Arts & Humanities

This first of what will be a three-volume catalog of Harvard's holdings of American paintings reaches beyond the Harvard Art Museum (HAM) to encompass artwork throughout the institution, including Harvard's many stained glass windows. Included here are works by lesser-known artists along with major figures in the history of American painting. Stebbins (curator, American art, HAM), Kimberly Orcutt (New-York Historical Society), and Virginia Anderson (assistant curator, American art, HAM) offer a look into the collecting history of the university as well as its pivotal figures. Each alphabetical catalog entry treats the works chronologically and includes a biographical essay, full provenance, and, in the case of portraits, a biographical sketch of the sitter. The Harvard Art Museum is opening its doors to the entire scholarly community, offering a new opportunity for study and reflection on the history of American art. The extensive bibliography, a gold mine of references, is itself a major contribution to the field. This, along with the forthcoming volumes, should serve as an elegant reference tool for many years to come. Highly recommended for all art libraries, academic collections, and large public institutions.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York

These two books examine America's ongoing love affair with art deco. Architectural photographer Berenholtz's volume is a jewel box of photographs. The details of buildings and close-ups of sculpture and mosaics make it a lovely gift book and a good companion to more documentary volumes on the subject. In several panoramic photographs spread across gatefold pages, Berenholtz captures the telling details of landmarks such as Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building as well as the larger art deco landscape of the city.

In Art Deco San Francisco, journalist Poletti presents the story of architect Timothy Pflueger, detailing the historical background of select work from the designer of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph building in San Francisco and the Paramount Theater in Oakland. Pflueger's creations are well illustrated by photographer Paiva. Although Poletti does not approach the subject with the eye of an architectural historian, the book is nevertheless a useful biography of an art deco architect. Both of these titles are recommended for public libraries and architecture libraries with strong California or New York collections.—Amy Trendler, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, IN

Turning the pages of this catalog of graphic work and photographs is like trying to make sense out of the stream of caffeine-induced blather that resounds throughout art school hallways. But it may well be worth the effort to grasp the visual jokes and puns endlessly scattered about these pages. Eatock takes seemingly mundane photographs constantly, the way other artists sketch out the ideas that tumble into consciousness; many of the photos are the kind of random, incongruous, or bizarre street situations that we all pass unheedingly every day. Eatock is fascinated with goofy signage, garbage, the holes pigeons peck out of bread, sidewalk stencils, and the possibility that malfunctioning car alarms are really raves waiting for ravers. Scattered through all this are some more formal graphic projects like logotypes and corporate symbols. Along with the skimpy, interview-style text, the imagery is a good portrait of a hot young designer teetering on the line between smart and smart-ass. Get it now while he's still hot. Best for art libraries.—David McClelland, Philadelphia

Although less well known than Florence, Venice, and Rome as a center of Italian art and culture during the Renaissance, the city of Mantua in northern Italy has a rich and varied cultural history. In this well-researched book, Furlotti (The Vatican Museums) and Rebecchini (Univ. of Siena) cover the history of its art and culture from its rise under the Gonzaga family to the city's demise as a cultural center during the 17th century. In 1433, Gianfrancesco Gonzaga began commissioning large projects, including frescoes done in the international Gothic style by Pisanello in the Palazzo Ducale. Andrea Mantegna accepted his offer to work on numerous projects, including frescoes at the Palazzo Ducale and a number of easel paintings. In the 16th century, Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto contributed paintings to the court. During the Gonzagas' decline, much of their art collection was sold to King Charles I of England. In turn, many of these works were later sold and disseminated to collections all over Europe. This scholarly and informative book, replete with beautiful color reproductions, is recommended for academic libraries that support art history programs and for public libraries with large art collections.—Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll., MA

Emperors, kings, nobility, and clergy all collected and prized pietre dure artworks, that is, works made of semiprecious stones exquisitely cut to fit into decorative patterns, representational paintings, or luxurious objets d'art. The technique originated in the classical world, but it was the artists of the Italian Renaissance who revived it and spread it across Europe and into Russia. Published to accompany an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this catalog presents a singular opportunity to view these treasures. Essays by an imposing list of international scholars of European fine and decorative art trace the form from its origins through the 19th century, illuminating the relationship between the arts and the politics of collecting, the techniques by which these works were created, and the cultural tastes that decided in what manner they should be applied. Including works found in the opulent Opificio delle Pietre Dure museum in Florence, examples here range from a 12th-century paving floor in Rome to an 18th-century side table from London. The development of scientific inquiry found its complement in this artful use of natural objects to create artistic works of imagination and skill. The catalog's excellent color images combine with full descriptions and commentary to make this both a scholarly treasure and a visual delight.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

As coffee-table books go, this catalog accompanying a 2008 Gagosian Gallery exhibition is like a cappuccino: light, frothy, and a lovely respite. It doesn't provide deep historical context for pop art and its revision of painting or an explanation of Roy Lichtenstein's benday techniques or influential mixing of high and low culture. It's all about image: the breathy, melodramatic glamour girls of Lichtenstein's Girl painting series, begun in 1961. Impeccable reproductions of Masterpiece, Happy Tears, Kiss, and 19 other works are accompanied by the little-seen original source pictures and quotes from romance comics as well as Lichtenstein's drawing studies, emphasizing both his appropriation tactics and his impressive manipulation of scale. Three artists get involved: Jeff Koons interviews Lichtenstein's wife, Richard Prince compiles romance novel covers into a detachable artist's book, and Hamilton's 1964 tribute, A Little Bit of Roy Lichtenstein for…, is reproduced on the inside covers. For more nourishment, the inquisitive reader should look elsewhere (e.g., Graham Bader's Roy Lichtenstein, Michael Lobel's Image Duplicator, or Diane Waldman's Roy Lichtenstein), but the casual browser will be pleasantly sated. Recommended for art history special collections.—Prudence Peiffer, Cambridge, MA

British-born artist Nash is a master of wood who creates lasting environmental works that blend into or accent nature. In the introduction to this book, the late Norbert Lynton, a noted art historian and critic, captures the spirit of this internationally acclaimed environmental sculptor and land artist. The book's six sections, which visit "worksites" from France to Japan to Nash's home in Wales, successfully combine stunning imagery with exceptional descriptive text by the artist. The sections highlight notable natural installations, some of which have taken years to evolve into the artist's vision, as well as sculptural wooden creations "recycled" from dead or dying trees and dynamic charred-wood sculptures that contrast light and dark, shadow and color. Nash also creates works using the shapes of the cube, sphere, and pyramid, representing matter, time, and space, respectively. With his reverence for nature, Nash captures the essence of artistic creation, and his insightful book should be used in training a new generation of sensitive sculptors and artists. Highly recommended for all type of libraries.—Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Libs., Johnson City

Rodrigue is an unapologetic Cajun artist who became known in the mid-1980s for painting his Blue Dog within distinctly American scenes. Blue Dog has been appearing in his paintings since then, which translates into literally hundreds of Blue Dog paintings, each with a sitting bright blue dog staring meekly at the viewer with sad, yellow eyes. The Blue Dog has become part pop icon and part marketing success, with no fewer than five books devoted to the enigmatic pooch since 1994. This latest includes almost 250 paintings that here share the limelight with their stylized titles. Although jointly reading like a puzzling children's book, the individual paintings are nevertheless quite fresh and timely. There is an alphabetical index to the paintings, but aside from a short introduction, there are no other essays or an artist biography to place the works within a larger context. While the Blue Dog paintings are quite popular, this book lacks the bibliographic elements that would make it interesting to specialized collections. Recommended for public libraries.—Kraig Binkowski, Yale Ctr. for British Art, New Haven

This first major monograph on the works of American photographer Ruwedel (art, California State Univ. at Long Beach) features more than 70 full-page black-and-white prints with handwritten titles from the photographer's ongoing series picturing residual landforms from the American and Canadian railroads built since 1869. Ruwedel has walked or driven more than 130 abandoned railroad lines since 1994 with a large-format camera and tripod. This book and Ruwedel's series take their title from several 19th-century images, but they are not derivative; instead, they illustrate how time and forces not limited to human-made ones continually shape the landscape. Prints are arranged by subject in three parts in the front of the book; the texts—a one-page introduction by the artist and a seven-page essay by Reynolds (Henry J. Heinz II Director, Yale Univ. Art Gallery)—thumbnails, and colophon are at the back; and the title is imprinted on the back cover, leading readers from back to front and, like the photographs, encouraging viewers to question past, present, and future. For its uniqueness, this monograph belongs in library collections that showcase the careers of contemporary photographers. Recommended for large public, undergraduate, and special library art book collections.—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Born Moishe Shagal in 1887 into a family of Hasidic Jews in the town of Vitebsk (in present-day Belarus), Marc Chagall (the name he chose when he struck out for the Paris art world) was a pioneer of modern art who lived through czarist pogroms, the Russian Revolution, two world wars, and the birth of the state of Israel. His paintings, drawings, illustrations, stage sets, tapestries, and stained glass windows can be found everywhere from the Guggenheim Museum in New York to the Paris Opéra to the synagogue at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Chagall gave us his account in his 1960 memoir (translated from the French as My Life) and collaborated with his son-in-law Franz Meyer on Marc Chagall: Life and Work. Chagall's granddaughter gave Wullschlager, art critic for the Financial Times, access to the Archives Marc et Ida Chagall and its extensive collection of letters and papers hitherto unseen by scholars. The result is a fascinating new look at the man, his art, and his times. Highly recommended for all art collections.—Marcia Welsh, Dartmouth Coll. Libs., Hanover, NH

Novelist and Boston Globe columnist Beam presents an intriguing look at the marketing phenomenon and cultural-icon status of the Great Books of Western Civilization, a 54-volume collection compiled by university-affiliated academics. In the beginning, the Great Books were used for education or in college classes. When they started to become popular, the Great Books Foundation was formed; four years later, several thousand book discussion groups all over the country were using the collection. Their popularity, which reached its peak at the end of the 1940s yet remained strong into the early 1960s, was attributed to the larger number of Americans with higher education after World War II and to the rise of the middle class. The official launch of the Great Books occurred in 1952 at the University of Chicago, nine years after the project began. The books feature 443 works by 74 authors. By the time their popularity ceased, over one million households had purchased them from traveling salesmen. Beam's book will have readers looking at volumes in the series from a whole new perspective owing to its witty handling of popular culture. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.—Susan McClellan, Shaler North Hills Lib., Glenshaw, PA

Letter writing has a longstanding, highly regarded reputation for personal revelation, as exemplified by this collection of the vivid, spirited, spontaneous letters of poets Elizabeth Bishop (1911–79) and Robert Lowell (1917–77). Their letters over three decades explore both their outer public and their private inner lives. Yet neither strives to create literary expression in the letters; instead, readers clearly see the give and take of real friendship. Authenticity is ever present—and is especially pointed when either poet is making an observation on the poetry of the other. Their connection—in spite of disappointments, differences, and bouts of depression—was never in jeopardy. In one letter, Bishop comments that Lowell sounds lively as a cricket. The reading world should offer up a chorus of lively cricket sounds, a singing of hosannas for the poetry of Bishop and Lowell that benefited immensely from their shared life through letters—and also for the letters alone. They remain fresh and memorable after 30 years of enduring wit and wisdom. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Robert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., IN

Editor Isaksen is a Norwegian novelist, active in Norwegian writers' groups, increasingly interested in Israeli and Palestinian literature and curious about whether literature can bridge the divide between peoples at war. Norway's active role in sponsoring Arab-Israeli negotiations and support for Palestinian cultural institutions inspired him to consider the role of writers, as did his belief that connections between black and white writers helped end apartheid in South Africa. In 2002 and 2003, he interviewed 15 Israeli and Palestinian writers to see if they believed that their writing could help reduce the hostility and fear infusing their societies. Isaksen is not as interested in the content of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as he is in the prospect of strengthening the human understanding between two peoples, each with a strong sense of victimhood and loss. The result is a series of fascinating conversations with writers of different ages, genders, and styles, linked by their common experience of life in a culture under siege. Isaksen explores with them their understandings of issues of victimization and dehumanization, personal identity and national culture, and the contribution that literature can make to creating empathy between two peoples in conflict for many decades. This book will be of great value to readers with an interest in literature, and it provides sensitive insight into how writers approach their craft and how they view the social impact of their work in a volatile environment. A solid addition to public and academic libraries.—Elizabeth R. Hayford, president, Associated Colleges of the Midwest, retired, Evanston, IL

Grammar, not vocabulary, makes the English language intriguing, according to McWhorter (linguistics, Univ. of California, Berkeley; The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language). He tackles the specific challenge of explaining to general readers why English grammar diverged and became simplified compared with its Germanic-language siblings. McWhorter's answer lies with speakers of Welsh and Old Norse (the Vikings). He begins by crediting Welsh for our verb conventions, especially adding the verb do to statements such as, "Do you like cheese?" and "I do not like cheese." McWhorter fingers invading Vikings for shearing off the grammatical markings added to nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Finally, he considers the common features of Germanic and Semitic languages. Throughout, McWhorter contrasts English with other languages and exposes deep controversy among scholars. In the middle of the book, he strays from English-language development, discussing intriguing questions about grammar in general. Citations to a variety of scholarly sources along with more general ones support McWhorter's arguments. This distinctive work is recommended for public libraries with large language collections.—Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL

It's impossible to measure Samuel Johnson's influence on the English language. He was proficient in multiple genres—particularly poetry, essays, and criticism—and his dictionary stood as the standard until the first version of the Oxford English Dictionary (approximately 150 years later). Known for his intellect and ideals, Johnson led a life complicated by physical deformities and a tendency toward social improprieties. While he was generally well intentioned and appreciated friends in politics, the arts, the literary world, and religious circles, Johnson could also be prone to fits of anger and bouts of crying. Meyers, the author of over 20 books (e.g., Modigliani: A Life), offers several new interpretations of Johnson's life and works, most notably his marriage and sexual life, his hostility to Jonathan Swift, and his influence on five major writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Meyers's use of details and language is lively, and his interpretation well reasoned. Recommended for all academic libraries and for public libraries as interest warrants.—Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

In this exquisitely written collection of moving prose and poems, the Italian American experience is transmitted by words. The contents are the selected "best of" Italian Americana, a literary journal by Italian Americans about Italian Americans. The work is intended for scholarly study as well as for the general public. The five sections of the book—"Ancestors," "The Sacred and the Profane," "Love and Anger," "Birth and Death," "Art and Self"—are each divided into prose and poetry. Albright (editor in chief, Italian Americana) and Herman (writing, Manhattanville Coll.) include such gems as a poem about a missing father by Gerald Malanga, Andy Warhol's assistant; an interview with Camille Paglia, the controversial feminist author of Sexual Personae; and moving tales of life in general, such as Salvatore La Puma's "A Marvelous Feat in a Common Place," a story about a man's nearly delusional longing for his deceased pet cat. This is an extraordinary compilation of truly inspired works. Recommended for public and academic libraries of all sizes.—David L. Reynolds, Cleveland P.L.

Whether these two works were written in reaction to insufficient subject representation and methodology or by trendsetting idealists who simply know their field and how to communicate it, we as readers win. These volumes intelligibly convey information didactically in a palatable fashion without suggesting that you are a dummy or an idiot. Of similar design, both books exhibit a physically efficient while textually dense architecture; their dimensions are expanded further by DVD-ROMs showcasing case-in-point documentaries and shorts as well as invaluable interactive Excel spreadsheets and PDF and Word templates outlining budget and call sheets, licensing and release forms, treatment examples, fill-in storyboards, and more. Both books provide background history of their respective genres; cover preproduction, production, and postproduction; explore marketing and distribution; and flesh out all of this with interviews, cost-sheet examples, production notes and product info, and clearly organized references, referrals, and links. Glynne and Parker each wonderfully represent their gifts as both instructors and filmmakers with these academic-by-nature but practical-in-design titles. Save for a few Anglocentric sprinkles (convert the pounds to dollars or swap Main Street for High Street and everything will be just fine), the books speak the international language of film and can be enjoyably read straight through but are priceless as sources of reference—all the while funny, insightful, and realistic. Where these books lack (and they don't much), they provide excellent referral information. They're like filmmaking courses bound and at a fraction of the cost. Accessible and valuable to academic and public libraries of all sizes—and, obviously, highly recommended.—Ben Malczewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI

Whether these two works were written in reaction to insufficient subject representation and methodology or by trendsetting idealists who simply know their field and how to communicate it, we as readers win. These volumes intelligibly convey information didactically in a palatable fashion without suggesting that you are a dummy or an idiot. Of similar design, both books exhibit a physically efficient while textually dense architecture; their dimensions are expanded further by DVD-ROMs showcasing case-in-point documentaries and shorts as well as invaluable interactive Excel spreadsheets and PDF and Word templates outlining budget and call sheets, licensing and release forms, treatment examples, fill-in storyboards, and more. Both books provide background history of their respective genres; cover preproduction, production, and postproduction; explore marketing and distribution; and flesh out all of this with interviews, cost-sheet examples, production notes and product info, and clearly organized references, referrals, and links. Glynne and Parker each wonderfully represent their gifts as both instructors and filmmakers with these academic-by-nature but practical-in-design titles. Save for a few Anglocentric sprinkles (convert the pounds to dollars or swap Main Street for High Street and everything will be just fine), the books speak the international language of film and can be enjoyably read straight through but are priceless as sources of reference—all the while funny, insightful, and realistic. Where these books lack (and they don't much), they provide excellent referral information. They're like filmmaking courses bound and at a fraction of the cost. Accessible and valuable to academic and public libraries of all sizes—and, obviously, highly recommended.—Ben Malczewski, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI

The latest entry in Knopf's superb "Complete Lyrics" series focuses on Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), best remembered for his collaborations with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers on some of the American musical theater's most important works, from Show Boat (1927) to The Sound of Music (1959). Asch (ed., Playbill Broadway Yearbook) organizes over 800 songs with historical background and contemporary quotes. The lyrics are presented chronologically in chapters encompassing a year of focusing on major shows or topics. Asch includes texts from shows that did not succeed, songs that were cut before performance, and some that remain unpublished. A biographical time line and a title/first line index bookend the volume, which also includes charming photographs, reminiscences by Oscar's daughter Alice, and an introduction by Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization president Ted Chapin. Unfortunately, the indexers persist in listings under the articles a and the without cross-references to the first main word, but this is a minor glitch. This title supersedes any previous collection of Hammerstein's lyrics, such as Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II from Simon & Schuster in 1949 or Hal Leonard's 1985 volume of the same title (slightly expanded by Omnibus in 2002.)—Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Originally published in 1991 and revised in 1998, this book has been revised and expanded again to be bigger and better than the previous highly praised incarnations. Ten years on, the music is still evolving, with many new artists and hybridizations, and McGowan and Pessanha are certainly keeping up with the changes. Their book features new coverage of funk, rap, and hip-hop and profiles new samba artists as well as artists on the rise in electronic dance music and other genres. Now that the Internet has made it easier to find and explore once-exotic musical genres, people looking for information about all the kinds of music in Brazil will love this book. Lavishly illustrated with 175 black-and-white photos, 12 maps, and 12 figures, it covers the remarkable breadth of Brazilian music in a highly readable, lively manner. Highly recommended for all public libraries and world music collections, even those owning an earlier edition.—Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., Manteca, CA

Peretti (history, Western Connecticut State Univ.; The Creation of Jazz) undertakes the daunting task of summarizing the history of African American music from slave hollers to gangsta rap within social, economic, and racial contexts. He lays a solid foundation with an examination of African and American slave music, spirituals, and minstrelsy and continues with a good description of syncopated ragtime and a thumbnail sketch of the beginnings of the blues. In the most successful section, Peretti describes the origins of jazz during the 1920s from the marriage of ragtime and the blues. He also discusses, e.g., classical music, jazz avant-garde, gospel, soul, and the birth of rock 'n' roll. Peretti ends with a disappointing chapter on more recent music like Motown, funk, disco, and hip-hop, making a few missteps along the way (e.g., characterizing house music as early rap; referring to the Notorious B.I.G. as Christopher Smalls rather than Christopher Wallace). Overall, however, Peretti scores more often than he misses in the ambitious task of capturing the many and varied contributions of African Americans to our musical heritage. Recommended as a college text or as a brief overview for general readers.—Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Renowned cultural critic Rose (Africana studies, Brown Univ.; Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America) ventures again into the world of hip-hop and produces another work that should challenge common feelings about the subject. In the first section of the book, "Hip Hop's Critics," she disputes several long-standing arguments made by the detractors of the genre. Rose then changes tack completely in the second section, "Hip Hop's Defenders," arguing against several of the platitudes often voiced by those standing up for it. This balance adds to the credibility of the book, but it's Rose's convincing arguments and challenges of assumptions that make this an important title. She attempts to bring both sides together in the final section, but it's easy to imagine her cries falling on deaf ears. In fact, the biggest problem with the book is that its challenging stance and lecturing tone aren't likely to attract the number of readers on both sides of the argument who would most benefit from Rose's analyses. This title definitely deserves readers; recommended for all music and culture collections.—Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., Alta.

The name of film director Victor Fleming isn't well known, but in 1939, he took over the reins of two troubled MGM productions, successfully completing The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. He was handsome and athletic, moving easily in a man's world while romancing a parade of film stars, from Clara Bow to Norma Shearer to Ingrid Bergman. In this first major biography of Fleming, Sragow (film critic, Baltimore Sun) covers his childhood and self-education, his beginnings in silent films, and his role in shaping the iconic screen images of Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy. Sragow discusses Fleming's disappointments, including projects like The Good Earth and The Yearling, completed by others, and the crushing failure of his last film, Joan of Arc, followed swiftly by his premature death. The author also vividly recalls the beginnings of the breakup of the studio system and post-World War II blacklisting. Film buffs will appreciate the behind-the-scenes anecdotes of the stressful but productive shoots of Oz and GWTW, and the book should lead to a renewed appreciation of Fleming's work. Recommended for large public and academic film biography collections.—Stephen Rees, Levittown Lib., PA

Twenty-eight years after imploding, the Clash—late frontman Strummer, lead guitarist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Topper Headon—finally offer up their autobiography. Like other hallowed rock tales (e.g., The Beatles Anthology), it employs a chronological oral format, beginning with brief profiles of each member and continuing with close-ups of albums, singles, and tours. Because the band and its entourage contributed to this "official Clash product," fans will understandably expect the mother lode—juicy insider commentary; hundreds of never-before-seen photos and memorabilia. Unfortunately, the oral history sorely lacks drama, depth, and color, maybe because the guys already aired their grievances and regrets in earlier biographies and Don Letts's 1999 documentary Westway to the World. Thankfully, Strummer's jaunty voice comes through, yet the editors would've done well to incorporate the viewpoints of outrageous supporting characters like Bernie Rhodes, the band's controversial manager. There are scrawled set lists, backstage passes, newspaper clippings, and new images, sure, but nothing that amounts to the blast of eye candy you expect from this visually striking foursome. Add some misprinted pages in Italian, and the result is a rushed book that is just too late in coming. Fans will demand it, but they'll get a more entertaining story via Pat Gilbert's Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash. For larger popular music collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/08.]—Heather McCormack, Library Journal

Contrary to what many believe, argues Kohn (A Reason for Everything: Natural Selection and the English Imagination), trust does not depend on favorable feelings toward others. For example, he points out that during World War I, agreements based on trust sometimes developed among enemy soldiers. These agreements, as well as trust in general, often depend on the efficacy of signaling, and Kohn discusses the evolutionary origins of this behavior. He explains how game theory has been influential in accounting for trust and offers an illuminating account of Robert Axelrod's work on Prisoner's Dilemma. People often trust those close to them rather than the community at large—for this, too, there is an evolutionary explanation—and Kohn considers how trust might be extended. Trust is involved when we rely not only on the behavior of others but also on their authority. In this wide-ranging book, he addresses religious, scientific, and political claims of authority, contrasting communist countries, which distrust the people, with liberal democracies, based on mistrust of the government. This excellent book is highly recommended for philosophy and social science collections.—David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH

Two new books deal with the life and ideas of the enigmatic philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein and Reason had its genesis in a one-day conference at the University of Reading and includes additional essays invited for this volume, notably, a translation of an important paper by French Wittgenstein scholar Jacques Bouveresse on the limitations of causal explanations. Although Wittgenstein rarely writes specifically about the philosophical concept of reason, Preston (philosophy, Univ. of Reading) offers scholarly pieces that explore the connections in his work between reason and relativism, the reasonableness of religious belief, and Wittgenstein's notion of rule following. Recommended for academic research libraries.

In The House of Wittgenstein, writer and critic Waugh (Fathers and Sons: The Autobiography of a Family) tells the story of the downfall of the wealthy Wittgenstein family. He follows the intellectually and musically gifted Wittgenstein children as history conspires to rob them of one of Europe's largest fortunes. Waugh weaves the family's story around that of the fourth son, Paul: losing his arm in the Great War, Paul gained international acclaim as a left-handed concert pianist; at that time, his brother Ludwig's notoriety was limited to a small circle at Cambridge. With the rise of the Nazis, the Wittgenstein siblings were declared racially Jewish and held hostage for their wealth—a peril that ratchets up the book's tension and contributes to the already tragic atmosphere haunting the family. Waugh sifted through letters and journals held in archives and private collections for this masterfully researched work that brings the characters of this previously untold story to life. He moves seamlessly among historical circumstance, personal relations, and the world of classical composition and performance. This gripping book is highly recommended for academic libraries.—Steven Chabot, Univ. of Toronto

"Some poets, Horace says, spend their lives/ going over the same old ground: some suburb/ of love. A parking lot/ at the shopping mall of loss." Greger travels fresh ground, negotiating the territory between antiquity and the modern world, from Europe to the United States and beyond. Using language that sings to the ear and dances to the eye, Greger's poems shiver with image and sound. "We were too late to catch the moon,/ already hauled up from the swamp/ and hung up to dry. Moon melon,// new penny—I turned my back on it/ … for I was spleenful and fifteen." Many of her poems are celebrations, homage to the likes of Horace, Keats, and Herodotus. In letters, she addresses Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and Li Po, asking the large questions as well as the small. Offering verse that is part history and part exploration, Greger writes like an archaeologist; readers can anticipate surprise with each turned phrase. Nothing escapes her careful considerations. On the death of a young poet, she says, "Not even those of you/ who are still poets can escape this thing.// Beyond the world, I pull the rope/ of the door tighter. I stuff my mouth/ with ferns and roots as if with meat." Highly recommended.—Karla Huston, Appleton Art Ctr., WI

How do rank-and-file Catholics think about, negotiate, and live out their faith today? To probe for answers, Baggett (religion & society, Jesuit Sch. of Theology, Berkeley, CA) conducted a sample survey at six San Francisco Bay Area parishes, interviewing some 300 active parishioners. The author uses a careful sociologist's approach, considering historical and cultural changes in the Church in America as they impact persons of serious faith. Of the six parishes, two congregations are in poorer areas and one in an affluent area; of the three middle-class congregations, one is largely Anglo, one is very traditional with Latin masses, and one ministers to a gay population. The author reflects on the need for parish discourse on the Church's social-justice teachings (a "best-kept secret") and concludes that parishioners are no less religious today than their predecessors. Statistical tables and quotes from the interviewees, along with substantial references to academic studies, support the text. This study may be complemented by James O'Toole's recent The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America. Recommended for sociology and religious collections.—Anna M. Donnelly, St. John's Univ. Lib., NY

In her contribution to the New Press's "Does Not Equal" series, progressive evangelical Harper (executive director, New York Faith & Justice) questions the relationship between our political worldviews and our theological worldviews. She chronicles the history of traditional evangelical movements like Campus Crusade and Promise Keepers as well as the Southern Baptist Convention, challenging their current stance on racial reconciliation and economic justice, concerns that she feels represent a new breed of faithful evangelicals. More manifesto than dispassionate account, Harper's work lambastes evangelicals who focus solely on abortion and homosexuality, overriding any biblical mandate for caring for others. She further concludes, "Unquestioning alignment to a political party is idolatry." She describes true evangelicals as "people aligned with Jesus, and Jesus aligns himself with the least in society," offering a stronger social gospel than traditional evangelicalism.Similarly, Ruether (Sexism and God-Talk) confronts the notion that American Catholicism is uniformly in step with Rome. For her, Catholic clericalism has disadvantaged the faithful: "The simple act of blessing and distributing food and drink as a symbol of giving and nurturing life is turned into a power tool to control access to God." As the introduction says, this is vintage Ruether. She finds the Vatican an entrenched, out-of-touch dinosaur, patriarchal and parochial in perspective, more concerned with enforcing its antiquated and oppressive policies than spreading the love of God. Like Harper's, this is Ruether's deeply personal manifesto. She calls the Church to an essential Catholic faith, rooted in Jesus's message of freedom from violence and oppression, which she sadly identifies as part and parcel of the hierarchical Church today, resulting in its tradition of misogyny and injustice. Both of these books are passionate and personal; they may not convince those outside their particular perspective, but they certainly offer compelling and challenging reads. Highly recommended.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA

Livermore, a general practitioner living in Australia, discusses her time in the Missionaries of Charity (MCs), a religious group formed by Mother Teresa. Livermore had been accepted to study medicine when, as a Catholic schoolgirl, she watched a documentary on Mother Teresa's work and decided to change the course of her life to become a nun and serve the world's poor and suffering. What she didn't expect was the austere lifestyle and rigid regime of the MCs. Questions she asked about apparent inconsistencies in religious doctrines were brushed aside with the insistence that all that was required of an MC sister was blind faith, complete obedience, and a total sacrifice of self. After 11 years in the order, Livermore's inability to reconcile the contradictions of her commitment to the principles of the MCs and her original commitment to serve the poor led her to abandon the life of a nun, return to her native country, and become a doctor. Her autobiography serves as a deliberate critique of any religion or organization that requires such unquestioning submission from its members. Even after her break from the MCs, her crisis of faith continued, leading her to agnosticism, though she continues to aid the underserved by bringing medical care to East Timor and Australia's Aboriginal communities. This poignant, controversial, well-written volume is very highly recommended for all libraries with an interest in personal memoirs, modern history, women's studies, and religious studies.—Crystal Goldman, Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Malphurs (pastoral ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary; Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century) is a teacher and author of numerous books on pastoral leadership and church management. His latest focuses on the church's mission of making disciples of Christ. Intended as a practical volume for pastors and other full-time church staff, this work lays out a biblical framework for disciple making, which the author contends is the key mission of the church—one around which everything else must revolve—and then a practical process for integrating the church around this key task. The theme that mission drives programming, staffing, and budgeting is familiar to anyone in the nonprofit world, and Malphurs here skillfully weaves it into a faith-based setting. The majority of his book applies to any size church, while the last two chapters on staffing and budgeting are valuable primarily to larger churches. Highly recommended for academic libraries and where local demand for church management books is strong.—Ray Arnett, Fremont Area Dist. Lib., MI

Picknett and Prince are historical detectives with a passion for investigating religious mysteries, and their new book is destined to be a thought-provoking and unsettling best seller. Situated in the era of The Da Vinci Code, it seeks to examine the real truths underlying currently held beliefs and dogmas about Jesus. A fundamental premise of this text is that the past two millennia of Christianity have designed and interpreted a Christian theology from the divergent and contradictory statements within the four Gospels. Using the tools of the academy, Picknett and Prince try to differentiate between myth and reality, fiction and fact, and belief and reason. The result is well argued and clearly written; the long-held truths familiar to most readers are here challenged with seemingly irrefutable logic and historical evidence. Readers familiar with the authors' The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ and its conclusions will soon realize that their new book continues and intensifies this provocative discussion. The text is completed by 25 pages of notes, a lengthy select bibliography, and an index. Recommended for select libraries. For larger public libraries as demand dictates.—John-Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin-Platteville

Hoping to become a martyr, Luisa de Carvajal left her native Spain for anti-Catholic England in 1603, the year of the Gunpowder Plot, hatched by English Catholics against the Protestant James I of England. Redworth (history, Univ. of Manchester; In Defense of the Church Catholic: The Life of Stephen Gardner) deftly tells the tale of this strong-willed woman, who did not let men or the Church dictate how she should live her religious life. In the years after the Council of Trent, which decreed that communities of women should be strictly cloistered, Luisa gathered around her a small community that defied contemporary notions of how women religious should live. She risked her life to retrieve the bodies of priests hanged for their faith and smuggled banned Catholic works into England. Based on her autobiographical writings, her poems, and other archival material, this is the first full-length biography of this remarkable woman, though Antonia Fraser's Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot offers a popular study of the events that drew Carvajal to England. Carvajal's remains still lie unburied in a coffin that sits in the reliquary room of Madrid's Convent of the Incarnation. A well-written narrative offering insights into life in London at the beginning of the 17th century, this is an important purchase for collections of Catholic history and women's studies.—Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, Newark, NJ

Atkinson, a filmmaker and director of a forthcoming documentary on Merton, edited this book from 200 hours of unused footage that consisted mostly of interviews with what he calls the "Merton choir" of almost 30 friends, monastic colleagues, and scholars. Atkinson also uses material from Merton's journals, which were withheld until 25 years after Merton's 1968 death. The result is a wonderful mosaic of a book, revealing many aspects of a very complex man who, from age 20 to his death at 53, was a monk, literary critic, promoter of social justice, peacemaker, poet, and spiritual theologian. Atkinson is a participant observer of his subject, not through personal friendship but through personal affect: he attributes not only his conversion to Roman Catholicism but also his living "as a more fully human being" to Merton's writings. Merton lived a full human life, with contradictions, weaknesses, but also remarkable resilience, fidelity, and ability to reach out to many "others"—non-monks, non-Catholics, non-Christians, and women—and to be humble enough to be "heard." Highly recommended for public and seminary libraries. (Accompanying DVD not seen.)—Carolyn M. Craft, emerita professor, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

The 50th anniversary of the legendary 1958 NFL Championship game between the Giants and the Colts—when "sudden death" joined the pro football lexicon—and the startlingly fashioned victory of the Giants in the 2008 Super Bowl have unleashed a perfect storm of books. Already this year, Mark Bowden's The Best Game Ever and Lou Sahadi's One Sunday in December have scrutinized the fabled game of half a century ago. Thus, it's somewhat unexpected that Gifford's account is so revelatory, but he did, after all, play in it! For this project, Gifford interviewed the 37 living Giants and Colts to record their remembrances and combine them with his own first-person account of the action and the players and coaches involved. The result is a fresh, engrossing, anecdote-filled retelling of a familiar but unforgettable gridiron battle. Meanwhile, veteran sportswriter Cavanaugh's book covers not only that 1958 title game but the whole run of that remarkable Giants team that played in six championship games in eight years from 1956 to 1963. Cavanaugh covers that dynastic period year by year and provides a focused portrait of that team, informed by interviews with several players from the time. Both books are recommended for all public libraries; Gifford's will be of especial interest.—John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ