Arts & Humanities Reviews, September 15, 2010

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Sep 15, 2010

Arts

Art for All: British Posters for Transport. Yale Univ. 2010. 280p. ed. by Teri J. Edelstein. illus. index. ISBN 9780300152975. $50. graphic ARTS
The lure of travel has a long history; exotic locales, new cultures, and unfamiliar sights and sounds. In the early 20th century, the London Underground began to encourage the use of its freshly opened facilities by creating a new identity for the city, one that opened the way for similar activities on the part of the national railroads. Utilizing the graphic techniques of earlier decades, artists designed posters to delight the eye and stir the imagination by making a trip on the Underground seem innovative and attractive, easy to navigate, and always available. Edelstein curated this recent exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art, with an eye to the social and cultural aspects of poster design as well as its place in British art history. Well-written essays by Edelstein and others treat the various aspects of design technique, the major artists involved (many of whom were women), and the impact of these posters on the population. One flaw is the repetition of illustrations. VERDICT An appealing look at an important period in the graphic arts in Britain, this is useful for audiences interested in both 20th-century British art in general and this specific medium.—Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Bell, Nicholas. A Revolution in Wood: The Bresler Collection. Smithsonian American Art Museum, dist. by Random. Sept. 2010. c.152p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781588343048. $45. FINE ARTS
In this exhibition catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery curator Bell highlights the recent gift of 66 dynamic and elegantly crafted turned- and carved-wood objects from noted collectors Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of former Renwick curator-in-charge, Kenneth R. Trapp. The book includes Bell's thoughtful essay on the "Roots" and "Revolution" of the wood-turning movement and a conversation with Fleur Bresler by Trapp. The main section features photographic highlights and details of the new collection, including physical descriptions of each object and brief synopses of the 38 artist's backgrounds, from renowned artisans such as David Ellsworth, Ron Fleming, and Rude Osolnik to newer artists Michelle Holzapfel, Todd Hoyer, and Hugh McKay. This collection was donated to ensure that these magnificent treasures are preserved for future generations. The final section provides a photographic glimpse of the Renwick's entire permanent wood art collection, excluding furniture. VERDICT Recommended for American craft and wood enthusiasts.—Stephen Allan Patrick, Jonesborough, TN

Connolly, M. Caren & Louis Wasserman (text & illus.) & Zane Williams (photogs.). Wisconsin's Own: Twenty Remarkable Homes. Wisconsin Historical Society. Sept. 2010. c.320p. illus. index. ISBN 9780870204524. $45. ARCHITECTURE
Connolly and Wasserman (principals at the Milwaukee architecture firm Louis Wasserman & Associates) have cowritten three books on residential architecture (e.g., Cottage: America's Favorite Home Inside and Out). In preparation for this new volume, they worked with the Wisconsin Historical Society to select 20 beautiful and historically significant homes built in Wisconsin between 1854 and 1939. The homes range from prairie style to Queen Anne to art moderne and represent a diversity of geographical locations throughout the state. The domiciles are artfully yet simply represented with 380 color and black-and- white images. The book is highly readable from cover to cover but will also offer new information and inspiration to readers who wish to browse. Sidebars provide concise answers to questions about architectural styles and architects. Beautiful images of the homes, their rooms, and architectural details can be found on every page. VERDICT Primarily of regional interest, this nonetheless is highly accessible and recommended for art and architecture students from high school through college. The authors have a distinctive manner of adding lively historical context to each home's history, so architecture enthusiasts will also find something new here.—Valerie Nye, Coll. of Santa Fe, NM

Curcic, Slobodan. Architecture in the Balkans: From Diocletian to Suleyman the Magnificent. Yale Univ. 2010. 608p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300115703. $85. ARCHITECTURE
Often associated tragically with the wars of the 1990s, the mountainous Balkans occupy a peninsula in southeastern Europe and contain an unusually ample supply of Byzantine architecture. While Curcic (art & archaeology, Princeton Univ.) emphasizes building for the newly constituted church, palaces, and military fortifications, he frames that architecture with its roots in classical Rome and its bequest to the Ottoman Empire's Islamic Turkey. With an encyclopedic approach, clear method, polished prose, impressive black-and-white and color photographs, numerous floor plans, and isometric projections of lost buildings, this scholarly, readable, and richly illustrated volume analyzes form in precise and informative terms. Curcic excels at providing a taxonomy of ecclesiastical form (circular, free cross, inscribed cross, cross-domed, cross-in-square) that will be of interest to architectural historians and practitioners. VERDICT This volume builds on and supersedes the author's earlier Art and Architecture in the Balkans, as its enormity (physical size and content) makes it nearly a reference work rather than simply a regional architectural history. For all in-depth architecture collections; optional for smaller, general collections.—Paul Glassman, Felician Coll. Lib., Lodi, NJ

Heller, Steven. Pop: How Graphic Design Shapes Popular Culture. Allworth. 2010. 295p. illus. index. ISBN 9781581157154. pap. $24.95. GRAPHIC ARTS
Heller (cochair, MFA Design Dept., Sch. of Visual Arts) has coauthored numerous books on graphic design (e.g., Design School Confidential). His combination of humor and thoughtful analysis makes his writings interesting for design professionals as well as nonspecialists. This collection of brief essays is different from other texts on visual communication because it focuses on the demonstrated social effects of design trends. For example, Heller discusses how the advertisement of over-the-counter medicines has successfully generated a sense of paranoia about such conditions as body odor and dermatological problems. He also revisits specific cases in which design practice has influenced the understanding of content—such as the memorable Enron logo becoming a symbol of corporate corruption and failure—and explains how Jewish typeface designers have been instrumental in cultural preservation. VERDICT It could be argued that this book covers too many varied topics in one volume; however, Heller's essays are worth reading even if he wanders a bit. This is recommended for design students and for general readers with an interest in graphic arts.—Eric Linderman, Euclid P.L., OH

Higonnet, Anne. A Museum of One's Own: Private Collecting, Public Gift. Periscope, dist. by Prestel. 2010. 240p. illus. index. ISBN 9781934772928. $49.95. FINE ARTS
In this beautifully and generously illustrated publication (featuring more than 70 black-and-white and 130 color reproductions), Higonnet (chair, art history dept., Barnard Coll.) examines the origins and growth of collection museums that developed as wealthy Europeans and Americans acquired fine and decorative art objects for their oftentimes specially built homes. Arising during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, collection museums were reactions to the large, public survey museums like New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although diverse, they were characterized by their founders' personal art collections and installations within domestic settings. Over the course of a decade of research, Higonnet studied letters, auction records, photographs, and other documents pertaining to renowned and obscure collection museums owned by Sir Richard Wallace, Duke of Aumale Henri d'Orléans, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Henry Clay Frick, Henry E. Huntington, Mildred and Robert Bliss, and others. Focusing on these six principal collection museums, Higonnet covers their many aspects, including common characteristics, collections, roles in history, founders' self-representations, and private-to-public features. VERDICT Professionally presented and sufficiently well documented, this insightful, significant, original publication by an expert art historian will interest general readers, students, scholars, museum professionals, and others.—Cheryl Ann Lajos, Free Lib. of Philadelphia

Hughes, Adam. Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes. DC Comics. 2010. 205p. illus. ISBN 9781401227821. $39.99. FINE ARTS
This handsome volume collects more than 150 of the illustrations Hughes produced in his 20-plus years as DC's cover specialist. Although launching his DC career with the Justice League of America, his forte has been female heroes/villains, most notably Wonder Woman/Catwoman, respectively, with Power Girl and some others added for ballast. Hughes melds athletic with voluptuous—his Wonder Woman especially is a knockout combination of buff and babelicious (there's a humorous cover of the current steely sinewed glamazon bulging out of her American flag undies, thrust face to shocked face with her 1940s butter-muscled counterpart in bloomers). Rough sketches and alternate takes accompany each completed illustration along with a caption by the artist providing background on how he approached the project, including, e.g., his use of Photoshop in several works and his often customized color schemes. A fun bonus is the jacket illustration of Catwoman stealing comics sporting Hughes's covers and the cover blurbs of his subjects' alternate identities praising the book. VERDICT Hughes fans and comics heads who like their supers smoking hot are the first-string readers for this, but those generally interested in comics art and even digital art also will enjoy it.—Mike Rogers, Library Journal

Kisluk-Grosheide, Daniëlle & Jeffrey Munger. The Wrightsman Galleries for French Decorative Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art, dist. by Yale Univ. 2010. 272p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300155204. $40. DEC ARTS
Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) curators Kisluk-Grosheide and Munger present a thorough reworking of their 1979 guide to the Wrightsman galleries. Dealing with the most outstanding grouping of 17th- and 18th-century French decorative arts outside of France, the book in hand eschews the room-by-room order of its predecessor and is instead organized by medium—wood paneling and furniture, bronze and mounted porcelain, chimney pieces, textiles and leather, porcelain, silver, and gold boxes. This arrangement shows stylistic developments within media and forms. An opening essay describes the history of French period room display at the Met and makes clear that these installations are evocative collections of objects in reconstructed paneled rooms, assembled one by one from many sources, not an actual historical collection. VERDICT Beautifully done, with excellent photography and frequent details; the entries are models of accessibility backed with substantial scholarship and bibliography. For all arts collections.—Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.

Koeppe, Wolfram. Vienna Circa 1780: An Imperial Silver Service Rediscovered. Metropolitan Museum of Art, dist. by Yale Univ. 2010. 124p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300155181. $35. dec ARTS
This catalog of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through Nov. 2010) chronicles a superb silver service made by the Austrian silversmith Ignaz Joseph Würth for Duke Albrecht of Sachsen-Teschen and his wife, Archduchess Maria Christine, members of the Hapsburg imperial family and later joint governors of the Austrian Netherlands, 1781–93. A magnificent example of the finest Austrian silversmithing, the service includes a multitude of items for dining in the sumptuous fashion of the ancien régime, including flatware, candelabra, and every sort of serving dish. A large part of it has been rediscovered after being presumed lost—it was last seen a few years before World War I. The clearly reproduced photographs capture the magnificence of these pieces in all their exquisite detail. Koeppe (curator, dept. of European sculpture & decorative arts, Met) examines the service in the context of the elaborate court dining etiquette of the late 18th century and shows Vienna as an important cultural center, comparing Viennese silver to that of other European capitals. The index covers personages and places; the notes and bibliography are particularly helpful. VERDICT Recommended for specialized university libraries and readers interested in history and silversmithing.—Martin Chasin, Fairfield, CT

Marshall, Patricia Phillips & Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll. Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color. Univ. of North Carolina. (Richard Hampton Jenrette Series in Architecture & the Decorative Arts). 2010. 344p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780807833414. $40. DEC ARTS
In an era during which the majority of African descendants living in North Carolina were enslaved, Thomas Day, a "free man of color," became a wealthy and prominent furniture designer. Day's incredible story is exhaustively researched and deftly illustrated with his distinctive pieces from 1835 to 1860. The beautifully crafted furnishings featured throughout the book leave little room to deny that he was an industry innovator and pioneer. His ability to build a successful business in spite of many competitors and racial oppression is as compelling as his handiwork. Though Day's business eventually suffered because of a declining economy and backlash toward free blacks, he left a rich body of work. Marshall (curator of decorative arts, North Carolina Museum of History) and Leimenstoll (interior architecture, Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro) provide a fascinating study of both the entrepreneur and his craft. VERDICT This book well serves the scholar and casual reader. Students of architectural designs can find inspiration in Day's timeless motifs, and historians researching Day and the social politics of the time are given ample information. Browsers will also be drawn to the eye-catching photographs and engrossing text. Highly recommended.—Ajoke Kokodoko, Oakland P.L.

Mecklenburg, Virginia M. & Todd McCarthy. Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Abrams. 2010. 252p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780810996519. $65. FINE ARTS
Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) had close ties to Hollywood. His sojourn there in the 1930s taught him how to condense an entire story into a single image. This book, published in conjunction with a 2010 exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, explores Rockwell's relationship to film as seen in his art and as part of the personal art collections of film directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (the impetus for the exhibition came from Spielberg). The book's many illustrations show Rockwell's work in colorful detail, but its essays give it depth. Mecklenburg (senior curator, Smithsonian American Art Museum) explores Rockwell's artistic career and his storytelling methods, while McCarthy (chief film critic, Variety) looks at Rockwell's "camera eye"—his ability to distill a story into its essence, revealed in a single illustration. The book also includes a list of illustrations. VERDICT Given Rockwell's continuing popularity, this fresh look at his work and working methods would be a wise purchase. Recommended for all libraries and Rockwell-loving patrons.—Martha Smith, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

Murphy, Paula. Nineteenth-Century Irish Sculpture: Native Genius Reaffirmed. Yale Univ. 2010. 299p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300159097. $85. FINE ARTS
Murphy (art history, Dublin Univ. Coll.) offers an in-depth survey, published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, of the history of 19th-century Irish sculpture, particularly statues and public commissions. She begins by examining the establishment of the classical style in Ireland early in the century and then discusses attitude, training, and influence on Irish artists. Her emphasis is on the major sculptors such as Patrick MacDowell and John Henry Foley, among others, but also includes Irish sculptors working in London and English sculptors working in Ireland. The latter is particularly helpful and illuminating. The appendixes containing speeches and statements by leading sculptors on their work are a delight. The notes cover the subject in depth as does the bibliography. The index is also well done, and the more than 300 photographs are beautifully reproduced. Verdict The author has done extensive research on every aspect of her subject and has surveyed all the major works of sculpture to produce a well-documented, well-written, and thorough survey that is not likely to be bested anytime soon. This volume is recommended for college and university libraries and for Irish history and art aficionados.—Martin Chasin, Fairfield, CT

O'Malley, Therese. Keywords in American Landscape Design. Yale Univ. 2010. 724p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300101744. $125. FINE ARTS
This massive, illustrated historical glossary, published in association with the National Gallery of Art's Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, focuses on the developing vocabulary of American landscape gardening from early Colonial times to the mid-19th century. O'Malley, associate dean of the center, limits her lexicon to the nomenclature of design, excluding, for example, terms relating solely to maintenance (prune) or agriculture (barn). Although the book defines only 100 "keywords," the depth of information and scholarship is impressive. Supporting data were accumulated over many years from a variety of primary and archaeological sources, with a greater focus on the Chesapeake and mid-Atlantic. O'Malley looks to not only "canonical landscapes" (Monticello and Mount Vernon) but also other long lost locales. The terms cover ornaments (obelisk, sundial), domestic landscaping (icehouse), public gardens (green, common), structures (orangery), and planting arrangements (orchard). Each entry contains an essay expounding on evolving meanings and usages followed by extensive source citations and archival images. O'Malley defines her goal as the study of the "decisive meanings" of landscape terms and she has handily succeeded. VERDICT A recondite but definitive reference for those studying architectural and natural history and humankind's evolving relationship to the environment.—Douglas F. Smith, Berkeley P.L., CA

Petherbridge, Deanna. The Primacy of Drawing: Histories and Theories of Practice. Yale Univ. 2010. 524p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780300126464. $65. FINE ARTS
Artist Petherbridge explores the many facets of drawing in this extensive and thoroughly researched volume. She considers the idea that drawing is the basis of all art and visual thinking and examines this art form not chronologically but thematically. She ascribes to traditional art history, studying iconology and social history, but reframes it in relation to the terms of drawing practice in what she calls a "trans historicism," making unexpected connections outside of categories of periodization. For example, in her chapter on drawing strategies, when focusing on the economy of form in drawing, Petherbridge compares the precise and clean outlines used by both Ingres and Matisse to achieve similar formal effects. In chapters such as "Drawing as Discipline" and "Drawing the Self," she compares drawings from different artists and periods to illustrate similar iconographic and formal issues. ­VERDICT This well-thought-out and intelligent book is recommended for anyone interested in drawings or the practice of drawing.—Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll. Lib., MA

Pisano, Ronald G. William Merritt Chase. Vol. 4: Still Lifes, Interiors, Figures, Copies of Old Masters, and Drawings. Yale Univ. 2010. 225p. illus. index. ISBN 9780300110197. $65. FINE ARTS
This is the fourth and final volume of the complete works of American artist William Merritt Chase (1849–1916), begun by Pisano (curator, Heckscher Museum of Art) and completed, after Pisano's death in 2000, by D. Frederick Baker (director, Pisano/Chase Catalogue Raisonné Project) and Carolyn K. Lane. This volume features historical descriptions and bibliographical and biographical information on each work presented—Chase's still lifes, interiors, old master copies, and figures, as well as miscellaneous or unclassified works and a record of his New York City studio. Chase was a painter of great facility, influenced by contemporaries John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler and northern European realism, as illustrated by his many famous and sought-after paintings of fish. VERDICT With many quality color reproductions, this book is a necessary purchase to complete the full four-volume catalogue raisonné. Like any catalogue raisonné, it is a reference for authentication and identification of Chase's works for curators, art historians, art dealers, and auction houses. The descriptive material will aid students making a study of the artist. An errata and addendum to the first three volumes are also included.—Ellen Bates, New York

Crafts

Sedaris, Amy. Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Grand Central. Nov. 2010. c.288p. illus. index. ISBN 9780446557030. $27.99. CRAFTS
Comedian, actress, and author of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, Sedaris here addresses topics like "Crafting for Jesus," gifts for shut-ins, pre- and postcrafting stretches, and even the "Craft of Lovemaking." Through the "Healing Power of Crafting," readers learn that a Rusty Nail Wind Chime is the perfect gift for those suffering from bipolar disorder. Some projects include instructions; some don't. Making a Tea Cozy Kitten, for example, is "self-explanatory." Included with the handicrafts are recipes for treats like sausages, Damn Its (macaroons), and other baked goods. This book is a visual delight—kitschy projects are displayed with wonderfully garish sets, costuming, and illustrations. Sedaris isn't afraid to go from lovely to whimsical to wildly unflattering in her wardrobe, hair, and makeup. VERDICT Sedaris is actually quite crafty and known for her baking. In her latest irreverent take on home economics, she provides a fun, complementary balance to recent "serious" books in this genre. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/10; eight-city tour.]—Meagan Storey, Virginia Beach

Literature

Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Northwestern Univ. (World Classics). Oct. 2010. c.888p. tr. from Italian by Burton Raffel. ISBN 9780810126725. $35. LIT
Prolific translator Raffel (Distinquished Professor Emeritus of Arts & Humanities, Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette) has produced a new verse translation of the complete Divine Comedy, joining those of John Ciardi, Mark Musa, Allen Mandelbaum, Robert Pinsky, and others. Raffel, whose recent translations include The Canterbury Tales and Das Nibelungenlied, offers a serviceable version of Dante, observing Dante's rhyme scheme and basic rhythms. His choice of diction, however, is a bit staid, flattening some of Dante's idiomatic registers. The overall effect is somewhat ponderous. Raffel's version also includes an introduction by Paul J. Contino (great books, Pepperdine Univ.) and extensive informational notes by Henry L. Carrigan Jr. (senior editor/assistant director at the press and an LJ reviewer). As with the translation, these are serviceable but offer no great insight into the text. VERDICT A competent translation that does not supersede any of the others that are currently available. While Raffel is a good poet and his translation is accurate, Musa's and Pinsky's translations remain the preferred choices for general readers and students owing to their fluency and vigor.—T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah, GA

Bertocci, Adam. Two Gentlemen of Lebowski: A Most Excellent Comedie and Tragical Romance. S. & S. Oct. 2010. c.240p. illus. ISBN 9781451605815. pap. $12.99. DRAMA
In this ambitious effort, filmmaker and first-time author Bertocci rewrites the Coen brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski, one of the cleverest pieces of screenwriting in recent memory, in the style of William Shakespeare. In other words, Bertocci attempts to use the style of one of the most inventive writers of English to improve on jokes that are already impeccably well written. A coward he is not. But is he successful? More and more devotees of cultural phenomena are writing their own stories featuring characters from books or movies. Fan fiction is a quickly burgeoning genre. Some is imaginative and stands alone as a creative piece, and some reads as a dull essay. This play—which began as a website and went viral in January and was performed in New York in March—falls somewhere in the middle. VERDICT While the world might not have missed this book had it never been published, there are certainly those who will enjoy it now that it's here. Recommended.—John Helling, Bloomfield P.L., IN

Darnton, Robert. Poetry and the Police: Communication Networks in Eighteenth-Century Paris. Belknap: Harvard Univ. Nov. 2010. c.210p. illus. index. ISBN 9780674057159. $29.95. LIT
In this concise and thought-provoking study, eminent scholar Darnton (Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor & Director of the University Library, Harvard; The Devil in the Holy Water; or, The Art of Slander from Louis XIV to Napoleon) has ably mined the available evidence surrounding the 1749 investigation and string of arrests for sedition known as the "Affair of the Fourteen" and produced a remarkable analysis of a subversive Parisian public discourse that openly attacked the king, his mistress, new taxes, and an unpopular peace treaty. Darnton lucidly reconstructs a world were information traveled through poems and songs set to familiar melodies; he reminds us that our world of instant communication, tweets, and 24-hour news cycles is not as distinctive as we may believe. VERDICT With rich end matter that includes the lyrics of poems and songs as well as a link to a superb recording of some of the songs by cabaret artist Hélène Delavault, this interdisciplinary piece is highly recommended for serious students across the humanities as well as readers with an interest in 18th-century French culture and politics.—Brian Odom, Pelham P.L., AL

Ellroy, James. The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women. Knopf. 2010. c.176p. ISBN 9780307593504. $24.95. LIT
In his second memoir, Ellroy (L.A. Confidential) attempts to dispel a curse that began with the murder of his mother, Jean ­Hilliker, when he was ten years old, which is more thoroughly explored in his previous memoir, My Dark Places. His mother's murder came three months after he had wished her dead. That he should have behavioral challenges and issues with guilt is understandable. Ellroy's own curse, readers learn, is his inability to develop stable, long-term, and meaningful relationships with women; he writes here of seeking to dispel that curse. In short, punchy sentences, with lurid detail, Ellroy describes his many—ultimately doomed—relationships and marriages in his search for her, the woman with whom he is destined to be. In the course of his search, he leaves a path of destruction, which, along with his self-realization, is what this book is about. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy introspective, edgy memoirs and for fans of Ellroy.—Mark Alan Williams Manivong, Library of Congress

Kingston, Maxine Hong. I Love a Broad Margin to My Life. Knopf. Jan. 2011. c.240p. ISBN 9780307270191. $24.95. LIT
Award-winning author of Woman Warrior, China Men, and other works, Kingston begins this memoir in poem form by musing about reaching age 65 and wondering if she is still pretty. Blending characters, setting, myth, and history, the always innovative Kingston takes Wittman, her fictional character from Tripmaster Monkey, on a journey through rural villages in contemporary China, connecting his story with her emotional experiences as a Chinese American. A vigorous antiwar spokesperson dedicated to promoting peace, Kingston discusses the time she was jailed for protesting at the White House and discovered Alice Walker to be her cellmate. The poetic structure adds to the book's effectiveness by enhancing the author's connection with readers on an emotional level while she reflects on her life and grapples with issues of guilt and reasons to keep on living. She ends with a list of her friends who died in the last four years and the intent to stop writing and just read. Verdict Highly recommended for readers seeking a memoir that breaks new ground. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/10.]—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

Sturrock, Donald. Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl. S. & S. Sept. 2010. c.608p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781416550822. $30. LIT
In this authorized biography of Dahl, Sturrock, the artistic director of the Roald Dahl Foundation, reveals a life marked by tragedy: the early deaths of Dahl's father and sister, his son's tragic accident, the death of a daughter at seven, and the debilitating stroke of his wife, Patricia Neal, at age 39. Born of Norwegian parents in Wales, Dahl (1916–90) struggled with health issues himself following a plane crash in World War II. Often difficult and querulous and given to strong opinions, he found refuge in writing novels, screenplays, and short stories thought by many to be gruesome and bizarre. Yet his children's books (e.g., Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; James and the Giant Peach) were widely popular and made into films. Sturrock, who was closely acquainted with Dahl for years, had access to unpublished correspondence and early drafts as well as Dahl's "idea books." Verdict This carefully researched and unflinching portrait of an immensely complicated and talented writer will appeal to Dahl's fans and other serious readers of biography.—Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

Twain, Mark. Autobiography of Mark Twain. Vol. 1. Univ. of California. (Mark Twain Papers). Nov. 2010. c.743p. ed. by Harriet Elinor Smith. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780520267190. $34.95. LIT
Before his death in 1910, Mark Twain left instructions that his autobiography, on which he'd been working by fits and starts, be left unpublished for 100 years. Now, at the century mark, from the army of Twain scholars at the University of California's Mark Twain Project, comes the dazzling first volume of the ultimate, authoritative three-volume Autobiography of Mark Twain. With no fear of reprisals, always in the center of mid-19th-century America's political, social, and cultural life, and acquainted with everyone of note, Twain wrote briskly and both favorably and fiercely on how he felt about people and events. Twain's writing here is electric, alternately moving and hilarious. He couldn't write a ho-hum sentence. Disappointed with other systems of organization, Twain settled on writing on a topic that interested him before switching to another when it so moved him. To read this volume is to be introduced to Twain as if, thrillingly, for the first time. A 58-page introduction, 138 pages of "Preliminary Manuscripts and Dictations," 176 pages of "Explanatory Notes," and a section of "Family Biographies" (all freshly fascinating) round out the volume. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended. This may overwhelm Twain newcomers, but it is essential for specialists.—Charles C. Nash, formerly with Cottey Coll., Nevada, MO

Performing Arts

Balio, Tino. The Foreign Film Renaissance on American Screens, 1946–1973. Univ. of Wisconsin. (Film Studies). Nov. 2010. c.362p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780299247942. pap. $26.95. FILM
For American cineastes fed on Hollywood's escapist and superpatriotic fare during World War II, the films emerging from abroad beginning with Italy's raw neorealistic Rome: Open City (1945) must have been a revelation indeed. Balio (film, emeritus, Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison) surveys the postwar cinemas of Italy, France, Great Britain, Sweden, Russia, and Japan in some depth and with commendable clarity. Although these films were frequently confined to art houses in large cities, their cultural impact was considerable. After a brief recap of American filmgoers' reactions to earlier foreign films, Balio discusses major trends including the French New Wave, Britain's "Angry Young Men" films, and the so-called second Italian renaissance. Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman is discussed at length. Balio looks at the market forces and film festivals that shaped the rise and eventual decline of the phenomenon. VERDICT This well-written account of a major era in cinema history will be relished by film buffs and informed general readers. [Ebook ISBN 9780299247935.]—Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles

Cartwright, Garth. More Miles Than Money: Journeys Through American Music. Serpent's Tail, dist. by Consortium. Oct. 2010. 400p. photogs. discog. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781846686870. pap. $15.95. MUSIC
After spending a year in the Balkans with Romany musicians, New Zealander Cartwright (Princes Amongst Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians) sets off on "an insane American quest" to see if the roots music that continues to inspire the world—specifically blues, country, folk, and soul—is still alive in the United States. His odyssey takes him from a San Francisco church that worships John Coltrane as a saint to Burning Man, through the Navajo nation, Texas honky-tonks, Nashville, and blues bars in south Chicago. Cartwright is a captivating writer with his own 21st-century Kerouacan rhythm. He places music firmly in the relevant historical, social, and political contexts and introduces captivating characters he meets along the way. This is a no-holds-barred study of a diminishing American resource, a "disaster on the scale of cutting down the rainforest," as the artist R. Crumb tells the author. But Cartwright does find some amazing music—in the streets and cities and on the airwaves. He includes a discography of essential recordings. VERDICT This compelling on-the-road search for living American roots music is a trip worth taking.—Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Crowell, Rodney. Chinaberry Sidewalks: A Memoir. Knopf. Jan. 2011. c.256p. photogs. ISBN 9780307594204. $24.95. MUSIC
A Grammy Award winner, ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Crowell was a leader of both the new traditionalist movement in country music in the 1980s and the alternative country movement. His memoir does not, however, focus on his marriage to and songwriting and production work for Rosanne Cash, his own formidable work as a solo singer-songwriter, or his numerous songs that prominent country and pop artists have recorded. Crowell here concentrates on the role of family in his life. He describes his father as hard drinking and his mother as an epileptic Holy Roller. He writes of growing up in poverty in the Houston, TX, area in the 1950s and 1960s, family dysfunction, childhood play and mischief, and music bringing a father and son together. Yet his memoir is primarily about a hard-to-define love between parents and a growing boy who survives it all. Verdict Crowell seems deliberately to avoid talking about his great successes, so his account has a universal feel. This touching, sometimes rough, and vivid chronicle of mid-20th-century Southern life is highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/10; national, 25-city tour; ebook ISBN 9780307594204.]—James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Fleisher, Leon & Anne Midgette. My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music. Doubleday. Nov. 2010. c.240p. photogs. discog. ISBN 9780385529181. $26. MUSIC
Fleisher's remarkable career as one of the leading pianists of his generation has three major subdivisions. First, there were the wunderkind years, during which he established himself as a celebrated concert artist. Then, at age 36, he suddenly and inexplicably lost the ability to control the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand. His focus shifted to mastering the left-hand repertory, expanding his teaching commitments, and launching a conducting career. Finally, after a 30-year search for a cure, he regained the use of his fingers through Rolfing exercises and Botox injections. Fleisher, with Midgette (chief classical music critic, Washington Post), reveals this compelling saga, writing for lay readers in a down-to-earth, accessible style. Of particular value to musicians are the five subchapters called "Master Class," in which Fleisher delves deeply and insightfully into a single work, such as the Brahms's Piano Concerto no. 1 and the Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand. VERDICT Fleisher is candid about his own personal struggles, and readers will find inspiring and uplifting his unflagging commitment to overcome his adversity and his ultimate triumph. Highly recommended.—Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA

Gray, Marcus. Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling. Soft Skull. Oct. 2010. c.560p. illus. index. ISBN 9781593762933. pap. $17.95. MUSIC
The Clash's album London Calling has been acknowledged as one of the best albums of all time by such publications as Rolling Stone and NME. Gray (The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town), in another stunningly well-researched book, uncovers every fascinating and minute detail about the recording of London Calling, dissecting the lyrics, the music, and the design of the album. Clash fans will devour the track-by-track analysis, and Gray is so successful that readers will want to travel Route 19, a London bus route along which much of the album was written and recorded. More than just a look at London Calling, the book begins with biographies of the band members and includes discussions of the music that influenced each member and the cultural climate at the time that helped to create this landmark album. VERDICT Essential for Clash fanatics and punk music aficionados.—Troy Reed, Southeast Regional Lib., Gilbert, AZ

Knight, Timothy. Sinatra: Hollywood His Way. Running Pr. Oct. 2010. c.336p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780762437436. $35. FILM
In 2008, Tom Santopietro published Sinatra in Hollywood, a fantastic, extensively researched study of Sinatra's work in film. Film critic Knight's new book is like a visual counterpart to that, both in quality and in quantity. Offering hundreds of photographs and a more fan-based approach, this coffee-table book is filled with quotations, snippets from reviews, and trivia, and it features a lighter tone overall. This is not a criticism but a commendation for blending behind-the-scenes details with classic images to add to the experience of looking back at Sinatra's films. The volume's greatest asset—aside from the copious photographs—is Knight's coverage of almost all of Sinatra's 59 films in equal measure, creating a true compendium of his movie career; the commentary on and five pictures of Sinatra in what is probably his most forgettable film, The Kissing Bandit, are alone worth the purchase price. VERDICT This highly enjoyable, well-written visual treat belongs in any library and in the hands of all fans of Frank Sinatra.—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA

Michaud, Michael Gregg. Sal Mineo: A Biography. Crown Archetype. Nov. 2010. c.432p. photogs. filmog. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780307718686. $25.99. FILM
By age 22, teen idol Sal Mineo had earned two Academy Award nominations for Rebel Without a Cause and Exodus. But his meteoric rise to fame was unbalanced by a steadily declining later career, marked by failed film projects, television guest appearances, and dinner theater engagements. When he was murdered in 1976 at age 37, Mineo was facing insurmountable debt and coasting along on a faded Hollywood reputation tarnished by rumors of his bisexuality. Journalist and playwright Michaud conclusively plots the course of Mineo's life in a biography as dishy as it is astonishingly well researched. Everything from the on-the-set tales of Mineo's friendships with James Dean and Natalie Wood to his affair with singer Bobby Sherman is given a beguilingly novelistic touch. Michaud's delicate handling of conflicting accounts and widespread gossip resolves both Mineo's sexuality and his enigmatic offscreen personality, revealing him to be an incredible talent who simply could not overcome his early typecasting. ­VERDICT A definitive Sal Mineo biography has not existed until now, and any collection of celebrity bios would do well to own it.—Adam Waldowski, Missouri State Univ. Lib., Springfield

Sharp, Ken (text) & Roger Farrington & David M. Spindel (photogs.). Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy. MTV/Gallery: S. & S. Oct. 2010. c.256p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 9781439103005. $26.99. MUSIC
The pop music world was buzzing in 1980 with word of John Lennon and Yoko Ono recording a new album. Double Fantasy found Lennon dealing with domestic life without the anger, angst, and politics that had marked his solo career. Interestingly, Ono's progressive work on the album was perhaps better in line with the current music trends than Lennon's more melodically and stylistically conservative contributions. Lennon's murder in December 1980 quickly turned the album into a classic. Sharp, who's coauthored books on the Beatles, Kiss, and others, has assembled a wide range of materials for this chronicle of the making of Lennon and Ono's historically important album. He draws from some published interviews but more extensively from interviews he conducted with various instrumentalists, technicians, vocalists, and industry insiders involved in the project. VERDICT This fine book provides much insight into Lennon and Ono and into the record-making process of 30 years ago. Recommended for all Beatles, Lennon, and Ono fans.—James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Thompson, Dave. Bayou Underground: Tracing the Mythical Roots of American Popular Music. ECW, dist. by IPG. Oct. 2010. c.256p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9781550229622. pap. $17.95. MUSIC
In this part travelog, part music history, and part personal reminiscence, prolific rock writer Thompson (Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed) conjures up images of a mythical Louisiana. He uses 18 rock 'n' roll songs as a backdrop to weave a tale of voodoo queens, riverboats, swamps, crocodiles, prostitutes, and pirates. To add flavor, he sprinkles food recipes, such as Alligator Broulettes and Hummingbird Cake, throughout. In some cases—e.g., Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," the Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun," and Dr. John's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters"—the songs fit perfectly with Thompson's tales of lore. In many other instances, the songs he selects have little or no connection to the chapters and only tangentially illuminate the roots of rock. VERDICT Though Thompson clearly knows his music history, he seems to force his approach on the reader and adds little to the understanding of rock or Louisiana history.—Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Vanilla, Cherry. Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla. Chicago Review, dist. by IPG. Nov. 2010. c.288p. illus. index. ISBN 9781556529436. $24.95. MUSIC
Vanilla personified the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll of the Sixties and Seventies, and she here reveals an astounding array of details about her life during those turbulent times. Onstage, she starred in the Andy Warhol production of Pork. She steeped herself in rock 'n' roll and toured with the Police. A poet, singer, DJ, songwriter, publicity rep, groupie, and more, Vanilla was linked with David Bowie, Kris Kristofferson, and scores of others—the list reading like a who's who of the times with absorbing and titillating behind-the-scenes anecdotes. She survived untold highs and lows battling drugs and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Yet the heart of this story is how and why a little girl from Queens, NY, evolved into a larger-than-life celebrity. Tales of an insensitive father, a compassionate mother whose night job as a telephone operator provided Vanilla with a glimpse into the Copacabana, and youthful capers will engage readers from the beginning, offering a thought-provoking, bittersweet prelude to the mayhem that follows. VERDICT This brutally honest, engagingly written, and often raw memoir of a pop-culture icon reflects a bygone generation.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

Philosophy

Scruton, Roger. The Uses of Pessimism: And the Danger of False Hope. Oxford Univ. Oct. 2010. c.240p. ISBN 9780199747535. $29.95. PHIL
Conservative British philosopher Scruton (senior research fellow, Oxford Univ.; Beauty) here examines the use of pessimism for countering what he views as the "false hopes" of political and religious utopian and optimistic ideas. He argues that whether these theories are political, religious, or philosophical, they share similar characteristics of trying to fit the world into unreal and hopeless theories that are meant to improve humanity. But the theories contain blatant fallacies that their proponents overlook. Scruton explains that a cautious pessimism using reason and rationality can bring us back from the future-focused theories of the self-deceived idealist to the present, where, as a society, we use compromise and cooperation to create a civil society in an imperfect world. VERDICT While some of Scruton's conclusions may be controversial, especially regarding sexuality and modern-day Islam, he does present an intriguing case for using pessimism as a way to examine issues that affect current society. His clear and accessible writing will appeal to those familiar with the author's past works and also those with an interest in philosophy.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

Poetry

Belz, Aaron. Lovely, Raspberry. Persea Bks, dist. by Norton. 2010. 96p. ISBN 9780892553594. pap. $15. POETRY
Not every reader will take to a poem that begins, "You bore me. So be it./ I bore you and enjoy doing it." Then there's the line, "I have been thinking about the love-hat relationship," which may provoke a few Bronx cheers. Still, there is room in this twittering world for some oddly resonant deadpan absurdity, especially when it's concise and readable, as are most of the poems in Belz's second collection (after The Bird Hoverer): "I sat with my head sort of hanging—in the tiled atrium./ I sat in the tiled atrium—with my head sort of hanging." Though he evokes the hip coastal schools, Belz is essentially Midwestern and excels at transforming folksiness into dissonance. And he is best when he goes beyond silly, as in "Worms," a shrewd depiction of the human mind couched as a treatise on alternate modes of transportation: "Cyclists, as a rule, think bikers are cheating,/ because they have engines. Pedestrians, in turn,/ think cyclists are cheating... People in wheelchairs think pedestrians/ have a leg up, for obvious reasons...." VERDICT You'll want to put this book down, but you probably won't. Recommended.—Ellen Kaufman, Baruch Coll., New York

Carr, Julie. Sarah—of Fragments and Lines. Coffee House, dist. by Consortium. Sept. 2010. c.74p. ISBN 9781566892513. pap. $16. POETRY
As a piece derived from a unified whole, a fragment suggests a tiny shard of a story that must stand on its own and, in doing so, devise a new context for itself. In her newest book, Carr (Equivocal) deals with several threads of the personal: pregnancy, birth, death, and grieving. These events play out not as some progression that leads toward an inevitable resolution but as a transubstantiation of sorts, where the book's various fragments, lines, and abstracts occur simultaneously, with each assuming characteristics of the others. If such modes of composition demonstrate, as Carr writes, "no love for/ myself or for the narrative," it is only because our humanity pulls us in contradictory directions. For Carr, Sarah—the mother lost to Alzheimer's as Carr herself is expecting a baby—is the tension that exists between the remains of a remembered future and a past that hasn't happened yet. VERDICT This book will appeal to those for whom personal history is not a tidy set of stories but a site of contingency, struggle, and change.—Chris Pusateri, Jefferson Cty. P.L., Lakewood, CO

Dennis, Carl. Callings. Penguin. Oct. 2010. c.96p. ISBN 9780143118381. pap. $18. POETRY
The poems in Pulitzer Prize–winning Dennis's 11th collection (after Unknown Friends) seem tailor-made for Garrison Keillor's voice: serious, thoughtful, confiding, avuncular. An observational poet, Dennis is the amiable, late-career English prof at the local café, quaintly jotting notes on a legal pad among busy laptop and iPod users, speculating on the aspirations of working folks he encounters: a waitress, a roofer, people who want "Something more...than merely doing the old work/ With a better attitude" and who hope for "proof/ They haven't been living by bread alone." In plain language and halting sentences uncomplicated by poetic artifice, irony, or even much imagery, Dennis probes, albeit lightly, the possibilities for personal fulfillment in lives circumscribed by contingency, mortality, and skepticism. VERDICT Prone to delivering homespun wisdom ("Learn to take pleasure from the effort itself") and stating the obvious ("a flow of truthfulness/ In a time of lies is always welcome"), Dennis rarely achieves the level of surprising or unusual insight one might expect of a Pulitzer Prize winner. Accessible, sincere, and easygoing, these poems may attract a wide audience but will disappoint more demanding readers.—Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Dubie, Norman. The Volcano. Copper Canyon. Nov. 2010. c.81p. ISBN 9781556593260. pap. $16. POETRY
"And everything ends/ in a world of symbols." Dubie's poems reflect the volcanic nature of the contemporary world, the volatility of war and rumors of war, the unpredictability of the natural world, skewed by science and ruined by society's incessant needs. Largely narrative, these poems inhabit locales like South Boston or Tibet or Decatur, IL, and welcome literary and scientific figures alike. Many poems juxtapose the author's observations—real or imagined—after tragic events, also real or imagined. The intense and nearly hallucinatory poems make this book both difficult and fascinating: "with the drown nun,/ her back arched over a tree limb, caked/ to white mud—a heavy moth between her legs." Many of these poems deal with the off-kilter, whether the result of disaster or humanmade folly or environmental evils. In Dubie's sphere, anything can happen, and when it does, he brings it to readers in excruciating and exquisite detail. "The wind turns pages/ in the old book of changes./ And everything ends/ in a world of symbols./ Everything ends in a world of regret." VERDICT A challenging but necessary book.—Karla Huston, Appleton Art Ctr., WI

Jackson, Major. Holding Company. Norton. 2010. c.96p. ISBN 9780393070804. $24.95. POETRY
"I now seek gardens where bodies have their will,/ where the self is a compass point given to the lost./ Let me call your name; the ground here is soft & broken." Jackson (Hoops) invites readers into a series of ten-line lyrics, most of which are accentuated, nearly iambic, and often use internal and end rhymes. Almost a sonnet, this short form works well as a container and offers readers a narrative sequence in which one poem fittingly follows another, detailing love lost and found and the confounding territory between. To this end, Jackson invokes artists, musicians, and other writers as well as political events. These poems are passionate, urgent, and lonely. "All we want is to succumb to a single kiss/ that will contain us like a marathon/ with no finish line." Some of Jackson's connections can be difficult, yet he manages to include lines and images as delicious as they are surprising. "Thus I am/ your sweet messenger glittering more than first stars,/ a harvest of light concealing your nicks and little deaths." VERDICT More than one poem in this volume will take your breath away. A highly recommended collection from an important poet.—Karla Huston, Appleton Art Ctr., WI

Walker, Alice. Hard Times Require Furious Dancing: New Poems. New World Library, dist. by PGW. Oct. 2010. c.176p. ISBN 9781577319306. $18. POETRY
"Love, if it is love, never goes away./ It is embedded in us,/ like seams of gold in the Earth,/ waiting for light,/ waiting to be struck." As we can see, in the veins of Walker's poems optimism runs as deeply, as surely, as those seams of gold. Much like her earlier work (e.g., Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth), most of these sparse, lyrical poems are written in short, one- or two-word lines, quick and halting at once, every thought emphasized, resonating. The poems sing of joy and pain, loss and grief, love and transformation, with results that are redemptive. They address family turmoil and the violence and struggles of the outside world, working to unknot the inner tensions that those issues would engender: "This we know:/ We were/ not meant/ to suffer/ so much,/ & to learn/ nothing." There is much to be learned in confrontation, and Walker's poems bring us with her to resolution and, often enough, to a serene place. As she reminds us in her preface: "Hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is the proof." VERDICT Highly recommended for all readers of contemporary poetry and for anyone interested in African American literature.—Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia

Wilner, Eleanor. Tourist in Hell. Univ. of Chicago. Oct. 2010. c.96p. ISBN 9780226900322. pap. $18. POETRY
Wilner's poems avoid personal concerns, preferring instead to muse on the general human condition. In her seventh book (after The Girl with Bees in Her Hair), MacArthur Foundation Fellow Wilner focuses on history, current events, literature, mythology, and Christianity. She carefully fuses autobiographical details to a larger context, and one hears echoes of the Old Testament, Roman Catholic prayers, William Shakespeare, Arthur Rimbaud, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, among others. As with most language poetry, these poems sometimes become lost in the maze of their own thinking. The least successful poems are heavily political, as in Part 2 of the collection, "Mission Accomplished—The Bush/Cheney Years," where Wilner's art flirts a little too overtly with propaganda. In the best poems sound marries sense (à la Alexander Pope) and the narrative context is clear. "To Think What We Might Have," for instance, subtly combines a personal and cultural perspective as the poem's narrator tours Pompeii and reflects on the eruption of Vesuvius as it destroyed all the drafts of a masterly poem by an unnamed female poet. Here, the resonance is not only obvious but contagious. VERDICT This book's strongest poems recommend it to anyone interested in contemporary poetry.—Diane Scharper, Towson Univ., MD

Religion

Alter, Robert. The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes; A Translation with Commentary. Norton. Oct. 2010. c.560p. ISBN 9780393068122. $35. REL
The prolific Alter (Hebrew & comparative literature, Univ. of California, Berkeley; The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary) has provided a magnificent work of translation and commentary on the Old Testament books known as wisdom literature. In the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, we find evocative poetic statements on the value of life, the role of suffering, and God's place in a moral order that often seems neither just nor ordered. This translation is superb. Alter's literary training gives this rendition a poetic edge over more prosaic translations. In some cases, he keeps previously loved images even when those are perhaps not quite right (the whirlwind in Job 38, for example, more properly translated as "storm"). In other places, he supplies gems, such as translating the names of Job's daughters (Dove, Cinnamon, and Horn of Eyeshade). Of equal importance is the commentary, which is rich in linguistic, historical, and literary insights that immeasurably enrich the reading of these texts. VERDICT Highly recommended for religion and seminary collections.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Benedict XVI: Essays and Reflections on His Papacy. Rowman & Littlefield. Sept. 2010. c.224p. ed. by Sister Mary Ann Walsh. photogs. index. ISBN 9781580512343. $29.95. REL
This is both a beautifully illustrated and a skillfully edited work that celebrates the first five years of Pope Benedict's pontificate. The official Vatican photographs, including many candid shots, truly capture the human and pastoral side of the 83-year-old Holy Father, as he exercises the various responsibilities of his universal ministry. The pope is shown here as a loving man, a benevolent priest, and a diplomatic world leader. The accompanying text enhances the photography by providing personal anecdotes, experiences, essays, and reflections by 25 men and women, including such noted figures as King Abdullah of Jordan, President Shimon Peres of Israel, and Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. The book, with its pictorial essays, is divided into three sections that characterize the pilgrim, pastoral, and prophetic role of Pope Benedict. It includes chronologies from his early life and ministry as Joseph Ratzinger and his time as pope, an annotated listing of his major publications since his election, brief biographies of the contributors to this book, and a helpful index. VERDICT Recommended for public and Catholic church libraries.—John Leonard Berg, Univ. of Wisconsin–Platteville

Hazony, David. The Ten Commandments: How Our Most Ancient Moral Text Can Renew Modern Life. Scribner. Sept. 2010. c.304p. index. ISBN 9781416562351. $26. REL
Are the Ten Commandments simply a set of guidelines that had relevance in ancient times, or are they still significant? This is the key question here. Journalist Hazony (doctoral studies, Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem) approaches the Ten Commandments as a Jew, but he argues that they are relevant to others as well. He believes that these moral guidelines from ancient times speak not only to spiritual and personal relationships but also to societal ones. Thus, when he examines the ninth commandment, on bearing false witness, he understands this not just in the narrower sense of lying, but also in the broader framework of community fidelity. Hazony is particularly effective in drawing out the wider implications of the commandments, making them seem vital to the present time. Other good books on this topic include William P. Brown's The Ten Commandments, and Carl E. Braaten and Christopher R. Seitz's I Am the Lord Your God. Hazony's book complements them, particularly in its emphasis on societal relevance. VERDICT Persons with an interest in the Old Testament will find this a thoughtful and helpful book.—John Jaeger, Dallas Baptist Univ.

Hill, C.E. Who Chose the Gospels?: Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy. Oxford Univ. Nov. 2010. c.240p. illus. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199551231. $27.95. REL
Hill (New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary) marshals very well his evidence that the four canonical Gospels were, from early times, recognized as the important Gospels, and that despite some contemporary biblical scholars' contentions, there never were genuinely viable rivals to their reception as the sole canonical Gospels. He fails, however, to consider how history is often written by, and manuscript survival determined by, winners in a controversy; how women and other outsiders were often excluded from testimony; and how these considerations require modifications in his thesis. Widespread medieval acceptance of the Harrowing of Hell story from the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus is one of many challenges to Hill's argument. VERDICT Conservative Christians wanting evidence for their positions will find Hill very helpful indeed; those who, for academic integrity, want to consider all sides of the issue will also find Hill's work helpful. Recommended for seminary, academic, and large general collections.—Carolyn M. Craft, emerita, Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA

Peters, F.E. Jesus and Muhammad: Parallel Tracks, Parallel Lives. Oxford Univ. Nov. 2010. c.304p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199747467. $24.95. REL
Billions of people revere and follow the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad. However, adherents may not be aware that these spiritual leaders possessed a similar life template or archetypal development. Peters (Middle Eastern & Islamic studies & religion, emeritus, New York Univ.; Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians) offers a side-by-side comparison of the history and influence of these two pillars of monotheism. Not only does he examine holy texts (e.g., the New Testament and the Koran), but he also consults the work of historians. What emerges is a fascinating sketch of the message, mission, and legacy of the two prophets. Both carried out a public ministry in the face of opposition and persecution; both taught with urgency and referenced the forthcoming apocalypse. Peters, to his credit, underscores their differences, too. For instance, Muslims consider Muhammad to be a mortal prophet. Christians, however, deem Christ to be God incarnate. VERDICT This is an accessible yet erudite contribution to the field of comparative religion. While it's surely appropriate for public libraries, it will be especially relevant for academic libraries that support collections and curricula in religious studies. With a rich, annotated bibliography.—Brian Smith McCallum, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL

Rethinking the Unity and Reception of Luke and Acts. Univ. of South Carolina. 2010. c.232p. ed. by Andrew F. Gregory & C. Kavin Rowe. ISBN 9781570039164. $49.95. REL
Since the second century C.E. and still today, most scholars have attributed the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles to a single author. And, for about the past 100 years, the consensus has argued that those two books of the New Testament should be read together as two parts of a unified work known in the literature as "Luke-Acts." Scholarship being what it is, this unified-work theory has been challenged, most particularly by Mikeal C. Parsons and Richard I. Pervo in their Rethinking the Unity of Luke and Acts. Here, editors and contributors, all Lukan specialists, present in Part 1 two essays surveying the historical and contemporary approaches to the unity question. Part 2 reprints in chronological order five essays from the most recent phase of the debate from the Journal for the Study of the New Testament, and Part 3 presents five new essays reacting to the earlier debate. VERDICT A densely packed, academic debate of interest to specialists or the most serious students of Lukan theology.—James R. Kuhlman, Univ. of North Carolina at Asheville Lib.

Talty, Stephan. Escape from the Land of Snows: The Young Dalai Lama's Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero. Crown. Jan. 2011. c.320p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780307460950. $26. REL
In an introduction, 16 chapters, and an epilog, journalist Talty (Empire of Blue Water) covers a great deal of ground: a history of Tibet and its relations with China; how Tibet came to be governed by religious leaders (the 14 Dalai Lamas); the character and experience of the current Dalai Lama; and why China under Chairman Mao decided to fully take over the governance of Tibet (a "province" that China believed it controlled), thus causing the Tibetans (who long believed themselves independent) to rise against Chinese occupation. It's a history of mutual mystification that culminates in the slaughter of one-fifth of the Tibetan population and the exile of thousands more, including the Dalai Lama. Talty writes very well, and much of the book is moving (especially when he writes about the suffering of the Tibetans and the ruthlessness of China's People's Liberation Army). He shows how everyone involved (China, the UK, India, the United States) misunderstood the Tibetans and how the Tibetans misunderstood the direness of their situation. VERDICT Well worth reading, especially for those interested in 20th-century political and religious history or Asian history and society. Recommended.—James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA

Sports & Recreation

Huber, Alexander. The Mountain Within: The True Story of the Worlds's Most Extreme Free-Ascent Alphin Climber. Skyhorse, dist. by Norton. 2010. c.288p. tr. from German by Anna Brailovksy. photogs. ISBN 9781602399884. $26.95. REC
Expert German rock climber Huber presents a straightforward but bland autobiography that concentrates primarily on his many impressive climbing feats on vertiginous rock walls around the world. Starting with his fateful childhood introduction to climbing by his father in Bavaria and detailing his many early climbing adventures alongside his brother Thomas, Huber's chronological narrative recounts an endless procession of increasingly difficult climbs and quickly becomes repetitive and monotonous. While Huber's astonishing rock climbing skills are rightfully celebrated, he is less adept at translating the meaning and motivations behind his climbing into words. VERDICT Huber's heavy focus on his single-minded passion for climbing and his constant restless drive to climb harder routes unfortunately overwhelms the few more humanizing and insightful aspects of his tale. He frequently uses climbing jargon without providing sufficient explanation for general readers and offers only a limited view into his personal life and relationships. Because of its specialized nature, this work is best suited to dedicated rock climbers and will likely not appeal to most recreational readers.—Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI

Jones, Roxanne & Jessie Paolucci. Say It Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete. ESPN/Ballantine. Nov. 2010. c.256p. photogs. bibliog. ISBN 9780345515896. $35. SPORTS
There will be questions about whether this is a legitimate study of African American history or a pretty coffee-table book. It is a hybrid. The authors are journalists, both founding editors of ESPN The Magazine, not scholars, and the book features some handsome photographs of African American sports greats, offering grist for the coffee-table-book mill. However, along with the recognizable stars, Jones and Paolucci introduce us to many African American athletes unfamiliar to the general public (e.g., Duke Slater, Lucia Harris-Stewart, Jimmy Winkfield, and Ann Gregory)—as well as Effa Manley, a white woman who passed for black as she served in a high management position with the all-black Newark Eagles baseball team. The authors take pains to portray their subjects' places in the long African American struggle for civil rights. VERDICT Ultimately, this is an attractive, readable book recommended for all public libraries and school libraries needing materials on more obscure African Americans who have nevertheless made names for themselves in their field. There is, however, no index.—Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Roberts, Randy. Joe Louis: Hard Times Man. Yale Univ. Oct. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9780300122220. $27.50. SPORTS
When talk turns to who was the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, four names usually come up: Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali. Roberts (history, Purdue Univ.) has published biographies of Johnson and Dempsey and now focuses his attention on Louis. Soon after turning professional Joseph Louis Barrow, a product of rural Alabama poverty, became an icon for fellow African Americans. His 1938 defeat of Max Schmeling, Hitler's poster boy for Aryan supremacy, and his bounty of good works for "the cause" during World War II turned Louis into an idol. The fact that he was the antithesis of Jack Johnson in demeanor, soft spoken and seemingly free of festering racial wounds, helped, as did his boxing prowess, which resulted in 25 successful defenses of his title. VERDICT Well researched and well written, Roberts's study will appeal both to boxing fans and scholars of American social and cultural history. Like its subject, this book is a champion.—Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL