ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

George Eberhart is associate editor ofAmerican Libraries

All Music Guide to the Blues,edited by Michael Erlewine, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, and Cub Koda (424 pages, October 1996), is the latest in the All Music Guide Series and, like the jazz and rock entries, should not be missed. In addition to the dense biographical and discographical information, this volume also features an essay and recording guide by Erlewine on the blues in a jazz idiom; detailed, definitive essays on each style of blues, from blues roots to modern acoustic blues; and sections on the blues in film, the blues as folklore, blues harmonica, and slide guitar. $17.95. Miller Freeman Books, 6600 Silacci Way, Gilroy, CA 95020. ISBN 0-87930-424-3.

The Burroughs Cyclopaedia,by Clark A Brady (402 pages, December 1996), is a comprehensive guide to the writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), who not only gave us the Tarzan novels, but also adventure stories about lost worlds, the inner earth, and civilizations on Venus and Mars. Burroughs may have been the king of pulp fiction, but he usually invested his characters with a moral code and his plots with layers of complexity involving the forces of nature versus nurture. This encyclopedia describes characters, places, fauna, flora, technologies, languages, ideas, and terminologies found throughout his writings and will be an essential addition to modest Burroughs collections. $55.00. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-896-0.

Also from McFarland is Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Exhaustive Scholar’s and Collector’s Descriptive Bibliography, by Robert B. Zeuschner (287 pages, December 1996), which catalogs everything Burroughs ever wrote. $46.50. ISBN 0-7864-0183-4.

Creating the Future: Essays on Librarianship,edited by Sally Gardner Reed (276 pages, August 1996), examines the challenges that our profession is likely to be confronted with in the near future, especially in the arenas of technology, education for librarianship, and library services. The essayists, most of whom have provided new material for this collection, are familiar writers and speakers: Nancy C. Kranich on access to public information on the Internet; Lee Hisle on information technology; Pat Schuman on leadership; Barbara Dewey on continuing education; Irene Hoadley on making library education relevant; and Susan Beck and Donald Riggs on “Research, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship.” Everyone agrees that librarianship is poised for change—these essays explain why. $35.00. McFarland

& Co., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0236-9.

Managing People Is Like Herding Cats,by Warren Bennis (236 pages, November 1996), provides some solutions to what the author sees as a deepening crisis caused by the lack of leadership in American corporations and private and public institutions. Bennis, distinguished professor of business administration at the University of Southern California and former president of the University of Cincinnati, describes what it takes to make a leader (not a manager) and how leaders must be agents of change, not passive reactors. Anyone fired up by the essay by Beck and Riggs in Creating the Future (see above) may wish to give this book a close look. Although targeted towards the business world, this book will appeal to other sectors as it says some interesting things about creative leadership, critical thinking, and why thinking about business (or life in general) in sports terms is risky. $24.95. Executive Excellence Publishing, 1344 E. 1120 South, Provo, UT 84606. ISBN 0-9634917-5-X.

Radar: How It All Began,by Jim Brown (168 pages, August 1996), offers first-hand insight into Britain’s efforts in the field of radio location (the term “radar” was not used until the end of World War II) in the 1930s. Brown started working with radar prototechnology in 1936 and aided its development throughout the war. He outlines its role in helping the Royal Navy defeat the U-boats and shows how it was used to jam German radar during Allied bombing raids on German cities and at the time of the D-Day landings. $15.95. Paul & Co., c/o PCS Data Processing, 360 W. 31st St., New York, NY 10001. ISBN 1-85756-212-7.

The Large Macaws: Their Care, Breeding

and Conservation,by Joanne Abramson, Brian L. Speer and Jørgen B. Thomsen (534 pages, 1996), is a monumental assemblage of practically everything that is known about this family of large and colorful New World parrots. The authors have adopted a multidisciplinary approach, so that bird owners, veterinarians, ornithologists, and ecologists alike will find the information they seek. Some interesting features are: complete descriptions of all known macaw species; detailed illustrations of macaw anatomy, including its muscular tongue; common macaw behavioral problems; appropriate indoor and outdoor aviaries for macaws; diet in captivity and in the wild; common and uncommon macaw diseases; captive breeding and reintroduction into the wild; threats to macaw habitats; roost conservation and management; and ecotourism and poaching. Especially unusual for a book of this type is the chapter on the role of macaws in Native American culture as shown by archeological evidence in New Mexico. Well worth $170.00 (plus $10.00 shipping). Raintree Publications, P.O. Box 1338, Fort Bragg, CA 95437. ISBN 0-9635964-0-3.

Rural Delivery: Real Photo Postcards from Central Pennsylvania, 1905–1935,by Jody Blake and Jeannette Lasansky (136 pages, October 1996), offers an effective visual glimpse of what life must have been like in the days when Union County, Pennsylvania, was prosperous, progressive, and growing. Meticulously researched by art historian Blake and cultural historian Lasansky, the more than 200 images shown have never been reproduced since being issued as real photo postcards, some taken by professional photographers, others by amateurs. Together they document the activities of county residents—on the move in trains, buggies and cars, picnicking or ballooning, frolicking during the Bucknell College class rush, working, making music, and facing local tragedies. In her introductory essay, Blake explains why real photo postcards were important in the history of popular photography and personal communication. $40.00. Penn State Press, 820 N. University Dr., University Park, PA 16802. ISBN 0-917127-09-9.

The Windows 95 Scanning Book,by

Luisa Simons (319 pages, 1996), is an image manager’s bonanza. Everything you want to know about scanning text or graphics (black-and-white or color) is summarized here. Proper scanning is not yet a point-and-shoot operation, and this is the first book I have seen that offers the most practical tips. Here are a few subheadings: “Specifying Halftone Instructions for an Individual Image”; “A Checklist for 3-D Scanning”; and “Converting from RGB to CMYK.” $29.95. John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012. ISBN 0-471-11582-7.

Yankee Correspondence: Civil War Letters between New England Soldiers and the Home Front,edited by Nina Silber and Mary Beth Sievens (169 pages, July 1996), is a collection of letters to and from soldiers in New England regiments, many of them published for the first time. The correspondence is divided into chapters on the military experience, the meaning of the war, views of the South as seen by the invaders, politics on the home front, and the personal sacrifices of war. A final section contains an extended exchange of letters within the Morse family of Woodbury, Vermont. Valuable insight into the hearts and minds of the ordinary Yankee soldier. $29.95. University Press of Virginia, Box 3608 University Station, Charlottesville, VA 22903-0608. ISBN 0-8139-1668-2. ■