224858 $17.95 sevenstories.com

Stanley Moss' A History Of Color is an impressively presented and highly recommended poetry anthology emphasizing intellectual exploration and contemplation. Subtle shifts of mood distinguish the free-verse reflections on the absurdities and contradictions of life. The Return: It was justice to see her nude haunches/backing toward me again after the years,/familiar as water after long thirst./Now like a stream she is, and I can lie beside/running my hand over the waters, or sleep;/but the water is colder, the gullies darker,/the rapids that threw me down have shallowed;/I can walk across.

Verses In The Key Of Solitude
Asikele Richard Arabome
House of Madzaland Inc.
323 Cherrier, L'lle Bizard, QC, H9C 1E8 Canada
0973144602 $17.50 www.madzaland.com

Verses In The Key Of Solitude is a collection of free-verse poetry by inspirational singer, songwriter, and African-American author Asikele Richard Arabome. Starkly vivid imagery and meditative contemplations on human values, emotions, and the inner conflicts of good and evil permeate this memorable collection. Hurry: What waste we permit?/Romancing discord in a hurry/I wish we lived through it/Conceding to the cries, the sorry,/The weeping/Of countless souls whipped to the bone/And discarded like cards/Strewn beneath the belly of a dump,/Rotten from neglect,/An utter disrespect/For that life, that memory/Disregarded in a hurry.

Complications Of The Heart
Nancy Naomi Carlson
Texas Review Press/Texas A & M, dist.
PO Box 2146, English Department
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341-2146
1881515567 $8.00 1-800-826-8911

Winner of the 2002 Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize, Complications Of The Heart is a selection of emotionally moving free-verse of experienced poet and community writers' group runner Nancy Naomi Carlson. Stream-of-consciousness style enthusiasm often marks the flowing imagery of her highly recommended work. Awaking to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons": The deer must wonder at this frosted sunrise,/salt lick iced over, each linden limb doubled/in weight, each blade of grass enclosed/in its own sheath that splinters underfoot/beneath a patchwork of Halloween leaves/gathered like souls unearthed and ambered./Her lover pulls her back under the quilt/and fingers the length of her sternum/as if burnishing a Chinese flute/recovered after nine thousand years,/made from the wing bone of an extinct bird./"Music of the spheres," he whispers and plays/the sun of middle "G," then Venus,/Mercury, the elements of fire, water, and air/sealed to the end, down to earth,/and still she burns, and she burns, and burns.

Iron Fever
Stephan Torre
Lost Horse Press
9327 South Cedar Rim Lane, Spokane, WA 99224
0971726531 $16.95 losthorsepress.org

Iron Fever & Other Poems is a free-verse collection by award-winning poet Stephan Torre. Thoughts on wilderness, daily work in rural dwellings, conflicts over gender and privilege, and human greed and conflict over land ownership mark this insightful collection. Core Testing: If suffering puts root hairs/into a hardening mesh of nerves//and swells into an invisible/weight hanging on the torso,//the way burl or conk bulges on a trunk/some milky dream fluid gone wild birdseye//or gray and rubbery, pulling the body/slightly off to one side... If the heart had rings//and you could stare into the stump/before falling, maybe you could tell//from its simple labor, when craving/kinks veins and ganglia into blind//pockets, maybe you could reach in, hear/the hours pumping, pinch the soft amber//marbles of blood, and taste/the citrus of nothingness.


The World History Shelf

The Christian Solider
Robert Thomas Fallon, editor
Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Arizona State University
PO Box 872508, Tempe, AZ 85287-2508
0866983015 $35.00 1-480-727-6503

Researched, compiled and edited by Robert Fallon (Professor Emeritus, Lasalle University, Philadelphia), The Christian Solider is an inherently fascinating and scholastically important primary source consisting of religious tracts published for soldiers on both sides of the English Civil Wars from 1642 to 1648. Hallmarked by a carefully annotated scholarship, The Christian Solider offers insight into the justifications used to resolve the seeming paradox of having a Christian faith while employing a deadly sword, then contemporary views upon royalty, and so much more. A revealing glimpse into history, religion, and human psychology, The Christian Soldier is an impressive and strongly recommended contribution to British History reference collections.

A Brief History Of India
Alain Danielou
Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767
0892819235 $25.00 1-800-246-8648

This thoroughly "reader friendly" history of India provides a synthesis of events and a survey of the development of India's civilization, social system, and diversity of cultures, races, languages and religions. In examining the changing trends of the country Danielou also creates an intriguing survey of how India's courses have affected the world.

Leaving Earth
Robert Zimmerman
Joseph Henry Press
c/o National Academies Press
500 Fifth St, NW, Washington, DC 20001
0309085489 $27.95 www.jhpress.org

Award-winning essayist Robert Zimmerman presents Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, And The Quest For Interplanetary Travel, the scientific and historical saga of humanity's efforts to reach out into the cosmos, and ranges from the space satellites of the Cold War era; to modern-day exploits and advances in the exploration of space; the efforts and tragedies of NASA, and more. A seamless recounting of methodical discoveries and political maneuverings alike, Leaving Earth is a super contemporary history and a welcome contribution to the History of Science reference collections in general, and Space Exploration reading lists in particular.

Gold Warriors
Sterling Seagrave & Peggy Seagrave
Verso
180 Varick St 10th fl. NY NY 10014-4606
1859845428 $26.00 versobooks.com

Gold Warriors: America's Secret Recovery Of Yamashita's Gold is the little known historical saga of the riches and wealth that the Japan military had plundered from Asia during World War II. An astonishing treasure trove which was hastily hidden in the Philippines as the Japanese were being beaten back by American forces. Astonishingly, when this hoard of plundered gold was recovered, it was President Harry Truman who chose to keep these riches secret in order to use them to finance the Cold War struggle against Communism. Enhanced with including almost 100 pages of endnotes for reference and documentation, Gold Warriors is a thoroughly researched, impressively presented, historically factual, highly recommended account of Cold War Era greed and deliberately calculated hoarding. This is clearly a case of history being stranger than any Hollywood fiction.

Act Of Creation
Stephen C. Schlesinger
Westview Press/Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
www.westviewpress.com
0813333245 $27.50 1-800-242-7737

Act Of Creation: A Story Of Superpowers, Secret Agents, Wartime Allies And Enemies And Their Quest For A Peaceful World by Stephen C. Schlesinger (former speech writer and foreign policy advisor to New York Governor Mario Cuomo), is an informed and informative study of the foundation of the United Nations, and diverse nations (some who had been formally hostile to one another during the horrific years of World War II) came together in their struggle to create a world where nations settled their difference in discussion rather than on the battlefield. An in-depth and detailed saga of nations and individuals, closely researched in accordance with an impeccable scholarship, and superbly organized for contemporary readers, Act Of Creation is a welcome contribution to Political History reference collections and International Studies reading lists.

Capital Books Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Dr, Sterling, VA 20166
1-800-758-3756 www.capital-books.com

The Amateur Historian's Guide To Medieval & Tudor London (1892123320, $20.00) by Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble looks at English history between 1066 and 1600 and offers a plethora of insights along with touring and travel trips to make a London visit more enjoyable for any with an interest in the medieval era. Trivia tidbits, a lighthearted tone, and practical information concerning various historic institutions open for visitors make The Amateur Historian's Guide To Medieval & Tudor London a fun and practical guide. Also very highly recommended is Sarah Valente Kettler and Carole Trimble's Medieval & Tudor England Day Trips South Of London: Dover, Canterbury, Rochester (1892123738 $20.00) which offers a wealth of high-spirited venues through which one can see reflections of the medieval era in areas south of London. A fun and trivia-packed travel guide for history buffs, packed with telephone numbers, opening times, admission prices, information on conveniences, extensive descriptions and capsule histories for each mentioned site and so much more.

From Plassey To Pakistan
Humayun Mirza
University Press of America
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
www.univpress.com
0761823492 $44.50 1-800-462-6420

Now in a newly revised edition, From Plassey To Pakistan: The Family History Of Iskander Mirza The First President Of Pakistan tells the complex saga that intertwines one family's story with the inception and development of an Islamic nation. Humayun Mirza is Iskander Mirza's only surviving son and brings a special and personal expertise to the violence-tainted partition of Indian by the colonial British Empire that resulted in the creation Pakistan. A superb contribution to International Studies reference collections, From Plassey To Pakistan is a vividly informative and very human account which deftly combines extensive research with personal remembrance.

A History Of Russia Volume I: To 1917
Walter G. Moss
Anthem Press
c/o Wimbledon Publishing Company
PO Box 9779, London SW19 7QA
1843310236 $39.95 anthempress.com

Now in a revised second edition reflecting the latest research findings and controversies on multiple subjects, A History Of Russia Volume I: To 1917 by Walter G. Moss (Department of History and Philosophy, Eastern Michigan University) is the first of a comprehensive two-volume set that, in addition to the sweeping events of Russian political history, takes note of the everyday life, women's studies, religion, literature, and art of Russia. A History Of Russia Volume I: To 1917 is an expertly presented and thoroughly informative narration recommended for a scholar's Russian History reference shelf, as well as accessibly informative reading for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the historical development of Russia.


The Biography Shelf

Diana Mosley
Anne de Courcy
Morrow
10 E. 53rd St., New York NY 10022
0060565322 $25.95 1-800-242-7737

Diana Mosley is one of the most controversial women of the 20th century: this outstanding biography is written with her full cooperation and also includes hundreds of hours of taped interviews, access to her private diaries and letters, and unparalleled ability to achieve intimate revelations. The story of the society darling's notorious departure from an established marriage in favor of the leader of the British Union of Fascists and a notorious womanizer makes for an account which explains much about not only her actions, but the history and politics of the times.

You Belong In A Zoo!
Peter Brazaitis
Villard/Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th fl, NY, NY 10019
www.villard.com
1400060125 $24.95 1-800-726-0600

You Belong In A Zoo!: Tales From A Lifetime Spent With Cobras, Crocs And Other Creatures is the one-of-a-kind memoir of Peter Brazaitis, a man who dedicated his life to working with exotic reptiles and other animals, ranging from alligators in the reservoirs of Florida, to cobras on the loose, to capturing giant frogs in West Africa. A wry dash of humor flavors an inspired and informative discourse. You Belong In A Zoo! is a life story highly recommended to the attention of anyone with an interested in reptilian wildlife as a hobby or as a potential career.

Fritz Muller: A Naturalist In Brazil
David A. West
Pocahontas Press, Inc.
PO Box F, Blacksburg, VA 24063-1020
0936015926 $25.00 1-800-446-0467

Fritz Muller: A Naturalist In Brazil by David A. West is the comprehensive biography of Fritz Muller, the German exile in Brazil who supplied Darwin with crucial information for his evolutionary writings after 1865. An in-depth examination of a truly gifted and dedicated naturalist who was forced out of his native land for espousing liberal philosophy after the 1848 revolution that left Germany in the hands of ultra-conservatives -- and who is perhaps best known for his discovery of Mullerian mimicry - when non-toxic species imitate the appearance of toxic species. Based on a translation of Alfred Moller's "Fritz Mullers Werke, Briefe und Leben", Fritz Muller: A Naturalist In Brazil is an important contribution to Science History reference collections and biographical reading lists.

Opposite Contraries
Susan Crean, editor
Douglas & McIntyre
201-2323 Quebeck Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5T 4S7
1550548964 $24.95 1-800-367-9692

Award-winning author and cultural critic Susan Crean gathers previously unpublished writings from Emily Carr's journals, notebooks, and epistles, as well as 42,000 words from Carr's previously published journals for inclusion into Opposite Contraries: The Unknown Journals Of Emily Carr And Other Writings. An absorbing and eclectic collection of discourse, the entries range from Carr's father's no-nonsense rendition of the facts of life, to the complete text of Carr's 1913 "Lecture on Totems" concerning Native imagery and Native people, Opposite Contraries is highly recommended -- especially for students of the life and work of Emily Carr, who although best known as an extraordinary painter, was also the author of seven quite popular and critically praised books.

Of Rats And Men
John L. Smith
Huntington Press Publishing
3687 South Procyon Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103
0929712986 $25.95 huntingtonpress.com

Of Rats And Men: Oscar Goodman's Life From Mob Mouthpiece To Mayor Of Las Vegas is the inherently fascinating biography of Oscar Goodman, a man who deliberately became a pre-eminent defense attorney for alleged gangsters for 35 years. Accused but never proven of being more than a mouthpiece and defense attorney for organized crime, Oscar Goodman somehow managed to successfully defend his clients without becoming part of organized crime itself -- at least according to the voters of Las Vegas who eventually elected him as their mayor twice. Of Rats And Men is very highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in the history of organized crime in America or who wish to avail themselves of a unique insight into the life and philosophy of an accomplished trial lawyer who specialized in defending members of established crime families.

Still Pitching
Michael Steinberg
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202
www.msupress.msu.edu
0870136976 $27.95 1-517-355-9543

Still Pitching: A Memoir is the autobiography of Michael Steinberg, a successful writer who has had an especial love for the game of baseball ever since his high school years. From how the game transformed Michael from an introvert into a popular pitcher during his high school years, to how the game helped him grow into the confidence needed to pursue his writing career, Still Pitching is a positive, entertaining, and occasionally inspiring recollection guaranteed to resonate with fellow baseball fans.

The Jesuit & The Incas
Sabine Hyland
University of Michigan Press
PO Box 1104, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1104
press.umich.edu
0472113534 $30.00 1-734-764-4388

The Jesuit & The Incas: The Extraordinary Life Of Padre Blas Valera, S.j. by Sabine Hyland (Associate Professor of Anthropology at St. Norbert College and co-director of a multidisciplinary project studying the Chanka people of Peru) is the informed and informative biography of Father Blas Valera, a man born in the 1500's to a native Incan mother and Spanish father. A Jesuit in sixteenth-century Peru, Blas Valera dared to believe and spread word that the Incan culture, religion, and language were equal to the Christian way of life -- a view that his superiors claimed was heresy and for which they compelled his imprisonment and exile. Blas Valera allegedly died at the hands of English pirates in 1597, yet a recent discovery among private documents suggest that Valera's death was faked by Jesuits, and that he returned to Peru to continue teaching his followers. A most fascinating life story written with a keen eye to research and detail, The Jesuit & The Incas is a highly recommended contribution to Peruvian History in general, and the New World history of the Catholic Church in the 16th century in particular.

The Other John Adams, 1705-1740
Benjamin Franklin V
Associated University Presses
PO Box 338, Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5G 4L8
0838639860 $43.50 1-609-655-4770

The Other John Adams, 1705-1740 is an impressive study by academician and educator Benjamin Franklin V of the life of writer, poet, and clergyman John Adams, including his literary theories, and his crucial influence in a socially and politically volatile time when overall American culture was shifting from the religious to the secular. A thoughtful and erudite college-level literary and biographical analysis, The Other John Adams, 1705-1740 is a welcome and scholastically impressive contribution to Colonial American History Studies library collections and reading lists.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Own A Racehorse Without Spending A Fortune
Harold Metzel
Eclipse Press/NBN, dist.
1736 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40504
1581501005 $24.95 eclipsepress.com

Harold Metzel is the owner of fourteen Thoroughbreds in a variety of partnerships. He draws upon his experience and expertise in Own A Racehorse Without Spending A Fortune to produce a practical guide to the many different types and levels of involvement in owning a competitive racing steed, including racing, breeding, and claiming partnerships. Emphasiz-ing the importance of pursuing a plan that best accommodates the aspiring horse owner's individual needs, and deftly addressing issues ranging from protecting oneself against liability, to common day-to-day events at the track, the farm, and the auction, Own A Racehorse Without Spending A Fortune is a "must-read" primer for anyone interested in investing their hard-earned money as an owner in the exciting sport of horse racing.

Lizards
David Badger
Voyageur Press
PO Box 338, Stillwater, MN 55082
0896585204 $35.00 1-800-888-9653

This natural history of lizards includes the chameleon, iguana, gecko and more, pairing brilliant close-up color photos by John Netherton with a scientific and popular survey by Badger which outlines not just facts, but common fiction about different lizards. David Badger's Lizards is a very fine guide which will serve as both a leisure browse and a library reference.

The History Of English Setter Showdogs In America
Craig S. Sparkes
Doral Publishing, Inc.
2501 W. Behrend Dr., Suite 4, Phoenix, AZ 85027-4141
0944875815 $24.95 www.doralpub.com

Black-and-white photographs pepper The History Of English Setter Showdogs In America, a historical account authoritatively written by Graig S. Sparkes who is an experienced and successful breeder of champion English Setters. Down-to-earth interviews and insights, as well as first hand testimony from professional handlers, fill the pages of this excellent read which is especially recommended for anyone involved with the breeding, training and showing of English Setters.

One At A Time
Diane Leigh & Marilee Geyer
No Voice Unheard
PO Box 4171, Santa Cruz, CA 95063
0972838708 $16.95 NoVoiceUnheard.org

The collaborative effort of former animal shelter workers and animal rights activists Diane Leigh and Marilee Geyer, One At A Time: A Week In An American Animal Shelter is a true account of seven days in an animal shelter, featuring profiles of the pets taken in during that span of time. Presenting the truth of life and death in an animal shelter in unvarnished, uncompromising terms, and featuring black-and-white photographs as well as the stories of the canines and felines taken in, One At A Time is an emotionally moving and profound piece recommended to the attention of anyone who has every been graced with the company of an animal companion -- or who would like to be.

Life of Mammals
David Attenborough
Princeton University Press
14 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540
0691113246 $29.95 1-800-777-4726

David Attenborough's Life of Mammals compliments a ten-part TV series to air on the Discovery channel which covers mammals of the world and their evolutionary processes. From learning about the navigation methods of bats and the special habits of meat eaters to understanding the natural history of water mammals, this provides a focus which contrasts environments and evolutionary processes, and makes for an important guide. Packed with appealing color photos.

Wolves
L. David Mech & Luigi Boitani, Eds.
University of Chicago Press
1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637-2954
0226637638 $49.00 1-800-621-2736

Wolves were one of the first mammals to be protected by the Endangered Species Act, and have made such a comeback that officials now are reducing their endangered status and in some cases opening up areas to decrease populations. Readers with more than a passing interest in the topic especially college-level natural history collections will relish this in-depth survey of the behavior and conservation of wolves. Tables, charts, and color photos compliment technical articles on wolf evolution, restoration, and conservation history. Highly recommended.


The International Studies Shelf

Changing Patterns Of Social Protection
Neil Gilbert
Rebecca A. Van Voorhis, editors
Transaction Publishers
35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, NJ 08854
0765809893 $29.95 1-888-999-6778

Collaboratively compiled and expertly co-edited by Neil Gilbert (Chernin Professor of Social Services and Social Welfare, University of California - Berkeley) and Rebecca A. Van Voorhis (Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Services, California State University - Hayward), Changing Patterns Of Social Protection is a scholarly selection of in-depth essays by learned authors concerning social welfare policies. These are governmental policies which have evolved over time and been rethought considerably amidst the aging of the population, changes in family structures, the tremendous forces of globalization, pressures from immigration, as well as other dynamic forces in the modern world. A thoughtful assessment of socioeconomic needs and influences, observing the necessity of creating balance between selfishness and necessity for benefits as well as the lessons of experience offered by various nations, Changing Patterns Of Social Protection is the ninth volume in the "International Social Security Series" and very highly recommended reading for students of contemporary economics and social welfare issues.

An Ounce Of Prevention
Henryk J. Sokalski
United States Institute of Peace Press
1200 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
1929223463 $17.50 www.usip.org

Ably and knowledgeably written by Henryk J. Sokalski (the special representative of the UN secretary-general who led the UN Preventive Deployment Force in Macedonia), An Ounce Of Prevention: Macedonia And The UN Experience In Preventive Diplomacy is a firsthand account of the complex task of peacekeeping during the course of the only peaceful succession from the former Yugoslavia. A closely researched and candidly told narrative of complex ethnic group interplays, An Ounce Of Prevention is thought provoking, and a strongly recommended addition to academic International Studies and supplemental reading lists.

Northern Ireland
Carol Daugherty Rasnic
Brandylane Publishers, Inc.
1711 East Main Street, Suite 9, Richmond, Virginia 23223
1883911559 $20.95 1-800-553-6922

Northern Ireland: Can Sean And John Live In Peace? An American Legal Perspective by Carol Daugherty Rasnic (Professor of Employment and Labor Law, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia) is an impressively researched and presented study of the conflict in Northern Ireland, including the religious and political forces that drive it, as well as the law and the legal system as a means to deal with what the Irish called "the troubles". A thoughtful, exhaustive, scholarly inquiry, Northern Ireland is a sober and informative account and a very welcome contribution to academic International Studies modern reference collections concerned with global issues and conflicts in general, and Contemporary Irish Political History reading lists in particular.


The Large Print Shelf

The Bondwoman's Narrative
Hannah Crafts, author
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., editor
Thorndike Press
295 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME 04901-4539
0786244712 $29.95 1-800-223-1244

Written in the 1850s by Hannah Crafts and edited for a modern readership by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The Bondwoman's Narrative is the only known novel authored by a female African American slave, and perhaps the first novel ever written by a black woman. Describing the story of "passing" as a young slave treks toward freedom, The Bondwoman's Narrative is an enthralling legacy which is especially recommended for university African-American literature collections and community library large print fiction shelves.


The Economics Shelf

The Globalization Of Nothing
George Ritzer
Pine Forge Press/Sage Publications
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
0761988076 $32.95 www.pineforge.com

The Globalization Of Nothing is an articulate economic thesis by Professor George Ritzer (University of Maryland) that articulately postulates the short and long-term effects of globalization. Claiming that societies worldwide are moving away from "something" (defined as unique and distinctive indigenous social forms), toward the "nothing" (globalized products that are centrally controlled and blandly the same worldwide), The Globalization Of Nothing warns that societies all over the world today are rapidly losing unique customs, local businesses, gathering places, even the hallmark of personal interaction. The Globalization Of Nothing is a philosophical and clarion warning regarding the creeping and homogenizing impersonality of severe economic forces.


The Social Issues Shelf

Skin/Deep
Cedric Herring, et al.
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6975
www.press.uillinois.edu/books
1929011261 $19.95 1-800-545-4703

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Cedric Herring (Professor of Sociology and Public Policy, University of Illinois - Chicago), Verna M. Keith (Chair of the Department of Sociology, Arizona State University), and Hayward Derrick Horton (Associate Professor of Sociology, Albany University-SUNY), Skin/Deep: How Race And Complexion Matter In The "Color-Blind" Era is a collection of informative and informative essays concerning the very real and entangled issues of race, judgement, and the question of why skin color remains a determining factor of economic success and quality of life in America today. Exploring the stratification process, cause and effect chains, emerging issues such as biracialism and color-blind racism and a great deal more, Skin/Deep is a highly recommended contribution to Contemporary Social Issues reading lists and offers a wealth of persuasively argued and deftly presented viewpoints.

For The People
John D. Donahue & Joseph S. Nye Jr., eds
Brookings Institution Press
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-2188
0815718977 $19.95 www.brookings.edu

Compiled and co-edited by John D. Donahue (Raymond Vernon Lecturer in Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University) and Joseph S. Nye Jr. (Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University), For The People: Can We Fix Public Service? is an impressive collection of serious essays by a variety of learned authors who identify some of the most troublesome problems and flaws in public service today -- as well as offer remedies, visions and plans for improvement in public service for the future. From issues concerning wage structures of public sector workers; to "moral competence" in democratic government; to pursuing the growth of leadership capacity, For The People: Can We Fix Public Service? is a thought-provoking, far-reaching, and ultimately optimistic contribution to public debate -- and highly recommended for both American Social Issues reference collections and Contemporary Political Science supplemental reading lists.

Seeds Of Deception
Jeffrey M. Smith
Yes! Books
PO Box 469, Fairfield, IA 52556
0972966587 $17.95

Is food safe? Seeds Of Deception by Jeffrey M. Smith provides an expose on how industry manipulations and political maneuvering operate to allow dangerous generically enhanced food into consumer diets. From instances of scientists offered bribes or threats to alter data to government exposes thwarted and evidence suppressed, Seeds Of Deception builds an alarming case based on FDA internal memos and research into experimental foods.

Long Goodbye
William H. Colby
Hay House, Inc.
PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100
www.hayhouse.com
1401900119 $27.95 1-800-654-5126

Long Goodbye: The Deaths Of Nancy Cruzan by William H. Colby is the in-depth and true story of a judicial trial concerning Nancy Cruzan, a woman who was thrown from her vehicle and suffered horrific injuries. Since that tragic accident, Nancy has remained in a coma for five years, until her family abandoned hope for her revival and requested the removal of Nancy's feeding tube so her life could end peacefully. But the state intervened and denied the family's wishes. Thus began a extended legal battle began over who had the authority and the right to authorize the end of medical intervention with respect to a patient like Nancy. Long Goodbye is a profoundly emotional story of striving to do what one hopes is the right thing, in accordance with the wishes of those who cannot speak for themselves -- and the role of government to intrude into family and medical issues. This is a profoundly important issue that plays out in our hospitals and nursing homes every day. At the crux of the matter is the right to life, the right to die, and who has the final authority over a loved one caught up in a plight similar to Nancy Cruzan and her family.


The Judaic Studies Shelf

The Inexhaustible Wellspring
Dr. Heszel Klepfisz
Devora Publishing
40 East 78th St, Suite 16D, NY NY 10021
www.devorapublishing.com
1930143753 $21.95 1-800-232-2931

The Inexhaustible Wellspring: Reaping The Rewards Of Shtetl Life by Heszel Klepfisz (formerly Chief Rabbi of Panama and Professor of Judaic Studies and History at the University of Panama), knowledgeably examines the thousand-year-old "Shtetl" Jewish community in Poland, and how it maintained its own language, forms of social life, educational network, moral discipline and more. This community declared an economic boycott of Nazi Germany in the early 1930's and broke relations with that country even though it meant losing income. The Inexhaustible Wellspring insightfully examines the Jewish spirit, its ramifications, the deadly toll of the Holocaust, and more. Offering new ways to look upon what Shtetl life was and its contribution to Judaism as a whole, The Inexhaustible Wellspring is a work of impressive scholarship and a welcome contribution to personal and academic Judaic Studies reading lists.

A Match Made In Hell
Larry Stillman, author
from the testimony of Morris Goldner
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress
029919390X $29.95 1-800-621-2736

A Match Made In Hell: The Jewish Boy And The Polish Outlaw Who Defied The Nazis is the true story of sixteen year old Moniek Goldner and Polish outlaw Jan Kopec. The two were brought together by chance during the darkest days of World War II and formed a most unlikely partnership. Moniek began as an accomplice to robbery and black market trading, but soon learned enough to join a resistance group -- and that made it possible for him to commit acts of sabotage and directly fight against the Nazis. An important contribution a particular aspect of the struggle against the Nazi holocaust, A Match Made In Hell is a powerful, unusual, and vividly memorable story of desperation in murderous times.

Escape To Life
Patricia Herskovic
Berghahn Books
604 West 115th Street, NY, NY 10025
9653081527 $29.95 1-800-540-8663

Escape To Life: A Journey Through The Holocaust is an amazingly upbeat biography of Maria and William Herskovic, two remarkable and determined holocaust survivors. William escaped an Auschwitz labor camp and became one of the first recorded eyewitnesses to Hitler's crimes against humanity, and is credited with the rescue of hundreds from the gas chambers; Maria was a teenage girl who hid her parents from the Nazis and daily risked life to provide them with food. An absorbing, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes brutally severe account of the struggle to survive in the face of humans perpetrating inhuman cruelty, Escape To Life is a welcome and impressive contribution to Holocaust Studies collections and reading lists.


The Civil War Shelf

He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning
Paul Taylor
White Mane Books
PO Box 708, Shippensburg, PA 17257
1572493291 $24.95 1-888-948-6263

Researched and written by Civil War expert Paul Taylor, He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning is a dramatic study of the September 1, 1862 Battle of Ox Hill during the American Civil War. Set during a violent storm with lightning and thunder so loud it overwhelmed the noise of canons firing, this unplanned conflict between North and South in a Virginia plantation called "Chantilly" would extract a terrible toll from both sides. A meticulous, exhaustively researched, blow-by-blow recounting and reconstruction, He Hath Loosed The Fateful Lightning is an impressive and enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal, academic, or community library Civil War Studies collection.


The Fiction Shelf

Here In The World
Victoria Lancelotta
Counterpoint
PO Box 65793, Washington, DC 20035
1582430993 $23.00 1-800-242-7737

Sex, sin and redemption lie at the heart of Lancelotta's disturbing short stories of women who live in a world different from others. These are flawed characters: women who experience the world differently and examine it with a sordid eye. Her dark stories are striking accounts, and hard to put down.

Full Circle
Mark Tufts
PageFree Publishing Inc.
733 Howard Street, Otsego, MI 49078
www.pagefreepublishing.com
1589610423 $13.95 www.amazon.com

A curse that spans a generation in Full Circle, Mark Tufts' dark and ominous action thriller novel. When a young prostitute encounters the Druidic pronouncement of doom by an old bag lady, this ill omen sets off a chain of fateful events. The prostitute dies giving birth to identical twin boys. Tragically orphaned, they are separated at birth. The two then grow up leading dramatically different lives that will one day come to a violent meeting. A gripping tale shaded with foreboding, Full Circle is an impressive work of originality and literary talent.

Forde Abroad
John Metcalf
The Porcupine's Quill
University of Toronto Press, dist.
68 Main Street, Erin, Ontario N0B 1T0
0889842663 $14.95 www.sentex.net/~pql

The sequel to the short story "Travelling Northward", Forde Abroad by John Metcalf (Senior Editor of The Porcupine's Quill) is a superbly crafted short novel that again presents Robert Forde, a writer, aesthete, and henpecked husband (Robert's loving wife rather insistently prefers him to drink tea instead of coffee because it's "better for his health"). Forde Abroad brings Robert from his Ottawa home to Ljubljana in order to attend a meeting of the Literary and Cultural Association of Slovenia. Quirky and engaging personalities range from a professional Serbian language translator, to a gay British expatriate from Sweden who is a Yugoslavian expert, to Forde's longstanding literary correspondent Karla. A literate and thoroughly entertaining story fill the pages of this engaging, brief, and highly recommended work of original fiction.

A Brief Conversation And Other Stories
Earl Lovelace
Persea Books
853 Broadway, #604, NY, NY 10003
www.perseabooks.com
0892552719 $14.00 1-212-260-9256

A Brief Conversation And Other Stories presents thirteen vivid short stories by award-winning author Earl Lovelace. This are fictional tales which offer a down-to-earth glimpse into the daily life Trinidad denizens. Ordinary people facing the challenges of the ever-changing rhythm of their world, brought to life with Caribbean zest and style in the narration. Superb crafted literary gems, the stories comprising A Brief Conversation And Other Stories include: A Brief Conversion; The Fire Eater's Journey; The Coward; The Fire Eater's Return; Call Me 'Miss Ross" for Now; Those Heavy Cakes; George and the Bicycle Pump; Fleurs; The Midnight Robber; Joebell and America; Shoemaker Arnold; Victoria and the Blight; and The Gambler's Funeral.

Axeman's Jazz
Tracy Daugherty
Southern Methodist University Press
c/o Texas A&M University Press (dist.)
4354 TAMUS, College Station, TX 77843
087074481X $22.50 1-800-826-8911

Tracy Daugherty's Axeman's Jazz is the riveting story of Trisha Washington, a woman who returns to the Houston neighborhood where she was born. A child of mixed races, Trisha's homecoming forces her to cope with the neighborhood problems of violence, poverty, and the advancing politics of gentrification. Difficult choices and the strength to adapt fill this captivating, original, and highly recommended saga.

A King's Ransom
Michael Cole
Bonneville Books/Cedar Fort Inc.
925 North Main St, Springville, UT 84663
www.cedarfort.com
1555176917 $14.95 1-800-388-3727

A King's Ransom by Michael Cole is an involving novel about three men and a woman who set out to obtain the Golden Disk of the Sun -- a priceless Inca treasure lost within the Amazon jungle. Yet personality rifts disrupt the team, and the threats and hardships of the jungle take their inevitable toll. Catalina Rivera's resolve is sorely tested, and the ultimate prize bears more than one price in this page-turning narrative. A King's Ransom documents Michael Cole as an original and gifted storyteller and will leave the reader looking eagerly toward his next effort.

Assumption And Other Stories
Daniel A. Olivas
Bilingual Press
c/o Hispanic Research Center
Arizona State University
Box 872702, Tempe, Arizona 85287-2702
1931010196 $11.00 www.asu.edu/brp

Assumption And Other Stories is an anthology of short stories by the demonstrably talented Chicano author Daniel A. Olivas (Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice). His diverse stories intermesh themes of human sexuality, tragedy, challenge, loss, gender, and ethnicity , ranging from a young lawyer who tells her parents about her lesbianism, to the dark sexual rumors of surrounding the suicide of a popular young priest at a Catholic school, to the terror that strikes families when a white supremacist starts shooting at a Jewish children's day camp. Highly recommended reading, these original and memorable stories clearly document Daniel A. Olivas as one of the best and most original Hispanic American authors working today.

My Paris
Gail Scott
Dalkey Archive Press
ISU Campus Box 8905, Normal, IL 61790-8905
1564782972 $12.95 dalkeyarchive.com

My Paris by Gail Scott is a work of literary fiction about a Canadian woman's time in a Parisian studio. Examining cultural legacy entrenched against the onslaught of globalized mass-media, and written in a staccato style that relies upon long strings of sentence fragments - complete subject-verb sentences are disdained for the power of emotional abbreviations of thought and form - My Paris is memorable and distinguished work, marking Gail Scott as an original and deftly talented novelist.

Ritual
Glen M. Glenn
Ramstate Books
267 Melba St., #B23, Milford, CT 06460
www.ramstateproductions.com
097189650X $7.99 1-203-877-3526

Ritual is an eerie novel by Glen M. Glenn about a farming community that follows a murderous blood covenant of ritual human sacrifice to ensure abundant harvest. Jed Thompson's best friend Pat Tellan and Jed's former lover Mary Ann Campbell are a young couple who are about to get married. But another quite homicidal ritual is about to get under way and the ruthlessness of those who follow this arcane ceremony will come full circle in this suspenseful, masterfully written saga.

Hesperus Press/Trafalgar Square
PO Box 257, Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, VT 05053-0257
1-800-423-4525 www.amazon.com

Three fine new titles continue the Hesperus tradition of reprinting lesser-known classics by famous authors. Charlotte Bronte's Green Dwarf (1843910489, $12.00) tells of a beautiful orphan raised by a doting uncle. His search for a suitable marriage prospect brings him in conflict with her choice of a struggling artist in this compelling tale. Elizabeth Gaskell's Lois The Witch (1843910497, $12.00) tells of a young English orphan who settles in Salem during the times of the Salem witch trials. A fine historical setting makes for an involving, compelling story line. Dante Alighieri's New Life (1843-910462, $12.00) tells of Dante's obsession with the lovely Beatrice, a woman who sparks strange visions and who ultimately changes his life. All are remarkable stories deserving of their newfound covers and attention.


The Literary Shelf

The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook George Beahm
New Page Books
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
www.newpagebooks.com
1564147029 $18.99 1-800-227-3371

The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook by George Beahm is a superbly presented, fan-centered guide to the fantasy world of Middle Earth, a magical land originally envisioned by celebrated author J.R.R. Tolkien in his famous trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" and his other thematically related writings. Featuring information about Lord of the Rings merchandise and collectibles, books about Tolkien, computer software, Tolkien-themed websites, and other online Tolkien related resources, The Essential J.R.R. Tolkien Sourcebook is highly recommended (indeed, an essential reference) for anyone seriously interested in learning more about the fan-culture surrounding this epic and enduringly popular literary saga.

The Trial Of Man
Craig Bernthal
ISI Books
Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
1932236031 $25.00 1-800-526-7022

Ably and engagingly written lawyer and Shakespeare scholar Craig Bernthal, The Trial Of Man: Christianity And Judgment In The World Of Shakespeare is a close and innovative study of how the classic playwright used trials or scenes in which a character is thrust under the harsh light of judgment to form a pivotal dramatic focus. Examining trial and judgment scenes in The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, The Tempest, Henry VIII and others, The Trial Of Man provides a welcome, original, and in depth view of a multifaceted aspect of the great bard's work. The Trial Of Man is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of Shakespearean Studies.

Profitably Soaked
Robert Lawrence France, editor
Green Frigate Books/Chelsea Green
PO Box 469, Sheffield, VT 05866
www.greenfrigatebooks.com
097174680X $15.95 1-800-639-4099

Exhaustively researched and deftly edited by Robert Lawrence France (Associate Professor, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts), Profitably Soaked: Thoreau's Engagement With Water compiles quotations by Henry David Thoreau from all of his many works, and arranged them under the headings "Adventure," "Joy," "Contact," and "Contemplation." Dwelling in particular on water as a medium that Thoreau used to immerse himself in nature and live life to the fullest, Profitably Soaked is an expressive and thoughtful collection that reveals a shining window into the life of a great writer and thinker. Profitably Soaked is a welcome and innovative contribution to Thoreau Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Dos Passos: Travel Books & Other Writings 1916-1941
John Dos Passos
The Library of America
Goldberg Duffie (publicity)
14 East 60th Street, NY, NY 10126-1094
1931082405 $40.00 www.loa.org

Ably edited by Townsend Ludington (Boshamer Professor of English and American Studies, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill), Dos Passos: Travel Books & Other Writings 1916-1941 is an 880-page anthology of diverse writings by John Dos Passos. In addition to his powerful work depicting on war, tension, and other crucial portraits of the twentieth-century world, Dos Passos: Travel Books & Other Writings 1916-1941 also collects together under one cover his various essays, letters, and diaries, including those that recall his time as an ambulance driver in World War I. Dos Passos: Travel Books & Other Writings 1916-1941 is a classic resource of unforgettable literature. Also very highly recommended is the companion volume (also edited by Townsend Ludington), John Dos Passos: Novels 1920-1925 (1931082391, $35.00) which features "One Man's Initiation: 1917"; "Three Soldiers"; and "Manhattan Transfer".

Watch Boys And Other Stories
J. D. Palmer
The Writers' Collective
780 Reservoir Avenue, Suite 243, Cranston, RI 02910
1594110093 $19.95 www.amazon.com

Watch Boys And Other Stories by Joe Darwin Palmer (Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada) is an impressive and original anthology of essays and memoirs. Drawing its title from the colloquial term for beggars in Somalia, Watch Boys is filled with anecdotes spanning Somalia, Egypt, Senegal, Siam, the United States, Quebec, and elsewhere as recollected and penned by J. D. Palmer, a writer who has lived in a wide variety of locales across the globe. Fluidly written and presented with empathy, heart, and wry understanding Watch Boys And Other Stories is a literary celebration of cultural, historical, and anthropological commentaries by a gifted observer with a genuine talent for expressive storytelling.


The Political Science Shelf

We All Want To Change The World
Tom Waldman
Taylor Publishing Company
1550 West Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75235
1589790197 $24.95 1-800-275-8188

We All Want To Change The World is an original look by author and journalist Tom Waldman at the unique interplay between rock-n-roll music and American politics over the past 50 years, ranging from rock's involvement in the Vietnam antiwar movement, to modern day rock utilized as a electorial tool by politicians. An astutely researched history and a seminal study, Waldman draws from his experiences as a press secretary in service to California Congresswoman Howard Berman from 1992 to 1999, as well as his own independent and original research. We All Want To Change The World is unusual and very highly recommended reading for non-specialist general readers with an interest in learning about the social (and political!) history of rock music in American history and culture.

Waging War On Trial
Brian R. Dirck
ABC-CLIO, Inc.
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
1576079481 $55.00 1-800-368-6868

Waging War On Trial by Brian R. Dirck (Assistant Professor of American History, Anderson University, Anderson, Illinois) is an informed and informative study of how and when the United States, as a nation, opts to wage war. Examining landmark legal cases; American political and military history; the needs of military discipline; the shattering impact of the September 11th attacks; and a great deal more, Waging War On Trial offers a highly recommended compendium of scholarly, unbiased recountings and insights on crucial political matters as affecting just when and how the United States has gone to war from the American Revolution to the War on Terrorism.


The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Flight Attendant Job Finder & Career Guide
Tim Kirkwood
Planning/Communications
7215 Oak Avenue, River Forest, IL 60305
http://jobfindersonline.com
1884587143 $16.95 1-888-366-5200

Flight Attendant Job Finder & Career Guide by 27-year TWA veteran flight attendant Tim Kirkwood is an authoritative and straightforward manual to pursuing a flight attendant career. Included is reliable information regarding the physical and educational requirements; surviving the interview process; seeking jobs on lesser-known regional airlines, charters and corporate flights (which have increased hiring even as the big airlines have made staff cutbacks since the September 11th attacks); a directory of application requirements for all the U.S. and Canadian airlines today, and more. A concise, skillfully presented compendium Flight Attendant Job Finder & Career Guide is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the rewards and opportunities of becoming a professional flight attendant.


The Travel Shelf

The Getaway Guide To Colorado
Richard Harris
RDR Books
4456 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA 94611
1571430725 $17.95 www.rdrbooks.com

Compiled, organized, and written by Colorado native and former tour guide Richard Harris, The Getaway Guide To Colorado is a fun and practical introduction to the sights and excitements of America's highest state, ranging from newly created national parks and monuments; to ghost towns, gold mines, and Victorian-era historic hotels; to paths for hiking, biking, and whitewater rafting, and so much more. Maps, descriptions, contact information, and a great deal of enthusiasm pack the pages of this wonderful and enthusiastically recommended sightseeing guide.

Blue Latitudes
Tony Horwitz
Picador USA
175 Fifth Avenue, #1800, NY, NY 10010
0312422601 $15.00 1-888-330-8477

Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz is essential his travel memoir of a voyage taken some two centuries after James Cook's epic venture. Horwitz worked as a sailor aboard a replica of Cook's ship for the purpose of retracing that momentous voyage of discover; had the privilege of meeting island kings and beauty queens along the way; and encountered unique cultures, breathtaking sights, and formed cherished friendships. Ideal reading for dedicated armchair travelers, Blue Latitudes also contemplates the meaning Cook's journey, its historical events, and its lasting legacy for the modern day.

Walking The Jungle
John Coningham
Burford Books, Inc.
PO Box 388, Short Hills, NJ 07078
1580801080 $16.95 burfordbooks.com

Walking The Jungle: An Adventurer's Guide To The Amazon by Brazilian novelist, teacher, and travel expert John Coningham is a practical, safety-conscious, and absolute "must-read" packed from cover to cover with vital information for anyone vacationing, visiting, or exploring the Amazon River country. Walking The Jungle: An Adventurer's Guide To The Amazon covers all of the necessary precautions to prevent and cope with a vast array of diseases, snakebite, food-borne illnesses, dangerous wildlife, and other indigenous hazards of the Amazon. A superb 250-page resource based upon the hard earned wisdom of personal experience, Walking The Jungle is an essential accompaniment for anyone planning on experiencing what the Amazon river has to offer the adventurous traveler!

Britain On Your Own
Dorothy Maroncelli
West Wind Books
1475 E. Elizabeth Street #203, Shawano, WI 54166
0965365263 $15.95 1-800-633-4430

Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, Britain On Your Own: A Guide For Single Mature Travelers, West England And Wales Edition by retired travel agent Dorothy Maroncelli is an informationally excellent and truly "user friendly" guide to worry-free travel that specifically covers pre-trip planning; how to get around effectively with only one carry-on bag; traveling the rural buses and byways just as the British do; finding a "hub" town in which to relax and from which to launch day trips, and a great deal much more. Britain On Your Own: A Guide For Single Mature Travelers, West England And Wales Edition is a superb resource which is confidently recommended for business and recreational travelers alike.

Drive I-95
Stan Posner & Sandra Phillips-Posner
Travelsmart
KSB Promotions (publicity)
55 Honey Creek, NE, Ada, MI 49301
1894979818 $22.95 www.drivei95.com

The collaborative effort of Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner, (and sporting a spiral binding to lay open flat for easy reference), Drive I-95 offers a an impressive collection of road maps, history, and trivia specifically ideal for tourists and travelers concerning the highway route from Boston to the Florida border. Black-and-white photographs, concise yet expressive summaries of excellent tourist hotspots, as well as blank pages especially for jotting down "driving memories", and a great deal more pack the pages of this "user friendly" travel-by-road guide.


The Science Shelf

Natural-Born Cyborgs
Andy Clark
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave., New York NY 10016
0195148665 $25.00 1-800-451-7556

Philosophy and cognitive science blend in a survey of what makes humans different from other species. The mental capacity of human thought and its ability to perceive non-biological resources, growing more aware of the world through technology and invention, makes for a fascinating survey of mental and physical advances in human achievement. Bio-technological unions are evolving faster and faster: In Natural-Born Cyborgs, Andy Clark deftly argues that the line between user and tool continues to grow thinner, and speculates to where this all might lead.

Pendulum
Amir Aczel
Atria Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0743464788 $25.00 www.amazon.com

This account of Leon Foucault and his dramatic scientific inside the Pantheon in Paris tells of his experiment revolving and the pendulum's path offering proof that the earth revolves on its axis. Author Amir Aczel uses primary research to reveal the life and background of a physicist who had almost o former education in science. The pendulum wasn't his only amazing discovery he invented the modern compass, devised an electric microscope, and invented photography. This informationally rich coverage blends his life and science in an intriguing survey.

Advanced Global Illumination
Philip Dutre, et al.
A. K. Peters Ltd.
63 South Ave., Natick, MA 01760-4626
1568811772 $48.00 www.akpeters.com

The collaborative effort of Philip Dutre (Department of Computer Science, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium), Philippe Bekaert (Max Planck Institut for Informatik, Saarbrocken, Germany), and Kavita Bala (Program of Computer Graphics, Cornell University), Advanced Global Illumination is a straightforward, university studies level text concerning with and focused upon global illumination algorithms, which are most commonly used for creating realistic images in computer animation. Addressing the physics of light transport; stochastic path tracing and radiosity; Monte Carlo integration; approaches for turning theory and mathematical concepts into computer programming code; how to build a global illumination system; and much, much more, Advanced Global Illumination is a superbly organized and presented academic teaching tool and resource.

Life's Solution
Simon Conway Morris
Cambridge University Press
40 West 20th Street, NY, NY 10011-4211
www.cambridge.org
0521827043 $30.00 1-800-872-7423

Researched and written by Simon Conway Morris (Ad Hominen Professor in the Earth Science Department at the University of Cambridge), Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans In A Lonely Universe deftly addresses the philosophical question: Will the emergence of life invariably lead to intelligence? Drawing upon a wealth of research to analytically scrutinize the concept that particular circumstances are needed for life to arise and evolve, Life's Solution is an absorbing presentation written to challenge and inform the mind of the reader. Life's Solution is a superb contribution to both Contemporary Philosophy Studies academic reference collections and university level and Evolution-ary Biology reading lists.

Lost Stars
Morton Wagman
McDonald & Woodward Publishing Co.
431-B East College Street, Granville OH 43023
0939923785 $59.95 ww.mwpubco.com

Lost Stars by Morton Wagman (Professor of History, Kingsborough Community College - CUNY) informatively explores a fascinating aspect of astronomical history. The first modern star atlas and catalog, Uranometria, was published in 1603 by Johannes Bayer; yet in subsequent entries, Bayer's meticulous method of cataloguing became forgotten or garbled, and many of the stars he labeled were "lost", forgotten, or misplaced. Lost Stars is an exhaustive effort to reconstruct the information concerning troublesome and easy-to-overlook stars from the pioneering catalogs of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and other early astronomers. Filled from cover to cover with charts and catalogues, as well as profusion of historical notes especially pertaining to famous constellations, Lost Stars is a unique and seminal body of academically sound work which will be especially appreciated by amateur and professional astronomers alike. No professional or academic History of Astronomy collection can be considered complete without the inclusion of Morton Wagman's Lost Stars.

Measure For Measure
Alex Hebra
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD 21218
0801870720 $24.95 1-800-537-5487

Measure For Measure is an informed and scholarly history of imperial, metric and other units of measurements blends science, engineering, and human discovery in a historical survey which examines standards of length and mass. Different systems are juxtaposed and examined during the course of Hebra's coverage, providing an excellent, engaging survey of past, present and possible future measurement systems and how they came to be.

Designing Experiments & Games Of Chance
William R. Shea
Science History Publications
c/o Watson Publishing International
PO Box 493, Canton, MA 02021-0493
0881353760 $39.95 1-508-888-9113

Designing Experiments & Games Of Chance: The Unconventional Science Of Blaise Pascal by William R. Shea (Galileo Professor of History of Science at the University of Padua) is an informed and informative survey and analysis of the life's work of the talented mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal. Investigating Pascal's ingenious mathematical experiments, his philosophies of experimental science, his pioneering work concerning theories of probability, and more, Designing Experiments & Games Of Chance is an introduction into the lasting wisdom of a great thinker. Written as accessibly as possible for readers of all background with a basic grounding in math, Designing Experiments & Games Of Chance is a work of impressive scholarship and a welcome addition to academic Science History reference collections.


The Library Science Shelf

The Great Libraries From Antiquity To The Renaissance
Konstantinos Sp. Staikos
Oak Knoll Press
310 Delaware St, New Castle, DE 19720
1584560185 $125.00 oakknoll.com

The Great Libraries From Antiquity To The Renaissance is a 600 page work of impressive historical scholarship that traces the development of the library from its beginnings as repositories of clay tablets in ancient empires of Sumaria and Assyro-Babylonian, to the fabled libraries of Alexandria, Greece and Rome, to the Byzantine and Greek monastic libraries, to the magnificent libraries of the European Renaissance, to the phenomena of the free public libraries throughout the modern western world. Enhanced with 200 full color illustrations and 200 black & white illustrations, The Great Libraries From Antiquity To The Renaissance is an impressive work of enduring scholarship. The Great Libraries From Antiquity To The Renaissance is an especially appropriate recommendation as an academic or community library Memorial Fund acquisition selection.

Teens & Libraries: Getting It Right
Virginia A. Walter and Elaine Meyers
ALA Editions
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
0838908578 $32.00 alastore.ala.org

The impressively collaborative effort of Virginia A. Walter (Chair of the Department of Information Studies at UCLA) and Elaine Meyers (Manager of Children's and Teen Services at the Phoenix Public Library Burton Barr Century Library), Teens & Libraries: Getting It Right offers a carefully considered guideline for school and community librarians seeking to step up to the challenges of providing top quality library services for their young adult patrons. From adapting to technological advances in order to better serve patrons of all ages; to the advantages of designating square footage for teens; to anecdotes of practical situations and solutions, Teens & Libraries: Getting It Right is very highly recommended for novice librarians -- and has a great deal of practical value for the more experienced librarians seeking to evaluate the success of their efforts to serve an adolescent readership.

Magical Library Lessons
Lynne Farrell Stover
UpstartBooks
Box 800, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0800
1579500943 $16.95 1-800-448-4887

Magical Library Lessons by Lynne Farrell Stover (Library Media Specialist at Wilbur S. Pence Middle School, Dayton, Virginia) is a consumable workbook of 15 "stand-alone" lessons -- each of which can be taught within a 30-45 minute time frame, and are specifically designed to introduce children to the wealth of resources their school and community libraries have to offer. Sprightly language and engagingly varied themes distinguish this fun and informative instructional planner for teaching elementary through junior high students how to make effective use of a thesaurus, how to write using foreshadowing and flashbacks, how to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, and more. Magical Library Lessons is a thoroughly "kid friendly" addition to any Library Science curriculum for grades 4 to 8.


Human Sexuality Shelf

A Restricted Country
Joan Nestle
Cleis Press
PO Box 14684, San Francisco, CA 94114
157344152X $14.95 www.cleispress.com

A Restricted Country is the personal and candid testimony of lesbian activist, speaker, and working class woman Joan Nestle. Originally published in 1987, this new edition of A Restricted Country now features new black-and-white photographs and a new introduction. Joan Nestle's core musings concerning censorship, memories, the "historical sisterhood" of lesbians and prostitutes, sexual changes in society throughout the twentieth century, and more, offer timeless insights and a renewed appreciation of what it means to be lesbian.

Sexuality Intimacy Power
Muriel Dimen
The Analytic Press
101 West Street, Hillsdale, NJ 07642
0881633682 $55.00 analyticpress.com

Accessibly written by Muriel Dimen (Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at New York University), Sexuality Intimacy Power is an expressive work that deftly seeks to combine the knowledge of contemporary philosophy, social theory, and recent psychoanalytic discoveries in order to unravel the mystery of human sexuality in all its dimensions. From postmodern reflection on the discourse between Freud and feminists; to deconstructing the essence of gender difference; to a sampler of the intersection between political power and reality with private sexuality, Sexuality Intimacy Power treats sensitive topics with methodical and insightful depth. Sexuality Intimacy Power is a welcome and confidently recommended contribution to Human Sexuality Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Gardening Shelf

Wildflowers Of Unalaska Island
Suzi Golodoff
University of Alaska Press
1889963186 $19.95 uaf.edu/uapress

Filled with 224 color photographs as well as extensive descriptions, drawings, and a wealth of factual information, Wildflowers Of Unalaska Island: A Guide To The Flowering Plants Of An Aleutian Island by Suzi Golodoff is a superbly presented and enthusiastically recommended identification guide to more than 160 species of flowering plants. Ideal for readers of all experience levels in floral matters from recreational hikers to professional botanists, Wildflowers Of Unalaska Island is a truly first-rate, "user friendly" resource for quick reference, which includes Aleut (Unangan) Native American names and ethnobotanical information on the wild and hardy plants of this enduring environment.

Perennials For Every Purpose
Larry Hodgson
Rodale Press
33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098
0875968937 $19.95 www.rodale.com

There are perennials for virtually any purpose in the garden, and Larry Hodgson's Perennials For Every Purpose features plants with handy at-a-glance plant profiles to help choose the right ones for garden conditions and taste. Color photos accompany details especially valuable in including common problems and solutions to gardening. The sidebar plant profiles offer very quick details on their use and growing tips.

Seeds
Jekka McVicar
The Lyons Press
PO Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
1585748749 $22.95 1-800-836-0510

This thoroughly "user friendly" guide to growing successfully from seed covers a range of gardening concerns; from the season best to sow seeds to the resulting plant. Organized by type of plant, from ferns and herbs to annuals, this provides an in-depth coverage on the particular seed-starting needs of different species. Gardeners who regularly grow from seed may know all too well the challenges involved; this handbook will solve many a problem.

Timber Press
1-800-327-5680 www.amazon.com

Four beautiful books will prove essential additions to any gardening library. Graham Rice's Sweet Pea Book (0881925950, $19.95) narrows the focus to just this flower, packing in detailed tips on how to raise them from seed and how to cultivate them in both the UK and the US. From differing climatic situations requiring different types of growing routines to using the sweet pea in mixed and annual borders, this is filled with advice and photos. Charles Quest-Ritson's Climbing Roses Of The World (0881925632, $34.95) is a virtual Bible of information on the climbing and rambling rose: the first in almost forty years to deal with the histories, lineages and special growing needs of these roses. Over 200 color plates compliment this history of various types of climbers and their growing needs. David Francko's Palms Won't Grow Here (0881925756, $27.95) surveys warm-climate plants which can grow in cooler areas. This will please the avid gardener who wants to choose plants typically suited to tropical environments. Discussions of four-season care tactics for warm-climate plants include winter protection tips, indoor and outdoor options, and common myths about specific varieties. Tracy DiSabato-Aust's Well-Designed Mixed Garden (0881925594, $39.95) tells how to build beds and borders with tree, shrubs, bulbs and perennials. Examples of winning combinations emphasize why plants were chosen to meet particular design requirements.All are important guides gardeners will appreciate.


The Christmas Shelf

A Medieval Christmas
Frances Lincoln
Ignatius Press
PO Box 1339, Fort Collins, CO 80522
0898709911 $16.95 1-800-651-1531

A Medieval Christmas illustrates words of scripture (taken verbatim from the Roman Standard Version, Catholic edition, of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke). Gorgeous medieval-style color illustrations of humans and angels illuminate the scriptural tale of the birth and early life of Jesus Christ. A Medieval Christmas is an enthusiastically recommended holiday season treasure for all ages.

Winter At Long Lake
Rick Skwiot
All Nations Press
PO Box 601, White Marsh, VA 23183
0972511091 $18.00 allnationspress.com

Winter At Long Lake: A Childhood Christmas Memoir by Rick Skwiot is the true story of a young boy's struggle to save his rural Midwest home in Christmas of 1953. A heartwarming, thoughtfully recalled, highly recommended memoir of a time and place that emphasized self-reliance, Winter At Long Lake memorably told, with reader engaging descriptions that evoke a yesteryear world of simpler times and reflect a Christmas that is now a half-century ago.

Little House On The Prairie
NBC Home Entertainment
c/o ImaVision Distribution
411 Video Information (publicity)
1313 St-Jacques, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 4K2
189700625X $19.95 imavision.com/lhop

Little House On The Prairie: Christmas At Plum Creek And A Christmas They Never Forgot is a very special DVD double feature of two memorable episodes of this classic and "family friendly" television series, one from season one (Christmas at Plum Creek) and one from season eight (A Christmas They Never Forgot). An engaging treasure to share during the holidays, the stories of settling into a new home, sharing one's first Christmas as it blossoms into many year after year, make for a heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable celebration. Full Screen; 100.

Time To Sing At Christmas
Center For Creative Play
Andrea Blain (publicity)
1400 South Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
time2sing.org $16.99 1-800-977-5708

Time To Sing At Christmas is a holiday music CD offer classic seasonal songs for parents and children to enjoy together. The lyrics are sung at a moderate tempo -- the better for youngsters ages 2 to 6 to join in and enjoy celebrating the holiday season in this warm and inviting collection of old favorites. Time To Sing At Christmas includes: Holly Jolly Christmas (1:33), Up On The Housetop (3:48), Mary Had A Baby (1:40), I Saw Three Ships (1:16), Over The River (2:04), Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (2:32), Christmas Is Coming (0:45), Friendly Beasts (3:53), Do You Hear What I Hear? (3:50), Joy To The World (3:00), Deck The Halls (2:53), Jingle Bells (2:48), Frosty The Snowman (2:10), Go Tell It On The Mountain (2:20), Must Be Santa (2:46), O' Christmas Tree (2:46), Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (1:59), Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (2:04), Silent Night (2:10), The Little Drummer Boy (4:33), Ring, Ring, Ring The Bells (2:29) and We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1:12). Total Time: 55 minutes

Christmas Recipes
Amherst Press
318 North Main St., Amherst, WI 54406
0942495683 $14.95 AmherstPress.com

Christmas Recipes: A Collecting & Sharing Journal With Pockets is a do-it-yourself cookbook. It presents five starter recipes for treats like "caramel corn" and "chocolate crinkles", but the vast majority of this journal consists of blank pages to write down treasured food favorites for the Christmas season. Four deep pockets also allow for easy storage of recipe cards, and the simple illustrations here and there add a delightful touch to this excellent consumable resource for the culinary aspects of the holiday festivities.

The Christmas Almanac
Natasha Tabori Fried & Lena Tabori
Welcome Books
6 West 18 Street, New York, NY 10011
0941807274 $24.95 welcomebooks.biz

Collaboratively compiled and expertly co-edited by Natasha Tabori Fried and Lena Tabori, The Christmas Almanac is a joyful, 240-page compendium of Christmas-themed recipes, historical notes, stories, shopping tips, crafts, trivia, and more. Over 200 color illustrations and embellish this wonderfully eclectic collection filled from cover to cover with delights the whole family can enjoy. The Christmas Almanac is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, family, and community library Christmas Holiday collections.

The Gift Of Love
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
1569946191 $19.95 montereymedia.com

Enthusiastically recommended for community library Video/DID collections, is a Christmas season, The Gift Of Love is a "family friendly" movie starring Marie Osmond, Timothy Bottoms, and James Woods, and is based upon O. Henry's classic Christmas Valentine story set in early 1900's New York Cityn. A dutiful young woman has been betrothed through arranged marriage to an upper-class fiance, yet when she falls in love with a hardworking Swiss immigrant, she must wrestle both with her own heart and with her relatives' ponderously heavy expectations. A sweeping and emotionally uplifting holiday motion picture, this full color movie presented in a DID format has an approximate running time of 96 minutes.


The Native American Shelf

In Bitterness And In Tears
Sean Michael O'Brien
Praeger Publishers
c/o Greenwood Publishing Group
88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
0275979466 $49.95 greenwood.com

In Bitterness And In Tears: Andrew Jackson's Destruction Of The Creeks And Seminoles by historian Sean Michael O'Brien is a definitive study of the Creek War of 1813-1814 and the First Seminole War of 1818. Closely examining history from both American and Native points of view, In Bitterness And In Tears examines in turn the civil war between Muscogee (Creek) factions that initiated the conflict; Red Sticks' massacre of over 250 whites and mixed-bloods at Fort Mims (the worst frontier massacre in U.S. history); the lethal defeat of Red Sticks seven months later; and the long-term consequences that allowed white settlers to entrench slavery and cotton farming the South while southeastern Native Americans were forcibly relocated to the West. Very highly recommended reading which offers a wealth of details and insight, In Bitterness And In Tears is an impressive contribution to American History and Native American Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.

The Standing Bear Controversy
Valerie Sherer Mathes & Richard Lowitt
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak St, Champaign, IL 61820
www.press.uillinois.edu
025202852X $29.95 1-800-545-4703

The collaborative effort of Valerie Sherer Mathes (Professor Emerita of History, City College of San Francisco) and Richard Lowitt (Professor Emeritus of History, University of Oklahoma), The Standing Bear Controversy: Prelude To Indian Reform is a close, meticulous, scholarly study of an incident in Native American history that began in 1877, when American government officials forced members of the Ponca tribe to evacuate their Dakota territory homes and move to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Chief Standing Bear refused and attempted to lead a group of people to their old homes; for this he was arrested and put on trial. National publicity surrounding the cause became a catalyst for the nineteenth-century Indian reform movement that would eventually bring forth changes in the administration of Indian affairs and the passage of the General Allotment Act in 1887. A highly recommended contribution to Native American history shelves, The Standing Bear Controversy is an impressively informed and informative work.


The Criminology Shelf

Murder, Inc.
Burton B. Turkus & Sid Feder
Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0306812886 $19.95 1-800-242-7737

The collaborative work of Burton B. Turkus (who was the Assistant District Attorney of Kings County, Brooklyn during the original Murder, Inc. investigations) and veteran journalist Sid Feder, Murder, Inc.: The Story Of The Syndicate is the factual chronicle and history of an infamous and feared American criminal organization that prospered in the 1930's and 40's, making their mark in American criminal history for their efficient and utterly ruthless means of eliminating rivals and enemies; controlling and corrupting local, state, and federal officials; and for resisting prosecution by the law until one of their members (Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, known for his habit of strangulation) turned state's evidence and exposed to public view a secret and lethal criminal organization with national implications. A chilling, thoroughly researched presentation, Murder, Inc. is a strongly recommended contribution to American Organized Crime supplemental reading lists.

Villisca
Roy Marshall
Aventine Press
2208 Cabo Bahia, Chula Vista, CA 91914
1593300093 $20.95 aventinepress.com

Ably researched and deftly written by Roy Marshall, Villisca is the true story of a terrible crime that took place in 1912 America. Eight victims, six of them children, were bludgeoned to death with an axe as they slept. Private investigators dissected the case after inexperienced police detectives failed, and scandals concerning public figures were drawn into the white-hot light of public scrutiny. A thoroughly researched and evenhandedly presented narrative, Villisca is a welcome and recommended addition to personal, and community library True Crime shelves, as well as academic Criminology Studies reference collections.

Worse Than Death
Gary M. Lavergne
University Of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
www.unt.edu/untpress
1574411675 $26.95 1-800-826-8911

Worse Than Death: The Dallas Nightclub Murders And The Texas Multiple Murder Law by Gary M. Lavergne (Director of Admissions Research, University of Texas - Austin) is the straightforward accounting of a 1984 multiple murder in Texas - when Moroccan national Abdelkrim Belachheb walked into a restaurant and shot seven people, six of whom died. The confessed and convicted defendant could not be sentenced to death due to a quirk in the state law, and could only be given life imprisonment - arguably "worse than death." House Bill 8, the "multiple murder" statute, was passed directly in response to the case. Worse Than Death examines all sides of this horrific incident, including the legal, political, and cultural debates concerning it. This criminology and judicial case study has direct relevance to present day concerns about violent immigrants and our contemporary legal system nationwide.

Guilty... Until Proven Innocent
Matthew D. Olson & Gregory Lawler
New Forums Press, Inc.
1018 S. Lewis St., Stillwater, OK 74074
1581070624 $16.95 newforums.com

The collaborative effort of journalist Matthew D. Olson and Colorado criminal defense lawyer Gregory Lawler, Guilty... Until Proven Innocent: Teachers And Accusations Of Abuse is a compelling and authoritative look at the human instinct as expressed through the legal system's inclination to protect children at all costs - even at the expense of a constitutionally required presumption of innocence. Examining the phenomenon of false accusations against teachers, (including thirteen of litigator and author Lawler's cases), Guilty... Until Proven Innocent is an exceptional and thought-provoking study, which is highly recommended reading for students and practitioners of the law -- as well as educators and members of the general public with a vested interest in protecting children from abuse and teachers from false accusations, while upholding the highest standards of the American judicial system.


The Audiobook Shelf

Mystery Stories Of Violet Strange
Anna Katharine Green
Tantor Media, Inc.
931 Negocio,#F, San Clemente, CA 92673
1400100372 $42.00 www.tantor.com

Anna Katharine Green's Mystery Stories Of Violet Strange is an unabridged and highly recommended audiobook mystery anthology following the adventures of New York City debutante Violet Strange and her secret adventures as a professional sleuth for a private detective agency. Nine tales of gumption, ingenuity, and perseverance even in the face of danger fill this engaging listening presentation so ably and dramatically narrated by Shelley Frasier. Strong, independent, and resourceful, Violet Strange is a heroine that leaves the listener yearning for more. (8 CDs, Playing Time: 9 hours, 36 minutes)

Artist's Blue
Jody Wright
AudioVision Books
330 Winchester Avenue, Martinsburg, WV 25401
www.audiovisionbooks.com
0972229949 $19.95 www.amazon.com

Artist's Blue by Jody Wright is a fictional audiobook on CD of an artist's life as she grows older and embarks upon her most challenging, and perhaps final canvas. An insightful tale of the struggle to improve creatively and reinvent oneself, during the long and often confusing steps of one's life journey, Artist's Blue is a uniquely inspired and very highly recommended story which is engagingly narrated by the author. 2 CDS, Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

Legacy Of The Blue Heron
Harry Sylvester
Oxton House Publishers
PO Box 209, Farmington, ME 04938
1881929337 $29.95 1-800-539-7323

Professionally narrated by Dale Hill, Legacy Of The Blue Heron: Living With Learning Disabilities by Harry Sylvester is an audiobook presentation of his personal life experience of overcoming serious learning disability challenges in an ultimately successful pursuit of success as a mechanical engineer, business owner, and even boat-builder. Written by a dyslexic who became a president of the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Legacy Of The Blue Heron offers personal insight into a life with unexpected obstacles and triumphs. A welcome addition to any community library audiobook collection, Legacy Of The Blue Heron is especially recommended for anyone having to deal with a learning disability within themselves or within their family.

They Saw It Happen
Matthew Lewin, compiler
Naxos AudioBooks
416 Mary Lindsay Polk Drive, Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067
www.naxosaudiobooks.com
9626342395 $26.98 1-877-629-6723

They Saw It Happen: Eyewitness Accounts From Ancient Greece To Hiroshima is a unique CD audiobook presentation featuring over 60 eyewitness accounts to major events in human history, ranging from "Spartans at Thermopylae" in 480 BC; to the 1793 "Execution of Louis XVI"; to the 1910 arrest and death of "Dr. Crippin"; and so much more. With its direct memories and personal testimonies, They Saw It Happen is an amazing window through time and a very highly recommended addition to school and community library audiobook collections. 4 compact discs, approx 5 hours 14 minutes.

Hitler's Scientists
John Cornwell
Listen & Live Audio, Inc.
PO Box 817, Roseland, NJ 07068
www.listenandlive.com
1593160186 $29.99 1-800-653-9400

Hitler's Scientists: Science, War, And The Devil's Pact by John Cornwell is an abridged audio CD presentation of the evils that can be brought about via unregulated scientific pursuits. Examining not only how severely Hitler hijacked scientific concepts and knowledge to fuel his genocidal aims, but also how German scientists broke international codes and agreements to engender deadly weapons before World War I, Hitler's Scientists is both a study of the past and a sharp warning of the future of scientific progress worldwide. Ably narrated by Simon Preblle, Hitler's Scientists is a welcome and recommended addition to personal and community library audiobook collections. (5 compact discs, 6 hours)

Bleachers
John Grisham
Books On Tape, Inc.
Box 25122, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5122
#6256 $28.00 library.booksontape.com

Bleachers is an unabridged audiobook novel which is ably read by its author John Grisham, and is about the death and remembrance of a high school football coach. The men who were once molded into an effective football team remember the coach that so profoundly influenced their lives - yet whose influence was not always positive, and one man in particular is burdened with the struggle to forgive if he is to progress with his own life. A highly recommended addition to community library audiobook collections, Bleachers is a dramatic, insightful, and all-to-human tale. Three 90 minute cassettes.

Fire Flight
John J. Nance
Brilliance Corporation
PO Box 887 , Grand Haven, MI 49417
1590867572 $34.95 brillianceaudio.com

Dramatically read by it author, John J. Nance, Fire Flight is a thrilling, unabridged audiobook novel about forest fires that rage out of control so widely that they threaten to cripple America, and a sinister plot that causes the forest fire control planes meant to combat the fires to fall apart in midair. A dark tale of struggle, the ruthlessness of nature, and the utterly callous and manipulative schemes of men, Fire Flight is an exciting "theatre of the mind" experience and highly recommended for community library audiobook collections. (8 cassettes, 11 hours)

Dead Ringer
Lisa Scottoline
Recorded Books
www.recordedbooks.com
1402556179 $89.00 1-800-638-1304

Written by best-selling author and former trial author Lisa Scottoline, Dead Ringer is an exciting, unabridged audiobook on CD that mixes dramatic suspense and witty humor. At veteran legal artist Bennie Rosato lays groundwork for a lucrative class-action suit, her credit cards are stolen, and accusations of bizarre behavior hound her. Realizing that only her long-lost twin sister could engineer this scheme, she must defend herself and her reputation - and the stakes become raised a thousandfold when she becomes arrested for murder. A thrilling and tangled tale which is superbly narrated by Barbara Rosenblat in this CD audiobook edition, Dead Ringer is a welcome and highly recommended addition to community library Audiobook collections. 10 compact discs, 11 hours.


The Architecture Shelf

Built By Hand
Bill Steen, et al.
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
PO Box 667, Layton UT 84041
158685237X $50.00 1-800-748-5439

The collaborative effort of Bill Steen, Athena Steen, and Eiko Komatsu, and enhanced with the photography of Yoshio Komatsu, Built By Hand: Vernacular Buildings Around The World is an eye-catching collection of colorful photographs celebrating traditional architecture constructed by ordinary homesteaders. Very little text distracts from the beautiful layouts of dwellings, in this inspirational celebration of human effort and ingenuity. Built By Hand is a unique, impressive, and very highly recommended addition to any personal, professional, academic, or community library Architectural Studies collection.


The Nautical Shelf

Escape From Someday Isle
Linda Ridihalgh, editor
Living Aboard
KSB Promotions (publicity)
PO Box 91299, Austin, TX 78709
0974199109 $18.00 livingaboard.com

Compiled from the pages of "Living Aboard" magazine and ably edited into book form by Linda Ridihalgh, Escape From Someday Isle: Articles, Tips, Letters And Photos From The Bible Of Onboard Living is an anthology of thirty-seven true personal stories of men and women, each of whom pursued their dream of buying a boat and sailing away, into the sunset. An absorbing collection of writings, recommendations, memories, and some very practical advice concerning shipboard living, Escape From Someday Isle is a most engaging read and very highly recommended for avid sailing enthusiasts, as well as seasoned armchair travelers who dream of one day setting sail across the seas and oceans of the world.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Publishing Without Borders
Michael Ross
Xcellent Marketing
1163 Vine Street, Denver, CO 80206
0972892613 $24.95 xcellentmarketing.com

Knowledgeably written by Michael Ross (an international licensing expert and senior vice president in charge of product development and marketing for Encyclopedia Britannica), Publishing Without Borders: Strategies For Successful International Publishing is a concise, practical, easy-to-use, no-nonsense guide to proven and professional strategies for successful global publishing. From legal issues; to keep track of to handling unexpected challenges; to taking advantage of international book fairs, and much, much more, Publishing Without Borders is will prove immensely valuable for any novice (or experienced!) publisher seeking an international marketplace for their titles. If you have a book that you want to sell in Canada, Europe, South America, or anyplace else in the world -- then get yourself a copy of Michael Ross' Publishing Without Borders so that you can "hit the ground running" with your marketing plans, strategies, and policies.

So Many Books
Gabriel Zaid
Paul Dry Books, Inc.
117 South 17th Street, Suite 1102, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
158988003X $9.95 PaulDryBooks.com

So Many Books: Reading And Publishing In An Age Of Abundance by poetry, essayist, and business writer Gabriel Zaid is an information-packed resource concerning the difficulties of publishing books and getting noticed. Simply put, in today's age there are so many books out there because everyone has a story to tell, few have much time to read. Witty, touching, and insightful into the whys, wherefores, and coping strategies for dealing with this modern-day publishing predicament, So Many Books should be required reading for anyone who aspires to become a published author -- or to publish the work of others.

The Romance Writer's Handbook
Rebecca Vinyard
The Writer Books
c/o Kalmbach Publishing Company
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187
0871162040 $18.95 1-800-533-6644

The Romance Writer's Handbook: How To Write Romantic Fiction & Get It Published by novelist, journalist, and www.Romance-Central.com webmaster Rebecca Vinyard is a quick-study course to crafting romance fiction for the markets and readers of today. From practical advice to creating heroes and heroines that resonate with the reader; to delicately orchestrating plot complications; to bringing alive sensual love scenes, and more, The Romance Writer's Handbook is an excellent and "writer friendly" resource and primer especially recommended for beginners seeking to break into print and intermediate level romance writers seeking to expand their published title list.

Dictionary Of Poetic Terms
Jack Myers & Don C. Wukasch
University of North Texas Press
PO Box 311336, Denton, TX 76203-1336
1574411667 $22.95 unt.edu/untpress

Now in a newly updated edition containing more than 1,600 entries on the devices, techniques, history, theory, and terminology of poetry from the Classical period to the present day, Dictionary Of Poetic Terms by Jack Myers (Director of the Creative Writing Program, Southern Methodist University) and published poet Don C. Wukasch, is an excellent literary resource offering aspiring poets, students, and scholars of literature extensive definitions for literary terms, ranging from threnody, to epyllion, to western ending vs. eastern ending, and a great deal more. A first-rate resource for critics, connoisseurs, students, and writers of poetry and prose alike, the Dictionary Of Poetic Terms is a welcome and scholarly contribution to Literary Studies academic reference collections.


The Hunting/Fishing Shelf

A Pheasant Hunter's Notebook
Larry Brown
Countrysport Press
PO Box 679, Camden, ME 04843
www.countrysportbooks.com
0892726083 $27.00 1-800-685-7962

Now in its revised and expanded second edition, A Pheasant Hunter's Notebook offers a compendium lifelong experience based wisdom of practiced pheasant hunter Larry Brown. From using the appropriate shotgun; to ground tactics for hunters who do not use dogs; to recent shifts in bird populations and habitat; to strategies for hunting in different types of cover and weather, A Pheasant Hunter's Notebook is a first-rate and valuable resource for any and all pheasant hunting enthusiasts.

Rooster! A Tribute To Pheasant Hunting In North America
Michael McIntosh, author
Dale C. Spartas, photographer
DCS Publishing
PO Box 1367, Bozeman, MT 59771
www.spartasphoto.com
1931832323 $39.95 1-406-585-2244

Majestically illustrated throughout with full color photographs by award-winning photographer Dale C. Spartas, Rooster! A Tribute To Pheasant Hunting In North America showcases the outdoor hunting experience in glowing and memorable terms. A most enjoyable visual and narrative tribute to the pheasant hunting experience, written with deep respect for the wiley and tenacious birds themselves, Rooster! A Tribute To Pheasant Hunting In North America is an enthusiastically recommended title for personal and community library collections.

Northwest Fly Patterns & Tying Guides
Rainland Fly Casters
Frank Amato Publications
PO Box 82112, Portland, OR 97282
1571882839 $19.95 amatobooks.com

A collaborative effort of the Rainland Fly Casters from Astoria, Northwest Fly Patterns & Tying Guides covers patterns for dry flies, wet flies, nymphs, terrestrials, streamers, and saltwater flies, all with an eye toward catching the fish that thrive in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to Idaho. Full color photographs and professional quality tips, tricks, and techniques form the heart of this excellent and thoroughly "user friendly" fly fishing guide.

The Fisherman's Tackle Box Bible
Frank Davis
Pelican Publishing Company
PO Box 3110, Gretna, LA 70054
www.pelicanpub.com
1589801288 $17.95 1-800-843-1724

Written in conversational style by sportsman and television personality Frank Davis, The Fisherman's Tackle Box Bible is a superlative guide to fishing in the Louisiana delta. It offers a wealth of practical information that can be adapted to fishing almost anywhere. Angler tactics based on the habits of each species of fish; buying the right bait; effectively cleaning and cooking one's catch, and a great deal more make The Fisherman's Tackle Box Bible a truly first-rate and highly recommended "how-to" guide for anyone who has ever wanted to bait a hook and try their luck angling in waters of the Louisiana delta country and other area waters along the Gulf of Mexico.

Fly Fishing For Permit
Jack Samson
The Countryman Press
PO Box 478, Woodstock, VT 05091
www.countrymanpress.com
0881505803 $35.00 1-800-245-4151

Enhanced with color photography, Fly Fishing For Permit by world traveler and fishing enthusiast Jack Samson is a down-to-earth guide to all the diverse aspects of fishing for the elusive permit, which unlike the trout or bonefish, has acquired a reputation for being nearly impossible to catch. From the equipment needed, to maps of the best permit fishing locations (including ones in Mexico, Florida Keys, Belize), to saltwater fly-fishing techniques and engaging anecdotes, Fly Fishing For Permit is a "must-read" for any dedicated fisherman with a keen interest trying their skills in landing the elusive and wiley permit.


The Money/Finance Shelf

The Complete Guide To A Creative Retirement
Rob Kelley
TurnKey Press
Phenix & Phenix (publicity)
2525 West Anderson Lane, Suite 540, Austin, TX 78757
0974003093 $17.95 turnkeypress.com

The Complete Guide To A Creative Retirement by Rob Kelley (who retired at the age of fifty) is an impressive and thoroughly "reader friendly" guide to pursuing alternative retirement strategies with a means of reinventing the self, quality activities, and challenging life goals. Half of The Complete Guide To A Creative Retirement is devoted to rethinking this issues concerning retirement strategies and lifestyle; the other half offers a wealth of example projects for the intellectual, volunteer, nature lover, athlete, and many other types who seek to busily pursue dreams and goals. The Complete Guide To A Creative Retirement is confidently recommended as offering a wealth of resources, addresses -- including a useful ad hoc bibliography supplementing this compendium of practical advice, insight and ideas.

The Widow's Financial Survival Guide
Nancy Dunnan
Perigee Books
c/o The Berkley Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, NY, NY 10014
0399529063 $14.95 1-800-847-5515

Financial expert, commentator, and magazine columnist Nancy Dunnan presents, The Widow's Financial Survival Guide: Handling Money Matters On Your Own, a no-nonsense practical guide written especially for women who outlive their spouses. Discussing estates, taxes, IRAs, 401(k)s, common scams and frauds, the financial aspects of remarriage, government benefits, common financial mistakes, choosing an executor, dealing with tuition bills should the widow wish pursue higher education, and more, The Widow's Financial Survival Guide is a thoroughly "user friendly" instructional financial management resource of the highest quality and recommendation.

Consumer Guide To Diamonds
Joseph Mirsky
Joseph's Jewelry
200 Wanaque Avenue, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
0970007418 $14.95 1-973-839-6639

Authoritatively written by practicing bench jeweler, gemologist, and appraiser Joseph Mirsky, the Consumer Guide To Diamonds is an extraordinary buyer's guide to diamonds, explaining everything from cuts to light reflection, to symmetry grades, and more. An excellent layman's guide written especially for non-specialist general readers looking to enhance their knowledge so as to effectively buy diamonds without risk or mistake, Mirsky's consumer Guide To Diamonds is a highly affordable "must-read" for anyone considering a hefty monetary investment in these precious stones.

IRA Wealth
Patrick W. Rice with Jennifer Dirks
SquareOne Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
0757000940 $16.95 1-877-900-2665

IRA Wealth: Revolutionary Strategies For Real Estate Investment is the collaborative effort of Patrick W. Rice (investment columnist and the owner of IRA Resource Associates -- offering expertise in investment real estate for self-directed retirement accounts) and Jennifer Dirks (personal finance and real estate issues staff, and winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2002 "Journalist of the Year award for the Pacific Northwest), diverges sharply from the common understanding that IRA holdings can only be invested in stocks and certificates of deposit. In response to the decline of the stock market, IRA Wealth presents real estate as a profitable and worthy investment venture, and one that is perfectly legal to hold in any personal IRA account. Examining both low-risk and high-return real estate ventures, IRA Wealth is a superbly presented, "reader friendly", informational presentation for anyone seeking to diversify their IRA account holdings into property as a hedge against the volatility of the stock and bond markets.

Real Estate Loop-Holes
Diane Kennedy, CPA & Garrett Sutton
Warner Books
0446691356 $16.95 1-800-759-0190

Tax strategist Diane Kennedy and corporate attorney Garrett Sutton combine their knowledge in Real Estate Loop-Holes: Secrets Of Successful Real Estate Investing, a practical guide to the tax and legal strategies that wealthy people have used for generations to make the most out of real estate investments. From protecting one's assets from tenants and creditors, to using one's own home to make money tax-free, to choosing the right properties in local markets and much more, Real Estate Loop-Holes is very strongly recommended reading for anyone seeking to broadening their property holdings and turn a consistent profit while doing so.

Financial Management 101
Angie Mohr, CA, CMA
Self-Counsel Press
1704 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
1551804484 $14.95 www.amazon.com

Financial Management 101: Get A Grip On Your Business Numbers by business columnist Angie Mohr (who is also a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant) is an thoroughly "reader friendly" guidebook designed specifically for small business owners and managers, and which methodically teaches the reader all of the basics about balance sheets, income statements, monthly budget reports, ratio analysis, dealing with inventory problems, dealing with debt, and more. Financial Management 101 is an absolute "must-read" for any business owner new to the complexities of finance and needing to competently analyze financial data, measure business success, and have an accurate and on-going comprehension of their fiscal bottom line.

I'm In Debt, Over 40, With No Retirement Savings. Help!
John L. White
Everlove and Bohannon Publishing
PO Box 7411, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
0974068748 $14.95 1-866-362-0599

Written by a real life survivor who climbed out of debt to credit card companies to re-establish positive net worth, John L. White's I'm In Debt, Over 40, With No Retirement Savings. Help! is a very practical survival guide to improving an otherwise bleak financial situation. From breaking bad spending habits; to keeping expensive teenagers in check; to saving money on the family car; to buying an affordable mortgage; developing a mind set conducive to savings; and so much more, I'm In Debt, Over 40, With No Retirement Savings. Help! is an easy-to-understand, "must-read", for anyone approaching middle age or older who finds themselves ill prepared for a financially comfortable retirement.


The Martial Arts Shelf

The Martial Way And Its Virtues
F. J. Chu
YMAA Publications
4354 Washington Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
1886969698 $15.95 1-800-669-8892

Accessibly written by F. J. Chu (a certified black belt instructor in Kenpo Karate), The Martial Way And Its Virtues: Tao De Gung is an informed and informative treatise on the mentality and physical and moral demands of following the path of life embraced by martial arts. Stressing the importance of a responsible code of conduct and higher ideals intertwined with learning physical and combat-related skills, The Martial Way And Its Virtues is an intriguing work and recommended supplemental reading for all students and practitioners of the martial arts. Also very highly recommended is the YMAA Publications website at www.ymaa.com.

Yoga For Martial Artists
Dawn Lesinski
Turtle Press Video
Box 290206, Wethersfield CT 06129-0206
turtlepress.com $19.95 1-800-778-8785

Yoga For Martial Artists is an instructional video of yoga postures that promote harmony of body, mind, and spirit, as well as flexibility, strength, and balance - an ideal combination for enhancing one's martial arts training. Kripalu certified yoga teacher and black belt Dawn Lesinski ably and methodically guides the viewer through exercises that effectively work supplement martial arts training or other active fitness programs that seek to help prevent soreness and injury. An excellent introduction and self-teaching tool, Yoga For Martial Artists is a confidently recommended addition to any personal, dojo, or community library fitness and exercise video collection.


The Aviation Shelf

100 Years Of Air Power & Aviation
Robin Higham
Texas A&M University Press
Drawer C , College Station, TX 77843
1585442410 $50.00 1-800-826-8911

100 Years Of Air Power & Aviation By Robin Higham (a former R.A.F. pilot and Professor Emeritus at Kansas State University) deftly weaves together theory and historical examples of the evolution of aviation during the past century, ranging from the Wright brothers and World War I, to modern day commercial airlines and aviation innovations. An extensive and "reader friendly" text is enhanced with a sprinkling of black-and-white photographs which combine to informatively trace the an on-going, world-altering saga of human invention and ingenuity as reflected through the courage of pilots and dedication of aviation pioneers. 100 Years Of Air Power & Aviation is clearly recommended as a core addition to any academic or community library Aviation History collection.

Air Force One
Von Hardesty
NorthWord Press
c/o Creative Publishing International
18705 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317-9384
www.creativepub.com
1559718943 $29.95 1-800-328-0590

Van Hardesty brings a special expertise to this specialized aviation history by being the curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped The Modern Presidency is a reader engaging, informed and informative presentation on those advances in air travel which have affected the American Presidency and enabled America's leaders to make more and farther-ranging visits around the world. More than 260 color and archival photographs illustrate this absorbing story of the air vehicles that have served the American President in the twentieth century. Air Force One is a strongly recommended contribution to both Aviation History reference collections and American Political Science supplemental reading lists.


The Library Video/DVD Shelf

Little House On The Prairie: Season 3
NBC Home Entertainment
c/o ImaVision Distribution
411 Video Information (publicity)
1313 St-Jacques, Montreal, QC, Canada H3C 4K2
1897006004 $49.98 imavision.com/lhop

The complete third season of the Little House On The Prairie series is now available in a collector's 30 year anniversary DID set, and presents all the episodes which are here restored with state-of-the-art color correction, picture enhancement, and noise reduction, as well as behind the scenes moments and the memories of the series insiders of this great television adaptation of a true classic. A true treasure to share with the whole family and a "must" for all dedicated fans, Little House On The Prairie: Season 3 is a 6 DID disc set featuring 19 episodes and has an approximate total running time of 18 hours. Also very highly recommended for family viewing is Little House On The Prairie: Season 1 (DVD IM10820, $49.98) and Little House On The Prarie: Season 2 (DVD IM10821, $49.98).

Charles Dickens Boxed Set
BBC/Opus Arte
c/o Naxos of America Inc.
416 Mary Lindsay Polk Drive, Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067
www.naxosworld.com
OA-0877D $39.99 1-877-629-6723

This Charles Dickens three-DVD boxed demonstrates how deeply the classic author drew upon his own life experiences as he wrote his enduring and memorable tales. The first DVD, "Uncovering the Real Dickens" (176 minutes) is an engaging tour of the Dickens' varied and rambling life. The second DVD, "David Copperfield" (186 minutes) is the 1999 BBC version of what is, most likely, the single most autobiographical of Dickens' novels, presented with a flair for drama. The third DVD offers the famous ghostly short story "A Christmas Carol" (97 minutes) as well as the raucous tavern treat "Songs from Grope Lane" (25 minutes) and a behind-the-scenes documentary "The making of 'Uncovering the Real Dickens'" (27 minutes). Enhanced by the legendary BBC dedication to the very highest quality of period set designs and scrupulous attention to production values, the Charles Dickens Boxed Set is an especially recommended addition to community library Video/DVD collections and a "must" for all Charles Dickens enthusiasts.

America Dances! 1897-1948
Dancetime Publications
PO Box 845, Kentfield, CA 94914
www.DancetimePublications.com
No ISBN $49.95 1-888-854-5602

America Dances! 1897-1948: A Collector's Edition Of Social Dance In Film is an exuberatnt DVD anthology of original film clips featuring cakewalks, castle walks, blackbottom, Lindy Hop, romantic dance, and much more, all compiled from the golden years of the Hollywood silver screen. A superbly presented treat for dance and movie enthusiasts, America Dances! 1897-1948 is a welcome and a strongly recommended and welcome addition to personal, school, and community library Video/DVD collections. (DVD format; Running Time: 75 minutes)

Arkelope
Roslyn Schwartz, director
Bullfrog Films, Inc.
PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547
0772205949 $TBA 1-800-543-3764

Produced by Marcy Page and the National Film Board of Canada, and directed by Roslyn Schwartz, Arkelope is an engaging animated video short. Using the mythical Arkelope as representative of real world species threatened with extinction, Arkelope is an engaging and thought-provoking experience for viewers of all ages, and one with a profound environmental message. Arkelope is very highly recommended for grade school and junior high school library video collections. Running Time: 5 minutes 18 seconds.

Dizzy Gillespie: A Night In Chicago
V.I.E.W. Video
34 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
0803023340 $24.98 www.view.com

Dizzy Gillespie: A Night In Chicago is a DVD performance filmed live in Chicago, showcasing the trumpeter and "Founding Father of BeBop" John Birks Gillespie (1917-1993), better known as Dizzy Gillespie. Set in a cozy club, this enthusiastic musical presentation comes with DVD bonus features such as instant access to songs and instrument solos. Dizzy Gillespie: A Night In Chicago is a real treat for jazz buffs and admirers of great legends in modern-day music. Also very highly recommended viewing and listening for jazz enthusiasts is the V.I.E.W. Video DVD productions: Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute; Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane (with Ron Carter and Billy Cobham) and The Ladies Sing The Blues (with Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Peggy Lee, and Sarah Vaughan).

Sing 'N Sign Holiday Time With Gaia
Heartsong
Andrea Blain (publicity)
PO Box 2455, Glenview, Illinois 60025
www.kidsignclub.com
1892151103 $29.95 1-800-631-2187

Emmy Award winning performer Gaia combines her considerably talent with the KidSign Club children to present Sing 'N Sign Holiday Time With Gaia, in an engaging DVD holiday party that celebrates Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. Singing, dancing, and fun with signs contiguous with open captions make for an enthralling presentation for young viewers ages 3 and up. An engaging bonus feature teaches how to sign 14 multicultural songs. Sing 'N Sign Holiday Time With Gaia is an especially recommended addition to family, preschool, kindergarten, and community library Children's Video/DVD collections. Running Time: 111 minutes.

Families Talk About... Encouraging Positive Activities
Active Parenting
1955 Vaughn Road, NW, Suite 108, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144-7808
www.ActiveParenting.com
1880283611 $69.95 1-800-825-0060

A highly recommended addition to school, community library, and family counseling center video collections, Families Talk About... Encouraging Positive Activities is the fifth and latest volume in the "Families Talk About" video series. An 18-minute presentation looks at two intact families and two single-parent families, while encouraging the positive values of music, sports, daily chores, and family fun time, Families Talk About... Encouraging Positive Activities offers viewers a rewarding wealth of advice and meaning, and features a crucial recommendation for kids to stick with an activity and not give up because it becomes difficult.

Wake Up Your Qi!
Renee' Ryan
The Light Heart Center
c/o 411 Video Information
PO Box 1223, Pebble Beach, CA 93953
www.thelightheartcenter.org
No ISBN $24.95 1-800-421-2717

Wake Up Your Qi! is a 108 minute DVD instructional about the basics of Chinese Qigong movement exercises. Explaining and demonstrating the simple principles of energy flows in the body, and how exercises help maintain homeostasis, Wake Up Your Qi! offers easy-to-follow instructions and provides the viewer with an enjoyable and introduction and an informative teaching tool to improving their life through adopting a balanced activity regimen.

The Lighter Side Boxed Set
Monterey Media Inc.
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
#32904 $89.95 1-800-934-4336

The Lighter Side: Master Poets Collection VII is a four volume video series that showcases the lighter sight of poetry. Offering superb performances by some of the best actors, each individual 39 minute, full-color video is a pure delight. Limericks, Epigrams and Occasional Verse has George Plimpton leading the members of The First Poetry Quartet through a tour-de-force of light verse and bright witticism by Alexander Pope, James Joyce, Dorothy Parker, Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, and other. Ogden & Dorothy, Phyllis & Yip has Jack Lemon leading readings from Ogden Nash, Dorothy Parker, Phyllis McGinley, and Edgar "Yip" Harburg. A Program of Satire showcases the wit of twelve poets ranging from Jonathan to Richard Armour. Edith Sitwell's "Tarantella" concludes this outstanding tribute with a nonsensical chattering of satyrs in a garden. The Restoration Wits features Cyril Richard starring as the Earl of Rochester as he and his aristocratic friends gather at Will's Coffee House to read their latest poems and improvise verse to tease the local serving wenches -- who can give as well as they get! Although each of these unique and entertaining videos can be acquired individually ($19.95 each), the principle recommendation for school and community libraries is to acquire the entire boxed set for their video and poetry collections.


The Genealogy Shelf

The 1848 Boston Cultivator
Elaine Morrison Fitch, compiler
Heritage Books, Inc.
1540 Pointer Ridge Place #E, Bowie, Maryland 20716
1585498777 $43.00 www.WillowBendBooks.com

Compiled and organized by Elaine Morrison Fitch, The 1848 Boston Cultivator: Marriages, Deaths, And Miscellaneous Readings presents articles abstracted from the Boston Cultivator weekly newspaper, carefully arranged in chronological order for the year 1848. A straightforward presentation accurately indexed for quick reference, The 1848 Boston Cultivator is a superb primary source for genealogists, historians, and non-specialist general readers curious to read anecdotes of life and death in a bygone era of American history.

Genealogy 101
Barbara Renick
Rutledge Hill Press
Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000
www.rutledgehillpress.com
1401600190 $19.99 1-800-251-4000

As a member of the board of directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Barbara Renick brings a special expertise to Genealogy 101: How To Trace Your Family's History And Heritage. This handy and practical guide covers all of the steps of learning more about one's family, ranging from the tools available to a novice genealogist; to dealing with issues such as culture shock; and the good and bad aspects of using the internet as a resource. Genealogy 101 is strongly recommended as being a superbly organized and presented beginner's instructional manual. Also very highly recommended for the genealogical instructional reference shelf and published by Rutledge Hill Press is Online Roots: How To Discover Your Family's History And Heritage With The Power Of The Internet (1401600212, $19.99), the expert and collaborative effort of professional genealogists Pamela Boyer Porter and Amy Johnson Crow.


The Self-Help Shelf

The DNA Of Success
Jack M. Zufelt
HarperCollins Publishers
Jane Wesman Public Relations (publicity)
10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022-5299
0060006587 $25.95 1-800-242-7737

The DNA Of Success by Jack M. Zufelt (recipient of the Presidential Medial of Merit from President George W. Bush), is an impressively accessible self-help guide to achieving one's dreams by first identifying the Core Desire in one's heart. Jack Zufelt draws upon his many years as a professional speaker and trainer in The DNA Of Success to guide his readers into using their strongest motives as a trigger mechanism for the "Conquering Force" required to overcoming all obstacles. An upbeat, go-getter, and practical-oriented resource of advice, The DNA Of Success is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal self-help, self-improvement reading lists.

Moving Beyond Depression
Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D.
Ann McMurray
Shaw Books/WaterBrook Press
Creative Resources (publicity)
2375 Telstar Drive, Suite 160, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
0877880336 $12.99 waterbrookpress.com

Ably written by Gregory L. Jantz (the founder and executive director of the mental health and chemical dependency treatment facility The Center for Counseling and Health Resources Inc.) with the assistance of Ann McMurry and featured an informative Foreword by Dr. Abram Hoffer, Moving Beyond Depression: A Whole-Person Approach To Healing is a powerful and effective self-help guide to the personal search for emotional equilibrium; rebuilding personal and familial relation-ships; identifying the physical causes of depression; renewing spiritual connections, and more. Focusing on the importance of looking at one's life as a whole in order to treat depression (including the emotional, environmental, relational, phy-sical, and spiritual factors involved in melancholia), Moving Beyond Depression is very highly recommended reading -- especially for those struggle with their own "dark nights of the soul".

Go For It! Finding Your Own Frontier
Judith Kleinfeld, Ed.D.
Epicenter Press Inc.
Alice B. Acheson (publicity)
PO Box 82368, Kenmore, WA 98028
0972494464 $22.95 EpicenterPress.com

Award-winning author Judith Kleinfeld presents Go For It!: Finding Your Own Frontier, a superbly presented and thoroughly "reader friendly" self-help manual to using and utilizing the goals and drives of a frontier frame of mind to improve overall personal performance and success. From selecting the right dream to pursue; to methodologies; to developing a "frontier strategy", and so much more, Go For It! Finding Your Own Frontier is an exciting, practical, morale uplifting, and enthusiastically recommended do-it-yourself guide to pursuing happiness in high gear.

Vital Truths
Bruce L. Roselle, Ph.D.
Beaver's Pond Press, Inc.
7104 Ohms Lane, Suite 216, Edina, MN 55439-1465
www.beaverspondpress.com
1931646813 $19.95 1-952-829-8818

Vital Truths: The Secret To Living And Leading Wholeheartedly by corporate psychologist Bruce L. Roselle is a superbly presented motivational guide to leadership skills and attitude. Ranging from thinking more about others; to learning to accept what can't be changed and change what can; to enkindling hope, generating enthusiasm and developing motivation, Vital Truths is recommended as an optimistic, upbeat, positive, "self-help" guide for non-specialist general readers seeking to cultivate their leadership potential in all walks of business and personal life.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Eye On Science Fiction
Tom Weaver
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
0786416572 $39.95 1-800-253-2187

Eye On Science Fiction by movie expert Tom Weaver presents twenty interviews with classic science fiction and horror filmmakers, including Herman Cohen, Alex Gordon, Beverly Washburn, John Hart, Robert Nichols, William Wellman, and others. Black-and-white photographs enhance the candid, open testimonies that span science fiction and horror fantasy subgenres, generations, artistic interpretations, interacting with stars, and the ever fickle and evolving desires of the movie-going public. Eye On Science Fiction is a very highly recommended reference and resource for academic Cinematic Studies collections, especially fun and informative reading for dedicated fans of great old-time science fiction and horror movies.

Excelsior
Michael Paul
Chancellor Publishing
PO Box 1786, Fort Collins, CO 80522
0963010484 $15.95 1-970-221-0895

Michael Paul's gripping novel Excelsior is set in the year 2035. A deadly secret lurks aboard the space station Excelsior, and entrepreneur Miles Cash becomes entangled in a multifaceted conspiracy involving cloned suicide agents, a rogue intelligence agency's plot to destroy China, China's desperate and dangerous reaction to this threat, and much more. Miles' love of Leena Doda (a singularly beautiful bio-engineered woman) drives him to desperately defy far greater forces in this exhilarating, deftly written, and original "near future" science fiction saga.


The Library CD Music Shelf

YB Style
Young Bird
Canyon Records Productions
3131 West Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85017
www.canyonrecords.com
CR-6360 $15.98 1-800-268-1141

YB Style presents a regional ethnic southern style music featuring Native American flutes, rhythmic dance drums, and sturdier pow-wow drum beats. A rich melding of Native American folklore and invention by Grammy-nominated pow-wow singers Young Bird, the tracks comprising YB Style include: Crazy Times (4:08), Sswolt (3:24), Double The Action (3:06), It's About Time (3:36), Overdrive (2:56), The Stinger (1:58), Back Home (3:51), Home Run Homer (3:30), Chiefin' It (3:26), and Summa Tyme (3:22). Also very highly recommended for Native American CD music collections are: Song Of Colors by Jay Begaye (CR-6356, $15.98) and Reflections by Robert Tree Cody and Hovia Edwards (CR-7058, $15.98)

Even Sleepers
Leah Callahan
Baraca
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
5340 Old State Road, 37 South, Suite B, Bloomington, IN 47401
BA00013 $TBA rockpaperscissors.biz

Produced and arranged by Shaun Wolf Wortis, Even Sleepers showcases the undeniably vocal talents of Leah Callahan. Callahan wrote seven of the songs featured in Even sleepers in just nine days. Wortis then spent six months transcribing and arraigning the music for Callahan's lyrics. Melodic, unique, and beautifully performed, the individual pieces comprising this enthusiastically recommended CD album include: Valentine; The Sadness I Admire; The Red Eye; Better Than You; Vampire Heart; Where You Are; Love Some Thing; Shocking Pink; and Strip Mall.

English Fiddler
Dave Swarbrick
Naxos World
416 Mary Lindsay Polk Drive, Suite 509, Franklin, TN 37067
76045-2 $9.99 1-877-629-6723

Dave Swarbrick is a brilliantly gifted master of the English folk violin and is widely known for his distinctive sound that is not quite folk, rock, or ballad. In English Fiddler we are treated to ten original compositions and performances by Swarbrick that clearly documents his status an a remarkably singular talent. The pieces comprising this outstanding CD album include My Heart's In New South Wales (5:03); The Seven Keys (5:16); Boadicea (4:34); The Wives/The Battler (4:40); March of the Last (4:35); The Pepperpot/Banksie (3:34); Carthy's March/The Lemon Tree (3:42); Medley (5:15); and Miss Stevenson/Turnabout (6:26). Total Playing Time - 57:52.

Manana
Willie and Lobo
Narada Productions, Inc.
4650 North Port Washington Road, Milwaukee, WI 53212
72438-50835-2-5 $16.98 1-800-966-3699

Highly recommended listening, Manana is an album of collaboration by Willie Royal and Wolfgang "Lobo" Fink arising from their tours around the world as they blend their experiences and memories of Turkey, Brazil, Spain, Hawaii, Mexico, southern France, and the southern US into a grand conglomeration composed with Gypsy violin and guitar. Offering an impressive variety of flamenco, gypsy, and jazz, the tracks comprising Manana include: El Tubo (5:51), El Desperado (6:02), La Bolita (6:04), Oriental Gypsy (6:18), Fuegando (6:19), Saudade (4:21), Sacromonte Sunrise (5:03), Laura Lorenza (5:34), La Playa (5:43), Caravan of Camels (6:14), and the title piece, Manana (6:59).


The Parenting Shelf

His Needs Her Needs For Parents
Willard F. Harley, Jr.
Fleming H. Revell
c/o Baker Book House
Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
080071833X $19.99 bakerbooks.com

Written by a nationally acclaimed clinical psychologist Willard F. Harley, Jr., His Needs Her Needs For Parents is a helpful and thoroughly "user friendly" advice guide to keeping romance alive in a marriage while simultaneously raising healthy, well-adjusted children. A practical resource, with asides useful especially for troublesome situations such as dealing with ADHD in children, the unique challenges that blended families face, and coping with "intrusive in-laws", His Needs Her Needs For Parents is highly recommended reading for any of today's parents who are struggling with the effects of the stresses and strains of modern life within themselves and their families.

Baby Achievers
Goldhil Home Media International
411 Video Information (publicity)
137 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 207, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
www.sts-media.com
1585655996 $19.95 1-800-250-8760

Baby Achievers is an educational video for parents to share with their babies ages 6 months to 3 years. Bright colors and stimulating video flashcards introduce very young children to the alphabet, basic reading and math skills, colors, shapes, cause & effect, and real world knowledge. Providing an upbeat, helpful, quality viewing experience, with lessons that are easy for little tykes to follow, Baby Achievers is a strongly recommended addition to family, daycare center, and preschool program video collections.

Some there are who write for fame and fortune. Still others write because they have a story to tell, a thought to share, and no better means to do it than to write it down.


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


Copyright ©2001

Site design by Williams Writing, Editing & Design