ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

New Publications

George M. Eberhart

George M. Eberhart is associate editor ofAmerican Libraries view of dance on film that puts its highlights and setbacks into perspective. A biographical section follows, which includes credits for choreographers’ stage, TV, music video, nightclub/ concert, and ballet achievements as well as film work. Well illustrated and entertaining, with an excellent index. $110.00. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-89950-868-5.

The Academic Library Director: Reflections on a Position in Transition,edited by Frank D’Andraia (108 pages, August 1997), is a useful collection of essays to have whether you are seeking a position as director or conducting a search for one. As academic institutions change to reflect new priorities, the library director is in a pivotal position to react to those changes. Contributions by Paul Kobulnicky, Karen Hatcher, Rebecca Martin, Barbara Brittingham, and Joel Clemmer add to D’Andraia’s own insights. Published simultaneously as the Journal of Library Administration, vol. 24, no. 3. $39.95. Haworth Press. ISBN 0-7890-0320-1.

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms,by Christine Ammer (729 pages, October 1997), explains nearly 10,000 phrases and expressions whose definitions are missed by standard and slang dictionaries alike. Naturally, some of these idioms are so self-explanatory (“get up,” “never hear the end of,” “shrug off”) that one might briefly wonder why they require explication. However, two primary uses quickly spring to mind: (1) non-English speakers will find this dictionary useful in defining colloquialisms that defy the linguistic logic of other cultures (“in the doghouse” or “lower the boom on” might not be obvious to Thai or Inuit speakers); and (2) since the dictionary provides information on when idioms came into use, it will be helpful to writers of historical dialogue in keeping their jargon genuine. $30.00. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-72774-X.

The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants,edited by Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (1,092 pages, September 1997), identifies more than 15,000 ornamental plants found in American gardens, greenhouses, and homes. Descriptions are lean and succinct in order to allow for the 6,000 color photographs—sometimes as many as eight or nine on a page—that blossom throughout the text. As the title suggests, all plant genera are lumped into one alphabetical directory by scientific name, so you will have to use the index if you don’t know that columbines form the genus Aquilegia. Other DK Publishing titles do a better job of telling you how to garden (like the October release of Roy Lancaster’s What Perennial Where), but this encyclopedia is one of the best single-volume guides to garden species around. Some days you just want to know what a Chilean glory flower looks like, instead of how to plant one. $79.95. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7894-1943-2.

For those who prefer their flora in the forests, two June releases by Mountain Press Publishing Company will be of interest. New England’s Mountain Flowers: A High Country Heritage, by Jeff Wallner and Mario J. DiGregorio (221 pages, $17.00), describes and illustrates 85 prominent species of New England wildflowers. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, by Gregory L. Tilford (239 pages, $21.00), does the same for some 250 western species; notes on medicinal uses and edibility are tempered by warnings of possible toxicity.

Cannabis in Medical Practice,edited by Mary Lynn Mathre (239 pages, September 1997), offers straightforward information on the therapeutic use of marijuana, especially for patients afflicted with glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, and chronic pain. Contributions on legal and pharmacological issues are provided, along with appendixes featuring documents and resources. $25.00. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-0361-6.

Film Choreographers and Dance Directors,by Larry Billman (652 pages, October 1997), profiles 970 choreographers who worked in nearly 3,500 films and brings into focus the often-overlooked history of cinematic dance. Billman begins with a decade-by-decade over-

A Historical Dictionary of Germany’s Weimar Republic, 1918–1933,by C. Paul Vincent (635 pages, September 1997), is an essential guide to the politics, culture, and individuals associated with Germany between the wars. Not strictly focusing on the rise of National Socialism, this dictionary strikes a balance with other reference works that view the era as an inevitable prelude to World War II. $115.00. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-27376-6.

Historical Dictionary of UNESCO,by Seth Spaulding and Lin Lin (500 pages, September 1997), defines the educational, scientific, and cultural activities of the United Nations’ most complex and misunderstood specialized agency. A chronology highlights the organization’s history from its origins in the League of Nations to its 50th anniversary in 1996, while an extensive bibliography and detailed appendixes aid in understanding. $69.00. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3288-7.

The Other Missiles of October: Eisenhower, Kennedy, and the Jupiters, 1957-1963,by Philip Nash (231 pages, September 1997), tells the little-known story of the U.S. Jupiter nuclear missiles deployed in Italy and Turkey by the Eisenhower administration shortly after the launch of Sputnik. Although they were obsolete even in 1957, recently declassified documents show that their removal was a significant bargaining chip in Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban missile crisis. Nash analyzes the policy and politics prevailing in this cold war controversy. $45.00. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-4647-3.

Religious Holidays and Calendars: An Encyclopedic Handbook,edited by Karen Bellenir (2d ed., 316 pages, August 1997), has been reorganized and expanded to twice its previous size. Entries for the more than 450 religious holidays are now arranged by faith. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay, followed by detailed information on the calendar and holidays of each religion. Four reference-question-busting chapters are included on the historical development of lunar, lunisolar, and solar calendars; their sacred and secular uses; and calendar reform movements. Well worth an upgrade from the first edition. $70.00. Omnigraphics. ISBN 0-7808-0258-6.

Spiritualism in Antebellum America,by Bret E. Carroll (227 pages, October 1997), examines the origins of the American Spiritualist movement in the 1840s and 1850s both as a democratizing response to conventional religious institutions and as a serious search for cosmic order. Carroll sees the mid-19th-century Spiritualist circle as an attempt to reach a cosmic connectedness that would bring Americans together in a new configuration of harmony and order. However, its two primary impulses—one antiauthoritarian, the other centralizing—led to its transformation after the Civil War into extremes of sensationalism and bureaucracy. $35.00. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33315-6.

What Else You Can Do with a Library Degree,edited by Betty-Carol Sellen (335 pages, July 1997), should be consulted by anyone considering library school or contemplating a career change. MLS graduates have many more choices available to them now than 17 years ago, when the first edition of this book was published. It contains 62 chapters written by people in publishing, sales of library products and services, freelance information management, association work, and many other situations where a library degree came in handy. As much a guide for graduates as a roadmap to where the profession is heading, What Else You Can Do may at least cause your eyebrows to raise in the “what if’ position. $29-95. Neal-Schuman Publishers. ISBN 1-55570-264-3.

A William Butler Yeats Encyclopedia,by Sam McCready (484 pages, September 1997), consolidates basic information on this eminent Irish poet, playwright, politician, and occultist. Entries summarize Yeats’s verse, stories, plays, and the characters therein; places associated with Yeats; organizations to which he belonged; and biographies of his family and contemporaries. A Yeats chronology, reading lists, and a select bibliography enhance access. $95.00. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-28371-0. ■