New Books

October 2004

MAPS

Exploring Space Weather / New Views of Our Sun

The sun's impact on earth's weather is depicted graphically.

Everest at 50

"The work of generations of surveyors--stretching back to the days of George Everest himself--undergirds the bedrock of this most detailed digital model of Mount Everest ..."   Shows expeditions and passes used over the past 50 years and text

The Two Koreas

Urban area population, Military and nuclear capacity, and economic and armament graphs.   The forgotten war : three long years in Korea (map and text depicting the history of the Korean War)

Bird Migration: Eastern and Western Hemispheres

Includes accompanying notation for migration flyways, selected bird routes, and where to see birds.

North American Indian Cultures / Indian Country

Contents: Maps:   location of Indian languages; locations of Native American homelands today; series of four maps with descriptive text showing how the expansion of the US shrunk the Native American lands / Text blocks:   Descriptions of over 20 Indian languages / Indian innovations in clothing, food, sports, etc.; Indian leaders of today and yesterday.

From the map:   “Nearly half the world's leading food crops can be traced to plants first domesticated by Indians. Native farmers introduced Europeans to a cornucopia of plants, including potatoes, peanuts, manioc, beans, tomatoes, sunflowers, and yams. Maize, or corn, was by far the most significant contribution, now grown on every continent except Antarctica…Indians also introduced the cultivation and use of tobacco.”

REFERENCE

The Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times   -    Burt, Daniel S.

If you are looking to brush up on your literary knowledge, check a favorite author's work, or see a year's bestsellers at a glance, The Chronology of American Literature is the perfect resource. At once an authoritative reference and an ideal browser's guide, this book outlines the indispensable information in America's rich literary past--from major publications to lesser-known gems--while also identifying larger trends along the literary timeline.

Who wrote the first published book in America? When did Edgar Allan Poe achieve notoriety as a mystery writer? What was Hemingway's breakout title? With more than 8,000 works by 5,000 authors, The Chronology makes it easy to find answers to these questions and more. Authors and their works are grouped within each year by category: fiction and nonfiction; poems; drama; literary criticism; and publishing events. Short, concise entries describe an author's major works for a particular year while placing them within the larger context of that writer's career. The result is a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of some of America's most prominent writers.

Perhaps most important, The Chronology offers an invaluable line through our literary past, tying literature to the American experience--war and peace, boom and bust, and reaction to social change. You'll find everything here from Benjamin Franklin's "Experiments and Observations on Electricity," to Davy Crockett's first memoir; from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" to Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome; from meditations by James Weldon Johnson and James Agee to poetry by Elizabeth Bishop. Also included here are seminal works by authors such as Rachel Carson, Toni Morrison, John Updike, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

Lavishly illustrated and rounded out with handy bestseller lists throughout the twentieth century, lists of literary awards and prizes, and authors' birth and death dates. - from the publisher

The Complete Encyclopedia of Birds and Bird Migration    -    Perrins, Christopher M.

Everything you need to know about birds and their way of life. Comprehensive, authoritative coverage of all the mysteries of bird migration, featuring innovative computer-generated maps tracing the migration routes of more than 100 important species. Over 1,200 bird species illustrated and described in a detailed species-by-species encyclopedia. Packed with all the hard information birders and bird enthusiasts need in order to fully appreciate birds, their behavior and the irreplaceable part they play in our natural heritage. - from the publisher

Essential Shakespeare Handbook   -    Dunton-Downer, Leslie

Organized according to the categories of plays and including a section on his nondramatic poetry, this is an excellent basic tool for gaining insight into the Bard's poetic genius. Each of the categories–histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances–commences with a well-written essay that explains the nature of the genre (and the place of Shakespeare's works within it) and discusses the themes and ideas that lay behind the poet's words. A more in-depth analysis of each play follows: a look at the sources that inspired it, an act-by-act plot outline (with relevant quotes), an annotated list of the dramatis personae, ideas to ponder when reading/seeing the play, and, finally, a discussion of issues associated with the play and/or its productions. Each treatment is liberally peppered with informative sidebars, as well as with clear, color photos of relevant people and places. For the poems, similarly organized information is offered. A number of useful discussions help put the pieces into their full literary context. A biography of the playwright, an essay on Elizabethan society and the theater it spawned, a discussion of the overall canon, and an explanation of Shakespeare's language and poetic meters round out the text.- School Library Journal

The Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms -    Terban, Marvin

This guide to idioms provides the student with an opportunity to ured bring color to their speech every day. Included are idioms from Native American and African American speech as well as the Bible, Aesop, and Shakespeare. - from the publisher

Merck Manual of Medical Information (Second Home Edition)    -    Beers, Mark H.

The Merck Manual has traditionally provided exclusive, up-to-the-minute information to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Now, with this special Home Edition, the general public can access virtually the same critical data contained in the physician's version -- but in everyday language and a reader-friendly format. With contributions from nearly 200 internationally respected medical experts, this fully revised edition offers vital, easy-to-understand information about almost every known medical issue. Featuring original illustrations and diagrams, an A-Z listing of brand-name and generic drugs, and an appendix of medical resources.

500 Great Books by Women: A Reader's Guide    -    Bauermeister, Erica

Representing diverse voices and cultures ranging from the thirteenth century to the contemporary period, the 500 works by women recommended in this guide are those that the compilers "found to be thought-provoking, beautiful, and satisfying." Among the selections are works by Aphra Behn, Jane Austen, Marguerite Duras, Barbara Tuchman, Gail Godwin, and Amy Tan.

To be considered for inclusion, books had to be written in prose, available in English, and in print. Although approximately half were published in the U.S., the selections also represent 70 other countries. The compilers note that they made a particular effort to include works by women of color and those originally written in languages other than English.

The bibliography is divided into 21 sections according to broad themes, among them "Growing Old," "Mothers and Mothering," and "Power." Each section is preceded by a brief introduction and a list of the titles and authors of the works treated in that section. The entries, which are arranged alphabetically by title, include rather skimpy bibliographic information: author, year of publication, country of book content, and translation information (when appropriate). Each work is also identified by genre (e.g., essays, novel, autobiography). The lively and captivating annotations of 225-250 words were written by the compilers or one of the 30 other women who served as contributors. Skillfully written and unabashedly enthusiastic, the descriptions, which are frequently interspersed with carefully chosen excerpts, succeed in enticing the reader.

Five indexes provide access by title, author, date of publication, genre, and region and country, while two additional indexes identify books about people of color in the U.S. and those with lesbian or gay themes.

DVDs

The Elegant Universe    -    DVD

Beginning with simple and clear explanations of major concepts of physics, including gravity, electromagnetism, and relativity, this DVD illuminates one of the most revolutionary theories in physics today.   The string theory, or superstring theory, proposes that the fundamental ingredients of nature are inconceivably tiny strands of energy, whose different modes of vibration underlie everything that happens in the Universe.

The Life of Mammals    -    DVD

4 DVD set.   Introduces us to the most diverse group of animals ever to live on this planet. From the smallest to the largest, from the slowest to the fastest, from the least attractive to the most irresistable. Looks at 4,000 species, including ones that have outlived the dinosaurs and conquered the farthest places on Earth. Examine how their adaptations for finding food have had an effect on the way they socialize, mate and live.   Hosted by David Attenborough

Ghosts of Rwanda    -    DVD

A special two-hour "Frontline" documentary to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide--a state sponsored massacre in which some 800,000 Rwandans were methodically hunted down and murdered by Hutu extremists. The program examines the social, political, and diplomatic failure that converged to enable the genocide to occur. Through interviews with key government officials and diplomats such as UN Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, soldiers, survivors and perpetrators, "Ghosts of Rwanda" presents ground-breaking, first hand accounts of the genocide from those who lived it.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World    -    DVD

"Discover the glory of this gift from France in a breathtaking look at the creation and restoration of "Liberty enlightening the world." Bonus feature: "Ellis Island" episode of The History Channel's Emmy-winning series Save our History ; Statue of Liberty Facts

NONFICTION

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare    -    Greenblatt, Stephen

For all his generosity in enriching world literature with deathless characters--Romeo and Juliet, Falstaff and Bottom, Hamlet and Othello--Shakespeare kept his own personality remarkably hidden. A Harvard scholar here sheds penetrating light on this enigmatic genius, teasing out the mystery of artistic transformation by carefully connecting the Bard's brilliant verse to his times and circumstances. We see the importance of probable early encounters with Marlowe, Watson, Nashe, and other prominent dramatists, and at the other end of Shakespeare's meteoric career, Greenblatt discerns the alchemy that converted fears of old age into the fury of King Lear and transformed mingled pride and misgivings over a lifetime's work into the autumnal poise of The Tempest . As the same spirit of sympathetic inquiry--by turns subtly speculative and candidly skeptical--plays over other key episodes in Shakespeare's life, readers finally glimpse the exceptional man who turned poetry into a panoramic mirror for all of humanity. A valuable resource for both professional and casual Shakespeareans. - Booklist

Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past    -    Raphael, Ray

Patrick Henry never said, "Give me liberty or give me death!" In fact, no record exists of what he said in his powerful call to arms of March 23, 1775. And Molly Pitcher never took her husband's place at a cannon after he fell at the Battle of Monmouth. Historian Raphael dissects these and 11 other myths of the American Revolution to uncover the truth of these famous events a nd the significance of their conversion into myth. Most American history texts plot, well-sketched secondary characters, strong pacing and appealing heroi today repeat or don't debunk those falsehoods. Nor do they question Samuel Adams' radical firebrand image (he was really very cautious) and the authenticity of Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech (concocted by a biographer long after Henry opted for the latter). The problem with letting the lies and half-truths stand, Raphael says, is that they effectually blot out the real grassroots, democratic character of a movement that, after all, culminated in a nation that prides itself on democracy. While addressing teachers, in particular, Raphael relays so much forgotten or never-known history and argues so well why it, not the legends, should be remembered that virtually any American will profit from reading this lively, intelligent book. - Publishers Weekly and Booklist

Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner   -    Schafer, Daniel

Traces the history of Anna Madgigine Jai from her homeland of Senegal, where she was captured at about 13 years of age in 1806 and sold to Zephaniah Kingsley, a maritime merchant, slave trader, and later an abolitionist. Kingsley eventually married Anna, made her manager of his plantation, and fathered four children with her. Anna was an independent, enterprising woman, who managed the plantation for 25 years until expanding U.S. territory threatened race relations, the family's cohesion, and inheritance rights. The family fled to Haiti, but after her husband's death Anna returned to the U.S. to answer legal challenges to his will, which left sizable portions of his estate to her and their children. This is a fascinating look at an extraordinary woman and the complexities of slavery beyond the common image of slavery in the South. - Booklist

Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists    -    Best, Joel

When it comes to thinking about statistics, there are four kinds of people: awestruck, naive, cynical, and critical. According to sociologist Joel Best, the vast majority of people are naive (yes, you too probably suffer from a mild case of innumeracy), and the result is mutant statistics, guesswork, and poor policy decisions. "Bad statistics live on," writes Best in this highly accessible book, "they take on lives of their own." Take this one:   an original estimate that 150,000 women were anorexic, made by concerned activists, mutated into 150,000 women dying from the disorder annually (the truth: about 70 women a year). But these mutant statistics have been published and passed along as facts for years, enduring long after the truth has been pointed out.

In an effort to turn people into critical thinkers , Best presents three questions to ask about all statistics and the four basic sources of bad ones. He shows how good statistics go bad; why comparing statistics from different time periods, groups, etc. is akin to mixing apples and oranges; and why surveys do little to clarify people's feelings about complex social issues. Random samples, it turns out, are rarely random enough. He also explains what all the hoopla is over how the poverty line is measured and the census is counted. What is the "dark figure"? How many men were really at the Million Man March? How is it possible for the average income per person to rise at the same time the average hourly wage is falling? And how do you discern the truth behind stat wars? Learn it all here before you rush to judgment over the next little nugget of statistics-based truth you read. - Amazon.com

High Tide: The Truth about Our Climate Crisis   -    Lynas, Mark

Telling the story of climate change through his personal experience and those of ordinary individuals is strategically brilliant. While Lynas includes the requisite barrage of numbers and statistics and notes to support his examples, the real-life stories -- the human and emotional content -- are what make High Tide a compelling and powerful read, albeit profoundly depressing. Clearly the unpleasantness is upon us. - The Washington Post

The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer through Frost    -    Bloom, Harold

Six centuries of great British and American poetry.   The vast scope of this anthology begins with Chaucer and ends with poets whose births predate 1900. Bloom has culled his selection according to his three absolute criteria: aesthetic splendor, intellectual power, and wisdom.   Featured in this volume is a substantial and significant introductory essay called "The Art of Reading Poetry." This essay presents Bloom's critical reflections on more than a half century devoted to reading, teaching, and writing about the literary achievement he loves best, and conveys his passionate concern for how a poem should be interpreted and appreciated. Throughout this anthology, Bloom includes extensive introductions to each poet and to many of the individual poems. In such commentaries, Bloom guides the reader through what is most relevant for a true understanding of the more than one hundred poets selected. -from the publisher

Atlas of the Skies: Journeying Between the Stars and Planets in the Discovery of the Universe   

Beautiful photographs and illustrations, star charts, astronomical facts and history.

Prelude to the Century: 1870-1900    -    Editors of Time-Life

Wonderful photographs accompanied by text.

Contents:   Nation on the move: America 1870- 1900 -- The frontier: an expanding America -- Holidays: communal occasions for fun -- Cycling: a nation hits the road -- Occupations: job opportunities abound -- Education: drill, drill, drill -- The press: journalism in transition -- The Victorians: an era of ornate excess -- Nostrums: a gullible nation gets conned -- Building the city: the metropolis takes shape -- Amusements and pastimes: a wealth of diversions -- Picture credits --- Bibliography -- Index

Manet, Monet, and the Gare Saint- Lazare    -    Wilson-Bareau, Juliet

When Edouard Manet first exhibited his painting titled "Le Chemin de Fer" (the railway) at the Paris Salon in 1874, it was universally derided by critics. It wasn't until long after the painting moved into a private collection that the structures forming its background were identified as part of the iron bridge that spans the railway lines just beyond the station and an exact rendition of the facade of the Manet's studio. The "Gare Saint-Lazare" was Manet's first major work after the Franco-Prussian War, and it marked a break with his earlier, more pastoral subjects in favor of those exploring the burgeoning urbanization and modernization of the industrial age.

Manet, Monet, and the Gare Saint-Lazare , which was published to accompany an exhibit of the same name at the Musée D'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1998, is exc

Eyewitness: Manet

Every inch of space in these wonderful introductions is covered with an illustration--even the title and copyright pages. Primary sources, both written and visual, explain the subjects. Each double-page topic treatment opens with a concise summary, and related accompanying full-color illustrations and reproductions are explained in full paragraphs. Discussions on how to analyze the various works are also included. A paintbrush symbol identifies specific techniques or touches used in individual paintings. The chronology enables readers to focus on specific events that may be missed in the text. - School Library Journal

American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793   -    Murphy, Jim

History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation's capital more than 200 years ago. Drawing on firsthand accounts, medical and non-medical, Murphy re-creates the fear and panic in the infected city, the social conditions that caused the disease to spread, and the arguments about causes and cures. With archival prints, photos, contemporary newspaper facsimiles that include lists of the dead, and full, chatty source notes, he tells of those who fled and those who stayed--among them, the heroic group of free blacks who nursed the ill and were later vilified for their work. Some readers may skip the daily details of life in eighteenth-century Philadelphia; in fact, the most interesting chapters discuss what is now known of the tiny fever-carrying mosquito and the problems created by over-zealous use of pesticides. The current struggle to contain the SARS epidemic brings the "unshakeable unease" chillingly close. - Booklist

Patents: Ingenious Inventions: How They Work and How They Came to Be   -    Ikenson, Ben

This work profiles a little more than 100 patents granted by the U.S. Patent Office, from those that have transformed our lives, such as the internal combustion engine and the artificial heart, to those that are relatively less revolutionary, such as the Chia Pet and the lava lamp. Each entry provides a brief description of what the invention does, describes historical background, explains how the invention works, and includes a representative quote from the inventor's patent application and an illustration. Other examples of patents profiled include air conditioning, the smoke detector, the escapable coffin, the jukebox, the cotton gin, and the automated teller machine. Also included are inventor profiles of Thomas Edison, Alessandra Volta, Dean Kamen, and Nikola Tesla. - Book News, Inc.

Presidential Voices: Speaking Styles from George Washington to George W. Bush    -    Metcalf, Allan A.

Perhaps more than anyone else, politicians are what they say — and how they say it. In Presidential Voices , Metcalf examines both how the presidents have spoken to the American public and how the American public has wanted its presidents to speak.   Drawing on a wide variety of sources, Metcalf shows what contemporaries have said about the chief speakers in the White House. He explores the distinctive words that our presidents favored (and in many cases coined), along with the regional accents that livened the Oval Office. In addition, he uncovers the hidden influence of speechwriters and the changing media on how presidents present themselves to voters. He concludes his survey of presidential speech with entertaining linguistic portraits of all forty-three presidents.   From Silent Cal to the Great Communicator, Presidential Voices sheds new and original light on the ways in which our commanders in chief have commanded the language. After reading this book, you will never again take what our president says for granted. - from the publisher

Contents:   The original -- The great orators -- The great communicators -- Speechwriters   -- The down to earth president -- The blunderers -- Presidents as neologists -- Presidential accents -- Acting presidents : movies and television -- How to talk like a president -- Profiles of the presidents.

Watercolor for the Fun of It: Getting Started    -    Lovett, John

This book presents a fresh, simple approach to working in watercolor. It's spirited and fun--just the kind of instruction that beginners will love.   Clear-cut guidelines help readers select their first brushes, paints and palette. Step-by-step instruction makes mastering basic techniques easy, while tips and mini-demos detail how to render specific subjects, including trees, water, buildings and more. This engaging style makes Getting Started a must for all beginning artists--perfect for those who want to simply dabble in watercolor or dive right in! - from the publisher

Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees    -    Fouts, Roger

Can chimpanzees talk? As Fouts explains in this fascinating account, the answer to this question is no. But if the question is rephrased as, Can chimpanzees communicate using nonverbal language? the answer is a resounding yes. In the late 1960s, Washoe, a female chimpanzee, was taught American Sign Language in a groundbreaking study. Fouts was involved with Project Washoe from the beginning, and this account of the experiment and its aftermath reads like a novel. The ups (such as Washoe's inventions of novel signs or names for things) and downs (working with an unpredictable and arrogant senior scientist) of the unfolding story are intertwined with the scientific theories and concepts that underlie all the research being described. The similarities between humans and chimpanzees, particularly in their behavior (and language acquisition is the main behavior being studied), are emphasized and explained in the clear, easy-to-understand narrative. The evolutionary and genetic bases for these similarities are explored early in the text and are woven through the descriptions of Washoe's continuing acquisition of language. By comparing Washoe's behavior in captivity with both the behavior of wild chimpanzees and with autistic children, Fouts leads readers through complex scientific concepts while entertaining them with Washoe's (and h">

Word Court: Wherein Verbal Virtue Is Rewarded, Crimes Against The Language Are Punished, And Poetic Justice Is Done -    Wallraff, Barbara

In 1993, the Atlantic Monthly's senior editor Barbara Wallraff began answering grammar questions on America Online. Instantaneously the site became one of AOL's most popular forums, as questions, and responses to Wallraff's responses, came flooding in. This vibrant exchange became the bimonthly "Word Court" in the Atlantic Monthly, and the "Miss Manners of Grammar" was born. In Word Court, Wallraff moves beyond her column to tackle common and uncommon items, establishing rules for such issues as turns of phrase, slang, name usage, punctuation, and newly coined vocabulary. With true wit, she deliberates and decides on the right path for lovers of language, ranging from classic questions-is "a historical" or "an historical" correct?-to awkward issues-How long does someone have to be dead before we should all stop calling her "the late"? Should you use "like" or "as"-and when? The result is a warmly humorous, reassuring, and brilliantly perceptive tour of how and why we speak the way we do. - from the publisher

Pinckert's Practical Grammar    -    Pinckert, Robert C.

In eight pithy "lessons" the author playfully assails such topics as the parts of speech, composition, and arguing a point of view. A basic assumption is that use of good English is a sort of one-upmanship or competitive game. The many clever, thought-provoking observations and pronouncements might please language-minded readers. - Library Journal

Sin and Syntax    -    Hale, Constance

Wired editor Hale expertly coaches experienced and would-be writers in how to craft sinfully good prose. She examines the underlying codes that "give prose its clarities yet fail to explain its beauties." The book is divided into three parts: "Words," "Sentences," and "Music." Each chapter offers a section on "cardinal sins," the words and patterns to shun (e.g., wimpy euphemisms, dead metaphors), and a section on "carnal pleasures," the patterns to relish (e.g., high-octane verbs, rhythm). The examples, carnal or otherwise, always enlighten and entertain. For instance, Hale draws on the "mischievous prepositions" in a letter from Charles Dodgson Sr. to his young son (later known as Lewis Carroll); on the metaphorical wit of president Teddy Roosevelt, who accused McKinley of having "all the backbone of a chocolate eclair"; and on the rhythms of rap. Whether this hip guide (spunk) will replace the standard classic (Strunk) is debatable, but it should foster more than a few of our future storytellers. - Booklist

Lapsing Into a Comma    -    Walsh, Bill

Who knew a stylebook could be so much fun? For lovers of language, Lapsing Into a Comma is a sensible and very funny guide to the technicalities of writing and copy editing. Author Bill Walsh, chief copy editor in the business section of the Washington Post , humorously discusses the changing rules of proper print style in the information age. Is it "e-mail" or "email"?   Walsh does not advocate tossing your AP Stylebook , but he does encourage using your head and not blindly adhering to formal rules. "A finely tuned ear is at least as important as formal grammar," he says, "and that's not something you can acquire by memorizing a stylebook." What about companies that use punctuation in their logos?   The first half of Lapsing Into a Comma zips along, making you think about the intricacies of grammar and editing--all while trying not to choke on laughter. The second half is Walsh's personally crafted style guide. Remember--Roommate: Two m's, unless you ate a room or mated with a roo. - Amazon.com

Write Right!    -    Venolia, Jan

In this age of electronic correspondence and self-produced documents, we need a useful and reliable writing guide more than ever. Write Right! covers the essentials of good writing in a concise and easy-to-follow format. The new edition of this classic handbook takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding the parts of speech to constructing a correct sentence to fine-tuning the mechanics. And with clever drawings and amusing quotations to illustrate its points, Write Right! shows that language can be fun as well as an effective communication tool. Whether it's used to find a quick answer to a nagging question or to develop stronger writing skills, this handy reference is the ideal resource for writers of all levels. - from the publisher

English Grammar for Students of Spanish    -    Spinelli, Emily

Explains in plain English the grammar we need to know to successfully acquire Spanish. The explainations are concise and there are also brief exercises at the end of each gramatical explaination. If you are looking for the basics,laid out in a well-ordered fashion this is an excellent guide. - Amazon.com

Mindware:   An Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Science    -    Clark, Andy

An introductory text with a difference. In eight short chapters it tells a story and invites the reader to join in some up-to-the-minute conceptual discussion of key issues, problems,and opportunities in cognitive science. The story is about the search for a cognitive scientific understanding of mind. It is presented as a no-holds-barred journey from early work in Artificial Intelligence, through connectionist (artificial neural network) counter-visions, and onto neuroscience, artificial life, dynamics and robotics. The journey ends with some wide-ranging and provocative speculation about the role of technology and the changing nature of the human mind itself. - from the publisher

Contents:   Preface: About Mindware -- Acknowledgements -- Some Useful Resources -- Introduction (Not) Like a Rock -- 1 Meat Machines -- 2 Symbol Systems --3 Patterns, Contents, and Causes --4 Connectionism and Artificial Neural Networks --5 Perception, Action, and the Brain --6 Robots and Artificial Life --7 Dynamics --8 Cognitive Technology: Beyond the Naked Brain --9 (Not Really a) Conclusion --Appendix I: Some Backdrop: Dualism, Behaviorism, and Beyond --Appendix II: Consciousness and the Meta-Hard Problem --Bibliography

Fashion Design:   How Clothes are Designed, Made, and Sold    -    Everett, Felicity

The straight skinny, lavishly illustrated.

The Real Freshman Handbook:   An Irreverent and Totally Honest Guide to Life on Campus    -    Hanson, Jennifer

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A surviva l guide for prospective college freshmen furnishes everything a student needs to know to make the transition from high school to college, covering such topics as dorm life, choosing courses, roommates, exams, writing papers, and coping with the social scene. - Ingram

Colors:   The Story of Dyes and Pigments    -    Delamare, Francois

In our overstimulated, color-saturated society it is easy to forget the impact of color in the dull world before cheap dyes and plastics. Colors is a delightful little book, highly illustrated and packed with intriguing information. It traces the history of dyes and pigments from cave paintings to modern textiles. The book's four sections cover the uses of color in ancient times; its development and refinement in the Middle Ages; the explosion of supply and demand after the Renaissance; and the triumph of industrial chemistry in synthesizing and inventing colors. Production processes often paralleled those of alchemy, giving an almost magical quality to colors. Dyes were expensive in medieval Europe and could increase the price of a cloth tenfold; thus color was used to indicate social status, with aristocrats in bright robes standing out against the drab mob. Since antiquity, writers have compiled technical manuals on dyeing and pigment manufacture, often using more ancient texts, so that a great many antique recipes and techniques have been preserved. We learn, for example, how Indian yellow was made from a concentrated extract of the urine of cows fed exclusively on mango leaves (which was not healthy for the cows). Every page of the book has interesting tidbits of information, such as the derivation of blue jeans (from bleu de Genes , Genoa blue, a form of indigo). Clearly written and well-designed, Colors reminds us of the powerful ways color permeates our lives. - Amazon.com

Is There No Place on Earth for Me?    -    Sheehan, Susan

"Sylvia Frumkin," highly intelligent young girl, became a schizophrenic in her late teens and spent most of the next seventeen years in anti out of mental institutions. Susan Sheehan, a talented reporter followed "Sylvia" for almost a year talking with and observing her listening to her monologues, sitting in on consultations with doctors, even for a period sleeping in the bed next to her in a mental hospital. "Sheehan is tenacious, observant and unsentimental. The history of a single patient leads us into a maze of understaffed institutions, bureaucratic fumbling, trial-and-error treatment and familial incomprehension. Though Sheehan keeps herself invisible, her sympathy is palpable." - Newsweek

What is a Mind?   An Integrative Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind    -    Cunningham, Suzanne

A textbook for a course introducing the philosophy of mind for students who may have no background in philosophy at all. Cunningham (philosophy, Loyola U., Chicago) integrates information from a number of other fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology, and explains some of the more technical philosophical terms in non-technical language. She includes issues for discussion and suggested research projects.   - Book News, Inc.

Who Moved My Cheese?    -    Johnson, Spencer

A New York Times #1 bestseller. From one of the world's acknowledged experts on management comes a charming parable filled with insights designed to help readers manage change quickly and prevail in changing times.   Sometimes simple problems require simple answers. In just 96 pages, this humorous story uses simple metaphors and characters to encourage readers to embrace change and to adapt to new situations with an open mind and a motivated spirit. - from the publisher

FICTION

The Complete Stories of Truman Capote    -    Capote, Truman

Twenty stories that reflect the late (1924-84) journalist and storyteller's graceful vacillations among urban horror stories, Southern Gothic local color and melodrama, and limpid memory pieces. "The Shape of Things" partially anticipates the nightmarish harassment of a college girl by her train compartment-mates in the creepy "A Tree of Night." The 1949 volume that bears the latter story's title contained such deservedly famous tales as that of a lonely widow befriended, stalked, and destroyed by the (perhaps nonexistent?) little girl who is her menacing namesake ("Miriam"); the teenaged fiance besieged by his pregnant sweetheart's crazy family ("My Side of the Matter"); and a folk-inflected drama of homosexual fixation and possession set on a prison farm ("A Diamond Guitar"). Echoes of Faulkner, Welty, and McCullers abound. But Capote's mastery of supernaturalism and symbolism create an essential originality seen also in the late (1975) portrait of a society marriage that thrives on adultery ("Mojave") and the rich fictionalized memoirs "A Christmas Memory" and "The Thanksgiving Visitor." - Kirkus

An Evening of Long Goodbyes    -    Murray, Paul

Addicted to Gene Tierney movies and to the ever-diminishing contents of his wine cellar, 24-year-old indolent aristocrat Charles Hythloday is doing his best to avoid dealing with his crumbling estate. Older sister Bel, a worrier of such herculean proportions that she was convinced their pet dog was suffering from a dizzying array of existential terrors, is doing her best to get her brother to engage with life. After it is discovered that Charles has inadvertently filed a series of foreclosure notices in the junk drawer, he is forced to do the unthinkable--get a job. Surprisingly enough, he is quite happy working as a bread straightener in the yule-log division of Mr. Dough, where he engages in wacky lunchtime conversations with his Latvian coworkers, while industrious Bel throws in with an actors' troupe, turning the family manse into a theater. With inspired lunacy and increasing hilarity, first-novelist Murray takes readers on a whirlwind tour of Ireland's new economy and changing population. Most impressive, though, is the way he so easily moves from farce to poignancy and back again. Whether it's Charles' dream interlude, in which Yeats makes him a mean gimlet, or the greyhound races, where all the dogs' names seem to comment on his state of mind (Trouble in Paradise), this is witty, wonderfully rich reading. - Booklist

The Red Queen    -    Drabble, Margaret

Barbara Halliwell, on a grant at Oxford, receives an unexpected package-a memoir by a Korean crown princess, written more than two hundred years ago. A highly appropriate gift for her impending trip to Seoul. But from whom? The story she avidly reads on the plane turns out to be one of great intrigue as well as tragedy. The Crown Princess Hyegyong recounts in extraordinary detail the ways of the Korean court and confesses the family dramas that left her childless and her husband dead by his own hand. Perhaps it is the loss of a child that resonates so deeply with Barbara . . . but she has little time to think of such things, she has just arrived in Korea.   She meets a certain Dr. Oo, and to her surprise and delight he offers to guide her to some of the haunts of the crown princess. As she explores the inner sanctums and the royal courts, Barbara begins to feel a strong affinity for everything related to the princess and her mysterious life. After a brief, intense, and ill-fated love affair, she returns to London. Is she ensnared by the events of the past week, of the past two hundred years, or will she pick up her life where she left it? A beautifully told and ingeniously constructed novel, this is Margaret Drabble at her best. from the publisher

Redemption   -    Chibbaro, Julie

Set in the early sixteenth century before colonists settled in North America, this ambitious first novel tells the story of Lily, 12, who flees religious persecution in England. She boards a ship to follow her banished father to the New World, where eventually she finds home and family with an Indian tribe in the northeast forests. Chibbaro works in a huge amount of historical background that will be new to most readers, but Lily's immediate present-tense narrative makes the drama personal: the religious conflict and betrayal that drove her beloved father from England; the horror of the voyage; the shipwreck and landing in the New World, where she finds both kindness and unspeakable savagery among Indians and whites. From survival adventure to classical father quest, there's too much coincidence. It's the exciting nonstop action and Lily's spiritual battle with her own guilt and with God that draw readers along. - Booklist

The Namesake    -    Lahiri, Jhumpa

Lahiri's short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies , won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize, and her deeply knowing, avidly descriptive, and luxuriously paced first novel is equally triumphant. Ashoke Ganguli, a doctoral candidate at MIT, chose Gogol as a pet name for his and his wife's first-born because a volume of the Russian writer's work literally saved his life, but, in one of many confusions endured by the immigrant Bengali couple, Gogol ends up on the boy's birth certificate. Unaware of the dramatic story behind his unusual and, eventually, much hated name, Gogol refuses to read his namesake's work, and just before he leaves for Yale, he goes to court to change his name to Nikhil. Immensely relieved to escape his parents' stubbornly all-Bengali world, he does his best to shed his Indianness, losing himself in the study of architecture and passionate if rocky love affairs. But of course he will always be Gogol, just as he will always be Bengali, forever influenced by his parents' extreme caution and restraint. No detail of Nikhil's intriguing life is too small for Lahiri's keen and zealous attention as she painstakingly considers the viability of transplanted traditions, the many shades of otherness, and the lifelong work of defining and accepting oneself. - Booklist

Charming Billy    -    McDermott, Alice

Winner of the National Book Award.   Resonant with the voices of its voluble, bereaved characters and fueled by the twin engines of nostalgia and lost love, Charming Billy is the story of the life and tragic death of the much-loved Billy Lynch. At the heart of McDermott's novel is the revelation that the torch Billy carried for his long-dead love is predicated upon a lie: Eva, the Irish girl Billy loved in his youth and long believed dead, is actually alive, married, and living in Ireland. (Unable to tell Billy that Eva had left him for another man, his cousin Dennis instead invented the face-saving story of her untimely death.) Thus the central debate of the novel is set in motion: Was it the knowledge of Eva's betrayal or the discovery of Dennis's 30-year-old lie that killed Billy? Or was his death simply due to a genetic weakness for alcohol? Whatever the reason, observes Dennis's daughter (the narrator of the novel), of one thing there is no doubt: Billy had "ripped apart, plowed through, as alcoholics tend to do, the great deep, tightly woven fabric of affection that was some part of the emotional life, the life of love, of everyone in the room." Fierce, witty, and haunting, Alice McDermott's poignant evocation of postwar Irish American immigrant life is a masterpiece about the unbreakable bonds of memory and desire. - from the publisher

Daddy's Little Girl    -    Clark, Mary Higgins

Writing in the first person a rarity for this veteran author has inspired and energized Clark. Her 21st novel of intrigue is her best in years, a tightly woven, emotionally potent tale of suspense and revenge. Clark's new heroine is Atlanta investigative journalist Ellie Cavanaugh, who was seven when her sister, Andrea, 15, was beaten to death by 20-year-old Rob Westerfield, scion of the wealthiest family in a small Westchester town. Now Westerfield is up for parole, so Ellie, now 30, returns home to speak out against him. When Westerfield is released, Ellie begins to write a book aimed at re-proving his guilt. Digging for evidence, she uncovers clues that Westerfield may have committed another murder as a youth, but that digging also enrages the Westerfields and other town members who think the man was railroaded. Before long, Ellie's life is in danger, as someone breaks into the house she's staying in, then later sets fire to it, nearly killing her, and as Westerfield himself begins to shadow her moves. What makes this novel work isn't only the considerable tension Clark teases from Ellie's precarious position, but the thoughtful backgrounding to the action. Ellie is cast as a lonely woman, without a lover and estranged from her father and half-brother: will she accept one or the other into her guarded life?; and she carries a heavy load of guilt for her sister's death, wondering at times if she is blinded by her thirst for vengeance. With its textured plot, well-sketched secondary characters, strong pacing and appealing heroine, this is Clark at her most winning. - Publishers Weekly