ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

New Publications

George M. Eberhart is senior editor of American Libraries; e-mail: geberhart@ala.org

A Field Guide for the Sight-Impaired Reader,by Andrew Leibs (247 pages, January 2000), is an introduction, for both blind students and academic librarians who work with them, on how to locate, obtain, and integrate many different resources to create a world of reading equal to that of the fully sighted. In addition to providing annotated listings of technological, Internet, Braille, and large-print aids, it offers chapters on how to find and manage readers and winning strategies for many academic reading tasks. Appendixes include a state-by-state resource guide and a list of commercial audio publishers. The type is large and the scope is broad. $49.95. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30969-8.

Historical Encyclopedia of Atomic Energy,by Stephen E. Atkins (491 pages, January 2000) , includes more than 450 entries that trace the history of nuclear energy from the discovery of uranium to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Topics encompass scientific processes, terms and concepts, nuclear accidents, test sites, protest movements, treaties, international organizations, and biographies of scientists and leaders involved with the development of atomic energy. Suggested readings accompany each essay. $65.00. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30400-9.

Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites,by E. J. Fleming (281 pages, May 2000), provides directions for 16 driving tours that encompass famous graves, haunted celebrity homes, the locations of famous murders and deaths, and scandalous locations. Yes, this book will be difficult to justify as a curricular expense; however, if your film-collection budget is liberal, give this a try. Where else will you find photos of the houses where Ida Lupino, Keenan Wynn, Peter Lorre, and

Bugsy Siegel died; the graves of Joan Hackett, Mack Sennett, Rita Hayworth, Sharon Tate, and Bela Lugosi; the homes haunted by the ghosts of George Wolf, Jean Harlow, and Ozzie Nelson; and the murder sites of Phil Hartman, Thelma Todd, Nicole Brown Simpson, Dorothy Stratten, Bobby Fuller, Ray Raymond, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca? A comprehensive index allows you to locate your favorite stars and their infamous activities. $35.00. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-0160-5.

In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of

Human Origins,by Lee Berger, with Brett Hilton-Barber (304 pages, June 2000), tracks the discovery of fossil hominids in South Africa and the origins of Berger’s hypothesis that human ancestors evolved in South Africa, not East Africa—the theoretical favorite since the finding of the bones of Lucy (.Australopithecus afarensis) in Ethiopia by Donald Johanson’s team in 1973-Berger tells the story in a largely autobiographical fashion, enticing readers into the excitement of the search in a subtle, personal way. The robust australopiths of South Africa, according to the author, share more characteristics with our remote ancestor Homo habilis than Lucy, who was an evolutionary dead end. The answer lies in the postcranial fossil bones (those below the head), which are much rarer than crania and have not been studied as closely. Read this book and you won’t ever again consider tibias trivial. $26.00. National Geographic Adventure Press. ISBN 0-7922-7682-5.

The Inca World: The Development of Pre-Columbian Peru, A.D. 1000-1534,edited by Laura Laurencich Minelli (240 pages, March 2000), is an English translation of a 1992 Italian work that examines the social, political, and artistic structures of the Late Intermediate and Inca Empire periods in Peru. Various contributors look at the ceramic styles of the different señoríos or chiefdoms; the Sicán, Chimú, and Chincha cultures; ceramic, goldwork, and textile arts; the cultural importance of the Ceja de Selva region in supplying coca and exotic bird feathers; the origins of the Incas and their enemies, the Chanca; the economic and political system of the Inca Empire at its height; the use of the quipu; and the prodigious stoneworks that constitute Incan architecture. One finding is that the instability of the Inca state, and the discontent of its inhabitants who were continually forced to till the state lands as serfs, was responsible for the collapse of the empire, rather than a handful of adventurous Conquistadors. $49-95. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3221-3.

Milenios de México,by Humberto

Musacchio (3,384 pages, 3 vols., July 2000), is a lavishly illustrated, full-color, hardcover, Spanish-language encyclopedia about everything and everyone Mexican. Antiquities, geography, science, art, sports, popular culture, music, literature, food, religion, and social and educational institutions are all covered in some depth with a large number of specific entries. The biographical information in these volumes alone justifies their acquisition, and the number and type of graphics leave many American encyclopedias of similar size and scope behind in a cloud of dust. Musacchio is an internationally recognized journalist and contributor to such periodicals as Reforma and ¡Siempre! A superb reference work for anyone studying Mexican history or the Spanish language. $289.00. Whitehurst & Clark, 100 Newfield Ave., Edison, NJ 08837. ISBN 968-6565-34-5.

A Naturalist's Guide to the Tropics,by Marco Lambertini (312 pages, May 2000), covers the flora and fauna of all tropical regions in Asia, Africa, and South America. Directed at tourists who return home “with only the memory of large hotels and restaurants, or of beaches that all seemed to be about the same,” this guide intends to inspire lofty ecotourism in the most jaded of beach bums. The chapters describe the climate, soils, plants, animals, mangroves, forests, coral reefs, savannas, deserts, and ecology of those latitudes between 23⁰ north and south. As Lambertini proclaims, “It is time that the natural life of our planet be felt as a common patrimony.” This is a text for “responding to many of the curiosities and questions that arise spontaneously in the tropical tourist who has taken an interest in the natural world.” A field guide to skim and savor. $25.00. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-46828-3.

Once upon an American Dream: The Story of Euro Disneyland,by Andrew Lainsbury (292 pages, March 2000), ponders whether the French theme park was an American export or a European import. Lainsbury, a Disney fan and former employee, looks at its vision, its blunders, and its rescue by a Saudi Arabian prince. This is the story of how Disney imagineers reinvented their narrow American entertainment concept to become a global corporate enterprise. $35-00. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-0989-X.

The Orangutans,by Gisela Kaplan and Lesley J. Roberts (192 pages, May 2000), does for the red tree apes of Indonesia what Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey did for chimps and gorillas. The authors give an intimate, firsthand account of orangutan mothering skills, learning capacity, problem-solving abilities, tool use, visual and vocal signaling, and mating activities. An introductory section explains the evolution of the great apes and explains the orangutan’s specialized adaptations. Unfortunately, given their rapidly dwindling rain-forest habitat, orangutans face a bleak future. Kaplan and Roberts provide many photos that capture characteristic orangutan facial expressions. $23.00. Perseus. ISBN 0-7382-0290-8.

Anne E. Russon’s Orangutans: Wizards of the Rain Forest (222 pages, March 2000), is an excellent, well-illustrated supplement that documents the behaviors of a group of red apes at a research site, Camp Leakey, in Borneo. These orangutans’ ability to mimic human behaviors resulted in their helping to wash clothes, weed camp paths, hammer and chop wood, sweep porches, and perform other tasks that kept the camp functioning. $29.95. Firefly Books. ISBN 1-55209-453-7.