Arts & Humanities

For this reproduction of French architect and painter René Binet's Esquisses décoratives (1896), biologist and art historian Breidbach (director, Ernst Haeckel Haus, Jena, Germany; Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel) and Proctor (Mackintosh Sch. of Architecture, Glasgow) have written understandable essays on Binet's involvement in art nouveau. Binet did studies of Ernst Haeckel, an artist and biologist noted for his detailed illustrations of land and sea creatures; microscopic natural forms; and the Islamic art of Spain and Israel—all influences that can be seen in his designs, the most famous of which is his gate for the main entrance of the 1900 World's Fair in Paris. The authors clearly demonstrate the relationship between Haeckel's science and Binet's art through the approximately 100 in-text illustrations and color plates. The plates showcase the new style of the time, art nouveau, which offered contemporary artists variants on such forms as rose work, the ring, or the boss. When first published in the early 1900s, these illustrations were too expensive to be made widely available; now they are most accessible. Thanks to its affordable cost and the wide appeal of art nouveau, this book is recommended for all libraries.—Nancy Mactague, Aurora Univ. Lib., IL

How to improve the quality of life in a fixed environment is a challenge to city planners, designers, architects, and social activists alike. Renewal—urban or rural—requires a new set of tools and ideas, and this book describes a number of successful attempts at renewal and sets out a blueprint for future endeavors. In their global scope, the authors, cofounders of the British consulting firm General Public Agency, emphasize "transferable strategies," e.g., the use of a children's merry-go-round to pump clean water, the ecological restoration of a major park in Mexico applying age-old agricultural techniques in a modern environment, and the transformation of a massive, empty steelworks in Germany's Ruhr Valley into public green spaces with evolving processes and community involvement. More than 20 case studies are divided into five parts: "Utility," "Citizenship," "Rural," "Identity," and "Urban." The common theme is that imagination, with minimal resources, can produce maximum results. A useful book for collections dealing with social and environmental issues, urban and rural community planning, and ecological concerns.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York

An early convert of computer-aided design, Dutch-born Dubbeldam (architecture, Harvard Univ.) remains an innovator in her field. This image-heavy work (250 color illustrations) highlights the completed and proposed architecture of her progressive New York City—based firm, Archi-Tectonics, and contains art installations and examples of industrial design. Most of the building sites are in New York or Europe, with additions often folded around and over existing buildings. Dubbeldam's work takes the form of irregular sculpture in scales ranging from urban design down to light fixtures. Projects include the digital interactive installation From HardWare to SoftForm and the Aida Hair Salon in New York City. Essays by Detlef Mertins, Javier Barreiro Cavestany, and Michael Speaks as well as interviews with the architect illuminate the work. Dubbeldam quotes various thinkers, notably philosopher Edmund Husserl, providing an intellectual context for innovation at Archi-Tectonics. Recommended for large academic libraries supporting design departments.—David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., B.C.

Minnesota photographer Faust, whose work has been exhibited frequently, has been capturing nocturnal urban landscapes for more than 15 years. His first published book features 73 black-and-white plates taken primarily in the Midwest between 1988 and 2005. The images are crisp, clean night views of gas stations, industrial landscapes, stores, bridges, factories, and parking lots. They are devoid of people so viewers may appreciate cityscapes often ignored in the rush and blur of daylight activity. Art historian Joan Rothfuss's opening essay—which allows readers a peek into Faust's world of photographing night images—is followed by the images (each page is devoted to one). Brief author commentary on each image appears in the final pages, and while this commentary adds detail to the photographs, they can be fully appreciated without it. Recommended for public and academic libraries with larger contemporary photography collections.—Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe, NM

Most of these 17 short essays by Filler (architecture critic, House & Garden) originally appeared in the New York Review of Books; some have been expanded and updated. They touch on aspects of the work and lives of 20-plus giants of modern architecture (e.g., Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier) as well as contemporary practitioners (e.g., Frank Gehry, Richard Meier). For the contemporary architects, Filler shares his personal tastes. But his dislike of, e.g., Renzo Piano's redesign of the Morgan Library in New York may not be shared by the public, and he doesn't always make a detailed argument as to why such buildings are unsuccessful. While many of the earlier chapters rely heavily on long quotations from other authors (the chapter on Louis Sullivan, e.g., uses Robert Twombly's eponymous biography of the American architect to provide insight and analysis), there are no specific citations and no complete bibliography of works cited, appurtenances that would have been useful to serious architecture students. A longer introductory chapter on the nature of modernism and postmodernism in architecture would also have made this a more valuable addition to public library collections of art and architecture. Nevertheless, Filler's engaging observations and insights are worth reading.—Herbert E. Shapiro, Empire State Coll., SUNY Rochester

Legend has it that when Michelangelo saw Italian sculptor Ghiberti's (1378-1455) doors for the east portal of the baptistery in Florence's Piazza del Duomo—comprising ten gilded bronze panels and standing more than 15 feet high—he dubbed them the "Gates of Paradise." Edited by Radke (humanities, Syracuse Univ.; coauthor, Art, Power, and Patronage in Renaissance Florence), this catalog accompanies exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago (through 10/13/07) and New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art (through 1/13/08) showing three of the door's panels in all their newly restored splendor (they have never before traveled outside Italy and, according to the publisher, they will never again). Several diagrams and 269 color photographs document the doors, their frame, and the restoration process in exquisite detail; Ghiberti's casting method and finishing techniques also come across. Essays by 12 scholars and conservators cover all aspects of Ghiberti's masterpiece. Completing the volume is a chronology of Ghiberti's life. This book updates Richard Krautheimer's classic 1956 monograph, Lorenzo Ghiberti (Princeton Univ.), with new information on Ghiberti's artistic process, designs, and symbolism. Essential for all art libraries and highly recommended for academic libraries.—Martha Smith, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Scholar/author David Jelavich has said the study of cultural history—especially that of modernism in Europe, and especially Germany—is most rewarding when it applies to cities and the interaction of their particular elite and popular cultures. Two new titles about Berlin deliver extraordinary visual pleasure while managing to say something appropriate about a well-delineated subject: the urban culture of Germany's capital in times of hopeful uncertainty. British art historian Gisbourne and photographer Rakete present a look at 19 established contemporary artists and their work in the city via interviews, biographical summaries, and some 170 mostly color photographs. The varied creations of these artists, most born in the 1960s and 1970s, often employ stunning materials to comment on consumer culture. Rakete's images show us the artists both inside their studios and outdoors in the Berlin they are keen to represent.

Metzger (Art Acad. of Karlsruhe, Germany; Gustav Klimt: Drawings and Watercolors), meanwhile, records a Berlin very different from Gisbourne and Rakete's "unfinished" city, one decades younger. The book is a delight to pore through: a plethora of wonderful but as-yet-unfamiliar black-and-white photographs chosen by Brandstätter, the Viennese editor, overwhelms the text, much as our consciousness of what was to come after these intermezzo years overlays all. Youthfulness and the scale of the city engendered a self-consciously modern metropolis, expressed not only in painting, literature, theater, film, and dance, but also in journalism, radio, advertising, and propaganda. In all this, Metzger finds a local definition of modernity—one that required "distraction" and offered "the aesthetic answer to the Weimar Republic." The Twenties will be welcome in every public library; Berlin Art Now is suited for specialized collections.—John Hagood, National Gallery of Art Lib., Washington, DC

This catalog of a retrospective exhibition at New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a first-rate visual and intellectual survey of Richard Serra's (b. 1939) extensive sculptural career. Chief curator McShine provides a thoughtful and illuminating interview with the artist, and essays by critics Cooke, Benjamin Buchloh, and John Rajchman cover the artist's early work, his ideas about abstraction, and the potent relationships his work has to landscape. The 450 black-and-white illustrations are exceptional, giving some indication of the scale and mass of the works; some color illustrations, however—particularly for the works in landscape environments—would have been valuable. Despite MoMA's early recognition and championing of Serra, this catalog rises above any "official" endorsement to address his art directly. The most thoughtful and visually comprehensive book on the artist—and not quite as heavy as one of his sculptures! Highly recommended for all American art collections.—Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.

Good things still come in small packages, much to the pleasant surprise of librarians habituated to the stream of enormous exhibition catalogs at steadily increasing prices. This informative and focused offering, published in conjunction with Stella's (b. 1936) first one-person show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, highlights 25 of his architectural objects in wood, plastic, fiberglass, metal, and nylon that explore the sculptural possibilities of modern engineering. Goldberger (architecture critic, The New Yorker) supplies a cogent essay on Stella's abiding and inventive interest in breaking outside of the two-dimensional plane as well as his acknowledged inspirational debts and collaborations with Henry Hobson Richardson, Peter Rice (Ove Arup & Partners, London), Philip Johnson, and Frank Gehry. The attractive 11 × 11 format does justice to the 55 mostly color reproductions and won't take up much shelf space. Highly recommended.—Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL

There's more to sustainable design than recyclable bottles and solar panels, asserts UK design instructor Thorpe (editor, On the Ground: Multimedia Journal on Community, Design and Environment). Thorpe presents a holistic approach to embedding sustainability into every step of the design process that is applicable to everything from jeans to office buildings. Rather than promoting any specific technology or process, she uses the metaphor of an atlas to guide the designer through various "landscapes," treating ecology, the economy, and culture as interdependent spheres the designer should strive to understand, engage, and enhance. In keeping with the atlas conceit, many photos, illustrations, and charts appear throughout the creatively formatted text. Thorpe's critique of endless economic growth and her stance on natural resources may rankle conservative readers, but others will find this book a welcome antidote to unfettered free-market capitalism. More a textbook than an atlas and supplemented with a companion web site (www.designers-atlas.net) offering a teaching guide, it should make a welcome addition to libraries serving design students and faculty.—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

A recent exhibit of the works of Venetian old master Jacopo Tintoretto (1518–94) at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Spain, the first comprehensive treatment of the artist in 70 years, makes this an important undertaking. Seven essays provide readable and informative discussions of Tintoretto's life and work as well as note his influence on such artists as Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, and, later, Eugène Delacroix. The catalog section that follows approaches Tintoretto' work chronologically from his early years through his major pictorial cycles (1555–75), paying special attention to the breathtaking ceiling in the Sala Superiore in San Rocco, Venice. Fifty paintings and 20 drawings are featured in all; a comparative discussion on Tintoretto's admiration and imitation of Michelangelo's work—particularly his draftsmanship, rounds out the text. Although a quality paperback fully illustrated in color, a catalog of this importance and price should have been published in hardback. However, the painstakingly documented contents and the clear and enjoyable prose style—a notch better than what's offered in many museum show catalogs—will foster appreciation among novices and students for this great artist's work. A necessary resource for specialists; highly recommended for all Western art book collections.—Ellen Bates, New York

Editors Woods, Carol M. Richardson, and Angeliki Lymberopoulou—all lecturers of art history at the Open University, UK—present a strong foundation for the study of Renaissance artworks produced north and south of the Alps and in post-Byzantine Crete. Throughout, they reinforce the need to understand the social landscape if one is to understand the art: both the rich and the poor of the era appreciated the significance of art objects, and a combination of sacred and secular influence prevailed. The authors detail illuminated manuscripts, the Renaissance in France, appreciation for Greek Orthodox and Byzantine art, and the significant relationship between art and death. Their progression through the time period—with a culminating chapter devoted to Hans Holbein the Younger and the reform of religious art—flows logically, highlighting important points of focus. The sound text and fine photo reproductions (200 color) are contained in a seemingly durable paperback format, which reduces the price for students. A fine addition to public libraries and libraries specializing in art history, especially when combined with Making Renaissance Art, also edited by Woods, and Locating Renaissance Art, edited by Carol M. Richardson, the other two books in this series.—Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

Husband-and-wife collaborators David Young (anthropology, Univ. of Alberta) and Michiko Young have been studying Japanese aesthetics for years. Previously, they wrote The Art of the Japanese Garden, and now they tackle Japanese architecture, perfectly melding East and West to give us a deeply historical and cultural appreciation for the design and construction of Japanese shelter over an astonishing 12,000 years. They explain the elements of structure and the spare glory of the essentials as well as provide many examples that pay tribute to function. The buildings they examine embrace strong societal traditions, a tendency that makes Japanese architecture timeless and always "modern." Nearly 400 illustrations, photographs, and woodcuts reinforce and enhance the outstanding text. The description, visuals, and history of rural thatched roofs are a particular high point. A tribute and rich entrée to a beautiful architectural form; highly recommended.—David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT

Ballantine's second essay collection (after Things I Like About America) follows the writer through a series of stubbornly haphazard misadventures to a place of relative stability. Ballantine is never far from the trenches, whether he's the homeless guy accepting help or the employed guy trying to provide a little assistance. His transient persona may grate on some readers' nerves, but the restless wandering of the collection's earlier part is preferable to the late-blooming semimaturity found in the later essays. Aimlessly, Ballantine manages to find himself married and settled down in one place, under contract to a reputable publisher, and enjoying the modest fruits of success (while planning to sock John Irving at a literary festival). The essays are readable and entertaining and contain occasional moments of startling beauty and insight. Still, the themes of addiction (to substances, people, new starts, the prospect of fame), dissatisfaction, and nihilism may limit the work's appeal; as with writers such as Chuck Palahniuk, some will become rabid devotees, while others will be turned off. This could be a good fit in academic libraries and larger public systems. [The title story appeared in Houghton Mifflin's Best American Essays 2006.—Ed.]—Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

Think of subtext in fiction as water; its characters, swimmers on the surface. Like water, subtext is everywhere, ubiquitous and buoyant, darker in its depths, the stuff of immersion. The beauty of Baxter's (The Feast of Love) inaugural entry in Graywolf's new "Art of" series, which draws on examples in literature to instruct on the writing craft, is that it doesn't assume to try and capture the whole of subtext. What book could? Instead, it focuses on very specific qualities composing it: the art of staging in a story, the importance of inflection in dialog, the ambiguity of motivation. To make the often translucent substance more visible, Baxter highlights excerpts from a wide range of fiction, from the contemporaneous and familiar to the foreign and esoteric.It is the watched—the attended to—world of which poetry is made. That is the premise of Revell's (Pennyweight Windows: New & Selected Poems) entry in the series. It is the rapt attention of the poet that can elevate a poem to a position of timelessness, where the poem is always happening, always present, and the reader always cares. Revell defines what it means to be fully attentive, describes the consequences of such a state, and explains how poets can renew their own lapsed attentions through the art of translation. In his final chapter, he surveys his own body of work to show how the way in which he has attended to the world has changed over time. Baxter's book will help readers read more creatively and writers to float their stories; both his and Revell's books are highly recommended for all academic libraries.—Maria Kochis, California State Univ. Lib., Sacramento

Bradbury (1932–2000) was a renowned English novelist, critic, and academic. As a tribute to him, Dominic Bradbury has assembled unfinished works and uncollected stories he found in his father's study into an anthology, also including numerous pieces previously published in English newspapers and magazines. The selections include autobiographical memoirs, short stories, a teleplay (Furling the Flag) that was never produced, and fragments from a novel (Liar's Landscape) about French writer François-René de Chateaubriand. These varied works show Bradbury's many styles and literary interests. Excluded are essays and criticism. As is usual with such compilations, some of the works are more memorable than others; this reviewer particularly liked the early short stories. The collection is essential and poignant reading for readers knowing Bradbury's work. It should encourage those unfamiliar with his writing to seek out his many published novels and short story collections. The afterword by David Lodge, a fellow academic novelist and close friend of Bradbury, is superb. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.—Morris Hounion, Coll. of Technology Lib., CUNY at Brooklyn

Bob Dylan, Thomas Wolfe, and Sid Vicious have all called the Chelsea Hotel home over the years, reveling in its legendary old New York seediness. But recently, Chelsea resident and writer Hamilton has felt the tide of gentrification bearing down on his adopted home. Prompted by his girlfriend and a duty to chronicle a disappearing way of life, Hamilton launched the blog Living with Legends (www.chelseahotelblog.com), which forms the backbone of his book. His succinct yet conversational style makes for an engrossing read with crossover appeal for fans of Beat literature, punk music, Warhol superstars, and the gritty underside of Hollywood. The real stars of this story aren't "The Stars" but the colorful eccentrics who have been the mainstay of the hotel for decades—more and more on the wrong side of economics—and their patron saint, hotel manager Stanley Bard, who strives to uphold the building's rich history as a haven for outsiders and the arts. The adaptation of blog posts to a monograph is smooth, and the clipped prose and brief, surreal vignettes make the book only more endearing, a delightful hybrid of journalism and gonzo mythologizing. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. [For a profile of this book, see "Editors' Fall Picks," p. 32–38.]—Matthew Moyer, Jacksonville P.L., FL

The word Frankenstein conjures images and ideas ranging from the horrific to the comic. This iconic creature has appeared in novels, plays, films, comic books, and even political cartoons. Hitchcock (Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London) explores the evolution of this classic character from a young unwed mother's nightmare to Hollywood icon to an embodiment of the fears inherent in the technological age. She begins with a detailed biographical analysis of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel and follows with a descriptive study of the various incarnations the tale and its principles (both creator and monster) have taken on over nearly 200 years of cultural development. While she particularly emphasizes Boris Karloff's interpretation of the creature in the 1931 Universal film, her exploration is not limited to pop culture imagery; she also explores how the tale has become shorthand for describing various sociopolitical positions in the public debate. In this way, Hitchcock reveals how the universal themes of the novel have been embedded into our modern consciousness. The analysis is scholarly but presented in an engaging style that will appeal to any adult audience. Recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/07.]—Shedrick Pittman-Hassett, Phil Johnson Historic Archives & Research Lib., Dallas

"Who is John Cowper Powys?" is a question many might ask about the British writer whose name is often absent from the reading lists of English courses. This biography provides a hearty study that will introduce Powys to readers while diving deep into his unusual psyche. With it, Krissdóttir (John Cowper Powys and the Magical Quest) has become quite the Powys scholar; she previously edited two volumes of his diaries and authored a critical examination of his texts. Stating that "a biography could not be written about Powys alone," she devotes much of her examination to Powys's relationships through a dissection of letters, diaries, many never-before-seen archival materials (including photos), and the writer's own works. Krissdóttir reveals in the prolog that Powys's work continues to attract and repulse her. It may be for this reason that she frequently returns to his often sadistic sexual obsessions. Such a focus on her subject's sexuality, however, is defensible; Powys often discussed sexual matters in his work. Recommended for public and academic libraries with British literature collections.—Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

Lowry is best known for Under the Volcano (1947), a dark, complicated semiautobiographical novel of an Englishman living in Mexico whose life descends into drink, chaos, and death. (It was made into a film by the same name, directed by John Houston and starring Albert Finney, in 1984.) Though Lowry was not particularly successful in life, his work has slowly gained in critical interest and acceptance. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death, for which poet Hofmann has brought together a range of materials unpublished in Lowry's lifetime. Although virtually all of these poems, short stories, drafts, and letters were published posthumously in some form, they are scattered and hard to find. Highlights include the short story that eventually became Chapter 8 of Under the Volcano, letters to American poet Conrad Aiken, and various pieces based on Lowry's wide-ranging travels. Hofmann writes the introduction. Highly recommended for academic libraries; optional for public libraries.—Alison M. Lewis, Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

The lost art of letter writing is splendidly portrayed in this massive volume of correspondence among the six Mitford sisters: Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, and Deborah. As editor Mosley, Diana's daughter-in-law, explains, "the sisters' enduring reputation owes much to their originality, forceful opinions, and good looks." Mosley drew from a vast archive of some 12,000 letters held by Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, the sole surviving sister. The letters she chose—most never before published—emphasize the relationships between and among the sisters. Arranged chronologically covering the years 1925–2002, they include footnotes identifying people, places, and activities. In introductions to each of the nine sections of letters, Mosley provides a synopsis of the major events in each sister's life as well as thoughtful commentary and analysis. As Mosley contends and the letters confirm, "the sisters wrote to each other to confide, commiserate, tease, rage and gossip but above all they wrote to amuse." Since four of them were published authors with international best sellers, it is not surprising that their letters are clever and humorous; but they are also poignant and revealing. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. [For a profile of this book, see "Editors' Fall Picks," p. 32–38; see also Prepub Alert, LJ 7/07.]—Kathryn R. Bartelt, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN

In this collection of essays, literary criticism, and fiction, Hungarian author Nádas (Love) gives readers page after page of thought-provoking and deeply insightful intellectual enjoyment as well as a soul-baring glimpse into his internal struggles with such issues as capital punishment, depression, writing, religion, and fate. His essay about the December 1989 executions of deposed Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauescu and his wife, for example, is a stirring personal account of his struggle to resolve his own contradictory thoughts about capital punishment. Nadás's literary criticism is, for lack of a better term, "new," the particular brand of criticism that has disappeared in recent years and been replaced by the more fashionable "cultural criticism" of so many universities. With it, he opens readers' eyes to minute sections of the text that bear enormously significant details upon further examination. His short stories, meanwhile, rife with the figurative, the symbolic, and the metaphorical, mix Kafka's paranoia with Bernard Malamud's overt religious symbolism and Henry Roth's familial dysfunction. Readers will be drawn into the very private lives of his characters, investing themselves in their every word and deed. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Wesley Mills, Empire State Coll., SUNY Rochester

Host of the NPR program This American Life, Glass (The Fairest Fowl: Portraits of Championship Chickens) has collected some gems here. What ties together these nonfiction works, he explains in the introduction, is that the authors are good reporters—good, Glass writes, in that they welcome humor and the human element into their stories, unafraid this will diminish the quality of their work. Topics range from superfund sites (Jack Hitt's "Toxic Dreams") and fans of Manchester United (Bill Buford's "Among the Thugs") to talk radio (David Foster Wallace's "Host") and Val Kilmer (Chuck Klosterman's "Call Me 'Lizard King' No…Really, I Insist")—who is even weirder than you ever thought. Other writers whose nonfiction is featured include Mark Bowden, Malcolm Gladwell, Jack Hitt, Michael Lewis, Susan Orlean, Coco Henson Scales, and Lawrence Weschler. The book is an addictive read all its own; it can also be a wonderful jumping-off point for readers to discover new authors, journals, or web sites with whom/which they may just want to spend more time. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Felicity D. Walsh, Emory Univ., Decatur, GA

This is the sixth collection of nonfiction Updike has created from his stash of published essays. It is an odd assortment with a heavy literary hand and covers a wide variety of topics, e.g., JFK, Coco Chanel, the sinking of the Lusitania, and James Thurber of The New Yorker. Following a preface in which Updike speaks to his love of literature are selections of his reviews, speeches, introductions, and columns. On its own, the work is an amazing demonstration of ability. That it is one of six nonfiction volumes and culls from ten of 60 years of writing is truly an incredible statement of Updike's nonfiction legacy. Especially striking is Updike's voice. While one rarely hears from most award-winning fiction writers without a character or critic between them and the reader, when Updike comments here on subjects like other authors, faith, and poker, a healthy amount of autobiography slips out. Don't let his complaints about his age distract you; his last novel, Terrorist (2006), spent a month on the New York Times best-sellers list. Recommended for all libraries, especially those with none of Updike's other books of collected nonfiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/07.]—Paolina Taglienti, Las Vegas Coll.

In finely polished prose, Wiman (editor, Poetry magazine; The Long Home) critiques several poets' work and details a poem's creation as well as offers personal memoir and insights into the world of poetry publication. Readers will find him reflected at the turn of a page or in the twist of a phrase: e.g., "reaching to remember as the god withdraws, doubt like silence seeping back in" (what poets endure between inspirations). Wiman's personal recollections, especially of his perplexing relationship with his father, portray an upbringing variously tragic, quirky, and mundane. In the section titled "In the Flux That Abolishes Me," Wiman casts light on how poetry editors—at least this poetry editor—treat "manuscripts from dead people," those desperate posthumous submissions from the family or friends of an unpublished poet. In other sections, he dissects selected poets' works with scalpel-like precision, speaking, e.g., to Thomas Hardy's "crocheted fatalism" and Edna St. Vincent Millay's compromised innocence. The last section, "Love Bade Me Welcome," sums up the trilogy of faith, love, and art that Wiman pursued all his life and reveals, ultimately, the mortal reason he shares his splendid thoughts with us. A beautiful, insightful work; highly recommended for both public and academic libraries and invaluable for poets.—Nedra Crowe-Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., CA

Performance artist Loie Fuller (1862–1928) incorporated dance with elaborate costumes and innovative lighting to produce illusions at the turn of the 19th century (she had her own theater at the 1900 World's Fair). Her fame was such that her image was reproduced by many artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, in many mediums, e.g., sculpture, painting, art nouveau posters, and photography. These two books seek to reexamine Fuller's art and place in dance history, taking similar scholarly approaches. Garelick (French, Connecticut Coll.; Rising Star: Dandyism, Gender and Performance in the Fin de Siècle) breaks down the "evolution of Fuller's performance aesthetic" by discussing the costumes, lighting, and "screened images, projections and shadows" that contributed to her superior stagecraft. Albright (dance, Oberlin Coll.; Choreographing Difference: The Body and Identity in Contemporary Dance) delves into the idea of "choreographic signature" through light, space, and color. They both devote a chapter to the 1900 World's Fair and connect Fuller with the development of modern dance by many other artists, including Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham. Related titles include Richard Nelson Current and Marcia Ewing Current's Loie Fuller: Goddess of Light (1997) and Fuller's own Fifteen Years of a Dancer's Life (1913). These newest studies are recommended for academic libraries with dance collections. If you can buy only one, Albright's is suggested for its beautiful color reproductions of art portraying Fuller.—Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., Colorado

Guitar wizard Clapton bares his soul in a starkly honest first attempt at autobiography. Beginning with his childhood in rural Ripley, England, he describes growing up with his grandparents who led him to believe they were his parents, his mother's reappearance with a husband and two children, and her subsequent disappearance. Clapton relates his discovery of sexuality after reading a handmade pornographic comic book on the school-yard playground, which led to a thrashing from the headmaster and years of sexual dysfunction. He chronicles his liberation from confusion and loneliness through music, especially a purist version of the American blues, which resulted in stints with the Yardbirds and John Mayall. Retracing his ascent to stardom with Cream, Blind Faith, and then his solo career, Clapton also recounts his struggles with addiction, first with heroin and then his major 15-year battle with alcohol. He writes of the loss of his son and his destructive relationships with women, ending the book with his new life of sobriety with his wife, Melia, and his daughters. This bold, intimate, and revealing look at an icon of rock 'n' roll will satisfy all readers, especially his myriad fans. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/07.]—Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Any thespian worth his gestalt knows that Lipton has been living an enviably charmed professional life. As an actor, he studied with guru Stella Adler, played the Lone Ranger's young nephew on radio's iconic 1940s The Lone Ranger, was directed by Harold Clurman (and then Lillian Hellman) on Broadway, and had a decadelong gig on soap opera Guiding Light. His writing credits include Broadway shows, a novel, and the now classic etymological An Exaltation of Larks. But it is his commanding and ongoing (since 1994) role as producer, writer, and host of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio for which he is most widely known and venerated. The protean Lipton, exhibiting the dexterity with which he has combined his lifelong creative endeavors, seamlessly weaves all these artistic pursuits and more into his autobiography. The anecdotes from the fine actors who have appeared on Inside the Actors Studio and the manifold insights into the craftsmanship of acting together justify the purchase of this exemplary book. An unqualified hit among this season's theatrical offerings and a necessary purchase for all performing arts collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/07.]—Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Producer and director Mann was the muse behind the creation, survival, and triumph of the Circle in the Square theater; its first hit production (1952) has been acknowledged as "the birth of off-Broadway." The Circle played a significant role in revitalizing the work of various playwrights, most significantly Eugene O'Neill, and Mann dedicates major portions of his memoir to O'Neill's plays and the relationship between the Circle and O'Neill's widow, Carlotta Monterey O'Neill. The theater's commitment was "to present…great classic plays that were rarely if ever seen on Broadway," as well as new plays. The list of once unknown actors who were successfully launched by the Circle reads like a who's who of Broadway and Hollywood. This memoir is roughly chronological with frequent flashbacks and side trips. Mann does tend to ramble, but for the most part this is a delightful insider's view of the development of off-Broadway and regional theater; it leaves the reader thoroughly impressed that Mann and his colleagues managed to stay afloat at all, let alone thrive. Highly recommended for theater history and biography collections. (DVD not seen.)—Laura A. Ewald, Greenville Coll. Lib., IL

It's a challenge for Bette Davis biographers to match their subject in wit, flinty charm, and the ability to fascinate. That many fail can't really be held against them; clearly, they want to display a kind of disinterested expertise that the much-interviewed and autobiographically prone Davis would lack. Sikov (On Sunset Boulevard) hinders his narrative flow with his own first-person ruminations and with anecdotes presented out of chronology, elements that were probably injected as variant notes in an otherwise relentless outlay of studio and interpersonal machinations. Heavily detailed about the prime of Davis's Hollywood career and well sourced to other biographies, the book covers much familiar ground—Who can resist those well-known quotations? Yet it cannot capture her as she was captured on celluloid. In Jezebel (1938), Davis and director William Wyler enabled the audience to perceive her willful character in a shocking red dress—in spite of the film being in black and white. While Davis aficionados may not find the book worthwhile, newcomers to this grand woman's life or to Hollywood's golden era may enjoy the bumpy read. Recommended for comprehensive film collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/07.]—Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal

Rudolf Nureyev leaps off the pages in this stunning collection of 80 black-and-white photographs from a 15-year period during which he toured the United States with the Dutch National Ballet (DNB). Drawn from the archives of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the pictures chronicle the legendary dancer in such ballets as Le Corsaire, Four Schumann Pieces, and Afternoon of a Faun. Van Dantzig (former artistic director, DNB) allowed Urban to photograph Nureyev and company members on and off stage, and because Nureyev's contracts prohibited performance photos, many of these images are not only unique but also rare. In this coffee-table art book, the photographs are printed on archival-quality paper, and the text includes comments from van Dantzig, Nureyev, and Urban. Anyone who saw Nureyev dance will relive the experience with these photographs; those who didn't will wish they had. Highly recommended for dance and performing arts collections. [There will be an exhibit of selected materials from the NYPL collection at Lincoln Center this fall.—Ed.]—Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.

Barry Martyn has been an exemplar of New Orleans jazz for over 40 years. What makes this drummer and band leader unique is that he was born in England and was the first white musician in America to join a black musician's union. Having performed and toured with some of the best New Orleans musicians, Martyn mentions in this memoir of a jazz life players who are far from household names—the book's greatest asset. Even among jazz aficionados, many of these players have gone unheralded, as New Orleans jazz is almost a world unto itself. Jazz musician and author Burns (Keeping the Beat on the Street: The New Orleans Brass Band Renaissance) tape-recorded over 40 hours of Martyn's stories and recollections. However, owing either to Burns's editing or to the difficult conversion of conversation into print, Martyn's stories are recounted in a very clipped style, and the project might have fared better as a film in which his tales could be heard. Nevertheless, the stories recorded here make this a recommended choice for large public and academic libraries with substantial music collections.—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA

Examining the subject of why so many Asians devote their lives to playing Western classical music, Yoshihara (American studies, Univ. of Hawaii, Manoa; Embracing the East: White Women and American Orientalism) looks at the issues surrounding Asian and Asian American culture and whether training and performance of Western classical music really are driving forces. She offers a historical background of post–World War II Asian culture to explain the convergence of politics, commerce, and everyday life that led to the prevalence of classical music in middle-class homes. Discussion and interviews with numerous musicians—including Kent Nagano, a conductor affiliated with the Berkeley Symphony, the Opéra National de Lyon, and the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, among others—are intertwined throughout with various explanations for the phenomenon. An involving mix of personal information and research data on the topic, this book will be of interest to the secondary through graduate school educational market, as well as public and academic libraries.—Bradford Lee Eden, Univ. of California Lib., Santa Barbara

Nearly 80 years ago, Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955) published a brief but powerful text examining the passage of philosophy into a reality that can no longer support academic thought; modern times, he argued, were an era of the mass man. Gonzalez (philosophy, Barry Univ., Miami; Human Existence as Radical Reality: Ortega's Philosophy of Subjectivity) takes as many pages to examine and explicate Ortega's text as Ortega did in writing The Revolt of the Masses (1930). In solidly argued, workmanlike prose, Gonzalez teases out each of Ortega's fluid assertions. Most compelling and insightful is his final chapter, in which he argues that the present time both echoes and proves Ortega's depiction of mass humanity as "an invidious, destructive, social/political, and opportunistic force" that cannot return to reason having built up a head of irrepressible steam in seeking liberation from all power; valuation and evaluation, on the other hand, require reason. Because of the denseness and singular exploration of the writing here, Gonzalez's book will be of most interest to Ortega scholars; graduate students in 20th-century history may also want to consult.—Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Griswold (philosophy, Boston Univ.; Adam Smith and the Virtues of Enlightenment) notes that the concept of forgiveness has "religious overtones," so he wisely—because this is a philosophical inquiry—limits himself to "forgiveness as a secular virtue (that is, as not dependent on any notion of the divine)." In the interpersonal (person-to-person) realm of forgiveness, he examines such related concepts as revenge, resentment, self-respect, atonement, sympathy, mental illness, compassion, pity, the unforgivable and the unforgiven, and self-forgiveness. In the political realm (e.g., a person or persons and a government, state, corporation, church, or civil association), he considers issues wherein forgiveness can or should play a part: e.g., slavery and lynching in U.S. history, the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, truth and reconciliation in South Africa, the Vietnamese conflict, and the Holocaust. This in-depth study of a topical issue will be accessible and of great interest to public library patrons as well as scholars, and it is highly recommended for both.—Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA

Noted historian Lilla's (Committee on Social Thought, Univ. of Chicago; The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics) newest book is according to the back cover "a sobering and thought-provoking work making us question what we thought we knew about religion, politics, and the fate of civilizations." Lilla helps us to take stock and, as he writes in his introduction, "think harder about how we live now and what is required if we wish our experiment to continue." He addresses the strengths and weaknesses of current political thought and the modern institutions we take for granted, and he further distinguishes among the Ethical God, the Bourgeois God, the Redeeming God, and the Stillborn God of our current political thought. This is a fascinating and edifying analytical history of ideas offering many observations, among them, that our world is becoming as fragile as the medieval world—increasingly intolerant, dogmatic, and fearful. For readers who love theology and philosophy as well as such thinkers as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant, Lilla's reasoned survey of secular and religious politics is a major gift to modern thought. Recommended for academic and public libraries.—Gary P. Gillum, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT

Danish literary critic and historian Zeruneith sets out to explain how conscious thought for Western civilization emerged in ancient Greece through the works of certain poets and philosophers. His examination begins with Homer, includes poets and tragedians such as Hesiod and Sophocles, and ends with Socrates. According to Zeruneith, it is important to start with Odysseus because it is through him that Homer presented a character relying on intellect rather that heroic strength. After Homer, writes Zeruneith, poets such as Archilochus began to move away from mythical subject matter to a style of poetry expressing internal thoughts. Also, pre-Socratic philosophers began to rely on empirical analysis rather than myths to explain the world. This emphasis on internal thought reached its culmination in the philosophy of Socrates, the highest goal of which is a life dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom. Overall, Zeruneith successfully combines historical analysis and philosophical reflection to show how the ancient Greeks' emphasis on intellect and rationality influenced our understanding of history and philosophy. Recommended for academic libraries.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

"Let this be like the prayer that God will always answer. The one that/ gives thanks for everything and asks for nothing." In his ninth book of poems (after To the Green Man), Jarman uses the expansiveness of prose to create a series of epistles in which he speaks to the reader and, in Whitmanesque manner, perhaps to the world. Many poems adhere to St. Paul's biblical writings, which are often instructive, suggesting that readers, "Do the impossible. Restore life to those you have killed, wholeness to/ those you have maimed." Many poems consider subjects taken from the headlines, while others reflect complicated abstractions like bliss, attachment, death, and paradoxes of being and not—questions asked and sometimes answered. In juxtaposition to religious spirituality, Jarman uses mathematics and science to create metaphors about belief. "We live in the hollow of immense desire./ Life ends with a bonus, the means to our death. We are added to zero,/ then multiplied by it." While most of the poems explore faith in its many manifestations, there is something here transcendent that speaks to everyone. Highly recommended.—Karla Huston, Appleton Art Ctr., WI

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Pinsky's seventh collection (after Jersey Rain, 2001) presents a carefully tuned yet impassioned vision of a past-haunted present where lessons of history remain unlearned and individuals struggle for comprehension amid atrocities ("In Africa/ The raiders with machetes to cut off hands/ Might make the victim choose, 'long sleeve or short' ") and contradictions ("Culture the penalty. Culture the escape"). Pinsky's long lines and associational momentum convey the immediacy of our data-glutted times. While the ever-widening stream of language carries within it the talismans and clues we need to establish a sense of continuity in our lives, it moves too quickly: "In it comes, you hear it, and that/ Selfsame second you swallow or expel it: an ecstasy of forgetting." While on one hand he charms with metaphor—a jar of pens is a "quiver/ of detached stingers"—on the other, he surprises us with stark candor, as in his 9/11 poem, "The Anniversary": "...So on television we watched/ The terrible spectacle, repetitiously gazing/ Until we were sick not only of the sight/ Of our prodigious systems turned against us/ But of the very systems of our watching." This anthology contains some of Pinsky's most invigorating work. Recommended for most collections.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

In principle, the natural sciences are agnostic. Dealing only in physical data, they can prove neither that God (a being deemed entirely spiritual) exists nor that he does not. But if science is in essence agnostic, scientists themselves often are not. Many books purport that science supports atheism (e.g., Daniel C. Dennett's Breaking the Spell). Others, such as this one, believe that science supports theism. With the assistance of journalist O'Leary (Faith@Science: Why Science Needs Faith in the Twenty-First Century), Canadian neuroscientist Beauregard here argues that his own work with Carmelite nuns and various other scientific studies show that merely physical explanations for religious experience are insufficient. He should end the discussion there: answer unknown. But he argues further that mystical experience shows spiritual beings must exist, and that the existence of God is probable. This conclusion is beyond science. Beauregard argues well in clear, readable prose, avoiding highly technical language. Whether his argument is convincing is up to the reader. Recommended for academic libraries and for public libraries with strong religion collections.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

In a condensed, popularized form of their more academic The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition, Boyd (senior pastor, Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, MN) and Eddy (theology, Bethel Coll., St. Paul, MN) tackle the thorny questions of the historicity of Jesus and the reliability of the Gospel narratives to challenge the assertion in some modern scholarship that the scriptural depiction of Jesus in the New Testament is more legend than fact. In Part 1, they examine the influence of the early Roman Imperial period (e.g., its pagan religious thoughts and practices) on the portrait of Jesus. In Part 2, they apply ten tests of historicity (e.g., textual analysis, plausibility) to evaluate the truth of the Gospels. And in Part 3, they reflect on how mythical allusions may have accrued to the historical Jesus. Craig A. Evans's recent Fabricating Jesus more critically addresses specific methodological problems created by modern pseudobiblical scholarship, while Boyd and Eddy's book focuses more on the historical context of Jesus's time and offers a close textual analysis of the Gospel texts. Intended for a broad general audience seriously interested in the historical questions surrounding Jesus of Nazareth; recommended.—Pius CharlesMurray, Boston Univ. Sch. of Theology Lib.

Nasr is not only a highly regarded and influential Islamic scholar (George Washington Univ.); he is also an extremely prolific writer who has produced more than 50 books (e.g., Religion and the Order of Nature) and 500 articles. For this reason, creating a book from his writings that accurately portrays his most important ideas is a major challenge. Editor Chittick (Sufism: A Beginner's Guide) meets this challenge in an exceptional way. After his informative introduction and a helpful foreword by Huston Smith (The Soul of Christianity: Restoring the Great Tradition), Chittick divides Nasr's key ideas into the categories of religion, Islam, and tradition. There are three chapters under the first category and nine chapters under each of the latter two categories. Considered as a whole, the book reveals Nasr as a major Islamic scholar who is also very knowledgeable about other world religions and with philosophy in general. With this broad intellectual background, he is able to write insightfully about myriad topics relating to religion. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.

Fretheim (Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN) attempts to justify yet another biography of Abraham, legendary father of three faiths, but is not quite convincing. His book has its benefits: it is short, it covers issues of child abuse, and it recognizes that the authors of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament did not intend the text to document a history of origins; instead, it was to explore the meaning of myths and legends about the beginnings of the Hebrew tribe. More could have been made of the fact that these stories were written in postexilic Israel (circa 500 B.C.E.), when the idea of the promise of a great Hebrew tribe was severely tested and nearly destroyed. The Abrahamic story was yet another story of survival in the face of certain destruction: if Abraham had sacrificed Isaac, no tribe would exist that could be traced back to him. Fretheim recognizes that ancient Near Eastern legends of child sacrifice might have influenced the Hebrew writers who compiled these stories. His book may be useful to students, but for the general reading public, Bruce Feiler's Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths is recommended. Fretheim's book will better suit seminary libraries.—James A. Overbeck, Atlanta-Fulton P.L.

In these essays, Mairs (research associate, Southwest Inst. for Research on Women; Ordinary Time) describes an alternative approach to Catholicism she herself experiences in the American Southwest. A convert from Congregationalism, Mairs describes herself as a "Zen Catholic" as well as a feminist, radical, and political activist who worships with a community dedicated to peace and justice. She explores her sometimes contradictory relationship with the church through such topics as the role of prophecy in the modern world, contemporary liturgy, Our Lady of Guadalupe and social issues, how to discern one's purpose in life, God as verb or process, the need to be satisfied with what we have despite society's consumerist mentality, and the ways in which fear and greed are destroying our world. Some of her stances are avant-garde by traditional standards, but they express an increasingly prevalent viewpoint among those within the church who are frustrated by recent scandals and the institution's official positions on issues such as the role of women. Recommended for public libraries.—Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT

To be in and not of the world—such is the rallying cry of many Christians, including the students at Patrick Henry College, located outside of Washington, DC. How, though, is it possible, one reporter wondered, to have a running conversation with Jesus in one's head while listening to the surrounding culture? To answer this question, Rosin immersed herself for a year and a half in the life of a small Christian campus in Purcellville, VA. Some of the school's students have scored a perfect 1600 on their SATs, rejecting acceptance letters from the likes of Harvard and Yale. Many have been homeschooled. In short, Patrick Henry is where emerging evangelical leaders are bred and groomed. They enter the spheres of politics, entertainment, science, and more upon graduation. Rosin, best known for her religion and politics coverage in the Washington Post, is the perfect writer and researcher for this project; her style is factual and objective. The book is, overall, an entertaining and enlightening read. More important, it's an eyewitness account of the evangelical movement and subculture. Recommended without reservation for academic and public libraries.—C. Brian Smith, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL

This is Twelftree's (New Testament, Sch. of Divinity, Regent Univ., VA) third book considering the significance of exorcism in the early Christian community. Christ Triumphant (1985) and Jesus the Exorcist (1993) laid the foundation by examining both the historical Jesus and the social-cultural milieu in which he exercised his ministry. Here, we find a more thorough and reasoned study of the biblical evidence relating to exorcism, including several critical voices of the practice from the second century. Twelftree examines how the Q document and the Synoptic Gospels view exorcism in contrast to the Gospel of St. John and the later Pauline letters. He posits an evolutionary understanding of the purpose and value of exorcism in the early church, which has implications for pastoral practice in the modern world. Although the text seems centered on the reality of evil and the demonic, truth and divine grace are the real theme of this meticulously researched, carefully written, and pastorally sensitive theological work. Recommended for theological collections.—John-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Platteville

The title and promotional literature imply that this is a book of folktales. While folklore is certainly an element, Wong (Tales of the Taoist Immortals; Teachings of the Tao) here offers more a history of Taoism in China as conveyed through mystical legend and intermixed with actual events and people. Arranged chronologically by dynasty, the text traces the fate and development of the Taoist philosophy through periods of ascendance, decay, change, political intrigue, and spiritual renewal, emphasizing both Taoism's effect on history and history's effect on Taoism. The narrative is well written, but as it is best suited to students and researchers, it would have benefited from a few additions: an index and a bibliography, a time line of the dynasties involved, a basic definition of Taoism for the uninitiated, captions and attributions for the black-and-white illustrations (not seen in the review copy), and a less abrupt ending that might give some indication of how Taoism has developed since 1912, the end of the Qing dynasty. This book is recommended for comparative religion and Asian studies collections at all levels or where interest warrants.—Katherine Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh

Sayers, an NFL Hall of Famer, was a running back for the Chicago Bears in the 1960s, noted for having an elusive running style unlike anyone else's. He became an even greater pop culture figure because of the spectacularly successful 1971 TV movie Brian's Song, adapted from his autobiography (with Al Silverman), I Am Third. It depicted the moving relationship between the quiet African American Sayers and his ebullient Bears roommate, Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer. Sayers's second book, authored with Mitchell (Cubs: Where Have You Gone?), is, unfortunately, much less stimulating than his first. It is uneven and jumps around illogically from chapter to chapter. He focuses on how athletes need to "prepare to quit" during their careers so that they can live successful, fulfilling lives. It is an admirable message for which Sayers is a fine role model, but most readers would prefer more focus on Sayers's years with the Bears and his views of notable opponents and the NFL today. For Chicagoland libraries only.—John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ