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Volume 16, Number 10 October 2006 Home | IBW Index

Table of Contents

Reviewer's Choice Money/Finance Shelf Religion/Spirituality Shelf
International Studies Shelf Health/Medicine Shelf Gaming Shelf
Architecture Shelf Art Shelf World History Shelf
Pets/Wildlife Shelf Mystery/Suspense Shelf Native American Shelf
Humor Shelf Education Shelf Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf
Language Studies Shelf Metaphysical Studies Shelf American History Shelf
Sports Shelf Parenting Shelf Woodworking Shelf
Library Science Shelf Archaeology Shelf Economics Shelf
Psychology Shelf Cookbook Shelf Fiction Shelf
Fantasy/SciFi Shelf Islamic Stuides Shelf Literary Shelf
Library CD Music Shelf Antiques/Collectibles Shelf Computer Shelf
Library DVD Shelf Audiobook Shelf Biography Shelf
Business Shelf Martial Arts Shelf Needlecraft Shelf
Gardening Shelf Christian Studies Shelf Writing/Publishing Shelf


Reviewer's Choice

Sailor on Snowshoes
Dick North
Harbour Publishing
PO Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, Canada, V0N 2H0
1550173847 $19.95 www.harbourpublishing.com www.amazon.com

2006 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Jack London's White Fang, but few may realize many of his masterpieces about the gold rush stemmed from a pioneer who envisioned making his own fortune in the Klondike in 1897. SAILOR ON SNOWSHOES: TRACKING JACK LONDON'S NORTHERN TRAIL is indispensable for any who would understand London's world: it surveys his gold rush experiences, his search for riches, and also chronicles a search for the Yukon bush cabin where London lived. Northern historian and journalist Dick North retraces London's footsteps and adds plenty of historical background and literary reference to bring his times to life.

Bridges Of Pittsburgh
Bob Regan
The Local History Company
112 N Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh PA 15232
0977042928 $22.95 www.thelocalhistorycompany.com www.amazon.com

Pittsburgh possesses more bridges than even the legendary city of Venice, Italy - 446 bridges total. The Bridges Of Pittsburgh by Bob Regan (A University of Pittsburgh visiting professor and geographic systems expert) is a categorical listing of each of these bridges, written in accessible terms for the intrigued lay reader and the research professional alike. Black-and-white contemporary and historical photographs on nearly every page, along with extensive tables and vignettes of each bridge's history. From railroad, driving, and pedestrian bridges to recommended driving and walking tours, to a quick-reference "Big List" all bridges within the city, Bridges of Pittsburgh is the definitive survey of its chosen topic.

Riding, Roping, And Roses
Judy Buffington Sammons
Western Reflections Publishing
219 Main Street, Montrose, CO 81401
1932738290 $12.95 www.westernreflecetions.com 1-800-993-4490

Judy Buffington Sammons grew up on a ranch in the Ohio Creek Valley country of Gunnison, Colorado where her father and grandfather raised registered Hereford cattle. So Judy writes with a particular expertise in "Riding, Roping, And Roses: Colorado's Women Ranchers" of what Colorado women ranchers have been able to accomplish in a country and a business that was and continues to be dominated by men. Spanning the late 1870s down to the present day, "Riding, Roping, And Roses" features the examples of women drawn from many parts of Colorado. Some of the are obscure while others are well known. What all these women have in common is the success they made of ranching against all odds and expectations -- including their own. "Riding, Roping, And Roses" is strongly recommended to the attention of non-specialist general readers, as well as a unique and welcome addition to academic and community library Women's Studies, Western American History, and Colorado History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends
Candice Gaukel Andrews
Trails Books
923 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703
1931599718 $18.95 www.trailsbooks.com 1-800-236-8088

"Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends" by nature and travel writer Candice Andrews wonderfully showcases what the Badger State has to offer during the winter months. This superbly presented guide to Wisconsin's winter sports and recreational activities range from skiing to dog sledding, from skating to snowmobiling, from community festivals to ice-fishing. Replete with listings for attractions, restaurants, lodging, special events and walking tours, "Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends" covers the whole of Wisconsin from Appleton to Wausau and is ideal reference for the tourist and the native-born alike, who are seeking something interesting to do on a day trip, a weekend, or a holiday vacation. No Wisconsin community library should be without at least one copy of "Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends" for their community patrons to peruse.

A History Of The 4th Wisconsin Infantry And Cavalry In The Civil War
Michael J. Martin
Savas Beatie
521 Fifth Ave, Suite 3400, NY, NY 10175
Casemate, distributor
2114 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083
1932714189 $34.95 www.casematepublishing.com 1-610-853-9131

Eight years in the making, A History Of The 4th Wisconsin Infantry And Cavalry In The Civil War is an exhaustively researched, highly readable chronicle drawing upon numerous previously unused soldier and civilian diaries, letters, reports, contemporary newspapers, and reminiscences. Dozens of previously unpublished soldier photos, a complete regimental roster, and an index enhance this minutely detailed chronicle. A History Of The 4th Wisconsin Infantry And Cavalry In The Civil War focuses on individuals and the points of view of the men who laid their lives on the line as surely as the overall flow of history. Highly recommended.


The Money/Finance Shelf

Instructions to Money
Daniel W. Merrick, Ph.D.
Outskirts Press
10940 South Parker Road, #515, Parker, CO
1598004700 $12.95 www.outskirtspress.com

Instructions to Money: From Welfare To Millionaire by Daniel W. Merrick, Ph.D., a veteran who realized that military benefits and social security were insufficent to feed his family, resolved to earn more money, and became a millionaire. He offers a highly practical plan for duplicating his success, available to anyone with a willingness to work hard, learn, and grow a business from an investment of other people's money. Chapters give broad general advice, such as the importance of never putting money ahead of one's loved ones, and specifics such as the importance of getting a second legal opinion on trusts and similar setups (one unfortunate man didn't realize that his lawyer had the final disposition of his money until it was too late and his family had no legal recourse to get it back), and above all, the importance of not giving in to poverty mentality or the lure of remaining dependent on the welfare system. The author was unable to undertake difficult physical work when he became a millionaire; he did not let his physical limitations stop him, and with the advice from Instructions to Money, anyone can follow in his footsteps.


The Religion/Spirituality Shelf

Chinese Religions
In Contemporary Societies
James Miller
ABC-CLIO
PO Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911
1851096264 $85.00 www.abc-clio.com

For over a half a century China's leaders repressed religion in Communist China, yet local religions continued to blossom and CHINESE RELIGIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETIES charts this history by exploring not only religious practices, but how they evolved and translated to Western practices. Chapters focus on Chinese religious traditions form Confucianism to Falun gong, reviewing the social, religious and political influences which changed them. James Miller is an assistant professor of religious studies at Qwueen's University in Canada: his survey will be an important reference for a range of disciplines, from religious studies to Chinese history and sociology courses.

Greenwood Press
PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007
www.greenwood.com

Greenwood's college-level religious studies references are highly recommended picks for any college-level institution: each offers solid research, source material references, and social insights. Anthony B. Pinn's THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE , 0313325855, $55.00) provides snapshots of 11 religious traditions close to the Afro-American experience in the US, from Buddhism to Voodoo. Each chapter opens with a historical introduction, moving to discussions of the Afro-American religious experience, a timeline of notable events, and details on different religious practices. Sidebars of information and source material bibliographies make for fine reference. Joseph A. Varacalli's THE CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA (0313325839, $55.00) considers the many facets of life as a Catholic in modern America. From different faces of Catholicism within the American church to issues of race and gender, chapters provide historical and social background, THE CATHOLIC EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA provides thorough coverage of events which have affected the church and its religious foundations. For a comprehensive overview which reaches into general-interest and public library collections, INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD'S MAJOR RELIGIONS (0313336342, $325.00/3 volumes) is a 'must': it packs in six volumes by different authors: each of which provides an introduction, timeline of events, history and religious foundation analysis, and provides details on branches, major tenets, and rituals. Emily Taitz's JUDAISM, Randall Nadeau's CONFUCIANISM AND TAOISM, John M. Thompson's BUDDHISM, Lee W. Bailey's CHRISTIANITY, Zayn R. Kassam's ISLAM and Steven J. Rosen's HINDUISM are references any library holding should consider central to a strong collection, even one which is only providing an overview. The books cover all major events, issues, and religious practices under each heading and pack in source material references suitable for further, in-depth research; yet retain an accessibility which lends to general reading browsing. As a set, it competes well with other multivolume coverages, blending scholarly with general-interest approaches.

Ethical Dimensions Of The Prophets
Joseph Jensen, O.S.B.
Liturgical Press
PO Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500
0814659837 24.95 www.litpress.com 320-363-2227

Ethical Dimensions Of The Prophets by Joseph Jensen, O.S.B., an experienced teacher of Scripture, is a thoughtful discussion of the teachings of the prophets, written for intermediate to advanced Biblical scholars. Ethical Dimensions Of The Prophets especially notes the strength and fervency of the prophets' messages of social equality, the importance of justice, and the evils of tyranny. A serious-minded discussion that reviews the prophets both in terms of their era and in terms of how their message in ethics and morals speaks to modern times.

The Dead Sea Scrolls
Eileen M. Schuller
Westminster/John Knox Press
100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202-1396
0664231128 $17.95 www.wjkbooks.com 1-800-227-2872

Written by Eileen M. Schuller, professor of Religious Studies at McMaster University and one of the leaders in translating, editing, and publishing the Dead Sea Scrolls over the past twenty-five years, The Dead Sea Scrolls: What Have We Learned? is a solid overview of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient texts from the religious Essene sect of two thousand years ago discovered in the mid-twentieth century. In addition, The Dead Sea Scrolls addresses how the Scrolls have influenced modern religious scholars, broadened understanding of early Jewish faith, and what they say about worship practices and the role of women in early Judaism. Written in candid terms accessible to lay readers and religious scholars alike, The Dead Sea Scrolls is a concise and ideal exposition of what decades of research have discovered from ancient texts.

Israel And The Nations
James Chukwuma Okoye
Orbis Books
P.O. Box 302 Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302
1570756546 $28.00 1-800-258-5838

Israel And The Nations: A Mission Theology Of The Old Testament by James Chukwuma Okoye (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Catholic Theological Union) is a scholarly work that scrutinizes the Old Testament of the Holy Bible and debates the themes of mission and the universality of salvation. Chapters discuss Genesis 1 as a blueprint for mission, interpretations and context of the book of Jonah, the role of Israel as a light to nations, and much more. Biblical quotes are scrutinized in the utmost detail, in this serious-minded analysis written especially for advanced religious scholars.

The Da Vinci Code And The Secrets Of The Temple
Robin Griffith Jones
Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
255 Jefferson Avenue S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
0802840388 $10.00 www.eerdmans.com 1-800-253-7521

The Da Vinci Code And The Secrets Of The Temple by biblical scholar and Knights Templar expert Robin Griffith Jones (Master Of Temple Church In London, England) is a guide to the popular novel and movie "The Da Vinci Code", and the debate about how much history and accuracy exists in the story that purports Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene had a child. Literate, yet accessible to the lay reader, The Da Vinci Code And The Secrets Of The Temple explains biblical text, the novel's characters' quest, and what modern biblical archaeology and schools of thought have to say. An open discussion especially recommended to fans of The Da Vinci Code.

The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita
Paramhansa Yogananda & Swami Kriyananda
Crystal Clarity Publishers
14618 Tyler Foote Road, Nevada City, CA 95959
1565892194 $24.95 www.crystalclarity.com 1-800-424-1055

The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita by Paramhansa Yogananda (The first Indian Yoga Master to establish his life work in the west) as remembered by his Disciple Swani Kriyananda (founder of Ananda Sangha) is an exhaustive explanation of the Bhagavad Gita, sacred text to Hindus worldwide, in terms accessible to lay readers and religious scholars alike. Introductory chapters walk the reader through the origin and allegory of the Bhagavad Gita, but the bulk of The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita takes the sacred text passage by passage and explicates at length the literal, spiritual, allegorical, cultural and other implications. Written with particular care and clarification for readers who may be personally unfamiliar with ancient Indian history, Hindu belief tenets, and similar matters, The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita is enthusiastically recommended for public and college library shelves, as well as the personal shelves of any reader curious about what Hindu holy men have to say about this classic sacred text.


The International Studies Shelf

Peace Operations Seen From Below
Beatrice Pouligny
Kumarian Press Inc.
1294 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, CN 06002
1565492242 $24.95 www.kpbooks.com 1-860-243-2098

Peace Operations Seen From Below: UN Missions And Local People by Beatrice Pouligny (A Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for International Studies and Research) examines United Natioins peace operations in societies torn apart by political and ethnic conflict in a different light from most studies. Instead of examining reconstruction and peacekeeping from the view of political elites or in terms of the demobilization of armed groups, Peace Operations Seen From Below forcefully puts for the claim that the essence of rebuilding lies in the societies that emerge from the war, and the daily "ordinary" lives of both civilian populations and the staff of UN missions. A wealth of research and numerous case studies illustrate this examination of the common people caught up in the midst of strife, and their role in brining armed clashes to a close.


The Health/Medicine Shelf

The Short Child
Paul Kaplowitz MD, Ph D. & Jeffrey Baron MD
Warner Books
1271 Avenue Of The Americas, New York, NY 10020
0446696528 $14.95 www.twbookmark.com 1-800-759-0190

The Short Child: A Parents' Guide To The Causes, Consequences, And Treatment Of Growth Problems by Paul Kaplowitz MD, Ph D (Chief Of Endocrinology, Children's National Medical Center). & Jeffrey Baron MD (Pediatric Endocrinologist) is a straightforward guide written especially for parents, guardians, and lay readers about growth problems in children as a medical issue and the options for treating it. Chapters discuss how genetics, nutrition, and hormones affect growth; the physical and psychological impact of short stature; controversy over the use of growth hormones; and the pros and cons of various available treatments as well as how specialists determine whether treatment is a preferred option. Detailed and offering examples as well as charts and graphs to clarify its principles, The Short Child is highly readable and a "must-have" for any parent wrestling with what, if anything, to do for a child who may or may not be too small.

10 Simple Solutions To Adult ADD
Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph. D.
New Harbinger Publications
5674 Shattuck Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609
1572244348 $12.95 www.newharbinger.com

10 Simple Solutions To Adult ADD: How To Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, Ph. D. (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Florida) is a solid self-help guide to developing lifestyle patterns to offset the disadvantages for attention-deficit disorder in adults. The techniques to improve concentration and memory, manage money and time better, and raise self-confidence, while especially invaluable to adults with ADD, are also quite useful for lay readers of all backgrounds. From the "Five Box" method for sorting one's possessions (fix it, give it away, keep it, don't know, and garbage) to the value of using alarms in wristwatches to keep track of time (especially while on the computer) to using a seven-day pill container to ensure one takes the correct dosage of one's medication over the course of a week, the advice in 10 Simple Solutions To Adult ADD is invaluable. Additional tips for diplomatically disclosing that one has ADD, picking up nonverbal cues in social situations and much more round out this no-nonsense, practical guide.

Your Body Speaks Your Mind
Deb Shapiro
Sounds True Inc.
413 South Arthur Avenue, Louisville, CO 80027
1591794188 $19.95 www.soundstrue.com 1-303-665-3151

Now in a revised and updated edition, Your Body Speaks Your Mind: Decoding The Emotional. Psychological, And Spiritual Messages That Underlie Illness by bodymind therapy and meditation instructor of 20 years' experience Deb Shapiro is a guide to better understanding how to read and understand one's own bodily symptoms in order to increase one's own potential for healthcare and healing. Chapters discuss how physical health, feelings and thoughts are linked to specific body parts, and how to become aware of the body's rhythms and supplement both the body's healing with the mind and the mind's healing with the body. New to the revised edition, an accompanying audio CD includes two previously unreleased guided visualization practices to aid in experiencing and learning the techniques in Your Body Speaks Your Mind.

A Women's Guide To Men's Health
Abraham Harvey Kryger, MD, DMD
RDR Books
1487 Glen Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49441
157143156X $17.95 www.rdrbooks.com 1-510-595-0595

Despite its title, A Women's Guide To Men's Health by Abraham Harvey Kryger, MD, DMD (a board-certified family practitioner in full time practice) is an invaluable guide for both genders. Focusing especially on issues of male health, happiness, hormones, vigor, and sexuality, A Women's Guide To Men's Health goes into detail about everything from ways to improve the male sex life at all stages of life, to the perils of taking hormones unless deliberately prescribed for a specific medical condition, testosterone's role in penis size, and much more. Written lay reader-friendly terms, A Women's Guide To Men's Health discusses sensitive sexual subjects with candor and decorum, and is highly recommended.


The Gaming Shelf

Powers Unlimited 3
Carmine Bellaire & Kevin Siembieda
Palladium Books
12455 Universal Drive, Taylor, MI 48180
1574571524 $14.95 www.palladiumbooks.com

A new, 112-page sourcebook for Palladium's 'Heroes Unlimited' role-play gaming, "Powers Unlimited 3" is an expanded second edition of a popular title that features 133 new Super Abilities and numerous sub-powers, 46 new Minor Super Abilities, 77 new Major Super Abilities, 19 new types of Alter Physical Structure, 10 new Animal Ability types, new Random Power tables. The result is a Carmen Bellaire and Kevin Siembieda collaboration that will provide hours (even days) of cutting edge role-play as players adventure through new and unique challenges. No dedicated gamer in the Palladium Megaverse can afford to be without their own treasured copy of "Powers Unlimited 3".


The Architecture Shelf

What Not To Build
Sandra Edelman, Judy Gaman, Robby Reid
Creative Homeowner
24 Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
1580112935 $24.95 1-800-631-7795 www.creativehomeowner.com

The collaborative effort of professional home designers and residential planners Sandra Edelman, Judy Gaman, Robby Reid, "What Not To Build: Do's And Don'ts Of Exterior Home Design" is unique among architecture books in that it's focus is on avoiding common design mistakes that result in un-esthetic (and down right ugly) exteriors. "What Not To Build deftly surveys architectural design principles of scale, proportion, balance, rhythm, and style consistency in residential home design. "What Not To Build" showcases fifty "before & after" examples of mistakes made on actual houses -- and how to correct them. Enhanced with more than 300 full color photographs, even the most novice architect and aspiring home owner can learn how to make their house building or remodeling project comply to sound architectural design principles. A thoroughly "user friendly" guide, "What Not To Build" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Architectural Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

25 Tropical Houses In Indonesia
Amir Sidharta
Periplus Editions/Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436
0794602452 $44.95 www.periplus.com www.tuttlepublishing.com

25 Tropical Houses In Indonesia showcases architecture adapted not only to the needs of the user, but also the environmental and climate issues of daily life in the tropics. Full-color photography on virtually every page as well as black-and-white diagrams reveal structural and visual approaches, while the text describes at length the details of each house's unique features for lay readers and professional architects alike. Houses range in size and appearance from lofty to neo-cubist to resembling a cathedral. A majestic coffee-table book that wondrously captures the spirit of Indonesian architecture.


The Art Shelf

Viktor Schreckengost: American Da Vinci
Henry Adams, author & Sunny Morton, editor
Tide-mark Press Ltd.
PO Box 20, Windsor, CT 06095-0020
1594902208 $34.95 1-800-338-2508 www.tidemarkpress.com

Fine artist, sculptor, and ceramicist Viktor Schreckengost has had an enormous impact of popular culture through his Limoges dinnerware designs, his work as a graphic artist, theater and costume designer, as well as his industrial designs which ranged from Murray bicycles, pedal cars, planes and boats, to Steelcraft toy buses and trucks, commercial printing presses, the first riding lawn mower, General Electric lighting fixtures and appliances, the Sear's Beverly Hills lawn chair, and that classic icon of American childhood -- the little red wagon. Profusely illustrated in full color and enhanced with the addition of an Index and Image Catalogue, and with expert commentary by former museum curator Henry Adams, "Viktor Schreckengost: American Da Vinci" is a superbly presented and informative introduction to the life, work, and artistry of a remarkably talent who dedicated himself to the esthetic improvement of American popular culture. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic library American Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Imagined Interiors
Jeremy Aynsley & Charlotte Grant
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
1851774920 $85.00 www.abramsbooks.com 1-800-759-0190

Co-edited by Jeremy Aynsley (Head of the School of Humanities at the Royal College of Art) and Charlotte Grant (Senior Research Fellow at the AHRC Centre for the Study of Domestic Interior, Royal College of Art), Imagined Interiors: Representing The Domestic Interior Since The Renaissance provides art students and enthusiasts with an informed and informative historical survey of how the home has been depicted in western art over the last 500 years. Featuring home interiors that range from the grandly aristocratic to the simple ordinary, "Imagined Interiors" draws from a range of artists that includes Vermeer and Hogarth to Alfrided Hitchcock and Bill Brandt. Profusely illustrated with 260 full-color illustrations, this 304-page specialized art history is enthusiastically recommended for personal, academic, and community library Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists. Indeed, "Imagined Interiors" would be an appropriate and popular Memorial Fund acquisition selection choice for any public library.


The World History Shelf

"His Dominion And The Yellow Peril"
Jiwu Wang
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5
0889204853 $65.00 www.wlupress.wlu.ca 1-519-884-0710

"His Dominion" And The "Yellow Peril": Protestant Missions to Chinese Immigrants In Canada 1859-1967 by Jiwu Wang is a scholarly history of the interaction between Chinese Immigrants with Canadian Protestant missionaries, particularly with the role religion played enabling Chinese Immigrants to retain their cultural identity in an era when they were regarded with suspicion or even open hostility - the "Yellow Peril". Although much has been written about the struggle to survive and prosper for Chinese immigrants in Canada, little has been written analyzing the fervent desire common among Protestant evangelicals to convert the Chinese to Christianity - a mission that was seen not only as necessary to save their souls, but urgent to protect and preserve the values of the dominant culture. Chapters chronicle both individual missionary efforts and the establishment of missions, and their repercussions, evenhandedly detailing both the missions' reactions to the Chinese immigrants and the immigrants' reactions to the Chinese. A welcome addition to history and religious history shelves.

Sarajevo: A Biography
Robert J. Donia
The Michigan University Press
839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-3209
047211557X $35.00 www.press.umich.edu 1-734-615-6477

Sarajevo: A Biography is the history of a proud city that persevered under terrible strife. Haven of learning in the Ottoman era; site of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914, causing World War I; host to the Winter Olympics in 1984; multicultural center under Tito; and by 1992 subject to the longest urban siege of the modern era, Sarajevo's story is a complex and tumultuous one. Sarajevo: A Biography spares no detail in Sarajevo's history, up to and including the aftermath of the 1992-5 siege and the citizens' efforts to rebuild and preserve a valued way of life. Highly recommended especially for world history and library reference shelves.

Prostitutes & Courtesans in the Ancient World
Christopher Faraone & Laura McClure
University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, 3rd Floor, Madison, WI 53711-2059
0299213145 $24.95 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress 1-800-621-2736

Expertly compiled and co-edited by Christopher A. Faraone & Laura K. McClure, Prostitutes & Courtesans in the Ancient World is a seminal collection of essays by learned authors about the sex trade in ancient human history, from ancient Mesopotamia to the beginning of the Christian period. Drawing upon sources ranging from legal and religious tracts to lyric poetry, love elegies, comic drama, and graffiti on the walls of ancient Pompeii, Prostitutes & Courtesans in the Ancient World offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of women whose work in the sex trade often put them amid otherwise all-male gatherings, and whose literary representations often had reverberating political and social influence. A perfect balance between scholarly analysis and conversational tone, Prostitutes & Courtesans in the Ancient World will prove fascinating and insightful to historians and lay readers alike.


The Pets/Wildlife Shelf

The Alligator Snapping Turtle
Peter C. H. Pritchard
Krieger Publishing Company
PO Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
1575242753 $42.00 www.krieger-publishing.com

Originally published in 1989 and out of print for several years, the Krieger Publishing Company's new reprint of zoologist Peter Pritchard's classic monograph, "The Alligator Snapping Turtle: Biology And Conservation", is an informed and informative introduction to one of nature's most impressive, dangerous, and famous of the turtle species. This new edition of "The Alligator Snapping Turtle" is enhanced with a major new section detailing the zoological progress made on the science and conservation of this species over the last seventeen years and is therefore a fully up-to-date, profusely illustrated treatise that includes the Snapping Turtle's geographic distribution, diet, reproduction cycle, natural history, exploitation and captivity, population status and trends, and so much more. With the addition of a comprehensive Index, a list of supplemental material, Reviews and Responses, Protection and Legislation, and more, "The Alligator Snapping Turtle" is an indispensable addition to professional and academic library Biology and Natural Science reference collections in general, and the supplemental reading list of turtle enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists in particular.

Buffalo Country
Donald M. Jones
Riverbend Publishing
P.O. Box 5833, Helena, MT 59604
1931832560 $13.95 www.riverbendpublishing.com 1-866-787-2363

Buffalo country: America's National Bison Range by wildlife photographer Donald M. Jones is a softcover photographic gallery of splendor of Montana wildlife. Beautiful, full-color images on every page of the Bison Range environment, flowers, and animals from rams and deer to owls, mountain bluebirds, mink, and turtles provide lavish illustration, while the text recounts the story of how bison recovered from near-extermination, how the National Bison Range was created, and the tale of Big Medicine, the sacred white buffalo. Especially recommended as a giftbook for nature lovers.

T.F.H. Publications
1 TFH Plaza, 3rd & Union Avenue, Neptune City, NJ 07753
www.tfhpublications.com 1-800-631-2188

Animal Planet is the cable television channel dedicated exclusively to the study and presentation of wonderfully diverse world of animal life and habitat. T.F.H. Publications is the premier publisher of books on pets and wildlife. In a new series of books, Animal Planet and T.F.H. have teamed up to present complete and introductory volumes showcasing some of the best loved and most common of household pets. Each book in the "Animal Planet Pet Care Library" series provides a thoroughly 'reader friendly' text laced with informative tips, enhanced with colorful photography, and covering all aspects of a pet care. This outstanding and highly recommended series includes "Guinea Pigs" (0793837693, $9.95) by Julie Mancini; "Rabbits (0793837650, $9.95) by Sue Fox; "Parakeets" (0793837677, $9.95) by Nikki Moustaki; "Hamsters" (0793837685, $9.95); and "Cockatiels" (0793837669) by Ellen Fusz. Each title in this informed and informative series would make a simply ideal choice for personal, school, and community library Pets & Wildlife reference collections.


The Mystery/Suspense Shelf

A Disguise For Death
Susan Kelly
Magna Large Print Books
c/o Ulverscroft Large Print (USA), Inc.
PO Box 1230, West Seneca, NY 14224-1230
0750525398 $32.50 www.ulverscroftusa.com 1-800-955-9659

Set in the United Kingdom, A Disguise For Death is the large print edition is a dark murder mystery about the distant aftermath of a deadly bombing. When a former IRA cell leader writes a best-seller about the tragedy, Superintendent Gregory Summers attends a reading; the situation soon turns violent, as old wounds are inflamed, and Summers becomes involved in one of the most difficult and labyrinth cases of his career. An intricate mystery about grudges that time won't heal.


The Native American Shelf

Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes
Carl Waldman
Facts On File, Inc.
132 West 31st Street, 17th floor, New York, NY 10001-2006
0816062730 $75.00 www.factsonfile.com 1-800-322-8755

Now in a newly updated and expanded third edition, "Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes" is a compilation of facts for more than two hundred Native American tribes in North America, including prehistoric peoples on the North American continent as well as all of the identifiable Native American civilizations on the continent. Organized alphabetically by tribe or group, there is at least one representative Native American tribe from each language family or language isolate for each culture area covered. From locations, migrations, contact with non-Indians, wars, customs, housing, tools, clothing, art, rituals, diet, and cultural contributions, "Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes" has special relevance for contemporary tribal issues and concerns. "Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes" is a critically important, superbly presented, essential and core addition to professional, academic, and community library Native American Studies reference collections.


The Humor Shelf

The War Within
G. B. Trudeau
Andrews McMeel Publishing
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
0740762028 $9.95

Featuring a foreword by General Richard B. Myers (USAF, Ret., Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) The War Within: One More Step At A Time is a unique collection of G. B. Trudeau's Doonesbury newspaper comics that is not only humorous, but also cutting-edge relevant . The strips follow the daily life Vietnam, Gulf War, and Iraq War veteran B.D., whose tour of duty was cut short by a near-death experience, the loss of his leg, and perhaps most shockingly, the loss of his iconic helmet. Far more life-altering than the physical damage is the post-traumatic stress disorder that leaves him increasingly disoriented, hostile, withdrawn, and turning to alcohol to self-medicate. When B.D. is on the verge of mistaking friends and family for mortal enemies, the turning point comes when he overhears his own daughter say that she has become afraid of him. Help comes in the form of the local Vet Center, and the skillful aid of counselor and fellow Vietnam vet Elias. The War Within brims with classic Trudeau wit, yet also reveals the author's resolve to accurately portray the harrowing pressures America's armed forces are subject to during and after risking their lives in the service. Highly recommended. Proceeds from "The War Within" are to benefit Fisher House, a "home away from home" for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers.


The Education Shelf

A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students
Nancy L. Baker & Nancy Huling
Modern Language Association
26 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10004-1789
0873529243 $12.00 www.mla.org 1-646-576-5018

Now in a newly updated and expanded sixth edition, the 104 page reference, "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students: English And American Literature", by co-authors and librarians Nancy L. Baker and Nancy Huling offers a succinct and informative descriptional tour of the typical college library along with easy-to-understand summaries of the print and electronic research tools available to students and faculty. The research aids and reference works range from the 'Literary Resource Center', to the 'Expanded Academic ASAP', to 'Literature Online', to 'Library of Congress Subject Headings', to the 'MLA International Bibliography', to the 'Oxford English Dictionary', to the 'ProQuest Research Library', and dozens of others. "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students" also provides a wealth of examples taken from the showcased reference materials, explains how to navigate a college library's electronic catalog, how to search for articles and books, the use of primary sources, locating biographic information, quotations, and miscellaneous facts. Of special note is a new chapter focused on dealing with bibliographic citation managers such as 'EndNote'. "A Research Guide For Undergraduate Students" is an invaluable guide, especially for new students and returning students wanting to take maximum advantage of what their college library has to offer them in support of their academic endeavors.

Quotes To Inspire Great Reading Teachers
Cathy Collins Block & Susan E. Israel
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
1412926483 $32.95 www.corwinpress.com 1-800-818-7243

Intended for use by reading teachers of students in grades K-10, Quotes To Inspire Great Reading Teachers: A Reflective Tool For Advancing Students' Literacy by co-authors Cathy Collins Block (Professor, Texas Christian University) & Susan E. Israel (Assistant Professor, University Of Dayton) is a unique educational supplement; each page presents a quote about reading, literature or thinking from a renowned individual, suggestions for linking the quote to a lesson, literature links for grade K-4 students and grade 4-10 students, and sample questions for prompting introspection on the part of the teacher. For example one quote is "Change your thoughts and you change your world" by Norman Vincent Peale; questions for the teacher's pondering include "How do you change your students' lives?", the lesson links recommended include "Ask students how they change their world", and the literature links recommended are "Golem" by David Wisniewski for grades K-4, and "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli for grades 4-10. An excellent source of ideas for creative and motivational lessons in reading, language, and literature.


The Theatre/Cinema/TV Shelf

The Movie Lovers' Club
Cathleen Rountree
Inner Ocean Publishing
PO Box 1239 Makawao, Maui, HI 96768-1239
1930722524 $16.95 www.innerocean.com

The Movie Lovers' Club: How To Start Your Own Film Group by best-selling author and writing consultant Cathleen Rountree is a handy guide to building a sustainable community group based upon love of movies and discussion. Recommending a classic movie for one's club for each week of the year, from "About Schmidt" to "Finding Neverland", and offering detailed information about each suggested movie as well as numerous discussion questions, The Movie Lovers' Club is a superb "starter kit" for launching a new social circle.

The Cuban Filmography 1897 Through 2001
Alfonso J. Garcia Osuna
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
0786427272 $39.95 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187

The Cuban Filmography 1897 Through 2001 is a complete filmography of every Cuban film, including documentaries, shorts, and cartoons, released from 1897-2001. Arranged in alphabetical order by title, each entry gives the original title and an English translation, director, production company, year of release, B&W/color, running time, writing credits, animation credits, music credits, cast credits, a synopsis and an evaluation of the film. A scattered handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this solid reference, and an extensive forerunner section devotes nearly 40 pages to recounting the history of Cuban films. A first-class reference.

Journalism In The Movies
Matthew C. Ehrlich
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820-6975
0252074327 $20.00 www.press.uillinois.edu 1-800-545-4703

"Journalism In The Movies" by Matthew C. Ehrlich (Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is a history of how Hollywood movies have depicted American journalism and newspaper reporters, editors and publishers from the beginning of the sound era in motion pictures down to the present day. Professor Ehrlich documents how film makers from script writers to directors have consistently presented journalists as men and women who see through lies and hypocrisy, defend the ordinary people from corruption, conspiracy, and criminality, and serve in the defense of democracy. From 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', to 'All the President's Men', to 'The Insider', and more, the reader is provided with illustrative examples of films that reflect and shape public opinion with respect to the role of journalist in American society and American life. "Journalism In The Movies" is an important and scholarly addition to academic library Cinema History reference collections, and supplemental reading lists for students and non-academic general readers with an interest in journalism and the movies.

Triquetra
Keith Topping
Telos Publishing Ltd.
61 Elgar Avenue, Tolworth, Surrey, England KT5 9JP
1845830024 $22.95 www.telos.com

"Triquetra: The Unofficial And Unauthorized Guide To Charmed" by Keith Topping is a superbly detailed and organized fan guide to the popular television show "Charmed" which featured the four Halliwell sisters -- good witches who are known as 'The Charmed Ones' to their friends, allies, and foes. Sworn to protect the innocent from all manner of bad guys (and gals!) ranging from warlocks, demons and black lighters, to the good guys including other white witches, elders, white lighters, and fairy folk of all kinds. Author and 'Charmed Ones' fan Keith Topping explores every episode from the never aired series pilot to the end of the seventh and final season. Here is the ultimate guide to the lives, loves and adventures of Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige and all their kin. No true and dedicated fan of the show will want to be without their personal copy of "Triquetra"!


The Language Studies Shelf

Spanish Live It And Learn It!
Martha Racine Taylor
Cypress House
155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
1879384647 $18.95 www.cypresshouse.com 1-800-773-7782

Martha Racine Taylor, a teacher of college-level Spanish for twenty-five years, presents Spanish Live It And Learn It!: The Complete Guide To Language Immersion Schools In Mexico, is a "must-have" guide for anyone considering Spanish-language immersion study in Mexico. An introduction describes at length the cultural differences and hazards that American students need to adapt to, such as sensible precautions against pickpocketing and exercising care when construction sites and other dangerous areas do not have the barriers to keep people away that are more common in the United States. The bulk of Spanish Live It And Learn It! is devoted to reviews of different language-immersion schools within Mexico, including their academic background, programs and schedules, and distinguishing features. An invaluable guide for anyone seriously contemplating taking their Spanish-language studies to a higher level.

How Language Works
David Crystal
The Overlook Press
141 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012
1585678481 $30.00 212-673-2210

How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, And Languages Live Or Die by expert linguist David Crystal is a comprehensive guide written for lay readers and linguistic scholars alike to how language develops and evolves, both in individuals and in societies. In addition to chronicling how new languages are created from the mixing of cultures, and surveying the process of how languages die, How Language Works also makes an impassioned plea to protect and sustain as many languages as possible in a modern world beset with the threat of literally thousands of human languages on the verge of extinction. Championing languages as facets of intellectual and cultural diversity as well as miracles of science and nature, How Language Works is highly recommended.


The Metaphysical Studies Shelf

New Page Books
PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
www.newpagebooks.com

The revised, expanded edition of Ashleen O'Gaea's FAMILY WICCA: PRACTICAL PAGANISM FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN (1564148866 $14.99) updates a decade-old classic, pairing a specifically Wiccan outlook with tips on family and kids which can be useful for Druids and other new age spirituality followers too. Ashleen O'Gaea is both priestess and mother: FAMILY WICCA comes from her own family experiences and provides answers to questions on faith and values. Brendan Cathbad Myers, Ph.D.'s THE MYSTERIES OF DRUIDRY (1564148785, $15.99) adds to literature in the new age Celtic area, and is one of the few to blend spirituality with intellectual and psychological analysis. Celtic history, myth and folklore enter into his discussions of the early Druids, and their role in the ancient world. Of special focus is their mystical romanticism and how it translates into modern-day Druidary: descriptions of meditations, ceremonies, and Celtic spiritual paths are detailed and allow for modern followers.

Haunted Minnesota
Hugh E. Bishop
Lake Superior Port Cities Inc.
PO Box 16417, Duluth, MN 55816-0417
0942235711 $14.95 www.lakesuperior.com 1-888-244-5253

Compiled and organized by Minnesota resident Hugh Bishop, "Haunted Minnesota: Ghostly Tales and Spirited Stories" offers the reader a tour of supernatural mysteries and ghost stories set in the upper Midwestern state of Minnesota. The work of meticulous historical research and including first-person interviews of those who hunt and exorcize ghosts (or simply help them to their final resting place), "Haunted Minnesota" includes accounts involving homes, historic buildings, work places, and wild woods. Also very highly recommended as additions to personal and community library Metaphysical Studies reference collections and reading lists are three additional titles from Lake Superior Port Cities: Hugh Bishop's "Haunted Lake Superior" (094233555X); and Frederick Stonehouse's "Haunted Lakes" (0942235304) and "Haunted Lakes II" (0942235398).

Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained
Derek Lin, translator
Skylight Paths Publishing
Sunset Farms Offices, Route 4, PO Box 237, Woodstock, VT 05091
1594732043 $16.99 1-800-962-4544 www.skylightpaths.com

Ably translated into English by Derek Lin (Tao Te Ching expert and Director of Tao Studies at the Great Tao Foundation of America), "Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained" introduces students of the Tao as to how they can integrate the Tao Te Ching into their daily lives. The format is one of an unobtrusive facing-page commentary highlighting the simplicity, balance, and learning from life's paradoxical truths. Readers will learn how to employ the Tao Te Ching approach to realizing their personal and professional goals. Reputedly the creation of Lao Tzu some 2500 years ago, this ancient Chinese body of teachings that comprises the "Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained" is now thoroughly accessible to students and non-specialist general reader alike who have an interest in the Tao. Highly recommended for Metaphysical Studies collections in general, and students of the Tao in particular.


The American History Shelf

Rally 'Round The Flag
Theodore J. Karamanski
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
0742551377 $24.95 www.rowmanlittlefield.com 1-800-462-6420

"Rally 'Round The Flag: Chicago And The Civil War" by Theodore Karamanski (Professor of History, Loyola University of Chicago) is an impressive, informative, and scholarly history of Chicago history during the years of the American Civil War. Professor Karamanski draws from diaries, letters, and newspapers to reveal how Chicago's public opinions on the war evolved from a romantic and patriotic naivete to a clarion recognition of the brutality of the conflict. Because Chicago was far from battle lines, war fields and killing grounds, yet accessible to them through railroad and waterway systems of transport, its war-time economy boomed, attracting a huge increase in population that strained Chicago's pre-war social fabric. From the Republic convention of 1860 to the dismal conditions of the Confederate POWs in Camp Douglas on the South Side of Chicago, readers are provided with a vividly accurate historical account of Chicago's conditions during the bloody conflict that threatened to tear apart the American nation. Highly recommended for non-specialist general readers, "Rally 'Round The Flag" is a seminal and strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American History and Civil War Studies reference collections and reading lists.

A Guide To The Battles Of The American Revolution
Theodore P. Savas & J. David Dameron
Savas Beatie
521 Fifth Ave, Suite 3400, NY, NY 10175
Casemate, distributor
2114 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083
193271412X $29.95 www.casematepublishing.com 1-610-853-9131

"A Guide To The Battles Of The American Revolution" is a 288-page, nicely illustrated, comprehensive, informed and informative history of every single engagement between American and British forces during the six year war of the American Revolution from first shots fired at Bunker Hill to the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781 resulting in the final defeat of the English and the emancipation of the colonies from British rule. Co-written by Theodore Savas (author and managing director of Sava Beatie) and David Dameron (author and historian), "A Guide To The Battles Of The American Revolution" is organized with each military engagement entry beginning with introductory details (date of the battle, location, commanders, opposing forces, terrain, weather, time of day), followed by both Colonial and British perspectives of the unfolding military situation, a detailed and unbiased account of what actually transpired, a discussion of numbers and losses, an assessment of the consequences of the battle, and suggestions for further reading. A work of impressive historical scholarship, "A Guide To The Battles Of The American Revolution" is thoroughly 'reader friend' and a very welcome addition to personal, academic, and community library American History collections in general, and American Military History collections in particular.

Scandinavians In Michigan
Jeffrey W. Hancks
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25 Manly Miles Building, East Lansing, MI 48823-5202
0870137751 $11.95 www.msupress.msu.edu 1-517-355-9543

Scandinavians In Michigan by Jeffrey W. Hancks (Endowed Professor Of Icarian and Regional Studies at Western Illinois University) traces the history of immigrants from Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) in the proud Midwestern state of Michigan. Black-and-white photographs and statistical tables offer extra insight into the text, which provides a brief overview of Scandinavian religious customs, festivals, place names, humor, and other contributions to Michigan culture. A compact history that doubles as a most enjoyable giftbook or souvenir book.


The Sports Shelf

Strength Training For Young Athletes
William J. Kraemer PhD & Steven J. Fleck PhD
Human Kinetics
P.O. Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61825-5076
0736051031 $19.95 www.hkusa.com 1-800-747-4457

Now in an updated second edition, Strength Training For Young Athletes: Safe And Effective Exercises For Performance by co-authors William J. Kraemer PhD (Editor-In-Chief of the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research) and Steven J. Fleck PhD (Chair of the Sport Science department at Colorado College in Colorado Springs), both world-renowned strength and conditioning experts addresses how to apply beneficial strength training to young people without risking harm to their physical, psychological, or emotional development, and keeping the odds of injury in athletics and athletic training to an absolute minimum. Chapters address how to determine individual needs, creating safe training environments, single and multi-joint upper and lower body exercises, total-body exercises and sport-specific regimens, and much more. Black-and-white photographs, detailed explanations and instructions, and no-nonsense prose fully accessible to lay readers and parents as surely as it is to coaches and professionals distinguish this "must-have" guide for anyone responsible for a young person involved in serious sports.


The Parenting Shelf

Child Obesity
Goutham Rao, MD
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228
1591023777 $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com www.amazon.com

CHILD OBESITY: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO A FIT, TRIM AND HAPPY CHILD provides parents with tips for overweight kids and controlling weight. Dr. Rao is an expert on child obesity: he identifies here five principal culprits for obesity among children, explaining a rational approach to helping kids achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Oh, Baby!
Bettie B. Youngs, Ph.D., Ed.D., et.al.
Hampton Roads
1125 Stoney Ridge Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22902
1571745033 $15.95 www.hrpub.com

Three notable authors provide an essential guide to how a baby will change a family's interactions in OH BABY!: 7 WAYS A BABY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE THE FIRST YEAR. From coping strategies new parents share with others to discussions on new strengths which can foster both effective parenting and family communications, Oh Baby is packed with easy techniques and insights shared by other parents.

The Unhappy Child
Kenneth N. Condrell, Ph.D.
Prometheus Books
59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY 14228-2197
1591024196 $18.00 www.prometheusbooks.com

Millions of kids are chronically unhappy and not only puzzle their parents, but may be headed for a chronic depression that could last all their lives. THE UNHAPPY CHILD: WHAT EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO KNOW outlines the ten most common causes of such lasting childhood unhappiness, pairing them with solution suggestions stemming from over thirty years' experience helping kids with emotional problems. Quotes from such children also provide real-world insights.

Short Stories for Children
Walter de la Mare
Giles de la Mare/Trafalgar Square, Dist.
N. Pomfret, VT 05053
1900357054 $29.95 www.trafalgarsquarebooks.com

While Walter de la Mare is a famous children's author, it may surprise readers to learn the majority of his short stories have long been unavailable. To correct that is Short Stories for Children, which returns to print and world attention some of his best, from the welve stories of 'Broomsticks and Other Tales' to 'A Nose' and others which haven't been reprinted since their original appearance. Perfect for read-alouds, this is a pick for any prior de la Mare fan.

Food Marketing to Children And Youth
Institute of Medicine
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
0309097134 $59.95 www.nap.edu 1-888-624-7654

Food Marketing to Children And Youth is a college-level survey of the impact food and beverage marketing has on the dietary patterns and overall health of children and youth in this country. From parents to educators, state regulators and schools, a wide range of adults will be interested in learning the cultural, social, economic and commercial issues which affect food marketing to the young. Statistics, studies, and health concerns blend in a powerful survey recommended for college-level collections in education and health.


The Woodworking Shelf

Carving for Kids
Robin Edward Trudel
Linden Publishing
2006 S. Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
1933502029 $16.95 www.lindenpub.com

Parents and their kids will find CARVING FOR KIDS: AN INTRODUCTION TO WOODCARVING an intriguing project guide holding eleven skill-building projects for kids ages 4-17. Not only does the author teach woodcarving as a volunteer: all four of his kids are carvers too: his book is packed with color photos and clear techniques.


The Library Science Shelf

Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools
Stephen R. Westman
American Library Association
50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
0838909108 $48.00 www.alastore.ala.org 1-312-280-1537

Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools by Stephen R. Westman (Digital Information services Librarian at the University Of North Carolina) is a step-by-step guide to creating appropriate database-backed library web pages for quick online reference and ease of use. Chapters walk the aspiring library web programmer through the technical know-how required to make such a web page fully functional, secure, with a readily accessible public interface, and overview its administration with a minimum of expended effort. Screenshots, sample code, plain-terms language and enumerated instructions all combine to make Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools a snap to use. A first-rate how-to guide in its field.


The Archaeology Shelf

Takhoma
Allan H. Smith
Washington State University Press
P.O. Box 645910 Pullman, WA, 99164-8568
0874222842 $22.95 wsupress.wsu.edu 1-509-335-7880

Takhoma: Ethnography Of Mount Rainier National Park is a scholarly compilation and record of the archaeological past and ethnographic study of Mount Rainier, also known as "Takhoma". Drawing upon both pre-existing data and literature concerning Mount Rainier and extensive interviews with elderly Native Americans, Takhoma covers native toponymy, tribal identities and boundaries, camp sites and structures, native trails, and trade. Black-and-white maps and extensive notes round out this scholarly, in-depth reference written with an eye toward completeness and accuracy.


The Economics Shelf

Cooperative Capitalism
J. W. Smith
The Institute For Economic Democracy
313 Seventh Avenue, Radford, VA 24141
0975355597 $28.00 www.ied.info 1-888-533-1020

Now in a revised and updated second edition, Cooperative Capitalism: A Blueprint For Global Peace And Prosperity is a politically charged economic treatise that asks: why are so many resource-filled nations stricken with poverty while resource-poor nations are wealthy and consume the greater part of world resources? The answer according to author J. W. Smith is "plunder-by-trade", a process that destroys undeveloped nations' ability to process resources and sell them to their own people, forcing them to become dependent on imports and accelerating poverty because money flows directly out of the nation instead of circulating among the nation's people (the economic multiplier effect). Modern "plunder-by-trade" often involves selling subsidized food, or even donating clothing, putting local agriculture and textile operations out of business, increasing unemployment, and further impoverishing the nation - one example is the Ukraine, which went from breadbasket to bankrupt in response to foreign powers. Cooperative-Capitalism denounces such impoverishment and concentration of power in the wealthy elite of dominant nations as deliberate, accuses military efforts of dominant nations of furthering the process, and stridently calls for economic policy imperatives to reduce rather than create poverty - especially those promoting self-sufficiency through protectionism in the nations whose struggling industries need it the most. A serious-minded albiet strident discussion of a very real worldwide economic problem.

Globalization And The Politics Of Pay
Susan B. Hansen
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington D.C. 20007
1589010884 $24.95 www.press.georgetown.edu 1-202-687-5889

Globalization And The Politics Of Pay: Policy Choices In American States by Susan B. Hansen (Professor Of Political Science and Women's Studies at the University Of Pittsburgh) is a scholarly and serious-minded study of the economic, political, and social causes of declining overall labor wages in the United States. Daring to defy the conventional wisdom that globalization is placing the primary downward pressure on American wages, Globalization And The Politics Of Pay, Hansen's comprehensive analysis presents evidence that free-market ideologies, low voter turnout, and choices made directly by America's states through their laws and policies have had a greater effect on keeping wages low than globalization; furthermore, foreign trade and investment can lead to higher pay in the state labor market. Adhering strictly to rigorous economic principles, Hansen presents new measures of state and federal labor costs in order to scrutinize the good and bad effects of reducing wages and benefits. Above all, Globalization And The Politics Of Pay warns that while higher labor costs can be blamed for creating more unemployment, lower labor costs and declining personal income can bring about slower economic growth and a reduced position in international trade. Highly recommended.


The Psychology Shelf

Protecting The Self
Phebe Cramer
Guilford Publications
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
1593852983 $45.00 www.guilford.com 1-212-966-6708

Protecting The Self: Defense Mechanisms In Action by Phebe Cramer (clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Williams College) is an in-depth reference and resource about the mental defense mechanisms that ordinary people use upon themselves every day of their lives to deal with unpleasantness, criticism of the self, stress, and other psychologically jarring effects. When taken to extremes defense mechanisms can play a key role in violent or even sadistic behavior, yet they are a routine and daily occurrence among nearly all people everywhere. Chapters particularly focus upon the defense mechanisms of denial, projection, and identification; other topics include how the mechanisms are used between genders, how they are used in childhood versus adulthood, and how to recognize and deal with them in psychotherapy. An authoritative resource especially recommended for medical school libraries, social workers, clinical and personality psychologists, psychiatrists, and other practitioners or students in the field.


The Cookbook Shelf

Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked
Karen Adler & Judith M. Fertig
Harvard Common Press
535 Albany Street , Boston, MA 02118
1558321810 $15.95 www.harvardcommonpress.com 1-888-657-3755

"Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked" is the collaborative effort of culinary experts Karen Adler (President of Pig Out Publications, a barbecue/grilling book publisher and author of eleven cookbooks) and Judith M. Fertig (writer of a weekly cooking column for the 'Kansas City Star' and an award winning author of four previous cookbooks). This specialized, 408-page cookbook focuses on providing the kitchen cook with a wealth of three hundred superbly crafted recipes on all manner of fish and shellfish, plus easy-to-follow recipes for rubs, marinades, sauces, and side dishes. From Lemon-Pepper Crusted Cod; Grilled Pompano with Lime and Olive Oil; Greek-Style White Fish; and Peacan-Smoked Catfish with Fireworks Rub and Mississippi Mop; to Smoked Oyster Bisque; Smoked Mussels with Lemon-Garlic Hollandaise; Oak-Planked Sea Scallops; and Spicy Tamarind Dipping Sauce, "Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked" is an impressive addition to any family cookbook shelf or community library cookbook collection..

Diabetic Meals In 30 Minutes - Or Less!, second edition
Robyn Webb
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311
1580402658 $11.95 http://store.diabetes.org 1-800-ADA-ORDER

More than twenty million Americans have diabetes. One of the critical factors in the prevention and control of diabetes is the diet. Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, "Diabetic Meals In 30 Minutes - Or Less!" from the American Diabetes Association offers a compendium of recipes that are thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' in their preparation and are characterized by their flavor and nutrition, as well as being ideal for diabetics while at the same time satisfying the appetite and pleasing the palate of every once else at the table too. From Oriental Ginger Pot; Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato Seafood Cream Sauce; and Grilled Turkey with Garlic Sauce; to Snow Peas with Waterchestnuts and Bamboo; Oven-Baked Parmesan Zucchini; and Chocolate Spice Pudding, "Diabetic Meals In 30 Minutes - Or Less!" is an enthusiastic and valued addition to any diabetic's cookbook shelf.

Secrets Of The Great Old-Timey Cooks
Barbara Swell
Native Ground Books & Music
109 Bell Road, Asheville, NC 28805-1521
1883206375 $5.95 www.nativeground.com 1-800-752-2656

An ideal and inexpensive gift for kitchen cookbook collectors, Barbara Swell's "Secrets Of The Great Old-Timey Cooks" is a simply wonderful compendium of historic American recipes, folklore and country wisdom. Profusely illustrated with historic photos and illustrations, readers will be treated to mouth-watering 'yesteryear cuisine' ranging from Mock Macaroni, Sweet Potato Dumplings, and Jam Windmills, to Apple Maple Duck, Coconut Stack Cake, and Apple Dumpling Pie. But "Secrets Of The Great Old-Timey Cooks" is far more than just another nostalgic cookbook. Readers are also provided with kitchen secrets from contemporary pioneer women, antique autograph rhymes, food provers and superstitions, love vine prediction, folk remedies, the kinds of chores women routinely had to do, and even weather lore. If you like to cook, have a fondness for 'the good old days', and are partial to some of the best eating former generations of accomplished women cooks had to offer, then secure your very own copy of "Secrets Of The Great Old-Timey Cooks"!

Intuitive Cooking
Joanne Saltzman
Book Publishing Company
PO Box 99, Summertown, TN 38483
157067194X $19.95 www.bookpubco.com

More than just another collection of recipes, Joanne Saltzman (Founder and Director of the Natural School of Cookery, Boulder, Colorado) wants the readers of Intuitive Cooking to learn about the underlying principles of flavor and texture that underpin successful improvisational cooking. Readers will learn the basics necessary to cook and season a variety of foods without precise measuring and complicated instructions. The almost four hundred reicpe 'sketches' of vegetables, grains, and plant-based proteins help to illustrate and demonstrate that with a few basic techniques and ratios, even the most novice of kitchen cooks can increase their culinary versatility and the meal-time success of their personal recipe innovations. With specific chapters dedicated to 'The Alphabet and Grammar of Cooking', 'Cooking Methods', and 'Primary Elements and Recipe Sketches', and enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary and a number of culinary preparation tables, "Intuitive Cooking" is a welcome addition to any kitchen cookbook collection -- and a recommended acquisition for inclusion in a school's cooking class curriculum reference and instructional materials collections.

One Dish Meals
Lynn Gigliotti
Lebhar-Friedman Books
425 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Lisa Ekus Public Relations (publicity)
57 North Street, Hatfield, MA 01038
0867309083 $35.00 www.amazon.com

Lynn Gigliotti is a lecturing instructor in Culinary Arts at the famous Culinary Institute of America and draws upon her many years of experience and expertise to put together "One Dish Meals: Flavorful Single-Dish meals From The world's Premier Culinary College". One-dish meals are designed for kitchen cooks who are under limitations of time but want to grace their family's dinner table with nutritious, delicious, and interesting meals that would please the palate even as they satisfied the appetite. Beautifully illustrated throughout with color photography of finished dishes, the "kitchen cook friendly" recipes comprising "One Dish Meals" range from 'Vegetable Soup with Radish Salsa'; 'Saigon Beef Stew'; 'Veal Braised in Asti Spumante'; and Frittata with Bacon, Corn and Pasta'; to 'Mushroom-Cauliflower Cury'; 'Potato Salad with Tuna, Olives, and Red Peppers'; and 'Gyro with Tsatziki Sauce'. A wonderfully imaginative cookbook, "One Dish Meals" is especially recommended to novice chefs needing easy to prepare and inspiringly served meals for any occasion from daily family fare to special occasion dining!

Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker
Norman Kolpas
Oxmoor House
c/o Sunset Publishing Corporation
80 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025-3691
0848731395 $17.95 1-800-643-8030 www.sunset.com

The "Food Made Fast" series from Oxmoor House is composed of cookbooks featuring recipes that are as quick and easy to prepare as they are palate pleasing and appetite satisfying. The one seeming anomaly is "Slow Cooker", a compilation of simply wonderful recipes that are designed for kitchen cooks with minimal time for preparing meals. Each showcased recipe only requires three (or less) steps from beginning to end and easily prepared in half an hour or less. By allowing the dish to cook in a crock pot (or any other form of slow cooker) all day, a delicious, nutritious, and table-gracing dish will be ready for any dining occasion from the simple family meal to the celebratory dining event. From 'Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage'; 'Pork-Roast with Dried-Fruit Compote'; and 'Chicken Adobo'; to 'Split Pea Soup with Ham'; 'Polenta Gratin with Bolognese'; and 'Mole Enchiladas', "Slow Cooker" is an excellent and recommended addition to any cookbook collection -- but most especially to kitchen cooks who are short on time but high on expectations for their table fare. The other very highly recommended titles in the Oxmoor House "Food Made Fast" cookbook series include: "Soup" (0848731360, $17.95); "Weeknight" (0848731379, $17.95); "Baking" (0848731387, $17.95); and "Pasta" (0848731352, $17.95).

Penfield Books
215 Brown Street, Iowa City, IA 52245-5801
1-800-728-9998 www.penfieldbooks.com

Penfield Books publishes a series of little, inexpensive ($6.95 each), ethnic recipe books that are perfect as 'stocking stuffers' come Christmas gift giving time (or any other time of the year!). This highly portable, smaller in dimension that a post card, spiral bound cookbook collections are also ideal to take along when visiting friends and family and using the 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for preparing meals in their homes. Five particularly outstanding titles from this unique series of pocket-sized cookbooks are "Pleasing Polish Recipes" (0941016633) featuring dishes that range from Barley Soup, to Polish Hot Pot, to Beets with Horse Radish; "Dandy Dutch Recipes" (0941016846) with such wonderful fare as Dutch Coleslaw, Apple Pancakes, and Dutch Bread Pudding with Almond Sauce; "Cherished Czech Recipes (0941016463) showcasing such repasts as Pork Cheeks with Sauerkraut, Caraway Potatoes, Poppy Seed Studel; "Great German Recipes" (932043500) offering up such dining delights as Old Order Amish Bread, Round Steak Casserole, and Berlin Doughnuts; and "Time-Honored Norwegian Recipes: Adapted To The American Kitchen (1932043276) with recipes for everything from Trondheim Fruit Soup, to Potato Cakes, to Cream Puff Pretzel, to Red Berry Pudding with Cream. From daily family fare to celebratory gourmet dining, these little enthusiastically recommended cookbooks are filled with recipes as inspiring as they are authentic. Cookbook collectors and ethnic culinary enthusiasts are encouraged to visit the Penfild Books website at www.penfieldbooks.com for a complete listing of all there little pocket-sized ethnic cookbooks!

Second Helpings
Paul Flynn
The Collins Press/Dufour Editions
Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
1903464846 $42.95 www.dufoureditions.com 1-800-869-5677

The follow-up to the award-winning, "An Irish Adventure with Food", Second Helpings: Further Irish Adventures with Food collects the ongoing wisdom and discoveries of veteran chef Paul Flynn. Divided into monthly chapters, each of which is orchestrated around ingredients that are in season during that time, Second Helpings is more than a recipe book; it is also an invitation to share the joys and stories of Flynn's kitchen. Full-color photographs illustrate such delicacies as Poached Smoked Haddock with Creamy Egg Sauce, Baked Pears with Gingerbread and Cream, Chocolate Ripple Semifreddo with Amaretto Caramel, and much more. Enthusiastically recommended for intermediate to advanced chefs interested in learning how to create mouth-watering delicacies from a master.

The Healthy Jewish Cookbook
Michael van Straten
Frog Ltd/North Atlantic Books
PO Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712
1583941509 $21.95 www.amazon.com www.northatlanticbooks.com

The Healthy Jewish Cookbook collects one hundred mouth-watering recipes from around the world. Full-color photographs illustrate cultural delicacies from Fava Beans in Olive Oil, to Roast Tomatoes with Garlic, to Vegetarian Cholent, Spiced Lamb Cutlets, Coconut Bread Pudding with Strawberries, and much more. The meticulous instructions touch upon the history, tradition, and health benefits of individual recipes as well as the mechanics of how to prepare them. An index allows for quick and easy references in this visual and taste-pleasing compilation.

Cradle Of Flavor
James Oseland
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
0393054772 $35.00 www.wwnorton.com 1-800-233-4830

Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore is a compendium of one hundred authentic recipes celebrating Spice Islands cuisine, from Green Mango Sambal and Lemongrass-scented Coconut Rice to Indian-Style Fish Stew with Okra, Javanese Grilled Chicken, Sweet Spiced Mung Bean Porridge, and much more. In addition to the recipes themselves, Cradle of Flavor provides extensive information on obtaining and preparing ingredients that may seem exotic to cooks from outside the Spice Islands, as well as a handful of color photographs. A superb "how-to" introduction to Spice Island cuisine for cooks of all skill and experience levels.


The Fiction Shelf

Forty Acres
Gerard Murrin
Robert D. Reed Publishers
PO Box 1992, Bandon, OR 97411
1931741743 $22.95 www.rdrpublishers.com 1-541-347-9882

"Forty Acres" is a compelling novel foreshadowing the growing loss of land to commercial and residential development in an America where the federal government enacts radical legislation to control land-use practices. The result is a political landscape that has local authorities and power brokers manipulating land acquisition and use, the outlawing of opposing opinion, and the despoiling of agricultural and rural lands for short-term profits. That's the setting in which we find Professor Tom Sanders, aided by the beautiful Tamara Hopkins, leading the struggling Land Preservation Society in an effort to sway public opinion by exposing greedy developers and their corrupt political allies. But the local political authority targets Sanders and his associates even while they try to save Meador Farms (rumored to be an ancient Native American burial ground) from the despoilers of corporate development. The stakes are nothing short of life and death. "Forty Acres" is a compelling novel from author Gerard Murrin that could be ripped from today's headlines and will grip the reader's total attention from first page to last with its deftly drawn and memorable characters and involving land-use crisis story line.

Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
www.simonsays.com

Stephen King's THE DARK TOWER VII (1416524525, $9.99) comes with a caveat: familiarity with the other 6 parts of the epic is required for a smooth reading of this final volume in the series of entwined stories and worlds. This said, it brings together wonderfully an epic story presenting a quest only equaled by Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in scope and imagination. Roland leaves behind his companions and his steps are followed only by Mordred, heir to an evil king, as he finds a handicapped man holds the key to the Tower, the center of time itself. The Dark Tower series has received acclaim with every additional book written and here draws together all loose strings under one cover, blending a modern protagonist with ancient legends in a hard-hitting survey. Perhaps it's political intrigue which interests, rather than King's fantasy world: if so, Vince Flynn's CONSENT TO KILL (1416505016, $9.99) is now in paperback and provides a thriller based on modern headlines and terrorist concerns. Mitch becomes the target of an international conspiracy for his struggles to preserve freedom: CONSENT TO KILL shows his evolution from hunter to prey as he's stalked by dangerous, unseen forces for his past 'crimes'. Both are outstanding and engrossing leisure choices.


The Fantasy/SciFi Shelf

Alphanauts
J. Brian Clarke
Edge Science fiction and Fantasy Publishing
PO Box 1714, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 2L7
1894063147 $14.95 www.edgewebsite.com 1-403-254-0160

Brian Clarke's Alphanauts is the newest title in the EDGE science fiction and fantasy series. This 325-page sci-fi adventure novel is the story of a small band of men and women on Genser's World, an earth-like planet of Alpha Centauri who encounter the degenerate descendants of another space-traveling species along with intelligent 'catbird' symbiots, two ancient cyborg intelligences, and a malevolent AI computer that will have to be destroyed before it can evolve into a form that will destroy everything our group of colonists have worked so hard to create. And if all this weren't enough, there is still another threat -- a much larger group of refugees from a ruined Earth who, within the tunnels and chambers of their asteroid-ship, plan a fascist utopia on the newly discovered and colonized world. Brian Clarke is a master storyteller of considerable originality and ability who in "Alphanauts" takes his readers on a true and highly recommended science fiction epic from beginning to end.

Baen Books
Box 1403, Riverdale, NY 10471
www.baen.com

Baen's paperback titles provide some excellent leisure choices, especially for fans of military and political science fiction. Eric Flint and Dave Freer's THE RAS, THE BATS & THE UGLY (1416520783, $7.99) tells of mentally uplifted rats and bats and a human leader who face an incompetent military bureaucracy and aliens; James P. Hogan's KICKING THE SACRED COW (1416520732, $7.99) examines controversies in modern science and provides a fine gathering of science facts perfect for accompanying any pursuit of science fiction premises and everyday science alike; Catherine Asaro's SUNRISE ALLEY (1416520791, $7.99) tells of love between an artificial intelligence and a man supposedly killed in a car wreck, Nigel Bennett and P.N. Elrod's SIEGE PERILOUS (1416520740, $7.99) tells of a vampire hero named Lancelot a.k.a. Richard Dun who returns in a new adventure where he faces his old enemy Charon, and Martin H. Greenberg and Mark Tier edit FREEDOM! (1416520724, $14.00), a collection powerful for its diverse science fiction plots on the theme by such notables as Michael Resnick, Jack Williamson, and Murray Leinster, among others. All are excellent surveys.


The Islamic Studies Shelf

Islam In The World
Malise Ruthven
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
0195305035 $19.95 www.oup.com 1-800-451-7556

The urgent need for Americans to understand the basic beliefs and history of Islam has been self-evident since the beginning of the conflict established by radical Islamists attacking the United States with such devastating consequences on September 11, 2001. Now in an updated and expanded third edition, Islam In The World by Malise Ruthven (a former professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religion) provides the reader with a sound and succinct history of Islam, and an overview of such fundamental Islamic practices and issues as the pilgrimage to Mecca, Muhammad the Quran, the development of divine law, mystic Islamic tradition, and the different Islamic sects including the Sunni and the Shia. This new edition includes a new preface and an extended afterword, addresses the new realities of our post 9/11 world, Islam's altered relationship with the global community, the meaning of the American 'war on terror' and the purpose of the war in Iraq. "Islam In the World" is a critically important and strongly recommended addition to school and community libraries -- and should be on the reading list of every American citizen trying to understand current national and international events that seemingly echo a clash of cultures between Islam and the West.


The Literary Shelf

Kurt Vonnegut's Crusade
Todd F. Davis
State University Of New York Press
194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384
0791466752 $35.00 www.sunypress.edu 1-800-666-2211

Kurt Vonnegut's Crusade: Or How A Post Modern Harlequin Preached A New Kind Of Humanism by Todd D. Davis (Assistant Professor of English at Penn State) explores the humanistic angle of the fiction of celebrated 60's and 70's author Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's wish to preserve the world from environmental and military destruction, to use writing as an instrument of good citizenship and offer hope for the power of writing through provisional narratives are among the themes explored at length. An advanced and formal literary analysis, recommended for college library shelves.

Perception Of Magic In Medieval Spanish Literature
Jennifer M. Corry
Lehigh University Press
c/o Associated University Presses
2010 Eastpark Boulevard, Cranbury, NJ 08512
0934223815 $48.50 http://is1/cc.lehigh.edu/inlup/ 1-609-655-4770

"Perception Of Magic In Medieval Spanish Literature" by Jennifer M. Corry (Assistant Professor of Spanish, Berry College, Rome, Georgia) is a work of seminal scholarship as it introduces the reader to the literature of medieval Spain with a special focus upon the depiction of magical practices held by the writers of that period in Spanish history. Religious, political and social events are explored to provide a framework and background to understanding Spain's unique historical development and the impact of the Spanish perspective on the lives and works of Spanish authors. Organized into four major chapters: Magic; Spanish Intellectual and Medical Treaties; 'Real' Magical Practitioners in Spain; and Magic in Medieval Spanish Literature. Professor Corry then draws some succinct and documented conclusions concerning how medieval Spanish writers viewed the role and practice of magic. Enhanced with a lengthy section of Notes, a 'List of References', and a comprehensive Index, "Perception Of Magic In Medieval Spanish Literature" is a core addition to academic library Spanish Literature and Medieval Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Reading Writing
Julien Gracq
Turtle Point Press
233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279
General Strategic Marketing (publicity)
78 Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, New York, NY 10011-8003
1933527021 $17.50 www.turtlepoint.com 1-212-285-1018

Julien Gracq was born in 1910 at Saint-Florent-le-Vieil where he still resides today as one of France's most eminent postwar writers. His body of work includes essays, literary criticism, journalism, and novels. A retiring figure, Julien Gracq refused the Goncourt Prize when it was awarded to him in 1951. A highly prized and recommended addition to personal and academic library collections, "Reading Writing" is the first English-language edition of 'En lisant en ecrivant' and will introduce him to an American readership as a man with a distinctive take on the subjective history of fiction and poetry, and who offers a personal meditation on the links between literature and the visual arts of painting and the cinema. Cracq's poetics are founded upon his understanding of the basic acts of reading and writing and the relationship between the writer and the writer's language. Also very highly recommended from Turtle Point Press are the English translations of Julien Graque's masterpieces of social and emotional literature: "The Shape of the City"; "The Narrow Waters"; and "King Cophetus".

Daughters of Earth
Justine Larbalesier
Wesleyan University Press
215 Long Lane, Middletown, CT 06549
0819566756 $24.95 397 pages (860) 685-7723 www.wesleyan.edu/wespress

Expertly compiled and deftly edited by science fiction expert and author Justine Larbalesier, "Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century" is both a collection of eleven short stories by famous feminist science fiction authors and eleven analytical essays which accompany and explain the short stories displayed. Both the authors of the short stories and the authors of the critical essays are feminist science fiction experts. Some of the authors of the short stories include Octavia Butler, Gwyneth Jones, Leslie Stone, Kate Wilhelm, Pamela Zoline, Lisa Tuttle, Pat Murphy, and James Tiptree Jr. Critical essayists include, not in order, Lisa Yaszek, Josh Lukin, Wendy Pearson, Joan Haran, Veronica Hollinger, Andrea Hairston, and L. Timmel Duchamp. These are the famed jewels of feminist science fiction, and it is indeed a rare treat to have the entire volume and its companion essays to peruse. If you have ever read Octavia Butler "The Evening and the Morning and the Night," you will relish the companion essay, 'Praise Song to a Prophetic Artist,' by Andrea Hairston. Paving the way for future feminist writers and thinkers, these authors represent a rich composite vein to be mined at will. An amazing amount of detective work and scholarship went into this edition. "Daughters of Earth" is a gift to the readers of the twenty-first century, in hopes that they remember upon whose literary shoulders they are standing in the fields of science fiction, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

The Stories We Tell
Ruth Newton
Florida Academic Press
PO Box 540, Gainesville, FL 32602-0540
1890357189 $34.95 352-332-5104

"The Stories We Tell: Composing In A Decomposing World" by Ruth Newton is a seminal body of literary criticism that is especially characterized by its scholarship and accessibility to both academia and non-specialist general readers alike. Her essays into the character of the novel as a form of epic storytelling showcases an enviable grasp of what constitutes enduring literature that transcends and extends beyond its own generation to speak to the mind and imagination of future generations of readers. As entertaining and engaging as it is informed and informative, "The Stories We Tell" is enthusiastically endorsed and a seminal contribution to personal and academic library Literary Criticism reference collections and supplemental reading lists.


The Library CD Music Shelf

Bubbemeises
David Krakauer
Label Bleu
c/o Rock Paper Scissors
216 West Allen Street, Suite 137, Bloomington, IN 47403
LBLC6677 $TBA www.rockpaperscissors.biz

Bubbemeises is a collaborative music CD between clarinet creative genius David Krakauer and Jewish hip hop beat artist Socalled. The result is a lively international album that draws from both classical sources and the fiery wellspring of inner emotion. The tracks are Bubbemeises (6:62), Ms N.C. (2:50), Moskovitz and Loops of It (5:08), B Flat a la Socalled (6:33), Turntable Pounding (4:24), Long... Short, Long Les Colocs (2:34), Bus Number 9999 (4:20), The Electric Sher (3:54), Rumania Rumania (7:37), and Rue Mania Bonus Track (1:36). An instrumental cornucopia of vibrant klezmer sound and Romanian inspiration.


The Antiques/Collectibles Shelf

Warman's Little Golden Books
Steve Santi
Krause Publications
c/o F & W Publications Inc
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990-0001
089689424X $24.99 www.fwpublications.com 1-888-457-2873

"Warman's Little Golden Books" is a definitive 256 page guide and reference which identifies and prices over 2000 chidren's Little Golden books from 1942 to 2006. It is in full color, with simply wonderful cover illustrations of each book to complete its identification. For everyone who has ever enjoyed the Little Golden Books, this is an impressive and nostalgic guide to help you find, identify, price, sell, or acquire your childhood Little Golden Book treasures. "Warman's Little Golden Books" is clearly Steve Santi's labor of love and an impressive contribution to the "retro" children's book market collector. It is an excellent reference and a offer a delightful, bonus, and pleasantly nostalgic walk down memory lane.

Krause Publications
700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-2873
www.fwpublications.com

WARMAN'S LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS (089689424X, $24.99) by Steve Santi tells how to identify all Little Golden Books titles, providing an alphabetic listing of books by title and including matching color photos. Both original editions and secondary publications are included while the tips on assessment are particularly valuable given the number of reprints of the Little Golden series. Learn how to assess condition and make important value judgements with this essential collector's guide. Thomas Michael and George Cuhaj edit the 11th official edition of COLLECTING WORLD COINS (0896893596, $34.99), which includes coins from 1901 to modern times in a country-by-country reference to their latest prices. Black and white photos throughout make for quick and easy identification. George S. Cuhaj's STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD PAPER MONEY (0896893561, $50.00) appears in its 12th updated edition to provide the reference of choice for any who would collect paper monies from 1961 to present. Again, black and white photos compliment the latest values in a country-organized reference perfect for quick lookup.

Collector Books
Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002-3009
www.collectorbooks.com

John W. Obbard's Early American Furniture: A Guide to Who, When, and Where (1574324896 $19.95) is as much a history of the genre as a collector's reference – so don't expect glitzy color photos here. Instead, chapters pack in production history, notes on furniture makers and eras, and descriptions of key pieces with an eye to surveying the entire industry rather than the pieces of a particular company, making Early American Furniture a top pick for any serious about studying early American pieces. A specialty item indeed is Lar Hothem's ORNAMENTAL INDIAN ARTIFACTS: IDENTIFICATON AND VALUE GUIDE (1574325191, $34.95) – and it will prove invaluable to any avid collector of ornamental Indian works. Color photos of stones, beads, slate, copper and other works pack a reference organized by material, making it easy for artifact collectors to quickly reference a piece. The second updated edition of Anna Mary Feldmeyer and Kara Holtzman's UHL POTTERY IDENTIFICATION & VALUE GUIDE (1574325280, $16.95) packs in color photos and history for general production pieces, hand-turned pieces, gardenware and more, pairing these explorations with color photos and packaging all in a book lending to a take-along tote. Ditto for the fifteenth edition of Gene & Cathy Florence's POCKET GUIDE TO DEPRESSION GLASS & MORE: 1920S-60S (1574325124, $12.95), which offers header pages of color photos accompanied by values and photo legends. Both are especially strong 'take along' picks when you're going to the flea market or estate sales.


The Computer Shelf

Murach's C# 2005
Joel Murach
Mike Murach & Associates Inc.
3484 West Gettysburg Avenue, Suite 101, Fresno, CA 93722
1890774375 $52.50 www.murach.com 1-800-221-5528

Murach's C# 2005 is the definitive self-teaching and reference tool for aspiring and practicing C# programmers of all skill and experience levels. Like other books in the Murach line, Murach's C# 2005 distinguishes itself by providing complete applications for examples rather than isolated pieces of code. Assembled with the aid of an expert staff of programmers, Murach's C# 2005 covers everything from basic object-oriented and database programming to Visual Studio, Windows Forms applications, coding specific methods and control structures among other tools, working with XML files, intermediate to advanced programming concerns such as enhancing user interface and deploying applications, and much more. Nearly eight hundred pages of solid expertise, complete with sample exercises to practice and an index for easy lookup, round out this ultra user-friendly manual. Enthusiastically recommended for anyone with an interest in C#.


The Library DVD Shelf

Beowulf & Grendel
Union Station Media
c/o Anchor Bay Entertainment
1699 Stutz Drive, Troy, MI 48084
DV72120 $29.98 www.amazon.com www.anchorbayentertainment.com

Starring Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgard, Sarah Polley, Ingvar Sigurdsson, and a superb cast of supporting actors, Beowulf & Grendel is an imaginative and engaging recasting of the ancient Norse legend of a mighty Geat warrior who fought against a monster and his mother who were slaying Danish men. This mythical medieval adventure brings to the story a new dimension casting Grendel as a troll with a backstory that provides an unexpectedly sympathetic perspective to his condition and his quest for vengeance. The plot twists and revelations, the accurate historical details of costume and set designs, the spectacular scenery, the incredible suspense and impressive battle sequences, and the intertwining themes of loyalty, honor, and vengeance on the part of both sides in the conflict, make Beowulf & Grendel a very strong and entertaining contribution to personal and community library DVD movie collections. The DVD format also allows a number of bonus features including a director's commentary, deleted scenes, cast interviews, costume sketches, and the featurette: "Wrath of Gods".

The Last Detective: Series 1
Acorn Media Group
801 Roeder Road, Suite 700, Silver Spring, MD 20910
1569388687 $39.99 www.acornmedia.com

Detective Constable 'Dangerous Davies' is a gentle, old-fashion, decent, conscientious, caring, and persevering London police officer who is ridiculed and disrespected by his fellow officers, his boss, and his ex-wife. His nickname of 'Dangerous' is a derisive reference to his being viewed as not dangerous at all, rather inept, and the very last detective on the force to be given an assignment of any importance. But when Dangerous Davies stumbles across an 20 year old disappearance, he doggedly tracks it down assisted only by an eccentric friend. The end result is the uncovering of an old murder and an unexpected plot twist that is the essence of a great British mystery! Based upon a novel by Leslie Thomas, "The Last Detective" is superbly produced, with first class acting, and meticulous attention to detail that hallmarks a witty, character-enriched, two-disc, four episode mini-series that has a total running time 312 minutes. The DVD format is enhanced with the inclusion of a Leslie Thomas biography and book list, a photo gallery, and cast filmographies making it very strongly recommended for personal and community library DVD collections.


The Audiobook Shelf

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

Marek Halter's LILAH: A FORBIDDEN LOVE, A PEOPLE'S DESTINY (0739311743, $29.95) receives TV actress Ellen Reilly's excellent narrative style, which brings to life an unusual drama set in the Middle East more than four thousand years ago and telling of one Lilah, living in exile and in love with a Persian warrior. Pair thwarted romance with Lilah's brother's destiny to lead his people and you have a compelling story indeed. Robert B. Parker's BLUE SCREEN (0739324608, $29.95) receives actress Kate Burton's smooth voice and style as it tells of a Boston investigator hired as a bodyguard to an up-and-coming starlet. The death of the starlet's sister will lead her to track a clever murderer.

Gideon the Cutpurse
Linda Buckley-Archer
Simon & Schuster Audio
1230 Avenue of Americas, New York NY 10020
0743555589 $39.95 www.simonsaysaudio.com

Gerard Doyle's background as a Shakespearian actor lends drama to his reading about a cutpurse and gentleman, set in 1763 and telling of two 20th century children who are accidentally sent back in time. With the machine stolen, Gideon and the two children journey through 18th century London in an effort to find the keys to their return in this engrossing historical time travel drama.

Clipper Audio
270 Skipjack Rd., Prince Frederick, MD 20678
www.recordedbooks.com

Carol Smith's HIDDEN AGENDA (1845055195, $49.95) receives Laurence Bouvard's warm and crisp style as it tells of an old school friend who faces execution for the murder of her children. London rabbi Deborah Hirsch is charged with proving her innocence. John Harvey's ASH AND BONE (1845058429, $79.95) benefits form Gordon Griffin's excellent style as it tells of a retired recluse detective's immersion in the violent crime of London and the problems of a willful daughter. All are excellent, recommended picks.

Brilliance Corporation
www.brillianceaudio.com

Familiarity with the prior volumes in the 'Saga of Seven Suns' series will lend to this, Kevin J. Anderson's Book 5, OF FIRE AND NIGHT (1597372196 $29.95), spiced with veteran narrator David Colacci's dramatic reading as it tells of interstellar war and the possible death of Earth. Interplanetary politics and battles provide ripe, rich drama prior fans will relish. Karen Kingsbury's FOUND (1596002034, $21.95) receives veteran Sandra Burr's warm reading as it tells of a wife's dying wish to find their firstborn son – a wish which will set John on a search for answers and possible newfound meaning in life as he and Dayne Matthews search for spiritual and personal consolation. Juanita Bynum's WALKING IN YOUR DESTINY (1423326873, $19.95) also receives Sandra Burr's professional style as it provides a nonfiction spiritual account originally published as MY SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE. Bynum explains how to submit to God's authority and illustrates the pattern for receiving Godly approval.

The Historian
Elizabeth Kostova
Books On Tape, Inc.
400 Hahn, Westminister, MD 21157
1415929009 $129.00 www.booksontape.com 1-800-541-5525

A series of letters discovered by a young woman lead her to a search for her father and an inquiry into her long missing mother's shadowed past. The letters provide links to the truth about Dracula and his involvement in the lives of her parents. Through flash-backs we learn of her father's efforts to find his mentor and teacher, Dr. Rossi, and in the process, discover Rossi's unacknowledged daughter. Together the two of them, assisted along the way by several characters and a series of mysterious old books featuring an image of the Dragon and nothing else, gradually uncover Dracula's lair and why he has enticed them into his the confines of his personal library which he had accumulated over the centuries of his diabolical existence. A rich combination of mystery, fantasy, history, and suspense, "The Historian" is a worth contribution to the growing body of Dracula stories. This complete and unabridged, 26 hour, 6 minute, audiocassette edition is narrated by Justine Eyre and Paul Michael who do full justice to Elizabeth Kostova's deftly written historical novel. With a sturdy plastic container for an extended shelf life which holds 17 cassettes, "The Historian" is an ideal and recommended addition to community library audiobook collections and is a "must" for fans of vampire lore in general, and tales of Dracula in particular.


The Biography Shelf

One Untimely Born
Robert L. Cate
Mercer University Press
1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207
0865549958 $25.00 www.mupress.com 1-478-301-2880

One Untimely Born: The Life And Ministry Of The Apostle Paul by Christian scholar and pastor Robert L. Cate is the biography of the life and ministry of the apostle Paul, reconstructed from the earliest Biblical texts, archaeological discoveries, and histories of the period. Narrating the story of Paul's life in straightforward prose, One Untimely Born is an excellent introduction to Paul's role in carrying Jesus Christ's teachings and transforming the known world for lay readers and religious scholars alike. Highly recommended.

Country Editor
Phyllis Meras
Images From The Past
PO Box 137, Bennington, VT 05201
www.imagesfromthepast.com
1884592422 (pb) 1884592457 (hc) $21.95 (pb) $35.00 (hc) 802-442-3204

Country Editor: Henry Beetle Hough And The Vineyard Gazette by Phyllis Meras, contributing editor and former managing editor of the Vineyard Gazette, is the amazing celebration of Henry Beetle Hough, whose dynamic life is interthreaded with the chronicle of the weekly newspaper that he and his wife first received as a wedding present. Chapters chronicle how Hough served as the Vineyard Gazette's owner and editor for nearly six decades, his own passion for writing reflected in his twenty-four fiction and nonfiction books, his conservation work, and his best-selling "Country Editor" which has remained an inspiration to aspiring and fledgling journalists. Black-and-white photographs intersperse the down-to-earth storytelling style of this top-notch tribute to a life well lived.

The Bookmaker's Daughter
Shirley Abbott
The University Of Arkansas Press
201 Ozark, Fayetteville, AR 72701
1557288216 $15.95 1-800-626-0090

Originally published in 1991, and now featuring a new introduction by award-winning author Shirley Abbott, The Bookmaker's Daughter: A Memory Unbound is the poignant memoir of a daughter remembering her father, growing up in Arkansas in the 30's and 40's. Her father survived the tough times of the depression not through the trade of physically making books, but rather through the business of gambling and horse racing. Yet The Bookmaker's Daughter is about books in another way; the father who once read to his young daughter and stimulated her imagination saw her outgrow her small home town and head for New York City after graduation, against his wishes. A heartfelt tale of family bonds thicker than water, stronger than time.

Ty Cobb
Charles C. Alexander
Southern Methodist University Press
PO Box 750415, Dallas, TX 75275-0415
0870745093 $17.95 1-800-826-8911

Now featuring a new afterword by author Charles C. Alexander (Professor Emeritus Of History at Ohio University), Ty Cobb is the classic biography of one of baseball's most brilliant, volatile, and intimidating presences. An inset section of black-and-white photographic plates illustrate this chronicle of not only Ty Cobb's robust life, but also the startling transformations taking place during twentieth-century baseball. A fascinating, deftly researched and highly readable "must-have" for fans of baseball legends.

The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear
John Benedict Buescher
University of Notre Dame Press
310 Flanner Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556
0268022003 $30.00 www.undpress.nd.edu 1-800-621-2736

"The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear: Agitator For The Spirit Land" by John Buescher (Chief of the Tibetan Broadcast Service of the Voice of America) is the biography of one of 19th century America's most idiosyncratic and radical religious figures whose flamboyant spiritualist proclivities led him to protest slavery and capital punishment, invent 'spirit machines', and perhaps most surprisingly -- advocate 'free love'. While Spear help organize public support for anarchist, socialist, peace, and labor causes, his personal life was an eccentric mixture of the comic and the profane and provides contemporary readers with a remarkable perspective on 19th century American religious and social life. An impressive body of well research and superbly written detail, "The Remarkable Life Of John Murray Spear" is informative, entertaining, and very highly recommended reading on the life and times of a remarkable distinctive man who helped to shape American history.

Harry Haft
Alan Scott Haft
Syracuse University Press
1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210
0815608233 $24.95 www.SyracuseUniversityPress.syr.edu 1-800-365-8929

Harry Haft: Survivor Of Auschwitz, Challenger Of Rocky Marciano is the unique biography of a Jewish man who survived the Nazi concentration camps while being forced by brutal German officers to fight his fellow prisoners -- to lose was to die. Haft was only sixteen when he was sent to the concentration camps; four years later, he barely escaped with his life, and killed German civilians while struggling to survive. Prone to fits of violent temper, made worse by the permanent scars of the unspeakably inhuman treatment he endured, Harry Haft decided to take his talent for fisticuffs into the professional boxing ring. But in an era when boxing was heavily infiltrated by organized crime, gangsters threatened Haft with execution unless he lost his fight with heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Written by Harry Haft's son, Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano gives a complete picture of a flawed yet courageous human being, a survivor beyond measure, and is highly recommended for biography and holocaust studies shelves.


The Business Shelf

How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your
Business Or Web Site
Bruce C. Brown
Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.
1210 SW 23rd Place Ocala FL. 34474
0910627576 $24.95 www.atlantic-pub.com 1-800-814-1132

Author Bruce C. Brown, How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your Business Or Web Site - With Little Or No Money is a straightforward, how-to guide to maximize the advantages of an online site and promote one's business. Written for computer users of all experience levels from novice to expert, How To Use The Internet To Advertise, Promote, And Market Your Business Or Web Site covers how to generate more traffic to one's site without resorting to illegal schemes like spam mail, positive branding, methods for automating one's website, creating e-zines and newsletters to generate interest, using an auto-responder, search engine optimization, how banner advertising works, and more. An absolute "must-have" especially for small business owners seeking to maximize their online publicity for minimum expenditure.

Amacom
1601 Broadway, New York NY 10019
www.amacombooks.org

Scott Fox's INTERNET RICHES: THE SIMPLE MONEY-MAKING SECRETS OF ONLINE MILLIONAIRES (0814473563 $22.00) provides all the basics needed to understand options in starting an Internet business. Here are tried, tested strategies he and other entrepreneurs have used to build their tiny ventures into million-dollar enterprises. Unlike most guides, the focus isn't on Ebay or a personal website alone, but a blend of business plan and a range of internet strategies which not only sell products, but services. With its emphasis on low-cost, low-budget efforts and small-budget marketing, INTERNET RICHES is a top pick indeed, surpassing the competition in scope and coverage. Speaking of Ebay, SELLING BEYOND EBAY: FOOLPROOF WAYS TO REACH MORE CUSTOMERS AND MAKE BIG MONEY ON RIVAL ONLINE MARKETPLACES by Greg Holden (0814473490, $19.95) is another fine internet small business book which will reach small sellers and pros alike. Understand how competing auction and non-auction sites like Overstock, Bidville, Yahoo and eBid work, learn how to partner a small store with a big name, and locate new product deals using SELLING BEYOND EBAY, which include includes profiles of successful seller techniques both inside and apart from Ebay. Paul S. Goldner's RED-HOT COLD CALL SELLING, 2ND EDITION (0814473482, $17.95) offers sales personnel a tutorial which blends experience and examples with a different approach to cold calling. Novices to quota club attendees, pros and beginners alike will find chapters analyzing prospecting techniques for high-payoff approaches. From break-even hours and outside hours which assure success to smart definitions of target markets, RED-HOT COLD CALL SELLING provides many insights into what works, what doesn't, and why.


The Martial Arts Shelf

The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja
Ross Heaven
Destiny Books/Inner Traditions
One Park Street, Rochester, Vermont 05767
1594771073 14.95 www.destinybooks.com

The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja: Mastering The Four Gates Of Freedom by therapist and workshop leader Ross Heaven leads the reader on a journey to the spiritual philosophy of the Ninja, and its core tenet that there is no higher power than the actualized human being. Four initiatory ordeals lead the seeker through the confusion and fatigue of the soul that block the individual from realizing his or her full potential. Primarily a metaphysical self-help guide rather than a martial arts instruction book, The Spiritual Practices Of The Ninja nonetheless offers a tight focus on mental and emotional self-improvement that can reap benefits in all walks of life.

Flashlight Fighting
Phil Elmore
Paladin Press
7007 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
1581605021 $10.00 www.paladin-press.com

A simple, common, ordinary flashlight can be readily employed as an effective and lawful weapons of self-defense -- if you know how to use it properly. That's where experienced martial artist Phil Elmore's Flashlight Fighting: How To Make Your Pocket Flashlight A Take-Anywhere Self-Defense Weapon comes in. Offering complete, comprehensive, "user friendly", step-by-step, illustrations instructions, anyone can learn how to defend themselves with using a six-inch flashlight to ward off and punish an attacker. This is particular useful information where other forms of self-defense such as pepper sprays, collapsible batons, mace, billy clubs, knives, and guns are prohibited by law. This an effective and very strongly recommended 77 page training manual that could very well save your life when out on the streets, traversing parking lots or garages, recreating in a park, or anywhere else that assailants could lurk.


The Needlecraft Shelf

Knit Style
Barbara W. Larson
Creative Homeowner
PO Box 38, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458-0038
1580113052 $19.95 www.creativehomeowner.com 1-800-631-7795

KNIT STYLE: CHIC AND SEXY ACCESSORIES is all about wardrobe accents which are simple, quick, and easy to produce in fact, most can be made in a few hours or in an afternoon. Knitters will find this a wonderful collection of over twenty stylish projects for all stages of knitting expertise, pairing color photos and instructional diagrams showing each knitted stitch along the way. Among the trendy displays: a collar with pin accent, chunky purse, cabled armlets and more. Lay-flat binding in a book that holds spine lettering plus discussions of yarn manufacturers enhances all.

Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country
Jodie Davis with Jayne Davis
Breckling Press
283 Michigan, Elmhurst, IL 60126
1933308052 $24.95 www.brecklingpress.com

Compiled and organized by needlecraft expert Jodie Davis (with the assistance of her step-mother Jayne Davis, who is a life-time practitioner of the needle arts), "Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country" offers sixteen quilting and home-decorating projects that even the most novice needlecrafter can accomplish in their own sewing room. This primer on quilting skills includes quick-sew techniques such as rotary cutting, strip piecing, fusing, raw-edge applique, curve-and-pleat piecing, cut-and-fuse applique, the sew-turn-stuff applique dimension technique, and more. Enhanced with the inclusion of period photographs, simple recipes, history notes, anecdotes, mottos, and a song, "Quilting With Jodie In Cotton Country" is a fun and informative "how to" resource for developing quilting skills and techniques, making it strongly recommended for personal and community library Quilting & Needlecraft instructional reference collections.

Arctic Lace
Donna Druchunas
Nomad Press
418 Goldeneye Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80522-0484
0966828976 $26.95 www.nomad-press.com

Donna Druchunas is an expert knitwear designer whose work has been showcased in Family Circle, Easy Knitting, Interweave Knits, PieceWork, Knitter's, INKnitter's, and Fiber Focus magazines. In "Arctic Lace: Knitted Projects And Stories Inspired By Alaska's Native Knitters", Donna has created a 192-page, single-volume workshop on knitting and designing lace with an Inuit flair. In addition to the fifteen individual "user friendly" projects provided with careful step-by-step instructions, "Arctic Lace" is enhanced with 171 b/w photographs, 91 b/w illustrations, 28 tables, 11 sidebars, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index. These projects are adaptable to any yarn and demonstrate to even the most novice needlecrafter just how to make the most of luxury fibers. There is even extensive background information on the natural history of musk oxen, conservation efforts, and the fiber quality and use of their fur which is the source of Qiviut (or musk ox down), felt by many to be the world's warmest, lightest-weight fiber and a mainstay of Alaska's native knitters. "Arctic Lace" is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to any dedicated needlecrafter's reference collection.


The Gardening Shelf

Plant Roots
Peter Gregory
Blackwell Publishing
PO Box 570, Ames, IA 50020-0570
1405119063 $199.99 www.blackwellprofessional.com 1-800-862-6657

Written for agricultural and environmental scientists as well as ecologists and hydrologists, Plant Roots: Growth, Activity, And Interaction With Soils by Peter Gregory (Director Of The Scottish Research Institute Dundee, UK) is a comprehensive and scientific instructional text about the relationship between plants and soil. Chapters scrutinize the architecture of root systems, roots and their physio-chemical as well as biological environment, the rhizosphere (volume of soil affected by the presence of roots of growing plants), genetic control of root system properties, and much more. An excellent, in-depth reference for college courses or extended individual study, Plant Roots reflects the expertise of its author in its impeccable scholarship. Recommended for agriculture, botany, and bioscience college libraries.

Deer In My Garden
Carolyn Singer
Garden Wisdom Press
PO Box 992, Grass Valley, CA 95945
097742510X $19.95 www.gardenwisdompress.com 1-530-272-4362

"Deer In My Garden: Perennials & Subshrubs" is a superbly presented and profusely illustrated introduction for the novice gardener and a welcome reference for the experienced horticulturalist covering more than 100 species of garden plants. "Deer In My Garden" covers cultural requirements (zones, sun exposure, soil, irrigation), bloom description and use (cut flower or everlasting), seasonal interest (including the best plants for winter), landscape use and companion plants (perennials, bulbs, shrubs), maintenance (both the growing and dormant seasons), and propagation (see, vegetative cuttings, layering). Authoritative, superbly organized, and thoroughly "user friendly', "Dear In My Garden" is a seminal and core addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening Resources reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Edens Lost & Found
Harry Wiland, Dale Bell, Joseph D'Agnese
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001-0428
1933392266 $25.00 1-800-639-4099 www.chelseagreen.com

Using community examples drawn from Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle (each of whom are American cities having to deal with a range of serious demographic, economic, and environmental challenges), "Edens Lost & Found: How Ordinary Citizens Are Restoring Our Great American Cities" showcases the activism, leadership, and citizen participation that has enabled neighborhoods to create beauty out of blight through sustainable urban ecosystems. One of the amazing consequences has been the transformation of the relationships and attitudes of the neighborhood residents in the process. Nicely illustrated throughout, "Edens Lost & Found" is a strongly recommended addition to school and community library collections as an inspired and inspiring guide to what can be done to enhance any town or city neighborhood's quality of life through the development of urban ecosystems.


The Christian Studies Shelf

I Told The Mountain To Move
Patricia Raybon
Tyndale House Publishers
351 Executive Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188
0842387978 $19.99 www.tyndale.com 1-800-323-9400

I Told The Mountain To Move by Patricia Raybon (journalism faculty of the University Of Colorado) is the true story of an African-American wife, mother, daughter, and teacher who confronted struggles in her life to learn how to pray. Written especially for fellow readers who have wrestled all their lives with disappointment in God despite their efforts to be "good" Christians, I Told The Mountain To Move acknowledges that the quest to emulate the mercy of Christ, experience heartfelt prayer, and keep good cheer in trying times is a difficult one. Yet the search to connect with God's love is also rewarding in every dimension of human experience. Highly recommended.

The Untold Story Of The New Testament Church
Frank Viola
Destiny Image Publishers
P.O. Box 310 Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310
0768422361 $13.99 www.destinyimage.com 1-800-722-6774

The Untold Story Of The New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide To Understanding The New Testament summarizes and explains the contents of the New Testament in chronological order - very helpful feature to novice Biblical scholars and lay readers, as Paul's letters, for example, are arranged by size rather than chronologically. The main text narrates New Testament events in plain terms, with extensive historical annotations as well as references to the New Testament passages being summarized. An invaluable introduction to the New Testament, fully accessible to readers of all backgrounds.

Holy Silence
J. Brent Bill
Paraclete Press Inc.
P.O. Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
1557254206 $14.95 www.paracletepress.com 1-508-255-4685

Holy Silence: The Gift Of Quaker Spirituality by J. Brent Bill ( Executive Vice President of the Indianapolis Center For Congregations Inc.) is an invitation for readers of all faiths to discover spirituality through the Quaker way of listening for the voice of God in silence. Chapters discuss how to find silence amid the noise of daily life, ways to practice silence both individually and communally, and how to listen to God with one's whole heart and mind. "Quietude Queries" such as "Have I ever been a part of a 'non-church' experience where I felt God's presence? What made me feel that God was there?" are suggested for contemplation while experiencing the spiritual transcendence of silence. A compassionate and devout guide recommended to Christian readers of all denominational affiliations.

Confronted By God
Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett
Seabury Books
445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
1596270233 $16.00 www.seaburybooks.org

Confronted By God: The Essential Verna Dozier by co-editors Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett is a carefully selected assembly of the writings of Verna Dozier, a Christian African-American woman dedicated to speaking out for the sake of the poor, dedicating herself to spreading the idea of equality as God's great dream. Confronted By God captures the essence of this proud, passionate, and pious woman, and invokes both compassion and contemplation at length in the reader. "Has anyone called you a fanatic lately? And if they did, was it because you were so set on establishing a morality for someone else, or because you were intent on a private piety, or because you were willing to risk every known security that someone else might have a richer life?"

Learning To Count To One
Alfred E. Mulder, editor
Faith Alive Christian Resources
2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49560
159255296X $11.95 www.faithaliveresources.org 1-800-333-8300

Learning To Count To One: The Joy And Pain Of Becoming A Multiracial Church is a collection of testimonies from various authors belonging to the denomination of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The CRC is working to become a family of churches that is inclusive of all races, and worshipers of all nations; their struggles for diversity is reflected in the voices in Learning To Count To One. Black-and-white photographs, and a handful of timetables and charts embellish the down-to-earth true stories of people who live and work to promote intercultural harmony through shared faith.

Songs Of Freedom
Eileen Mitson, editor; Steve Goss, commentator
Kregel Publications
PO Box 2607 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2607
1854247190 $12.99 www.kregel.com 1-616-451-4775

Edited by Eileen Mitson with added commentary by Steve Goss, "Songs of Freedom: Stories Of Lives Transformed By The Deep Power Of Christ is an inspired and inspiring collection of stories taken from the lives of men and women who knew that the simple step of becoming a Christian would not automatically or simply resolve their problems. But through the 'Steps to Freedom in Christ', a Bible-based program of spiritual recovery developed by Neil Anderson and Steve Gross, these men and women were abilt to find a better alterative to a life of self-hatred, impaired self-image, eating disorders, emotional pain, social and familial rejection. "Songs Of Freedom" is strongly recommended reading, especial for anyone having to recover from the spiritual and emotional damage of promiscuity, involvement with cults or the occult, flawed parenting, and the myriad forms of self-abuse that are to be encountered in an anti-Christian secular society.

Caedmon's Song
Ruth Ashby & Bill Slavin
Eerdmans Books For Young Readers
255 Jefferson S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503
0802852416 $16.00 www.eerdmans.com 1-800-253-7521

Written by Ruth Ashby and illustrated by Bill Slavin, Caedmon's Song is a picturebook rendition of the true story of Caedmon, the seventh-century cowheard who became known as the first English poet. For years, during festivals, Caedmon was unable to take the harp passed around and sing of bloody or savage battles - but one night inspiration struck, and he thought to sing of what he knew. He sang of his faith in the Lord, and praise for God's creations. He found his true calling as a monk, and his place in history. A profound spiritual tale, brought beautifully to life with full-color artwork.

This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served
Dandi Daley Mackall & Benrei Huang
Augsburg Books
PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209
0806651180 $9.99 www.augsburgbooks.com 1-800-328-4648

Written in a lyrically repetitive prose by Dandi Daley Mackall and beautifully illustrated by Benrei Huang, "This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served" is a retelling of the New Testament story of Jesus' miraculous feeding of the multitudes with bread and fish. The underlying message for young readers is that they can also do a great deal with the gifts they have. Enhanced with the addition of 'Fun Fish Facts', 'Bible Bread Facts', and 'Servant Ideas' (four suggestions for activities children can participate in arising from the story that they've just read -- or had read to them), "This Is The Lunch That Jesus Served" is a wonderful addition to family, Sunday School, and Parochial School picturebook collections.

The Make And Do Bible: Reproducible Craft Ideas For Ages 6-12
Gillian Chapman
Concordia Publishing House
3558 S. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118-3968
0758611056 $19.99 www.cph.org 1-800-325-3040

The Make And Do Bible: Reproducible Craft Ideas For Ages 6-12 retells 48 of the best known and most beloved biblical stories; accompanying each story is a simple craft project that encourages young people to express and develop their faith as they think about the Good News. For example, one story is a brief biblical parable about sowing God's Word as one would sow seed, and the activity involves making a mosaic with seeds. Simple, cartoony illustrations and photographs add a visual touch to the biblical stories and craft steps. An enjoyable "hands-on" resource for Sunday School or devotional activities at home.

Following Francis
Susan Pitchford
Morehouse Publishing
PO Box 1321, Harrisburg, PA 17105
0819222356 $15.95 212-592-6397

Very highly recommended reading for students of St. Francis of Assisi, "Following Francis: The Franciscan Way for Everyone" by Susan Pitchford (a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle) provides a superbly organized and presented introduction to Franciscan spirituality as experienced by lay people who are part of the Franciscan 'Third Order'. Nine spiritual disciplines comprise the Third Order rule. "Following Francis" devotes chapters on all nine disciplines, plus additional chapters dedicated to central Franciscan themes such as humility, love, and joy. Providing readers with practical guidelines drawn from the life of St. Francis and from third-order Franciscans, "Following Francis" invites Christian readers to participate in the passion and joy that so characterized the manner and example in which Francis of Assisi followed the teachings and example of Jesus.

Reinventing Worship
Brad Berglund
Judson Press
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482
0817014934 $14.00 www.judsonpress.com 1-800-458-3766

"Reinventing Worship: Prayers, Readings, Special Services And More" by Brad Berglund (spiritual director of Illuminated Journeys, an ecumenical ministry devoted to enriching the spiritual life of individuals and churches) offers a compilation of prayers, litanies, blessings, and benedictions for transforming worship. There are guides of 'reinvented' weddings and funerals, plus resources of those charged with ministering and worshiping in the varied conditions of the contemporary world. Enhanced with the addition of a CD-ROM of resources for worship (including all of the worship resources recorded in the book, plus contemplative images and more than 100 additional pages worth of Sacred Scriptures taken from contemporary Bible Translations on praise, thanksgiving, confession, forgiveness, marriage, benediction, salvation, discipleship, and more), "Reinventing Worship" is most especially recommended to the attention of those Christian communities and their ministers seeking to reinvigorate and renew the spiritual commitment of their congregations.

Paulist Press
997 Macarthur Boulevard, Mahwah, NJ 07430
www.paulistpress.com

Two simple picturebooks written by Sally Ann Wright and illustrated by Paola Bertolini Grudina are ideal for Christian parents to read aloud to very young children, as their first introduction to Biblical stories. Each two-page spread introduces a parable with a question-and-answer, and then summarizes a story in a handful of lines. Who Built the Ark and Other Questions (0809167301, $10.95) and What Did The Fishermen Catch? And Other Questions (0809167328, $10.95) include stories from both the Old and New Testaments, from the tale of Joseph's coat of many colors to Thomas' doubt that Jesus had truly returned to life. Both are gentle and heartwarming ways to help the very young start thinking about God and the son He sent to be a friend to all people. "What did the widow give? // Everything she had! // The rich men gave lots of money / to the Temple. / But they still had plenty left over. / Jesus told his disciples that / the widow had given more / than any of them. / Her two copper coins / were all she had, / but she had given them to God.

A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church
Kevin E. McKenna
Ava Maria Press
PO Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556
1594710791 $12.95 www.avemariapress.com 1-800-282-1865

A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church by Kevin E. McKenna (pastor at St. Cecilia Parish in Rochester, NY) is an easy-to-follow, no-nonsense guide to the rights of Catholic laity and clergy alike under church law. A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church covers Catholic Church law only; it does not address governmental law, or religious law for other churches. Chapters spell out what the letter of the sacrament states about the right of Catholics to voice opinions (though not the direct, open, and stubborn rejection of the Church's teachings), have protection of their privacy, freedom of inquiry, seek vindication of their rights, and much more. The final chapter describes in depth the steps for seeking vindication according to Church due process, including hierarchical recourse and advocate assistance. The answers to common questions such as "Can the Christian faithful be denied the Church's funeral rites?", "May parishoners hold title to the assets of a parish?", and "What rights are accorded to those who make allegations of sexual misconduct against a cleric? What obligations do they have?" will prove especially useful to the reader seeking to better understand the Church's legal systems and grievance procedures. Though not lengthy enough to cover all of the Church's laws in-depth, A Concise Guide To Your Rights In The Catholic Church is enthusiastically recommended for practical reference and use.


The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Don't Murder Your Mystery
Chris Roerden
Bella Rosa Books
P.O. Box 4251 CRS, Rock Hill, SC 29732
1933523131 $17.95 www.bellarosabooks.com

Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques To Save Your Manuscript From Turning Up D.O.A. by Chris Roerden (40 years experience as an editor in niche publishing) is a no-nonsense guide to improving one's professional writing skills, making one's manuscript more publishable and not subject to common rejection flaws, and learn from the experience of over 140 published writers. While Don't Murder Your Mystery is written especially for mystery, suspense, and crime fiction writers, the tips, tricks and techniques from bewaring cliches or avoiding clumsy and confusing body language descriptions to making one's dialogue snappy, sharpening self-editing skills and much more will prove invaluable to fiction writers of all genres. An enthusiastically recommended, energetic, easy-to-follow guide.

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance
Alison Kent
Alpha Books
c/o New American Library
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
1592575463 $16.95 1-800-847-5515 www.penguin.com

Alison Kent (the pseudonym of an experience author in the genre of erotic romance) draws upon her considerable expertise in "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" to help aspiring authors master the specialized genre of the erotic romance. All too often writers veer into crude pornography while trying to avoid prudish conventions in storytelling. "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" will take the novice writer through a series of practical and effective techniques for creating compelling characters, interesting plots, and engaging dialogue laced with sexually provocative eroticism. Enhanced with advice and examples drawn from successful romance writers and editors, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" will also prove an invaluable resource that includes lists of available publishers in this select genre. If you want your writing to be hallmarked with chemistry, spice, plot twists, complete characters, and "page turning romance", then add "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing Erotic Romance" to your instructional reference bookshelf.

The Erotic Writer's Market Guide
The Circlet Press Collective
Circlet Press Inc.
1770 Massachusetts Avenue, #278, Cambridge, MA 02140
1885865457 $19.95 www.circlet.com 1-617-864-0492

"The Erotic Writer's Market Guide" is compiled by The Circlet Press Collective and is a compendium of listings of literally hundreds of paying markets for erotic writing. This unique and "user friendly" writer's reference also includes practical, step-by-step advice contributing by working professionals on how to not only write good erotica, but how to sell it and make a career in the genre. There is invaluable information on pay scales and pay rates, tax deduction tips, "writer's rights", notations on the difference between men's and women's erotic fiction, what the editors of erotic magazines and presses want to see in submitted material, and a great deal more. Anyone wanting to write professional in the specialized genre of erotic short stories and novels will find "The Erotic Writer's Market Guide" to be an indispensable asset and a core reference for marketing their work.

Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook or Weekly Newspaper
Thomas A. Williams
Sentient Publications
1113 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302
1591810035 $24.95 www.sentientpublications.com

If you're thinking of starting a home-based publishing business, you can't be without Publish Your Own Magazine, Guidebook or Weekly Newspaper: it tells how to not just publish a winning title, but how to make it profitable – with no money up front. All kinds of successful periodicals and what made them tops are reviewed in a title which covers circulation, readership, proposal writing, optional publication formats, niche markets and more.

From Gutenberg To Open Type
Robin Dodd
Hartley & Marks Publishers
3661 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6R 2B8
Publishers Group West, distributor
1700 Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
0881792101 $29.95 www.pgw.com 1-800-788-3123

From Gutenberg To Open Type: An Illustrated History Of Type From The Earliest Letterforms To The Latest Digital Fonts by Robin Dodd (Associate Lecturer, London College of Communications) is a seminal and detailed historical survey of the printed letter from the era of the Gutenberg press moveable fonts down to today's desktop publishing software typefaces. Profusely illustrated throughout, From Gutenberg To Open Type is especially recommended to the attention of academicians, authors, publishers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of printing as well as professionals, artists and designers who work with type design and print. Of special note are the side panels to the regular text that explains how to use individual typefaces, notes common pitfalls, and showcases specifically related benefits to a given font. Informed and informative, From Gutenberg To Open Type is a welcome addition to personal, professional, and academic library reference collections.


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Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
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http://www.midwestbookreview.com


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