ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife,edited by David Bumie and Don E. Wilson and produced in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution (624 pages, November 2001), profiles more than 2,0 species, most of which are fea- tured in an out- standing array of photographs that show identifying characteristics and key aspects of their biology and ecol- ogy. The next best thing to a zoo visit, Animal showcases some species that are rarely or never found in zoos, and offers distribution maps and a summary description for each, from mammals, birds, and reptiles to fishes and invertebrates. The information is meticulously up-to-date; for ex- ample, African bush and forest elephants are recognized as separate species, a classification that was definitively confirmed by molecular studies only in 2001. An international team of 70 zoologists and naturalists chose the species to be included, thus eliminating any North American or European bias. A superb one-vol- ume reference that will see much use. $50.00. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.

Just as current and graphically fascinating is the completely misnamed Dinosaur Encyclopedia, published in association with the American Museum of Natural History (376 pages, October 2001), which, yes, includes dinosaurs, but also features fossil fishes, amphibians, non-dinosaurian reptiles such as plesiosaurs and diapsids, birds, and extinct mammals—namely, animals that a true dinosaur book would leave out. Supplemented with a geological timeline and biographies of famous paleontologists, this volume serves as an excellent overview of the procession of life on earth as we currently understand it. $29.95. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-7935-4.

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

The Browsable Classroom: An Introduction to E-Learning for Librarians,by Carolyn B. Noah and Linda W. Braun (169 pages, January 2002), demonstrates some models and techniques for designing effective Web-based distance-learning programs. Many of the examples come from university or community college education courses. $45.00. Neal-Schuman. ISBN 1-55570-425-5.

The Columbia Guide to Asian American History,by Gary Y. Okihiro (323 pages, December 2001), examines attitudes toward resident Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States over the past 200 years. Specific focuses include Hawaii before European contact, the anti-Chinese movement in 19th-century California, and the World War II internment camps for Japanese-Americans. An extensive historiography and resource guide make this an excellent research tool. $45.50. Columbia University. ISBN 0-231-11510-5.

Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849,by George E. Gruell (238 pages, October 2001), compares historical black-and-white photographs of landscapes in the Sierra Nevada with photographs taken in the 1990s in order to assess the long-term environmental changes that had occurred in the region. Gruell, a retired wildlife biologist, selected 168 images out of thousands available in universities, public libraries, historical societies, and private collections. The photo pairs are arranged into four vegetation and climate zones; the captions identify landscape features and analyze the vegetation changes in the past 100 years or more. Mountain Press. $20.00. ISBN 0-87842-446-6.

The Great Atlas of the Stars,by Serge Brünier (112 pages, October 2001), provides full-color telescopic photographs of the 30 major constellations visible from the northern hemisphere. Each has a transparent mylar overlay that identifies the stars and draws the traditional lines between them; details of the more prominent stellar features are given on the opposite page. A helpful guide for observers with binoculars or small telescopes. $59.95. Firefly Books. ISBN 1-55209-643-2.

Another outstanding atlas from Firefly is the World Atlas of the Oceans (264 pages, October 2001). This reprints in segments the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans, produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service, a superb chart of submarine depths and features, supplemented here with the panoramic topographic drawings of Heinrich C. Berann, which show what the ocean bottom would look like without the water. Well-illustrated essays cover oceanic commerce, oilfields, tides, currents, fisheries, coral reefs, geology, and marine ecology. $50.00. ISBN 1-55209-585-1.

Piracy, Slavery, and Redemption: Barbary Captivity Narratives from Early Modern England,edited by Daniel J. Vitkus (376 pages, November 2001), presents seven accounts written by Englishmen who served time as slaves in the Islamic states of North Africa, formerly known as the Barbary coast. The narratives were written and published between 1577, when John Fox escaped from captivity in Egypt, and 1704, when Joseph Pitts’s account of his captivity and conversion to Islam was published. Each narrative is annotated with footnotes to explain context and vocabulary, and an extended introduction by Nabil Matar places the complex relationship of European trade and North African piracy into perspective. Despite some exaggeration and ethnocentrism, these captivity narratives presented British readers with their first nonfictional glimpse into the world of Islam. $52.50. Columbia University. ISBN 0-231-11904-6.

For those who want to go further and read American captivity narratives in the Barbary states, consult Paul Baepler’s White Slaves, African Masters (376 pages, April 1999). These range from the 1798 tale of John Foss, ransomed by the Thomas Jefferson administration for a tribute totaling a sixth of the annual federal budget, to the story of Ion Perdicaris, whose apparently staged abduction in Tangier in 1904 prompted Theodore Roosevelt to send warships to Morocco. $46.00. University of Chicago. ISBN 0-226-03403-8.

Sextopia: Stories of Sex and Society,edited by Cecilia Tan (181 pages, June 2001), is an intriguing collection of 11 short Science- fiction stories that explore the nature of eroti- cism and sexual experience in utopian or dystopian futures. Among the contributors are Catherine Asaro, Renée M. Charles, Eric Del Carlo, M. Christian, and Suzy McKee Charnas, whose erotic, science fiction, and fantasy fic- tion have appeared in many magazines and anthologies. This is the 32nd offering from Cir- clet Press, a small but energetic publisher of alternative fiction. $14.95. Circlet Press, 1770 Mass. Ave., #278, Cambridge, MA 02140. ISBN 1-885865-31-7.

The Story of Rats,by S. Anthony Bamett (202 pages, April 2002), examines the psychology and sociology of these common rodents, es- pecially in their interactions with humans. Barnett, who has been studying rats since his days with the Ministry of Food in wartime Lon- don, asks such questions as: Are rats diaboli- cally clever? Do they get bored? Can they think? Are rats gluttons? What happens when they get overcrowded? The many infections carried by wild rats, such as plague and Weil’s dis- ease, make the answers crucial ones for con- trolling rodent populations. $14.95 (pbk). Allen & Unwin; distributed by Independent Publish- ers Group. ISBN 1-86508-519-7.

White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film,by Gary D. Rhodes (352 pages, December 2001), is an exhaustive treatment of what some critics see as a minor cinematic classic that was released by United Artists in 1932. White Zombie starred Bela Lugosi as an evil practi- tioner of voodoo in one of his best perfor- mances. The film has some impressive and atmospheric visual sequences that have in- spired a cult following. Rhodes includes an analysis of eveiy aspect of the film—its narrative and imag- ery, its source material in Hai- tian voodoo, the context of inde- pendent film- making in the early 1930s, sto- ries from par- ticipants in the film, audience responses, criti- cal reception, the film’s impact on popular culture, its place in film history, and an essay on the life and career of director Victor Halperin. This massively documented work will please both academic film historians and horror-genre buffs, and it deserves to be emulated as a model for single-film scholarship in the future. $65.00. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0988-6.

The Women of Afghanistan under the Taliban,by Rosemarie Skaine (198 pages, March 2002), was mostly written prior to September 2001, though the author and publisher masterfully managed to squeeze in a few last-minute references to the United States counterattack and the Taliban’s then- uncertain future. Skaine catalogs the hardships and atrocities imposed by the regime on Afghan women, 30 of whom were interviewed in 2000 after they had fled the country. The final chapter summarizes the political and diplomatic efforts made by organizations and individuals in other countries to rebuild Afghan society and women’s roles within it. $29.95. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1090-6.

World War II in American Art,by Robert Henkes (157 pages, December 2001), analyzes the works of artists who experienced the intensity and emotion of the war firsthand, both in battle and on the homefront. Arranged by subject matter, the book includes sections on combat, the wounded, survivors, prisoners, ruins, the dead, religion, recreation, and victory. Many of the paintings depicted are housed in the collections of the Army, Navy, and Air Force museums, as well as the personal collection of artist Edward Reep, who wrote the foreword. $39.95. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864- 0985-1. ■