Arts and Humanities

Buenos Aires–born artist and mountaineer Helmut Ditsch claims neither to be a photographic realist nor a hyperrealist, saying, “My bedrock is my own experience.” However, for Ditsch, translating his experiences into pictures means taking his physical experiences of nature to the extreme. In fact, his increasingly larger formats demand extreme mental and physical concentration; his images of water, glaciers, deserts, and high mountains, with their almost enamel-like surface treatment reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, will release endorphins and induce intoxication. A 1993 graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Ditsch remained outside the academy’s trend toward digital imagery and media artistry with his preference for technical competence and old master style. Not one to avoid risk, he goes all out when experiencing nature, “whether climbing mountains, crossing deserts or on an iceberg.” With limited textual material by mountaineer and explorer Messner and art historian Aigner (director, Kunsthalle Krems, Austria), this trilingual (English, German, and Spanish), oversized book featuring more than 100 color illustrations and two fold-out reproductions is recommended for the general public and larger or specialized academic collections.—Nancy Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL

Journalist/photo artist Bamberg provides a thorough overview not only of digital photography but also of photography in general. In Part 1, he offers solid, practical advice on defining one’s audience and personal approach to photography and discusses the process of making photographs, various compositional elements (e.g., color, light and shadow, perspective), and the transition to digital photography. Part 2 contains wide-ranging tips about photographing outdoors and indoors, photographing people and animals, and taking color, black-and-white, and night shots. Part 3 deals with the use of PhotoShop; Part 4 is about managing digital files, printing photographs, and matting and framing one’s work. In Part 5, and in a bonus section titled “On the Web,” Bamberg imparts additional tips that address everything from photographing on a cloudy day to enhancing one’s photographs with text. The book includes a useful index for locating specific information and is illustrated with more than 300 full-color photographs. Bamberg has written a remarkably clear and comprehensive overview of digital photography; recommended for all libraries, especially for public libraries where there is interest in amateur photography.—Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL

Occupying the delicate intersection between engineering and architecture—i.e., the space between technology and art—bridges represent perhaps the nearest designers come to giving pure form to the built environment. Beginning with the pervasive metaphor of “building bridges,” Brown, whose previous Bridges (1993) is essentially the first edition of this title, presents a chronological and handsomely illustrated survey of this type of construction, describing its variations in complexity. Following a time line of developments from the ancient world to 2012 (the projected completion of one budget), the book, with exceptional clarity of form and superb color photographs, illustrates its topic further through historical views, black-and-white diagrams, and color sketches. Of particular note is the attention given to the technological differences among structural typologies. The history of each bridge featured is written in clear, complete, and suitably journalistic prose. Less thematic and conceptual than Lucy Blakstad’s Bridge: The Architecture of Connection and ultimately more instructive than Judith Dupré’s ambitiously designed Bridges: A History of the World’s Most Famous and Important Spans, this book nicely supersedes Wilbur J. Watson’s magnum opus, Bridge Architecture, and Elizabeth B. Mock’s The Architecture of Bridges. Essential for undergraduate design collections.—Paul Glassman, Hofstra Univ. Lib., Hempstead, NY

In this elegantly designed collection of images originally commissioned by the Queen magazine, noted documentary photographer Davidson portrays a slice of everyday life in England and Scotland in the seemingly quiescent time of 1960. Although the black-and-white photographs capture people in common activities ranging from lawn bowling to sheep herding, this photo essay is unified by a sense of humanity. Davidson was reputedly influenced by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who popularized the concept of “the decisive moment,” but the collection is more reminiscent of André Kertész’s work. Providing glimpses into the lives of people from both the working class and high society, the photographs exude a sensitive, almost tender quality. Davidson’s introduction offers highlights of an amazing career that spans half a century, while Mark Haworth-Booth (curator, Victoria & Albert Museum, 1970–2004) contributes a cogent afterword. However, like the finest photographs, these uncaptioned images speak for themselves. An exceptional book, this is highly recommended for all libraries, especially those with collections of fine art and documentary photography.—Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL

Föllmi (Offerings: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day) has the temperament, patience, and impressive portfolio to be the photographer of the Himalayas. Previously the Dalai Lama’s official photographer, he has been capturing the beauty of the region and discovering its essence and its people for the last quarter century. Indeed, discovery may be a theme in this beautiful volume. As the Dalai Lama’s preface notes, this timeless region is so remote that few will ever visit it. Föllmi invites us on several of his journeys and seems exceptionally attuned to grabbing snatches of light, fleeting colors, and native customs that yield trusting faces, young and old, locked in a natural serenity. There are 175 color images here, each of which receives thumbnail reproduction in later pages and is accompanied by a helpful explanatory paragraph by the photographer. This book is an appreciation of a vast, mountainous place that seems distant in many ways from everywhere else; highly recommended.—David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT

Levine (deputy director, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco) and Snyder (director & chief curator, Douglas F. Colley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed Coll.) have joined forces with noted graphic designer Martin Venezky to produce this compendium of photo albums dating from 1890 to 1930 that were originally exhibited at Reed College in Portland, OR. The advent of Kodak’s Brownie camera in 1900 opened the door for the common people to document their lives, experiences, and impressions; they then further expressed themselves by creating individual albums. Examples of the medium are depicted here with front covers and annotated narratives that weave together images and commentary. The pictures alone provide a poignant look at another era; fashions and settings speak of bygone, simpler days. Artistic touches and embellishments by the albums’ creators foretell an art/craft form in the making. Relationships, family, work, play, travel, special occasions, war, and beauty are all subjects that were captured and preserved. This book will make a welcome addition to public and special libraries, where everyone from history buffs to scrapbookers will appreciate it.—Karen MacMurray, Cape Coral P.L., FL

This well-conceived and handsome catalog accompanies curator Maloon’s blockbuster exhibit Camille Pissarro: The First Impressionist, showing through May 28 at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Maloon and four other qualified scholars, including Joachim Pissarro (curator, painting & sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York), great-grandson of the artist, systematically render Pissarro (1830–1903) not only a talented and prolific impressionist master but also an experimenter and innovator, a teacher and mentor, and—very important—a gracious and kind man. The catalog includes engrossing, erudite essays; high-quality color plates; a map of “Pissarro country”; a checklist of works; and a revealing and sometimes humorous section titled “Pissarro and His Critics.” The (popular) fact that Pissarro was a unifying figure of the impressionist movement and a notable landscape painter is undeniably illustrated here. Maloon and associates also shed light on a less well known yet equally captivating Pissarro: a portraitist, a painter of city scenes and crowds, and a painter of intimate interiors. Highly recommended for public, academic, and special libraries with an art and art history focus.—Jennifer H Krivickas, Yale Ctr. for British Art

As the title states quite explicitly, this dynamic, expressive book collects the images and observations of 2000 teenagers who were set loose in their high schools throughout California with digital cameras in hand. Instigated by Pletka, technology director for a school district in Southern California, the project is similar to those undertaken by elementary and high schools. However, the scope and technical sophistication exhibited here is remarkable, making the project an excellent model for other schools and community groups. Over the course of 30 days, the high school students communicated via the Internet and shared photos, audio, and video messages. Then, from a crop of more than 10,000 digital images, Pletka and his cohorts edited the submissions down to the most compelling 350 color photographs. Along with the documentary photographs, there are autobiographical vignettes offering insight into the photographers’ lives. As a whole, this book serves as a broad, almost panoramic collage of the edgy, high-tech lives of teenagers in the early 21st century. An invigorating blend of humor and insight, it is recommended for all libraries where there is interest in student photography.—Raymond Bial, First Light Photography, Urbana, IL

Fashion books are often large, but Ribeiro’s (history of art, Courtauld Inst. of Art, Univ. of London; The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750–1820) is also otherwise substantial. Flipping through the pages is a treat enough, with their sumptuous reproductions of 17th-century English paintings, etchings, costume plates, clothing receipts, and fabric. But Ribeiro’s clear text is a refreshing companion, deftly interweaving poetry, theater, philosophy, politics, and art into a generalized but engaging chronological survey of how dress can reflect society, literally becoming a part of its language and economy. This book delivers its evidence with humor and historical empathy, reveling in its discussion of the importance of men’s garters and the close connection between emotion (particularly melancholy) and states of dress (or undress). Despite the author’s scholarly background, the art historical potency of the works is sometimes subsumed by their role as illustration of fact. However, Ribeiro presents a banquet of fascinating images, from the most famous Anthony van Dyck royal portraits to the shockingly modern still life of Wenceslaus Hollar, and her book is not to be put down lightly. Recommended.—Prudence Peiffer, Cambridge, MA

Philadelphia’s notorious Holmesburg Prison is probably best remembered for the medical experiments that were conducted on its inmates from the 1940s to 1974. When it closed its doors in 1997, the prisoners and most of the furnishings were removed, but a visible, haunting human spirit remained. In 1999, Roma (director of photography, Columbia Univ.; Sicilian Passage) was given access to the abandoned prison and shot the 44 desolate and desperate black-and-white images found in this monograph, which accompanies an exhibition at New York’s powerHouse Gallery through April. Inmate drawings and writings, pinned-up photographs, and thick, peeling paint are visible on the walls of nearly every photograph. Roma has captured the palpable anger and disgust remaining within these prison walls. Recommended for academic and public libraries with photography collections.—Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe Lib., NM

Before Google, memorizing state capitals—along with learning the flags of the world and varieties of dinosaurs—ranked as an elementary school pedagogical pastime. This work by attorney and preservationist Thrane systematically presents the current procession of capitol buildings, which were designed to express the unique past and identity of each state and, collectively, of the United States. Beginning with Maryland, purportedly the oldest working capitol (the author mentions interstate rivalries over historic supremacy), and ending with Alabama, the newest, the book devotes to each structure six pages of informative descriptions and color photos of majestic exteriors, ornate interiors, sculpture, and state symbols by Patterson (County Courthouses of Ohio, also coauthored by Thrane). Thrane also provides a brief history of state government and capital locations and notes efforts to preserve former legislative facilities. Architecturally, neoclassicism dominates—32 capitols sport externally visible domes—and only a few of the more modern buildings depart radically from accepted styles. A bibliography focuses on state histories and guidebooks. The only comparable comprehensive capitols guidebook is Willis J. Ehlert’s America’s Heritage: Capitols of the United States. Recommended as a popular guide, in particular for school and public libraries.—Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL

Certainly not a biography and not strictly a memoir, this book by famed baseball writer and New Yorker fiction editor Angell (Game Time)is nonetheless a fully realized story that is frequently memorable and free of predictable prose, managing with wit and charm to enlarge the little things of everyday life (albeit in Angell’s case, a privileged life). His recollection of his book-, movie-, and baseball-loving boyhood is warm but never fuzzy; likewise are his profiles of his Wall Street lawyer father, Ernest; his mother, Katharine, also an editor at The New Yorker; and Katharine’s second husband, author E.B. White. A little of the heart, mind, and soul are revealed in Angell’s disarming and telling snapshots of his Aunt Elsie, his mother’s individualistic older sister, and of his father’s free-spirited younger sister, Aunt Hildegard. Angell has hobnobbed with the famous, but they are mentioned as casually and naturally as if they were neighbors, relatives, or folks met on a holiday. Several of these chapters have already appeared in The New Yorker, but no matter; any reading of Angell’s writing remains fresh, lively, and appealingly thoughtful. Recommended for public libraries.—Robert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., IN

Once we’re finished reading all those books our teachers required us to read, where do we turn for counsel on reading and life? Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Dirda (An Open Book) affectionately offers up this bouquet of thoughts and quotations from novels, poems, and essays as a guide to discovering the meaning of our experiences. Dirda’s thoughtful little meditations conduct us through all aspects of life from work, leisure, and love to art, spiritual matters, and death and grief. He imagines the ideal guest room library filled with “familiar, cozy, browsable, and soothing” books, ranging from the mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and G.K. Chesterton to the humor of P.G. Wodehouse and James Thurber and the maxims of François de La Rochefoucauld. In the section on love, Dirda provides a minicourse on the subject in the Western world, beginning with Sappho’s poetry and coursing through Ovid and Horace, Tristan and Isolde, Dante’s The Divine Comedy, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Philip Roth’s The Dying Animal, and Zadie Smith’s On Beauty. Finally, Dirda sums up the value of a life lived book by book: “The beauty of words, the sound and fall of sentences, a writer’s distinctive voice rising from the page—these, in the end, provide the greatest and most lasting pleasures of a reading life.” A lovingly crafted volume, this is recommended for all libraries.—Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA

Goodwillie (contributor, My Father Married Your Mother: Writers Talk About Stepparents, Stepchildren, and Everyone in Between, reviewed on p. 94) has produced an entertaining and thoughtful memoir of his struggles to become a writer. Now a freelancer whose fiction has appeared in BlackBook and Swink, he started his career as a Minor League baseball player in the Midwest but was quickly drawn to the aura and energy of New York City. Torn among his artistic impulses, fast-paced party lifestyle, and attempts to earn a living, Goodwillie amassed a multitude of adventures, mishaps, and the odd lucky break about which to write. From stories of dalliances with the movers and shakers of the dot-com world to his time on the wrong side of the mob, he draws readers in with a witty, worldly, often self-deprecating style that vividly evokes the breathless pace of the city. In sharing his career and relationship struggles, Goodwillie does more than just recount personal anecdotes—he reflects critically, yet ultimately affectionately, on the nature of American society. Suitable for public library nonfiction collections.—Rebecca Bollen Manalac, Sydney, Australia

In this sequel to Intellectuals (1988), prolific journalist and historian Johnson profiles 17 individuals who have made enduring works of art or were pioneers in various creative fields: writers (e.g., T.S. Eliot), artists (e.g., Albrecht Dürer), architects (e.g., Eugène Viollet-le-Duc), fashion designers (e.g., Cristóbal Balenciaga), a composer (Johann Sebastian Bach), a crafts artist (Louis Comfort Tiffany), and a filmmaker (Walt Disney). (The final chapter offers capsule biographies of scientists and inventors.) Johnson lists key qualities of the creators—e.g., courage, persistence, imagination—but does not thoroughly explicate what constitutes creativity. He admires most of his subjects with some notable exceptions: Victor Hugo and Pablo Picasso were both prodigiously creative, but, as he sees it, the former had a mediocre intellect while the latter was evil in his relations with others. Occasionally, other personal prejudices are revealed: Johnson, for instance, intensely dislikes the 1960s. This book is meant for lay readers; the prose style is brisk, clear, and jargon-free. As such, it is primarily recommended for larger public library collections but would also make a good selection for undergraduate academic libraries. [Johnson plans to produce a third study on heroes.—Ed.]—Morris Hounion, New York City Coll. of Technology Lib., CUNY

Family vacations—in their many forms—have always been a source of great entertainment. In this book, edited by Brown (wife of Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer and director of the charity PiggyBanKids) with Gil McNeil and Hugo Tagholm, 21 English writers celebrate their “water-bound nation” with adventure stories about childhood beach holidays; daydreams of exotic, faraway locales and the coastlines and landscapes surrounding the landmass they call home. Two of the many pleasures of reading this book are discovering authors whose work is largely unfamiliar to American readers, e.g., Andrew Motion, Alex Dick Read, Gervase Pinn, and Russell Celyn Jones, and becoming acquainted with a different side of familiar authors like Alexander McCall Smith and Ruth Rendell. Wry, witty, and often filled with wonderful details, these stories are a pleasant reading experience for the Anglophiles and armchair travelers among us. Recommended as interest warrants. [A percentage of the proceeds from this work will be donated to the Special Olympics Britain.—Ed.]—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

The notion of a Leave It to Beaver family, if one ever really existed, is a thing of the past. In reality, the very definition of the word family is in a constant state of flux. The divorce rate in the United States hovers at around 50 percent, remarriages abound, and stepparents and stepsiblings are common. This anthology edited by Burt (arts & culture writer, Columbia Univ. Public Affairs office) is an enticing look at blended families from the perspectives of 27 writers, including Jacquelyn Mitchard, Steve Romagnoli, Susan Cheever, Andrew Solomon, and Barbara Kingsolver, each of whom has experienced some version of blended family life. Kingsolver muses on how her divorce changed her ideals of what a family ought to be. Mitchard contributes a heart-wrenching essay about her rocky relationship with her stepdaughter with which many readers will undoubtedly identify. Both essays are representative of the deep feelings that run throughout the collection. Certain to stir discussion and deserving of a wide readership, this book reveals the human side of the ever-changing idea of family. Highly recommended for all collections.—Ron Ratliff, Kansas State Univ. Lib., Manhattan

This essay collection on the joys of literature presents National Book Critics Circle Award winner Ozick (Quarrel & Quandary) at the height of her critical powers, whether she’s covering classic literature (e.g., Henry James, Saul Bellow, John Updike) or the fate of our modern consciousness in a technological age (“The Din in the Head”). For Ozick, “it is still possible to separate high from low, the enduring from the ephemeral” to understand that imagination is all for a fiction writer—Helen Keller, therefore, falls into that category—and also to realize that Sylvia Plath “was both Emily Dickinson and Betty Crocker.” But she can also remember and mourn the day when publication of essays like these would have been the talk of a literary world spanning graduate schools, middle-class homes, and starving artists’ garrets. For the freshness of her eye and her role as conscience of a literary world that is perhaps slipping away, Ozick should be required reading for students of literature at all levels. The wicked coda, an “interview” with Henry James, is not to be missed. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/06.]—Shelley Cox, emerita, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Southern humorist Rivenbark (We’re Just Like You, Only Prettier) is back with a new short essay collection that explores home life, the South, and various topics such as tofu, greeting cards, Barbie, and Al Gore. The writings are loosely divided into three major sections—”At Home,” “The South,” “And Everywhere Else”—but they are unconnected and do not require to be read in any particular order. This is not presented as an anthology of Rivenbark’s weekly columns for the Myrtle Beach Sun News (titled “From the Belle Tower”), yet the length and discrete nature of the essays suggest previous publication. Rivenbark’s observations are quirky and entertaining but rarely scathing; her pride in being a belle is tempered by her ability to take a lighthearted look at serious and occasionally provocative issues. Larger public libraries—particularly those in the South—should consider purchasing.—Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

Writer and photographer Sartor (documentary studies, Duke Univ.) grew up in Montgomery, LA, in the 1970s. Here, she retraces her formative years from age 12 to 18. Those who approach this diary of a teenage girl expecting superficiality will be surprised by Sartor’s depth—in fact, her narrative, which moves with great rapidity, is always entertaining and often gripping. An exercise in brevity—many entries are only one sentence long; a handful stretch beyond one paragraph—it still glows with textual richness. Sartor’s girlhood in the Deep South includes all the elements one might anticipate: boys, friendship troubles, family issues, and alcohol experimentation. She tells of her time spent with a Christian prayer group in the honest and confused voice of adolescence. Brief nods to popular songs and politics offer insight into the cultural landscape of the time, and an epilog that tracks what became of the “characters” allows readers to leave the memoir completely satisfied. Recommended for all libraries.—Stacy Shotsberger Russo, California State Univ. Lib., Fullerton

What is the meaning of “I” in poetry? In his first collection of prose, poet Sleigh (Far Side of the Earth), who teaches in the graduate writing program at Hunter College, delves into this issue by viewing the writing process from a variety of angles. In the title essay, it is unclear whether Sleigh is the Ghost, the Interviewer, both, or neither. He follows with autobiographical essays discussing his drug use, his incurable blood illness, and his family, all of which has influenced his writing. In the second part of the book, he attacks the idea of an easily knowable first-person narrator, showing how even an ostensibly confessional writer like Robert Lowell shapes and edits the self that is presented to readers. Finally, Sleigh discusses the work of other poets, some overtly confessional, others who tend to conceal themselves. In this readable and absorbing work, he does what any good poetry critic should do—he makes the reader want to read more poetry. Highly recommended for all literature collections.—Amy K. Weiss, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara

Not all women who wielded influence in early Hollywood were actresses. There were anonymous others like Belletti, whose 1924 California vacation inspired the 26-year-old secretary to pursue a future there. With the editorial assistance of Beauchamp (Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood), Belletti tells her story through letters to her best friend, Irma Prima, in this posthumously published volume. We follow Belletti from job to job (including stints with producer Samuel Goldwyn and director Cecil B. DeMille), each one expanding her knowledge of filmmaking and the studio system. Beyond an insider’s look at the nascent film industry, however, Belletti’s letters give voice to a young woman simultaneously seeking risk and security. We watch, fascinated, as she makes and loses homes, friends, and boyfriends; rubs shoulders with Hollywood royalty; and negotiates the transition to married life, all in the richly described atmosphere of 1920s Southern California. Beauchamp is to be commended for further illuminating this corner of Hollywood history. An essential purchase for libraries with serious film and/or women’s studies collections, though there may be wider demand because excerpts were published in the March issue of Vanity Fair.—M.C. Duhig, Carnegie Lib., Pittsburgh

This lavishly produced coffee-table history commemorates the 75th anniversary of Shepperton Studios, a leader in the British film industry and a haven for independent filmmakers like Roger Corman and Peter Jackson. Producer and broadcaster Bright (The Lost “Carry Ons”: Scenes That Never Made It to the Screen) traces the evolution of the studio from its inception to the present. Comments from directors, makeup artists, and other technicians who worked at Shepperton enhance the text, which is illustrated with more than 300 black-and-white and color images, many never before published. Especially interesting are the chapters on the Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers and the Hammer horror features filmed at Shepperton. A free DVD containing 12 classic film trailers (e.g., The Wicker Man, Billy Liar) is a bonus. This exceptional book for movie history fans also includes a foreword by the late Sir John Mills, an introduction by director and producer Ridley Scott, an extensive filmography, and high-quality posters and stills. Though its size and weight might be a drawback for libraries, it is highly recommended where there is interest.—Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL

This critical biography of Quentin Tarantino would have been better off as a punchy little essay for a film journal. In its current format, it feels too stretched and padded—the same complaint that esteemed novelist and film professor Charyn (The Green Lantern) lodges about Kill Bill I and II. No doubt, he is a fine writer who clearly knows the Tarantino oeuvre; indeed, some of his riffs on Reservoir Dogs are downright lyrical. But all of that comes to naught without Tarantino’s oft-referenced motormouth. His only words come phantomlike through outdated interviews or the monologs of his more celebrated characters. For many directors, that would be enough, but for a self-mythologizer and pop-culture encyclopedia like Tarantino, his absence nearly torpedoes the book. A much-pared down Raised by Wolves could have easily been the Tarantino segment in Sharon Waxman’s recent Rebels on the Backlot, but this is just too many pages for a young director yet to reach his prime. Let’s wait about 30 years, and then make with the biographies. Barely recommended for libraries with a large film collection.—Matthew Moyer, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Coleman, whose work has appeared in Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Goldmine, has crafted the first comprehensive biography of Fats Domino, drawing on new interviews with the pianist himself. From his childhood in New Orleans through the early days of rock’n’roll, when he endured travel difficulties in the segregated South and frequent riots at his concerts, Fats remained a shy but demanding performer and personality. A homesick father who seemed to cherish his family, Fats was also a hard-drinking womanizer, and Coleman tells his story with compassion and honesty up to Fats’s survival of Hurricane Katrina in his Ninth Ward home. His argument that rock’n’roll sprung from Fats and the New Orleans sound is hard to dispute, as Fats was playing long before others now credited with starting the revolution. Despite the occasional slips into fandom, this is an essential purchase for any library collecting the history of rock’n’roll. Highly recommended.—Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL

By “Western music,” the title really refers to Western classical music (popular and folk are almost entirely absent) from prehistory to the end of the 20th century. Music critic Griffiths, formerly of The New Yorker and the New York Times, superimposes his own subdivisions on the standard historical periods as a way of concisely identifying trends or common ideas. “The Deaf Man and the Singer,” for example, is centered on the late Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert; “Nightfall and Sunrise” is about Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss. Griffiths moves from lofty, hard-to-grasp ideas to fact-filled sentences that continue for half a paragraph. He is at his best when speaking in broad terms and summing up an entire era. Attempts to discuss particular compositions are often confusing and in some cases require an understanding of technical information far beyond that of beginners. The glossary is not helpful, and the bibliography cites highly advanced literature. Not recommended.—Timothy McGee, Hastings, Ont.

Though there are some anecdotes from the late Jack Lemmon’s screen career included here, this is a more personal view of the man, encompassing his love of sports cars and his poodle, Chloe, and his futile attempts to make the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. In his first book, writer and actor Chris Lemmon intersperses happy memories of life with his father with scenes from their final goodbye as Jack lost his battle with cancer in 2001. Jack divorced Chris’s mother when Chris was very young, so for many years, Jack was a part-time dad who merely took his son on annual fishing trips. But as Chris matured, the two men found more common ground, and their relationship intensified. Chris shares some insights on what it’s like to be the son of a famous person, but mostly he pays tribute to one of filmdom’s most beloved actors. This is a small volume of memories—some funny, some poignant—that gives a very human face to the actor. For larger public libraries.—Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

Film critic Mottram (The Making of Memento) examines how Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival has spawned a distinguished roster of award-winning “graduates,” e.g., Steven Soderbergh (Syriana), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), and Wes Anderson (Rushmore). He assesses their influence on American movies in the last 15 years and compares them to earlier generations of movie rebels, such as those of the French New Wave and of the 1970s American renaissance, making the interesting point that the current Sundance “kids” have been traumatized and inspired by 9/11 in much the same way that the 1970s mavericks were influenced by Vietnam. Though covering much the same territory as Sharon Waxman’s recent Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered Hollywood, this book offers a wider view and more critical analysis of individual films, including coverage of two female directors, Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry). As with Rebels, the length of Sundance, plus its dense mix of Hollywood insider information and unfamiliar names, may prove daunting to some readers. Recommended for academic film collections. (Index not seen.)—Stephen Rees, Levittown Lib., PA

The San Francisco Bay Area is featured in more films and TV shows than almost any other American city. Van Buskirk, an LJ reviewer and a librarian at the San Francisco Public Library, and Shank, the former chief conservator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art thought they had reached the end of their research after documenting more than 400 instances of shows and motion pictures filmed in the Bay Area. Discussions with others, however, soon expanded their list to more than 1500. It’s obvious that the authors love their subject and their city; their passion, in fact, is what makes this book valuable. While finished copies will contain an index that lists both film/TV titles and locations by name, it was not available at the time of review. As long as that feature is well executed, this extensively researched book deserves a place in all Bay Area film collections and medium-sized film collections elsewhere.—Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., CA

Pop culture journalist Walker has written a fascinating study of the Los Angeles neighborhood in which he lives and its relationship to developments in American popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Throughout, Walker makes a strong case for Laurel Canyon being at least as important as San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury in defining the sound of pop music. Beginning with the Mamas and the Papas’s California Dreamin’ and continuing through the work of Jim Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Frank Zappa, the Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Laurel Canyon is associated with pop, rock, the singer-songwriter movement, and the birth of country rock. Walker discusses the neighborhood itself, the rock’n’roll way of life, and the music in a relaxed, clear style, drawing on published accounts of the various personalities involved. This book should make an excellent addition to any public or university library’s popular culture collection. Owing to some of the frank discussion of the lifestyle of the time, secondary school librarians will probably want to preview. Highly recommended.—James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH

Professor Badiou (École Normale Supérieure & Collège International de Philosophie, Paris) published this text in French nearly 20 years ago. Despite the time lapse, American readers—including those who keep abreast of Continental philosophy only in translation—will encounter concepts they have rarely come across elsewhere. Maintaining that “mathematics is ontology” and that “ontology is a situation,” Badiou offers 37 meditations (in the Cartesian sense), which are themselves one of three types: conceptual, textual, or metaontological. His syntax, which the translator has consciously maintained, elaborates on the ideas it carries by its formal and complex structure. Badiou’s references to and use of his predecessors and contemporaries—including Plato, Cantor, Spinoza, Heidegger, Lacan, and a dozen other ancients, moderns, and postmoderns—are compelling in the instant but require much more protracted discussion in order for his project to enter an accessible stream of current intellectual discourse. A variety of scholars, including philosophers, mathematicians, and intellectual historians, would do well to examine this volume and seek in it threads that warrant continued examination in an era of nanotechnology and political terrorism.—Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Haslam, a geologist interested in philosophy, distinguishes our subjective preferences about morality from objective values. Everyone has personal preferences, he asserts, but human beings also endeavor to find out what genuinely ought to be done. How can our moral sense be explained? Haslam believes we are the products of evolution but that Darwinian natural selection does not fully account for our moral convictions. He argues that evolution better explains instinctive behavior than the acts of choice characteristic of morality. We can explain some human “good behaviour,” he continues, by pointing to parallels with animals, but not our entire moral sense. In like fashion, custom accounts for some but not all of morality. There is “a great deal about objective morality that remains a mystery,” he concludes. Haslam also provides an astute discussion of how scientific and religious views of morality are related. Marking a true advance in the discussion of evolutionary explanations of morality, his book is highly recommended for all collections.—David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH

Nobel prize winner Heaney’s (Death of a Naturalist) latest collection of robust lyrics celebrates work, memory, and the physicality of existence. Brimming with anvils, hammers, shovels, and pumps, these poems are scored into the page with Heaney’s signature accentual and alliterative force. They demonstrate that words can be braced and wedged and lifted and swung from the shoulder, leaving almost physical traces of the objects they name: “Contrary, unflowery/ sky-whisk and bristle, more/ twig-fret than fruit-fort,/ crabbed/ as crabbed could be—/ that was the tree/ I remembered.” For Heaney, the tongue is the muscle best suited to the hard work of animating the past, as in the sonnet sequence “District and Circle,” in which he re-creates the movement of a subway ride taken decades earlier: “So deeper into it, crowd-swept, strap-hanging,/ My lofted arm a-swivel like a flail,/ My father’s glazed face in my own waning/ And craning....” His is an uncompromising Irish tongue—a rural one, at that—and the gravitas he invests in unfamiliar objects will leave some American readers cold, but there is no question that Heaney’s poetry presents the “mass and majesty of this world” with unparalleled vigor. Recommended.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

A National Poetry Series winner, Mlinko offers a second collection (after Matinées) that should be subtitled “Poems as Aural Collage.” In these free-verse poems, Mlinko lets one word lead her to the next, helped by figures of sound—especially alliteration, assonance, consonance, and perfect and slant rhyme. The effect resembles overhearing a few lines from various songs while standing in a noisy crowd. It’s hard to make out the sense of the song, but the beat generally comes through. With quick, clever lines that move by rhythm rather than by reasoning, these language poems achieve a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere, punctuated by puns and nonsense messages. One can hear the influence of Frank O’Hara in poems like “Ceremony for Removing a Painting,” structured as a set of directions. There are also echoes of Shakespeare (“Imaginary Standard Distance”) and Wallace Stevens (“Femme Fatale Geography”). But while the echoes may sound pleasing, they aren’t grounded enough to ring true. The best of these poems are reminiscent of both magic writing and magical realism, while the worst suggest that poetry should be made of sterner stuff. Suitable for academic libraries.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD

“The pen is ever heavier in the hand,/ which is also weaker…/ All I know is that this seems harder to do.” As these lines reveal, Slavitt is both smart and wise; he’s as well known for his translations of the writers of antiquity as he is for his original work, both poetry and prose. Most would rank him among the formalists, although he has shown an occasional streak of the renegade in his previous work. In his 18th volume of poetry—remarkably, his 83rd book overall—he pulls out all the stops. With a rich sense of humor, a bit of attitude, and a fascination with details, even minutiae, Slavitt tries his hand at new and curious measures and forms as well as seemingly free-range meditations—or, one might say, meanderings. Many of these poems, particularly a handful of longer pieces, including the title poem, seem to move without concern for where they might end up. Along the way, he takes on everyone from Robert Lowell to his primary-grade teachers to a few names that may be familiar from your Latin and Greek classes. A fun and intelligent collection; recommended.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

Ecstatic poetry is among the hardest kind to write; it’s one thing to see God, another thing to make the reader see God, too. In this collection, which expands on the spiritual vision of Wright’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize–winning Walking to Martha’s Vineyard, the poet often succeeds in conveying the ineffable convincingly: “And everything that once was/ infinitely far/ and unsayable is now/ unsayable/ and right here in the room.” Wright’s use of free verse ranges from tightly structured to loosely confessional, at times sloppy in the book’s second half. But mysticism demands a constant balancing act between epiphanies and self-indulgence. One can be grateful for the poems that work so splendidly, like “The Reader”—”The Mask was gone now, burned away/ (from inside)/ by God’s gaze/ there was no/ I, there/ was no he—/ finally/ there was no text, only/ what the words stood for;/ and then/ what all things stand for.” This and a few other poems should be required reading in our high schools, spiritual antidotes for our materialistic society. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Michael Kriesel, Aniwa, WI

This could very possibly be one of the greatest intellectual histories ever written. An intensely revealing and enlightening spiritual and philosophical history, it chronicles the Axial period (1600–220 B.C.E.) and hopes for a transfiguration of our current dangerous and violent world into one of compassion, ahimsa, and love. It may seem nearly impossible to chronicle and contrast the religions of India, China, Israel, and Greece, but Armstrong (Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World) pulls it off by weaving a careful counterpoint of commonalities inherent in this planet’s religions. She points out, for example, that Ezekiel, Socrates, Confucius, and the Buddha all seem to espouse similar “spiritual technologies” in humankind’s quest to allay cosmic loneliness through knowledge, empathy, and mutual concern and to enhance its understanding of the meaning of life through others’ perspectives. Both liberals and conservatives in all the world’s religious and political camps could benefit from the historical insights gathered in this eminently significant volume. Strongly recommended for all libraries and readers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Gary P. Gillum, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT

Ehrman (Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code) here examines discussions of Simon Peter, the apostle Paul, and Mary Magdalene in Scripture and other writings of the first few centuries. In attempting to determine which aspects of their lives are historically accurate and which are pure legend or have been embellished or misconceived, he provides intriguing information on these New Testament personages. One will read accounts, for instance, in which Peter brings a smoked tuna back to life and in which Mary Magdalene travels to France to become an early missionary. Both stories are fictional but, Ehrman emphasizes, help show something of the ideas present in the early church period. This is particularly the case with Peter, whose status grows rapidly in these first centuries to the point where he becomes known as the first bishop of Rome. For nonspecialists, this book is recommended for public and academic libraries.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib., Dallas

Grieve (Christ All-Sufficient: The Unveiling of the Messiah in John 1–12) starts his book with a look at the similarities and differences among the three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. From there, he explores the history of Islam and the foundations of the culture that grew out of the Islamic faith. Particularly good are his explanations of the history of the Middle East. For a reader unfamiliar with the region or the religion, the book offers an understandable historical overview of the area and a description of the belief system and practices of Islam. Included are short biographical sketches of important Islamic figures and descriptions of places of interest to Muslims. The last chapter offers helpful tips for anyone traveling to Muslim countries. The book is nicely written, objective, and well researched, but no references are given, and there is little information available on Grieve, who is described in the publisher’s catalog as “an unbeliever; not a born-again Muslim, a proselytizer or a frustrated desert romantic.” An appropriate addition to public libraries.—Jennifer Kuncken, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA

In this short but dynamic study, we are thrust back to 1770s America to look at the culture and religion of six of the Founding Fathers. Holmes (religious studies, Coll. of William and Mary; A Brief History of the Episcopal Church) paints a balanced portrait of the various forms of Deism that existed in the minds of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Monroe, among others. Surveying the religious beliefs and mainline churches of the groups that settled the American Colonies, Holmes argues that the Founders respected the religious convictions of their time—an idea that conflicts with the prevailing belief that the first five presidents tended to deny the divinity of God and often followed the path of reason. Holmes’s research leads him to argue that history texts need to represent the Founders as Christians who may have attended a Baptist, Presbyterian, or Episcopal church depending on their location and that the adherence to simple virtue and morality was more important to them than adherence to any particular set of doctrines. Finally, Holmes concludes that the strong connection to church professed by recent presidents is quite unlike the practices of our Founding Fathers. An illuminating study, this is recommended reading for American historians and religious scholars.—L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA

This delightful memoir by Jesuit Martin (associate editor, America magazine; Searching for God at Ground Zero) is a pilgrimage of the soul toward God and Christ through the succor of the saints close to the author’s heart—e.g., Thérèse of Lisieux, Joan of Arc, Ignatius Loyola. From his youth, when he purchases a mail order St. Jude, to his time spent traveling abroad, Martin’s life is enriched by his relationships with these blessed personalities. Admittedly, the work often feels like a recounting of the lives of saints and occasionally strays into fragmented personal reflections, but Martin delivers some of his most poignant moments—e.g., reflecting at Thomas Merton’s grave; accompanying the sick to Lourdes as a chaplain; receiving a note from Mother Teresa; helping urban refugees in Nairobi—in an appropriate style. This memoir is Martin’s spiritual exercise of reflection and the self-expression of a varied and fascinating life. It is an easy and pleasant read that should be well received and is warmly recommended for church and public libraries.—Anthony J. Elia, JKM Theological Lib., Chicago

This finely written book offers a refreshing analysis of an emerging Catholic identity in the United States. It does not skirt the contemporary scandals that embroil bishops and local congregations but adroitly transforms these thorny issues with liberating words of truth. With the mind of a theologian and the heart of a pastor, Neuhaus (president, Inst. on Religion and Public Life; Freedom for Ministry) authors a clear commentary on American Catholic self-understanding in the early 21st century. Conflicting interpretations of the meaning of the Vatican Council, confusion over liturgical practices, aging and diminishing clergy, and sexual abuse scandals provide the reference base for authentic conversion and renewal. Frequently, the secular press portrays the Catholic Church as defeated both within and without. This book, however, is realistic, courageous, and hopeful as it describes a new generation of faithful Catholics reawakened by clerics like Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Additionally, Neuhaus offers parts of own “Rome Diary” surrounding the awesome days of April 2005 when the new pope was inaugurated. His book is a political study of and theological reflection on the transformative spirit emerging in American Catholicism. Recommended for larger public libraries.—John-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Platteville

Poet, essayist, and critic Rosenberg (coauthor, The Book of J) claims that his biography of Abraham, the founding father of three faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—is the first historical biography because it traces his life to pre-Hebrew Sumerian roots and to cuneiform documents written before the Bible. According to Rosenberg, Abraham was not just a figure of myth and legend but an actual historical person. One expects to read about these new discoveries and to follow a historical argument that will prove this claim. But alas, claims are made, and the text of the Bible is trotted out as the only available evidence. While Rosenberg offers fresh and elegant translations of the Hebrew texts, they do not build a new picture of the historical past. Most readers of the Bible do not know that its writers were highly influenced by Sumerian and Babylonian myths, and this book might come as a surprise to them. But scholars have known about the cuneiform writings since the 19th century—there is nothing new here. Readers would do better to turn to Bruce Feiler’s Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths. Not recommended.—James A. Overbeck, Atlanta–Fulton P.L., GA

Russell (history, emeritus, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara; A History of Heaven) takes a careful and scholarly look at the concept of heaven in Western thought and the philosophical debate that has surrounded it. Using a “history of concepts” approach, he rejects all attempts to explain away the idea of heaven and considers the notion assuming it expresses a truth about reality. Russell is by no means a hyperliteralist, but he refuses to allow this central element of religious thought to be dismissed as mythology. He presents and effectively questions the arguments of many thinkers who have rejected religion in general and heaven in particular. His handling of the ideas of such philosophers as David Hume, John Locke, Gottfried Leibniz, Sigmund Freud, and Friedrich Nietzsche is thought-provoking and well reasoned. He concludes that the arguments against the tradition of heaven are radically insufficient and that heaven remains an important concept in the 21st century because “its deep conceptual meaning remains true.” While not beyond the average educated reader, this book presupposes a basic familiarity with the history of philosophy. Recommended with this reservation for public and academic libraries.—C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, IN

A frequent guest preacher and teacher at churches and universities across the country, Taylor (Christian spirituality, Columbia Theological Seminary) shares her life journey with particular emphasis on her full-time ministry as an Episcopal priest. She minces no words and gives witness to the idea that “we do not decide things as much as gravitate toward them.” A keen storyteller, she shares her doubts about her vocation as well as admits that she finds it hard at times to worship God in a church community. Her quoting Philo of Alexandria—“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle”—epitomizes not only her own openness to tomorrow but also her acceptance of today. Those familiar with Marjorie J. Thompson’s Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life or Gerald W. Hughes’s God in All Things (his sequel to God of Surprises) can expect to find comparable dramatic imagination and creative images here. This easy-to-read memoir is likely to speak to adults dealing with doubt, tension, or grief. Public libraries, large and small, can include for inspirational reading.—Leroy Hommerding, Fort Myers Beach P.L. Dist., FL

Christian scholar Wright (Bishop of Durham, U.K.; What Saint Paul Really Said) here argues that all humans have a deep desire for justice, spirituality, relationships, and beauty, yet few have experienced fulfillment of these desires. According to Wright, these desires are echoes of a God who can provide for and fulfill them. He shows how the God of Christianity can bring real justice, true spirituality, genuine relationships, and awesome beauty by answering simply yet profoundly most of the key questions associated with Christian systematic theology, e.g., “Was Jesus God?,” “What is the Bible?,” and “What is Church for?.” These are weighty, deeply theological questions indeed, questions about which entire books have been written, and Wright has an uncanny knack not only for answering them but also for doing so in an inspiring and introspective manner. What’s more, he provides complete answers, a challenging task for a work of this length. Wright accomplishes exactly what the title of his book suggests: he presents Christianity as the straightforward and uncomplicated answer to so many of life’s most complex and difficult problems. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Wesley A. Mills, Empire State Coll., Rochester, NY

Jim Bouton’s classic Ball Four includes a hilarious account of an argument between two players, culminating with “Why doesn’t Bouton do some research...and come back with some figures for us?” The quintessential truth is that all baseball arguments can be resolved, either with information based on rigorous and painstaking research consonant with the scientific method (i.e., the Baseball Prospectus) or by simplistic, even simple-minded beliefs and prejudices. The experts at Baseball Prospectus have produced this book to show how to analyze numbers in baseball; they provide the definite answer to 29 baseball controversies in the process, e.g., Bonds vs. the Babe, the notion of career years as opposed to steroid-based surges in output, the value of A-Rod’s contract per plate appearance, not to speak of irreverently pondering Ruth on the Atkins diet or Rickey Henderson with Pete Incaviglia’s legs! This is essential reading for all baseball fans, even those who hated math in high school. Recommended for all general libraries.—Gilles Renaud, Ontario Court of Justice, Cornwall, Ont.

Gerdy (Sports: The All-American Addiction) asserts that the commercial “pay for play” model that universities adopt in sponsoring the development of elite pro athletes, particularly in football and basketball, undermines the academic integrity and educational mission of these institutions and maintains an unremitting drain on their budgets. He recounts the continuum of reform efforts in the last several decades and notes the growing pressure from academic administrators, state legislatures, and the general public for true reform of an untenable system. Gerdy’s reform plan calls for replacing athletic scholarships with need-based aid, eliminating off-campus recruiting and freshman eligibility, placing the athletic department budget under centralized control, and having pro leagues create their own developmental leagues to train their young athletes. He claims this program will transform, not destroy, college athletics and draws an analogy to the comfortable coexistence of college baseball and minor league baseball. While the overall quality of play will decrease, he argues that the relative competition will make that imperceptible to college fans. Although a bit dry to read, Gerdy’s is a thoughtful approach to a persistent problem. Recommended for academic libraries.—John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ

Is the great American game baseball? Football? No, it’s soccer, with more than six million teens in organized leagues and still more in youth soccer programs across the United States. Haner, a crack investigative reporter for the Baltimore Sun, delves into the subject of youth soccer in suburban Washington, DC, and relates his own experiences coaching a team of nine-year-olds. He explores soccer’s history, mixing bits of unmatched soccer wit and wisdom into a lively narrative as fast-paced as the game itself and inserts social commentary on the topics of soccer parents, young players, and winning and losing. He compares teaching kids soccer discipline to “trying to nail Jell-O cubes to the side of a moving bus” and concludes that God “gave us soccer at the dawn of time so that we would never forget who is in charge.” Such is the joy of Haner’s personal venture into youth soccer. A fun book; recommended for public and academic libraries.—Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., AL

In an interview, author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) was asked if she planned to write on the Man O’ War (1917-47), arguably the greatest American racehorse ever. She replied that “a wonderful writer named Dorothy Ours” had beaten her to “the first truly comprehensive biography of Man O’ War. So I’ll have to look elsewhere!” What better endorsement for Ours (former communications coordinator, National Museum of Racing & Hall of Fame), who spent a decade researching this book. Though others have written biographies of this great racehorse, including Page Cooper and Roger L. Treat, and Edward L. Bowen, Ours used several more resources than previous authors—one primary source she cites is the daughter-in-law of Man O’ War jockey Johnny Loftus. Ours documents how Man O’ War’s success changed the lives of those around him both for better and for worse. She also includes little-known tidbits, such as the fact that drugging horses for optimal performance was legal during this time, though Man O’ War was such a phenomenal horse that he did not require it. Although perhaps lacking the crossover appeal of Seabiscuit, this book is recommended for all libraries with racing collections.—Patsy Gray, Huntsville P.L., AL

Williams (Sports Memorabilia for Dummies) spent a year with several prominent college football players, college coaches, player agents, NFL scouts and general managers, and many other interested parties to give a well-rounded picture of the personnel side of a major industry in today’s leisure society: pro football. The book depicts college coaches facilitating agents, agents recruiting players, players interviewing agents, and teams evaluating players according to their physical skills, mental abilities, and character traits. In the complex interaction among all these parties, the same tasks are paramount for success: research, evaluation, and marketing. This book stands out for its thorough representation of what agents do to earn their commissions. However, owing to its emphasis on strategies and process, The Draft is of less interest to sports or football fans than to “draftniks” and those who follow the financial end of sports. Recommended for sports business collections.—John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ

This May marks the 25th anniversary of reggae superstar Bob Marley’s death; to mark the occasion, many publishers are issuing new material on the artist. Goldman’s account of the recording of Marley’s famous 1976 album, Exodus, joins a crowded field of more than 50 biographies. It stands out owing to the author’s tight prose, attention to detail, and insider access. A British music journalist who was present during a lot of key points in the process, she draws on her archival tapes and new interviews with Marley’s friends, associates, and Wailers bandmates; enough reggae background is woven into the narrative to show the significance of the album, and an entire chapter is devoted to the meaning and recording of each song. Goldman’s description of Marley’s near-assassination in Jamaica and later exile in England better detail those events than standard biographies. Thus, this book is a good addition to the long-acknowledged best biography, Timothy White’s Catch a Fire. Recommended for all large reggae collections and academic music libraries covering Caribbean popular music.—Bill Walker, Stockton–San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA

This lovely coffee-table offering by Henke (VP of exhibitions & curatorial affairs, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Lennon Legend) is divided into 11 brief chapters that recount the life and legend of reggae pioneer Bob Marley. Included are 20 removable facsimiles of handwritten lyrics, vintage concert posters, tickets, and other memorabilia; a CD with 60 minutes of interviews with the artist, some never before released; and “My Favorite Marley Song” selections from such artists as Ben Harper, Bono, and Chrissie Hynde. While most casual fans (and those who have read Timothy White’s classic biography, Catch a Fire) are already aware of the facts surrounding Marley’s life, this colorful package offers several new photos and simulated artifacts to honor the memory of the great artist. It is truly a fine book, but it is unfortunately too fragile for standard library use. Recommended, then, for fans and Marley completists.—Bill Walker, Stockton–San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA