Arts & Humanities

A delightfully bawdy romp as well as a thorough exploration of the iconography, this exhibition catalog proffers passion, romance, and solid study as it considers matrimony in Renaissance Italy. Before the Council of Trent systematized marriage vows in 1563, any number of traditions could be considered a betrothal. The catalog's illustrations (75 black-and-white and 300 color) feature a wide variety of art and artifacts, such as combs, girdles, rings, glassware, majolica, spindle whorls, coffers, needlework cases, birthing trays, and commemorative plates, facilitating discussion of the societal, economic, and emotional ramifications of marriage in Renaissance Italy. Some items put a public face on the couple and resulting family; others give a glimpse into the private repercussions of joining together as one. Some of the pieces represent more famous marriages, such as the Sforzas and Medicis, done by the likes of Titian and other big names. The themes are complex and varied owing to disparate contemporary thought on the subject of love, and Bayer (curator, European paintings, Metropolitan Museum of Art) illustrates them nicely on a continuum from personal to mythic. Highly recommended for libraries specializing in art and art history.—Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

Photographer Edward Steichen is often noted for his early pictorialist pictures, which have a mysterious, painterly feel. He was also an important portrait photographer throughout his career and during the 1920s and 1930s completed a span of celebrity work for Vogue and Vanity Fair that is featured here. His subjects included Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, H.G. Wells, Gary Cooper, and many other popular figures. Ewing and Brandow—also the authors of Edward Steichen: Lives in Photography, the best available overview of Steichen's work—and three contributing essayists are all curators at major museums. Their excellent essays focus on the idea that Steichen's modernist approach brought fashion photography to a new level. This companion volume, the result of research for Lives in Photography, which uncovered a little-known archive of Steichen's fashion photography at Condé Nast Publications in New York, includes 242 well-chosen examples of the collection of more than 2000 prints. Highly recommended, along with Lives in Photography, for academic and larger public libraries.—Eric Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH

In 1958, Insall and several of his colleagues founded a famous architectural practice in England based on architectural conservation, that is, the salvation, restoration, and rehabilitation of historic buildings and neighborhoods. (In the United States, this practice is called historic preservation.) This book commemorates these 50 years of professional practice, mostly in England, involving some of the United Kingdom's most cherished historic resources (e.g., Windsor Castle, Somerset House, and Covent Garden). Divided into two sections, the book covers assessing, analyzing, planning, and implementing individual restoration projects ("Organizing the Project") and daily maintenance through radical rehabilitation to contextual new construction ("Degrees of Intervention"). Containing over 600 luxurious color maps, photos, and plans of a wide variety of projects in England, this work could easily serve as a textbook for a beginner's course in historic preservation. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Peter Kaufman, formerly with Boston Architectural Ctr.

This large and lavish volume presents five essays covering various aspects of the life and work of 20th-century graphic design giant Jan Tschichold, from his championing of the "new typography" through his work in poster design to his return to classical principles for his later work, notably in designing for Penguin Books. De Jong, director of the Dutch firm V+K Design and Publishing, includes informative, complementary, and succinct texts, although no information is given on the authors' backgrounds. The illustrations, largely Tschichold's work as well as a number of archival photos of Tschichold, his family, and his circle, are beautifully presented. The time line and biographical details, including discussions of Tschichold's interaction with the Bauhaus and his difficulties in Nazi Germany, offer enough insight for readers unfamiliar with the story, while the perceptive discussions of the work and its significance will be of great interest to graphic arts professionals. Reasonably priced considering its size and quality, this book doesn't disappoint. Highly recommended for all graphic arts collections and a good choice for most academic and large public library collections.—Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Known for her celebrity portraits, Leibovitz (A Photographer's Life) has continued to redefine portraiture for almost four decades. This book is a departure in that she discusses her personal approaches, trials, and discoveries as a professional photographer, pairing detailed memories and technical discussions with images of her most iconic celebrity portraits (including the Rolling Stones, Demi Moore, John Lennon, and Queen Elizabeth). The book adheres to a chronological format—from Leibowitz's earliest black-and-white photos of the Rolling Stones and John Lennon to her conceptual color portraits from the 1980s that feature the Blues Brothers in blue face and Whoopi Goldberg submerged in a bathtub of milk. Also included are personal and family photographs as well as her most recent photo shoots for Vanity Fair, including the Obama and Clinton campaigns. Unlike traditional coffee-table books, this work is modest in size yet beautifully printed, but what makes it special is the informal commentary on the making of each image. Highly recommended for all collections.—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA

This dynamic duo of iconic exhibition catalogs, each electrifying, informative, and full of eye-popping imagery, reflects the depth and range of Andy Warhol's artistic and creative influence on popular culture. Warhol Live combines brief essays with historic photographs of the artist that vividly document his personal connection with celebrities and icons from the worlds of dance and music (e.g., Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Lou Reed, and Debbie Harry). Aquin (curator, contemporary art, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) also highlights Warhol's involvement with film, performance, audio, and photography, as well as his archival time capsules and his connection to the Velvet Underground and the Silver Factory. The catalog is a hodgepodge of styles and designs, along with lush illustrations that amplify the popular culture so typical of Warhol. It concludes with a listing of the items and works in the exhibition and a time line of his life.In Andy Warhol, curator and professor Maréchal (Univ. of Quebec) focuses solely on the artist's illustration and graphic design. This chronological look at Warhol's contribution to music shows the progression of his art through serial imagery and provides a catalogue raisonné of the 51 album covers he illustrated for jazz, classical, pop, rock, soul, and new wave performers, as well as documentary programs, concerts, and language courses. The illustrations of both front and back covers are accompanied by the source images that influenced his designs and brief commentary. His most notable icons—the peeling bananas on The Velvet Underground & Nico cover and the zippered cover of the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers—revolutionized and transformed the promotion of music and recording artists. Both catalogs are designed as album covers, signifying Warhol's relationship to the music industry. Strongly recommended for libraries with notable collections in music, art, and popular culture.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN

In this beautifully illustrated study, Masters (Dalí: Colour Library) introduces Renaissance art with an engaging, easy-to-read, well-documented, and thoughtful essay that highlights the new artistic and aesthetic developments that inspired Italian and northern European Renaissance artists. He then examines 250 masterpieces, organized into 11 thematic sections (e.g., "Sacred Themes," "Love," "Princes and Courtiers," and "Birds and Beasts"), by well-known painters and sculptors including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Dürer, and Bosch. Additional features include a postscript on 19th-century perspectives, a time line, and a gazetteer listing museums and sites with important Renaissance works. Organized like an exhibition catalog, with an introductory essay and entries on individual art masterpieces, rather than a scholarly monograph with continuous text, this book will appeal to diverse audiences not limited to general readers, armchair travelers, museum goers, and students of art. Innovative in approach and organization as well as analytical and scholarly in content and tone, this is recommended for large public libraries and undergraduate academic library collections.—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Peyton (b. 1965) had her first solo exhibition in 1993 and has works in major art museum collections in the United States and Europe. This work, which accompanied an exhibition at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, NY, through mid-January, explores the range of Peyton's work, from oil and watercolor paintings to prints and drawings. Peyton uses thin washes of oil paint in bright colors to create a watercolorlike effect. Her art is unusually small in scale, reminiscent of Renaissance portraits by Holbein and Cranach (which is appropriate, since most of Peyton's works are portraits). The text begins with photographs related to Peyton's art, then continues with over 200 color plates of her work, each on its own page. Three essays follow, by Laura Hoptman (senior curator, New Museum), Iwona Blazwick (director, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London), and John Giorno (poet, artist, and AIDS activist). The book concludes with information about the illustrated work and a list of solo exhibitions and collections that own Peyton's work. Highly recommended for art and academic libraries.—Martha Smith, Elmira Coll., NY

There's no arguing that Philip Johnson (1906–2005) is among the best-known names in modern architecture, but the nature and worth of his contributions are still open to plenty of debate. Petit (Yale Sch. of Architecture) offers 16 essays by distinguished critics, academics, and architects, many of whom knew Johnson personally and each of whom shines a spotlight on a different aspect of a talent notorious for its elusiveness. From longtime friend and patron Phyllis Lambert's tribute to Johnson's "intelligence [and] fearlessness" to critic Michael Sorkin's wickedly satiric "alternate history" positing Johnson's prominence in a Nazi America, these reappraisals all constitute springboards for further investigation. Other noteworthy contributors include Vincent Scully (Yale Univ.), Charles Jencks (The New Paradigm in Architecture), and architect Peter Eisenman. Each essay is well documented and includes some illustrations. Appended is an oddly unattributed but handsome photo portfolio of Johnson's Connecticut estate, where his famous Glass House is now open to the public. Academic and large public libraries will want to supplement Franz Schulze's comprehensive Philip Johnson: Life and Work with Petit's thought-provoking addendum.—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH

From 1977 to 1983, Rose was one of the top movie and music photographers at the Los Angeles Times. He made his reputation by working efficiently and waiting patiently for just the right moment to shoot his subjects, including such icons as Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Jane Fonda, and Keith Richards. Important political figures such as Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., and Gov. Jerry Brown also posed for Rose, who captured moments when the celebrities were at their best—unlike today's paparazzi, who look for awkward moments. From images of Richard Pryor mugging for the camera to Jane Fonda touching up her makeup to Ronald Regan posing in a studio, Rose always treated his subjects with respect. Rose's camera never intruded on his subjects' privacy, and these images (many of them previously unpublished) truly celebrate the exuberance of Hollywood and of the era. Included are a foreword by Los Angeles Times writer Patrick Goldstein, an essay by Rose, and an image index with commentary. Recommended for general collections.—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA

In clear and informative prose, Sureda (art history, Univ. of Barcelona) captures the spirit of Spanish culture from 1492 to 1659, imparting the influence of Catholicism and Italian culture on the painting, poetry, sculpture, and architecture that emerged at the time while also examining its own superlative artists, notably Velázquez, El Greco, and Zurbarán. Sureda includes a section of brief summaries and lavish, full-page reproductions. For example, there is the exquisite El Escorial library, originally built as a monastery, outside of Madrid; a reproduction of the magnificent barrel vault with its brilliant, frescoed figures by Pellegrino Tibaldi is reminiscent of Michelangelo's restored Sistine ceiling. Sureda covers the lives and work of Velázquez and El Greco and offers a final contemplation on Velázquez's masterpiece Las Meninas, which also addresses the stratified social structure in Spanish nobility and Velázquez's role in that society as court painter. Color illustrations are bountiful throughout, and the subject matter is thoughtfully presented. A desirable purchase for most academic, museum, and public libraries.—Ellen Bates, New York

Bickerton (emeritus, linguistics, Univ. of Hawaii) has written an accessible and engaging book on a very complex topic: the evolution of language. Avoiding jargon, he grounds scientific detail in a conversational style that uses hypotheticals and illustrations to get the reader actively thinking. The text starts by pointing out both the difficulty of understanding the evolution of language and its being the basis of human progress. Bickerton looks at the development of thinking on the topic, from the acceptance that humans descended from primates to theories on how human communication differs from other animal systems. However, he does not just reference linguistic theory. He also draws on other disciplines, such as biology and paleoanthropology, to forward his own theory that humans, unlike other animals, developed the ability to create concepts and that the development of language is tied to this creative capacity. This book would be relevant to anyone studying linguistics but also those interested readers new to the topic. Suitable for large public and university library collections.—Rebecca Bollen Manalac, Sydney, Australia

A retired professor of psychology, Bieri has an unconventional background for a biographer, which allows him to provide fresh insight into the life of romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The book opens with a confusing history of the Shelley family, which revolves around multiple generations of family members with the same names, who continue to be mentioned throughout. Illustrations of many of them are provided, but a family tree would have been more illuminating. Interestingly, though, Bieri had access to primary sources unavailable to previous biographers and is able to contradict details discussed by his predecessors, such as whether Shelley's first love got engaged before or after Shelley's marriage. Bieri has liberally laced his comprehensive history with quotations from letters and biographies written by Shelley and his contemporaries and includes copious notes and an exhaustive index; a glossary to keep the many names straight would have been a great bonus. Recommended for all academic libraries.—Megan Hodge, Randolph-Macon Coll. Lib., Ashland, VA

In the fog of the Israel-Palestine predicament, which is heavily burdened by conflicting personal and national narratives, very few Middle Eastern writers succeed in offering the kind of literature that is imbued with a mutually accepted and shared view of the rich culture and people of the region. Leading Palestinian poet—and Israeli citizen—Taha Muhammad Ali is that rare figure who possesses a poet's vision of experience that is equally applicable to Arabs and Jews. He is esteemed among Arabic readers in Israel and Palestine for his rich, politically complex, and sensitive work. As this biography demonstrates, his writing (fiction as well as the poetry for which he is celebrated) emerges directly from the tragic stages of the Israeli-Arab conflict. While he is not a "protest poet," his poems show the power of beauty in difficult times in addition to the vivid imagination, humor, and honesty of a storyteller. Biographer, essayist, and literary critic Hoffman masterfully captures the life and work of this highly original poet. An exceptional introduction to a literary world that has, until now, been little known to English-language readers, this is highly recommended for all libraries.—Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY

Keyes (The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When) distinguishes this work from other slang and idiom resources by explaining retro terms, that is, words and phrases that have been used for so long that people repeat them without knowing their origin or understanding their precise meaning. Examples include tabloid, initially a compressed medical pill, which became an adjective referring to smaller versions of other things like newspapers. Dubbing these terms retrotalk, Keyes also offers examples of later usage of the phrases in the media and other sources. For example, he quotes Katie Couric saying "Cha-ching" during her news broadcast; younger people likely know that the phrase refers to money but not that the phrase was inspired by a bell on a cash register's drawer. Avoiding a dictionary format, Keyes weaves humor-laced narratives into 22 topical chapters. The index and lengthy notes and bibliography section that support the work are useful but do not document every supporting quotation, like Couric's. With a special focus and light tone, this resource is recommended for large public libraries.—Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL

In this heavily illustrated guide to Steinbeck's Cannery Row, Lundy (The California Abalone Industry: A Pictorial History) attempts to document the historical sources for the author's 1945 novel, set in Monterey, CA. Drawing on public records, interviews with locals, and historical newspaper accounts, Lundy constructs detailed portraits of those who served as models for Steinbeck's characters, including Ed Ricketts (Doc), a biologist who ran a specimen sales business; Flora Woods (Dora Flood), an enterprising madam with a philanthropic bent; Won Yee (Lee Chong), an immigrant grocer and businessman; and "Gabe" Bicknell (Mack), a talented mechanic when he managed to remain sober. Numerous black-and-white photographs of people and places, as well as maps of Cannery Row, downtown Monterey, and the Pacific Grove area, are featured. Covering much of the same territory as Maxine Knox and Mary Rodriguez's Steinbeck's Street: Cannery Row, this work should appeal to Monterey history buffs and to scholars and fans who want to follow in Steinbeck's footsteps.—William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY

Morrill has previously published two collections of poems (e.g., At the Bottom of the Sky) and three volumes of creative nonfiction (e.g., The Untouched Minutes). His latest book contains 17 nonfiction essays, all loosely focused on themes of dreaming and awakening in life as well as sleep. Three of the essays are titled "Saccades," which could be defined as the rapid eye movement experienced while dreaming as well as the quick, disjointed observations of discrete elements of life. Morrill has created a compelling amalgamation of musings, journal entries, dreams, memories, letters, stories told by friends, and the detritus of the mind in twilight states of consciousness. By presenting insight into the inner workings of the author's mind, the book forces readers to confront their own dreams, histories, and ideas. The creative patchwork effect may be disconcerting to readers expecting a more linear narrative but will prove rewarding for those up to the challenge. Optional for public libraries.—Alison M. Lewis, Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

Popular contemporary Irish poet O'Driscoll (Reality Check) began work on this book of interviews with Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney in September 2001. Interestingly, aside from some transcriptions in Chapters 13 and 15, these interviews were conducted in writing and through the mail. This format allowed Heaney to pick which questions to answer and to rearrange their order as he chose, and O'Driscoll sees his role as "prompter rather than interrogator," giving Heaney a good deal of influence on the final book. The result is not a comprehensive biography (nor is it meant to be) but rather "a survey of his life, using the poems as reference points." Though Heaney has been interviewed by many others, this collection's unique method of creation makes it a worthy addition to literature collections. Recommended for academic and public libraries of all sizes.—Felicity D. Walsh, Emory Univ., Decatur, GA

Carson (classics & comparative literature, Univ. of Michigan) has translated, edited, and assembled three classic plays into a single volume of rage and revenge. These versions, to be performed by the Classic Stage Company in New York this spring, will need the magic and spectacle of live theater to vivify them, because they weigh heavily on the page. Carson's command of the original language must assuredly be great, and her poetry (e.g., The Beauty of the Husband) has reaped many awards, but these translations make sustained attention difficult. Agamemnon begins with the Watchman's bored lament, "I've peered at the congregation of the/ nightly stars—bright powerful creatures/ blazing in air." Robert Fagles's more actor-friendly 1977 version of those lines—"I know the stars by heart,/ the armies of the night, and there in the lead/ the ones that bring us snow or the crops of summer,/ bring us all we have/ our great blazing kings of the sky"—reads and speaks more dramatically. Modern colloquialisms appear throughout the plays, but it's difficult to see how these translations will survive without strong and sustained performances by master actors and technicians. Recommended for research libraries and theater departments.—Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead

Women have been writing and publishing since the beginning of the American experience. But as Showalter argues convincingly in her substantial literary history of American women writers from 1650 to 2000, their contributions have been largely overlooked and underrated by the men who controlled "scholarly editorial boards, panels of consultants, and academic leadership posts." Each of the 20 chapters begins with the historical context of the period and an assessment of "women's relation to the literary marketplace" during that time. Within each chapter, Showalter (A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Brontë to Lessing) supplies biographical details and an assessment of the work of the writers she has identified as important. One of Showalter's judgments is that "[Harriet Beecher Stowe's] achievements and her wide influence make her the most important figure in the history of American women's writing." She also argues that Emily Dickinson "reinvented American poetry." Showalter's writing is clear, lively, and authoritative; her research is impressive. Recommended for academic and public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/08.]—Kathryn R. Bartelt, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN

Proud Australian soprano Nellie Melba (1861–1931) was one of the best-known opera singers and personalities of her day, rivaling royalty in renown, commanding exorbitant fees, and owning multiple mansions long before all that became routine for today's celebrities. Blainey (Fanny and Adelaide: The Lives of the Remarkable Kemble Sisters) has crafted a fascinating biography that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. Fortunately, she had the cooperation of Melba's granddaughter Pamela Vestey and access to archival resources formerly unavailable; her documentation is extensive and goes far to legitimize her conclusions. The singer's trajectory moves inexorably from her origins as Helen Porter Mitchell, eldest daughter of a Scots émigré in Melbourne, to her study in Paris with Mathilde Marchesi and subsequent conquest of stages from London to San Francisco to New Zealand. Not shying away from Melba's personal challenges (marriage difficulties and ensuing liaisons, child custody woes, stage fright, health issues), Blainey offers a balanced view of both the triumphs and the tragedies associated with a career spanning ages six to 65. Recommended for all collections as the latest word on this intriguing subject.—Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

These indispensable new books of Bob Dylan criticism carry on important critical traditions. Dettmar's (Is Rock Dead?) compilation of critical essays and reviews, like The Bob Dylan Companion: Four Decades of Commentary and Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader, among others, is being marketed as a classroom text to support the growing number of college courses offered on Dylan. Its 17 essays are divided between "Perspectives" (e.g., Dylan and religion, Dylan and gender, Dylan as a performer) and "Landmark Albums." In this latter section, an unexpected choice is Infidels (1983), ably critiqued by novelist Jonathan Lethem. The historian Eric Lott writes on Love and Theft (2001), a wickedly appropriate match-up since Dylan took his album title from Lott's book of the same name.

In his fourth book on Dylan, Heylin provides an encyclopedic account of every song written by Dylan, from his juvenile efforts in the late 1950s to songs from Planet Waves in 1973; a second volume is promised. The songs are arranged chronologically, according to the date written, and range in length from a few sentences to several pages. The longer entries are not surprising—e.g., "Like a Rolling Stone" gets eight pages, and "Blowin' in the Wind" gets five. The book's great value is the discovery of many songs that Dylan either never performed or exist only on hard-to-find bootlegs. For each of the 300 songs, the first known performance and studio versions are cited, and Heylin offers analysis from his close reading of Dylan's life and career. This fascinating book is a perfect companion to Heylin's Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, 1960–1994 and will have the same hypnotic effect on Dylan fans as Michael Gray's The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Like the Cambridge Companion, it is highly recommended for academic libraries.—Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA

The autobiography of Chenoweth, a Tony Award-winning performer, recording artist, and actress best known for originating the role of Galinda the Good Witch in the hit musical Wicked, is a mostly lighthearted, humorous survey of the artist's life. Chenoweth has opted to make her story more of a tea party and less of a Wagnerian night at the opera, and the resulting tale is a frothy confection of backstage anecdotes mixed with stories of Chenoweth's upbringing in Oklahoma. She also discusses the contradictions and challenges of being a Christian in Hollywood. While Chenoweth's consistently sunny tone occasionally grates, she emerges as a fun, humble, and highly likable figure, and fans of the performer will certainly enjoy this entertaining read. Recommended for large public library collections and all theater and musical theater collections.—Katherine Litwin, Donors Forum Lib., Chicago

Tom Waits has had a singular music career spanning over 40 years and encompassing a bewildering array of musical styles. Once known as 1970s beatnik style, his music has since moved into experimental percussion, free-form howling, bizarre dark stories, and obscure, old-fashioned instrumentation. British journalist Hoskyns (Hotel California) takes us from the formative 1960s all the way up to a short description of Waits's most recent concert tour in the summer of 2008. From the mid-1980s forward, Waits has made concerted efforts to maintain his privacy, so a lot of the details of recordings and tours since that time period will be new to many readers. Of particular interest are the recording details of his groundbreaking albums Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Frank's Wild Years and descriptions of his work with Robert Wilson on The Black Rider stage presentation. Patrick Humphries's previous biographies (Small Change; Many Lives of Tom Wait) and Jay S. Jacobs's Wild Years cover much of the same ground, but unless and until Waits works with an official biographer, Hoskyns's superlative overview of one of America's major (though idiosyncratic) popular artists will likely stand as the best book on his life.—Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., Manteca, CA

For Metzinger (director, Theoretical Philosophy Group, Johannes Gutenberg Univ.; Being No One) the mind/body dichotomy will never be solved until we admit that our notion of a "self" does not exist. He explains that the self is created by our consciousness to make sense of the physical world. This process is what Metzinger calls the "Ego Tunnel." The Ego Tunnel takes our experiences of the outside world and organizes them for our understanding. Humans developed a notion of a self from this process because we determined that there must be someone who is having these experiences. According to Metzinger, research in neuroscience is finding that our actions, which feel like intentions, may be a product of brain states. These findings have begun to unravel our belief in the self and will in turn lead to a deeper understanding of brain functions and conscious thoughts. Metzinger's intended audience is the lay reader, and he does a superb job of presenting his theory and introducing philosophical issues related to consciousness. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

This first English translation of French philosopher Ravaisson's essay, first published in 1838, begins with a lengthy introduction to Ravaisson's life, philosophy, and influence on later philosophers and writers. In the essay, included in French alongside the English translation, Ravaisson seeks to show that habit is not a simple, repetitive action but a phenomenon that is apparent in every living being. The more complex the living being, the more influence habit will have on its faculties. For example, in humans, habit is not only part of our natural tendencies but also part of our consciousness. Habits begin as conscious thoughts but slowly turn into involuntary actions. According to Ravaisson, by analyzing this connection through the phenomenon of habit, we are offered a glimpse into the nature of being. Following the essay, Carlisle (philosophy, Univ. of Liverpool; Kierkegaard's Philosophy of Becoming) and Sinclair (Heidegger, Aristotle and the Work of Art) offer thorough commentary examining each section of Ravaisson's essay and give a detailed account of the structure of his philosophical method. Highly recommended for academic libraries.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

Trout (philosophy, Loyola Univ. Chicago; Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment) writes, "This book is about how we can use tools forged by cognitive psychologists to design personal decision strategies and good policies aimed at making our lives better." In a chatty and easy-to-read style, he considers myriad social problems—smoking, obesity, credit-card debt, poverty, predatory lending ("pay-day loans"), drug use, abortion and contraception, capital punishment, gun control, crime control, suicide, addiction, and more. These problems, he claims, are addressed in and can be resolved through the research done by cognitive scientists, much of which is noted in his extensive bibliography. And therein lies the problem with this book: the reader will find much intriguing thinking here about the aforementioned social problems but would have to have access to—and understand—that research in order to decide about the cogency of the thinking. Nevertheless, because of this book's topicality, it is recommended for public library collections.—Leon H. Brody, Falls Church, VA

Spanning 60 years, the poems in this work show Cassian (b. 1924) to be, if not a "miraculous" poet, as NEA director Dana Gioia describes her, then a poet who can work miracles with language—and feelings. A Romanian immigrant, Cassian sought asylum in the United States after her satires of the repressive Ceausecu regime led to the death of a friend. Taken from Cassian's nearly 40 previous books of poetry, the work here spans Cassian's oeuvre, with poems written in Romanian and translated by her into English and other poems written in English. With sounds ranging from an understated imagistic style to poems heavy with repetition, the book begins with reflections on childhood and ends with musings on aging. Cassian approaches life with, as she puts it, "a creative urge with no vacations." "Interpreting Bach," the best poem in the collection and one that's worth the price of the book, traces the history of language from thought to sound to the relationship between sounds. Doing this, it heats poetry to "the boiling point," where it becomes music. Recommended for all contemporary poetry collections.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD

The poems in this second collection (after Matadora) are as much about language as they are about Gambito's Filipina heritage: "Eventually the children picked up English in school. The English was cool and light like a puppy but more useful" ("The Puppy"). If disjunction is a way of talking about or re-creating immigrant experience, these poems "deliver"—that is, provide and lead us out of—the incoherences built into cultural transplantation. They are surrealistic, fierce, and playful. Words are strange toys with movable parts, so that we find an "assailed/father/feather" in "Getting Used to It" and "beer battered novels" in "Your Mama's Rich, Your Daddy's Good Looking." At times one wishes Gambito were less dazzled by her own wizardry—you can almost hear her thinking "Next line, best line?"—and some of the poems have short attention spans, trading complexity for obscurity, flash for substance. But something real is also being born in these poems; something is delivered from captivity, perhaps language itself. In the end they are like the students in the wonderfully titled "Ethnicity Is a Noodle King": "They make mistakes but wear radiant nightgowns." Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Susan Kelly-DeWitt, Univ. of California, Davis

Queen of weird juxtapositions, Hamby sets poems up like tent parties where anyone can meet anyone: Ulysses and Freud hang out to discuss the underworld; the Three Stooges show up in Paris. Marvell, Shakespeare, and Donne are everywhere, but in drag: "Xerox my heart, three-headed dog" begins a hate poem to an ex. An ode to a Pindaric ode rhymes Babs with Tabs (the soft drink), there are abecedaries in which each line starts with "a" and ends with "z" and a rhyme scheme where every line ends in the same rhyme. Insomnia is the idée fixe, the poet attempting to oust her demons ("who is the devil anyway, but some ugly/ guy with a goatee and fire coming from his ears") as new ones spontaneously generate and sidle in. Sometimes, between cartoons, she nails a strange and beautiful language, the Hawaiian lingo of her childhood overcast with Yiddish and Portuguese overtones: "Pele, red-eyed god of the sleepless night: take me/ back to Leonard's on Kapahulu, all the aunties/ lined up for malasadas soft as their arms." This is delightful poetry.—Ellen Kaufman, New York

"These wild, wind-torn lands flung to the horizon/ Will soon enough be states/ Of the Union/ Why else fashion a Corps of Discovery?" Why else, indeed? McGrath (Seven Notebooks) here presents us with a solidly American epic about the Lewis and Clark expedition, or parallel to it. Taking an interesting poetic tack, he tells us the story of young George Shannon, who, separated from the party while off to retrieve runaway horses, gets lost, and wanders the prairie alone for 16 days. Faithful to the language, tone, and style of written journals from the time, McGrath's Shannon glories in the wonder of the land, especially the mystery and majesty of the buffalo, as we readers do in the spirit of the man. With his father's smart words ever in his ears, he fights the urges of youth and vanity. "Thoughts & reflections flow though me here/ Alone in these lands I may consider myself / The first American to have walked / Surely, & observations of the land generally / & such animals as I have observed. / I am no naturalist, as Pres. Jefferson would like / But I am proud to be so trusted." Recommended for poetry collections and an illuminating adjunct to American history collections in some settings.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

What an exciting book: a history, modeled somewhat after the methodology of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, that focuses "on the moments when Christian people really acted like Christians, when they took seriously the call of Jesus to love God and love their neighbors as themselves." Columnist and teacher Bass (senior fellow, Cathedral Coll. of the Washington National Cathedral; Strength for the Journey), who has a Ph.D. in church history, calls this book's narratives "usable history, stories told for the purpose of strengthening community by deepening its spiritual practices and renewing its vision of social justice." She divides Christian history into five major parts: "The Way (100–500 C.E.)," "The Cathedral (500–1450)," "The Word (1450–1650)," "The Quest (1650–1950)," and "The River (1945-Now)." For each period, she discusses the embodiment of the titular theme, devotion, and ethics. These divisions emphasize what people, known and relatively unknown, actually did in worship and in attempting to live the Gospel. This easily read book encourages Christian activism, inclusivity, and transformed hope that can be lived. Highly recommended for seminary, public, and undergraduate libraries.—Carolyn M. Craft, emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

Doniger's "alternative history" of Hinduism takes a closer look at how outsiders contributed to its evolution. The term outsiders is used very broadly here. Some have been the marginalized people within mainstream Hinduism itself, such as tribal people and Dalits (Untouchables) or women (within a strongly patriarchal society). Others have been believers in other religions—notably Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Sikhism—or alien conquerors and rulers, such as the Greeks, Moghals, and British. All these and more have influenced Hindu faith and practice and have in their turn been influenced by the Hindus. As shown here, outsiders and mainstream Hindus have dealt with one another at times violently and at times peacefully. A respected historian and a translator of several important Sanskrit works (e.g., Hindu Myths), Doniger (history of religions, Univ. of Chicago) takes particular pains to show the outsider influences in Hindu literature, a tall order at which she mostly succeeds. There are times when the reader may feel overwhelmed by the wealth of information, so this sizable text is not for the casual reader. Recommended for academic and public libraries with strong religion collections.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

At first glance, it would seem impossible to write a history of Christian theology that runs only 300-odd pages. However, this book is not so much a history of theology as it is a sampling of key figures from that history. These theological "snapshots" are designed to provide an introduction to readers who have little or no familiarity with the subject. Johnston (former vice principal, Midleton Coll., Ireland) has over 30 years of experience teaching theology, and he is effective in explaining difficult concepts in a clear and simple manner. He also includes helpful definitions of theological terms throughout the book, assisting the reader in grasping the material. Johnston generally makes excellent selections in terms of theological figures to cover, featuring Paul, gospel writers, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Loyola, Calvin, Wesley, Schleiermacher, Newman, Barth, Bonhoeffer, Rahner, Reuther, Breuggeman, and Cupitt. Johnston also provides brief historical discussions that link the different periods covered by these theological writers. Recommended for all libraries.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ., TX

Whether or not you believe that Joseph Smith (1805–44), the founder and first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was who he said he was, there is no question that his presence looms large in American religious history. As such, any collection of documents relating to him becomes essential source material for understanding Mormonism, probably the most successful religion born on American soil. Though there have been some earlier, more limited compilations of Joseph Smith's papers, none has matched the scope of this proposed 30-volume project, of which this is the first volume. The project is sponsored by the Church Historians Office of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which, along with the Community of Christ, is the primary repository for the papers. The editors expect to issue two or three volumes a year, with the papers divided into six series, the journals being the first. This initial volume of the journals covers the tumultuous years of Smith's life and the growing pains of the early church in New York, Ohio, and Missouri. The highest documentary editing and production standards have been applied here, matching those of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and comparing favorably to large-scale presidential papers projects. The editors have relevant credentials: Jessee is past president of the Mormon History Association, Ronald K. Esplin served as an editor of Macmillan's Encyclopedia of Mormonism, and Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor of History, emeritus, at Columbia University. Any academic library with collections in American religious history will want to start collecting this set.—David Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia

This highly readable, entertaining, and thought-provoking narrative offers an insider's account of fundamentalist Christian culture from an outsider's secular perspective. When he was a Brown University sophomore (he'll graduate this year with a degree in English literature but has already had work published in Esquire and Spin), Roose opted to spend a semester "abroad" in Lynchburg, VA, as a student at Liberty University, founded by Jerry Falwell and now the world's largest evangelical university. Working undercover as an amateur journalist/ethnographer, Roose describes Liberty campus life as he experiences it, from faculty course lectures in creationism to abiding by the Liberty Way, a strict code of conduct that forbids "immoral" activities such as R-rated movies, student demonstrations, and physical contact beyond a three-second hug. As Roose reinvents himself for the role, he forms relationships with the Liberty students and faculty (including meeting and interviewing Falwell, who died in May 2007) that challenge his assumptions about fundamentalist Christian culture. Humorous anecdotes are interspersed with thoughtful analysis. Recommended for libraries of all types. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/5/08.]—Brian Greene, Northeastern Univ. Libs., Boston

Rosen (editor in chief, Journal of Vaishnava Studies) has compiled six distinct essays, including a conclusion, on death, dying, and mortality from the vantages of the "world's major religions"—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The essays are broad, descriptive, and purposeful in their approach to the idea of death but by no means comprehensive or definitive. As a result, the book is best read as a tableau of insights by religious thinkers or as an ancillary text to one's deeper interest in the topic from these perspectives. The five main essays are problematic in that they appear to represent each "world religion" as a whole but do so from clearly factional, denominational, or systematic approaches. For instance, the essay on Judaism focuses on the mystical literature of the Zohar rather than other, more traditional Jewish textual sources, and the essay "Christian Teachings on Death and Dying" is decidedly more Catholic than pan-Christian. Rosen has done a commendable job in assembling these essays, but their slant makes them appropriate for public libraries only.—Anthony J. Elia, JKM Lib., Chicago