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New Books

December 2004

FICTION

Atonement   -    McEwan, Ian

Winner of the 2002 National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction.   An ALA notable book.   Shortlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize. Set during the seemingly idyllic summer of 1935 at the country estate of the Tallis family, the first section of this thought-provoking novel ambles through one scorchingly hot day that changes the lives of almost everyone present. The catalyst is overly imaginative 13-year-old Briony, who accuses Robbie, her sister's childhood friend and their housemaid's son, of raping her cousin Lola. The young man is sent to prison and Cecilia, heartbroken, abandons her family and becomes a nursing sister in London. In the second part, McEwan vividly describes another single day, this time Robbie's experiences during the ignominious British retreat to Dunkirk early in World War II. Finally, readers meet Briony again, now a nursing student. She is aware that she might have been wrong that day five years earlier and begins to seek atonement, having clearly ruined two lives. In a story within a story, McEwan brilliantly engages readers in a tour de force of what ifs and might have beens until they begin to wonder what actually happened. The story is compelling, the characters well drawn and engaging, and the outcome is almost always in doubt. The descriptions of the retreat and the subsequent hospitalization of the soldiers are grim and realistic. Readers are spared little, yet the journey is worth the observed pain and distress. Well-read teens will find much to think about in this novel. - School Library Journal

The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles' Antigone    -    Heaney, Seamus

Seamus Heaney received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. He lives in Dublin and he regularly teaches at Harvard University.   Sophocles' Antigone , first staged in the fifth century B.C., stands as a timely exploration of the conflict between those who affirm the individual's human rights and those who must protect the state's security.   In this new translation, commissioned by Ireland's Abbey Theatre to commemorate its centenary, Seamus Heaney exposes the darkness and the humanity in Sophocles' masterpiece, and inks it with his own modern and masterly touch. - from the publisher

In Revere, in Those Days    -    Merullo, Roland

An ALA notable book.   This '60s and '70s coming-of-age story centers on Anthony Benedetto, who grew up in Revere, a working-class, Italian-American suburb of Boston with a gritty edge. When Tony is orphaned at 10, his family embraces him in a warmth that sometimes weighs heavy. Raised by his grandparents, with his Uncle Pete always at hand, the boy becomes the dutiful son, a superachiever, and a promising artist. As children, Tony and Rosie, Pete's daughter, are inseparable, but when her mother deserts her family, the girl drifts away from Tony, despite his unfailing devotion. Beautifully written, both as omniscient remembrance and in the first person, with visual imagery and dialogue that bring readers from laughter to a lump in the throat, the author's skillful rendering of time, place, ethnic identity, and dialogue evokes Chaim Potok's work. - School Library Journal

The Last Night of a Damned Soul    -    Benaissa, Slimane

Algerian playwright Benaissa's first novel is a chilling examination of the making of an Islamic terrorist. The author aims not only to denounce the perversion of the Muslim faith for horrendous ends but to humanize the enemy. This is the story of Raouf, a young and impressionable Lebanese American living in the San Francisco Bay Area who finds himself unmoored when his father dies. After a charismatic co-worker invites him into the fold at a radical mosque, Raouf goes in search of answers in an Islamic heritage he had previously taken for granted. Raouf's beliefs begin to change as he is instructed in the folly of the Western way of life. His downward spiral continues, and he abruptly breaks from his girlfriend and ailing mother for an imposed two months of isolation. While large portions of the novel are taken up with the sermons that transform Raouf from apt pupil to willing martyr, the writing is elevated above mere ideological tract by Benaissa's taut prose. The result is a riveting and timely exploration of religious extremism and its very human dimensions. Highly recommended. - Library Journal

Lovely Green Eyes   -    Lustig, Arnost

An ALA notable book.   Prague-born Lustig ( The Bitter Smell of Almonds ) adds this chronicle of a resilient teenage girl to his highly regarded oeuvre of spare and haunting novels rooted in the Holocaust. The "lovely green eyes" of the title belong to 15-year-old Hanka "Skinny" Kaudersova, a shy, ginger-haired girl and the only member of her family to avoid death in Auschwitz. At first a cleaner in a camp hospital lab, she continues to evade extermination by lying about her age and her heritage (passing herself as Aryan) and is requisitioned as a prostitute in the German military field brothels. Lustig presents the brothel clients as fully rounded characters. Constant hunger, freezing temperatures and disease further weaken Skinny's spirit, but as the war ends, she realizes she must search for her place in a world built on ashes. A rabbi, who is himself drowning in despair, attempts to offer her solace, but she's unable to shed her shame and guilt. Back in Prague, agonized by nightmarish memories, she settles in with a group of survivors and meets the narrator, whose declaration of love eventually thaws her heart. Lustig's prose is evocative at the same time it is sparse, even during harrowing scenes of physical and mental cruelty. Aided by a fine translation, this is a stunning work, worthy of comparison to those by Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi. In imagining the ordeal of a young girl "who had looked on the devil 12 times a day," Lustig has created an unforgettable character within whom "remembrance and oblivion contended," but who still summons the courage to affirm life. - Publisher's Weekly

The Russian Debutante's Handbook    -    Shteyngart, Gary

An ALA notable book.   A smart debut novel. Vladimir is the son of immigrants who came to the U.S. via a Carter administration swap (American wheat for Russian Jews); his father, a doctor prone to dreams of suicide and complicated medical schemes, and his mother, an entrepreneur who makes fun of her son's gait, give him the inestimable gift of alienation. In true slacker fashion, Vladimir, at 25, is wasting his expensive education clerking at the Emma Lazarus Immigration Absorption Society. A client, Rybakov, bribes Vladimir to get him American citizenship, confiding that his son, the Groundhog, is a leading businessman (in prostitutes and drugs) in Pravathe Paris of the nineties in the fictional Republika Stolovaya. Vladimir fakes a citizenship ceremony for Rybakov in order to curry favor with the Groundhog. Then, because he has unwisely repelled the sexual advances of crime boss Jordi while trying to make some illicit bucks to keep his girlfriend, Francesca, in squid and sake dinners in Manhattan, Vladimir leaves abruptly for Prava. Once there, and backed by the Groundhog, Vladimir embarks on a scheme to fleece the American students who have flocked to Prava's legendary scene. Although the satire on the expatriate American community is a little too easy, Shteyngart's Vladimir remains an impressive piece of work, an amoral buffoon who energizes this remarkably mature work. - Publisher's Weekly

God's Fool   -    Slouka, Mark

An ALA notable book.   Slouka's exceptional first novel opens with a description of an apple fight among young Confederate soldiers awaiting orders from General Longstreet to begin the infamous Pickett's charge. Reflecting on this, the narrator (father to one of the boys) asks, "What manner of God ... would turn them, laughing, to blood and bone?" The same God, it turns out, who would cause one of them to eat so many green apples that he ends up sick, pants around his ankles, as his comrades march off to their doom. We are all God's fools, it seems. While this episode lies at the heart of the novel, the narrative is quite wide-ranging. The boy's father happens to be Chang, one of the famous Siamese twins brought to America by Phineas Barnum, and it is his (and, inevitably, his brother Eng's) story that Soulka details. This fascinating tale traces their birth and childhood in Siam, their travels and abandonment in Europe, the Barnum years, and their lives as slaveholding farmers in North Carolina (something of any irony in itself). Part historical novel, part commentary on the human condition, this powerful and often poetic novel belongs on the shelves of all public and most academic libraries. - Library Journal

So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy    -    Hopkinson, Nalo, editor

Lest postcolonial in the subtitle intimidate, let it be noted that this is a strong anthology that, regardless of thematic concern, showcases authors with some real experience of colonization from all over the world. Given that so much sf is concerned with encounters with the other or alien intending domination, the genre and colonialism are, of course, not strangers. The book's five sections are "The Body," the last of whose contents, Larissa Lai's fascinating "Rachel," glimpses a readily familiar character; "Future Earth," including Vandana Singh's "Delhi," in which one Aseem is unstuck in the city's timestream; "Allegory," which features a particularly chilling and timely presentation of enforced otherness in Wayde Compton's "The Blue Road: A Fairy Tale"; "Encounters with the Alien," in which Greg van Eekhout's "Native Aliens" questions the nature of being alien; and "Re-imagining the Past," with Tobias S. Buckell's "Necahual," about a soldier in a "liberation army" more concerned with making a pure-human society than with living with the no longer purely human and the natives of colonized planets. - Booklist

The Wheel of Time series    -    Jordan, Robert

If you've yet to experience the magic, mystery, excitement, and splendor of Robert Jordan's spectacular Wheel of Time fantasy series, now's your chance to get hooked, as have millions of fans worldwide. It all began with The Eye of the World , which launched the complex, spellbinding adventures of Rand, Egwene, Moiraine, Lan, and so many others. Find out why The New York Times recently said, "Robert Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal." - from the publisher

The Eye of the World     -    Jordan, Robert

Set in a world where two kinds of magic exist, one female and the other male, the Wheel of Time series features the hero Rand. Rand is on an epic quest to unite the diverse peoples of his planet against the Dark One, who threatens to destroy their world. His quest takes him through a series of complex and well-delineated alien cultures. Jo-Ann Goodwin in New Statesman and Society calls the Wheel of Time books "high fantasy that demands to be taken seriously. . . . [Jordan] has been rightly praised for creating an entirely convincing and compelling alternative world, complete with social systems, cultural differences and competing motivations." - Gale Research

The Great Hunt   -    Jordan, Robert

The eagerly awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed and national bestseller The Eye of the World . The monumental task of retrieving the lost Horn of Valere--the legendary horn that will raise the dead heroes of the Ages--rests on the shoulders of Rand al'Thor. Rand begins the long journey of discovery--a journey that starts with The Great Hunt .

The Dragon Reborn   -    Jordan, Robert

The New York Times bestseller--finally in paperback. Rand Al'Thor, the long-prophesied leader who will save the world, is on the run from his destiny. Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, Rand knows that he must ultimately face the Dark One--in a battle to the death. Named one of the Los Angeles Times Best Books for Winter Reading.


REFERENCE

Fodor's Great Britain (2005 )    -    Cabasin, Linda

Fuel up on tea and scones at the Queen's grocers, sip a pint in a time-burnished London pub, hike the moors along a wall the Romans built, see the rooms where Churchill charted the course of World War II — Fodor's Great Britain 2005 offers all these experiences and more! From London to Newcastle, our local writers have traveled the countryside, to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information." Features:   two-color interior design makes it easier to find the information you need; Fodor's Choice Ratings flag must-see sights and hidden treasures; hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets; multi-day itineraries to help you build the right trip for you and/or your family. - from the publisher

Frommer's Mexico   (2005)    -    Baird, David

Frommer's Mexico features gorgeous full-color photos of the white-sand beaches, mysterious ruins, and colorful market towns that await you. Our authors have lived in and written about Mexico for years, so they're able to provide valuable insights and advice. They'll steer you away from the touristy and the inauthentic, and show you the real heart of Mexico. Let them take you to exciting cities, charming colonial towns, lovely beach resorts, ancient ruins, traditional Maya villages, and natural wonders, from the Copper Canyon to the whale migration off Baja. Y ou'll travel Mexico like a pro with our candid advice and handy Spanish-language glossary. Also included are accurate regional and town maps (including site plans of the major ruins), up-to-date advice on finding the best package deals, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap! - from the publisher

All About North Carolina Wildflowers    -    Midgley, Jan W.

The perfect guide for beginners, veteran gardeners, or anyone who just wants to learn more about native North Carolina plants. Author Jan W. Midgley, one of the Souths foremost experts on native plants and plant propagation, brings a lifelong love of native plant culture to this unique nature book. “All About North Carolina Wildflowers” includes detailed information on these helpful topics: · Seed Collection · Plant Propagation · Plant Identification · Butterfly Attraction · Botanical Terms · Gardening Resources. - BooksAMillion

All About North Carolina Birds    -    Alsop, Fred J.

The only birding guide dedicated to meeting all the needs of the North Carolina birdwatcher. This book goes beyond photographs and descriptions into the realm of the personal side of birdwatching. In these information-packed pages you will learn how to create the environment necessary to attract and identify the birds you want to see—right in your own backyard. From garden plantings to photographic tips, “All About North Carolina Birds” links you to the beauty of North Carolina bird life and the passion of birdwatching in your own backyard. Included in the book are these helpful topics, appropriate for North Carolina birders of every age and experience level: · Creating the ultimate backyard for birdwatching · Practical solutions to the problems of squirrels · Capturing your birds on film · Identifying marks—Fred Alsop's “Which is It?” checklist. BooksAMillion


NONFICTION

Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic     -    Niven, Jennifer

It was controversial explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson who sent four young men and Ada Blackjack into the far North to colonize desolate, uninhabited Wrangel Island. Only two of the men had set foot in the Arctic before. They took with them six months' worth of supplies on Stefansson's theory that this would be enough to sustain them for a year while they lived off the land itself. But as winter set in, they were struck by hardship and tragedy. As months went by and they began to starve, they were forced to ration their few remaining provisions. When three of the men made a desperate attempt to seek help, Ada was left to care for the fourth, who was too sick to travel. Soon after, she found herself totally alone. Upon Ada's miraculous return after two years on the island, the international press heralded her as the female Robinson Crusoe. Journalists hunted her down, but she refused to talk to anyone about her harrowing experiences. Only on one occasion -- after being accused of a horrible crime she did not commit -- did she speak up for herself. All the while, she was tricked and exploited by those who should have been her champions. Jennifer Niven, author of The Ice Master, narrates this remarkable true story, taking full advantage of a wealth of primary sources, including Ada Blackjack's never-before-seen diaries, the unpublished journals of other major characters, and interviews with Ada's second son. Filled with exciting adventure and fascinating history -- as well as extraordinary photographs -- Ada Blackjack is a gripping and ultimately inspiring tale of a woman who survived a terrible time in the wild only to face a different but equally trying ordeal back in civilization. - from the publisher

After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000-5000 BC    -    Mithen, Steven

20,000 BC, the peak of the last ice age -- the atmosphere is heavy with dust; deserts and glaciers span vast regions; and people, if they survive at all, exist in small, mobile groups, facing the threat of extinction. But these people live on the brink of seismic change -- 10,000 years of climate shifts culminating in abrupt global warming that will usher in a fundamentally changed human world. After the Ice is the story of this momentous period -- one in which a seemingly minor alteration in temperature could presage anything from the spread of lush woodland to the coming of apocalyptic floods -- and one in which we find the origins of civilization itself. Drawing on the latest research in archaeology, human genetics, and environmental science, After the Ice takes the reader on a sweeping tour of 15,000 years of human history. Steven Mithen brings this world to life through the eyes of an imaginary modern traveler -- John Lubbock, namesake of the great Victorian polymath and author of Prehistoric Times. With Lubbock, readers visit and observe communities and landscapes, experiencing prehistoric life -- from aboriginal hunting parties in Tasmania, to the corralling of wild sheep in the central Sahara, to the efforts of the Guila Naquitz people in Oaxaca to combat drought with agricultural innovations. Part history, part science, part time travel, After the Ice offers an evocative and uniquely compelling portrayal of diverse cultures, lives, and landscapes that laid the foundations of the modern world. - from the publisher

The Big One: The Earthquake That Rocked Early America and Helped Create a Science   -    Page, Jake

In the Early 1800S a series of gargantuan earth tremors seized the American frontier. Tremendous roars and flashes of eerie light accompanied huge spouts of water and gas. Six-foot-high waterfalls appeared in the Mississippi River, thousands of trees exploded, and some 1,500 people -- in what was then a sparsely populated wilderness -- were killed. A region the size of Texas, centered in Missouri and Arkansas, was rent apart, and the tremors reached as far as Montreal. Forget the 1906 earthquake -- this set of quakes constituted the Big One. The United States would face certain catastrophe if such quakes occurred again. Could they? The answer lies in seismology, a science that is still coming to grips with the Big One. Jake Page and Charles Officer rely on compelling historical accounts and the latest scientific findings to tell a fascinating, long-forgotten story in which the naturalist John James Audubon, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, scientists, and charlatans all play roles. Whether describing devastating earthquakes or a dire year in a young nation, The Big One offers astounding breadth and drama. - from the publisher

 

Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones     -    Campbell, Greg

An ALA notable book.   Journalist Campbell takes the reader on a journey to the dark side of the glittering image of diamonds, a darkness too long out of sight of Euro-American consciousness. Campbell explores the significance of the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, the West African country formed by the British to reward African American slaves who fought for the Crown in the American Revolution. He recounts the horrors of this war-torn nation, with child-soldiers and deranged adults who have reportedly cut off the hands and elbows of innocents or even removed fetuses from pregnant women via machete. The underlying motivation for the violence and strife of Sierra Leone is centered in the diamond trade, much of it illegal smuggling sanctioned by the cartel DeBeers. The trade has earned the name "blood diamonds" and has financed conflicts and rebellions around the world, including the al-Qaeda network. Campbell notes that this same illegal diamond trading that has wrecked Sierra Leone may provide the basis for hope as the West is compelled to address the tragic circumstances of this war-torn nation. - Booklist

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America    -    Webb, James H.

Former navy secretary Webb ( Fields of Fire ; etc.) wants not only to offer a history of the Scots-Irish but to redeem them from their redneck, hillbilly stereotype and place them at the center of American history and culture. As Webb relates, the Scots-Irish first emigrated to the U.S., 200,000 to 400,000 strong, in four waves during the 18th century, settling primarily in Appalachia before spreading west and south. Webb's thesis is that the Scots-Irish, with their rugged individualism, warrior culture built on extended familial groups (the "kind of people who would die in place rather than retreat") and an instinctive mistrust of authority, created an American culture that mirrors these traits. - Publisher's Weekly

The Captured: A True Story of Abd uction by Indians on the Texas Frontier -    Zesch, Scott

Inspired by nearly forgotten family stories of a German-Texan forbear taken by Apache raiders at age ten, traded to the Comanche, and unable to readjust when forcibly returned three years later, historical novelist Zesch ( Alamo Heights ) changes hats to write a history of forced captivities on the Texas frontier. Zesch's thorough research includes accounts from several different families, both Texan and Comanche, which reveal how particular children adjusted to the severe and abrupt changes in their family, cultural, and personal identities as they were captured by Indians and subsequently seized by the U.S. Army. His writing vilifies neither the pioneer settlers nor the Native Americans. This modern and much-needed addition to Southern Plains Indian captivity literature expands the compass of the entire North American Indian captivity narrative genre to include the odyssey of "white Indian" readjustment to frontier settlement life. Highly recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries. - Library Journal

Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams   -    Martin, Paul

Scientist Martin ( The Healing Mind ) is on a mission to cure our "sleep-sick society" and convince us, for our own good, to start taking sleep more seriously. Pithy, wry and earthily humorous, this book is Martin's manifesto for a healthier society. He systematically critiques how our culture encourages us to skimp on sleep (usually so that we can work longer hours), and he rues the bad example of our befuddled, jet-lagged politicians. Applying scientific fact, theory and experiment, Martin demonstrates the similarity between sleeplessness and drunkenness; the links between the hours modern schoolchildren keep and ADHD; the role of sleeplessness in man-made disasters; and how sleeplessness and night shift work can contribute to serious illness. Martin highlights extreme abuses of sleep deprivation in torture and in warfare, while also celebrating sleep's creative power, telling of musicians who have woken up humming melodies and the scientists who benefited from the problem-solving qualities of deep REM sleep. When he discusses dreaming, Martin touches on the habits and beliefs of traditional societies as revealed by anthropologists, and neatly debunks Freud's interpretation of all dream imagery as sexual. A writer fully in command of his subject and his style, Martin reveals just how deeply and madly we pay for our collective indifference to the value of so simple a pleasure as a good night's sleep. - Publisher's Weekly

Coyote: Seeking the Hunter in Our Midst    -    Reid, Catherine

An appreciative piece of literary natural history chronicling the emergence of an eastern coyote population. Poet/naturalist Reid returned to her childhood homelands in the Berkshires and was captivated by another new arrival: the coyote, which had slipped into southern New England from Canada in the 1950s. "The habitat is ideal-because of the way we use it-for an animal to exploit a patchwork shaped by our dependence on electricity and cars," Reid writes. Without ever appearing to lecture, she conveys much of the information naturalists have gathered on the eastern coyote, a larger version of the western variety that shares some DNA with the wolves of Ontario, which gives rise to discussions of hybridization and mutualism. She outlines the coyote's place in our cultural landscape. The fear it engenders has roots in coyote attacks on young children, but deer hunters also loathe the coyote because it kills fawns; on the other hand, Reid tells of orchard owners who would be grateful for a thinned deer population. It's all about achieving balance, which is something a parallel story line shows the author seeking in her own Berkshire experience, the pleasure and trials of returning to a place she previously fled. Casts a fresh eye on the new canid in the neighborhood. - Kirkus

Enslaved by Ducks: How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order        -    Tarte, Bob

Tarte spent the first 38 years of his life as a city slicker and worked as a columnist for a reggae and world-music magazine. A move to the country and his wife's growing collection of indoor and outdoor animals soon changed Tarte's column into a collection of stories about the menagerie that was taking over his life. In his words: "Our animals have provided me with the only subject besides music that I've ever felt impassioned to write about." This book is Tarte's attempt to explain how his life came to be controlled by the wants and needs of bunnies, cats, and a variety of birds ranging from parrots to ducks, geese, and turkeys. With the good humor and positive outlook that can come only from having infinite patience and understanding, Tarte recounts some of his trials and tribulations, beginning with the arrival of Binky, a dwarf Dutch rabbit with destructive gnawing habits. Tarte misses the lesson on the folly of impulse buying and soon acquires a parrot named Ollie, who is so cantankerous that Tarte must return him after only three days. Not only did the author and his wife relent and reclaim Ollie but they even acquired other parrots, with equally disturbing results. This light and witty diversion is highly recommended for those who appreciate the value of good humor and a positive outlook on life. - Library Journal

The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf    -    Frost, Mark

In 1913, British golfer Harry Vardon, the Tiger Woods of his day, encountered an unexpected roadblock to winning the 1913 U.S. Open: an unknown 20-year-old American amateur named Francis Ouimet. Nobody was more surprised than Ouimet himself: The former caddie from the wrong side of the tracks had entered the match mainly to catch a few glimpses of Vardon, his hero. Instead, the young Massachusetts golfer matched Vardon and his British colleague Ted Ray stroke by stroke, round by round. At the end of 72 holes, the three golfers were tied, necessitating a playoff. Award-winning writer Mark Frost tells the story of "the greatest game ever played" as it's never been told before. - Barnes and Noble

His Excellency: George Washington    -    Ellis, Joseph J.

To the dismay of generations of historians, George Washington's personal papers offer little insight into his thinking and emotions. Using Washington's correspondence, reports of others, significant historical events, and his own creative insight, Ellis (Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation) offers a unique, personal look at America's premier Founding Father, revealing a man with incredible energy, stamina, integrity, and vision as well as one who could be quite insecure, controlling, and shortsighted. Ellis examines the evolution of Washington's personality and challenges conventional scholarship (arguing, e.g., that his greatest military move was the inoculation of his troops against smallpox). He also determines that Washington's decisions on slavery were driven more by economics and posterity than purely by morality. Like Henry Wiencek's An Imperfect God, this well-researched and -written book is fresh but not revisionist and will appeal to both lay readers and scholars. - Library Journal

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life    -    Fisher, Len

Scientists are constantly trying to make science accessible to the general public, but rarely are they as successful as physicist Fisher (Univ. of Bristol). Never taking himself too seriously (he is winner of Harvard University's 1999 IgNobel Prize for his work on the physics of cookie dunking), Fisher covers topics from the best way to use various hand tools to what makes a boomerang return to the thrower to how to dunk a cookie in coffee without losing a soggy mass into the depths of the cup. Every chapter contains a discussion of a different physical concept and can be taken individually or as part of the whole. Fisher's choice of topics will no doubt keep the reader engaged, as there are plenty of practical applications discussed, and he manages to walk that narrow line between frustrating complexity and patronizing simplification. A fabulously fun and interesting read (don't miss the additional anecdotes in the "Notes and References" section), this book is recommended for all popular science collections. - Library Journal

In the Hands of the Great Spirit: The 20,000-year History of American Indians    -    Page, Jake

This superlative popular history of American Indian peoples distills two generations of scholarship into a rare combination of readability and reliability. For former Smithsonian and Natural History editor Page, who is also a prolific mystery novelist and editor, it is a magnum opus. The early chapters establish, with compelling detail that draws on Indian oral history, that the origins of North America's first inhabitants were varied (including relatives of the Japanese Ainu), and that they were numerous, mostly agricultural, organized as civil societies, and living in mystical harmony neither with nature nor with one another. The book's second half details how European diseases, notably smallpox, arrived before most of the guns or large-scale colonies, with appalling consequences for the cohesion and survival of many tribes. What followed was fighting among tribes (such as the fate of the Pawnee at the hands of mounted rivals like the Sioux), deliberate genocide and sometimes well-intentioned but almost always badly executed government policies that left entire peoples in ruin. There are reprieves from tales of destruction: the Pueblo staged a successful revolt against the Spanish in 1680, while the Iroquois and Cherokee created synthetic cultures that tried to adapt to changing circumstances. The book ends with the discovery of Kennewick Man (Ainu kin), the Red Power movement and the profitable and controversial casino ownership by tribes like the Pequot. A smooth, engaged narrative a useful bibliographic essay, make this a book that fills an enormous gap in the popular historical literature, written with a great feel for the many contexts it addresses. - Publisher's Weekly

 

Infidels: A History of the Conflict Between Christendom and Islam   -    Wheatcroft, Andrew

An overview of the tortured relations between Christianity and Islam in various contexts including the Crusades, Spain, the Middle East and Bosnia. Wheatcroft opens his book with an account of the 1571 battle of Lepanto, where Christians triumphed over the Muslims. Using the theoretical writings of Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan and Stephen Greenblatt, Wheatcroft emphasizes that the conflict between the two religions most often devolved into a war of words in which one side used dehumanizing language to describe the other and to thereby sanction war. He helpfully brings his study into the 21st century by examining briefly the religious rhetoric that President Bush and General William Boykin have used to defend the attack on Iraq and other Muslim nations. - Publisher's Weekly

Mark Twain    -    Ziff, Larzer

The first entry in the "Lives and Legacies" series, which aims to take a fresh look at some of the greatest minds in the humanities and sciences, this book is packed with original observations about the most written-about American writer. Ziff (Johns Hopkins Univ.), one of America's foremost literary scholars, breaks his discussion into four parts "Celebrity," "Tourist," "Novelist," and "Humorist." Writing for readers with a working knowledge of the man and his best-known works, Ziff shows, for instance, how a sentence's grammatical structure accounts for its humor and how the brown skin of the natives of India "forcibly attracted Twain to color: the color of skin, the color of garments, and the warm vitality they signify." While he does not dwell at length on Twain's worldwide celebrity, his life with wife Livvie, or his growing pessimism, he does briefly discuss the minor novels The American Claimant and The Gilded Age, the unchanging character of Tom Sawyer, and Twain's righteous ire at Walter Scott's fictions. Highly recommended. - Library Journal

Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of   Lord Darnley   -    Weir, Alison

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), has for centuries fascinated historians and the general public, her life the stuff of Hollywood myth, involving murder, rape, adultery, abdication, imprisonment and execution. In bestselling historian Weir's (Henry VIII, etc.) able hands, we see the young Catholic queen ruling over Protestant Scotland and a group of unruly nobles. Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley, participated in the 1566 murder of Mary's favorite adviser, David Rizzio, after which Mary and Lord Darnley became estranged. Darnley himself was murdered the next year, and some historians have claimed that Mary plotted his death so she could marry her lover, Bothwell. But Weir argues convincingly that the evidence against Mary is fraudulent, part of a coverup initiated by rebellious lords. Weir tells how and why Darnley was killed, and, shockingly, reveals that Bothwell, whom Mary did marry, was one of the murderers. Mary's lords took up arms against her, and she was forced to abdicate, fleeing to England, where she expected her cousin Queen Elizabeth to help her regain her throne. Instead, Mary was held captive for 16 years and finally beheaded for plotting Elizabeth's assassination. Mary could not hope for a better advocate than Weir, who exhaustively evaluates the evidence against her and finds it lacking. Mary's ultimate sin, according to Weir, was not murder but consistently "poor judgment," especially in choosing men. This is entertaining popular history. - Publisher's Weekly

Pete Dunne on Bird Watching: The How-to, Where-to, and When-to of Birding   -    Dunne, Pete

Dunne, director of the Cape May Bird Observatory and author of such titles as Tales of a Low-Rent Birder, is a master essayist, full of wit, surprises, and eclectic know-how. His latest book is a superlative introduction to bird-watching that includes sidebars and cameo contributions from 30 other experts. Always lively and authoritative, Dunne enhances his entertaining text with pithy phrases such as "lawns are to species diversity what white bread is to nutrition" and "field guides-the Rosetta Stone to birds." Chapters describe backyard birding, tools of the trade, fundamentals, resources, new challenges, applied birding, tips to better birding, and ethics and responsibilities. Appendixes include a list of North American birds, societies, organizations, and web sites; and the code of birding ethics. Not overwhelming in its details, this excellent little guide is made to order for beginners, yet older birding hands will also find much in it that is useful. Highly recommended. - Library Journal

The Rape of the Nile: Tomb Robbers, Tourists, and Archaelogists in Egypt    -    Fagan, Brian M.

Fagan has written numerous archaeology books (e.g., The Little Ice Age, 2000), but his inaugural title from 1975 was out of print. This welcome revision recounts the encounter of all manner of people, from Herodotus to Howard Carter of Tutankhamen fame, with the pharaonic ruins of the Nile Valley. Modern interest in the imposing antiquity and scale of Giza, the Valley of the Kings, and the like dates from the French invasion of 1798, which included a scientific team--"the Enlightenment in action," in Fagan's words--to survey pyramids, temples, and tombs; its work provoked a rage in Europe for all things Egyptian. Some tackled the problem of unlocking hieroglyphics (achieved by Jean-Francois Champollion); others flexed their muscles to get the good stuff out of Egypt, like Giovanni Belzoni. By far the star attraction in Fagan's presentation, Belzoni was an ebulliently colorful character--a circus strongman in 1810 who chanced into the ancient Egypt craze and its accompanying lust for artifacts. That's how Egyptology began, and Fagan's history is a fine gateway to it. - Booklist

Shakespeare Well-Versed: A Rhyming Guide to All His Plays -    Muirden, James

Wonderfully funny.   James Muirden turns his pen to a British treasure - Shakespeare - and has distilled each of the thirty-six plays into a poem of a few pages. Plots and characters are crystallized to wonderful effect so that the outlines of even the least known historical plays emerge with clarity. How many and which plays is Falstaff in? A useful index of dramatis personae will lead you to the answer. And once again the book is illustrated with David Eccles's inimitable witty drawings. - W.H. Smith

Slavery and the Making of America    -    Horton, James Oliver

This is a companion volume to the PBS series which will air in February.   In this compact and lucid account of how "[t]he history of slavery is central to the history of the United States," the Hortons (Hard Road to Freedom, etc.) demonstrate the vital role that blacks played in landmarks of the American record (colonial settlement, the Revolution, westward expansion, the Civil War, Reconstruction). Africans and African-Americans appear not just as "passive laborers" but as shapers of American culture, from colonial politics to Southern cuisine. The authors reveal the myriad experiences of free and enslaved blacks and devote particular attention to the lives of women, both white and black. The oft-told tale is made fresh through up-to-date slavery scholarship, the extensive use of slave narratives and archival photos and, especially, a focus on individual experience. The well-known players (Attucks, Vesey, Tubman, Douglass) appear, but so do the more anonymous ones-the planter's wife and the slave driver share space with the abolitionist and the Confederate soldier, and all are skillfully etched. As the Hortons chronicle lives from freedom in Africa to slavery in America and beyond, they tell an integral American story, a tale not of juxtaposition but of edgy oneness. -Publisher's Weekly

The Street Law Handbook: Surviving Sex, Drugs, and Petty Crime    -    Viswanathan, Neeraja

Inside you'll find: snappy legal definitions and the inside scoop on your rights; hilarious true tales of small-time crimes; easy tips to keep yourself on the right side of the law; and an overview of the most common drugs in America - and the consequences of using them. - from the publisher

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith    -    Krakauer, Jon

The split between the Fundamentalists and the official Mormon church is the backdrop for Jon Krakauer's new book, Under the Banner of Heaven , in which he explores the fanatical fringe of Mormonism and the nexus between extremist faith and predatory violence through the story of a bone-chilling double murder committed in 1984 in the heart of Mormon country. - Los Angeles Times

What Good Are Bugs?: Insects in the Web of Life    -    Waldbauer, Gilbert

Bugs. In general, we do not like them. However, if all the insects were to disappear from the earth, then almost every terrestrial ecosystem would totally unravel. Why are insects so important to terrestrial life on our planet? And how do they achieve this level of importance? In this elegant survey of insect ecology,Waldbauer, an entomologist and author ( The Birder's Bug Book , 1998) instructs readers on the major roles insects play. He provides numerous examples for every aspect of insect ecology he discusses, sprinkling reports from the scientific literature with personal anecdotes from his many years of research. A 26-page bibliography provides more information, and scattered halftone drawings illustrate many concepts. This is an excellent introduction to insect ecology and will be valued in any library. - Booklist

Who We Are Now: The Changing Face of America in the Twenty-first Century    -    Roberts, Sam

The results of the 2000 census are now in, and in Who We Are Now the veteran New York Times journalist Sam Roberts identifies and illuminates the trends and social transformations that are changing the face of America. Ten years ago Roberts wrote the critically acclaimed book Who We Are , which painted America's portrait based on the 1990 census, but the intervening decade has witnessed such dramatic changes that the old self-portrait no longer applies. The United States is an older and more racially and ethnically diverse country than ever before, and the average American household in no longer a nuclear family living in a northeastern or midwestern metropolitan area. - from the publisher.   Roberts stitches patches of statistical information together with a slender, though not always silken, narrative. He begins with this: the average American is a 35-year-old woman living in her own home in the metro West or South. In 1900, this statistical citizen was a 26-year-old man renting property in rural America. Roberts explains the importance of demographics, then devotes himself to such subjects as households, aging, transience, race, income, and education. (Intriguingly, there's little on religion.) He ends with a view of how the US fits statistically into today's world. Along the way, some data surprise: Only 52% of households contain a married couple. Two-thirds of black children are born out of wedlock. New York City hosts 26,402 people per square mile. One out of 32 adults is or has been in prison. Only 20% of college students fit what the author calls the "Joe College" model: a resident student in a four-year program. Other findings confirm common observation. Florida is the "oldest" state; our population is shifting to the Southwest; women and blacks earn less than white men in similar occupations. Some of the findings also have profound social implications. More than 10% of black men in their late 20s are in prison. Ballooning older generations challenge the capacity of the younger to support them. Always useful, often entertaining, rarely dull. - Kirkus

Introduction to English Poetry    -    Fenton, James

In this eminently readable guide to his abiding passion, Fenton has distilled the essence of a library's and a lifetime's -- worth of delight. What is English poetry? Fenton argues that it includes any recited words in English that marshal rhythm for their meaning -- among them prisoners' work songs. Broadway show tunes, and the cries of street vendors captured in verse Catholic in his taste, sharp in his distinctions, and charmingly frank. Fenton is an ideal guide to everything to do with poetry, from the temperament of poets to their accomplishments, in all their variety. In his prose and verse. Fenton has always had the virtue of saying, in a way that seems effortless, precisely what lies at the heart of the matter. In this vein, An Introduction to English Poetry is one of his highest achievements. - from the publisher

 

Mayada, Daughter of Iraq: One Woman's Survival Under Saddam Hussein    -    Sasson, Jean

Mayada Al-Askari is a true daughter of Iraq. This self-reliant print shop owner traced her heritage to one of the most distinguished and honored families in the country. One grandfather fought alongside Lawrence of Arabia; the other is recognized as the first true Arab nationalist, publicly admired by even Saddam Hussein. Mayada's uncle was Iraq's prime minister for nearly 40 years; her mother, a high government official. Yet all her venerated forebears could not guard her from the tyranny of Saddam's system. In 1999, she was seized without warning and thrown into a tiny cell in Baghdad's notorious Baladiyat Prison, which she shared with 17 equally unlucky "shadow women." This book records her courageous story and theirs. - Barnes and Noble

New Killer Diseases: How the Alarming Evolution of Mutant Genes Threatens Us All    -    Levy, Elinor

As if bioterrorism weren't scary enough, now comes word that nature itself is gunning for us in the form of rapidly evolving pathogens. Immunologist Levy (Microbiology/Boston Univ.) and Scientific American contributing editor Fischetti join forces to tell a gripping tale of flesh-eating bacteria, drug-resistant and highly infectious bacilli, mutant flu viruses, and brain-destroying prions. Their informative work gets its human touch from the personal stories of victims and of the medical men and women struggling to understand and combat a host of horrific diseases. In gruesome detail, the authors recount the illnesses of people killed by new and deadly strains of strep and E. coli, describe how Mad Cow disease destroys the brain, and report on the extraordinary difficulty of treating someone with both multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV. After reminding us of the millions around the world killed by the flu in the past century, they warn that another global flu pandemic is now overdue and a vaccine for it unlikely. Anyone believing that infectious diseases are a thing of the past will have their sense of security shattered by this alarming report. The authors' scare tactics, however, have a purpose: raising public awareness of just how serious and complex the fight against evolving microbes is, and thereby creating pressure for needed changes in how antibiotics are used in medicine and agriculture and for increases in scientific research funds and public health budgets. The final chapter, "What We Must Do," sums up some of the actions that individuals and governments can take in the ongoing war between humankind and super pathogens. Given the emergence and headline-making spread fromAsia of the mysterious new killer SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), the warnings sounded here seem especially timely. Disturbing cry of alarm about a threat to human survival the world appears ill-prepared to counter. - Kirkus

 

The Ride Together: A Brother and Sister's Memoir of Autism in the Family    -    Karasik, Paul

Meet the Karasiks, a typical middle-class 1960s family: one mother, one father, one daughter, and three sons, one of whom, David, has autism. The Ride Together is an extraordinary family memoir told in alternating chapters of comics and text. With a narrative that stretches over nearly fifty years, Paul and Judy Karasik -- he writes with pictures, she with words -- unite to relate the story of their family, their brother David, and the history of their relationship with him. In doing so, each comes to understand the responsibility David represents and the meaning his life gives theirs. In the pages of The Ride Together, David grows from child to man, remaining dependent on others, even as he witnesses his siblings leaving home -- and him -- for careers and lives of their own. He speaks in a code of his own; he performs his own versions of The Adventures of Superman and Face the Nation; he writes page after page of television synopses. What he understands of life and death no one can truly tell, yet David walks through his days with dignity and, as it turns out, endurance. At first glance the adventure of this book is its brilliant experiment of form -- the story of a brother with autism told in a style that is as unusual as the subject matter. But The Ride Together goes deeper than that: It takes a family that may appear strange to some -- like many families with disabilities -- and reveals a group of people whose acceptance of what life has dealt them helps them persevere through good times and bad. Praised by writers for its craft and by families for its authenticity, The Ride Together provides a remarkable portrait of a family with a difference. - from the publisher

College Essays That Made a Difference    -    Princeton, Review

This book begins with essay fundamentals: grammar and punctuation, what colleges are looking for, topics that work (and topics that don't), and how much the essay really matters in admissions. The second part offers a Q & A with admissions officers from such elite institutions as Amherst, Johns Hopkins, US Coast Guard Academy, and Yale. The bulk of the book, however, is given over to 89 real essays, along with profiles of the students who wrote them-including which colleges accepted the students and which rejected them. An index of essay themes (e.g., "Accidents Will Happen," "Family Ties," "Oh! The Places I've Been," "Summer Camp," "Race Relations") will help readers to locate essays on topics similar to those they might be contemplating. Note that these students are all "top applicants," with great academic records and test scores, and their essays are pretty darn good. - KLIATT

Marbling Paper & Fabric : Projects, Patterns, Instructions    -    Taylor, Carol

A colourful guide to the use of marbling for contemporary projects. 20 patterns with step-by-step instructions show how to reproduce the designs and how to apply them to different types of projects, including letterheads, envelopes, wrapping paper, gift book covers, pillow cases and quilts. - from the publisher

The Complete Wilderness Training Book    -    McManners, Hugh

Whether the reader intends to walk through the rain forest or merely contemplate doing so, McManners' effort is a treat. Color photos and drawings clarify and embellish the text's points about where to look for drinking water in various wild locales, how to use invertebrates as food, etc. (The cooking section, with its instructions on such culinary endeavors as constructing a tepee smoker for preparing meats, might prove a suitable source of projects for casual campers and scout troops.) What's more, and more entertaining, the British import is more international in scope than some similar American works. McManners considers survival not only in familiar outdoor environments but also in such extreme places as serious deserts and jungles. Nor does he focus only on land survival, for there are sections on abandoning ship and surviving at sea during extreme weather. So although it has plenty in its rich store of information and advice for the weekend camper and nature lover, the book is fit reading for the hardcore survivalist as well. Meanwhile, the merely curious will revel in the lovely pictures. - Booklist

Who Moved My Cheese?: For Teens    -    Johnson, Spencer

A teen version of the bestseller.   A group of friends are discussing a difficult change in their class schedule. To help them out, Chris tells the story of Who Moved My Cheese? , where four characters-Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry-search through a maze for Cheese, a metaphor for what you want to have in life. As they find and lose the Cheese, some of the characters learn to move with the Cheese and discover how to deal with change. After Chris finishes the story, the friends discuss how it applies to the changes they all face, such as doing well at school, divorce, relationships or just feeling good about one's self, and how they might react more positively in the future. - from the publisher

Life Strategies for Teens    -    McGraw, Jay

"Are you as tired as I am of books constantly telling you the same old Brady Bunch , Beaver Cleaver, goody-two-shoes BS about doing your best to understand your parents, doing your homework, making curfew, getting a haircut, dropping that hemline, and blah blah blah?" So inquires Jay McGraw, son of bestselling author Phillip C. McGraw, in the introduction to the younger, hipper version of his father's Life Strategies . This funny, straightforward guide helps teens steer rather than drift in life, dealing honestly with topics from peer pressure to TV addiction with the underlying mantra, "Don't like it? Change it." Divided into the same 10 "Life Laws" that are in his father's book (from "We teach people how to treat us" to "There is power in forgiveness"), McGraw urges teens to take control of their lives at every turn. That said, he doesn't expect any young person to respond to the way his father's book is written, so he translates "People do what works" to "The truth about why you can act so weird" and "Life rewards action" to "What are you waiting for? Get it in gear!" He demands that his readers ask themselves hard questions about missed opportunities, perceptions, self-sabotage, and personal shortcomings so they can figure out what's not working and fix it. Why? So that they can turn dreams into goals--with specific timelines and strategies. There's no doubt that the book has the enthusiastic pounding zeal of an aerobics instructor. But it makes a lot of sense, and if a teen took even a few of these lessons to heart, he or she would be more in control than most adults. - Amazon.com

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens    -    Covey, Sean

Based on his father's bestselling The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Sean Covey applies the same principles to teens, using a vivacious, entertaining style. To keep it fun, Covey writes, he "stuffed it full of cartoons, clever ideas, great quotes, and incredible stories about real teens from all over the world... along with a few other surprises." Did he ever! Flip open to any page and become instantly absorbed in real-life stories of teens who have overcome obstacles to succeed, and step-by-step guides to shifting paradigms, building equity in "relationship bank accounts," creating action plans, and much more.   As a self-acknowledged guinea pig for many of his dad's theories, Sean Covey is a living example of someone who has taken each of the seven habits to heart: be proactive; begin with the end in mind; put first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergize; and sharpen the saw. He includes a comical section titled "The 7 Habits of Highly Defective Teens," which includes some, shall we say, counterproductive practices: put first things last; don't cooperate; seek first to talk, then pretend to listen; wear yourself out... Covey's humorous and up-front style is just light enough to be acceptable to wary teenagers, and down-and-dirty enough to really make a difference.

Dating with Confidence: A Teen's Survival Guide    -    Jarosz, Jacqueline

It doesn't guarantee to wipe away all your apprehensions, but it should help you feel better about the dating scene.

The Human Machine: The Anatomical Structure and Mechanism of the Human Body    -    Bridgeman, George

Each section of body from skeletal level through adding muscles to life form. Over 400 illus. - from the publisher

Bridgman's Life Drawing    -    Bridgman, George

More than 500 drawings and text teach you to abstract the body into its major masses. Also specific areas of anatomy. - from the publisher

Heads, Features and Faces    -    Bridgeman, George

Helpful approach to difficult area. Almost 200 drawings plus text and examples from work of Vermeer, Hals, Rembrandt, others. - from the publisher

The Book of a Hundred Hands    -    Bridgeman, George

100 illustrations plus instructive text. No better coverage available. - from the publisher

Latin American Art of the 20 th Century    -    Lucie-Smith, Edward

This comprehensive survey introduces an exceptionally rich, fascinating, and complex art that has gained great popularity in recent years. Edward Lucie-Smith discusses all the major subjects and issues: magic realism, expressionism, and other concepts shared with Latin American literature; the great muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco; the interaction of politics, society, and art; the continuing interest in folk art; and the dialogue between avant-garde European and North American movements and "indigenist" thinking in the work of artists such as Wifredo Lam, Matta, Rufino Tamayo, and Frida Kahlo. Many other artists from the 1900s to the present day are included in this compelling look at a great body of brilliantly original and imaginative art. - from the publisher

The Quest for Arthur's Britain    -    Ashe, Geoffrey

Solid facts about Arthur and his knights have emerged through the work of archaeologists. This book examines the historical foundations of the Arthurian tradition, and then, in five archaeological chapters, presents the results of excavations to date at Cadbury (reputed site of Camelot), Tintagel, Glastonbury and less-known places. - from the publisher.   "A useful compendium of information about the Arthurian problem, the Arthurian legend, and about what archaeology says of western Britain between A.D.and 600...this work is of great importance and interest: long may it continue and prosper." - The Guardian

VIDEOS

The Hermitage: A Russian Odyssey

                  Volume I: Catherine the Great: A Lust for Art (video)

                                  This is the first of Rod McLeish's three-part series on the history of the Hermitage--St. Petersburg's and Russia's most important art museum, containing one of the greatest art collections in the world. McLeish uses the works inside the museum as a microcosm of the Russian history transpiring without, and he weaves a Russian history in and out of the wiles of the czars and czarinas who contributed to the collection. Catherine the Great was indeed the first true patron of the Hermitage's collections--she spent millions on acquiring mainly Western masterpieces; her collection of Dutch masters was particularly significant. The video balances its showcase of Catherine's collections with the opulent architecture that also became a trademark of her reign--interspersed with historical accounts of her 34-year reign. Ideal for the Russian history buff and the Russian art buff alike, Catherine the Great: Lust for Art will amuse and inform no end. With stunning art and dramatic readings from Catherine the Great's diaries, this intriguing program investigates a self-professed "glutton for beauty," who feasted daily on Rembrandts, Rubens, and Bruegels. Like her predecessor Peter the Great, who built St. Petersburg with the best Europe had to offer, Catherine ruled Russia with an insatiable appetite for Western culture. She cunningly purchased massive art collections from Europe's monarchs, then created the Hermitage Museum in the Winter Palace (1754-1762) to house her treasures. In less than 40 years, she acquired more masterpieces than the Louvre had amassed in four centuries. From the construction of a dazzling capital city to the shocking Palace murder of Czar Peter II, Catherine the Great illuminates the world of opulence and intrigue only a czar could comprehend. - from the producer

Volume II:   Tyrants and Heroes: The Nineteenth Century Czars (video)

                                  This second in Rod McLeish's three-part video series on the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg highlights the turbulence of the 19th century, both in arts and politics. The Gallery of Heroes, added to the museum in 1815 by Alexander I, celebrates in painting Russia's victory over Napoléon's armies--who only three years hence had seized Moscow. McLeish details Alexander's additions to the Hermitage with French and Spanish collections. Under Nicholas I in 1837, the Hermitage burned to the ground--but every work of art inside was saved. The structure was rebuilt within 15 months, and Nicholas was able to transform the Hermitage from a palace proper to a museum, including an addition specifically for his Roman sculpture. McLeish's narrative intertwines history with art; increasing political instability under Alexander II and Alexander III led to a kind of xenophobia that brought the first Russian Gallery to the Hermitage as well as the archeological treasures unearthed in Ukraine--impressive pre-Indo-European Scythian gold work. Perfect for both the history aficionado and the art lover, Tyrants and Heroes: 19th-Century Czars is a provocative and entertaining document on the art and history to the end of the Imperial era. Marked by dramatic contrasts, this fascinating program depicts the 19th-century's wrenching violence and the resplendent art Russian royalty collected during the turbulent era. Rod MacLeish puts remarkable paintings, statues, and end-of-the-century photographs in their historical contexts: the War of 1812, when Russian officers lingered in Paris, absorbing Western ideals and buying artwork; the autocratic reign of Nicholas I who fiercely repressed his people, yet lavished money on the Hermitage; and the progressive rule of Alexander II, which ended tragically in murder. From the priceless discoveries of Russia's first archaeological commission, to Alexander III's reign of terror, Tyrants and Heroes explores the uplifting and destructive forces that shaped Russia and its prized museum. - from the producer

Volume III: From Czars to Commissars: A Museum Survives (video)

This last installment of Rod McLeish's three-part series on the history of the Hermitage is in some ways the most fascinating. The economic, political, and social pressures of a dissatisfied peasant class (descendants of serfs emancipated only 80 years before), World War I, and a disintegrating imperial power structure lead to the abdication of Nicholas II. His family was arrested and moved out of the Hermitage where they had lived in St. Petersburg, replaced by the ministers of the provisional government. Soon thereafter, the Bolsheviks stormed the Hermitage and arrested the provisional government--and the Soviet Union was born. McLeish offers an interesting contradiction in Communist attitudes toward art: Lenin felt that art should play a role in a socialist society; Stalin "could not have cared less" about art, says McLeish, even selling off valuable items for a fraction of their worth to buy farming equipment and food. Equally as dangerous to the Hermitage's priceless collections was World War II itself--the entire contents of the museum were packed in crates and sent by train--two of the three trains managed to leave the city before the Germans lay siege--to secret locations in the Urals. This six-day evacuation of thousands of paintings, sculptures, and jewels was one of the largest art-preservation actions in history. McLeish uses the Hermitage as a stage to present Russia's 20th-century history--more specifically the history of St. Petersburg, turned Petrograd, turned Leningrad--alternating impressive paintings and architecture with video and photography from the area. Students of both history and art will indeed find McLeish's documentary informative and enthrallingIn this moving final program, vintage film footage illustrating the horrors of revolution and war plays counterpoint to the breathtaking works of Matisse, Renoir, and Picasso. When Nicholas II succumbed to the people's revolution, and Lenin rose to power, the Hermitage became the world's largest museum, increased by thousands of works previously held in private collections. Its status was then greatly diminished when Stalin succeeded Lenin and sold many of the museum's irreplaceable treasures for cash. Yet, the museum survived Stalin, as well as World War II, when two-thirds of its collection was transported safely out of Leningrad before the Nazi siege. From Czars to Commissars eloquently chronicles this incredible institution's triumphs over cataclysmic world events, even the dramatic fall of communism. - from Amazon.com and the publisher