Arts & Humanities

Both the dust jacket and the cover of this book reproduce a lovely hand-colored etching of a bird perched on a branch, from the 1813 Birds of New South Wales. The "yellow ear honeysucker" serves as a fitting welcome in the first of three chronological volumes based on the works from a National Gallery of Australia exhibit: its artist, free settler John Lewin, produced the earliest-known intaglio prints. Many of the 377 images document the natural world, landscapes, and original inhabitants observed by early colonists from Great Britain. Others depict the townscapes and social life that developed as Australia became their "home" through the 19th century. Author, printmaking specialist, and curator Butler conveys a strong sense of patriotic pride while discussing 19th-century printmaking techniques as exemplified in the metal engravings, etchings, wood engravings, lithographs, and photogravures of individual artists and printers, some of whom emigrated not just from the British Isles, but also from places like Germany, Russia, France, and America. Covering a fascinating transformative period, this catalog is recommended for both academic and public libraries. [To view part of the National Gallery of Australia's collection, see Butler's web site, printsandprintmaking.gov.au.—Ed.]—Anne Marie Lane, American Heritage Ctr. Lib., Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie

This unusual catalog, pendant to an ambitious exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, is a dense visual chronicle of the artistic production of Los Angeles during the most vibrant years of American cultural expansion. With the advent of easy transcontinental travel, the postwar baby boom, and the appearance of the peripatetic Beat generation, Los Angeles became a major art capital and avant-garde lodestar, much to the consternation of New York and San Francisco. Beefy essays by Pompidou curator Grenier and Howard N. Fox (L.A. Cty. Museum of Art) lend invaluable structure. The 300-page visual chronology forming the bulk of this weighty catalog—a thickset consolidation of illustrations interspersed with contemporaneous interviews—is helpfully supported by the introductory matter. Fox expostulates on the familiar idea that L.A. is a "dream-and-nightmare" realm, a dystopian paradise, and speculates that "there is a bipolar disorder at the heart of the culture of Southern California." Regardless of that claim's veracity, never before has such a thorough history of this important place, time, and context been assembled. Edward Ruscha, Kenneth Anger, and Betye Saar are among the 86 artists represented in this landmark work in the historiography of California art. Highly recommended.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Forty of the most innovative and visually striking buildings of the last 40 years are the subject of this book about "futuristic projects that have actually been built." Ranging from Eugene Tsui's Berkeley, CA, house for his parents to Norman Foster's London skyscraper for Swiss RE, the featured buildings are treated individually in sections that run between two to four pages in length and are grouped into three chapters: "Other Worlds," "Death Stars and TIE Fighters," and "Return of the Blob." As one might guess from the chapter titles, the text is sprinkled with references to imagery from popular science fiction movies. Although this makes for some amusing comparisons, the volume's real strength lies in its succinct building analyses. Architectural researcher and writer Cattermole—also the former creative director of Arcaid, an architectural picture library that houses these photos—ably sketches the cultural and historical context of each building, describing its structure and technical innovations while critiquing its aesthetic form. Recommended for large public and undergraduate architecture libraries; the absence of an index or floor plans compromises the volume's usefulness for more specialized collections.—Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN

Plachy, a photographer for The New Yorker, is a master of candid street photography à la Henri Cartier-Bresson, capturing the perfect moment all about the greater Gotham metropolis. Copublished by Aperture and The New Yorker, the Hungarian-born photographer's latest book gathers nearly 100 whimsical, documentary images recently published as openers to the magazine's front section of weekly event listings. Plachy (mother of actor Adrien Brody) records with mercurial humor a charming variety of New York life: e.g., performers of all types, on stage and behind the curtains; children and workers in museums; and outdoor pleasure grounds. Her abiding love of the cultures and landscapes making up the New York region is here manifest. Though similar in scope, Cooper's book (Hip-Hop Files: Photographs, 1979–1984) is an altogether grittier document of the city. Her images all date from the embattled 1970s, when New York was in financial ruin and whole neighborhoods like the South Bronx epitomized urban decay in the popular imagination. Cooper at the time was a staff photographer for the New York Post, and her camera records the city under a preponderance of snow, litter, heat, and apparent desuetude. One might easily conclude from all the coatings of dust and grimy snow that this was America's least aesthetically pleasing decade. Yet the gregarious joy evident in so many of the uncaptioned, unidentified black-and-white photos—e.g., of children posing before graffitied walls, of sunbathers on collapsing piers—reveals an optimism that Cooper's affectionate gaze obviously couldn't resist. Involving as they are, these collections are not essential for most libraries, but they would make excellent gifts for Big Apple natives and/or aficionados.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Swiss-born landscape architect Jacob Weidenmann (1829–93) was not well known during his lifetime, and little of his work has survived. Thanks to Favretti (landscape architecture, emeritus, Univ. of Connecticut), however, this key proponent of the rural cemetery movement in America is finally getting recognized. Apparently the first person to train in all aspects of landscape architecture as it evolved from landscape gardening, Weidenmann studied architecture, building, engineering, fine arts, and horticulture in Germany before immigrating to and practicing in the United States. He eventually became an associate of Frederick Law Olmsted, designing many projects on the American landscape architect's behalf. Though Weidenmann made some poor business decisions in his own practice, he influenced the landscapes of various American cities and suburbs during the late 19th century. Favretti's biography is illustrated with some of Weidenmann's site plans and renderings, plus a few photographs (32 b&w, 24 color). A thorough study recommended for academic libraries supporting landscape architecture programs.—David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., B.C.

Lark Books has been publishing its "500" series of picture albums of contemporary crafts for several years; these volumes follow the standard format closely. The production process goes like this: craft artists submit photos of their work for inclusion in an upcoming book on a particular subset of their métier. An editorial team then selects from these 500 (or 400, or 1000, depending on the series) photos, and each artwork gets a page with details of size and construction as well as the occasional artist statement; there is no other accompanying text. The publisher's intention is to democratically represent the creative scene at the particular moment of the book's publication. The books in this series meet that intention, but readers should bear in mind that only those artists who see the publisher's call for photos and can read the language in which it is written are represented. Case in point: in Metal Vessels, artists from both South Korea and Taiwan are well represented, but those from Japan and Great Britain are absent. Japanese craft artists are also missing from Handmade Dolls, a particularly glaring absence. That said, the works of the artists who are represented are all inventive and carefully crafted. Both the original photography and the printing are of high quality. While both books will appeal to craft collectors, Handmade Dolls will reach a broader public than will Metal Vessels, which seems aimed more toward metalworkers and design professionals.—David McClelland, Seoul, South Korea

To page through these 130 sumptuous color photographs of African religious ceremonies is to be admitted as a privileged observer of exotic rites in a romantic, far-off place. If this raises the hackles of postcolonial critics (a sometimes tiresome lot), it shouldn't. Yes, French photographer Lainé (African Kings) fell under the sway of Africa's visual lushness, but his work in West Africa, South Africa, and parts of East Africa is a sensitive and careful portrait of Christian worshippers, vodun practitioners, traditional oracles and priests, and believers of diverse sorts. The full-page photos are printed with an explanatory text, while three short essays by Nathan (clinical & pathological psychology, Univ. of Paris), Anne Stamm (ethnology, Univ. of Paris), and priest and anthropologist Pierre Saulnier discuss vodun and African religious rituals. For admirers of artistic photography, the book is an end unto itself, while anthropologists will find it a good starting point for investigating specific rituals. Recommended for art, public, and academic libraries.—David McClelland, Seoul, South Korea

This is the most extensive monograph (300 color illustrations) of the French-born Bernar Venet, who has been active in the New York art scene since the 1960s. Beginning as a conceptualist deeply influenced by Marcel Duchamp, Venet has gone on—after a Duchampian period of inactivity—to produce large metal sculptures reminiscent of works by Anthony Caro, Eduardo Chillida, and (remotely) Richard Serra, but with substantial mathematical or theoretical intentions behind them. The steel arcs and lines he employs in landscapes particularly have a certain freedom and playfulness, and his later, more geometric works relating directly to buildings are also very compelling. The text by Lenain (art history, Université Libre, Brussels) covers Venet's entire career and includes much firsthand interaction with the artist, whose conceptualist work in retrospect seems quite vital. Thomas McEvilley (art history, Rice Univ., TX) also contributes. For advanced collections with binding budgets.—Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.

Martin has studied and taken more than 10,000 photographs of the Maya since 1987. His purpose here is to understand and reveal Mayan culture, especially the Mayan perception that the world and everything in it are "pervasively sentient" and endowed with spirit. Included in these 100-plus black-and-white photographs are portraits emphasizing these people's stoic dignity, humanity, and pride. Martin also captures ruins of temples and encroaching tropical forests; close-ups of the fantastic sculptural images typical of Mayan decoration; such natural features as the Rio Frio Cave in Belize; vegetation-like trees wrapped around ruins, and Christian worship as it intersects with older Mayan beliefs. David A. Freidel (archaeology, Southern Methodist Univ.) provides a thoughtful foreword, while Christenson (comparative literature, Brigham Young Univ., Provo) writes of the Maya's spirituality and Boston University archaeologists Shoshaunna Parks and Patricia A. McAnany discuss the ancestry of the Maya. A solid pictorial introduction to Mayan culture; recommended.—Ilene Skeen, New York

Maybe the title says it all. Graphic designer and typographer Perry's book exhibits a cheeky, youthful exuberance as well as a certain naive enthusiasm for its subject—hand-drawn type—collecting typographical examples by 55 contemporary designers who work in this medium. Hand-drawn letterforms exhibit the kind of unique and sometimes accidental quality that sets them apart from the more precise, computer-generated graphics with which we're more familiar today. Many of the examples here show skilled draftsmanship and a keen eye for design, but the relentless self-consciousness and cluttered "anti-style" of the layout, along with the brief introductory matter in voices reminiscent of MySpace.com, make it difficult to focus on anything in particular. Perhaps comprehensive design collections would consider this heavily illustrated (500 color) title, but for the most part, its audience is extremely limited. Not recommended.—Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Mention the word green to an architect or builder, and talk turns to environmental awareness, energy conservation, and sustainable design. Green roofs, typically made up of a thin layer of soil planted with a hardy groundcover, are relatively new to the United States but have proven their feasibility in Europe. When the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) decided to retrofit a green roof atop its Washington, DC, brownstone headquarters, it partnered award-winning landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates with the Conservation Design Forum. The 3300-square-foot, ecologically sound and graciously inviting gardenlike result now serves as an ASLA green-roof case study and is featured in programs to educate and inspire clients and designers. Author and landscape architect Werthmann (Harvard Univ.) presents an exhaustive rooftop tour in a novel encyclopedia format. Generously illustrated entries span the A to Z of green-roof design and construction, including drainage, erosion, maintenance, and planting. Along with Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury's Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls and the Earth Pledge Foundation's Green Roofs: Ecological Design and Construction, Werthmann's book is recommended for academic and professional collections.—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

This work, which combines published interviews with W.G. Sebald (1944–2001) with numerous essays on the German author, covers Sebald's literary influences, his complex interfamilial dealings, and his decision to settle in England in 1970. Sebald's great accomplishments were his ability to look at the German-Jewish relationship and the destruction of Germany in World War II with equal amounts of compassion and understanding. His works—including Vertigo, The Emigrants, On the Natural History of Destruction—deal with the themes of coincidence, memory, nature, writing, and destruction; his literary hallmarks are indirection, conjunction, and chance. In these interviews—those with Joseph Cuomo and Elizabeth Wachtel are especially noteworthy—Sebald discusses the models for his characters and the development of his works. Also fascinating are the essays by Charles Simic and Arthur Lubow. Novelist Schwartz's (The Writing on the Wall) fine editing allows different views of Sebald's work to emerge. Recommended for literature collections.—Gene Shaw, NYPL

Friedman (English & comparative literature, Univ. of Texas, Austin; Fictional Death and the Modernist Enterprise) explores the particularly Irish habit of self-dramatization as manifested in "party pieces," or impromptu performances, by characters in the works of two of the 20th century's greatest Irish writers. Though James Joyce and Samuel Beckett chose to live in exile on the Continent, both remained very Irish in their writing, as seen in their fidelity to the culture of social performance, which, Friedman demonstrates, was central to their creative processes. This book explores the tradition as imbedded in these writers' literary output, especially Joyce's Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses and Beckett's plays, e.g., Waiting for Godot and Krapp's Last Tape. It focuses on the variety of performance styles—including song, oral narrative, and dance—the purpose of which was to entertain, inform, or even distract the audience when it suited the writer. This first long study to examine performance as a fundamental device in these writers' works is recommended for academic libraries.—Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT

Ghibellino aims in this scholarly treatise to revise the orthodox view of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's (1749–1832) love life. His central thesis is that Goethe's relationship with Charlotte von Stein, lady in waiting to Anna Amalia, Dowager Duchess of Weimar, was a contrivance. Ghibellino sets out to prove that the real object of Goethe's affection was actually the duchess herself and that the couple and the duchess's family actively concealed this fact for political reasons. Available in English for the first time, this text was originally published in German in 2003. In scholarly circles, its revision of the hitherto accepted understanding of Goethe's life has caused controversy. However, the author, who has been educated in Tubingen and Oxford, contests that without exploring the relationship between Goethe and Anna Amalia, one cannot fully understand Goethe's work. While the book embraces the romanticism of the concept of a hidden love, it is nevertheless a work of detailed research. Each chapter commences with an excerpt from Goethe's poetry and progresses to a thorough examination of such primary sources as letters and diary entries. Suited to academic libraries.—Rebecca Bollen Manalac, Sydney, Australia

Most people associate transcendentalism with Ralph Waldo Emerson, who played a significant role in its emergence. Gura (American literature & culture, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) introduces readers to other American individuals who also contributed to the movement, including Orestes Brownson, George Ripley, and Theodore Parker. In 11 chapters, he presents the history and evolution of transcendentalism, which attracted many clergymen and New Englanders. He explains how the movement was influenced by German philosophy and theology, and how, over time, the German influence began to fade and the movement became uniquely American. Readers will learn that fractures between Emerson and others in the movement (e.g., Ripley and Brownson) further changed its focus. By the end of the Civil War, Gura writes, Emerson's stress on individualism and self-reliance had supplanted the earlier transcendentalist ideals of humanitarian reform and egalitarianism. Gura further illustrates transcendentalism's influence on other disciplines. The chapter describing Bronson Alcott's approach to childhood education is particularly compelling and demonstrates transcendentalism's reach at the height of its popularity. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Erica Swenson Danowitz, American Univ. Lib., Washington, DC

Most serious students of modern literary criticism should recognize the work of Hartman (English & comparative literature, emeritus, Yale Univ.), whose The Geoffrey Hartman Reader recently won the Truman Capote Prize for Literary Criticism in Honor of Newton Arvin. During his 50-plus years as a literary critic and professor, Hartman has written thoughtful, provocative, and lasting opinions on the literary world. His many years of reading and close friendships with contemporaries Erich Auerbach, Harold Bloom, Paul de Mann, and Jacques Derrida offer a lively overview of trends in American literature and have helped shape literary criticism as a study. But perhaps Hartman's greatest contribution to the academic world is his work recording the stories of Holocaust survivors (he is project director of the Fortunoff Video for Holocaust Testimonies). Having himself left Nazi Germany at age nine, his point of view is passionate, compassionate, and elegant. Recommended for all academic libraries and where interest warrants in public libraries.—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

As a playwright (Fear and Loving in Minneapolis), humorist, and commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Kling is well known for his ability to find comedy in whatever life sends his way, first a birth defect, then a motorcycle accident that has limited his use of both arms. The title piece in this debut collection refers to a fight between Kling's cat and dog that causes his voice-activated computer software to respond by typing "How, how, why, why." Many of these 29 autobiographical tales recount childhood escapades with his father as they flew model airplanes or traveled on family car trips. "Dad's Day" shares the mixed-up phrases a neighbor, Mr. Sloan, creates to dispense wisdom, e.g., "It ain't rocket surgery, for crying outside." With Kling's frequent childhood visits to the emergency room, his father offered this wise instruction as Kling went on wild go-cart rides: "Don't get killed just because you know how." The tales range from a long line of family members who have survived lightning strikes to a third-generation farmer who decides to plant a field of sunflowers because he knows he will never be able to afford a Van Gogh. Recommended for all Minnesota libraries and for literary collections in larger public libraries.—Joyce Sparrow, JWB Children's Services Council, Pinellas Park, FL

McFarland's (Hawthorne in Concord) complex biography culls material mainly from three sources: Stowe's own Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe (1889), Robert Forrest Wilson's Crusader in Crinoline: The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe (1941), and Joan D. Hedrick's Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life (1994). It is divided into three sections to reflect the loves of Stowe's life: her husband, Calvin; her father, Lyman; and her brother, Henry (though one could argue that writing was her main love). Stowe's success publishing extensively on a freelance basis and the fame she achieved with Uncle Tom's Cabin were no small feats, especially considering she mothered seven children. McFarland's most interesting revelation is that Stowe at one point told her husband, "If I am to write, I must have a room to myself, which shall be my room." Privacy and time, however, were hard to come by. McFarland's work, which also draws on Stowe's correspondence, presents a remarkable life against the backdrop of a tense America dealing with civil war, slavery, and the advent of women's rights. It will appeal to advanced literature students and admirers of women writers. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.—Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

Editor Burns started interviewing writers in October 2003 for the Washington Post's online literary chat sessions, Off the Page." Realizing she was collecting real gems led her to shape excerpts from the conversations into this book, in which popular contemporaries like Joyce Carol Oates, A.S. Byatt, Michael Cunningham, Gish Jen, Jhumpa Lahiri, Tobias Wolff, and Alice McDermott comment on various topics mostly relating to fiction. They discuss the ideas behind their stories, how their approaches to writing stories vs. novels differ, the revision process, how they determine when a work is complete, the influence of place, sources of inspiration, and more. In the final section, "Words of Wisdom," the interviewees provide advice to those on the path toward becoming writers. This is not a writing manual, yet it may provide insight and comfort to those who are struggling with their craft. A larger audience for the book includes readers who enjoy discovering the behind-the-scenes work of the writing life. Recommended for larger public libraries and academic libraries supporting writing programs. [The book has, in any case, inspired Burns: she is currently at work on her first novel.—Ed.]—Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

This book initially seems to be an earnest attempt to justify comics (and graphic novels) as a sophisticated literary art form. But once Versaci (English, Palomar Community Coll., San Marcos, CA) frames the literary merit debate—which at book length would be unnecessary given the critical acceptance of graphic novels like Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale—he settles down to create a worthy text for anyone interested in the genre. Versaci gives readers a new arsenal of tools with which to examine comics and graphic novels, and he offers 100 black-and-white illustrations from artists including Harvey Pekar, Joe Sacco, Lynda Barry, and Sue Coe. Using a few carefully chosen topics, he explores his central argument in depth by providing historical context and analyzing layout, pacing, and style. He further offers a framework and vocabulary for discussion and convincingly argues that the medium can communicate as effectively, if not more effectively, than prose and film. While scholarly, this work is highly engaging, lively, and accessible. It will appeal to students, fans, and casual readers alike and deserves to be widely read. Recommended for all public, academic, and high school collections.—Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L.

Weis's (English, University Coll. London; The Yellow Cross: The Story of the Last Cathars' Rebellion Against the Inquisition, 1290–1329) fairly standard biography of Shakespeare is enlivened by his scholarship. Drawing on records held by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the newly discovered will of Shakespeare's father, and other sources, he posits that the events and themes of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets are grounded in actual events from the playwright's life, and further, that they can be used to flesh out the scant details of his biography. Taking side trips down the byways of Shakespeare's life, Weis gives readers background on Shakespeare's family, friends, business partners, and acquaintances as well as information about the cultural and political environment of the era. Biographical information is bolstered with quotations from the plays and sonnets. Included are a list identifying the people who most significantly figured into Shakespeare's life, an appendix discussing Stratford maps, and a bibliography. This chatty read is recommended for public libraries that experience demand and that do not already have similar biographies (e.g., Stephen Greenblatt's Will in the World or Peter Ackroyd's Shakespeare: The Biography). Also recommended for academic libraries supporting programs in Renaissance literature.—Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ. Lib., Zanesville

The difference between The Gonzo Way: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson, Anita Thompson's 112-page sketch of her late gonzo journalist husband, and this 512-page biography by Wenner (founder, Rolling Stone) and Seymour, Hunter S. Thompson's former assistant, is mainly that one is written by a disciple-turned-wife who knew her drug-damaged subject only for the last few years of his life, while the other is by 100 wonderfully varied friends and equals, some of whom knew Thompson since their childhood together in Louisville, KY. The contributors to Wenner and Seymour's comparatively more measured and convincing study make a lively mosaic of modern American life: they include, e.g., President Jimmy Carter; novelist Tom Wolfe; Hunter S. Thompson's son with his first wife, Juan; illustrator/Thompson collaborator Ralph Steadman; the late TV correspondent Ed Bradley; and actor Johnny Depp, who wrote the introduction. But they also include myriad other, less famous but equally articulate friends and associates who here share their own takes on Thompson. A full, complete picture of this complex countercultural hero; highly recommended for all large public libraries, even those already having their share of volumes by and about Thompson.—Charles C. Nash, formerly with Cottey Coll., Nevada, MO

While there are countless books for actors devoted to finding and preparing the perfect audition monolog, few have been written on the topic of cold reading, a skill equally important in the working actor's life. Alterman, playwright and author of several popular monolog books, addresses the special challenges of cold readings in this comprehensive how-to guide. Structurally, much of the text is in list form, as Alterman covers the dos and don'ts of cold reading in various audition situations ranging from theater to daytime television. Though much of the advice will be familiar to anyone who has attended a contemporary acting class, the book excels at placing artistic concepts within the actual audition process, providing a valuable resource for actors confronting new and unfamiliar audition situations. An added highlight is Alterman's inclusion of interviews with many top casting directors. Recommended for all theater collections and for performing arts collections in public and academic libraries.—Katherine Litwin, Pierre Berton Resource Lib., Woodbridge, Ont.

Tony Pastor (1837–1908) started out as a circus performer and progressed to songwriter, musical performer, and finally theater manager and owner. Onstage, he specialized in comical, topical, and patriotic songs, and offstage he displayed a shrewd business sense in every aspect of theater operation, from backstage to the front of the house. Although referred to as the father of vaudeville, Pastor preferred the term variety to describe the entertainment his theaters offered, and his aim was to present shows that would appeal to a family audience. A typical variety show might include comedy sketches, singers, clowns, dancers, and even boxers. Social historian Fields (Women Vaudeville Stars) incorporates the history of popular theater in New York from the middle of the 19th century to just after the dawn of the 20th. His detailed biography is punctuated by a number of contemporary portraits, photographs, and stage bills. Perhaps the only in-print book on this influential performer, this is recommended for popular culture and performing arts collections.—Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.

Hersch (political science, Cleveland State Univ.; Democratic Artworks) explores turn-of-the-century New Orleans, when Jim Crow segregation laws were forcing America into a binary of races. At the same time, a wide spectrum of musicians, audiences, and venues juxtaposed African, European, American, and Latin music and through modification and reinterpretation (or signifying), they created a unique patchwork of music called jazz. Jazz used aspects of marching music, popular at the time for its decisive rhythm in an increasingly industrial society, but also incorporated elements like syncopation and improvisation—altering time and giving the music flight. Opponents saw this new musical force as a threat to racial purity and some notions of what behavior and rhythm should be like. Hersch contends that "jazz did in fact subvert racial segregation." This well-documented history contributes to the dialog on the role of race in the origins of jazz. Recommended for academic and public libraries.—Lani Smith, Boston

McSweeney's contributor Kennedy's memoir is, in the new tradition of rock 'n' roll, a semi-ironic, semiwistful examination of the author's past, wherein he discusses the bittersweet nature of finally breaking into the record industry only to discover that it's not quite what he expected. Instead of spending his days doing glamorous work with up-and-coming bands, he toils away writing magazine ad copy for artists who have, to put it gently, seen hipper days. Kennedy is a talented humor writer, and the book is riotously funny throughout. One especially entertaining encounter revolves around a music-video shoot where Kennedy presents a tray of cheese and grapes that his bosses have provided for lunch to rap star Fat Joe and his large crew, who then proceed to laugh at him, order delivery barbecue, and get stoned in a conference room. Readers with an interest in pop music will get the most out of this book, but anyone who appreciates good writing will enjoy it as well. Recommended for all public libraries.—John Helling, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene Cty. P.L., IN

Although there have been books about the making of the film version of The Sound of Music, multiple works on Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals, and others about Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers, Maslon (arts, NYU; coauthor, Broadway: The American Musical) uses the opportunity of a current London revival of this popular American musical to bring these stories together. Interweaving the threads of historical narrative about the von Trapp family, the professional lives of the creative geniuses behind the scenes, production anecdotes, and the phenomenal cultural impact of the show, Maslon covers the century, from Maria's birth in Austria in 1905 to Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest London stage production in 2006. Illustrations include von Trapp family photos, historical documents, original design sketches, early lyrics, and production notes, as well as publicity shots from various international stage productions and scenes from the film. This coffee-table companion volume will help fans enjoy the show to its fullest. Highly recommended for popular theater collections.—Laura A. Ewald, Greenville Coll. Lib., IL

Veteran film scholar Nowell-Smith (The Oxford History of World Cinema) is indeed "making waves" as he demystifies the new cinemas of the 1960s in Europe and Latin America. He doesn't hesitate to point out that a new-wave director's use of a documentary style or black and white instead of color was because of financial rather than aesthetic reasons, or that some of the innovative techniques used (e.g., shaky camera, jump cuts, and strangely accentuated location sound) actually reflect incompetence in overcoming difficulties in location shooting. Particularly interesting is his analysis of the change in British culture and how it affected free cinema in that country and the contrast between the diversity of new filmmaking in France and the corresponding dearth of new wave in Italy. Although its coverage of Eastern European and Latin American new wave is too brief, this work distinguishes itself as an all-encompassing text on the subject, unlike others that focus on an individual country during the 1960s. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.—Victor Or, Vancouver Public & North Vancouver City Lib., B.C.

Harpist and art historian Rensch (The Harp: Its History, Technique and Repertoire) here revives and updates her classic 1989 history of the harp from ancient Mesopotamia to the electric harp now gaining popularity through the music of Florida-based performance harpist Meko. New to this edition are two additional chapters, an extensive bibliography, an appendix on the harp collection and Roslyn Rensch papers housed at the University of Illinois, personal anecdotes of her studies with Alberto Salvi, and an accompanying CD of harp music, including noted works by Bach, Liszt, Britten, and Meko. Rensch includes a chronology of notable events, early representations of the harp in western Europe and North America, and the harp in literature and in music. Art historians will particularly enjoy the chapter and illustrations on the harp in art from 1200 to 1665. Rensch has written the book on the harp. Comprehensive, detailed, and challenging, it is recommended for large public and academic collections that specialize in music and art history.—Elizabeth M. Wavle, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

The transgressive cinema movement was a postpunk cinema principally centered in lower Manhattan between the late Seventies and early Nineties. Lecturer and writer Sargeant (Naked Lens: Beat Cinema) has written, with the help of numerous collaborators, what is clearly the definitive book on the movement, first published in the United Kingdom in 1995. Unfortunately, it is also a sophomoric work that offers no true critical assessment of the featured films—the contents mainly comprise descriptions of the content and genius of the films, which are difficult for readers to see and evaluate for themselves. Because inexpensive filmmaking options have proliferated, the book will likely interest young filmmakers, and cultural historians of the era will appreciate the access to the filmmakers via the long, unedited interviews. YouTube and similar web sites offer access to the films, as do two VHS compilations (Cinema of Transgression and Generation Z: The Movies of Nick Zedd) and a recent release of Richard Kern's films to DVD (Richard Kern: Hardcore Collection). Recommended for academic and special collections.—Christian Zabriskie, Queens P.L., NYPhilosophy

Appiah (philosophy, Princeton) argues that experimental philosophy—i.e., using the sciences to investigate philosophical issues—does not undermine moral philosophy. Some studies appear to show that few people display constant character traits, and while philosophers like John Doris and Gilbert Harman think these studies greatly weaken virtue ethics, Appiah does not agree. He believes that virtues are best taken as ideals rather than as formulas to generate decisions in particular situations. In like fashion, he does not think that scientific studies empty moral intuitions of all their force. He surveys the research showing some of these intuitions to be irrational, but he errs in thinking we can use these results to revise our views; we cannot dispense with moral intuitions entirely. Appiah favors a pluralistic position that takes full account of science but rejects reductionism. Ethics, he suggests, should not be confined to analyzing quandaries. Instead, the pursuit of eudaemonia, or human flourishing, is the central issue. As readers of his previous book, The Ethics of Identity, might anticipate, this book is illuminating and erudite; highly recommended for philosophy collections.—David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH

This collection of essays by the late Danish philosopher and theologian Lgstrup (The Ethical Demand) presents his theory of using phenomenology in understanding our ethical decisions. According to Løgstrup, phenomenology not only provides an understanding of human existence but also of ethics, through examination of the phenomena of ethical concepts. He uses the example of trust, explaining that we cannot think of trust as being neutral or negative, only as positive. We use positive phenomena like trust and mercy as the basis for normative ethics, which emerge from what Løgstrup calls the "sovereign expressions of life." Unlike the rigid system of Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative, writes Løgstrup, these sovereign expressions of life precede our actions and are more like impulses that guide our behavior. Løgstrup combines detailed writing with an excellent critique of competing ethical theories to explain his own ethical theory, which stresses the moral experience over ethical principals. These essays will be valuable to scholars and students in philosophy and ethics. Recommend for academic libraries.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

In this brief yet highly engaging book, Sallis (philosophy, Boston Coll.; Topographies) examines the limits and purpose of philosophy through the writings of Plato, Martin Heidegger, and longtime friend and interlocutor Jacques Derrida. Sallis explains that philosophy is a dynamic process whereby, like the escaped prisoner in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" (The Republic), the philosopher is transformed by his or her knowledge. This knowledge brings philosophy to its limits, a point at which discourse and understanding become difficult and must be looked at through the philosophy that led it there; for Sallis, this philosophy is Platonism. He explains that in Plato's works, philosophy began to develop a distinction between the "intelligible" and the "sensible," which in turn provided the foundation for all succeeding philosophy. Sallis discusses the return to what he refers to as a new Platonism, which contains much of Plato's original thought but has also been brought to a new verge through Heidegger's and Derrida's writings on the philosopher. All told, Sallis has written a unique work that combines philosophical analysis with a heartfelt reflection on his friendship with Derrida.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

The work of internationally acclaimed, avant-garde Chuvash poet Aygi (1934–2006) did not appear in print in the former Soviet Union until the late 1980s. France's refulgent translation contains more than 100 central pieces from Aygi's Field-Russia, Time of the Ravines, and Final Departure and includes the innovative poems "Island of Daisies in a Clearing," "Field-Conclusion (Land Without People)," and "Peacefully: Fires of Sunflowers." He highlights Aygi's "silvery-shining" voice and his predilection for free-verse construction, clustered nouns (e.g., "snowflake-beings"; "little-girl-butterfly"), fragments, Dickinsonian dashes, and negative space. While Aygi's poems offer glimpses of village life and the natural world (e.g., views of ruined churches, glistening birches, sunflowers, and snowdrifts), his painterly representations signal layers of meaning, point to moral and spiritual quests, and speak of loss. In one such exemplary poem, titled "After Midnight—Snow Outside the Window," he writes of how "grief/ like orphanly scattered-white clothing" spreads "through a silent land/ just—everywhere—breathing desolation." Recommended for academic and larger public libraries.—Miriam Tuliao, NYPL

"The clattering horse-drawn carriages, the horns,/ the hawkers all fall silent in the flash,/ then chaos rises, shattering paradise." In her first collection, Chandhok's poems bridge two worlds, the Kashmir of her youth and the Brooklyn where she has come to settle, and they weigh what has been lost and gained in the transition. With a keen eye, a smart ear, verbal agility, and a strong sense of line and narration, she evokes an Indian marketplace, a river embankment, and her father's prized photograph (misidentified for years as the view from Zero Bridge) in a way that resonates not just geography and culture but also wonder, hope, and a wisdom that comes of conscious and conscientious living. This world she inherited from her parents is not unlike the one she offers her own children by way of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the aquarium at Coney Island, the subway, and the long meadow "littered with bodies/ at rest in the haze like old cairns/ mapping the shade." As difficult as paradise is to hold on to, Chandhok shows it is just as difficult to let go. A smart and colorful word-picture of two cultures; highly recommended.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

Davis's debut collection posits absence against presence or the loss of a loved one against what endures, at least for now. Poems about a father's death wistfully color other poems about a son's early childhood, and each probes the nature of feeling much like the girl in a painting who "looks into the paint/ where she was made." These poems are jagged, employing the non sequitur, the obscure reference, and the catalog as surface rougheners; as they move from Flemish painting to the work of Joseph Cornell, there is a recurrence of rooms, boxes, or drawers recently filled or vacated, like "the square of window/ in a monk's cell, quick daylight where no monk has slept in years." Some of the poems, while engaging, are difficult to enter; others are wrenching. In "Grief Daybook I"—part of a series—a bereft daughter imagines herself at her father's grave as other mourners cross over her in search of someone else, and she asks: "What is the heart/ but a request?" Recommended, particularly for academic collections.—E.M. Kaufman, Dewey Ballantine Law Lib., New York

The poems in Dischell's fifth collection (after Dig Safe) conjure a disembodied consciousness aspiring to define itself in a spectral, melancholy universe: "The cities were anonymous/ The problems generic/ And the people who lived/ Out their lives did nothing/ Remarkable." Time is marked by "Days of ritual and small gestures," and if human contact occurs at all, it's precariously carried out over great distances—"And we were/ Voice to voice/ Below the orbiting/ Satellites, I/ In the parking lot/ And you by the sea"—subject to being "cut off in a region of lost signals." Loners traverse neglected or sparsely drawn landscapes with forgotten purpose ("No place to rush or anyone to fool./ No words interfered with that rhythm"), trapped between irretrievable pasts and impossible futures. Like Paul Verlaine and other French symbolists, Dischell favors shade over color, and his modest dashes of irony and surrealism create a noirish sense of intrigue. Though these hermetic poems at first seem glancing, almost parenthetical, they suggest a larger, troubled text, invisible, perhaps unwritten, but no less vital—or human—for that. Recommended for large collections.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Two years seems a short amount of time for a poetry collection to span, but for a writer as prolific as Rich, it is ample. Rich won the Yale Award for Younger Poets in 1951 and has not slowed down since. Her 1974–77 collection, The Dream of a Common Language, is an American poetry classic. Her verse burns with enough intensity and focus to make awkward labels like "free verse," "the personal is political," and "confessional poetry" redemptive compliments. This new experimental collection shows a bold, evocative imagist at work, and, as with blues singers, Rich's voice has only improved with age and remains incandescent and compelling. Take, for example, her asking amid a war poem, "is this how far we have come/ to make love easy?" or referring to universities as "the gaunt architecture of cheap solutions." This is not the only Rich book to have in your collection, but for those already invested, it makes a fine addition.—Travis Fristoe, Alachua Cty. Lib. Dist., FL

Bebergal, a "failed Jewish mystic," and Korb, a "former wannabe Catholic priest," delineate their efforts at coming to terms with belief in God as manifested in their daily lives in the secular world. The two freelance writers became friends as a result of reading each other's work in periodicals and sensing they were kindred spirits in their spiritual quests. There are ten stories here, each by one author and with an epilog by the other, on such topics as music and religion, religious vocations, using drugs in the hope of seeing God, memories of loved ones' deaths, bird-watching as a search for God, and the value of prayer. This honest book describes the authors' respective quests for the divine despite their own worldly shortcomings—e.g., Peter once abused drugs and alcohol, and Scott experienced an obsessive-compulsive pursuit of perfection. It has value as a kind of self-help text in that it may provide reassurance for readers with uncertainties of their own. Of interest to public libraries. [Freakonomics coauthor Stephen J. Dubner writes the introduction.—Ed.]—Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT

Hillerbrand (religion, Duke Univ.; editor, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation) tells the story of Christianity in the 16th century, with its striking interplay of prominent religious, political, and economic forces applying his conceptualization and interpretation to major themes and events of the Protestant Reformation. He covers the significant aspects of the period, including the Diet of Worms, the Edwardian Revolution, and Catholicism, interpreting events and theology in their own context with an emphasis on major characters like Martin Luther, the Anabaptists, and Henry VIII. Hillerbrand points out that no single factor—not the personalities of individuals, the state of the Christian church, or society—was responsible for the Reformation. He focuses mostly on Europe, especially Germany, and on Luther as being instrumental in bringing theological notions into the common consciousness. This scholarly book expands the author's Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on Martin Luther. Recommended for academic collections.—L. Kriz, West Des Moines Lib., IA

Jeffrey (The Next World War) attempts to uncover the theological meaning of certain biblical prophecies regarding the building of the Third Temple as foreshadowing the return of Jesus of Nazareth in our generation. The first four chapters examine biblical, archaeological, and Talmudic sources that indicate what the eschatological meaning of the building of the Third Temple signifies. The final five chapters discuss practical details concerning how the Third Temple will be rebuilt, what the renewal of the Sanhedrin and Levitical priesthood means, and more. There are several glaring methodological weaknesses. First, a literalist interpretation of Sacred Scripture does damage to its literary expression; since the biblical authors employed every manner of literary device, deconstructing the text as literal historical truth misunderstands thoroughly the biblical enterprise and God's message contained therein. Secondly, both the select bibliography and the chapter footnotes give the veneer of scholarship but in fact represent little more than dated secondary-source reports. More subjective opinion than scholarly exegesis and intended for a fundamentalist Christian audience; not recommended.—Pius Charles Murray, Boston Univ. Sch. of Theology Lib.

How has the concept of jihad been understood over the course of Islam's history? Do Islamic militants have any justification in defending their actions as necessary elements of jihad? These are the kinds of questions Kelsay (religion, Florida State Univ.; coauthor, Just War and Jihad) here addresses. One section of the book examines the historical understanding of religious reasoning (particularly regarding war), while the other deals with recent applications of that reasoning. Kelsay notes that, historically, authoritative religious reasoning was done primarily by religious scholars and jihad was understood in terms of Islamic just-war criteria. In the last two centuries, however, individuals have claimed the right to do religious reasoning apart from scholars and to justify jihad in nonwar situations. Thus, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden today advocate violence against civilians, and this is contrary to how jihad was once understood. Kelsay describes a battle between democratic Islam and militant Islam for the minds and hearts of the Islamic people. A thought-provoking work; a valuable addition to all libraries.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.

"Emerging church" theologian (Embracing Grace) and blogger (www.jesuscreed.org) McKnight writes this first volume of Abingdon's "Living Theology" series, which offers brief, nontechnical, contemporary analyses of traditional theological topics. He provides an excitingly suggestive understanding of how in Christian theology Christ's death sets things right that were broken by sin. "Things" here means not just relations between the individual and God (the traditional emphasis) but among other humans and with the world as well. While classical images of atonement address aspects of Christ's work, no single metaphor here tells the whole story. Instead, McKnight completes his presentation with a section on how atonement is made real in the daily practices of the church—an aspect of the doctrine often neglected. While affirming classical views, the author is less impressed with recent critical approaches to the doctrine; the reservations of feminists and liberation theologians are curtly dismissed. (A better engagement with such interests is found in J. Denny Weaver's The Nonviolent Atonement.) Nevertheless, McKnight offers important corrections and modifications of an often misunderstood doctrine. Recommended for all academic libraries and for collections in theology and religion.—Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL

Those familiar with the CBS television series Ghost Whisperer will recognize Winkowski as the show's paranormal investigator and consultant whose stories have provided much of the framework for the series. Winkowski claims she has been seeing and talking to ghosts for more than 50 years, and she views her life work as helping earthbound spirits cross over into the light. Here, she offers insights in prodigious detail into what it's like to communicate with earthbound spirits. Via a compelling combination of journal, insightful wit, and honest soul search, she clarifies the very notion of ghosts and enables readers to explore this subject without the oversimplification or sensationalism often attributed to ghosts in movies. Libraries seeking a variety of titles on the subject of the paranormal can consider adding this resource. Those seeking to recommend a work blending both an understanding of ghosts and real-life encounters—in the vein of Jeff Belanger's Our Haunted Lives: True Life Ghost Encounters and Leslie Rule's Ghosts Among Us: True Stories of Spirit Encounters—will find this a kindred title.—Leroy Hommerding, Ft. Myers Beach P.L. Dist., FL

Gardella (world religions, Manhattanville Coll.) has written one of 2007's most provocative and original books on spirituality. Angels, once the impersonal bearers of God's will, have mutated steadily into clichéd and honey-sweet decorative accessories in every American home. This wide-ranging book both surveys the immense range of angelic and pseudoangelic images and places them in a thoughtful historical and national context. Gardella suggests, with good reason, that angels have transformed into a symbol of a future of fulfilled dreams and are perhaps even the most potent metaphor for American culture. Highly recommended.—Graham Christian, formerly with Andover-Harvard Theological Lib., Cambridge, MA

Prolific author Benson (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly New York Giants) knows the Knicks. Listed alphabetically, each entry here begins with vital data for the player or coach in question, including college attended, jersey numbers, and birth and death information. Following that is a brief biography. Most are at least three paragraphs long, while biographies of prominent players and coaches (e.g., Walt Frazier, Pat Riley, Dave DeBusschere) are up to three pages long. There are other publications that tell the history of the team better—as opposed to separate bios—such as Dennis D'Agostino and Walt Frazier's Garden Glory: An Oral History of the New York Knicks or George Kalinsky's The New York Knicks, but this is a comprehensive book only lacking in additional photographs, especially of the earlier players. An essential purchase for libraries collecting the history of this team or of professional basketball generally.—Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL