ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

George M. Eberhart is associate editor ofAmerican Libraries as descriptions of sacred objects used in healing rituals, types of healing ceremonies, and herbal remedies. A well-documented compilation of Native American ethnography. $55.00. ABC-CLIO, 130 Cremona Dr., P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116. ISBN 0-87436-852-9.

Africana Studies: A Disciplinary Quest for Both Theory and Method,edited by James L. Conyers Jr. (237 pages, February 1997), explores the development of theory and methodology in establishing African and African-diaspora studies as an academic discipline. These essays, which were prompted by a 1991 National Council of Black Studies Summer Institute, address such topics as the administration and organizational structure of Africana studies in HBCUs as well as predominantly white campuses, afrocentricity, black feminism, and black linguistics and poetry. Essential for Africana collections. $45.00. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0278-4.

Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians,by Nicolas Slonimsky and edited by Laura Kuhn (1595 pages, April 1997), is a comprehensive supplement to Slonimsky’s 8th edition of Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1992). Artists selected for inclusion have primarily devoted their careers to contemporary Western classical music (although this includes many avant-garde and electronic composers as well as Slonimsky’s friend Frank Zappa). The irreverant and idiosyncratic Slonimsky, who died on Christmas Day 1995 at the age of 102, was a stickler for historical detail, an authority on early 20th-century music, and a linguistic trickster who invented many words to describe new musical genres; his “Glossary of Terms,” borrowed from the 5th edition of his Music Since 1900 (1994), is reprinted in this dictionary, including his famous definition of “sesquipedalian macropolysyllabification,” which in itself entitles him to a niche in the lexicographical hall of fame. No illustrations intrude on the text, which strives for a complete summation of each musician’s achievements and background. Nearly 60% of the information in this book is new; editor Kuhn has retained the flavor of Slonimsky’s peculiar style. An indispensible reference for music collections. $75.00. Schirmer Books, 1633 Broadway, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10019. ISBN 0-02-871271-4.

Biological Anomalies: Mammals II,compiled by William R. Corliss (318 pages, March 1997), is the second volume in a series devoted to zoological mysteries. This book focuses on internal anatomy, genetics, the fossil record, and unrecognized species. Each anomaly is rated in terms of the quality of the reported data and the degree from which it deviates from accepted scientific norms. The vast majority of examples are taken from scientific journals and books. Corliss examines such phenomena as late survival of mammoths and mastodons, the scarcity of transitional fossils, remarkable adaptations of mammalian eyes, electrosensitivity, the king cheetah, the onza, and unrecognized large marine mammals (sea monsters). $21.95. The Sourcebook Project, P.O. Box 107, Glen Arm, MD 21057. ISBN 0-915554-31-3.

The Encyclopedia of Native American

Biography,by Bruce E. Johansen and Donald A. Grinde Jr. (463 pages, February 1997), offers biographical information on some 600 North American Indians and some whites who were important in their history. More than 130 rarely seen photographs and drawings accompany the listings, which range from familiar names like Geronimo and Tecumseh to lesser-known individuals. Both historical and contemporary figures are profiled, with tribal affiliations clearly identified. Bibliographical information accompanies some but not all of the entries, making the lack of a comprehensive list of works consulted a drawback in an otherwise commendable reference book. $50.00. Henry Holt and Company, 115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. ISBN 0-8050-3270-3.

The Encyclopedia of Native American Healing,by William S. Lyon (373 pages, December 1996), is an excellent survey of North American shamanism and ethnobotany. Biographies of noted shamans are included, as well

The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II,by Elliott V. Converse III, et al. (200 pages, May 1997), investigates the reasons why no African American soldiers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. The authors show in this report, commissioned by the U.S. Army, that segregation, exclusion from combat, and racism were indeed the causes for inequity in awarding the medal. Based on this study, the Army forwarded in May 1996 the names of seven African Americans to Congress and the White House as potential recipients. In January 1997, President Clinton presented the medal to First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker for valor beyond the call of duty in the Italian campaign, and to the relatives of the other six, all now deceased. $23.50. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 18640. ISBN 0-7864-0277-6.

Eyewitness to History,edited by Brian M. Fagan (493 pages, February 1997), brings together 55 first-hand accounts of archeological discoveries that recreate the excitement and mystery of uncovering bones, buildings, and artifacts that have lain buried for centuries. Included here are: Donald Johanson’s discovery of Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis) in Ethiopia in 1974; Champollion’s recounting of how he first deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs; Leonard Woolley’s reconstruction of a royal funeral at Ur; David Soren’s description of finding an early Christian community in Cyprus buried by an earthquake in 365 a.d.; Konrad Spindler’s account of the 1991 discovery in the Alps of Otzi the 5,000-year-old man preserved in a glacier; and Ivor Hume’s excavation of the colonial settlement at Martin’s Hundred, Virginia, that was destroyed by Indian attack in 1622. These fascinating stories will undoubtedly inspire future generations of archeologists. $39.95. Oxford Univ. Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-19-508141-2.

Slee’s Health Care Terms,by Vergil N. Slee, Debora A. Slee, and H. Joachim Schmidt (655 pages, 3rd ed., January 1997), pulls together all the relevant terminology from earlier editions and defines many new words and phrases that came into common usage during the health care reform movement of the 1990s. Medical, legal, and policy terms are included. Have this one on hand next time you attempt to read an HMO prospectus. $49.95. Tringa Press, P.O. Box 8181, St. Paul, MN 55108. ISBN 0-9615255-8-4.

We Were Next to Nothing,by Carl S. Nordin (257 pages, April 1997), is a first-hand account of an American POW’s experience in prison camps in the Philippines and Japan during World War II. Throughout his 27 months in captivity, Nordin detailed his thoughts on the camps in a secret diary that became the basis of this work. Memoirs like this are invaluable records of the horror and costs of war. $28.95. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 18640. ISBN 0-7864-0274-1. An interesting comparison can be made with Bernard T. Fitzpatrick’s The Hike into the Sun (McFarland, 1993), a record of the Bataan Death March and similar Japanese internment camps. ■