Short Takes

In 31 engaging essays, Wilson (From Reich to Revolution) and 29 international scholars offer a vivid portrait of 18th-century Europe, including many previously under-recognized northern and eastern states. Also significant is the book's inclusion of diverse interpretative methodologies, including gender studies—which brings fascinating illumination to period sociology. The essays are thematically divided into five segments: communities and their economic realities, the development of culture, geographically disparate sociopolitical concerns, Europe's connection to the outside world, and variations in government. Intended for field specialists, the essays sometimes make references that may seem obscure to general readers. Recommended for European history collections.

An extension of the 2000–05 Iraqi incident reference guide, this sizable volume to Iraqi conflict fallout has a hauntingly clinical but pragmatic austerity. A chronology of kidnappings, bombings, and shootings, it organizes rebel and terrorist incidents by month, day, and time. IntelCenter, which bills itself as the leading producer of counterterrorism intelligence DVDs and books, has published similar raw data chronologies on countries beset by civil or external conflicts, like Afghanistan and Somalia. Recommended for collections focusing on contemporary history, journalism, strategic defense, and peace and conflict studies.

With 23 essays by more than 40 international field specialists, this is an essential reference to the multifaceted subject of stepfamilies and the challenges confronting them. Divided into four thematic segments, the essays are logically constructed and directly stated, illuminating the subject from a variety of international perspectives. The subjects covered include social and cultural contexts, family dynamics, external influences, and legal concerns. Easily understood data tables illustrate major concepts. Accessible to lay readers, the essays are both frank and engaging. Highly recommended for collections supporting domestic, social, and legal services, as well as clinical psychology.

This lush anthology of graphic novel "bests"—as determined by Kannenberg (Erotic Comics)—is divided into ten alphabetically organized chapter themes, each defining a graphic novel genre: from adventure through fiction and humor to war. Each chapter contains a thoughtful introduction, ten essential reads, and nearly 40 other genre-defining works from 1987 onward. Each one- to two-page entry offers a plot synopsis and a qualitative review while showing the novel cover and, space permitting, a page excerpt. Recommended for collections focusing on pop culture, contemporary illustration, and even literature.

First published in 1969 as an outgrowth of Maltin's self-published serial Film Fan Monthly, this stout, newly updated paperback edition adds more than 300 paragraph-long review entries to its 17,000 succinct qualitative summaries. Rated on the star system, the films are organized alphabetically by title. Listings appear to be current only to mid-2007, since prominent films like No Country for Old Men, released in November 2007, are absent. Prefacing the book is an alphabetized contact list of distributors that specialize in rare movies. A lengthy index of stars and their movies rounds out the book. Recommended for public libraries and film collections.

Pampel (Sociological Lives and Ideas) divides his topic into three segments and eight chapters. Part 1 offers a definition of the subject, including its history and current laws, while Part 2 offers bibliographic details and organizational contacts. Part 3 presents a host of reprinted information from diverse regulatory organizations. While the book offers well-reasoned, accessibly written approaches to difficult issues, it is starkly designed and text-heavy, which causes it to appear to be a daunting read. Over time, it may not reflect the latest policy changes in reprinted material. However, it does offer an excellent issue assessment.

Allen approaches this updated guide to English usage by way of British English. Therefore, numerous words, rare to the American vocabulary, populate alphabetized entries. British spellings may also cause momentary confusion for American speakers: "broccoli" seems initially defined as the grain "spelt," until one recognizes this as the British form of "spelled." Excellent sidebars are devoted to easily confusable words and tricky suffixes that can alter meaning. However, Allen (Allen's Dictionary of English Phrases) occasionally omits detonative and connotative meanings to focus instead on pronunciation, leaving the entry wanting. These flaws aside, it is a useful guide, recommended for English collections.

Touted as the definitive season document of Broadway, Off Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway (New York theaters with 100 or fewer seats) and high-profile regional theaters, this book details productions running between June 2005 to May 2006. Willis (Screen World) and Hodges (Outplays) offer detailed location and performance stats, cast and crew listings, plot synopses, a setting sketch, and an awards list for each one- to two-page Broadway profile. Smaller productions receive less than a page but with no less attention to detail. The book's 500 high-quality performance stills provide a valuable visual record. Recommended for all theater arts and performance collections.