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Internet Bookwatch

Volume 12, Number 6 June 2002 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Christian Studies Shelf American History Shelf
Buddhist Shelf Biography Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
Artbook Shelf International Studies Shelf Journalism Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Black Studies Shelf Jobs/Careers Shelf
Musicbook Shelf Railroading Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf
Theatre/Cinema/Video Shelf Travel Shelf Science Shelf
Social Issues Shelf Metaphysical Shelf Pets/Wildlife Shelf
Cookbook Shelf Islamic Studies Shelf Literary Shelf
Military Shelf Library Reference Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf
Business Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf Judaic Studies Shelf
Environmental Studies Shelf Library Science Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf
World History Shelf Fiction Shelf Audiobook Shelf
Tai Chi/Martial Arts Shelf Money/Finance Shelf Poetry Shelf
Egyptology Shelf Criminology Shelf Genealogy Shelf
Photography Shelf Philosophy Shelf Civil War Shelf
Sports Shelf Economics Shelf Computer Shelf
Architecture Shelf Parenting Shelf Library Video Shelf
Native American Shelf Gaming Shelf Self-Help Shelf
Education Shelf Library CD Shelf  



Reviewer's Choice

Wondrous Contrivances
Merritt Ierley
Clarkson Potter
299 Park Avenue, New York NY 10171
0609608363 $22.00 1-800-726-0600

From the invention of the cell phone in the unlikely era of 1901 to late 1800s television testing, Wondrous Contrivances provides a new type of history of emerging technologies which actually emerged far before their published development. Especially intriguing are parallels drawn between inventions of yesteryear and modern times.

Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year, 2002 Edition
Charles Brooks
Pelican Publishing
1000 Brumaster St., Gretna, LA 70053
1589800176 $14.95 1-800-843-1724

Leading editorial cartoonists are presented in a volume which focuses on concerns over terrorism and political actions. Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year, 2002 Edition packs in popular black and white editorials that reflect the major concerns of the Year 2001: any that wants a record of events and opinions will find Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year, 2002 Edition intriguing and fun.

Samurai
Clive Sinclaire
The Lyons Press
Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437
1585742821 $29.95 1-800-836-0510

This history of Japanese samurai and its philosophy and military ideas is covered in Samurai, a fine title that is packed with over two hundred color photos and illustrations of Samurai weapons and armor. This reference is a 'must' for any who want to study the weaponry and sentiments of samurai: the history is impressive and the ideas and photos unparalleled.

Who Ordered The Jumbo Shrimp? And Other Oxymorons
Jon Agee
Farrar Straus and Giroux
19 Union Square West, NY, NY 10003
0374483728 $8.95 www.fsgbooks.com

Jon Agee's Who Ordered The Jumbo Shrimp? And Other Oxymorons is a delightfully humorous book that brings classic contradictory phrases like "freezer burn", "concrete jungle," "inherited debt" and more to life with the simple, stylistic black-and white cartoons of the wryly talented Jon Agee. A laugh-out-loud funny selection of visual and verbal gags and an ideal giftbook for anyone who enjoys a quick read and a good chuckle.

Classics Illustrated
William B. Jones
McFarland & Company
Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
0-7864-1077-9 $55.00 1-800-253-2187

From 1941-71 Classics Illustrated comics introduced millions to abridged, comics-style version of literary masterpieces. Classics Illustrated tells of the birth of this popular medium, founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Kanter whose operations saw both the heyday and decline of the golden age of comics. The focuses on artists' creations is particularly involving.

Eclipse
Duncan Steel
John Henry Press
2101 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20418
0-309-07438-X $24.95

Eclipses have long been perceived as portentous events and have affected world cultural development, from the onset or cessation of battles to dates of historic decisions. This blends science with history as astronomer Steel explains how eclipses occur, their history, and their influence on human lives. Black and white illustrations throughout capture eclipse history and drama.

The War On Weeds In The Prairie West
Clinton L. Evans
University of Calgary Press
2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4
1552380297 $29.95 1-800-565-3770

The War On Weeds In The Prairie West: An Environmental History by history buff and weed control expert Clinton L. Evans covers four centuries of the history of pervasive and tenacious Canadian weeds, since their arrival as seeds from England in the sixteenth century. Agricultural battles against these weeds through the centuries are traced in this aptly researched, informative compendium filled with amazing cross-connections in the natural world and human cultivation. The War On Weeds In The Prairie West is a very strongly recommended addition to gadening and agricultural studies supplemental reading lists as well as academic horticultural and ecological history reference collections.

Cyborg Citizen
Chris Hables Gray
Routledge
29 West 35th St., New York NY 10001
0-415-91979-7 $19.95 www.amazon.com

In Cyborg Citizen, the author argues that the creation of cyborgs calls for new definitions of citizenship. Examples can include Internet offerings and the legal and political issues raised by its use, and issues affecting the mechanization of humans with artificial parts. An intriguing survey of changing images of civil rights and liberties.

Valentine
Lucius Shepard
Four Walls Eight Windows
39 W. 14th St., #503, NY, NY 10011
1-56858-215-3 $18.00 www.4w8w.com

It's hard to easily classify this title: part novel, part fantasy, is this story of romance and love lost in Florida, where a hurricane brings an unusual reunion with a lost love. A series of strange circumstances involves them in frightening possibilities in this unusual story.

Knopf Publishers
299 Park Avenue, New York NY 10171
1-800-726-0600 www.amazon.com

Brad Leithauser's Darlington's Fall (0-375-41148-8, $25.00) provides an unusual format in that this novel is completely in verse. Naturalist Darlington is a romantic hero who pursues new species and suffers a freakish accident in the pursuit of love. Fans of poetry will especially find the blend of novel and verse intriguing. Scott Lasser's All I Could Get (41325-1, $24.00) tells of a successful businessman who begins to question the elements of achievement despite all his obvious wealth. Insights into a Wall Street life and a man's probe of life's meaning make for an involving account.

Lightning Strikes
Jeff Renner
Mountaineers Books
1001 SW Klickitat Way #201, Seattle, WA 98134
0898867886 $12.95 1-800-553-4453

Lightning kills more people in North America than any other weather problem: Lightning Strikes is the first to provide practical strategies for whose who work in or enjoy the outdoors, and who might find themselves unprepared during a storm. From lightning lore and myths to survival stories and the important guide on what to do during a storm, this is an important guide.

Firefly Books Ltd.
4 Daybreak Lane, Westport, CT 06880
1-800-387-5085 www.amazon.com

Two step-by-step project-oriented Origami guides by Didier Boursin provide origami artists with new creations and old favorites. Origami Paper Animals (1-55209-622-X, $9.95) and Paper Airplanes (616-5, $9.95) each provide color diagrams illustrating folds. The easy, professional-looking results will delight all ages.

Wisconsin At War
James F. McIntosh, M.D.
Trails Books
P.O. Box 317, Black Earth, WI 53515
1931599106 $19.95 trailsbooks.com

A volunteer at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, James McIntosh is the ideal author for a project like Wisconsin At War: Through The Eyes Of Veterans. A truly memorable work that specifically covers Wisconsin's participation in all the wars throughout the twentieth century, beginning with World War I and continuing through Desert Storm, Wisconsin At War is enhanced with black-and-white photographs and a wealth of individual anecdotes filling this fascinating volume cover to cover. Told in the words of the people who fought bravely for their country, the historical perspectives on the events and experiences engaging Wisconsin men and women in the defense of their country is a seminal source reference, strongly recommended reading, and an essential, core acquisition for all academic and community library Wisconsin History collections.

Pastimes
Ruth V. Russell
Sagamore Publishing
804 North Neil Street, #100, Champaign, IL 61824
1571675159 $64.95 1-800-327-5557

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Pastimes: The Context Of Contemporary Leisure by Ruth V. Russell (Professor of Recreation, Indiana University, Bloomington) is a highly accessible and scholarly textbook on the specific subjects of leisure behavior; the history of leisure; the recreational activities in literature, art, and music since the Kingdom of Kush and Ancient Greece; the balance between leisure and capitalism; and much more. Enhanced with discussion questions, summaries, resources, references, and an index Pastimes is a superb text for curriculum studies or self-education on the subject of contemporary leisure and the impact of pastime pursuits on American popular culture.

Cyber_Reader
Neil Spiller, editor
Phaidon Press
7195 Grayson Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17111
0714840718 $39.95 www.phaidon.com

Cyber_Reader compiled and edited by Neil Spiller is an impressive and erudite anthology of texts and essays on the theme of cyberspace. Most of the essays are from the 1990s, though a few appropriate excerpts from earlier cyberspace history are included. An amazing and eclectic selection of learned opinions and analysis make Cyber_Reader an engaging, informative, seminal, at times challenging, and always highly recommended study of how virtual reality shapes our living world to this very day.



The Christian Studies Shelf

Out Of The Shadows
J. Thomas Lapacka
Concordia Publishing House
3558 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118-3986
0570052467 $12.99 www.CPH.org

Out Of The Shadows: Finding God's Truth In A World Of Deception by J. Thomas Lapacka (Executive Director, The Lutheran Church/Missouri Synod Board for Communication Services, St. Louis, Missouri) is the personal and penetrating testimony of one man's journey through the tight clutches of a cult to embracing faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A powerful, moving account of the depths of the human and divine spirit, Out Of The Shadows is highly recommended reading for any member of the Christian community having to deal with the insidious deceptions of religious cults.

Crossing
Mark Barrett, OSB
Morehouse Publishinig
P.O. Box 1321, Harrisburg, PA 17105
0819218995 $12.95 1-800-877-0012

Mark Barrett's Crossing: Reclaiming The Landscape Of Our Lives is a powerful treastis written especially for those who believe in God, yet struggle to understand the sad Mysteries that chronically perplex humanity. A moving, personal testimony of the author's experiences, wisdom, and faith, Crossing is a lesson in the nature of spirituality and a most thought-provoking read which is confidently recommended for Christians of all denominational backgrounds.

St. Paul
William M. Ramsay
Kregel Publications
P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
0825436397 $20.99 www.kregel.com

Deftly edited by Mark Wilson and now published in a newly updated and revised edition, St. Paul: The Traveler And Roman Citizen by Oxford University's first professor of classical art and archaeology William M. Ramsay (1851-1939) is a breathtaking, full-color, guide and history of Christianity's premier missionary and apostolic father St. Paul, both before and after his conversion in Palestine. Originally published in 1939, this new edition of St. Paul: The Traveler And Roman Citizen has been enhanced with materials that the author Ramsay published subsequent to his book, as well as enhanced for the reader with more than one hundred color photographs, including many of the holy land where St. Paul once lived and traveled. A vivid, thoroughly researched, highly recommended study guide for any who wish to learn more about St. Paul's missionary travels.

Paul And The Competing Mission In Corinth
Michael D. Goulder
Hendrickson Publishers
P.O. Box 3473, Peabody, MA 01961-3473
1565633792 $24.95

Paul And The Competing Mission In Corinth by Michael D. Goulder (Professor of Biblical Studies, University of Birmingham, retired) is a controversial and provocative new account, written after years of extensive research and the assembly of evidence, and dares to expand the theory suggested years ago by F. C. Baur that there were two competing missions in early Christian history: one headed by Paul; the other by James, Peter, and John. Paul's conflict with the "counter-missionaries" as seen in the Corinthian Letters engenders a new spin upon Baur's theory in Goulder's persuasive and meticulously presented account. The latest entry in Hendrickson Publishers' outstanding "Library of Pauline Studies" series, Michael Goulder's Paul And The Competing Mission In Corinth is an thoughtful and thought provoking alternative perspective of first century Christian history.

Surviving A Spiritual Mismatch In Marriage
Lee Strobel & Leslie Strobel
Zondervan
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530
0310220149 $12.99 www.zondervan.com

Surviving A Spiritual Mismatch In Marriage by Lee and Leslie Strobel is the candid and revealing story of one married couple's journey together despite conflicting beliefs. When Leslie Strobel made the decision to become a devout follower of Jesus, her nonbeliever husband had severe opposition. They conflicted on a vast array of central issues to married life, from finances to the raising of their children. Learning to accept their differences and make their marriage work was a long and hard road, and now they present readers everywhere their life experiences for the purpose of helping others going through the same problems of adjustment to cope and reconcile one another's differences. Surviving A Spiritual Mismatch In Marriage is unique and highly recommended reading.

The Jesus Meditations
Michael Kennedy
Crossroad Publishing Company
481 Eighth Ave., #1550, NY, NY 10001
0824519299 $19.95 1-800-395-0690

The Jesus Meditations: A Guide For Contemplation by Michael Kennedy (Pastor, Dolores Mission Parish, East Los Angeles) is a unique book enhanced an accompanying audio CD narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Martin Sheen. Simple black-and-white line drawings of Jesus administering to the needy appear in this contemplative book, divided into many meditations. Each brief section features a statement of grace for which the reader may strive, the setting and story of a given excerpt of scripture, the scripture itself, a poetic meditation, and an offering of reflective questions as to how one can better understand and improve oneself and one's soul. The Jesus Meditations are highly recommended as a profound and deeply faithful guide to offering worship and embracing Jesus Christ.

Interpreting The Will Of God
Mack King Carter
Judson Press
Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
0817014241 $13.00 1-800-458-3766

Interpreting The Will Of God: Principles For Unlocking The Mystery by Mack King Carter (Senior Pastor, New Mount Olive Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a powerfully presented, spiritually insightful study of the nature and characteristics of God. Interpreting the Will of God is a most profound and passionate account. Interpreting The Will Of God is recommended as a moving testament offering guidance to Christians seeking to embrace God in their lives.

A Better Way
Michael Horton
Baker Books
Creative Rescoures Consulting (publicity)
Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
0801012341 $19.99 bakerbooks.com

A Better Way: Rediscovering The Drama Of God-Centered Worship by Rev. Michael Horton (Associate Professor, Westminister Theological Seminary, California) is a clear and careful examination of the Christian worship of God. Individual chapters address the Biblical passages that form the source of Christian worship, and the importance of putting God and Jesus Christ foremost. Specially written for those who keep the faith, as well as for pastors and worship leaders, A Better Way is strongly recommended as a profound, life-changing book about what it truly means to express one's reverence with a Christian context of scripture and tradition.

Rescuing Jesus From The Christians
Clayton Sullivan
Trinity Press International
4775 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112
1563383802 $16.00 trinitypressintl.com

Rescuing Jesus From The Christians by Clayton Sullivan (Professor of Philosophy and Religion, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg) is a solid, scholarly study that seeks to reconcile Jesus and His message with the latest archaeological and historical findings about Christ and the era he lived in. Four strategies for understanding Jesus are presented: distinguishing between pre- and post-resurrection Jesus, accepting that there is no obligation to embrace all beliefs held by the early church, guarding against the tendency to sentimentalize or aggrandize Jesus, and the importance of not simply tolerating, but rather rejoicing in religious pluralism. Rescuing Jesus From The Christians is a powerful presentation with a profound message for all readers and highly recommended, very welcome contribution New Testament Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

God's Top 10
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, host
KidzVid Entertainment
c/o Tommy Nelson
PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
0849975042 $14.99 1-800-251-4000

Hosted by well-known radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger (a.k.a., Dr. Laura), God's Top 10 is a superbly designed and presented video presentation of the Biblical ten commandments for young people, bringing to life the crucial moral guidelines with a variety of fun characters such as Delaura the butterfly, Benny the bunny, Roscoe the raccoon, and more. Divided into ten segments, one for each commandment, God's Top 10 is a video meant for adults and children to watch together, to better teach and understand God's laws. A portion of the proceeds of God's Top 10 will benefit the Dr. Laura Schlessinger Foundation for Children, which supports young survivors of abuse or neglect. Total Running Time: 75 minutes.

The Recovery Of Doctrine In The Contemporary Church
Richard Heyduck
Baylor University Press
P.O. Box 97363, Waco, TX 76798
0918954800 $34.95 www.amazon.com

The Recovery Of Doctrine In The Contemporary Church: An Essay In Philosophical Ecclesiology by Richard Heyduck (Associate Pastor of Westbury United Methodist Church, Houston, Texas) is a scathing look at how modern ideas have altered or even marginalized church doctrine, particularly in the last century. Heyduck focuses upon Christian doctrine in general, and his own tradition of United Methodism in particular, in a forcefully written, candidly presented, articulate account of the importance of staying true to original church doctrine. A profound and persuasive case written to persuade ministers, evangelists, and churchgoers to rethink the impulse to change or accept changes as easily as the secular world accepts change, Pastor Heyduck's The Recovery Of Doctrine In The Contemporary Church: An Essay In Philosophical Ecclesiology is very highly recommended reading for both the clergy and the laity with an interest in contemporary ecclesiastical applications of Christian historic doctrines.

Prayers For The Later Years
Malcolm Boyd
Augsburg Fortress
Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
0806641940 $15.99 1-800-426-0115

Prayers For The Later Years by Malcolm Boyd (Episcopal Priest and Poet/Writer in Residence, The Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles, California) is a selection of deeply spiritual Christian prayers written especially for the aging generation of readers. Each page presents a different prose or poetry passage addressed to Jesus Christ, containing within the authors heartfelt love for God and gentle acceptance of the difficulties of getting older. A tender, reverently devotional book, Prayers For The Later Years is enthusiastically recommended reading, especially for seniors.

Faithfulness And Holiness
J. I. Packer
Crossway Books
c/o Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, IL 60187
1581343582 $17.99 1-800-323-3890

Faithfulness And Holiness: The Witness Of J. C. Ryle by J. I. Packer (Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a superbly presented tribute to Bishop John Charles Ryle, a man who challenged his parishoners to seek greater holiness. Bishop Ryle's own testimony "Holiness," first published in 1877, is included in its entirety within the pages of Faithfulness And Holiness. A profound reflection upon Ryle's life, ideals, work, and legacy is a powerful and moving work of faith and joy, Faithfulness And Holiness is very highly recommended for Christian Studies reading lists and reference collections.

Gospel
Monterey Video
566 St. Charles Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-3901
1569946086 $19.95 1-800-424-2593

Gospel is a superbly presented DVD showcasing live musical performances by Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Walter Hawkins and the Hawkins Family; and the celebratory Christian message of Rev. James Cleveland. An incredible visual and musical celebration of love, Christ, and jubilant performance, Gospel is whirlwind rush of emotion, sensation, and abiding faith. The DVD format is enhanced with extra features including singer profiles, a scrapbook, venue highlights, and immediate access to specific and favorite songs. Total Running Time: 93 minutes.



The American History Shelf

The Panthers And The Militias
John A. Wood
University Press of America
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
0761822488 $19.00 1-800-462-6420

The Panthers And The Militias: Brothers Under The Skin? by John A. Wood is a brief (52 pages) yet straightforward, scholarly analysis of the Black Panther movement and militias in America. History, similarities, differences, economic and cultural issues are all discussed in this learned treatise, which is exhaustively researched and meticulously written. The Panthers And The Militias is a welcome and original contribution to Black Studies and American History supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock Historical Society
Parkway Publishers
P.O. Box 3678, Boone, NC 28607
http://www.parkwaypublishers.com
1887905545 $25.00 www.amazon.com

A project of the Blowing Rock Historical Society, Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock is a coffee table book showcasing wonderful samples of rare, historic, and colorful postcards from the American town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina. A brief caption with background information on the pastoral scenes and landmarks enhances each postcard presentation and thereby brings to life a vivid, visually impressive, and memorable collection. A unique and highly recommended approach to regional American history, Post Cards Of Historic Blowing Rock could well serve as an example of what might be done by other community organizations to celebrate and memorialize their villages, towns, and cities.

Yale University Press
Box 209040, New Haven, CT 06520-9040
1-800-987-7323 www.amazon.com

Two fine and very different titles are recommended picks for audiences seeking intriguing histories. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones' Cloak And Dollar (0-300-07474-3, $29.95) provides an unusual history of American secret intelligence, from the nation's roots to modern times. From its simpler days to its evolution into a powerful and costly bureaucracy, this considers how self-promotion efforts have often hindered American intelligence organizations and efforts. The New York Times archives provide authors Douglas Dreishpoon and Alan Trachtenberg with an exciting range of images in The Tumultuous Fifties (08821-3). Black and white historic shots from Times archives include both better and lesser-known images and are packed with recommended details and insights.

Better In The Poconos
Lawrence Squeri
Penn State University Press
820 North University Drive, Suite C, University Park, PA 16802-1003
0271021578 $34.95 www.psupress.org

Better In The Poconos: The Story Of Pennsylvania's Vacationland by Lawrence Squeri (Professor of History, East Stroudsburg University) is an original slice of regional American history, offering the reader an inside look behind the glamour of the tourist industry. Focusing specifically on the tourism trade in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania, from the opening of the first hotel in 1829, to the many industries who ruthlessly compete for tourist dollars today, Better In The Poconos is an amazing story of clashing economics, evolving trades, and more, highlighted with black-and-white photographs from a variety of eras in history. Better In The Poconos is very highly recommended for academic and community library American Popular Culture and American History supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

Iowa Past To Present
Dorothy Schwieder, et al.
Iowa State Press
2121 State Avenue, Ames, IA 50014-8300
0813829984 $24.99 www.amazon.com

Now in an updated and revised third edition, Iowa Past To Present: The People And The Prairie by Dorothy Schwieder, Thomas Morain, and Lynn Nielsenis a textbook-style reference and guide to the history of the state of Iowa, from the American Indians who were the first people to live there to pioneers, the toll of the civil war, Iowa farm life, and more. The emphasis of Iowa Past to Present lies with Iowa history and life before World War I; subsequent events are treated relatively briefly in comparison. Collaboratively written by Dorothy Schwieder (Trustee of the Iowa State Historical Society); Thomas J. Morain (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs for Liberal Arts, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa); and Lynn E. Nielsen (Professor of Education, Department of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls) Iowa Past To Present is an informative, fascinating history and enthusiastically recommended students of Iowan history, events, and personalities.

The Corner
Coy Barefoot
Howell Press
1713-2D Allied Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22903
157427113X $39.95 howellpress.com

The Corner: A History Of Student Life At The University Of Virginia is a nostalgic coffee table book filled from cover to cover with black-and-white photographs that capture the essence of living at the University of Virginia and student's interaction with the social center called "The Corner" throughout the decades. Individual chapters and a memorable text cover decades from the 1800s through the 1990s. Anecdotes, history, strife, political change, and student consumption of alcohol are all discussed at length in this unique, engaging, memorable, picturesque and historical account.

Maria Von Blucher's Corpus Christi
Bruce S. Cheeseman, editor
Texas A&M University Press
4354 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843
158544135X $29.95 1-800-826-8911

Adroitly edited by Texas historian Bruce S. Cheeseman, Maria Von Blucher's Corpus Christi: Letters From The South Texas Frontier, 1849-1879 presents the correspondence by a young German-American pioneer who made a new life in Texas with her husband. Here portrayed are first person accounts of weathering Indian raids, droughts, the American Civil War, and the development of a town that her descendants would help evolve into a great city. A touching, personal narrative that takes the reader deep into the joys, frustrations, tribulations, and triumphs of pioneer life, Maria von Blucher's Corpus Christi is a superbly presented and highly recommended contribution to Pioneer Studies and Texas History supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

The Amish In The American Imagination
David Weaver-Zercher
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
0801866812 $39.95 jhupbooks.com

The Amish In The American Imagination by David Weaver-Zercher (Assistant Professor of American Religious History, Messiah College) is a fascinating Anabaptist study of how American twentieth-century culture perceives and interacts with America's Amish population and culture. The repercussions that Amish songs and Amish themed movies arising from the broader American popular culture have had upon Amish people, and vice versa, are discussed at length in this sober, thoughtful, scholarly, and carefully researched presentation. The Amish In The American Imagination is a highly recommended and original contribution to American Religious History Studies, American Popular Culture Studies, and 20th Century Amish Cultural Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.



The Buddhist Studies Shelf

Sacred Passage
Margaret Coberly, Ph.D., RN
Shambhala
300 Massachusetts Ave Boston MA 02115
1-57062-850-5 $21.95 www.amazon.com

This survey of providing fearless, compassionate care for the dying reflects the author's work as an emergency room RN and her own brother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, which led to her search through Eastern teachings for spiritual wisdom and insights. The Western fear of death generates denial and isolation; Tibetan Buddhism focuses on the nature of death, and Sacred Passage illustrates two practical applications of the philosophy for the dying and their caretakers.

Stages Of Meditation
The Dalai Lama
Snow Lion Publications
P.O. Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851
1559390697 $22.95 snowlionpub.com

Stages Of Meditation is a extensive commentary written by the venerable Dalai Lama upon the middle section of the Bhavanakrama by Kamalashila; a translation of this section is included. The text and the Dalai Lama's wisdom offer insight into understanding all Buddhist scriptures, and covering such matters as how to embrace kindness and live, know calmness, and achieve insight. A "must-read" for followers of the Dalai Lama and an unquestionably worthy addition to Buddhist studies reading lists and reference collections.

Wake Up To Your Life
Ken McLeod
HarperSanFrancisco
353 Sacramento Street, #500, San Francisco CA 94111-3653
0062516817 $16.95 www.amazon.com

Buddhist teacher and lecturer McLeod here provides a practical guide to applying and using the practices of Buddhism in everyday life. Wake Up To Your Life isn't another distillation of Eastern ways, but an adaptation of Buddhist belief to American ways of living: this is the first to deconstruct Buddhism for a Western audience using stories and examples to get the point across.



The Biography Shelf

A Man Of The Twentieth Century
Warren V. Keller
Author's Castle
P.O. Box 1044, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
www.authorsden.com/rosemarieskaine
0967224004 $14.94 1-319-266-8163

A Man Of The Twentieth Century: Recollections Of Warren V. Keller, A Nebraskan is the personal and engaging autobiographical account of an American who lived from 1900 to 1999, and saw the profound changes that swept across the generations. His stories, memories, trials, endurance, anecdotal observations, and age-seasoned wisdom are all set forth (as told to his daughter Rosemarie Keller Skaine and her husband James C. Skaine) in a decade-spanning, highly recommended presentation of one man's centenary life experiences.

Jack O'Connor
Robert Anderson
Safari Press, Inc.
15621 Chemical Lane, Bldg. B, Huntington Beach, CA 92649
1571572546 $34.95 1-800-451-4788

Jack O'Connor: The Legendary Life Of America's Greatest Gunwriter is the definitive biography of one of twentieth century North America's premier sportsmen, big-game hunters, and gun experts. Biographer Robert Anderson drew upon information provided from interviews with O'Connor's family and friends, as well as O'Connor's own papers, photos, and correspondences. The O'Connor papers from Washington State University were to prove invaluable in presenting a complete portrait of a man who had a great zest for love, despite a concurrent ability to be egotistically and occasionally mean spirited. A superb record of O'Connor's achievements as a hunter, the reader will learn about the early years of hardship in Arizona, the personal family tragedy of losing a son, the post-World War II "glory years" when O'Connor hunted tiger in India, sheep in Iran, buffalo in Tanganyika, and encounters with the ruling class of foreign land, and the corporate moguls of hunting and firearms industries. All of which gave O'Connor a special prestige to the point where his writings could spell success or failure for products and armaments marketed for the sportsman hunter. If you've ever read one of his columns or experienced the thrill of a big game hunt, you will want to read Jack O'Connor!

Madam Millie
Max Evans
University of New Mexico Press
3721 Spirit Drive SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106-5631
0-8263-2782-6 $23.95 1-800-249-7737

Mildred Cusey was a madam, an entrepreneur, and a survivor: Max Evans's superbly written biography, Mildred Cusey, tells of an orphan and waitress who rose from prostitute to bordello owner, in the process charting the rise and influence of bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikan. Madam Millie is an intriguing biographical history.

Screaming At A Wall
Greg Everett
Grundle Ink Publications
Phenix & Phenix (publicity)
P.O. Box 231, Chico, CA 95927
0970815255 $13.00 grundleink.com

Greg Everett's Screaming At A Wall is a dark and intensely personal memoir of sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, and offers today's readings uncanny insights into the out-of-control aspect of the so-called "90s youth culture". From stealing a key as a middle school prank, to using cocaine for recreation, and flipping through a string of girlfriends, Screaming At A Wall is a remarkably candid account of Everett's blind obsessions with breaking the rules. Screaming At A Wall is a disturbing yet compelling account, and as difficult to look away from as a house on fire or a twenty car pileup on the freeway.

George Washington
Frank E. Grizzard, Jr.
ABC-CLIO
Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
1576070824 $55.00 1-800-368-6868

Painstakingly compiled by Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. (Senior Associate Editor at the Papers of George Washington Editorial Project at the University of Virginia) George Washington: A Biographical Companion is a seminal and comprehensive reference. Written as a detailed supplement to straightforward biographies of America's first President, this impressive compendium contains numerous entries arranged in alphabetical order of the people places, and things that were important in Washington's life and times. Each entry presents a careful assessment of facts and history, and how they related to George Washington himself. George Washington: A Biographical Companion is first-rate, strongly recommended supplement to academic and community library American History reference collections.



The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Great Quotations On Religious Freedom
Albert Menendez & Edd Doerr, Editors
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228
1573929417 $18.00 1-800-421-0351

This collection of memorable quotes on religious freedoms covers centuries of thought and a range of sources, revealing a wealth of statements by men and women from philosophers and religious leaders to presidents and statesmen. These quotes cover some of the basic dilemmas of church and state, from civil religion and school prayer to blue laws and abortion rights. A fine gathering of insights.

The Song Of Songs
Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
The Liturgical Press
Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
0814650694 $29.95 www.litpress.org

Deftly edited by David W. Cotter, The Song Of Songs: Studies In Hebrew Narrative & Poetry by Dianne Bergant (Professor of Biblical Studies and Director of the Joint Doctor of Ministry Program, Catholic Theological Union) is an exhaustive and meticulous analysis of the Song of Songs, viewing it as a selection of poems in celebration mutual love. Special attention is paid to the careful matter of translating the poetic verse from Hebrew, and the cultural context of the poetry. The Song Of Songs is strongly recommended as an invaluable, serious, college-level analysis for scholars of Biblical Studies in general, and Hebrew narrative and poetry in particular.

Popes And Politics
Justus George Lawler
Continuum International
370 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10017
0826413854 $24.95 continuumbooks.com

Popes And Politics: Reform, Resentment, And The Holocaust by educator and papal expert Justus George Lawler is a meticulous, scholarly accounting that responds to many previous published works about the Vatican and the papacy, including those written by James Carroll, John Cornwell, Garry Wills, Susan Zuccotti and more. A brilliant, intense, and persuasively argued study, Popes and Politics covers a range of critical topics, including a thorough re-assessment of Pope Pius XII, the incorporation of Shoah into Catholicism, debate over German and Israeli "revisionist histories" and more. Popes And Politics is high recommended as an inherently engaging and informative study, and a seminal contribution to Papal Studies and Holocaust Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

No Greater Love
Mother Teresa
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato, CA 94949
1-57731-201-5 $14.00 www.amazon.com

Now in paperwork is this classic collection of the spiritual wisdom of Mother Teresa, a fine collection of her teachings which reveals her insights on love, prayer, service and poverty. All religions will find No Greater Love to be a moving testimony to Mother Teresa's dedication and work.

Ark Of The Covenant
Kelly D. Alexander, Jr.
University Press of America
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
076182197X $28.00 1-800-462-6420

Ark Of The Covenant: Simplified Information For Lay-Persons by Kelly D. Alexander, Jr. is a straightforward presentation of the history of the revered religious artifact known as the Ark of the Covenant, from its origin, up through its disappearance, and offering the latest conjecture as to where the Ark might be today. Written in plain language for non-specialist general readers of all backgrounds, Ark Of The Covenant is an erudite account of Ark through the centuries. A superb history and highly recommended for religious studies supplemental reading lists and Biblical History reference shelves.



The Artbook Shelf

Fired By Ideals
Suzanne Baizerman, et al.
Pomegranate Communications
Box 6099, Rohnert Park, CA 94927
0764913999 $30.00 www.amazon.com

Collaboratively presented by Suzanne Raizerman (Imogene Gieling Curator of Crafts and Decorative Arts, Oakland Museum, California), Lynn Downey (History, Levi Strauss and Company); and John Taki (California College of Arts and Crafts and President, Leslie Ceramic Supply Company, Berkeley, California) Fired By Ideals: Arequipa Pottery And The Arts & Crafts Movement is a truly impressive, 136 page artbook showcasing a unique selection of historical ceramic pottery sculpture. In 1911, after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco triggered a tuberculosis epidemic, a special treatment center called the Arequipa Sanatorium was founded for working women afflicted by the disease. Pottery became daily practice, both as an outlet for creativity/healing and to create marketable wares. The most amazing samples of this fine pottery are displayed in full color in Fired By Ideals, along with descriptive captions and a narrated history of the Sanatorium that created them. A fascinating catalogue filled with thoughtful and meaningful wares, Fired By Ideals is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library arts and crafts reference collections.

P. Buckley Moss
Peter Rippe
Landauer Books
12251 Maffitt Road, Cumming, IA 50061
0964687097 $50.00 www.amazon.com

P. Buckley Moss: Painting The Joy Of The Soul is a simply gorgeous, coffee table artbook showcasing the vibrant, avant-garde work of the prolific, in-demand, and world-renowned female artist P. Buckley Moss. Eye-opening color photographs of her singular and emotional work alongside an extensive biography and commentary make P. Buckley Moss: Painting The Joy Of The Soul a true celebration of art, heartily recommended to academic and community art history collections, and a sheer joy to read and savor.

Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture
Pat Getz-Gentle
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, Third Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
0299172007 $45.00 1-800-621-2736

Pat Getz-Gentle draws upon thirty-five years of meticulous scholarship and research in Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture, the latest contribution to the outstanding University of Wisconsin Press series, "Wisconsin Studies in Classics" Here presented is a 185-page definitive work on Cycladic sculpture provides a wealth of new material and fresh insights into a artistic tradition which is rooted in the Neolithic period spanning the third millennium B.C. The reader is treated to a an informative and challenging review of this tradition of artistic express as Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture gives special emphasis on the stages leading to the reclining figure with folded arms that is the unique and quintessential icon of the early Bronze age culture at the center of the Aegean. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture also focuses on the discernibly unique styles of fifteen specific carvers. By introducing little-known pieces attributable to these sculptors, Pat Getz-Gentle superbly illuminates various phases of their artistic development. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is enhanced with a special chapter by European art history and lecturer Jack de Vries, a profusion of photos and drawings illustrating 212 different works of Cycladic sculpture. Personal Styles In Early Cycladic Sculpture is an impressive, seminal, accessible, original body of work that will prove to be an invaluable addition to Art History Studies in general, and Hellenic Sculpture Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections in particular.

The Elements Of Design
Loan Oei & Cecile De Kegel
Thames & Hudson
500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10110
0500283397 $24.95 www.amazon.com

The Elements Of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms And Shapes is a joint-project by Amsterdam exhibitions curator Loan Oei and Antwerp based Decile De Kegel, a graduate in textile design and weaving expert. The heart of Elements Of Design lies not in words, for it contains precious few of those, but rather in the stunning, full-color, full-page photographs that fill it cover to cover. Each photograph presents a different, majestic juxtaposition of colors, shapes, patterns, and fascinating medleys in this inspirational book created specifically to motivate artists and designers everywhere. An amazing treat for the eyes and especially recommended for personal and professional fabric-based art and needlecraft reference collections, The Elements Of Design is a beautiful and varied book sure to open one's eyes to brand new possibilities for artistic creation.



The International Studies Shelf

Making Sense Of The Troubles
David McKittrick & David McVea
New Amsterdam Books
c/o Ivan R. Dee, Publisher
1332 North Halsted St., Chicago, 60622
1561310700 $27.50 www.amazon.com

Making Sense Of The Troubles: The Story Of The Conflict In Northern Ireland by prize winning journalist David McKittrick and Northern Ireland political expert David McVea is a well-researched, insightful, highly accessible account of what really happened and why in the turmoil of Northern Ireland's history, especially during the last century. A mediated, sober, straightforward analysis, Making Sense Of The Troubles espouses hope that the violence in Northern Ireland will continue its recent decline yet cautions against tension, economic woes and other factors that exacerbate hostility. A meaningful book featuring a detailed chronology as well as a glossary and index, Making Sense Of The Troubles is highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader who seeks to better understand the politically charged and confrontational events in Northern Ireland throughout the decades of the twentieth century.

Bombs Over Baghdad
Ron Weiss
Dorrance Publishing
643 Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222
0-8059-5552-6 $17.00 1-800-788-7654

The author worked in the Middle East for over eight years for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, supporting their role in the Gulf War. Bombs Over Baghdad blends his research and personal insights, describing how the Western/Arab coalition of almost thirty nations contributed to the force which drove the Iraquis out of Kuwait. Depth blends with personal insights.

On Globalization
George Soros
Public Affairs
250 W. 57th St. #1321, NY, NY 10107
1586481258 $20.00 www.amazon.com

Globalization developments of international institutions have not kept pace with the development of global financial markets and political structure. In Globalization, George Soros maintains markets are amoral but still require distinctions between right and wrong: his insights on the operations of the World Trade Organization and ideas of an incentives-based system for the provision of public goods will intrigue college-level students of social and political history.

Managing Policy Reform
Derick Brinkerhoff & Benjamin Crosby
Kumarian Press
1294 Blue Hills Ave Bloomfield CT 06002
1565491424 $25.95 www.amazon.com

Collaboratively written by social scientist Derick W. Brinkerhoff and Management Systems International director Benjamin L. Crosby, Managing Policy Reform: Concepts And Tools For Decision-Makers In Developing And Transitioning Countries is a diverse and informative work proffering concepts and tools for policy change and enhancing democratic governments of, by, and for the people in developing countries. Individual chapters address such diverse topics as citizen participation in the process of creating governmental policies, workshops for overseeing policy reform, conflict resolution, and more. Encompassing broad ideas with meticulous scholarly analysis, Managing Policy Reform is recommended to students of international studies as a thoughtful study with an laudable motivational purpose to effectively and significantly improve self-directing governments of nations worldwide -- and the populations they serve.

Blood Of Revolution
Erik Durschmied
Arcade Publishing
141 Fifth Avenue, 8th Fl., NY, NY 10010
1-55970-607-4 $26.95 1-800-759-0190

Historical texts, eyewitness accounts, and analysis blend in Blood Of Revolution, a survey of a range of revolutions and revolts, from the French revolution to those in the Middle East and Cuba. Each revolution has its own dynamic and cast of characters but all result in betrayal, glory and death. A fascinating survey of world revolutionary influences.

Exiting The Balkan Thicket
Gary Dempsey, Ed.
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001
1930865171 $8.95 1-800-767-1241

Since September 2001 American policymakers have had to reassess their priorities: this reviews the West's experiences in Bosnia and Kosovo as a peacekeeping force, recommending how the U.S. can promote a more balanced security relationship with its European allies. From peace project attractions and problems to the state of post-Dayton Bosnia, Exiting The Balkan Thicket is packed with insights.



The Journalism Shelf

Al-Jazeera
Mohammed El-Nawawy & Adel Iskandar
Westview Press
5500 Central Ave., Boulder, CO 80301
0813340179 $24.00 westviewpress.com

Collaboratively written by Egyptian born Middle East journalist Mohammed El-Nawawy and Middle East media expert Adel Iskandar, Al-Jazeera: How The Free Arab News Network Scooped The World And Changed The Middle East is a fascinating and informed history. This is a superbly presented account of Al-Jazeera, a modern, independent, entirely Arab television news network based in Qatar, which since the September 11 attacks, gained high profile prominence through daily exposure on CNN. This is also the compelling story of Al-Jazeera's struggle to keep its independence as an international news network, beholden to none. Overall, Al-Jazeera is an engaging, unique, detailed study of the origin of the Al-Jazeera network, its broadcasts, its effect on Arab viewers, and its struggle for a free press. Al-Jazeera is very highly recommended for Journalism Studies and Mideast Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

The Journalist's Craft
Dennis Jackson & John Sweeney, Eds.
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St. #510, NY, NY 10010
1581152221 $19.95 1-800-491-2808

How can writers produce better stories? The Journalist's Craft provides a writing toolbox filled with tips, first person insights into nonfiction story writing, guides to narratives and influential works of nonfiction, and general surveys of the craft. An important, revealing handbook for any aspiring writer.



The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Swift Thoughts
George Zebrowski
Golden Gryphon Press
3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802
1930846088 $24.95 www.amazon.com

This new collection presents original stories which focus on the theme of evolving artificial intelligences and the questions about humanity versus machine which evolve. From the question of whether a clone of Adolf Ecihmann will ever show remorse for Nazi history to the rationing of speech when words begin to take physical form, Evil Thoughts is packed from cover to cover with unexpected twists which will delight both seasoned fans and those who are newcomers to Zebrowski's art.

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

Two new titles by familiar, notable authors are top picks. Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint & Dave Freer's Shadow Of The Lion (0-7434-3523-0, $27.00) is set in 1537 and tells of a Venice where magic is alive and two vagabond brothers are posed to influence its changes. A monster has been loosed on the city; and it's up to an unlikely band of individuals to join in defeating the danger. Eric Flint and Richard Roach's Forward The Mage (3524-9, $24.00) is fantasy writing at its best: an artist-swordsman faces an evil sorcerer, arrest, and politics when his artistic ambitions are rerouted in a struggle for survival. Both feature fast-paced action and complex, believable settings.

Warrior's Apprentice
Lois McMaster Bujold
NESFA Press
Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701
1886778272 $25.00 www.amazon.com

Warrior's Apprentice provides a quality hardcover edition of a title which has been newly edited by the author, providing the second book in the Vorkosigan saga and introducing Miles Vorkosigan. Fans of Lois Bujold's science fiction series who want a fine keepsake edition of a classic need look no further than this important update/edition.

Far Side Of Nowhere
Nelson Bond
Arkham House
Box 546, Sauk City, WI 53583
0870541803 $34.95 www.amazon.com

Nelson Bond is a wizard at creating bizarre, unusual story lines which excel in the unexpected, and his original stories comprising Far Side Of Nowhere, provide some unusual scenarios; from supernatural forces to wizards and magic. Romances, inventions, intrigue: all the stuff of thrilling fantasy and ordinary individuals caught in unbelievable worlds comes to life.

Gates Of Sleep
Mercedes Lackey
DAW Books
375 Hudson St., New York NY 10014
0756400600 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Marina has spent her life in an old farmhouse in rural Cornwall with her wealthy parents, growing up to be a free thinker in turn-of-the-century England. But she's more than unusual: she and her parents have mastered magic and despite all her skills Marina finds there are still mysteries about her abilities and life which suddenly come to an unexpected head. Strong characterization in this story.

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

Robert Metzger's Picoverse (0-441-00899-2, $22.95) is hard to put down: funding is cut for a cutting-edge fusion power project and Alexandra, Katie, and physicist Jack find themselves using the invention for far different purposes than its original design. As they explore a series of altered sub-universes, a child's unusual abilities seem to lie at the heart of preserving humanity. Alastair Reynolds' Chasm City (00912-3, $23.95) tells of a doomed utopian settlement on a dangerous planet. A plague threatens man and machine alike, and security operative Tanner must pursue a postmortal agent in an effort to prevent chaos. Solid intrigue blends with science fiction in this thriller.



The Black Studies Shelf

From My People
Daryl Cumber Dance, Editor
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
0393047989 $35.00 1-800-233-4830

400 years of Afro-American folklore are represented in From My People, a fine volume gathering a diverse range of tales, from Brer Rabbit and African motifs to proverbs, recipes, and folk songs. It's the range of writings which sets From My People apart from competing collections on Afro-American oral traditions, making for a comprehensive and important title.



The Jobs/Careers Shelf

Where Do I Go From Here?
Betty Hafner
Lippincott
530 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106
0781734924 $28.95 www.amazon.com

Nurses and any involved in the medical profession can explore career alternatives within and beyond clinical nursing with Hafner's Where Do I Go From Here?, which considers alternatives particular to the clinical nurse. From forensic and camp nursing to traveling nursing and alternative health care practices, Where Do I Go From Here? is packed with intriguing alternatives.

Impact Publications
9104-N Manassas Drive
Manassas Park, Va 20111-5211

These new titles provide business professionals with a wealth of important reference details. Bernard Haldane Associates' Best Employment Websites For Professionals (1-57023-176-1, $15.95) lists search engines, directories, testing sites, advice sites virtually anything a professional needs to organize a job search. From nonprofit to reference sites, this is packed with solid details. Ron and Caryl Krannich's Directory Of Websites For International Jobs (179-6, $19.95) lists everything from expat communities for global networking to contracting and consulting firms, gateway employment sites, and search engines. From locating the job to understanding regional living differences, this is packed with information. The Krannichs also present 101 Secrets Of Highly Effective Speakers (178-8, $15.95), which imparts basic secrets to effective public speaking. Learn to control fear, build credibility and prepare like a pro with the aid of this business guide.

Becoming A Promotable Woman
Sally B. Jenkins
Oasis Audio
289 South Main Place, Carol Stream, IL 60188-2425
1-55678-091-5 $17.99 1-800-323-2500

How can you tell the difference between a dead-end job and one which leads to promotions and rewards? In Becoming A Promotable Woman, Sally Jenkins deftly narrates her own account on how to understand organizational structures and how to use these structures for advancement. An excellent guide for those aspiring to excel in the business world.

The Independent Medical Transcriptionist
Donna Avila-Weil & Mary Glaccum
Rayve Productions
Box 726, Windsor, CA 95492
1877810525 $39.95 www.amazon.com

Now in a newly updated fourth edition, The Independent Medical Transcriptionist: The Comprehensive Guidebook For Career Success In A Medical Transcription Business is the definitive guide to pursuing and achieving success as a professional medical records transcriber. Individual chapters address the importance of accurate transcription in the ever-growing health care industry, the necessary educational credentials, how to build a home-based medical transcription business, the ethics of the profession, the nuts-and-bolts of a medical transcription business operation, and much more. The Independent Medical Transcriptionist is a solid, accessible, "user friendly" guide and very highly recommended to anyone considering or presently employed in this important and expanding field of the medical services industry.



The Musicbook Shelf

Reggae & Caribbean Music
Dave Thompson
Backbeat Books
600 Harrison St., San Francisco CA 94107
0879306556 $24.95 backbeatbooks.com

Fans of reggae music will find Reggae & Caribbean Music an important listener's guide to reggae and Caribbean music in general, with essays, biographies, reviews and ratings providing both history and assessments of important recordings. An invaluable reference key to understanding the reggae music world.

Lalo: My Life And Music
Lalo Guerrero & Sherilyn M. Mentes
University of Arizona Press
355 South Euclid, Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719
0816522146 $17.95 1-800-426-3797

Lalo's memoir tells of the musical genius who changed the face of Latin music, documenting a sixty-year period in which Latin music styles and creation saw unparalleled changes. The first-person account tells of his life and his involvement in the changing world of Latin music.

The 'Hood Comes First
Murray Forman
Wesleyan University Press
110 Mt. Vernon St, Middletown CT 06459
0819563978 $24.95 wesleyan.edu/wespress

The 'Hood Comes First: Race, Space, And Place In Rap And Hip-Hop by Murray Forman (Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Northeastern University) is an exhaustive, college-level study of crucial issues concerning rap and hip-hop music. From regretful commentary on the murders of prominent music figures Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. to an analysis of the evolution of hip-hop to the interaction of place and personal identity, The 'Hood Comes First is a very serious, seminal, and ground breaking look at a unique brand of American music and its social/cultural context.

Jazz Cultures
David Ake
University of California Press
2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
0520228898 $18.95 www.amazon.com

In Jazz Cultures, David Ake (Assistant Professor of Music, University of Nevada, Reno) presents an informative and engaging history of the only authentically American contribution to world music -- Jazz. Professor Ake draws upon his expertise as a professional pianist and composer to present an impressively "reader friendly" historical survey of how jazz musicians and their audiences evolved an understanding and appreciation for this unique music which reflected the roots of the Black American subculture, went on to cross over into the dominant white popular culture, and go on to eventually achieve a world wide acclaim. Of special interest are Ake's commentaries on the concept of a "jazz standard" in the decade of the 1990s and how jazz history has never been a linear evolvement of musical styles, but a potpourri of disparate (and sometimes conflicting) creations, compositions, attitudes, performers and performances. Also available in hardcover (0520228871, $50.00), Jazz Cultures is strongly recommended reading for both students of American Music History and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the development of this complex and original American musical tradition with its sometimes subtle, sometimes profound influences on 20th Century American popular culture.

Close Harmony
James Goff Jr.
University of North Carolina Press
Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288
0807853461 $24.95 1-800-848-6224

Any fan of Southern gospel music would do well to choose Close Harmony as a guide: author James Goff provides a rich history of the genre's evolution from its originals in 19th century shape-note singing to its emergence as a distinct style in a changing music industry. White and black gospel music trends are explored in the course of this title's solid coverage.



The Railroading Shelf

Rails Under The Mighty Hudson
Brian Cadahy
Fordham University Press
University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458
0-8232-2190-3 $20.00 1-800-247-6553

This story begins in the final years of the 19th century, when the first attempts to build rail tunnels under the Hudson were ending. Two of the tunnels were built by one company, the other by a competing railroad company. Brian Cadahy's new edition of Rails Under The Mighty Hudson is updated with more photos and a new preface and chapter of recent events.

Garden Railroading
Kent Johnson, editor
Kalmbach Publishing
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187
0890243697 $21.95 www.trains.com

Kalmbach Publishing is the premier publisher of "how to" books for the model railroading enthusiast. Their latest release, Garden Railroading: Getting Started In The Hobby, is a first-rate introductory guide to creating lush garden landscapes that incorporate working model railroads. Gorgeous color photographs fill this impressively detailed compilation that spells out the nuts and bolts mechanics of planning and building railroad tracks as surely as it covers the proper care of flowers and greenery. An excellent reference, and simply beautiful to leaf through, Garden Railroading is strongly recommended reading for model railroading buffs at all levels of expertise and experience.



The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

United We Stand!
Richard J. Perry
Collectors Press
P.O. Box 230986, Portland, OR 97281
1888054646 $19.95 1-800-423-1848

United We Stand!: A Visual Journey Of Wartime Patriotism by U.S. Navy veteran and war memorabilia collector Richard J. Perry is a full-color showcase of collectible memorabilia originally crafted to encourage American patriotism during the American involvement in the Second World War and which ranged from pictures World War II pin-up girls, to pins and buttons, to posters advertising war bonds. A "reader friendly" descriptive text accessibly explains the history and purpose of the more unusual items, but the majority of United We Stand! is dedicated to the photographs of unique memorabilia. Highly recommended for World War II history buffs, collectors and dealers, Collectors Press is donating a portion of the profits from the sales of this unique volume to the American Red Cross.

Collector Books
Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002-3009
1-800-626-5420

Collector Books is a premium publisher of of antiques and collectibles referrence books. Four new arrivals will especially delight dedicated collectors. Duck Stamps by L.A. Chappell (1-57432-265-6, $9.95) provides an identification and value guide to duck stamps, with full-page large-scaled photos of each stamp accompanied by price ranges for new/unsigned/mint variations in quality. The large-size photos of the stamps makes them simple to identify. Nick & Marilyn Nicholson and Jim Thomas' Rookwood Pottery (286-9, $24.95) holds an identification and value guide for bookends, animal figures, and paperweights alike. Most are in full color and do an excellent job of helping identify the Rookwood style. The 10th edition of Garage Sale & Flea Market Annual (278-8, $19.95) tells how to cash in on the modern collectibles market. No color inside, but plenty of black and white photos pepper a value guide which includes background history on cookie jars, dolls, jewelry, dinnerware virtually anything which might be found at a garage sale. Volume 1 of Russell Lewis' Modern Fishing Lure Collectibles (277-X, $24.95) supplements excellent close-up color photos of the lures with photos of ads and plenty of identification details and historical background. The result is a reference which will delight the fisherman/collector.

Pyrex
Barbara E. Mauzy
Schiffer Publishing
4880 Lower Valley Rd, Atglen, PA 19310
0764310690 $29.95 www.amazon.com

Now in a newly expanded second edition featuring an updated price guide, Barbara Mauzy's Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collector's Guide continues to be an amazing resource for the dedicated hobbyist, collector and dealer. This superbly presented guide is filled from cover to cover with full-color photographs, careful descriptions, and prices for Pyrex brand ovenware, flameware, technical glassware, and much more. Pictures of the elegant, modern, sleek and functional cookware featured makes Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collector's Guide resemble a sculpture artbook almost as much as it is a solid and recommended reference for Pyrex collectors, buyers, and sellers.

Depression Era Glassware
Carl F. Luckey
Krause Publications
700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001
087349301X $22.95 www.krause.com

Now in an expanded and fully updated fourth edition, Depression Era Glassware Identification And Value Guide, glassware specialist Carl F. Luckey is a straightforward guide enabling the reader to competently and confidently recognize and fairly price classic works of 1930s glassware artifacts. While most of the glassware illustrations are in simple black and white, Depression Era Glassware is impressively enhanced with an insert section of superb color photography, all combine to present a variety of patterns from the era in unmistakable relief. The price guide is extensive and lists price ranges for individual pieces of varying sizes. Depression Era Glassware is an excellent, indispensable, authoritative resource for dealers and collectors.



The Theatre/Cinema/Video Shelf

Grammar Wars II
Tom Ready
Meriwether Publishing
Box 7710, Colorado Springs, CO 80933
1566080800 $15.95 1-800-937-5297

Students and aspiring actors of all ages here receive a blend of dramatic improvisations to hone acting skills and language arts instruction on phonics, storytelling, sentence structure and more. The result is a drama-based guide which does more than provide actors with scenes to rehearse: it strengths English skills.

Video Editing
Steven E. Browne
Focal Press
225 Wildwood Ave. Woburn, MA 01801
0240804023 $34.99 www.focalpress.com

Now in a revised and completely updated fourth edition, Video Editing: A Postproduction Primer by Steen E. Browne (Senior Online Editor, New Wave Entertainment) is a very direct and straightforward "how-to" manual of the basics and the nuances of properly editing videotape. Individual chapters address creating video effects, random-access editing, audio postproduction, and much more, in this comprehensive, strongly recommended guide filled from cover to cover with tips, tricks, and techniques appropriate for video editors of all experience and skill levels.

Allworth Press
10 East 23rd, New York NY 10010
$19.95 each 1-800-491-2808

Two fine titles by Robert J. Emery on acting provide interviews with the top directors of modern times. The Directors: Take One (1-58115-218-3) includes interviews with Spike Lee, Mark Rydell, Richard Donner and more. The Directors: Take Two (219-1) includes Arthur Hiller, Rob Reiner, Alan Pakula and others. Opinions and insights into the world of film and acting make for fascinating coverages spiced with filmographies and explanations of modern film techniques.

Theatrical FX Makeup
David Sartor & John Pivovarnick
Heinemann
c/o Reed Elsevier
361 Hanover St., Portsmouth, NH 03801
032500238X $35.95 www.amazon.com

Collaboratively written by makeup artist David Sartor and writer, actor, director John Pivovarnick, Theatrical FX Makeup is a practical, hands-on guide to the art and craft of using makeup to create visual effects worthy of professional theater, film, or television productions. From adding fifty years to an actor's age to simulating horrific diseases to disguising gender to creating ghastly visages of the undead, Theatrical FX Makeup is a thorough resource of tips, tricks, and techniques used by talented makeup artists. Black-and-white photographs as well as a color insert section illustrate the uses to which makeup can be put to turn ordinary actors into supernatural beings or horrors from beyond. The accompanying CD-ROM for Windows or Macintosh contains all the book's illustrations in full color with quick and easy access to the appropriate step-by-step makeup directions and a supply list. Theatrical FX Makeup is a highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community theater, and Performance Arts Department reference collections.

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

This drama publisher's titles are geared toward young adult actors but reach well into adult performing audiences, providing fine, basic guides to acting. Louis Scheeder and Shane Ann Younts' All The Words On Stage (1575252147, $24.95) provides a pronunciation dictionary for Shakespeare's plays, with it's A-Z format lending to quick look-ups. John Capecci, et.al.'s 222 Monologues 2 Minutes & Under From Literature (1575252708, $19.95) provides an excellent audition book for all ages. Classic and contemporary monologues drawn from fiction, essays and poetry reach from high school into college age levels, sampling modern literature for both famous and lesser-known works. Both are highly recommended picks.



The Travel Shelf

Croatia
Jeanne Oliver
Lonely Planet Publications
150 Linden St., Oakland, CA 94607
1864503327 $19.99 lonelyplanet.com

Published by the premier travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, Croatia is a thorough, enjoyable, and superbly presented 320-page portable pocket guide to the richness and diversity of a great European nation steeped in history, culture, and ancient traditions. Profusely filled with maps, region-by-region listings of the best hotels, great touring sites, straightforward orientation material, and much, much more, Croatia is a first-class travel guide highly recommended for anyone visiting for reasons of business or recreation.

Sleep Cheap In New York
Lisa Mullenneaux
The Penington Press
KSB Promotions (publicity)
P.O. Box 829, New York, NY 10009-9998
0970429622 $15.95 1-800-431-1579

Travel writer Lisa Mullenneaux's Sleep Cheap in New York: High-Quality Lodgings at Rock-Bottom Rates is the definitive guide to staying in one of America's greatest cities while on a budget. Filled with handy street maps, it covers a wide variety of affordable places to stay from the American Dream Hostel to the New York Inn to various YMCA. Each affordable hotel has a ratings guide, contact information, and a short, direct description. Sleep Cheap In New York is a core, essential reference to finding reasonable lodgings. If you are planning a budget-restricted trip to the Big Apple, begin your travel planning with a careful, money-saving perusal of Lisa Mullenneaux's Sleep Cheap In New York!

The Italian Wine Guide
Touring Club of Italy
c/o Advanced Global Distribution
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121-9653
8836518036 $24.95 1-800-284-3580

The Italian Wine Guide is a delightful travel guide to the various regional wines and 325 wineries of Italy. Virtually every page of this comprehensive and detailed reference features colorful photographs, maps, lists of amazing facts, and much more. Enhanced with 167 maps and 99 detailed itineraries (complete with lodgings and restaurants), The Italian Wine Guide is a truly great reference for wine connoisseurs traveling abroad in the Italian landscape ranging from Tuscany and Florence, to Milan, Naples and Venice, as well as the armchair traveler who truly loves learning about good wines and the places from which they come!



The Science Shelf

Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids
Jordi Agusti & Mauricio Anton
Columbia University Press
61 West 62nd Street, NY, NY 10023-7015
0231116403 $39.50 1-800-944-8648

Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids: 65 Million Years Of Mammalian Evolution In Europe by Jordi Agusti (Director of the Institut de Paleontologia M. Crusafont, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain) and Madrid based, scientific illustrator and artist Maurico Anton, is an astounding, informative, superbly presented tour through the 65 million years of mammalian evolution time-lined from the wake of the dinosaurs' extinction to the rise of modern Homo Sapiens. Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids is an intimate, authoritative, scholarly study of the evolution of mammals, deftly illustrated in black and white with a color insert section that showcases breathtaking art of prehistoric wildlife, Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids is a fascinating, enjoyable, accessible, and strongly recommended as a core title for Paleontology Studies reading lists and academic reference collections.

The Little Book Of Planet Earth
Rolf Meissner
Copernicus Books
37 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003
0387952586 $20.00 copernicusbooks.com

The Little Book Of Planet Earth by meteorologist and geophysicist Rolf Meissner is an amazing introduction to what scientific research through the past centuries up to the modern day has learned about our planet. From the origin of the solar system to plate tectonics to earth's magnetic field and much more, chapters teach all about the Earth in straightforward, easy-to-understand language accessible to lay readers. Highly recommended for readers of all ages, The Little Book Of Planet Earth is enhanced lack-and-white photographs, diagrams, charts and more help bring to life an amazing wealth of information.

Digital Biology
Peter J. Bentley
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of Americas, NY NY 10020
0743204476 $25.00 www.amazon.com

How are basic biological discoveries helping fuel the next revolution in computers? Digital Biology reveals how the digital world will evolve, based on biological laws. From advances in medical care as systems change in response to health needs to increased repair and replacement abilities, Digital Biology considers the future of digital biology with a focus on how computers can evolve solutions, rather than designing them from scratch.

The Other Side Of Eden
Hugh Brody
North Point Press
c/o Farrar Straus and Giroux
19 Union Square West, NY, NY 10003
0865476381 $14.00 www.fsgbooks.com

The Other Side Of Eden: Hunters, Farmers, And The Shaping Of The World by anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Hugh Brody is a meticulously researched, superbly presented, anthropological study that looks closely at the life of hunter-gatherers in prehistory. Comparing the hunter-gatherers to farmers, Brody persuasively proposes that it was the farmers and colonizers who were the true nomads, whereas the hunter-gatherers adapted a strong attachment and sense of place to their lands. The Other Side Of Eden is a simply fascinating, iconoclastic, thought-provoking, highly recommended study re-examining long-standing anthropological beliefs about the nature of early human life.



The Social Issues Shelf

Designer Food
Gregory Pence
Rowman & Littlefield
4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD 20706
074258390 $26.95 www.amazon.com

The controversies over genetically altered foods continue and this addresses many questions regarding the ethics of such food; from a history of altered food's rise around the world to related issues of world hunger, food sabotage, and political and health debates. A well-rounded survey of a host of issues relating to food safety.

The Best That Money Can't Buy
Jacque Fresco
The Venus Project
Phenix & Phenix (publicity)
21 Valley Lane, Venus, FL 33960
0964880679 $24.95 www.amazon.com

The Best That Money Can't Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, & War by futurist and inventor Jacque Fresco is a seminal, ground breaking vision of a grander, more humane future borne of the advantages of science and technology as well as human concern for the well-being of other people and the planet. Individual chapters address how to help basic human nature evolve beyond enlightened self-interest for a better tomorrow in this wondrous, compelling, superbly illustrated, hope-filled, highly recommended treatise.



The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

Atlantis And The Power System Of The Gods
David H. Childress & Bill Clendenon
Adventures Unlimited Press
One Adventure Place, Kempton, IL 60946
http://www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com
0932813968 $15.95 1-815-253-6390

Atlantis And The Power System Of The Gods: Mercury Vortex Generators And The Power System Of Atlantis is an articulate, detailed, hard-hitting metaphysical study and a very welcome contribution to Atlantean Studies. Part I is reprint in its entirety of the hard-to-find 1990 book "Mercury: UFO Messenger of the Gods" by Bill Clenendon, a fascinating, impressive look at ancient flying vehicles. Part II, by David Hatcher Childress, cogently addresses in depth the theories that the ancient civilization of Atlantis used broadcasting power from gigantic towers of crystal. Connections between Atlantis, Egypt, and Ethiopia are drawn in this fascinating, iconoclastic hypothesis of a power that transcends centuries and predates the era of western science.

Tibetan Tantric Charms And Amulets
Nik Douglas
Dover Publications
31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501
0486422100 $24.95 doverpublications.com

An oversized presentation discusses the range of gods, saints, demons and protectors associated with Tibetan tantric Buddhism. Prints are reproduced from original Tibetan woodblocks and provide illustration of secret protective formulae and charms. Accompanying explanation provides the historic, religious and artistic background explanations for these charms.

Red Wheel/Weiser
368 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210
1-800-423-7087 www.amazon.com

John Bonner's Qabalah (1578632110, $19.95) explores a metaphysical philosophy which began as a mystical interpretation of Jewish scriptural texts and evolved into a theosophy which answers questions about the nature of God. Qabalah's symbolism and mysticism is related in this survey of magical, astrological and tarot correspondences. Patrinella Cooper's Gypsy Magic (1578632617, $16.95) gathers Romany secrets for health and magic, from charms for attracting good luck and protections against curses to fortune-telling and working with the tarot. Its Romany foundations provide an excellent basis for exploring an old art. Sandy Robertson's Illustrated Beast (1578632587, $21.95) presents an Aleister Crowley scrapbook of lore, gathered from Robertson's personal collection. Opening with a short biographical sketch, this includes photos, excerpts from Crowley's writings, and scandals and insights. Essential for any Crowley reader. Marilyn Daniel's Kitchen Witchery (1578631890, $24.95) presents a home companion to wicca, with a recipe book for oils, unguents, incense, and food and drink related to wiccan craft. Access to a good herb shop will be a most for successful utilization of this guide.Sally Griffyn's Wiccan Wisdomkeepers (1578632679, $24.95) presents a collection of modern witches' views on environmentalism, feminism, and wiccan topics. From Starhawk's political activist wiccan beliefs to families immersed in wiccan systems, this is packed with enlightening, diverse interviews and fine color photos.

Llewellyn Publications
Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383
www.llewellyn.com

These excellent new guides provide strong insights into magical celebrations and mysticism. Amber and Azrael Arynnk's Heart Of Tarot (1567180086, $14.95) isn't just another book on how to interpret the cards: it provides a different way of doing tarot readings which sets aside memorizing card meanings in favor of using an intuitive technique to plumb the subconscious. A dose of psychological is added to examples of readings and interpretative styles. Anna Franklin's Midsummer (15671800525, $14.95) provides a review of legends and magic surrounding midsummer celebrations and seasonal rituals. From herb craft to divination techniques, this is filled with ideas for celebrations. Richard Webster's Pendulum Magic For Beginners (15671801920, $12.95) shows how to use a pendulum for magic, self-improvement and psychic development. From communicating with one's subconscious to locating lost objects and using the pendulum in Huna rituals, readers will discover the many possibilities of this tool. Ann Moura's Green Magic (15671801815, $12.95) provides a comprehensive guide which imparts the basics of how to cast spells, determine a spell's purposes, and understand the special psychology of the Green tradition in magic.Mary Greer's Complete Book Of Tarot Reversals (1567182852, $14.95) tells what to do with the reversed cards of a tarot deck, providing insights into different methods of interpretation and telling how upright and reversed interpretations provide new advice and opportunities. Konstantinos' metaphysical work Nocturnal Magic (15671801661, $14.95) provides techniques for understanding and working with lunar energies, showing how to read minds, discover night secrets, and work with darkness to create new understanding. From interpreting symbols to divining by night, plenty of his first-person insights are included.

Comes The Awakening
Lia Shapiro
Star Street Press
420 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004
0970112858 $23.95 1-800-587-9178

Comes The Awakening: Realizing The Divine Nature Of Who You Are by channeler, interdimensional contactee, writer, speaker, artist and singer Lia Shapiro is a powerful and extended message that the author attributes to the Pleiadian Realm. The core message is that we are all spiritual beings who contain in our souls the Light of God. Written with compassion, love, and hope for the future, Comes The Awakening is a metaphysical revelation to the glory of new possibilities to becoming all that one can be. Highly recommended for students of metaphysics and New Age self-actualization psychology.



The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

Whales And Dolphins In Question
James G. Mead & Joy P. Gold
Smithsonian Institution Press
750 Ninth Street NW, Suite 4300, Washington, DC 20560-0950
1560989556 $55.00 1-800-782-4612

Collaboratively written by James G. Mead (Curator of Marine Mammals, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) and Joy P. Gold (Technical Information Specialist, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History), Whales And Dolphins In Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book is a gorgeously illustrated book filled with beautiful color photography by Flip Nicklin and showcases fascinating information about wild whales and dolphins. The first section presents basic facts in question-and-answer format; the second addresses these wondrous creatures species by species, offering amazing trivia and insight into the natural world. A superb giftbook for dolphin and whale enthusiasts, Whales And Dolphins In Questions is strongly recommended for school and community library wildlife and marine life reference collections.

Extraordinary Pheasants
Stephen Green-Armytage
Harry N. Abrams
100 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
0810910071 $24.95 1-800-759-0190

Extraordinary Pheasants by professional photographer Stephen Green-Armytage is a splendid photographic study of pheasants from peacocks to game hens, as well as an incredible variety of other species. The superbly presented, closely detailed, impressive, full-color images of these majestic birds are the highlight of the book. All enhanced with an informative introduction, short, "reader friendly", descriptive comments concerning each pheasant species helping to round out this vibrant avian celebration. Extraordinary Pheasants is very highly recommended for bird fanciers and a welcome addition to personal, school, and community library "Pets & Wildlife" reference collections.



The Cookbook Shelf

The Perfect Cake
Susan G. Purdy
Broadway Books
1540 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036
0767905377 $19.95 1-800-726-0600

The Perfect Cake: 150 Cakes For Every Taste & Occasion by baking expert Susan G. Purdy is quite simply a definitive, single volume compendium designed to enable the family cook to have a wealth of delicious, imaginative, desert choices for any occasion from daily family dining to special celebratory events. Enhanced with a wealth of "tips, tricks and techniques" for everything from measuring ingredients to preparing pans for baking, the profusion of cake recipes are grouped into Butter and Shortening Cakes; Cheesecakes; Sponge and Foam Cakes; Elegant and Special Cakes; as well as Filings, Frostings, Icings and Glazes, Sauces and Syrups. Of special interest is the section on Decorating Cakes covering special effects, flavorings, and decorative techniques. Before you bake your next cake, browse through Susan Purdy's The Perfect Cake!

Joy Of Cooking
Irma Rombauer, et.al.
Scribner's
1230 Avenue of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0684818701 $35.00 1-800-223-2336

The re-appearance of this classic cookbook in quality hardcover re-asserts its ongoing, lasting importance to any cook; from the avid and serious to those just starting out. Joy Of Cooking represents the first revision in more than twenty years: chapters have been redone, recipes have been modified and re-tested, and ingredients are more thoroughly explained and explored. A 'must' basic kitchen primer no home should be without.

From Hardtack To Home Fries
Barbara Haber
The Free Press
1230 Avenue of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0684842173 $25.00 1-800-223-2336

Barbara Haber has spent years investigating stories of changing ways of cooking meals in America: this gathers the best of these insights from the 1840s to modern times, using cookbooks and menus from all classes, regions, and eras to explore the changing world of food. From the role of food in luring adventurers to the undiscovered American west to how cooking kept POWS alive during World War II, From Hardtack To Home Fries is packed with intriguing history.

The Soul Of Southern Cooking
Kathy Starr
NewSouth Books
PO Box 1588, Montgomery, AL 36102
1588380521 $17.95 1-334-834-3556

The Soul Of Southern Cooking is a wonderful combination of recipes and stories that evoke a time when black families had to make-do in the midst of hard times, yet were able to develop and enjoy a variety of delicious meals with a culinary tradition popularly referred to as "soul food". From Homemade Hog Head Souse; Neckbone and Macaroni Stew; Delta Fried Catfish; and Sunday's Fried Corn; to Boiled Chicken Feet and Legs; Stovetop Roast Beef; Celery Seed Dressing; Ten-Minute Oven Pecan Brittle; and Mrs. Hunter's Southern Tea Cakes, The Soul Of Southern Cooking fully lives up to its title and will prove a welcome and unique addition to the family cookbook collection.

Weber's Art Of The Grill
Jamie Purviance
Chronicle Books
85 Second Street, 6th floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-3441
0811824195 $35.00 1-800-722-6657

Profusely illustrated with the color photography of Tim Turner, and enhanced with an informative foreword by Mike Kempster, Sr., Weber's Art Of The Grill: Recipes For Outdoor Living by writer and recipe developer Jamie Purviance is dedicated to offering a wealth of recipes especially suitable for use with a Weber grill and the experience of outdoor cooking/dining. From Teriyaki Chicken Wings; Swordfish Kabobs with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli; and Prime Rib with Texas Dry Rub; to Smoky Pulled Pork Sandwich; Moroccan Butterflied Leg of Lamb; Caribbean Swordfish Steaks with Mango Salsa; and Grilled Tuna Nicoise, Weber's Art Of The Grill is a superb resource for elegant, appetizing, and recommended dining experiences whether in the back yard or on a camping vacation.

Cucina Siciliana
Clarissa Hyman
Interlink Publishing Group
46 Crosby St., Northampton, MA 01060
1566564336 $26.95 interlinkbooks.com

Sicilian cuisine reflects a complex and multicultural heritage. Enhanced with the photography of Peter Cassidy, Cucina Siciliana: Authentic Recipes And Culinary Secrets From Sicily by freelance food and travel writer Clarissa Huyman showcases 75 dishes that selectively and impressively reflect the scope and breath of that culinary heritage. From Baked Haddock Palermo-Style; Sicilian Orange Cake; Marinated Tuna with Onions; and Gelo di melone (Watermelon Pudding); to Arancine di Giovanna Cavasino (Rice Balls); Biscotti al Sesamo (Sesame Seed Cookies); Ricotta Stuffed Bell Peppers; and Sarde A Beccafico (Stuffed Sardines), Cucina Siciliana is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and professional regional and ethnic cookbook collections.

Soups And Stews For Slow Cooker,
Stovetop, Oven And Pressure Cooker
Sandra Rudloff
Nitty Gritty/Bristol
Box 1737, San Leandro, CA 94577
1558672699 $8.95 1-800-346-4889

Clear differences between making stove-top, oven-cooked, slow cooker or pressure cooker stews and soups make it easy for cooks to choose the process which matches their time and ingredients and the inclusion of recipes makes for quick location of just the right dish.

Joyce LaFray's Underwater Gourmet
Joyce LaFray
Seaside Publishing
PO Box 14441, St. Petersburg, FL 33733
0942084551 $14.95 1-888-352-2665

A superbly presented specialty cookbook, Joyce Lafray's Underwater Gourmet showcases an "underwater" culinary tour of Florida seafood delights. From Dominique's Simmered Fresh Tuna; Shrimp Suzanne with Dill; Key West Crab Cannelloni; and Miami Beach Spicy Ceviche; to Fried Alligator; Drunken Fish Casserole; Brothers' Cold Avocado Crab Soup; and Escargots Emile, Joyce Lafray's Underwater Gourmet is a compendium of wonderful recipes that would grace any table and provide wonderful elements for meal planning in celebration of any occasion.

Mesquite Country
Hidalgo County Historical Museum
The Wimmer Companies, Inc.
4650 Shelby Air Dr., Memphis TN 38118
1888594004 $19.95 www.amazon.com

Mesquite Country showcases the Hispanic/American culinary heritages that mark the cultural diversity, traditions, and recipes of the southern region of Texas. Of special interest to food enthusiasts is the introductory section on "Cooking with Native Plants" and the historical vignettes scattered throughout this superbly presented volume of traditional and regional dishes. From Fresh Rio Red Grapefruit Cake; Lou Tower's Buttermilk Pralines; Spanish Salad; and Chicken in Enchilada Sauce; to Mesquite Grilled Redfish; Venison Chili; Pure and Simple Authentic Guacamole; and Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding), Mesquite Country will prove a welcome and prized addition to any kitchen cookbook collection!

Adirondack Cuisine
Armand C. Vanderstigchel
Robert E. Birkel, Jr.
Berkshire House Publishers
480 Pleasant St., Suite 5, Lee, MA 01238
1581570562 $24.95 1-800-321-8526

An impressive compendium of superb recipes, Adirondack Cuisine is enhanced with wonderful color photography showcasing some of the finished dishes, as well b/w illustrations of the countryside that inspired them. From Wild Buckwheat Honey-Roasted Chicken with Apple & Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing; Thendara Pepper-Crusted Filet with Cognac-Merlot Sauce; High Peaks Chamboard & Blackberry Mousse; and Redskin Irish Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Asparagus & Corned Beef Morsels; to Trappers Pan-Seared Steak over Russet Potato & Lobster Hash with Lobster Claw-Scallion Butter; Royal Blackberry Scones with Ruby Port-Plum Butter; Mascarpone-Stuffed Poached Pears; and Grilled Breast of Duck with Maple & Currant Demi-Glaze, Adirondack Cuisine showcases a mouth-watering wealth of wonderful recipes that would satisfy any appetite and please any palate.

Meals On The Move
Holly Clegg
The Wimmer Companies, Inc.
4650 Shelby Air Dr., Memphis, TN 38118
0961088869 $19.95 1-800-794-9806

Meals On The Move: Rush Hour Recipes offers delightful, nutritious, and "kitchen friendly" recipes for quick to prepare recipes that will satisfy any appetite and please any palate. Enhanced with information on Nutritional Analysis and Diabetic Exchanges (drawn from the American Institute for Cancer Research); "Healthier Approach"; Food Facts; a Mix & Match Menu Planner; and a Tips and Tricks Section; Meals On The Move with its comb-style binding (allowing for the cookbook to lay flat upon the counter) is truly impressive. From Strawberry Bread; Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad; Glazed Salmon with Cantaloupe Salsa; and Stuffed Potatoes Primavera; to Asparagus with Lemon Caper Vinaigrette; Triple Corn Pudding; Mexican Layered Dip; and Banana Pie with Chocolate Glaze, Meals On The Move is an ideal cookbook choice for nutrition conscious kitchen cooks with time constraints.

Cooking By The Boot Straps
Junior Welfare League of Enid, Oklahoma
FRP Books
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0960934014 $21.95 www.frpbooks.com

Enhanced with a thoroughly "user friendly" index, Cooking By The Boot Straps is a "must" for the cookbook collection of anyone with a taste for the regional cuisine of the American west and offers a very special Oklahoma approach to the dining experience. From Chunky Artichoke Salsa with Pita Chips; Amaretto Freeze; Fiesta Corn Bread Salad; and Chicken Enchiladas; to Oklahoma Baked Beans; Buttery Walnut Stuffing; Wheat Germ Onion Quiche; and Oklahoma Grits, Cooking By The Boot Straps is a welcome and highly recommended addition to regional cookbook collections.

A Pinch Of Salt Lake
The Junior League Of Salt Lake City, Inc.
FRP Books
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0961697202 $19.95 www.frpbooks.com

A Pinch Of Salt Lake is an impressive and diverse compilation of easy-to-prepare recipes for beverages, hors d'oeuvres, brunches, breads, soups, stews, salads, vegetable and side dishes, seafood, poultry, meats, desserts, pies, cookies, and cakes. From Bacon-Wrapped Scallops; Cucumber Sandwich Canapes; Onion Corn Bread; and Cold Tortellini Salad; to Sweet Fried Corn; Fusilli with Shrimp and Roasted Peppers; Poached Chicken Breasts in Tarragon; and Raspberry Walnut Torte, A Pinch Of Salt Lake will soon become a family kitchen favorite. An extensive index is provided which will ably assist in planning meals appropriate and suitable for all occasions and circumstances.

Necessities And Temptations
The Junior League of Austin
FRP Books
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
0960590617 $19.95 www.frpbooks.com

Compiled by the collaborative efforts of The Junior League of Austin, Necessities And Temptations offers some 600 recipes designed to be "kitchen friendly" regardless of the family cook's level of culinary experience or expertise. Enhanced with a 45 page section of "Basics", Necessities And Temptations offers solid "how to" information on such basic issues as measuring, serving, substitutions, storing, freezing, herbs and spices, as well as a glossary of cooking terms. From Crunchy German Sandwiches; Flemish Beef Ragout; Crab with Gruyere Sauce; and Rich Sweet Potato Pudding; to Molasses Rye Bread; Butterscotch Custard Pie; Holiday Cranberry Jam; and Instant Russian Tea, Necessities And Temptations is a superbly presented compendium and meal planning reference for any and all occasions.

Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe
Dickie Brennan
FRP Books
2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, TN 37214
1931757003 $30.00 www.frpbooks.com

Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe: The Flavor Of New Orleans showcases more than 170 recipes enhanced with a wealth of culinary tips as well as anecdotal stories from the "first family of Creole" and insights into the Palace Cafe, one of New Orleans finest and most popular restaurants. Featuring complete menus, the "user friendly" recipes range from Milk Punch; Pork Grillades with Andouille Goat Cheese; Crabmeat Cheesecake with Pecan Crust; and Shrimp Remoulade; to Oyster and Eggplant Soup; Ponchatoula Strawberry and Spinach Salad; Grilled Rib-Eye with Roasted New Potato Port Salut Hash; and White Chocolate Creme Brulee, Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe is a superbly presented volume enhanced with occasional full color culinary photography and would grace any dedicated gourmet's cookbook collection.

The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook
Patricia Stevenson & Michael Cook
Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
157067129X $12.95 1-800-695-2241

Enhanced with information on diabetes and nutrition by Patricia Berton, The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook by Patricia Stevenson and Michael Cook offers an imaginative and diabetically sound approach to using whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit in a culinary wealthy of meat-free recipes, each designed to help control diabetes naturally. The reader is provided with an informative overview of diabetes and how to control diabetes through diet and exercise, along with an invaluable section on meeting the nutrient needs of the diabetic including fiber in the diet, counting calories, carbs, protein and fat, as the vegetarian diet with respect to minerals and vitamins. Of special interest is the information provided on exchange lists for meal planning, as well as cooking and shopping tips. The delicious, palate pleasing, appetite satisfying recipes range from Strawberry Muffins; Tofu Potato Salad; and Vegetable Fried Rice; to Falafel; Broccoli-Mushroom Casserole; and Apple-Oat Drop Cookies. The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook is a strongly recommended addition to the cookbook collection for diabetics.

The Executive Chef's
Arthritis Cookbook & Health Guide
Prentiss Carl Haupt & James McKoy
Arthritis Cookbook Corporation
P.O. Box 880130, Pukalani, HI 96768
0970083327 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Expertly written by Certified Executive Chef Prentiss Carl Haupt and Rheumatologist specialist James McKoy, M.D., The Executive Chef's Arthritis Cookbook & Health Guide is more than just another cookbook of mouth-watering recipes with clearly listed nutritional content. It is also enhanced from cover to cover with tips for an arthritis-friendly diet and lifestyle, up-to-date therapies, and more. From Broccoli soup with Diced Chicken; Stuffed Papayas or Avocados; and Oven Roasted Potatoes in Garlic Oil and Fresh Basil; to Yellow Beans with Nuts and Garlic Chives; Spinach and Romaine Salad with Creamy Horseradish Dressing; and Six Fruit Salad Maui Style, The Executive Chef's Arthritis Cookbook & Health Guide is a broad-ranging, highly recommended cookbook that embraces diverse approaches to good eating, wellness, and relief from arthritis suffering.

Eating Well Through Cancer
Holly Clegg & Gerald Miletello, M.D.
The Wimmer Companies, Inc.
4650 Shelby Air Dr., Memphis, TN 38118
0961088877 $19.95 1-800-794-9806

Maintaining an adequate caloric intake for cancer patients is always problematic. Food is a medicine for the body as well as for the spirit. A truly impressive specialty cookbook, Eating Well Through Cancer offers more than two hundred recipes designed to ease the side effects of chemotherapy. Enhanced with menus, caregiver ideas, nutritional analysis, diabetic exchanges, culinary medical tips, food lists, and post treatment recipes, Eating Well Through Cancer should be a part of every family's cookbook shelf where a loved one is fighting against cancer both during and after treatment.

The Fibromyalgia Cookbook
Shelley Ann Smith
Cumberland House Publishing
431 Harding Industrial Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37211
1581822707 $14.95 1-888-439-2665

Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder that causes pain, tenderness, fatigue, insomnia, memory and concentration difficulties, and gastrointestinal complaints for thousands and thousands of Americans every year. Diet is an important aspect of Fibromyalgia treatment for symptomatic relief. Pharmacy Technician and fibromyalgia sufferer Shelley Ann Smith has developed The Fibromyalgia Cookbook that showcases more than 120 easy-to-prepare and appetite satisfying recipes specifically suited to the needs of men and women afflicted with fibromyalgia. The Fibromyalgia Cookbook is also enhanced with an informative foreword regarding fibromyalgia dining and a glossary. From Lentil Soup; Tomato and Sweet Pepper Salad; Lemon Parsley Turnips; and Poppy Seed Mustard Baked Chicken; to Edwina's Baked Salmon; Fresh Strawberries with Toasted Coconut; Great Northern Bean Dip; and Spelt Bread, The Fibromyalgia Cookbook offers mealtime selections that would grace any dining occasion, formal or informal.



The Islamic Studies Shelf

Islam, Christianity, And The West
Rollin Armour, Sr.
Orbis Books
P.O. Box 308, Maryland, NY 10545-0308
1570754071 $25.00 maryknoll.com

Islam, Christianity, And The West: A Troubled History by Rollin Armour (Professor Emeritus in the Christianity Department, Mercer University) is a very thorough presentation of the interaction between the religions of Islam and Christianity, and the peoples who practice them, from the inception of Islam, conflicts through the centuries, and including the modern-day tragedy of the September 11 attacks. A straightforward, unbiased, and factual account with individual chapters covering such diverse matter as the origin and toll of the Crusades, the impact of Zionism, and the dilemma facing Israel today, Islam, Christianity And The West is a very highly recommended sourcebook for anyone who wants to better understand the history behind current events and international politics.

Islam And Democracy
Fatema Mernissi
Perseus Publishing
Eleven Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142
0738207454 $18.00 1-800-242-7737

Will democracy ever be possible in the volatile Arab world, and can human rights be respected under fundamentalist rules? Islamic scholar Mernissi examines fundamentalist thinking in the Middle East, considering how those on opposing sides use the same sacred texts and those who use them for violence, and providing keys to understanding Muslim and Western perceptions.



The Literary Shelf

A Golden Anniversary Bibliography Of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Dr. Henry Hardy Heins
Donald M. Grant, Publisher
P.O. Box 187, Hampton Falls, NH 03844
1880418517 $100.00 1-603-778-7191

First published in 1964 and long a very expensive and out-of-print collector's item, A Golden Anniversary Bibliography Of Edgar Rice Burroughs compiled by Henry Heins has been newly released in a second edition featuring a new 2001 Postscript by Heins. This seminal and invaluable work lists in minute detail virtually all of Burroughs stories in published in books and magazines; as well as a comprehensive selection of Burroughs' book announcements as they appeared in Publishers Weekly; photographs of the Burroughs family never before published; a foreword by Burroughs' son Hurlburt Burroughs; and a great deal more. A Golden Anniversary Of Bibliography Of Edgar Rice Burroughs is a "must" for the fans of this renowned creator of the Tarzan novels, and will serve to inform them of the many other great and memorable stories by this renowned author whose fantasies, mysteries, romances, and adventure stories had such a profound and lasting impact on 20th Century American popular culture.

Writing With Elbow
Pat Belanoff, et al.
Utah State University Press
7800 Old Main Hill, 1151 E. 700 N., Logan, UT 84322-7800
0874214300 $24.95 www.amazon.com

Collaboratively edited by Pat Belanoff, Marcia Dickson, Sheryl I. Fontaine, and Charles Moran, Writing With Elbow is an erudite and informative body of literary criticism specifically examining the life, work, and literary legacy of author Peter Elbow's . A variety of superbly crafted and insightful essays by a number of distinguished critics carefully and meticulously survey Peter Elbow's postmodern politics, the influence Michael Polanyi has had on Elbow's work, Elbow's use of personal voice and physical rhetoric, and much more. A stand-apart volume of solid, college-level writing analysis, Writing With Elbow is an impressive work of seminal scholarship and a strongly recommended contribution to academic reference collections.

Harlan Ellison: The Edge Of Forever
Ellen Weil & Gary K. Wolfe
Ohio State University
1070 Carmack Rd., Columbus, OH 43210
0814250890 $21.95 1-800-621-2736

Harlan Ellison: The Edge Of Forever by Ellen Weil (Professor of Humanities and English, Roosevelt University, Chicago) and Ellen Weil (Humanities and Holocaust Studies, Roosevelt University and the Newberry Library, Chicago) is a broad ranging volume of literary criticism concerning the short stories, novels, TV scripts and movie scripts of the world-famous author Harlan Ellison, best known to the general public for his unique contributions to the science fiction and fantasy genres. Harlan Ellison: The Edge Of Forever explores Ellison's impact upon the science fiction literary genre, as well as Ellison's numerous other works including his early crime stories and his latest experimental narratives. Harlan Ellison: The Edge Of Forever is a "must-read" for the legions of Ellison's fans, and an invaluable addition to academic 20th Century American Literature reference collections.

It's Been A Good Life
Isaac Asimov, author
Janet Jeppson Asimov, editor
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228
1573929689 $25.00 1-800-421-0351

Isaac Asimov can justifably lay claim to having been one of the most prolific writers of modern times, producing science fiction, fantasy, essays and other works. His wife Janet Asimov here edits her husband's personal thoughts about his life and works, including excerpts from his letters and insights into his life experiences throughout the process. Fans of Asimov will find It's Been A Good Life to be a warm and revealing literary biography.



The Military Shelf

The U-Boat Wars
Edwin P. Hoyt
Cooper Square Press/NBN, dist.
150 Fifth Ave., Suite 817, NY, NY 10011
0815411928 $17.95 1-800-462-6420

Ably written by former soldier and distinguished World War II historian Edwin P. Hoyt, The U-Boat Wars is a powerful and vivid rendition of deadly historical battles of the submarines (popularly referred to at the time as "U-Boats") that raged under the waters of the Atlantic during World War II. Anecdotes are drawn from German, British, and American naval archives richly and vividly present heart-pounding dramas of lethal conflict in a pivotal, undersea segment of a war between the Nazis and the Allies. Frightening in its pulse-pounding detail, The U-Boat Wars is a frank and riveting look at the role of the wartime submarine and men who sailed them into naval history.

The M1 Carbine
Grafton H. Cook & Barbara W. Cook
Andrew Mowbray Publishers
P.O. Box 460, Lincoln, RI 02865
1931464006 $29.95 1-800-999-4697

The M1 Carbine: A Revolution In Gun Stocking by Grafton and Barbara Cook is a detailed, comprehensive history of the invention and manufacture of the famous M1 Carbine rifle stocks. Profusely illustrated with 157 rare black-and-white photographs, The M1 Carbine offers a wealth of little-known information, including the step-by-step process of the walnut rifle stock's manufacture and assemblage, as well as more than 200 short biographies of the people who made M1 Carbines, as well as focusing on the pervasive use of the M1 Carbine in of World War II. Unique and original, The M1 Carbine is very highly recommended for firearm collectors and military history buffs.

North American XB-70A Valkyrie
Dennis R. Jenkins & Tony Landis
Specialty Press
39966 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 55056
1580070566 $16.95 1-800-895-4585

Volume 34 in the outstanding Specialty Press "WarbirdTech" series, Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony Landis' North American XB-70A Valkyrie is a comprehensive, profusely illustrated study of a unique and fascinating type of military aircraft created during the 1960s amid the tension of the Cold War. The Valkyrie was the largest Mach 3 aircraft ever flown; its story from its conception and creation to the pilot's perspective is recounted in this amazing book, enhanced with black-and-white photographs and a color insert section. The next best experience to actually flying in a Valkyrie, the North American XB-70A Valkyrie is an amazingly detailed look at an incredible plane and strongly recommended for military aircraft buffs.

The Leader's Imperative
J. Carl Ficarrotta, editor
Purdue University Press
1207 South Campus Courts - E, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1207
1557531846 $24.95 thepress.purdue.edu

The Leader's Imperative: Ethics, Integrity, And Responsibility edited by J. Carl Ficarrotta is a complete presentation of the Reich and McDermott lectures on military ethics and leadership given at the U.S. Air Force Academy from the years 1988 to 1999. Assembling the words and thoughts of more than twenty veterans of high standing, these twenty lectures combine to address the ethics of warfare, moral education, keeping a center of values in the midst of deadly combat, and much more. The Leader's Imperative is eye-opening reading and filled cover-to-cover with thought provoking testimony about addressing the practical and very real problem of balancing the necessary evils of war with the necessary virtues of respect for human rights.

"Bravo, Amerikanski!" And Other Stories From World War II
Ann Stringer
1stBooks Library
2511 West 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47404
1587215284 $15.54 1-800-839-8640

Featuring an introduction by Walter Cronkite, "Bravo, Amerikanski!" And Other Stories From World War II by Ann Stringer (as told to Mark Scott) is an impressive and compelling collection of personal stories (sometime uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking) narrated by Ann Stringer, who lost her journalist husband in Normandy during World War II, and subsequently found the courage to take his place as a reporter. Beautiful, determined, and one hundred percent focused on her duty, Ann Stringer encountered both the horrors of war and the celebrations of freedom, including the liberation of Nazi concentration camps and the linkup of American and Soviet armies at the Elbe River. A highly recommended look at a unique woman's experience as a war correspondent, and the experiences and observations that would change her life forever, "Bravo, Amerikanski!" And Other Stories From World War II is a welcome and valued contribution to the growing library of World War II autobiographies and memoirs.



The Library Reference Shelf

Essential Desk Reference
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Ave., NY NY 10016-4314
0195128737 $30.00 1-800-451-7556

This organizes and presents answers to reference questions, providing a quick way of finding facts on subjects ranging from practical information to entertaining fun facts. History, science, and culture blend in a coverage that includes illustrations, tables, and excellent sources for further information. Highly recommended as a library basic reference for browsers.

Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.
310 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604

Encyclopedia Britannica's 2001: Year In Review (0-86229-831-5, $24.95) sums up and highlights topics key to the Year 2001, helping readers to understand and note the major social, political and cultural events of the year. Articles by some of the world's best thinkers are accompanied by over 300 photos, illustrations, maps and charts, making this a fine historical coverage of modern times. Encyclopedia Britannica's Concise Encyclopedia (832-3, $99.00) provides a weighty desk reference with over 28,000 entries, condensed from the full encyclopedia, in a single volume. Packed with photos, maps and drawings, this provides important reference articles suitable for library lending.



The Health/Medicine Shelf

Encyclopedia Of Bach Flower Therapy
Mechthild Scheffer
Inner Traditions
PO Box 388, Rochester, VT 05767
0892819413 $29.95 www.amazon.com

The latest insights on Bach Flower remedies from diagnosis to preparation and body maps makes for a continuing recommendation in a reference title which draws important links between flower therapies and healing. Packed with color photos and details, Encyclopedia Of Bach Flower Therapy includes tips for both physical and mental healing.

The Promise
Derek Alessi & Don Alessi, Jr.
Clarence Bros. Press
7662 Transit Rd, Williamsville, NY 14221
0970598009 $29.95 AlessiFit.com

The Promise: Fat Loss & Fitness System by certified fitness consultants Derek and Don Alessiis is not just another diet and exercise book. These two brothers collaboratively draw upon more than a decade of practical experience with professional atheletes and busy professionals to present a scathing expose as to why simple "dieting" is a poor way to lose weight - simply reducing one's calorie intake merely causes the body to slow down its metabolism, in an ancient, inborn defense against starvation. The Promise instead proffers a twofold path to better health: proper nutrition, ensuring that one's food intake is balanced and contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals, and moderate exercise to build lean muscle tissue. A tested and meaningful guide to improving one's health and overall well-being, The Promise is very highly recommended reading for anyone concerned with their physical health and well-being.

Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance
Charles Creekmore
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22311
1580401201 $15.95 1-800-232-6733

Published by the American Diabetes Association, Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance: A Spiritual Toolkit For A Better Life is a personal, emphatic testimony of the spiritual side to maintaining one's body and health when confronted by the disease of adult diabetes. From managing one's emotions rather than being ruled by them, to accepting that diabetes is not the end but an eminently treatable condition and that life is worth celebrating, Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance is a superb presentation written with humor, flair, and abiding spirituality. Zen And The Art Of Diabetes Maintenance is very highly recommended for anyone having to deal with adult diabetes in themselves or a loved one.

Finding Health After Childbirth
Christopher Lahr, M.D.
Woman's Health Press
2097 Henry Tecklenburg Dr., Suite 311, Charleston, SC 29414
0971253307 $29.95 1-843-763-3592

Finding Health After Childbirth by surgeon and birth injury specialist Christopher Lahr is a ground breaking book which reveals significant, yet little-known facts about vaginal childbirth versus elective Cesarean section. Most Cesarean section deliveries are emergency operations that occur after vaginal childbirth complications have set in, and thus have a high risk for complications or death - but elective Cesarean section is scheduled before the onset of labor. Doctor Lahr strongly recommends elective Cesarean section for pregnant women with babies whose projected birth weight is nine pounds or greater, or who have other serious risk factors for complications in vaginal childbirth. Offering a wealth of pertinent facts, persuasive arguments, all of which are based upon a lifetime of professional and personal experience, Finding Health After Childbirth is an important and seminal book that dares to speak up about a little-discussed issue in the field of women's health issues, and as such is very highly recommended reading for midwives, obstetricians, women's health advocates, and the interested non-specialist general reader.

Exercise Rx
Gary Yanker
Kodansha International
575 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10022
1568363176 $19.95 1-800-451-7556

Written by health columnist and exercise authority Gary Yanker, with the assistance of various medical experts, Exercise Rx: The Lifetime Prescription For Reducing Medical Risks And Sports Injuries is a solid guide for the non-specialist general reader to improving one's health and fitness in the long term. Exercise Rx is solidly packed from cover to cover with a wealth of practical, applicable information, such as how to develop long-term muscular fitness and ward off osteoporosis; self-diagnostic tests to gauge personal risk factors for injury or disease; and especially, how to best tailor an exercise regimen to ward against specific bodily maladies from arthritis, to diabetes, to high blood pressure. Exercise Rx is a superb physical fitness reference and highly recommended for personal, professional, and community library "Health & Fitness" reference collections.

Improve Your Eyesight
James Bellevue
Avid Reader Press
6705 West Highway 290, Suite 502-295, Austin, TX 78735
0970015003 $44.95 avidreaderpress.com

Accompanied by an eye chart and a video tape, James Bellevue's Improve Your Eyesight is specifically intended for the non-specialist general reader seeking to use his or her eyes more efficiently and effectively for the simple purpose of seeing better. Bellevue points out that almost all seeing is self-taught, and as with any other motor skill, can be trained and developed to an optimal peak of performance. Improvement can actually be great enough to make contact lenses and vision defect corrective eyeglasses unnecessary. Through suggested skill building techniques, often dramatic improvements can be made for such conditions as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, decreasing vision associated with advancing age, and more. Improve Your Eyesight basically updates the classic "Bates Method" with applications drawn from the latest and most up to date optical research. Four complete vision therapy programs are provided, plus guidelines to customizing a program for the individual reader's needs. The text is enhanced with on-screen exercises provided by the accompanying video tape. Improve Your Eyesight is a very welcome and uniquely original contribution to alternative health and medicine reference and resource materials.

The Handbook Of Pediatric Audiology
Sanford E. Gerber, editor
Gallaudet University Press
800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695
1563681099 $75.00 1-800-621-2736

Deftly edited by Sanford E. Gerber (Emeritus Professor of Audiology, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara), The Handbook Of Pediatric Audiology is an anthology of scholarly, professional essays contributed by a variety of learned authors on the topic of hearing impairment among children. Essay topics include, cochlear implants, testing methods, amplification, counseling families of hearing-impaired children, and more. A thoughtful, well-researched, college-level presentation, The Handbook Of Pediatric Audiology is very highly recommended reading for anyone involved in the medical treatment or daily life skills development of a hearing-impaired child.



The Business Shelf

Simplified Small Business Accounting
Daniel Sitarz, Attorney-at-Law
Nova Publishing Company
1103 West College Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
0935755616 $19.95 www/amazon.com

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Simplified Small Business Accounting by business attorney Daniel Sitarz is a definitive guidebook written specifically for the do-it-yourself, non-specialist, general readers who is charged with the responsibility of keeping proper accounts for their businesses or entrepreneurial activities. Dedicated to educating novice and veteran entrepreneurs alike, Simplified Small Business Accounting explains a wide range of practical matters in simple, direct language easily accessible to all readers. Individual chapters address the tracking business assets, income/expenses, preparing a balance sheets and ledgers, analyzing financial statements and tax forms, payrolls, inventories, and much more. A solid, first-class reference for anyone in charge of a small business and/or its funds, Simplified Small Business Accounting is "user friendly" and highly recommended.

Best Business Stories Of the Year
Andrew Leckey & Ken Auletta, Eds.
Pantheon
299 Park Avenue, New York NY 10171
0-375-42075-4 $29.50 1-800-726-0600

From print media and journals to business and general interest publications, the authors have searched for the best business accounts from the past year, providing vignettes and accounts primarily nonfiction in content, but telling of business goals, individuals, and strategies. A diverse, well-represented collection.

Five Dysfunctions Of A Team
Patrick Lencioni
Jossey-Bass
989 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103
0787960756 $22.00 1-800-225-5945

Teamwork is the key to effective business strategies, yet despite the hype, real teamwork remains an elusive goal for any business managers. Five Dysfunctions Of A Team highlights obstacles to winning teams and tells how to overcome them, using a fictional type narrative to demonstrate points. Entering the new breed of business novels is a title which uses a fictional overcoat to impart the basics of solid business suggestions. Recommended.

Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
1-800-250-5308 www.amazon.com

Alexis Gutzman's Unforeseen Circumstances (0814471587, $25.00) is a treasure throve of detail on strategies and technologies for protecting one's business in a dangerous world. This is the first business guide to consider threats to people, information systems, and business structure both short and long-term, and it covers everything form basic job safety to new security devices. Marick Masters and Robert Albright's Conflict Resolution In The Workplace (0814406297, $79.95) provides a comprehensive manual for managers and executives interested in thwarting workplace troubles. Examples and scenarios are realistic and guide managers both personally and professionally through techniques of negotiation, facilitation, and arbitration.

Restaurant Business Start-Up Guide
Paul Daniels
Venture Marketing
2042 Big Oak Avenue, Chino Hills, CA 91709
1582911037 $49.95 www.amazon.com

Restaurant Business Start-Up Guide: A Complete Guide To Establishing Your Business by Paul Daniels is a very practical, "user friendly", detail-oriented guide to the restaurant business especially for first-time entrepreneurs. Individual chapters address key issues the include the legal matters of starting up, forming a business plan, financial accounting, site selection, leases, financing, equipment, management techniques, safety, taxes, and much more. An absolute "must" for anyone new to the restaurant business, Restaurant Business Start-Up Guide is an extremely useful reference guide with much of value to offer even the more experienced restaurant manager.

Make The Money And Run
Siriol Jameson
Dash-Hill, LLC
3540 West Sahara, 094, Las Vegas, NV 89102-5816
0967943213 $19.95 \dashhillpress.com

The latest in the Dash-Hill "YES" series, Make The Money And Run: 18 Businesses To Make You Rich by small business entrepreneur and consultant Siriol Jameson is a brief yet enriching look at simple businesses that anyone can start up and run. Ranging from such ventures as publishing a newsletter, to boarding pets, to becoming an information broker, Make The Money And Run offers a wealth of quick and simple start-up tips applicable to all start-up ventures. Make The Money And Run is a great introduction to key entrepreneurial opportunities, and highly recommended reading for anyone wanting to enter the dynamic world of small business in order to be their own boss and make their own mark upon the world of commerce.

Bridging The Boomer-Xer Gap
Hank Karp, et al.
Davies-Black Publishing
3803 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303
0891061592 $27.95 daviesblack.com

Bridging The Boomer-Xer Gap, the collaborative effort by Connie Fuller (Organization Development Specialist, AG Communication System, Lucent Technologies) and Danilo Sirias (Assistant Professor of Management, Saginaw State University) is a dynamic and informative work, enhanced with research from nearly 400 surveys, and specifically written to aid business leaders in uniting supervisors and workers from both the Boomer and the Generation X generations. Stereotypes about Boomers and Xers are justifiably dismissed and replaced with solid strategies for promoting teamwork expressly created to bring the generations closer together for a more productive corporate future.



The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Super Searcher Author Scribe
Loraine Page & Reva Basch
Information Today
143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford NJ 08055
0910965587 $24.95 www.amazon.com

The impact of the Internet on the writing profession is revolutionary, and Super Searcher Author Scribe draws upon experiences of leading journalists, authors, and researchers to tell how best to utilize the power of the Web. Links to almost 300 Internet resources accompany tips of successful writers.

Media Magic
Marisa D'Vari
DEG International Publishing
220 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116
1931094012 $21.95 www.deg.com

In Media Magic: Profit & Promote With Free Media Placement, experienced media consultant Marisa D'Vari shares her years of expertise in this 145 page instructional compendium packed with "tips, tricks and techniques" for finding and utilizing the radio and television to promote services and products. Marisa's advice is cogent, practical, accessible, "user friendly", and constitutes an entire "how to" course on everything from developing an effective media kit to securing radio interviews and television appearances. Inspiring, informative, field tested, Media Magic is essential reading for anyone charged with the responsibility of marketing anything from books to baked goods.

From Revolution To Revolution
Leona Rostenberg & Madeleine B. Stern
Oak Knoll Press
310 Delaware St., New Castle, DE 19720
1584560746 $39.95 www.oakknoll.com

From Revolution To Revolution: Perspectives On Publishing & Bookselling by antiquarian book experts Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern is a truly amazing and informative history of the publishing industry, beginning with the 15th century discovery of printing with moveable type down to the phenomena of computer desktop publishing in the 20th century -- and beyond. The publishing scene in America specifically is discussed at length, in this extraordinary account which is especially recommended reading for bibliophiles and Cultural History Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

Do You Really Want To Self-Publish Your Book?
H. L. Nigro
Strong Tower Publishing
P.O. Box 11412, Lancaster, PA 17605
http://www.strongtowerpublishing.com
0970433034 $12.95 www.amazon.com

Do You Really Want To Self-Publish Your Book?: Things You Should Know Before Making The Leap is a candid, tell-all account of the secrets of self-publishing, including hidden costs, the nature of book distribution, using the Internet to your best advantage, and a variety of options from doing everything yourself to getting involved with "publishing facilitators." A frank, straightforward introduction to the challenges of self-publishing, written for the non-specialist general reader contemplating producing their own book, Heidi Nigro draws upon her own personal experience as a self-published author. Do You Really Want To Self-Publish? is a first-rate and very basic introduction, as well as a relatively quick read (161 pages), and is highly recommended for any aspiring author who is seriously contemplating the plunge into self-publishing and needing a clear perspective on what all the demands will be placed upon them in the role of publisher, and a quick survey of the kinds of basic resources that are available.

Power Screenwriting
Michael Chase Walker
Lone Eagle Publishing Company
1024 N. Orange Dr, Hollywood CA 90038
1580650414 $19.95 1-800-815-0503

Professional screenwriter Michael Chase Walker (The Last Unicorn; Earthman's Burden; The Arrow and the Lamp; Seven Years in Tibet; Siddhartha; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Love and Anarchy; The Poet and the Tsar) draws upon his many years of experience and success to write Power Screenwriting: The 12 Stages Of Story Development, a structural, methodical, step-by-step, "how to" guide to writing quality screenplays quickly and efficiently. Breaking down the process in simple yet essential steps, screenwriting professor and author Michael Walker demonstrates his craft for aspiring screenwriters of all experience levels. A superbly practical, down-to-earth guide to basic screenwriting traditions, Power Screenwriting is not only recommended reading for aspiring or practicing screenwriters for television or film, but would be of profound interest to storytellers in any for of literary or artistic expression.



The Judaic Studies Shelf

Chasidic Perspectives
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
Kehot Publication Society
291 Kingston Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11213
0826604676 $24.00 kehotonline.com

Chasidic Perspectives: A Festival Anthology is ably translated into English and deftly adapted for contemporary readers by Rabbi Alter B. Metzger and features an impressive and thoughtful essays written by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe, about traditional Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Shavuot, and more. Each penetrating, scholarly essay shows a meticulous insight into the history, understanding, and visceral meaning of these celebrated days, and ponders at length the role these holidays play in personal and family life, as well as in the ritual observation of the Jewish faith. Chasidic Perspectives is a welcome and highly recommended contribution for Judaic Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

Life Death Memories
Thomas T. Hecht
Leopolis Press
530 Kellogg Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903-4642
0967996015 $14.95 http://www.aulam.org/leopress.htm

Life Death Memories is the deeply personal and candid recollections of Thomas T. Hecht, a Jewish man who grew up in a Polish shetl during the murderous years of Hitler's horrific and genocidal "Final Solution". Hecht's village culture was obliterated in the wake of the Holocaust; scarce survivors and scarcer memories of it remain today. A memorial to those murdered and a powerful testimony to the human capacity for mass atrocity, Life Death Memories is a welcome addition to Holocaust Studies reference collections and not-to-be-missed powerful reading.

Escape Or Die
Ina R. Friedman
Lodgepole Press
P.O. Box 1259, Brookline, MA 02446
1886721033 $TBA 1-617-277-2323

Accomplished storyteller Ina R. Friedman's compelling video Escape Or Die: True Stories Of Young People Who Survived The Holocaust vividly presents three powerful, dynamic, first-person stories of young teenagers who survived the Nazi Holocaust against all odds. There is Many, age 14, caught in the violence of Crystal Night and who witnesses his home and family shattered (11 minutes); Renee, age 13, orphaned by German atrocity, who attempts to hide and feed her three siblings (12 minutes); Robert, age 13, suffering from horrific deprivations and the ever present threat of the Nazi death camps, who escapes to fight in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising (21 minutes). Escape Or Die is a truly resounding testimony to human strength and enduring courage against utterly unspeakable, genocidal horrors, and offers intensely personal viewpoints to a chilling era of twentieth century history. Escape Or Die is a very highly recommended and welcome contribution to Holocaust studies collections and especially suited to young viewers ages 6 and older. Total Running Time: 44 minutes.

Jews in America: A Cartoon History
David Gantz
The Jewish Publication Society
2100 Arch Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
0827607164 $24.95 www.jewishpub.org

Written and illustrated by David Gantz, Jews In America: A Cartoon History is a grandiose history, superbly produced in a black-and-white cartoon format, very carefully researched and engagingly presented so as to inform and appeal to readers of all ages. Surveying the Jewish involvement in American history ranging from the discoveries of Columbus in the 15th century, down to the United States of present day at the dawning of the 21st century, Jews In America: A Cartoon History is almost impossible to put down. This is a unique, often humorous, always accurate, and very highly recommended study for personal, family, school, and community library Judaic Studies and American History reading lists and reference collections.



The Environmental Studies Shelf

The Farm As Natural Habitat
Dana L. Jackson & Laura L. Jackson
Island Press
1718 Connecticut Ave, N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20009
1559638478 $25.00 www.islandpress.org

The Farm As Natural Habitat: Reconnecting Food Systems With Ecosystems edited by Dana L. Jackson (Associate Director of the Land Stewardship Project, White Bear Lake, Minnesota) and Laura L. Jackson (Associate Professor of Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa) is a thoughtful, extensively researched and meticulously presented compendium of essays by a variety of learned and expert authors focusing on the interaction between agriculture and the environment. Emphatically rejecting the idea that "ecological sacrifice zones" are required to feed the hungry, The Farm As Natural Habitat reaches out to explore how agriculture and biodiversity can exist in harmony. A first-rate, eye-opening book for farmers around the world, The Farm As Natural Habitat is a strongly urged addition to academic reference collections (especially for agricultural colleges), governmental policy makers and department of natural resources/farm bureau administrative personnel, and the personal reading list for anyone engaged in agriculture ranging from the "family farm" to agribusiness.



The Library Science Shelf

Online Community Information
Joan C. Durrance & Karen E. Pettigrew
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
0838908233 $42.00 1-866-746-7252

The collaboration of Joan C. Durrance (Professor, University of Michigan School of Information) and Karen E. Pettigrew (Assistant Professor, Information School of the University of Washington), Online Community Information: Creating A Nexus At Your Library is dedicated to helping librarians better serve the needs of their patrons in the 21st century. Individual chapters clearly spell out effective methods for setting up and managing an Internet community network that is useful, functional and practical. Online Community Information is especially recommended for librarians who want to their academic, community, corporate, or governmental library to be the best it can be in this modern information age of cyberspace, computerized data banks, and the World Wide Web.

Recommended Reference Books For Small And Medium-Sized Libraries And Media Centers 2002
Libraries Unlimited
7730 East Belleview Avenue, Suite A200, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
1563089122 $70.00 1-800-237-6124

The content for Libraries Unlimited's Recommended Reference Books for Small and Medium-Sized Libraries and Media Centers 2002 is drawn from a selection of the American Reference Books Annual articles as being the most relevant for small library collections. Written by librarians themselves, as well as those whose field of study is appropriate to the different types of suggested academic volumes, Recommended Reference Books showcases each suggested title with a careful explanation as to why that specific title stands out in its field. Reference books on just about every academic topic are presented in this effective list especially designed and intended for school and community librarians on a tightly limited budget.

Libraries Designed For Users
Nolan Lushington
Neal-Schuman Publishers
100 Varick St., New York, NY 10013
1555704190 $99.95 neal-schuman.com

Libraries Designed For Users: A 21st Century Guide by experienced library consultant Nolan Lushington is a solidly presented and informational guide to planning the construction and layout of an ideal library tailored to suit the needs of its community patrons. From planning for parking, display areas, storage areas, to specific references such as a model template for library specifications, Libraries Designed for Users is a thorough, comprehensive, "user friendly" guide to evaluating exactly what is needed. Libraries Designed For Users is very highly recommended for anyone involved in planning for the construction or expansion of public, academic, corporate, or private libraries.



The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

The Gathering
William X. Kienzle
Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111
0740722298 $22.95 1-800-851-8923

The Gathering is the latest novel featuring Father Robert Koesler, a compassionate Roman Catholic priest with a brilliant insight into solving mysteries of murder most foul. Koesler's adolescent years are brought to light in this tale of deception, internal struggles with faith, and how Koesler found his calling to serve... and seventy years later, one of those closest to him is dead. The Gathering is another quietly brilliant, not-to-be-missed mystery from the pen of William X. Kienzle.

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

This publisher's diverse variety of crime novels is helping re-write the crime novel atmosphere, bringing the 'whodunit' to life with new spice, zesty characters, and unusual settings. Claudia Bishop's Just Desserts (0-425-18431-5, $5.99) provides another Hemlock Falls culinary murder mystery which centers on an elusive killer and the recipes of the Hemlock Falls Inn. Betsy Thornton's High Lonesome Road (18455-2, $5.99) tells of a bookmobile librarian murdered and a friend's determination to find her killer. Victoria Thompson's Murder On Washington Square (18430-7, $6.99) provides a Victorian 'gaslight mystery' which should reach fans of Anne Perry, among others: Sarah believes the innocence of a mild-mannered banker when his mistress is murdered, and decides to probe the mystery.



The World History Shelf

The History Highway 3.0
Dennis Trinkle & Scott Merriman, eds.
M.E. Sharpe
80 Business Park Dr., Armonk, NY 10504
0765609045 $39.95 1-800-541-6563

Now in a revised, expanded, completely updated, and highly recommended third edition, The History Highway 3.0: A Guide To Internet Resources is an immense, comprehensive, superbly presented reference filled from cover to cover with a wealth of information for some 3,000 web sites focused on the history of every part of the globe, and every era of recorded civilization. Each individual website referenced features a brief text description of its contents and what it offers to the amateur or professional historian. The History Highway 3.0 is overall an invaluable reference, offering the cream of the Internet crop without having to wade through thousands of false results generated by an overzealous and indiscriminate search engine! The History Highway 3.0 is enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM which contains the book's contents as PDF files with live links for easy navigation to any of the featured websites.

Rediscovering The British Empire
Barry J. Ward
Krieger Publishing Company
Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
1575241242 $17.50 krieger-publishing.com

The latest in the Krieger "Open Forum" series, Rediscovering The British Empire, compiled and edited Barry J. Ward, is an impressive and informative selection of learned essays concerning the history and long-term effects of Great Britain's one-time colonization of so much territory that it was described by the phrase: "The sun never set on the British Empire." The British affected and influenced histories of Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Fiji, and much more are authoritatively discussed in these college-level writings contributed by an eclectic variety of educated authors. Rediscovering The British Empire is highly recommended for its fascinating perspective on Great Britain's worldwide influence and legacy.

Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece
Sean Sheehan
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
0892366672 $19.95 www.getty.edu

The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece by Sean Sheehan is an engaging and informative account of Hellenic civilization filled cover to cover with gorgeous, full-color photography showcasing the Greek landscape, ancient artifacts, antiquarian artworks, illustrative maps, and more. The fascinating, descriptive, "reader friendly" text is clearly written in terminology easily understandable by non-specialist general readers. The names of historical figures, places, or ideas have an encyclopedia entry which is printed in bold type for easy reference. The brief yet straightforward entries are presented in a straightforward A to Z format. The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece is a very fine reference recommended for casual armchair travelers through time. Enhanced with advice on how to use the book and a section on the proper spelling of Greek names, Sean Sheehan's Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Ancient Greece is an ideal acquisition for school and community library collections.

Greenwood Publishing
Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007
1-800-225-5800 www.amazon.com

Two titles will intrigue college-level collections with fine historical coverages and background. Bella Vivante's Events That Changed Ancient Greece (0-313-31639-2, $45.00) follows the enduring influence of the Greeks, from early Greek records to historical events covering some 1,600 years of ancient Greek history. From cultural movements in religion and philosophy to the arts, an extensive probe of society-changing events makes for solid research. Peter Levy's Encyclopedia Of The Clinton Presidency (31294-X, $65.00) may hold special interest for collections focusing on politics and political science: college-level students in this area will find this packed with 230 alphabetically organized entries covering all major issues and aspects of the Clinton administration.

Our Glory & Our Grief
Ian Hugh Maclean Miller
University of Toronto Press
2250 Military Rd., Tonawanda, NY 14150
0802035922 $45.00 1-800-565-9523

Our Glory & Our Grief: Torontonians And The Great War by Ian Hugh Maclean Miller (a Department of National Defense police officer) is an impressive, scholarly, yet highly accessible account of the impact World War I had on the people of Toronto, Canada and the Torontonian soldiers who fought and died for patriotism and to change the tide of history. From discussing why citizens of Toronto chose to support the war effort, in spite of its terrible burden, to the far-reaching repercussions of the war that reverberate in Canada today, Our Glory & Our Grief is an engrossing, informed and informative account, meticulously researched and a welcome, recommended addition to Canadian History supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.



The Fiction Shelf

Sparrowhawk
Edward Cline
MacAdam/Cage Publishing
155 Sansome Street, Suite 620, San Francisco, CA 94104
1931561001 $25.00 macadamcage.com

Edward Cline's Sparrowhawk: Book One - Jack Frake is a superbly written historical novel set in 18th Century England reflects the turbulent times just prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Young Jack Frake personally experiences a growing restlessness that is gradually permeating men's minds. Jack sets sail for Virginia, all the while surrounded by hardships, struggles for survival, and a change of human thinking that will eventually bring forth the Declaration of Independence. A compelling and thoughtful saga from beginning to end, Sparrowhawk is enthusiastically recommended and will leave readers looking eagerly forward to Edward Cline's next novel.

The Truth About Fire
Elizabeth Hartmann
Carroll & Graf Publishers
c/o Avalon Publishing
161 William St., 16th Fl., NY, NY 10038
0786710217 $24.00 1-800-788-3123

Elizabeth Hartmann's The Truth About Fire is a chilling novel about Neo-Nazi acts of biological terrorism taking place in modern-day America. A young college woman becomes drawn into the web of an extremist group, and becomes situated on the crossroads of history as she resolves to foil a deadly plot that threatens the destruction of America. The Truth About Fire is an engaging and suspenseful story that firmly hooks the readers total attention from first page to last.

Alberta Clipper
John Salter
Livingston Press
The University of West Alabama
UWA Station 22, Livingston, AL 35470
0942979893 $12.95 www.uwa.edu

An impressive anthology of eighteen short and succinct mysteries by author John Salter, Alberta Clipper captures small-town America as seen through the lens of a surreal, extraordinary subtext to ordinary lives. Each a small gem of the storytelling arts, these original tales range from Shoshone Insurance; Three Drum Theories; and Reverse Prototype; to The New Territory; Sea-Mist; and the title piece, Alberta Clipper. These stories are uniformly thought-provoking, laced with sardonic humor, and compellingly written vignettes of human life make Alberta Clipper a collection to remember, and especially recommended reading for the mystery buff.

The Distant Beacon
Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn
Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, MN 55438
0764226002 $11.99 1-800-328-6109

Book four in Jannette Oke and T. Davis Bunn's "Song of Arcadia" historical fiction saga, The Distant Beacon is set amid the war for American Independence, as two women find themselves swept into different lives - one in Great Britian, the other setting sail for the American colonies. Filled with passionate romance, betrayal, and a revolution that will change the world, The Distant Beacon is a compelling novel that sweeps the reader away with its heartfelt emotion. Also highly recommended are the early volumes of the "Song Of Arcadia" series: The Meeting Place; The Sacred Shore; and The Birthright.

Year Zero
Jeff Long
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, NY, NY 10020
0743406117 $25.00 1-800-223-2336

An archaeological manhunt in the holy land for the historical Jesus turns a respected American field researcher into a grave robber and a wealthy collector into a plague carrier in Year Zero, a fast-paced story of a man who seeks redemption. The action is swift and unrelenting and the tension high throughout this involving novel.



The Audiobook Shelf

The Shelters Of Stone
Jean M. Auel
Brilliance Audio
PO Box 887, Grand Haven, MI 49417
1587889897 $59.95 1-800-854-7859

Jean M. Auel's The Shelters Of Stone is the awe-inspiring epic sequel to her immensely popular "The Clan of the Cave Bear." Superbly recorded by Brilliance Audio and presented in completely unabridged, twenty-cassette, 33 hour, audiobook format, The Shelters Of Stone is the compelling saga of a prehistoric woman endowed with mysterious spiritual gifts, and her struggle to make a new life with her mate and his people in a harsh primordial world with ever-present threats to their continued survival. The Shelters Of Stone continues to document Jean Auel as an original writer and this, her latest literary effort, has all makings for a truly engaging and rapturous story. Ably narrated by Sandra Burr, The Shelters Of Stone is highly recommended for personal and community library audiobook collections. Other formats for The Shelters Of Stone currently available from Brilliance Audio include Compact Disc (1587889919, $79.95); Unabridged Library Edition on Cassette (1587889900, $189.25); and Unabridged Library Edition on Compact Disc (1587889927, $209.25).

Line Of Control
Tom Clancy & Steve Pieczenik, creators
Jeff Rovin, author
Books on Tape
Box 25122, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5122
0736684344 $64.00 1-800-541-5525

The eighth volume in Tom Clancy's acclaimed Op-Center series, Line Of Control is a thrilling, unabridged audiobook presentation that is action-packed and laden with suspense. When the military branch of the Op-Center receives a mission to capture an Islamic cleric who is fomenting rebellion against the Indian government, the routine assignment turns deadly when India and Pakistan begin fighting a deadly war with the Op-Center agents caught in the middle. Jeff Rovin's taut technical writing and gripping detail is ably narrated by Michael Kramer, and makes Line Of Control a listening experience that must be heard to the very end.

The Cleveland Local
Les Roberts
Americana Publishing
P.O. Box 11546, Albuquerque, NM 87192
1588070344 $25.00 1-888-883-8203

Les Robert's The Cleveland Local is a deftly written, cold-blooded murder mystery. This four cassette, six hour, audiobook features Milan Jacovich, a private investigator who gets caught up among feuding families and money politics when a big-name real estate attorney is killed while on Caribbean holiday. Narrated with dramatic flair by the author, The Cleveland Local is a hard-hitting, plot-twisting saga that keeps the listener keenly interested until the very end.

Sounds Of The River
Da Chen
Audio Literature
370 West San Bruno, San Bruno, CA 94066
1574535005 $25.00 1-800-383-0174

Sounds Of The River is a four cassette, six hour, abridged audio narration of the second book of a trilogy of memoirs about author Da Chen, and his experiences in the Cultural Revolution of Communist China. Listeners learn of Da Chen's travails in studying at the University of Beijing, his being confronted with truly horrible living conditions, dealing with a chronic lack of food, suicidal roommates, and power-abusing professors. Da Chen's life experiences in mainland China are recounted with depth and candor in this impressive and highly recommended account.



The Tai Chi/Martial Arts Shelf

Inside Tai Chi
John Loupos
YMAA Publication Center
4354 Washington St., Boston, MA 02131
1886969108 $20.95 1-800-669-8892

Inside Tai Chi: Hints, Tips, Training, & Process For Students And Teachers by seasoned marital arts expert John Loupos is 194 page, step-by-step book dedicated to understanding and mastering the basics of the Tai Chi martial art. Black-and-white photographs illustrate the practical and straightforward text, which addresses everything from body positioning to breathing to working with a partner. Inside Tai Chi is very highly recommended reading for martial arts enthusiasts with a serious interest in Tai Chi, as well as the non-specialist general reader considering a Tai Chi exercise regimen for their general health and well-being.

Humane Pressure Point Self-Defense
George A. Dillman with Chris Thomas
Dillman Karate International
251 Mt. View Rd., Reading, PA 19607
1889267031 $24.95 www.dillman.com

Collaboratively written by renowned martial arts instructor George A. Dillman and knowledgeable martial arts writer and teacher Chris Thomas, Humane Pressure Point Self-Defense is a straightforward, "student friendly" guide to applying knowledge of the body's nerve clusters and vulnerable areas to quickly and humanely protect oneself with low risk of causing injury. Step-by-step instructions are clearly illustrated with black-and-white photographs and expressly demonstrate "Dillman Pressure Point Method" techniques for readers of all ages and skill levels in the martial arts. An excellent and recommended reference, Humane Pressure Point Self-Defense is wholly dedicated to explaining, defining, and teaching an effective, practical, benign self-defense method.

Discover Tai Chi: AM & PM Workouts
Natural Journeys
411 Video Information (publicity
137 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 2nd floor, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
GH675, GH676, $29.95 1-800-737-1825

Discover Tai Chi: Am & Pm Workouts is an impressively presented, two-video boxed set featuring fitness instructor and Tai Chi expert Scott Cole, who has traveled more than 30 countries to better learn and share his expertise and wisdom. The A.M. workout is an energetic and enjoyable way to prepare for one's day, and the P.M. Workout is a soothing means to cleans body, mind, and spirit of pent-up frustrations. Ideal for the novice and with much of value for even the more experienced Tai Chi student, Discover Tai Chi: Am & Pm Workouts is a truly excellent, "user friendly" instructional video for exercise and spiritual appreciation of the tranquility and balance that Tai Chi strives for. Running Time: 60 minutes (30 minutes each).

Tai Chi Chih On The Rocks
Victoria Mogilner
East West Productions
411 Video Information (publicity)
2675 W. Highway 89A, Suite 1088, Sedona, AZ 86336-5246
VHS $29.95 1-888-473-2577

Tai Chi Chih On The Rocks is an impressive instructional video showcasing certified Tai Chi Chih instructor Victoria Mogilner's daily program of Tai Chi Chih exercises. Developed in 1974 by Justin Stone, the art of Tai Chi Chih is a form of Chi Gong; more than an exercise regimen, Tai Chi Chih promotes inner peace, wholeness, and creative visualization. The exercises shown in Tai Chi Chih On The Rocks can be practiced in as little time as 10-15 minutes daily for relief of stress, better fitness, and spiritual cleansing. Tai Chi Chih On The Rocks is strongly recommended to Tai Chi practitioners whether they are novice beginners or seasoned experts as being a very clear and visually oriented guide to a healthful art. Total Running Time: 57 minutes.



The Money/Finance Shelf

The New Iras And How To Make Them Work For You
Neil Downing, CFP
Dearborn Trade
155 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606
0793154162 $18.95 1-800-621-9621

Written by finance columnist and certified financial planner Neil Downing, The New IRAs And How To Make Them Work For You is a straightforward and highly accessible guide to Individual Retirement Accounts and how to best make use of them in light of recent tax law changes. Individual chapters address how to manage an IRA, what to do when withdrawing from or inheriting an IRA, what a Roth IRA is and how it can serve your needs, and a great deal more. The New IRAs And How To Make Them Work For You is recommended as a first-rate primer written for the non-specialist general reader with an eye toward saving and planning for a fiscally sound future.



The Poetry Shelf

The Green Earth
Luci Shaw
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
0802839428 $20.00 www.eerdmans.com

The Green Earth: Poems Of Creation is a volume of free-verse poetry that celebrates nature and growing things. The warm, sparkling lines resonate in the joy of life and an abiding faith in God the Creator and his wondrous gifts. Overleaf: After a breathless dawn the wind blows free,/upturns the silver poplar leaves. They glance,/pale faces, restless, up and down the tree./Life poplar leaves, the words within me dance,/but does some secret hope pervade my heart?/And might I be content for youth to play its part,/then reach its nadir at the end of Fall?//Perhaps my words glisten against their will./Soon, will their transient luster turn to yellow--/a gold, translucent foil -- enough to fill/the cracks of footpath, hill, and rock hollow?/Come Fall, word-weary minds dream of recess--/the lightness, and the light, of leaflessness.

Waterborne
Linda Gregerson
Houghton Mifflin Company
215 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10003
0618120106 $23.00 1-800-225-3362

Waterborne: Poems is a unique volume of Linda Gregerson's free-verse poetry written in an open, unfettered style and a unique verse structure that draws the reader into a personal vision daily life and the inner power that transcends ordinary experience. The river is a central theme in these moving, thoughtful, lyrical poems. "...to think that tethered in his crib is all/the safety she can give him. Not kerosene nor/coalstove shall destroy him, yet/there must/have been a fire, he did not freeze."

The Long Surprise
Barbara Lau
Texas Review Press
Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341-2146
1881515354 $12.95 www.amazon.com

The Long Surprise is filled cover to cover with Barbara Lau's deftly written poetry about human emotion, and the sometimes brutal world that surrounds people. Evoking fear, pity, grief, love, and resolution in the face of hardship, the free verse captures the conceptualization of the soul and what it means to be alive, even in a harsh natural universe. Walking Home From The Writing Center: Like the small, kind deceptions/we play on our children each day.//I'm supposed to make you care about/a slim nothing of a comma.//You don't even feel the sinews/of the verbs, the singing of the vowels.//Better to sit with you atop a red silo/mis-naming grasses framing the fields://moon-raked wheat, copper-lion pelt,/plumes-of-peach-on-charred-tubers://still finding there are a dozen too few words/to describe October. And of all times to be//struck dumb. I say, trees of sun-dried plum:/you say, pink and gold coupling under gauze.



The Egyptology Shelf

Egyptian Rhythm
Moustafa Gadalla
Tehuti Research Foundation
Box 39406, Greensboro, NC 27438-9406
1931446024 $14.95 egypt-tehuti.org

Iconoclastic Egyptologist Moustafa Gadalla's Egyptian Rhythm: The Heavenly Melodies is an amazing and impressive study of the intricacy of ancient Egyptian music, from the 24x7 Egyptian Musical Chart to its religious aspects and daily uses in life. Very highly recommended reading, Egyptian Rhythm details the theory and practice of the ancient Egyptian musical system, and is presented in depth for scholars and serious music study students, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in ancient Egyptian culture and tradition.



The Criminology Shelf

Criminological Theories
Suzette Cote, editor
Sage Publications
2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks CA 91320
0761925031 $41.95 www.sagepub.com

Professionally edited by Suzette Cote, Criminological Theories: Bridging The Past To The Future is an impressive and original anthology of thirty-six articles by a variety of experienced and knowledgeable contributors discussing the major theories of criminology. From biological, social, and cultural causes of violent crime, to white collar crime, and a feminist perspective on crime, Criminological Theories covers a broad and relevant range of topics. Criminological Theories is a scholarly, college-level work, and especially recommended for students of criminal law and psychology, as well a core contribution to professional, governmental, and academic Criminology Studies reference collections.

Handbook Of Polygraph Testing
Murray Kleiner
Academic Press
525 B Street, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495
0124137407 $69.95 academicpress.com

Deftly edited by Murray Kleiner, Handbook Of Polygraph Testing is a scholarly collection of superbly presented essays by a variety of experts in the field which address the technical and psychological aspects of using polygraph or "lie detector" testing today. Written at a professional level, the contributed essays by a variety of distinguished authors discuss legal aspects of testing, computer methods for determining deception, the pre-test interview, detecting false memories, and much more. The Handbook Of Polygraph Testing is a fascinating compendium of studies and commentaries containing thought-provoking information -- especially for those who must increasingly use or come into contact with polygraph testing with respect to the contemporary governmental and corporate world of personnel screening, the demands of the legal system, and national security concerns.

Techniques Of Crime Scene Investigation
Barry A. J. Fisher
CRC Press
2000 NW Corporate Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33431-9868
0849381193 $83.95 1-800-272-7737

Now in a newly updated and expanded sixth edition, Techniques Of Crime Scene Investigation by Barry A. J. Fisher, who draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as the Crime Laboratory Director for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and who is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, California State University, Los Angeles, California, is a comprehensive, detailed text on the applied science forensic medicine. Written at college level for serious students of this fundamental profession, the meticulous, thorough explanations of each chapter will prove fascinating for anyone with an interest in forensics, enhanced for the reader with graphic details highlighted with numerous black-and-white photographs to present a clear overall picture of what a career and practice in forensics entails. Techniques Of Crime Science Investigation is a highly recommended text for anyone studying or considering the study of this aspect of police science.

Risk Reduction: Interventions For Special Needs Offenders
Harry E. Allen, editor
American Correctional Association
4380 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, MD 20706
1569911487 $22.95 1-800-222-5646

Deftly edited by harry E. Allen (Professor Emeritus, Administration of Justice, San Jose State University, California) Risk Reduction: Interventions For Special Needs Offenders is a selection of superbly presented essays by various learned authors considering cogent and scholarly assessments of the very real issue of handling criminal offenders in the American justice system in order to encourage rehabilitation and prevent future offenses. Individual contributions address the assessment of psychopathy in very clinical terms, utilizing accepted checklist tests and other scientific means to evaluate the human psyche, effective DWI interventions, intervention with sex offenders, and much more. Risk Reduction is very highly recommended for anyone involved heavily with our justice system and its treatment of special needs offenders, and a welcome contribution to Criminology Studies reference collections.

Smokescreen
Paul William Roberts & Norman Snider
Stoddart Publishing
PMB 128, 4500 Witmer Estates, Niagara Falls, NY 14305-1386
077373323X $24.95 stoddartpub.com

Collaboratively written by Paul William Roberts and Norman Snider, Smokescreen: One Man Against The Underworld is the true story Carl Broeker, an ordinary businessman who was betrayed by his partner and forced to confront a deadly, blacklist world of organized crime and illicit trafficking. Drawn into undercover work with the Secret Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Broeker found himself caught up in a deadly thrill ride of lies, deceits, crime in this compelling biographical narrative of international crime lords, illegal smuggling operations, and political corruption. Smokescreen strips away the subterfuge and lays bare the heretofore murky underworld or organized crime on both sides of the Canadian/American border.

Justice Behind The Walls
Michael Jackson
Douglas & McIntyre
201-2323 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 4S7
155054893X $50.00 1-800-367-9692

Justice Behind The Walls: Human Rights In Canadian Prisons by human rights activist Michael Jackson is a thoroughly researched, candid and revealing examination of the state of modern Canadian prisons with respect to the crucial issues of human rights as regarding the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of convicted criminals. Individual chapters discuss the ramifications of the disciplinary process throughout the decades, administrative segregation, involuntary transfers, the power of search and seizure, and more. A carefully written yet emotional and persuasive call for reckoning Justice Behind The Walls is a welcome and timely contribution to the growing body of prison literature and applied human rights.

Tailspin
Bernard F. Conners
British American Publishing
Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity
4 British American Blvd., Latham, NY 12110
0945167504 $26.95 www.amazon.com

Written by a former FBI agent Bernard F. Conners who drew upon more than forty years of personal research, Tailspin: The Strange Case Of Major Call is a compelling, fact-based work offering a "literary bloodhound" solution to the still unsolved murder mystery of Major James Arlon Call. A war time hero who, after the death of his beloved wife, turned criminal. He was a man almost larger than life, flawed with a dark and ultimately lethal side when he engaged in a shootout with four police officers, wounding three of them, and one fatally. Gripping, descriptive, and persuasive in its case, Tailspin is an engaging, provocative, true crime narrative that dares to tread the border between historical fact and logical supposition.



The Genealogy Shelf

The Genealogist's Question & Answer Book
Marcia Yannizze Melnyk
Betterway Books/F&W Publications
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1558705902 $18.99 1-800-289-0963

The Genealogist's Question & Answer Book: Solutions And Advice For Maximizing Your Research Results by professional genealogist Marcia Yannizze Melnyk offers the reader a solid wealth of practical "how-to" advice and inspiration useful to genealogists at all experience levels ranging from the novice amateur to highly skilled and experienced. Individual chapters address how to extract desired information from numerous types of records, including records of census, churches, the military, cemeteries, taxes, city directories, the Internet and much more. Strongly recommended for personal and community library genealogy reference collections, examples and step-by-step instructions make The Genealogist's Question & Answer Book first-rate for teaching oneself the art and science of practical genealogy.

A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland
Brian Mitchell
Genealogical Publishing Company
1001 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
0806316845 $20.00 genealogical.com

Now in an updated second edition, genealogy research expert Brian Mitchell's A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland is a very straightforward, accessible reference, presenting maps of each Irish county. Each county has five maps: one depicting the Church of Ireland parishes, one showing the baronies and Church of Ireland dioceses, one of the poor law unions and parishes included within probate districts, one of Roman Catholic parishes and dioceses, and a fifth set of maps for the nine counties of Northern Ireland shows Presbyterian congregations. Since civil registration for everyone in Ireland didn't begin until 1864, A New Genealogical Atlas Of Ireland is an extremely useful reference for tracing ancestors who lived prior to 1864. An invaluable contribution to genealogical reference and resource materials.

Erin's Blood Royal
Peter Berresford Ellis
Palgrave
175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010
0312230494 $29.95 www.palgrave.com

Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties Of Ireland by Celtic scholar Peter Berresford Ellis is a stately and informative study of the Irish aristocracies that ruled Ireland until Henry VIII forced them to obey the English crown. Individual chapters relate the sagas of numerous Gaelic noble families, including O'Carroll, O'Connor, McCarthy, Maguire, O'Grady and many more. A highly recommended contribution to Irish Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections, Erin's Blood Royal is an articulate and impressive account of the family branches whose descendants live in Ireland, Great Britain, America, and many other nations throughout the world today.



The Photography Shelf

The Rose
Susan Lauzau
MetroBooks
230 Fifth Ave., Suite 700, NY, NY 10001
1586635492 $15.98 www.amazon.com

Enhanced with an informative introduction by Anne Halpin, The Rose is a superb coffee table book celebrating in prose, poetry and photography showcasing one of the most beloved blossoms of human history and imagination. Each two-page spread features a short poem or famous excerpt referring to a rose on the left, and a breathtaking full-color, full-page photograph of a type of rose on the right. A few rapturous photographs spread across two-pages. Roses of every color, shape, and size are memorably celebrated in this truly gorgeous book for flower lovers everywhere.

Time And Place In New Orleans
Richard Campanella
Pelican Publishing Company
P.O. Box 3110, Gretna, LA 70054
1565549910 $45.00 www.amazon.com

Time And Place In New Orleans: Past Geographies In The Present Day by Richard Campanella (Assistant Director of Environmental Analysis at the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities) is a trip through time, showcasing the history of New Orleans in words and color photography, and illustrating its most notable geographical and architectural landmarks. From the problematic founding of New Orleans to the mixture of cultural elements that make it so distinctive today, Time And Place In New Orleans is a truly informative and highly recommended topographical and geographical portrayal of the growth and development of an American city lying along the curved banks of the Mississippi River.



The Philosophy Shelf

Courage
Barbara Darling-Smith, editor
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
0268023581 $20.00 1-800-621-2736

Deftly edited by Barbara Darling-Smith (Assistant Professor of Religion, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts) Courage is the latest addition to the "Boston University Studies in Philosophy and Religion" series and showcases a truly impressive selection of contributions by a variety of learned and scholarly authors writing about the conceptual and emotional virtue of "courage", and those who possessed this quality in full. Ranging from true stories of bravery, to courage in classics of literature, Courage views the trait of defying fear from a multiplicity of angles and dimensions. Courage is an inherently fascinating read and a highly recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as academic and community library collections.

Solomon Maimon
Meir Buzaglo
University of Pittsburgh Press
3400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
0822941767 $32.50 1-800-666-2211

Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, And Mathematics a scholarly study of the philosophical system proposed by Solomon Maimon (1753-1800), particularly in Maimon's signature work "Versuch." Constructing parallels to understanding Maimon's philosophical system with Maimon's philosophy of mathematics, author Meir Buzaglo (Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) brings out a thorough examination of Maimon's life's work and complex ideas. Thoughtful, college-level writing on such diverse topics as substance and causality make Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism And Mathematics an intriguing treatise for Philosophical Studies supplemental reading lists, as well as for academic reference collections.

Secular Wholeness
David Cortesi
Trafford Publishing
Suite 6E, 2333 Government Street, Victoria, B.C. V8T 4P4 Canada
155369175X $21.95 www.amazon.com

David Cortesi's Secular Wholeness: A Skeptic's Path To A Richer Life is an inspirational guide to finding depth, enjoyment, and serenity in life when one cannot bring oneself to believe in the supernatural tenets of religion. From understanding the truth of existential validity, to holding to a personal ethical code, to following a practical plan to becoming happier, Secular Wholeness is a superbly written and presented treatise to improving the quality of one's secular, yet personally, philosophically, ethical, and emotionally fulfilling life.



The Civil War Shelf

35 Days To Gettysburg
Mark Nesbitt
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
0811725782 $14.95 stackpolebooks.com

35 Days To Gettysburg: The Campaign Diaries Of Two American Enemies by Civil War enthusiast Mark Nesbitt features the daily journal entries of two ordinary soldiers caught up in the American Civil War: Thomas Lewis Ware, a Confederate from rural Georgia; and Franklin Horner, a Union soldier from Pennsylvania coal land. Their various perspectives and recorded experiences (sometimes conflicting, sometimes all too parallel), lead up to one of the bloodiest battles in the entire four year conflict, are vividly recounted with meticulous notes and a comprehensive index in this truly fascinating compilation. 35 Days To Gettysburg is a superbly presented primary source offering an up-close and personal a view of America's deadliest war, and a truly welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of American Civil War studies.

A Kingdom Not Of This World
Preston D. Graham, Jr.
Mercer University Press
6316 Peake Road, Macon, Georgia 31210
0865547572 $35.00 1-800-634-2378

A Kingdom Not Of This World by Preston D. Graham, Jr. (Senior Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, New Haven, Connecticut) is a profoundly presented, persuasively argued treatise against the common tendency of current historians to perceive religion as subordinate to nationalism in the American Civil War, with theology and the Church being used largely to justify political aims of the North and the South. A Kingdom Not Of This World challenges such perceptions with meticulous research, studies of primary resources, and emphatic presentation of the power of religious beliefs held in their own right, quite distinct from the 19th Century political controversy over slavery and states' rights that threatened to destroy America. A Kingdom Not Of This World is a unique and invaluable study which adds depth and focus to Civil War Studies and Church/State Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

The Battered Stars
Howard Coffin
The Countryman Press
PO Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091
0881504874 $30.00 1-800-245-4151

A powerful historical account of Vermont's role in the Civil War, The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign by American Civil War historian and expert Howard Coffin (himself a sixth generation Vermonter with four ancestors who served with the Vermont regiments in the Overland Campaign) is founded on a wealth of primary sources and archival materials, including wartime letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts. The state of Vermont paid a toll in blood from the strife of the war, and the brutal battles are explored in detail as well as the resolve of those who stayed at home and did their best to keep the wheels turning. A welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing field of Civil War Studies, The Battered Stars is a powerful, fascinating account highly recommended for civil war buffs, as well as anyone native to Vermont who wants to immerse themselves in the gripping saga of a watershed time of civil war.

The Loyal, True, And Brave
Steven E. Woodworth, editor
Scholarly Resources, Inc.
104 Greenhill Ave. Wilmington DE 19805
0842029311 $18.95 www.scholarly.com

The Loyal, True, And Brave: America's Civil War Soldiers is a deftly assembled and truly impressive compilation of writing by Civil War soldiers and historians that brings to life the troubled times of America's bloodiest war. Ably edited by Steven Woodworth (Associate Professor of History, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas), and enhanced with careful notes to broaden understanding and a keen eye for detail, The Loyal, True, And Brave is a deeply riveting account American history and a highly recommended contribution to Civil War Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.



The Sports Shelf

Casey At The Bat
Ernest Lawrence Thayer
LeRoy Neiman, artist
Ecco Press/HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street, NY, NY 10022-5299
0060090685 $19.95 1-800-242-7737

Ernest Lawrence Thayer's classic baseball poem about the small town of Mudville and its beloved baseball hero is superbly enhanced with LeRoy Neiman's charcoal drawings in this illustrated coffee table book. This splendid edition of Casey At The Bat is enhanced with an introduction by Yankees manager Joe Torre and filled with soulful, blending of Thayer's words and Neiman's illustrations blending together to bring the spirit of this memorable and beloved poem to life. Casey At The Bat is to be treasured by all baseball buffs, and heartily recommended for school and community library collections.

Bernie Walter's Baserunning Video
Human Kinetics
Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
www.humankinetics.com
0736040382 $22.95 1-800-747-4457

Bernie Walter's Baserunning Video is a thoroughly "user friendly" video instructional guide filled with tips and advice for serious baseball players on that aspect of baseball called "baserunning". From special plays to use on first and third base to running tactics one can learn before coming to the baseball field and more, Bernie Walter's Baserunning Video is a superb and highly recommended training resource for both amateur and professional players determined to improving their edge before enjoying a good baseball game. Total Running Time: 27 minutes.

They Cleared The Lane
Ron Thomas
University of Nebraska Press
233 North 8th Street, Lincoln, NE 68588
0803244371 $29.95 1-800-755-1105

They Cleared The Lane by professional sportswriter Ron Thomas is the amazing story of the people who dared to break the color line in professional basketball. Once, racism dominated this sport in America, but the efforts of the first professional black players and coaches changed all that. Filled with anecdotes, engaging stories, and little-known facts, They Cleared The Lane is informative reading that will appeal to all basketball enthusiasts who want to learn more about the history of this beloved sport. They Cleared The Lane is also highly recommended for Black Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.



The Economics Shelf

Making Work Pay
Bruce D. Meyer & Douglas Holtz-Eakin
Russell Sage Foundation
112 East 64th St., New York, NY 10021
0871545993 $49.95 www.amazon.com

Making Work Pay: The Earned Income Tax Credit And Its Impact On America's Families, edited by Bruce D. Meyer (Professor of Economics, Northwestern University) and Douglas Holtz-Eakin (Professor of Economics, Syracuse University) offers an impressive selection of scholarly essays by a number of distinguished and knowledgeable contributors discussing the history of the earned income tax credit, how it is used, its ramifications upon society and the tax structure, and more. Highly recommended for Economic Studies academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists, Making Work Pay offers a series of thoughtful presentation of learned and analytic viewpoints, and is a solid resource for anyone seeking to learn more about the fundamental nature and repercussions of tax credit policy.

A Brief History Of Economic Genius
Paul Strathern
Texere
55 East, 52nd Street, NY, NY 10055
1587991284 $27.95 www.etexere.com

A Brief History Of Economic Genius by Paul Strathern (Lecturer in Mathematics and Philosophy, Kingston University, London) is an engaging and highly accessible look at the most eccentric and gifted economists including Johann Becher (1635-1682); John Law (1671-1729); Adam Smith (1723-1790); Robert Malthus (1766-1833); Karl Marx (1818-1883); Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929); and John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946). These notable and influential figures, along with their triumphs and failings, and the evolution of the science of economics, are all intelligibly considered in this fascinating presentation that is recommended for academia, as well as the non-specialist general reader.



The Computer Shelf

Professional Web Design
Clint Eccher
Charles River Media
20 Downer Avenue, Suite 3, Hingham, Massachusetts 02043
1584500662 $39.95 charlesriver.com

Professional Web Design: Techniques And Templates by award-winning website designer Clint Eccher (owner of A5design, a website design company commissioned by Fortune 500 companies, national non-profit organizations, and the small business community) is an expansive, accessible resource for novice web designers that has a great deal of value to offer even the experienced reader. Individual chapters include the basics for beginning website creators, how to use HTML to create a legible website with sharp and appropriate graphics, case studies, a variety of web designing "tips and tricks", fifty superb, license-free templates to get one started, and much more. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the template source files, two free software packages, and third-party software demos. Overall, Professional Web Design is recommended as a "how to" guide certain to be of use to web designers of all experience levels, from beginners creating a personal home page to professionals putting together a business-ready look for the online market.

Python Web Programming
Steve Holden
New Riders
c/o Pearson Technology Group
201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290-1097
0735710902 $49.99 www.newriders.com

Python Web Programming is a practical, 720 page introduction and guide to building networked systems in the object-oriented framework of the Python language. It shows how to leverage the powerful Python libraries to build systems with less programming effort and easier maintenance. It leaves involved discussion of the Python language by itself to other books and dives right into using Python within web enables applications.

Nortel Networks
James Knapp
Osborne/McGraw-Hill
2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
007219281X $59.99 1-800-722-4726

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, James Knapp's Nortel Networks: The Complete Reference offers users an excellent coverage that runs the gamut from local Ethernet to Layer 3 switching, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and internetworking - making it valuable for network engineers in organizations large and small. Nortel Networks contains real-life situations and the best way to derive maximum performance from real networks. The accompanying CD-ROM includes complete configuration files that can be downloaded directly to Nortel devices. 1184 pages.

C# Fast & Easy Web Development
Aneesha Bakharia
Premier Press
36 South Pennsylvania St., Suite 610, Indianapolis, IN 46204
1931841055 $29.99 1-800-428-7267

C# Fast & Easy Web Development by software specialist Aneesha Bakharia is a through, comprehensive, accessible guide to learning and applying C# to a personal or corporate website. C# basics are provided for programmers new to the language; subsequent chapters cover how to create web forms, handling exceptions, object-oriented programming, working with cookies and much more. Superbly organized for looking up specific tasks and features, learning how to employ them properly, and then applying that information through step-by-step instructions, numerous black and white screenshots, flow charts, and more, make C# Fast & Easy Web Development truly live up to its title. Strongly recommended for novice C# users, C# Fast & Easy Web Development has a great deal of value to offer even the more experienced C# user.

Adobe Photoshop Master Class
John Paul Caponigro
Adobe Press
c/o Peachpit Press
1249 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0201354993 $50.00 www.peachpit.com

Illustrated with amazing full-color works of computer art, John Paul Caponigro's Adobe Photoshop Master Class is a truly excellent and well organized guide to getting the most out of Adobe Photoshop so as to create vivid, lifelike images and breathtaking works of art. Individual chapters address color accuracy, creating realistic shadows, tessellation, perspective, and much more. An amazing guide filled with instructions for creating outstanding images, Adobe Photoshop Master Class offers a range of astounding techniques eminently suited for the novice, while also offering much of value for the experienced Photoshop user as well.

Web Database Applications
Hugh E. Williams & David Lane
O'Reilly & Associates
1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472
0596000413 $44.95 www.oreilly.com

Web Database Applications by Hugh E. Williams (Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science & IT, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia) and David Lane (Software Engineer and IT Manager, Multimedia Database Systems Group, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia) is a solid and accessible resource for web programmers who seek to create powerful, practical, and useful web database applications. Individual chapters address a brief overview of PHP and MySQL, shopping carts, security features, effective querying, and much more. Sample code, black-and-white screenshots, and straightforward instructional text make Web Database Applications a first-class reference and a highly recommended instructional guide.

TCP/IP Unleashed, Third Edition
Karanjit S. Siyan & Tim Parker
Sams Publishing
c/o Pearson Technology Group
201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290-1097
0672323516 $59.99 www.mcp.com

TCP/IP Unleashed, Third Edition, explains the features and complexities of the TCP/IP protocol suite in a comprehensive, logical format. The book is designed for easy reference and incorporates step-by-step guidelines and configuration examples to enhance the reader's learning experience. Our expert authors walk through the fundamentals of TCP/IP before moving on to more challenging topics including naming and addressing, IPv6, routing, implementation, TCP/IP applications, and TCP/IP network administration. TCP/IP Unleashed has been revised to include the latest implementation information and real-world experiences, including configuring TCP/IP for Linux and Windows 2000 systems. User Level: Intermediate - Advanced, 1000 pages.

Special Edition Using Adobe Illustrator X
Peter Bauer
Que Publishing
c/o Pearson Technology Group
201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290-1097
0789727048 $39.99 www.mcp.com

While the coverage of Illustrator is complete, Special Edition Using Adobe Illustrator X is most suited for the graphics professional who has at least some working knowledge of the software. In the course of covering Illustrator, Peter Bauer will draw special attention to new features including: Full Mac OS X coverage; new drawing capabilities: grids, lines, arcs, compound-shape enhancements, Flare tool; Enhanced Web features: symbols, slicing, dynamic data-driven graphics, enhanced Flash and SVG support; improved effects: warping and envelope distortion, Liquify tools; and increased productivity: new Magic Wand selection tool, dynamic data-driven graphics, improved interoperability with other Adobe products, asset management, scripting. Special Edition Using Illustrator X also has several appendices that serve as a quick guide to all of Illustrator's tools, palettes, and menus. User Level: Intermediate - Advanced, 784 pages.

Jin Sato's Lego Mindstorms
Jin Sato
No Starch Press
555 De Haro Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA 94107
1886411565 $24.95 www.nostarch.com

In Jin Sato's Lego Mindstorms: The Master's Technique, software researcher and Lego expert Jin Sato offers an incredible, "user friendly" guide to making wondrous creations with Lego Mindstorms. Written by the creator of the MIBO robotic dog, individual chapters include computer programming and source code to craft balanced and functional assembly designs; putting together working gears step-by-step; and explicit instructions on how to create one's own MIBO or other grand projects, and more! Jin Sato's superbly presented, deftly written, 364 pages instructional guide is an essential reference for all dedicated Lego hobbyists.

Bitter Java
Bruce A. Tate
Manning Publications
209 Bruce Park Av, Greenwich, CT 06830
193011043X $44.95 www.manning.com

Bruce Tate draws from his more than fourteen years experience at IBM and a dotcom startup (where he spent half his time as an Internet architect) to write Bitter Java, a superbly presented guide for Java users that will enable them to recognize, avoid, and otherwise deal with the common pitfalls of Java programming code. Offering effective, safe, targeted solutions to refactored coding, Bitter Java provides a systematic account of server-side Java programming mistakes, their causes, and their resolutions. Bitter Java is an excellent example of not having to reinvent the wheel or needing to make mistakes yourself before working out corrections. Thoroughly "user friendly", Bitter Java is an essential, core addition to the Java user's reference shelf collection.

The Photoshop 6 Wow Book
Linnea Dayton & Jack Davis
Peachpit Press
1249 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0201722089 $49.99 www.peachpit.com

Collaboratively written for beginning through advanced Photoshop 6 users by Photoshop software experts Linnea Dayton and Jack Davis, The Photoshop 6 Wow Book is an amazing, full-color guide demonstrating the capabilities of Photoshop 6 and the art it can produce. From the basics of using Photoshop 6 to instructions for retouching photographs to painting and using advanced features, The Photoshop 6 Wow Book is a comprehensive, "user friendly" manual filled with dazzling illustrations of what Photoshop 6 can accomplish when guided by an informed and skillful hand. Highly recommended for the Photoshop 6 novice, The Photoshop 6 Wow Book is enhanced with an accompanying CD for Windows or the Macintosh which contains over 200 tutorial files, 300 Preset Layer Styles, and dozens of custom presets.

Designing Great Web Experiences
Nathan Shedroff
Digital Habitat Survival School
100 Congress Avenue, Suite 2000, Austin, TX 78704
0970844905 $139.95 www.dhabitat.com

A part of "The Digital Habitat Survival Guide Program" series, Designing Great Web Experiences is a straightforward, "user friendly", instructional, 52 minute video, designed and presented especially for non-technical people who need to learn the basics of designing a useful website for business or personal use. Experienced website designer Nathan Shedroff shares his knowledge on how to make any commercial or personal website as practical and impressive as those of CNN, Amazon.com, Yahoo! and other top companies whose sites are meticulously reviewed. Designing Great Web Experiences is an invaluable addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library computer science and "how do" video collections.

C# Developer's Guide To ASP.NET, XML, And ADO.NET
Jeffrey P. McManus & Chris Kinsman
Addison-Wesley
75 Arlington St, #300, Boston, MA 02116
0672321556 $49.99 www.awl.com/cseng

C# Developer's Guide To ASP.NET, XML, And ADO.NET by Microsoft tool developer Jeffrey P. McManus and Chris Kinsman (Vice President of Technology at DevX.com) is a comprehensive, accessible resource for computer programmers. Individual chapters include basics for programming HTML controls, debugging applications that use ASP.NET, web service class references, security, step-by-step instructions for using XML, and much more. Packed with lines of sample code, advice on avoiding common pitfalls, straightforward tutorials for crafting specific applications and much more, C# Developer's Guide to ASP.NET, XML, and ADO.NET is a superbly written, highly recommended professional reference which is ideal for the novice and certain to contain a number of useful tips for even the more experienced Web designer.



The Architecture Shelf

Build Your Own Low-Cost Timber And Beam House
William Stephens
Authors Book Nook
Box 513, Brentwood, TN 37024-0513
0970107625 $16.95 www.amazon.com

Build Your Own Low-cost Timber And Beam House by wooden timber and beam construction expert William Stephens is a practical, step-by-step, "user friendly", do-it-yourself guide to constructing a sturdy shelter for practical use. From selecting the right materials, to basic carpentry and assemblage instructions, Build Your Own Low-Cost Timber And Beam House is an economical, practical, and straightforward, self-help guide to creating one's own shelter. Indeed, William Stephens' own hand-built house only cost him an estimated a capital investment of $22,000. Highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating constructing their own timber or beam based dwelling, the text for Build Your Own Low-Cost Timber And Beam House is enhanced with black/withe photography and line drawn illustrations.

Contractor's Plain-English Legal Guide
Quenda Behler Story
Craftsman Book Company
P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018
1572181060 $49.50 www.amazon.com

Contractor's Plain-English Legal Guide by construction law attorney Quenda Story is a no-nonsense, "user friendly" guidebook to dealing with tangled legal issues that are so much a part of the conflict-laden, litigation prone business world of construction. From the basic requirements of a contract to dealing with the IRS to warranties and choosing a lawyer, Contractor's Plain-English Legal Guide explains the details in terminology lay readers can readily understand. A highly recommended and practical reference for prime contractors and subcontractors, Contractor's Plain-English Legal Guide is also invaluable for anyone else involved with, or considering a career in, the business and contractual end of the construction industry.



The Parenting Shelf

What Parents Need To Know About Sibling Abuse
Vernon R. Wiehe, Ph.D.
Bonneville Books
c/o Cedar Fort, Inc.
925 N. Main St., Springville, UT 84663
1555175864 $12.95 www.cedarfort.com

What Parents Need To Know About Sibling Abuse by Professor Vernon R. Wiehe (College of Social Work, University of Kentucky) offers a solid, practical approach to dealing with sibling conflict and violence, brought to life with quotes directly from survivors of sibling abuse, written especially for parents and lay readers who have to confront the ugly dilemma of abuse among siblings, from slapping, punching, and name-calling to severe bodily harm and/or sexual abuse. Presenting clear, simple ways to better understand what abuse is, and how to distinguish it from age-appropriate behavior, as well as how to intervene and deal with difficult situations, What Parents Need To Know About Sibling Abuse is highly recommended for all parents with more than one child.

Your Baby's Ultrasound For The Sex & Beyond
Nikki Nazeri, B.S., R.D.M.S., R.D.C.S.
Propublishers
466 Foothill Blvd. #197B, LCF CA 91011
0971382700 $11.95 1-800-431-1579

Your Baby's Ultrasound For The Sex & Beyond by obstetric sonographer Nikki Nazeri is a unique book written exclusively for parents-to-be on the specialized subject of gender determination through the medical technique of ultrasound examination. Direct language and black-and-white photographs present a straightforward and candid understanding of what can and can't be learned from an ultrasound during pregnancy. Filled with advice and answers to common questions, Your Baby's Ultrasound For The Sex & Beyond is the ideal instructional reference for expectant parents before their first ultrasound appointment.

Growing Up Feeling Good
Ellen Rosenberg
Lima Bean Press
630 Shore Road, Suite 505, Long Beach, New York 11561
0971134901 $18.00 1-800-972-9480

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Growing Up Feeling Good: The Life Handbook For Kids by educator and human sexuality expert Ellen Rosenberg is a comprehensive resource written specifically for preteen and teenaged young adults. Individual chapters address such problematic issues affecting preteen and adolescent sexual development as peer pressure, adjusting to the biological changes of puberty, the thorny issues of sex, dealing with separation, divorce, step-families, and a great deal more. Growing Up Feeling Good is a very solid and highly recommended guide for both parents and children.



The Library Video Shelf

Touch Me
Iron Home Entertainment
411 Video Information (publicity)
660 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 1950, Los Angeles, CA 90017
20033 $49.98 VHS, 1-213-244-1441

Iron Home Entertainment's VHS video Touch Me is a poignant, original movie of a Los Angeles woman whose life is turned upside down when she learns her former lover is dying of AIDS. When she herself tests positive for HIV, she must confront prejudice, ignorance, and the challenge of continuing her life to the fullest in this profound moving, powerfully insightful, highly recommended story. Touch Me is also available in a DVD ($24.98). Running Time: 107 min.

Holiday Inn
Universal Studios Home Video
10 Universal City Plaza, Suite 700, Universal City, CA 91608
55039 $9.98 www.amazon.com

Holiday Inn is the video presentation of the classic movie featuring the music of Irving Berlin, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, that first performed the all-time favorite song "White Christmas." An enjoyable comedy about two talented men who find themselves in hot competition for a woman's favor, Holiday Inn is both wonderfully nostalgic and brightly entertaining in its own right for contemporary viewers, having stood the test of time and come through as appealing as ever. With a running time of 1 hour, 41 minutes, Holiday Inn is a core recommendation for community library video collections and a "must" for fans of Irving Berlin, Bing Crosby, and Fred Astaire.

Yoga Basics
Yellow Cukoobird Productions
Tree of Fitness
411 Video Information (publicity)
10 N. Martingale Rd., Suite 400, Schamburg, IL 60173
$19.95 1-847-985-9642 treeoffitness.com

The first volume of the Yellow Cuckoobird Productions "Yoga in Nature" series, and hosted by instructor Evamarie Pilipuf, Yoga Basics: Beginner/Intermediate Level is a straighforward, strongly recommended video guide and daily workout in the art of Yoga for physical fitness, flexibility, and just plain fun. Divided into a workout section (60 minutes) and a section devoted to tips and information about yoga (26 minutes), Yoga Basics has everything from proper breathing and major emphasis on safety to testing one's body and enjoying the physical and spiritual relaxation that a good Yoga workout can bring. Total Running Time: 86 minutes.

The Art Of Exotic Dancing For Everyday Women
Goldhil Home Media
411 Video Information (publicity)
137 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 2nd floor, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
#PHF0201V $19.95 1-866-447-7655

The Art Of Exotic Dancing For Everyday Women is a superbly presented, 47 minute, full color, instructional video made for ordinary women to better understand, appreciate, and enjoy the pleasure of sensual dancing techniques. Hip rolls, floorwork, saucy striptease and projecting confidence in one's walk, eye contact, and demeanor are all covered in this powerfully charged, highly recommended video guide to the art and craft of exotic dancing.

Reflexology And The Living, Loving Woman
Natural Journeys
c/o Goldhil Home Media
411 Video Information (publicity)
137 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 2nd floor, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
GH595 $24.95 naturaljourneys.com

Reflexology And The Living, Loving Woman is a full color video presentation of the latest reflexology techniques from the well-known author and reflexologist Ann Gillanders. A guided tour of using pressure points, called reflexes, in the feet to creating new energy throughout the body, Reflexology And The Living, Loving Woman also pays attention to the importance of diet, psychology, physical fitness, and other factors in improving one's lifestyle and relieving both stress and pain. Reflexology And The Living, Loving Woman is a superbly presented and thoroughly "user friendly" instructional video for specifically designed for viewers wanting to learn more about reflexology and its benefits. Total Running Time: 90 minutes.

Russ Heini's Alaska & the Inside Passage
Associated Aerial Adventures
c/o Goldhil Home Media
411 Video Information (publicity)
137 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 2nd floor, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
1894664043 $24.95 1-800-250-8760

Russ Heini's Alaska & The Inside Passage is a spectacularly glorious, full color, aerial tour of the natural beauty of Canadian and Alaskan lands, from bearing witness to humpback and killer whales to incredible formations of ice and mysterious mist-shrouded fjords. Narrated with fascinating tidbits of history, and brought to life with a moving musical score, Russ Heini's Alaska & The Inside Passage is enthusiastically recommended viewing for the armchair traveler, as well as anyone wanting to experience a visual tour-de-force of Alaskan splendor. Total Running Time: 45 minutes.

Tragedy In The Holy Land
Dennis Mueler, producer
MPI Media Group
16101 South 108th Avenue, Orland Park, IL 60462
MP8103 $14.98 1-800-777-2223

Produced by Dennis Mueler and edited by Dmitry Khroustalev, Tragedy In The Holy Land: The Second Uprising is a 71 minute documentary video that surveys contemporary Middle East history and the roots of conflict in the land of Palestine. It presents this history from the viewpoint of the Palestinians, and candidly reveals the daily life and origins of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle that continues to this day. Enhanced with archival footage, interviews with experts and scholars, and a thoughtful rendition of the historical events that led up to present-day strife, Tragedy In The Holy Land is strongly recommended for school and community library video collections as a profound, sobering, and informative viewing experience.



The Native American Studies Shelf

Light On The Indian World
Michael O. Fitzgerald, editor
World Wisdom
Box 2682, Bloomington, IN 47402-2682
0941532305 $17.95 worldwisdom.com

Light On The Indian World: The Essential Writings Of Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) is a collection of the writings of Charles Eastman, who was born in 1858 and raised in the traditional nomadic life of the Sioux Native Americans prior to the era of reservations. Critical selections from "The Soul of the Indian," "The Indian Today," "Indian Boyhood," and "From the Deep Woods to Civilization" bring out key insights in Charles Eastman's work that transcend time and generations. Light On The Indian World is a fascinating, engaging, informative and memorable addition to personal, academic, and community library Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

A Forest Of Time
Peter Nabokov
Cambridge University Press
40 West 20th Street, NY, NY 10011-4211
0521568749 $20.00 1-800-872-7423

A Forest Of Time: American Indian Ways Of History by Peter Nabokov (Professor of American Indian Studies and World Arts/Cultures, University of California, Los Angeles) is a college level study of how Native Americans have interpreted and transmitted their own histories in creation stories, folktales, oral histories, and tradition. Individual chapters address a range of subjects from the dynamics of myth versus history, to the value of rituals, and Native American prophecies for the future embedded within tribal culture. A fascinating, engaging dialogue and sourcebook that contributes a unique multicultural perspective on the origin of America and its native peoples, A Forest Of Time is strongly recommended for personal and academic Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

"I Will Be Meat For My Salish"
Bon I. Whealdon & contributors
Robert Bigart, editor
Salish Kootenai College Press
c/o Montana Historical Society Press
Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201
0917298845 $18.95 1-800-243-9900

Deftly edited by Robert Bigart, "I Will Be Meat For My Salish": The Montana Writers Project And The Buffalo Of The Flathead Indian Reservation is the compiled saga of the relationship of the Native American Salish people to the buffalo, including their dependence on it for survival in prehistory and their role in preserving the species today. Individual chapters include buffalo-related legends and history, the management of buffalo herds on the Flathead reservation today, Salish biographies, and much more. An amazing insight into the interrelationship of human beings and nature, "I Will Be Meat For My Salish" is a strongly recommended addition to Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

Stone Chisel And Yucca Brush
Ekkehart Malotki & Donald E. Weaver
Kiva Publishing
21731 E. Buckskin Dr, Walnut, CA 91789
1885772270 $55.00 www.amazon.com

Stone Chisel And Yucca Brush: Colorado Plateau Rock Art collaboratively developed by Ekkehart Malotki (Professor of Languages, Northern Arizona University) and archaeologist Donald E. Weaver, Jr. is a stunningly impressive coffee table book which is filled from cover to cover with gorgeous color photography of ancient Native American rock art, as well as a detailed, "reader friendly" text explaining the most recent discoveries, theories, and speculations about these fascinating rock art creations in the American Southwest, and what they represented to the Native American peoples and cultures who made them. Stone Chisel And Yucca Brush is strongly recommended for Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

The Transformation Of The Southeastern Indians 1540-1760
Robbie Ethridge and Charles Hudson, eds.
University Press of Mississippi
3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6492
1578063515 $50.00 1-800-737-7788

The Transformation Of The Southeastern Indians 1540-1760 edited by Robbie Ethridge (Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Southern Studies, University of Mississippi) and Charles Hudson (Franklin Professor of Anthropology and History, University of Georgia) is an impressive and wide-ranging selection of contemporary essays presenting and showcasing the latest discoveries and interpretations of how the Native Americans of the Southeast once lived, and their interactions with settlers prior to the establishment of The United States of America. A scholarly, seminal text featuring work by a diverse collection of learned authors, The Transformation Of The Southeastern Indians 1540-1760 is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to Native American Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.



The Gaming Shelf

Can You Be A Tactical Chess Genius?
James Plaskett
Everyman Press
P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437-0480
1857442598 $19.99 everymanbooks.com

The latest in the "Everyman Chess Puzzles" series, Can You Be A Tactical Chess Genius? by chess expert James Plaskett is an engaging book of chess puzzles written to twist the minds and imaginations of even the most experienced chess wizards. Here is a compelling quiz book that stretches tactical ability to earn points and gain a final score to compare against that of family and friends. There is even an "ask a grandmaster" option, but using it will cost points! A most enjoyable book for avid chess buffs, Can You Be A Tactical Chess Genius? would make a wonderful addition to any chess enthusiast's collection.



The Self-Help Shelf

7 Days To Confidence
Ros Taylor
Laurel Glen Publishing
c/o Advantage Publishers Group
5880 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121
1571457763 $16.95 1-800-788-3123

7 Days To Confidence: Practical Strategies To Transform Your Life by business psychologist and management consultant Ros Taylor (with the assistance of psychiatrist Sandra Scott and management and communications trainer Roy Leighton) is a very practical, simple, step-by-step, self-improvement regimen that anyone can follow to improve their emotional resilience. Readers will learn how to make a good first impression, appear confident (even when nervous), create an impact at work or at a social event, improve their body language, effectively deal with difficult people, and more. Each day of the week incorporates a step to better understanding, accepting, and believing oneself in this purposeful, practical, solidly motivational, "user friendly", and very highly recommended guide to personal self-improvement.

Honest To God
Neale Donald Walsch & Brad Blanton
Sparrowhawk Publications
Hampton Roads Publishing, dist.
646 Shuler Lane, Stanley, VA 22851
0970693818 $20.00 1-800-766-8009

Accessibly co-written by Neale Donald Walsch and Brad Blanton, the respective authors of the "Conversations with God" series and the "Radical Honesty" series, Honest To God: A Change Of Heart That Can Change The World is a remarkably insightful book about transforming oneself by accepting honesty and learning to care about more than just oneself or a close inner circle of friends and family. Frank, straightforward discourse reveals the deception that most people embrace and shows a way out to a clearer, more enlightened, and more compassionate strain of thought. A powerful, moving book about self-improvement and the quest to reduce human suffering in the world, Honest To God is highly recommended reading for self-help, self-improvement reading lists and reference collections.


60 Second Anger Management
Dr. Michael Hershorn
New Horizon Press
P.O. Box 669, Far Hills, NJ 07931
www.newhorizonpressbooks.com
0882822209 $14.95 www.amazon.com

The latest in the 60 Second series, 60 Second Anger Management: Quick Tips To Handle Explosive Feelings by psychologist and anger management expert Michael Hershorn is a solid self-help guide written for the non-specialist general reader. Individual chapters discuss the nature of anger, how to manage it, dysfunctional communication behaviors to avoid, exercises such as careful paraphrasing, and the author's own experience as a counselor particularly for couples. Featuring sample logs and lines sections for practicing the exercises it gives, 60 Second Anger Management is a first-rate, self-help book for better managing one's emotions and improving communication skills.



The Education Shelf

How To Teach The Novel & Meet The Challenge Of High School English
Barbara Rendelstein & Les Rendelstein
Teaching Adventure Publications
Box 121-22, Matawan, N.J. 07747
0971433097 $59.00 1-866-441-1610

In How to Teach the Novel & Meet the Challenge Of High School English, English teacher Barbara Rendelstein and instructional designer/media producer Les Rendelstein successfully collaborate to present an extensive educational aid and curriculum plan offering simple, informative lessons for teaching writing, drama, and group skills to high school students. The pages of How To Teach The Novel are loose-leaf papers in a sturdy three-ring binder, and as such can be easily removed or rearranged to suit the teacher's needs. Classroom management techniques, sample approaches, and important core rules for fostering a solid learning environment distinguish this highly practical guide. Tips such as "Make eye contact with ill-mannered students or groups. Continue staring until you've gotten their attention" distinguish the approach taken in How To Teach The Novel as a straightforward, no-nonsense, highly recommended resource for junior and senior high school teachers at all experience levels and in a public or private school settings.

Creative Home Schooling For Gifted Children
Lisa Rivero
Great Potential Press
P.O. Box 5057, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
0910707480 $26.00 giftedbooks.com

Creative Home Schooling For Gifted Children by experienced and expert homeschooler Lisa Rivero is a solid, accessible, "user friendly" guide packed with advice, information, ideas, and insights on homeschooling especially gifted children. From designing an effective and educational homeschooling curriculum, to administering tests to preparing for college, Creative Home Schooling For Gifted Children is a well-rounded resource and highly recommended for parents of intellectually gifted children of any age and who are striving to keep those children academically engaged, challenged, and achieving.

Teaching To The Brain's Natural Learning Systems
Barbara K. Given
ASCD
1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
0871205696 $23.95 www.ascd.org

Teaching To The Brain's Natural Learning Systems by Barbara K. Given (Director of the Adolescent Learning Research Center, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Studies, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia) offers the reader a remarkable and informative look at brain structures and functions, and how they apply to performing effectively in an educational environment. Emotional, Social, Cognitive, Physical, Reflective Learning Systems and more are all covered in this thoughtful and eye-opening work about how educators can better teach children to think for themselves.

Classrooms That Work
Patricia Cunningham & Richard Allington
Pearson Education
201 West 103rd St, Indianapolis IN 46290
0205355412 $25.00 .ablongman.com

Now in a revised and updated third edition, Classrooms That Work by Patricia M. Cunningham (Professor of Education, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina) and Richard L. Allington (Irvin and Rose Fien Professor of Education, University of Florida) is a solid, practical no-nonsense guide to creating a positive educational environment in both public and private schools, with emphasis on teaching literacy in first through sixth grades. The authors offer useful strategies and techniques for helping children learn including cross-checking, means of accurately assessing reading skill, multilevel guided reading, and much more. Classrooms That Work is a superb resource for teachers and concerned parents seeking to improve the quality and learning atmosphere of the formal and informal classroom setting.

Dealing With Difficult Parents
Todd Whitaker & Douglas J. Fiore
Eye on Education
6 Depot Way West, Larchmont NY 10538
1930556098 $29.95 eyeoneducation.com

Dealing With Difficult Parents (And With Parents in Difficult Situations) by Todd Whitaker (Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana) and Douglas J. Fiore (Assistant Dean of the College of Education, State University of West Georgia) is a straightforward guide written especially for teachers, principals, and others who share a mandate to educate young minds. Individual chapters capably address how to deal with parents that prove difficult in any number of ways including abrasive personalities, hard to reach, excessive anger, and a host of other ill traits and situations. Dealing With Difficult Parents is a solidly recommended emotional and verbal self-defense manual for fostering the best possible learning environment.



The Library CD Music Shelf

Talkatif
Antibalas
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
5340 Old State road, 37 South, Bloomington, IN 47401
ZENCD66 $15.98 www.amazon.com

Highly recommended listening, Talkatif showcases the Antibalas unique "Afrobeat" is a superbly recorded performance where the totally engaging rhythm section provides a steady and unique platform upon which soloists can appear and mesmerize the attention of the listener. The compositions given an outstanding technical performance include Gabe's New Joint; Hypocrite; World Without Fear; War Is A Crime; NYASH; N.E.S.T.A. 75; and the title piece, Talkatif.

In The Arms Of Love
Ottmar Liebert
The Higher Octave Music Group
23852 Pacific Coast Highway, #2C, Malibu, CA 90265
72438-12559-2-6V $17.98 .amazon.com

There is a simple but exceedingly accurate phrase to describe Ottmar Liebert's In The Arms Of Love: Lullabies 4 Children + Adults -- "hauntingly beautiful". Liebert's performance and artistic vision showcase thirteen original compositions of classical guitar in celebration of the complex simplicity of the lullaby. The compositions comprising In The Arms Of Love: Lullabies 4 Children + Adults include Sea of Tranquility (6:40); When I Close My Eyes (3:16); Dreaming on the Starlight Train (5:26); Ode 2 the Morning Star (6:32); Twilight Rain (5:43); Duerencia (2:13); A Secret Garden (4:15); Caminar Solo: Walking Alone (4:04); Quiet Dawn (3:48); Soft Blue Spiral: The Lull of Falling Waters (4:10); The Music Box: Dreaming Next 2 U (6:32); Waves of Sound (7:06); and the title piece, In The Arms of Love (6:48). Total Running Time: (66:33)

Cowboy Classics: Playing Favorites II
Michael Martin Murphey
Real West Producations
c/o Paras Recordings
826 South Victory Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502
RFP 6006 $17.98 pararecordings.com

Cowboy Classics: Playing Favorites II presents 13 nineteenth century western songs that are true and enduring testaments to the American West. Michael Martin Murphey is a superb performer who does full justice to each and ever one of these songs. Cowboy Classics: Playing Favorites II includes I Ride An Old Paint (3:34); Whoopie Ti-Ti-Yo (2:22); The Old Chisolm Trail (4:36); Strawberry Roan (4:11); Red River Valley (5:35); Little Joe The Wrangler (4:05); The Colorado Trail (3:37); Tying Knots In The Devil's Tail (3:05); When The Work's All Done This Fall (4:11); The Yellow Rose Of Texas (2:47); Utah Carroll (3:40); The Streets Of Laredo (6:55); and I Ride An Old Paint Reprise (1:46).

Get a life! Read a book!


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


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