Arts & Humanities

These two books on graphic design focus on the roles of individual designers more so than stylistic trends. An update of F.H.K. Henrion's AGI Annals (Bks. Nippan, 1989), AGI profiles the members of Alliance Graphique Internationale—an elite club of international designers admitted by invitation only—covering the period from the group's establishment in 1951 to today. Each page is dedicated to an individual designer and includes both a biographical sketch and color reproductions of artwork. The best part is an essay collection at the end that discusses such interesting topics as currency and postage stamp design, wine bottle labels, large-scale graphic design on buildings, and the influence of computers on typeface design. Highlights of exhibitions and annual conferences are also included.

Equally distinctive and beautifully illustrated, The Big Book of Graphic Design promotes the work of contemporary designers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Although the selection of countries and designers included appears to be arbitrary, the artwork here demonstrates exemplary design in several important graphic genres. Some of these areas include corporate design, design for art exhibits, album covers, magazine design, and brochures that promote the work of designers. Another interesting feature is the inclusion of specialized indexes to designers that include image thumbnails and contact information. Both books are recommended for design school libraries, AGI as an essential title and The Big Book of Graphic Design as an optional selection.—Eric Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH

This is an excellent browser's book on ethnic dress, here defined as what people wear when they're not in Western business or casual attire. Featuring over 1000 illustrations (900 in full color and many covering more than half the page) beautifully printed on glossy paper, the book delights the eye. Anawalt, a respected anthropologist, museum curator, and traveling lecturer on the study of dress, also wrote Indian Clothing Before Cortés and the very scholarly Codex Mendoza. Without saying why, Anawalt omits consideration of the history of modern Western dress—as much a form of folk-dress as any other. This is a minor complaint, however, since Western dress is thoroughly covered elsewhere. All in all, this book is most suitable for the casual reader who wants a broad-brush introduction to folk dress. It will serve specialists only as a stepping-off point. Although a bit pricey, it is still recommended for most libraries.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

Photographing nudes is an art that goes back to the late 19th century and is as controversial today as it was then. Bertolotti, one of the largest collectors of erotic books and nude photographs in Europe, has published portraits and photographs of female nudes in various Italian magazines. Here he offers narratives as well as photographs of books containing nude photography that were published between 1895 through 2002. Various countries are represented, including France, Germany, Japan, and the United States, and topics covered include naturism, the Weimar Republic, the sexual revolution, and gay pride. The narratives are helpful in understanding the various photographic movements and the cultures from which they come. Readers will find nudes of all types here, so it might be a contentious purchase depending on your clientele and community. While there are many books on nudes that cover individual topics, few are bibliographic in nature. Therefore, this book is recommended for special libraries with an art or photography focus and university libraries where the subject is studied.—Ronald S. Russ, Arkansas State Univ. Lib., Beebe

Most postwar architecture curricula, with the exception of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's at the Illinois Institute of Technology, stressed form and spatial volume. Grounded in a wholly opposing viewpoint—that materials generate form—this book presents an impressive range of materials suitable for several design disciplines, including architecture, interior design, product design, apparel design, and even automotive design. The authors, who operate the New York City resource Material ConneXion, along with its accompanying subscription online database, and Quinn (although only credited as an editor is also an author here) start out with an introduction on the essentials and endurance of fiber technology; this is followed by a chapter on each discipline, with detailed captions on each material illustrated and interviews with creators of several of them. The most cogent chapter examines how several designers, from architect Toyo Ito to apparel designer Isaac Mizrahi and his designs for Target, derive inspiration from the materials themselves. The second part contains a reference for basic material types, from glass to polymers, as well as a directory of designers, organizations, and competitions. This book is a good choice for libraries that cannot afford a subscription to the author's database.—Paul Glassman, Long Island Univ. Lib., Brooklyn, NY

This book evolved out of a class assignment in a photography workshop that Blodgett took with Andrew Eccles, a nationally prominent photographer. Blodgett has been taking pictures since the age of ten, and while making a living in corporate America, he pursued his passion for photography on weekends and in workshops. Eccles has continued to advise Blodgett in his art and has witnessed his evolution into "a remarkable photographer." This book of 140 black-and-white photographs is the culmination of a year's picture taking across America of the homeless, a group of society that many of us do not choose to see or interact with. In these photographs, we see the faces of men, women, and children who are the homeless; the overused axiom of one picture equals a thousand words has never been a more accurate statement. These photographs capture the people and the stories behind the faces. A powerful and impactful book; recommended for all libraries.—Karen MacMurray, South Piedmont Community Coll. Lib., Polkton, NC

This enormous slip-cased book contains iconic images created by great painters through the ages to extol the beauty, history, pageantry, culture, and society of the serene republic of Venice. Seven essays in seven main sections by leading European scholars focus on various aspects of Venetian history and progress chronologically from the founding of Venice in about 1082 through World War I in the 20th century. Each essay is followed by an elaborate and extensive assortment of germane color illustrations, including four full-color gatefolds, depicting the works of such artists as the Bellinis, Titian, Tintoretto, the Tiepolos, and Canaletto (representing the 15th and 16th centuries); Renoir, Sargent, Mant, Whistler, and Monet (the 19th); and de Chirico (the 20th). There are several appendixes, e.g., those for the doges of Venice, the principal cycles of narrative painting in 14th- and 15th-century Venice, and artist biographies. This is perhaps the ultimate cocktail table book with many gorgeous historical images particular to Venice. While not a necessary purchase for libraries, it will enchant art students, tourists, and armchair travelers with its contents. Buy where budgets and space permit.—Ellen Bates, New York

Many artists take their inspiration from a geographic locale, Gauguin in Tahiti, Van Gogh in Arles, Monet in his gardens at Giverny, and Bob Nugent in the north of Brazil, the Amazon rain forest with its beauty and its problems. This book is both an exhibition catalog (Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA, and Herron Ctr. for Arts and Science, Twin Falls, ID) and an extensive study of the artist, his life, and his work. Although Nugent's work has been exhibited in hundreds of shows, this is the first major survey of his oeuvre and thus presents a rare opportunity to come to know the artist through his works and his words. California-born and -educated, Nugent has spent the last two decades of his life traveling through Brazil and getting to know the many tribes hidden away in the depths of the forest. Working in an abstract idiom, the artist here tries to capture the spirit of the Amazon rain forest, the limitless sky, and the minute, intimate details of its landscape. A well-produced and -illustrated work, the book is not an essential purchase, but it would fit in nicely with large public collections and art libraries specializing in the culture and art of South America.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Much accumulated wisdom resides in this weighty tome. Some comes from the 137 Chinese painters and calligraphers (often one and the same) who inscribed original philosophical poems, respectful dedications, and selected quotations onto their works—often referencing people from the distant past. More insights come from numerous contemporary scholars who contributed essays and catalog entries that help the reader understand the layered nuances of this art: whether panoramic landscape scrolls, intimate studies of people and the natural world, or various calligraphic styles. Reverend Fabian's San Francisco collection is one of the most important of its kind outside of China, and his introductory essay beautifully compares the "feeling" of Chinese brush lines to Western musical melodies. Little, who directs the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the site of this 2007 Fabian exhibition of over 200 works, integrates the pieces into larger artistic trends, such as conservative classicism during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), the epigraphic movement, the innovative Shanghai school that developed around that international trading port, and 20th-century artists traveling abroad. Despite dramatic political upheavals, these resilient men—and three women—created remarkable homages, interpretations, and personal expressions of Chinese culture. Recommended for larger academic libraries.—Anne Marie Lane, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie

As the personal assistant to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Pang earned the respect and love of the couple for whom she worked. This respect eventually turned into a complicated, though very clearly authentic, romantic relationship between Pang and Lennon. The relationship—which Pang claims was encouraged by Ono during Ono and Lennon's temporary separation—is documented through several surprisingly candid photographs taken by the author during her time with the former Beatle. Of note is the fact that Pang was able to capture both the mundane (Lennon sailing with his son Julian and the author on Long Island Sound) and the monumental (Lennon signing the legal papers that would bring the Beatles to its official end), yet treat each moment with the same amount of affection and admiration with thoughtful, detailed anecdotes throughout the book. Through over 150 photographs, Pang captures a sense of both Lennon's love of America and her own deep affection for Lennon. The collection ultimately works as a heartfelt portrait and rare glimpse into the world of one of the most influential musicians in pop culture history. Highly recommended.—Sybil Kollappallil, Library Journal

This volume is designed as a guide to 300 various kinds of ornamental stone used in public and private buildings as well as in various articles of furniture and the decorative arts. Geologist and science historian Price starts with an introduction about the history of decorative stones, minerals, igneous rocks, and metamorphic rocks, among other classifications. This is followed by chapters on the various stone groups, e.g., alabasters and travertines, various types of marble and limestone, volcanic rocks, quartz, and opal. Each stone description is accompanied by a detailed, beautifully reproduced photograph, a geological description, the major use of each stone type, a few paragraphs about where the stone was used in famous buildings, and the main characteristics of each stone. This extremely well-researched volume displays a wealth of knowledge on every aspect one could hope to know about each type of stone. A useful research tool and, therefore, a worthy library purchase.—Martin Chasin, Bridgeport, CT

Heralded as the first major exhibition of third- to-sixth century Christian art since the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Age of Spirituality (1977), this show on display exclusively at the Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth, TX) through March 2008 features over 100 treasures from major museums in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. More than another seasonal extravaganza, the catalog focuses top-tier scholarly attention on the emergence of a distinctive pictorial iconography for early Christians, who, beginning in the third century, coopted Old Testament and pagan sources and motifs to depict the life of Jesus. Christian art proliferated in the fourth century in a wide variety of media: frescoes, mosaics, marble sculpture and sarcophagi, reliquaries, carved ivories, illuminated Bibles, silver plate, and gold glass medallions. Six scholars of classics, Jewish and Byzantine studies, art history, and theology contribute thought-provoking essays. The catalog portion is equally illuminating, with superb photos and detailed descriptions of each object. The exhibit includes objects never loaned before, such as the reliquary gold cross presented by Emperor Justin II to Pope John III in the late sixth century, on loan from the Vatican. Highly recommended.—Russell T. Clement, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, IL

Revolutionary and visionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is best known for his martyr's death at the hands of the Bolivian army, which was allegedly instigated by the CIA. For the 40th anniversary of Che's execution, journalist and author O'Toole (Politics Latin America) and writer Jimenez have compiled a tribute of poems, many published for the first time in this anthology, while others are the work of well-known poets like Pablo Neruda, Allen Ginsberg, Julio Cortázar, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Derek Walcott, and Thomas Merton. Che himself was a poet, and although none of his poetry is included here, his life, work, and visions become apparent through the voices of the other poets. If the politics in the poetry start to bog you down (a cover-to-cover reading is not recommended), sample this anthology in small doses, for one of its most worthwhile features is the introduction of excellent poetry from Third World poets previously unheard. It is worth noting that some of these poets were incarcerated or killed for merely writing about Che, so this collection is a tribute to their spirit as well. Recommended for public and community college libraries.—Nedra Crowe Evers, Sonoma Cty. Lib., CA

This first book by Crosley, a publicist at Vintage/Anchor, is a comical collection of autobiographical essays covering everything from Crosley's obsession with plastic ponies to her experience attending an epidemic of weddings (which leads to a clever and amusing story about her role as a bridesmaid). Writing in an entertaining and witty style, she examines her family, work, sex, and love lives—as well as life in general. We learn that behind the author's secret obsession with plastic ponies, each pony represents memories of a specific individual; at some point, in an effort to liberate herself, she leaves them on a train. We also learn that her unique name—which has had people confusing her with a cancer hospital, a man, and, in one charming essay about her interaction with a telemarketer, "Slow"—helped define her identity, despite the price at which it came. The real story behind Crosley's name—that it was inspired by a black-and-white movie called Diamond Rock—leads her along another path of self-discovery. A refreshing, original reflection on modern life recommended for public libraries.—Susan McClellan, Shaler North Hills Lib., Glenshaw, PA

This trim, meticulously edited collection of objectivist American poet George Oppen's (1908–84) unpublished prose writings offers an unusually candid and sometimes challenging picture of the Pulitzer Prize winner's brilliant, questing, often guilt-ridden mind. To readers unacquainted with Oppen's poetry, editor Cope's stated goal—to present not just a sampling of Oppen's daybooks, but "preserve as accurately as possible their anomalous and idiosyncratic form"—is likely to throw up a roadblock to understanding. Oppen aimed in his poetic works for sincerity and honesty, and perhaps it was toward this end, as well as owing to his early experiences with death, that he rejected his privileged lifestyle and remained forever uncomfortable with his legacy. While not a subject of his poetry, his personal life, as Cope outlines it here, helps explain it. This volume marks a strikingly resurgent interest in the spare, precise, ego-free poetry of a man with the will to focus on the poem as a precise construct, and it will surely both satisfy and benefit readers already sufficiently acquainted with his poetic credo. His most in-depth essay on his poetics, "The Mind's Own Place," is included. Recommended for all large academic libraries.—Charles C. Nash, formerly with Cottey Coll., Nevada, MO

Released in the United Kingdom last year, this biography draws on thousands of previously unavailable documents—including correspondence, diaries, and original manuscripts—that Penguin published under the title Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters in November. In it, journalist-turned-biographer Lycett (Dylan Thomas: A New Life) presents a detailed, fact-filled portrait of Doyle (1859–1930), the prolific writer whose most lasting achievement was the creation of the character of Sherlock Holmes. For fans of Holmes and another of Doyle's famous characters, Professor Challenger (of The Lost World), this will be essential reading, though even this audience may be put off by Lycett's vast detailing of Doyle's large family, his later consuming interest in spiritualism, and his many pastimes and interests. Lycett at times seems disapproving of his subject, especially in his dwelling on Doyle's extramarital affair (with Jean Leckie, who became his second wife) and on his increasing obsession with spiritualism. Libraries should still keep John Dickson Carr's The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1949), one mystery master's appreciation of another. Recommended for larger academic and public libraries. (Introduction, family tree, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, and postscript not seen.)—Morris Hounion, NYC Coll. of Technology Lib. at CUNY

While the titular writers (Barthes, Barrie, Proust, and Winnicott) and photographer (Lartigue) do not represent the same genre and did not even all write in the same language, what unifies their work is the sense that they felt, behaved, and thought like the children they once were; this, together with their close attachment to their mothers, posits Mavor (art history & visual studies, Univ. of Manchester; Becoming: The Photographs of Clementina, Viscountess Hawarden), is what took their art to a similarly "boyish" place. Mavor writes that as we grow up, our memories of childhood become hopelessly fuzzy and fragmented, and this is why these mostly early 20th-century artists' works, with their ability to recapture an irretrievable past, so fascinate her. Her book is essentially a passionate study of nostalgic representations of the maternal in the artistic creations of five distinguished and famous—albeit boyish—men. Combining biography with scholarly literary analysis, it is not jargon-free and requires from the reader familiarity with these artists' works, depicted here in 215 mostly black-and-white images. Highly recommended for large and comprehensive literature collections, a good choice for large public libraries, and essential for academic institutions.—Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Norman, a practicing British physician whose Adolf Hitler: The Final Analysis (Spellmount, 2006) was considered by some the best insight into that complex mind, now turns his professional eye to the late Agatha Christie. Despite many studies of Christie, Norman feels he alone has discovered the rationale behind the workings of her psyche, particularly in reference to her mysterious disappearance in 1926. Using textbooks and psychiatric analysis, as well as Christie's own Unfinished Portrait, which he considers autobiographical, he describes a fearful woman haunted by night terrors that eventually took over her life. Norman's medical diagnosis may be the first, but other biographers arrived at similar conclusions. Further, the book's organization drifts, and the writing plods. Some chapters are wedged in just so that Norman can cover the most obscure facets of his subject's life and personality. Rabid Christie fans may want to read this if only to refute his thesis that the reigning mistress of the murder mystery was a conventional and timid person under the spell of hallucinations. Recommended for specialized collections and completists.—Shelley Cox, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

The label "legend" is sometimes overused, but never has there been a more appropriate figure to receive this accolade than Mary Martin. As with his earlier works, this one demonstrates biographer Davis's (history, emeritus, Southern Methodist Univ.; Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne) talent for weaving documentation and personal anecdotes into a thoroughly enjoyable and highly detailed account. Mary Martin's life is chronicled from her early years in Texas through her Hollywood career to her successes on the Broadway stage. Never quite comfortable before a movie camera, Martin blossomed on the Broadway stage, originating some of the most famous roles in the history of American musicals, including The Sound of Music's Maria von Trapp, Nellie Forbush of South Pacific, and, Martin's own personal favorite, Peter Pan. She later learned to appreciate the intimacy of the television camera, spreading her fan base across the world. During her 50-year career, Martin retained a genuine appreciation for those around her, from star to stagehand, and a remarkable resilience in times of both personal and professional difficulty. Highly recommended for theater and biography collections.—Laura A. Ewald, Greenville Coll. Lib., IL

With Brooks (coauthor of Shirley Verrett's autobiography, I Never Walked Alone), Evans here recounts his career as alto saxophonist for many of the most important African American musicians of the jazz, swing, and rhythm and blues eras of the early to mid-20th century. Active between 1939 and 1965, Evans played for such performers as Billie Holiday, Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Cab Calloway, and he recounts his performances and travels from Pensacola, FL, where he learned to play, to later tours with Lionel Hampton in Paris and Tel Aviv. Telling his story, Evans draws the reader into the lives, venues, destinations, and experiences of this musical time period. He also describes his role as a music executive and entrepreneur after his performing career under Ray Charles's Tangerine label. Including many rare and historical photographs and forewords by Tavis Smiley and Bill McFarlin (executive director, International Association of Jazz Educators), this is appropriate for any public or academic library.—Bradford Lee Eden, Univ. of California Lib., Santa Barbara

Film scholars are inclined to marginalize French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet in the belief that his artificial and sleek visual style is intellectually superficial. Contrarily, Ezra (French & transnational cinema, Univ. of Stirling, Scotland; Georges Méliès) champions Jeunet's postmodern sensitivity, placing his films in the "cinéma du look" genre, a late 20th-century French film movement led by Jean-Jacques Beineix, Luc Bresson, and Leos Carax. Analyzing Jeunet's works, she illustrates how this generation of filmmakers, influenced by advertising and pop music videos, moved beyond poetic realism and the French New Wave. While Jeunet's repertoire ranges from animated short (The Escape) to cult classic (Delicatessen) to big-budget production (A Very Long Engagement), Ezra finds in his films common themes of mutilation, claustrophobia, resurrection, repressed memories, and communal values. She possesses a rich knowledge of French culture and European cinema, which enables her to contemplate Jeunet's films within a social and historical context. Jeunet's commentary, providing an interesting and sometimes contrasting addendum to Ezra's analysis, completes this concise work. Highly recommended.—Victor Or, Vancouver Public & North Vancouver City Lib., B.C.

Louvish (Mae West; Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy), known for his meticulous biographical research, offers the first major biography of legendary Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille in over a quarter of a century, following a current trend of reexamining DeMille's film career and his place in film history. Louvish explains that DeMille does not deserve to be marginalized as the innovator of the biblical epic; of DeMille's 70 films, Louvish writes, "only eight of these could be called 'epics'…only four were 'Biblical' films." With careful research and a nuanced consideration of his subject, Louvish explores DeMille's special niche in film, that of "sex and God." He also reconsiders his role as a film pioneer and one of the founders of the "celluloid cathedral" that is Hollywood to this day. Louvish's biography will stand as an invaluable contribution to the understanding of DeMille and his place in film history. Highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.—Teri Shiel, Westfield State Coll. Lib., MA

Part fan's notes to "The Boss" but mostly coming-of-age stories, broadcast journalist Manzoor's memoir chronicles the ways that Bruce Springsteen changed his life. Born in Pakistan, Manzoor emigrates with his family to Britain at the age of two. While his father and mother struggle to make ends meet in their new home, Manzoor struggles to fit in and to grasp his Pakistani and Muslim heritage. Manzoor strives to make sense of his father's demands regarding money, time, schooling, and a future profession. When a friend introduces him to Springsteen's music at 16, Manzoor begins to read the events of his life through the lenses of Springsteen's lyrics and music. To escape the confines of British society, he follows Springsteen on tour in Europe and America, identifying with him as a man born to a working-class immigrant family and hearing the promise of self-improvement in Springsteen's music. Although quotations from Springsteen's songs begin each chapter, the singer becomes a shadowy figure in this memoir. Although rambunctious and at times humorous, this is also a rambling and repetitive read. For Springsteen fans primarily.—Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Evanston, IL

Mirisch has acquired the reputation of a hands-on, meticulous producer, having put together more than 100 films (including Some Like It Hot, West Side Story, and The Great Escape), 28 of which have won Oscars. He has received several prestigious career awards and served four terms as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Here, he writes about his humble beginnings as the child of Polish Jewish immigrants and making bread-and-butter pictures at grade-B studios. Working his way up Hollywood's ladder, he eventually employed such notable talents as Billy Wilder, William Wyler, and Norman Jewison. Mirisch describes the decline of the studio system, the traits necessary to be a successful independent producer, and the seismic shift in audience tastes at the end of the 1960s that left Mirisch and others with some expensive flops. Industry insiders may be interested in the trade information he presents, but knowledgeable film buffs will also enjoy Mirisch's observations on Hollywood's late golden age; recommended for public and academic libraries with in-depth film history collections.—Stephen Rees, Levittown Lib., PA

In this collection of over 50 sequential autobiographical essays, indie rocker and writer Wareham (coauthor of the DVD Luna: Tell Me Do You Miss Me) takes us from his childhood in New Zealand, through his formative years exploring New York City's punk scene, to his adult life in Cambridge, MA, where he becomes a notable figure in the alternative music scene. Wareham documents in great detail the history of his two bands, Galaxy 500 and Luna. We get rare behind-the-scenes accounts of every noteworthy encounter with the numerous bands he meets along the way. Wareham's depiction of life on the road explores the frustrations of fame, from romantic involvement with bandmates to the politics of both the independent rock industry and the compromises made when signed to a major record label. Fans of Wareham's bands and such bands as Bongwater, Cocteau Twins, R.E.M., and the Velvet Underground, as well as anyone with an interest in American and European alternative music, will find this to be an insightful and entertaining read. Recommended for large public libraries.—David L. Reynolds, Cleveland P.L.

The subject of media ownership raises many complex questions. Along these lines, freelance journalist Zook (Black Women's Lives) traces the history of African American-owned radio and television stations through a series of interviews with individuals who shaped this segment of the industry. These interviews not only offer firsthand details about the emergence of the stations—their programming philosophies and the necessary existence of their unique perspectives—but also provide thought-provoking information about the struggles, disparities, politics, and inner workings of it all. Among the highlighted figures are Percy Sutton, onetime Manhattan borough president and cofounder of Inner City Broadcasting; Booker Wade, owner of an African American public television station; and Jim Winston, executive director of a national trade association for African American radio and television owners. Each makes a significant and eye-opening contribution here, bringing to light issues and challenges that are often lost in a culture overshadowed by corporate media giants. Zook presents keenly insightful background and commentary, and readers will be left hungry for more. For circulating libraries and large media collections.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

Previously, Gillespie (Jerry G. & Patricia Crawford Hubbard Professor of Political Science, Duke Univ.) has written on Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger; here, he argues that the upsurge in anti-Western militancy—typified at its extreme by the destruction of the World Trade Center—represents not just an attack on the failures of "modernity" but a denial of its central aims and values. These aims, he thinks, were far from antireligious in their origins but stemmed from the nominalism nourished in the soil of Franciscan philosophical theology at the beginning of the 14th century. Gillespie sees nominalism—the insistence that only individuals exist and the denial of real common properties—as the basis both of political individualism and of a theology that in celebrating the divine free will also promoted the freedom of human beings created in the image of God. This is a one-sided picture. Democratic freedom depends on communities and law, and now our chances of survival on this planet depend on developing a sense of what human beings have in common and on their place in a closely organized universe. The story of struggles that still animate both politics and theology is better recounted in Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, which though less well focused and occasionally sloppy, should be on the shelves, along with this one, of all large libraries.—Leslie Armour, Dominican Univ. Coll., Ottawa

The best description of this book occurs midway through the long poem, "Hooke's Law": "The book you are reading,/Quaker Guns, contains the/sequence you are reading,/two sonnets, two haiku,/a sestina, an homage/to George Herbert,/some tercets,/a masque, two translations/two erasure poems, an elegy,/a recipe, a song, an ABC,/an eclogue, a canzone, a group of rubayyat, and other poems." Knox's games disarm the reader just as Quaker guns (phony cannons) are meant to discourage pirates. An eccentric formalist scribbler, like a cross between May Swenson and Archie of cockroach fame, Knox (A Beaker) can't resist her own wit: "I'm going to Italy/on Xanax Airlines./I'm going to Pisa/to sojourn in a place." Her engine runs on daffy rhymes, like Nerf and surf, but she is nothing if not serious: "I wanted to make a pair of andirons/for our fireplace, so I pulled down the copper/gutters along the eaves, which I boiled up/with some brass doorknobs and tin cans." This fantasy of making begins in hope and ends in dismay: the poet is aware of the danger of clever word games. But she plays them brilliantly. Highly recommended.—Ellen Kaufman, Dewey & LeBoeuf Law Lib., New York

Shepherd, editor of The Iowa Anthology of New American Poetries and the author of five collections of his own, here attempts to explore innovative contemporary poetry while providing direction and inspiration for new work that more explicitly experimental poetry would not provide. Each poet has been given more space than is usual in an anthology of this type, allowing for more in-depth selection as well as the inclusion of longer pieces than would normally be anthologized. Each section opens with a statement on poetics from the poet, which ranges from a straightforward statement of method, aim, and scope to a meditation little different from the poems themselves. While this anthology is perhaps too esoteric or avant-garde for acquisition by a public library, an academic library with a strong literary studies collection will find it a welcome addition.—A.S. Popowich, Univ. of Ottawa Lib.

"Life is as risky/as it is branchy/treetop and twigtip/are only the beginning." Just before her death in 2007 at the age of 84, Paley compiled this smart, engaging collection. Rich with memories of family and friends, evocations of rural Vermont and her hometown of New York City, and assertions of clear-headed social convictions, these poems are sometimes melancholy, sometimes funny, and sometimes simply a pleasure. Finding herself at odds with aging—"I forget the names of my friends/and the names of the flowers in/my garden"—Paley shows us here she was nevertheless in continued and absolute control of her faculties. She was known as a none-too-shy advocate of peace and justice, especially in the everyday, and these poems are in keeping with her fine-tuned values: "Oh how hard the hard-hearted rich are/when they meet a working person in their places/of work a cab or restaurant kitchen." A fitting legacy for a wise and delightful writer; highly recommended for all collections.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

Among living, secular poets, Pulitzer Prize winner Simic (The World Doesn't End) has fashioned a career addressing the unfashionable subject of evil. He's peculiarly attuned to its presence, whether it haunts the human psyche, or, as in his 18th collection, it hides in neglected, night-shrouded crannies of the known world: an empty museum, a storefront mission, a morgue, spaces in which his personae project their undefinable fears and desires. A soul mate of Kafka and an anthropologist of the unknowable, Simic writes poems that read like field notes on "the unreality of us being here," observing the world as if glimpsed from the corners of one's eyes, fleeting, dim, resistant to objective representation. And yet from this nearly paranormal perspective, he offers occasional images of terrifying clarity ("The smoke shrouded city after a bombing raid,/The corpses like cigarette butts/In a dinner plate overflowing with ashes") and makes uncomfortably true pronouncements ("memory, the unhappy man's home"). Readers familiar with Simic's poetic output since the 1960s will find few stylistic surprises here, but the poet's vigorous "life long rebellion/against that monster Eternity" hasn't abated. Recommended for larger collections.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

This sensitively written and convincingly argued book succeeds in respecting both religious beliefs and scientific facts in discussing theories surrounding the creation of the world. Giberson (physics, Eastern Nazarene Coll., MA) is an outstanding scientist and scholar who tries to unite the uncompromising correctness of creationism and intelligent design with proven scientific knowledge, thereby saving Darwin's evolution theory and re-examining its basic tenets from a Christian worldview. Giberson is passionate in his research, and he makes every effort to narrow the chasm that exists between fundamentalism and science. In this truly courageous work meant to liberate narrow worldviews with the light emanating from profound Christian faith and indisputable reason, he does not posit theology over science or fact over belief but instead celebrates the values intrinsic to both. Reason, philosophy, science, history, and faith all provide the balance for a correct understanding of creation and evolution in this text, complete with references. Recommended for larger public libraries.—John-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Platteville

Jacobs (literature, Wheaton Coll.; The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis) here tackles the intellectual challenge laid down by St. Augustine's (354–430 C.E.) formulation of the doctrine of original sin and its reverberations throughout human history. Using a cultural history methodology, he examines various human expressions about and understandings of original sin as exemplified in ancient non-Christian sources (e.g., Homer's The Iliad) and modern-day writings (e.g., of evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins). In 11 chapters, he compares and contrasts cultural manifestations of differing human reactions—both favorable and less so—to Augustinian anthropology (e.g., mathematician/philosopher Blaise Pascal and Jansenism's negative outlook on human behavior vs. Christian writer/preacher John Bunyan and Quakerism's more positive approaches). Replete with examples drawn from a number of different cultural expressions, including literature, film, and philosophy, the narrative is intended to introduce a broad general audience to the complexity of explaining how human beings act evilly toward one another by examining the various cultural manifestations of Augustine's notion of original sin. Recommended for a wide general audience.—Charles Murray, Boston Univ. Sch. of Theology Lib.

American-born Catholic missionary nun Dorothy Stang spent 30 years serving the poor in lawless areas of the Amazon rain forest, fighting for their basic human rights amid the fraud and corruption of Brazil's land wars. She established schools, taught sustainable farming, and lived as poorly as the people—"her people," she called them—she so loved. When she testified at a government panel investigating illegal incursions into protected areas, Sister Dorothy began receiving death threats from angry loggers, wealthy landowners, and others. Her 2005 assassination on an Amazon road by hired gunmen sparked a worldwide outcry. British author and lecturer Le Breton (Trapped: Modern-Day Slavery in the Brazilian Amazon) is an environmental activist who has spent many years in Brazil and who, with her husband, runs a rainforest research center there. Through compelling writing and interviews with those who knew Sister Dorothy, she here outlines the saga of this courageous modern martyr. While Roseanne Murphy's Martyr of the Amazon: The Life of Sister Dorothy Stang appeared late last year, Le Breton's work focuses on the social and environmental aspects of her subject's ultimate sacrifice. Recommended for all collections and deserving of a wide readership.—Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY

Is Islamic anti-Semitism a recent phenomenon, brought about by the creation of Israel in 1948, or is it a deeply imbedded element of the religion itself, dating back to its very origins? This is the key question Bostom addresses in his latest book, which is similar in approach to his powerful earlier work The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims (reprinting in March), in which he used Islam's own texts and recorded history to show violence as central to the sacred writings and long history of Islam. This anthology, too, uses sacred texts and statements from authoritative Islamic scholars to show that anti-Semitism was present in the earliest stages of the religion and is not just a phenomenon of the past 60 years. By gathering these various resources, Bostom persuasively—almost overwhelmingly—demonstrates the anti-Semitic tendencies in Islam, presenting his case like a prosecuting attorney. What is lacking, however, is any argument for the defense. Libraries purchasing this book should balance it with another offering an alternate argument. Highly recommended for all libraries.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.

The United States' tradition of religious liberty, based on accommodation of the religious conscience and government neutrality toward religious viewpoints, is a conception that Europeans would do well to adopt—and one Americans should take care to preserve. In surveying the contentious topic of religion's constitutional place in American life, philosopher Nussbaum (law, Univ. Chicago; Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education) always keeps before readers what is at stake for the various constituencies: religious minorities, the nonreligious, and the larger majority society. After tracing the origins of American church-state doctrine, she examines the key topics of constitutional law on religion in its free exercise and nonestablishment forms. Grounding religious liberty in the concept of equality rather than as a separation doctrine, she is critical of "originalist" arguments based on "historical misunderstanding and philosophical error" that she believes would publicly privilege Protestant Christianity. This is an excellent analysis for the general reader, offering more depth than Noah Feldman's Divided by God: America's Church-State Problem—and What We Should Do About It without the scholastic detail of Kent Greenawalt's Religion and the Constitution: Free Exercise and Fairness.—Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL

Pegg (history, Washington Univ., Saint Louis; The Corruption of Angels: The Great Inquisition of 1245–1246) draws on thousands of testimonies collected by inquisitors between 1235 and 1245 in this account of the 13th-century Albigensian Crusade, commonly confused, he notes, with the crusade against the mythical Cathars. Although Pegg follows the canons of critical research, history is more of an art than a science for him here: instead of giving a doctrinal definition of Albigensian heresy, he describes the life of good men and women of southern France who followed a folk religion independent of the Roman Catholic Church. With Pope Innocent III calling in 1208 on Christians to exterminate these followers, Pegg's account is littered with murder, mayhem, and massacre, all in the name of the Holy Catholic Church. Pegg concludes that the crusade introduced genocide to history "by linking divine salvation to mass murder." But to get to this conclusion, the reader must first plough through thick, heavy prose laden with proper nouns. This book is less attractive to the general reader than, e.g., Christopher Tyerman's God's War: A New History of the Crusades, which includes a section on the Albigensians. Recommended for large university and research libraries.—James A. Overbeck, Atlanta-Fulton P.L.

Beliefnet.com editor in chief Waldman describes the dramatic birth of religious freedom in the founding of our nation by letting five Founding Fathers—Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson—highlight through original material their efforts in, disagreements and battles over, and approaches to dealing with the place of religion in daily life. Detailed, incisive, and ambitious in scope, this work, more a history of religious freedom than a biography of the founders, enables readers to grasp the beauty and perplexity of the founders' individual journeys and understand how their spiritual states of mind helped to redefine the relationship between religion and government. Waldman concludes that the founding faith was neither Christianity nor secularism but religious liberty. Those familiar with Daniel L. Dreisbach's The Founders on God and Government or Jon Meacham's American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation will find a similar approach here. What makes this a priority addition to both large and small public and academic libraries is Waldman's moving beyond the often counterproductive thinking on this issue. An eight-page bibliography and the 45 pages of footnotes convey the care with which he makes his comments.—Leroy Hommerding, Fort Myers Beach P.L. Dist., FL

In God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, Wallis took the Religious Right to task for usurping the role of faith in politics. His latest book represents a revival in which the progressive evangelical will now change the shape of American politics. From his viewpoint as an activist pastor, Wallis sees that the Right no longer controls the dialog concerning faith-based political action and that evangelicals now embrace wider, more traditionally liberal concerns such as the environment and social justice. The key to Wallis's proposed revival is the faith community's role in fighting poverty and the inequality and moral degradation it inspires. This call to arms is approachable and inspiring, if sometimes repetitive. Wallis's optimistic assertion that the Right holds less sway in the evangelical community is simply not well supported, based merely on anecdotes. Further, his refraining from discussing the inequalities facing same-sex couples and the transgendered weakens his arguments regarding the fight against social injustice. However, Wallis's analysis of the role of faith, especially Christian faith, in embracing progressive "common good" politics is highly astute and, overall, very compelling. Recommended for all libraries.—Shedrick Pittman-Hassett, Phil Johnson Historic Archives & Research Lib., Dallas

Hiaasen, the Miami Herald columnist and author of some hilarious fiction (e.g., Striptease, Skinny Dip), shares his renewed interest in golf in this departure onto the green. He recounts how easy it is to get sucked into the sport, even when trying not to. Better than most, he points out how golfers tend to hope for the quick fix, be it via an instructional tip, new equipment, or even a talisman. What really comes through is how Hiaasen thoroughly and rationally studies an issue such as dimples on a golf ball, realizes that after a certain point the discussion is largely irrelevant, and then buys into the hype anyway. In this, he speaks volumes for all golfers. Written as a diary, Hiaasen's effort can be compared with Turk Pipkin's The Old Man and the Tee and Tom Coyne's Paper Tiger. For sheer entertainment, The Downhill Lie is a very good read. The author's fame and fans may drive demand. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/08.]—Steven Silkunas, North Wales, PA

Four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield never excited with style like Muhammad Ali or brutality like Mike Tyson. Rather, he was the Little Engine That Could, a small heavyweight competing with, and usually defeating, men much larger than himself. His book tells his story well but doesn't offer much new to make it truly shine. We knew of his hardships growing up in a poor, broken African American family; we know that boxing is a vicious sport, both inside the ring and out; we know the value of religious belief. Those familiar with Holyfield are likely already to know of his romantic life and that, despite shoulder surgeries and what fortunately turned out to be the misdiagnosis of a heart condition, he warriors on at age 45. Along other lines, he does debunk the myth that it was Cus D'Amato who was the young Tyson's spiritual as well as boxing guiding light, expressing the opinion that Teddy Atlas filled that role and that D'Amato actually fostered Iron Mike's antisocial tendencies, but that is his only eyebrow-raising offering. Recommended for public libraries serving hard-core boxing fans or where there might be regional interest in Holyfield.—Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Kuhne (On the Edge: Adventurous Escapades from Around the World) edits this first entry in Vintage's four-volume adventure series of anthologies. All 12 of these stories have previously been published in their own right, e.g., Thor Heyerdahl's "Kon-Tiki," Rob Mundle's "Fatal Storm," and Pete Goss's "Close to the Wind." One particularly captivating entry, Steven Callahan's "Adrift," ends abruptly with the author floating in a life raft amid an Atlantic storm, watching his ship capsize and disappear (amazingly, Callahan survived another 76 days at sea, though you won't read about them here). The anthology is rife with stories recounting ferocious and devastating storms, devastating especially for those boats sailing into the Southern Ocean. For readers unfamiliar with sailing vocabulary, the unceasing jargon might be off-putting and diminish the stories' dramatic nature. William F. Buckley Jr. writes in the foreword that "boys will be boys," and this collection seems to embody that sentiment, with no stories written by or about women. Optional for adventure and sailing collections.—Margaret Atwater-Singer, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN