Short Takes

In this meticulously researched lexicon of liberal theoretical breadth, Benedict (The Maya Prophecies for 2012) offers objective definitions of world religions and secular belief systems—both historical and contemporary. His bite-sized, multiparagraph entries explain the differing beliefs of branching sects, and, through boldface cross-references, direct readers to separate entries discussing each faith's symbols, figures, and celebration days. Benedict's reasonable secular inclusions, like deconstructionism and Marxism, are surprising and thought-provoking. A stimulating and enjoyable read; highly recommended for religious studies collections.

An update to and expansion of the 2004 edition, this tool for parents and caregivers clarifies 209 A-to-Z mental and physical pediatric conditions. Written in straightforward language, each four- to five-page entry explains disorder symptoms, the physiological system affected, and standard treatment approaches. The book devotes an extensive segment to an additional 1,478 resource listings that include support groups, state agency contacts, research centers, and web sites. For pediatric medicine and early childhood collections.

A timely update to the 1997 edition, this convenient paperback set makes for a one-stop statistical guide, providing comprehensive data on North America's major league sports teams. Gaschnitz (The Edmonton Oilers) covers baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer. The first three volumes first organize the information by year, then by sport, while the fourth volume lists records alphabetically by team name. Recommended for public libraries and all sports history collections.

With an eye to purifying the confusing stream of notions associated with existentialism—which has been linked both to fashionable bohemianism and to postwar cynicism—Michelman (philosophy, Wofford Coll.) has produced a book that defines this far-reaching philosophy's principal figures, scholars, fundamental concepts, and theoretical influences. The work further defines existentialism with entries on the philosophy's critics, e.g., Theodor Adorno and Georg Lukács. Though sadly devoid of photographs, this accessible work is recommended for philosophy and modern history collections.

While humorist Robinson (Minipops: Famous People Drawn Really Small) opens several buttons on the heavily starched dress shirt that is the traditional atlas and approaches the spoofing humor celebrated in Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, there is a danger to this book. Its contents are undeniably farcical and employ pixilated images recalling the low-tech animation of South Park. Yet the book's expanded title, its late 1970s educational-inspired cover art, and its interior layout make it appear legitimate and destined for juvenile use. Recommended for collections including adult humor.

A companion to David Damschroder and David Russell Williams's 1990 Music Theory from Zarlino to Schenker, this guide is the most comprehensive survey of subject-relevant primary and secondary source material currently available. Although it excludes non-Western, antique, and 20th-century musicology, it offers concise, if robustly academic, summaries of theories published between 400 B.C.E. and 1900 C.E. Williams and Balensuela (music, DePauw Univ.) open with an alphabetized catalog of major theorists, offer significant biographical detail, and list titles for further reading. Recommended for all historical musicology collections.

Aiming to foster greater public awareness, the International Union of Air Pollution Prevention Associations (IUAPPA) has coproduced this guide to pollution's myriad effects. Editor Sokhi (Urban Air Quality) anticipates the lay reader by opening with a segment on atmospheric fundamentals, while contributor Peter Brimblecombe (Urban Atmosphere) offers a similarly edifying historical overview. However, five subsequent chapters—presenting the work of 22 field specialists who explain air pollution's climatic consequences and projected trends—are studded with puzzling jargon and distracting parenthetical citations. Illustrations occasionally defy rapid comprehension, confirming the sense that seasoned scientific readers remain the most appropriate audience. Recommended for scientific and public policy collections.

Filled with illuminating, seldom-seen photos of musicians and the anonymous figures they entertained, this book offers a revealing and uncommon perspective on World War II. Coauthors William and Nancy Young (Music of the Great Depression) look at the war through developments in popular music, including jazz, country, classical, and commercial. They manage their diverse subject by fully exploring each genre in eight lively, chronologically organized essay-style chapters. A music-focused wartime chronology and two quick-reference appendixes conclude the book. Highly recommended for modern history and music collections.