ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

New Publications

George M. Eberhar

Cold War Chronology:

Soviet-American Rela- tions, 1945-1991,by Ken- neth L. Hill (362 pages, Oc- tober 1993), takes us on a chronological trip through recent history to document the major events in U.S.-Rus- sian diplomacy. Primary sources (such as the Depart- ment of State Bulletin, Cur- rent Digest of the Soviet Press, Weekly Compilation of Presi- dential Documents, and other government documents) are given for most of the 2,000 entries. A copy may be ordered for $54.95 from Con- gressional Quarterly Books, 1414 22nd St., N.W., Washington, DC 20037. ISBN 0-87187- 921-2.

The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations,by Robert Andrews (1,092 pages, November 1993), strikes a nice balance between the classic and the modem, both in its choice of persons quoted (Fran Lebowitz side by side with Molière) and its selection of topics (adding Nuclear Armageddon, talk shows, and orgasm). Under the heading of libraries, Andrews includes quotations by Samuel Johnson (“No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library”), Barbara Tuchman (“To a historian libraries are food, shelter, and even muse”), and Oliver Wendell Holmes (“Every library should try to be complete on something, even if it were only the history of pinheads”). For both learning and fun, this book is well worth a look. It is available for $34.95 from Columbia University Press, 562 W. 113th St., New York, NY 10025. ISBN 0-231-07194-9.

The Comic Art Collection Catalog,compiled by Randall W. Scott (1,448 pages, September 1993), is an author, artist, title, and subject catalog of the Comic Art Collection in the Michigan State University Libraries. The catalog provides detailed information about more than 60,000 books, magazines, scrapbooks, fanzines, comics, and other materials in the collection. The three main strengths of the collection are U.S. comic books, U.S. newspaper comic strips, and the history and criticism of comics. There is less exten- sive coverage in the follow- ing areas: international com- ics, fotonovelas, animation, cartooning, comic book scripts, Big Little Books, comics tie-ins, other works by comics personnel, books that collect cartoons themati- cally, and Disney material. Items are grouped by nation- ality and genre. Copies can be ordered for $199.95 from Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West,

P.O. Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. ISBN 0- 313-28325-7.

The Dictionary of 20th-Century World

Politics,by Jay M. Shafritz, Phil Williams, and Ronald S. Calinger (756 pages, October 1993), identifies current newsmakers and international political terms as well as decisive historical events and the people responsible for them. It defines more than 5,000 entries, including such terms as intifada, co-optive power, flexible response, and managed trade, and famous persons like Helmut Schmidt, Peter Kropotkin, Hosni Mubarak, and John Foster Dulles. Numerous sidebars offer insightful quotations from speeches and books. Copies are available for $60.00 from Henry Holt Reference Books, 115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. ISBN 0-8050- 1976-6.

Directors and Their Films, 1895-1990,by Brooks Bushnell (1035 pages, November 1993), consists of two vast lists: the first is a list of directors and every film (with alternate titles) that they ever directed, and the second is a list of more than 108,000 domestic and international films with director and year of release. A deceptively simple concept, but extremely helpful in identifying the work of obscure directors or differentiating similarly titled films. Copies are available for $127.00 postpaid from McFarland & Co. ‚ Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-766-2.

Flora of North America,edited by the Flora of North America Editorial Committee headquartered at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis (14 projected vols., 1993-2005), will be the first comprehensive description of the plants growing naturally north of Mexico. The first two volumes, published in September 1993, contain introductory essays on climate, geology, the history of vegetation, botanical expeditions, classification, and the taxonomic treatment of ferns, mosses, horsetails, cycads, gingkos, and conifers. Each volume will contain identification keys, short descriptions, distributions, and other information of biological interest for each species of plant. The final volume will contain a comprehensive bibliography and index. The publication of the first two volumes represents the culmination of 11 years of work and a milestone in efforts that began more than 160 years ago, with John Torrey and Asa Gray’s attempt to produce a comprehensive flora of the continent. The first two volumes are priced at $75.00 each, from Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-19-505713-9 (v.l)‚ISBN 0- 19-508242-7 (v.2).

From Humors to Medical Science: A History of American Medicine,by John Duffy (418 pages, 2d ed., August 1993), is an update of Duffy's 1976 volume, The Healers, which examined developments in medical practice and philosophy since colonial times. The author has condensed and added the results of recent studies to earlier material and placed more emphasis on the changes that have taken place in the past 100 years. New chapters on women and minorities in medicine and on current health care challenges have been added. Copies are available for $42.50 (cloth) from the University of Illinois Press, 54 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820. ISBN 0-252-01736-6.

Integrating Total Quality Management in a Library Setting,edited by Susan Jurow and Susan B. Barnard (201 pages, August 1993), shows librarians how to improve library services by implementing such strategies as employee involvement and training, problemsolving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and an overall recognition that the system—not the staff—is responsible for most inefficiencies. This monograph explains some of the methods libraries have used to transfer Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques from the private sector into the library environment. Published simultaneously as the Journal of Library Administration, vol. 18, nos. 1/2, the volume may be purchased for $39-95 (hdbk.) from Haworth Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. ISBN 1-56024-463-1.

The International Serials Industry,edited by Hazel Woodward and Stella Pilling (275 pages, October 1993), offers viewpoints on serials in the scholarly research environment by many different contributors representing authors, publishers, subscription agents, librarians, and end users. Issues of common concern include the economics of traditional journal publishing, quality versus quantity in scholarly communication, the future of subscription agents, developments in library collection management, and national and international cooperation in the field of serials. Of particular interest is the chapter on CAS-IAS systems (Current Alerting Services and Individual Article Supply) by David J. Brown. Copies may be ordered for $59 95 from Gower, Old Post Road, Brookfield, VT 05036-9704. ISBN 0-566-07466-4.

Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action,by Dennis Dalton (279 pages, November 1993), compares Gandhi’s successful combination of civil disobedience and religious imagery to the methods of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. After examining Gandhi’s formative experiences in South Africa and his emergence as a national leader in India between 1919 and 1922, Dalton focuses on two of Gandhi's decisive triumphs: the 1930 civil disobedience Salt March against the British and his 1947 fast in Calcutta for Hindu-Muslim unity. The cost is $29.50 from Columbia University Press, 562 W. 113th St., New York, NY 10025. ISBN 0-231-08118-9.

Management of Government Information Resources in Libraries,edited by Diane

H. Smith (260 pages, August 1993), presents a realistic view of the problems encountered in documents librarianship. This collection of 14 essays is designed as a textbook for those learning about government information resources and document collection management. Chapters cover collection development (Bruce Morton), maintenance (Sandra K. Peterson), technology (Debora Cheney), reference service (Diane Garner), outreach and bibliographic instruction (Susan Anthes), and the politics of documents librarianship (Ridley Kessler and Jack Sulzer). Although a functional arrangement was chosen, the essays focus on the big picture, stressing current policy issues and financial considerations. Copies are available for $30.00 from Libraries Unlimited, P.O. Box 6633, Englewood, CO 80155-6633. ISBN 1-56308-051-6.

Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans,by Grace Lichtenstein and Laura Dankner (367 pages, 1993), is a lively guide to jazz, R&B, rock’n’roll, gospel, cajun, and zydeco music in New Orleans, a rhythmic melting pot for popular music since the turn of the century. Very well documented through personal interviews, books, articles, and liner notes, this book covers everyone from Jelly Roll Morton to Wynton Marsalis. The final chapter acts as a guide to Jazzfest, Mardi Gras, night clubs, music stores, radio stations, music libraries and museums, CDs and videos with New Orleans music. Co-author Dankner is a librarian and member of the music faculty at Loyola University in New Orleans. A copy may be purchased for $25.00 from W.W. Norton & Co., 500 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10110. ISBN 0-393-03468-2.

The Practice of Conservation of Library Materials in Sub-Saharan Africa,by M. E. Ojo-Igbinoba (60 pages, October 1993), contains the results of a survey of conservation methods and problems in African university libraries. The author concludes that little attention is given in sub-Saharan Africa to conservation compared to the attention focused on collection development and organization, and provides some suggestions to improve the situation. The monograph is free to libraries and librarians in Africa, but others should send $7.00 to Publications, African Studies Program, 221 Woodburn Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. ISBN 0-941934-65-9. Another recent publication in this series is Oral Literature in African Libraries: Implications for Ghana, by A. Anaba Alemna ($6.00).

Reconciliation Road: A Family Odyssey of War and Honor,by John Douglas Marshall (296 pages, October 1993), is a moving tale of how the author, a Vietnam War conscientious objector, was finally able to heal the rift between himself and his famous grandfather (S. L. A. Marshall, the author of 30 books on World Wars I and II and Korea), who had disowned him because of his views on Vietnam. In the wake of accusations that his grandfather had fudged the facts in interviewing Army infantrymen, John Marshall sets out on a cross-country fact-finding trip to seek the truth. What he discovers about himself, his family, and the military is a revealing case history of what happened to many Americans during and after the Vietnam War. Highly recommended for veterans, war protesters, and military scholars alike. Copies are available for $24.95 from Syracuse University Press, 1600 Jamesville Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244-5160. ISBN 0-8156-0274-X.

World Mythology,edited by Roy Willis (320 pages, October 1993), takes an elemental look at the ways different cultures interpret the elemental phenomena of life—creation, birth, death, conflict, and the cycle of the seasons. With contributions from 20 leading scholars, the book draws connections between the underlying meaning of the stories and their significance within the social and religious context of each culture. The largest portion of the book is devoted to “world mythography,” which presents myths from Egypt to Oceania accompanied by a collection of color photographs and drawings showing mythic imagery in contemporary art and artifacts. The cost is $45.00 from Henry Holt Reference Books, 115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. ISBN 0-8050-2701-1.

World of Fairs: The Centviry-of-Progress Expositions,by Robert W. Rydell (269 pages, September 1993), examines the effect of the Depression-era exhibitions on popular culture and political concepts from the 1926 Philadelphia Sesquicentennial to the New York World’s Fair of 1939-1940. Rydell’s point is that, unlike the Victorian-era world’s fairs (covered in the author’s 1984 book All the World’s a Fair) that represented an effort to make America modern, America’s interwar fairs represented a drive to make America an “ever more perfect realization of an imperial dream of abundance, consumption, and social hierarchy based on the reproduction of existing power relations premised on categories of race and gender.” Rydell’s chapters on “fitter families,” modern colonialism, the empire of science, and the perfect future encapsulate pre-war American values as expressed at the fairs. Copies are available for $49-95 (cloth) from the University of Chicago Press, 5801 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637. ISBN 0-226-73237-1.