New Books, Films, Databases, and other Resources: August 2011

Remarkably gifted as a painter and naturalist, Robert Bateman is undoubtedly the most celebrated wildlife artist working today. With quiet beauty and startling drama, this volume presents the painter at the peak of his career. Featuring more than 130 dazzling new works of art, Natural Worlds shows us how Bateman's evocative depictions of birds and animals within finely observed landscapes have redefined wildlife

"Art Nature Dialogues offers interviews with artists working with, in, and around nature and the environment. The interviews explore art practices, ecological issues, and values as they pertain to the siting of works, the use of materials, and the ethics of artmaking. John K. Grande includes interviews with Hamish Fulton, David Nash, Bob Verschueren, herman de vries, Alan Sonfist, Nils-Udo, Michael Singer, Patrick Dougherty, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and others

"Exhibition cagalogue supporting exhibition of Papunya Tula Western Desert art, including essays from experts in the field and interpretation of the iconography in the artworks.

In over 170 duotone images, this title exposes an inside view of a world seen by very few people in the West. Focusing on the resurgence of Islam everywhere on the planet since September 2001, it includes pictures that swell with the undercurrents of global disturbance, uncertainty and threat

Covers the various aspects of contemporary ceramic practice and includes work of all scales from a few centimetres in size to vast room-sized installations. With over 600 illustrations, this comprehensive survey is suitable for ceramists, students and collectors alike

Charlotte Cotton looks at the many different ways contemporary artists have embraced photography. The text explains the differences between artists such as Andreas Gursky, Nan Goldin and Gillian Wearing, and introduces the main techniques and personalities of the medium.

The author explores ceramicist Grayson Perry's work through a discussion of his major themes and subjects which are complemented by a series of commentaries on individual pieces by the artist himself.

For five years (1998-2003) New York photographer Stephen Wilkes explored the hospital complex that made up the south side of Ellis Island. Neglected for almost fifty years, the buildings were in a state of extreme disrepair. Wilkes has aimed to capture a new vision of this island through which twelve million people passed.

This collection photographs tells the story of portrait photography through the eyes and words of five accomplished National Geographic photographers. It showcases images never before seen alongside award winning favorites. New and fascinating text reveals photographers' individual experiences photographing people and their evaluation of NG portraits produced during each decade, from the late 19th century until today....

Pictures of different messages left on buildings and debris after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

"Collection of stories and work from seventy-nine artists, as relating to the natural world

"One of the most visionary writers of his generation, Ginsberg was also a photographer. From 1953 to 1963 he frequently had his camera close by when he was with friends in his apartment or traveling with them, ready to record 'certain moments in eternity,' as he wrote. For years many of these photographs languished among Ginsberg's papers. When he finally recovered them in the 1980s, he reprinted them and added handwritten narrative inscriptions. Inspired by this early work, he began to photograph again, recording both long-time friends and new acquaintances. Some eighty of these photographs are collected and brilliantly reproduced in this book, which also features the first scholarly essay on Ginsberg's photographs, written by Sarah Greenough, addressing the relationship of his photographs to his poetry and to works by other photographers of the period.

Part of the "100 per cent Success" series, this text instructs students and professionals on developing crucial information skills to succeed in the academic and professional environments. It also includes features such as critical thinking exercises, reflection questions, hints, and step-by-step research guidance

Most people know Ted Danson from television and movies, but fewer realize that over the course of the past two and a half decades, Danson has tirelessly devoted himself to the cause of heading off a looming global catastrophe--the massive destruction of our planet's oceanic biosystems and the collapse of the world's major commercial fisheries. Here, Danson details his journey from joining a modest local protest in the mid-1980s to his current status as one of the world's most influential oceanic environmental activists, testifying before congressional committees and the World Trade Organization, and helping found Oceana, the largest organization in the world focused solely on ocean conservation. And he describes what has happened to our oceans in just the past half-century, ranging from the ravages of overfishing and habitat destruction to the devastating effects of ocean acidification and the wasteful horrors of fish farms

In this ambitious, original study, Pulitzer Prize-winner Lelyveld sets out to measure Gandhi's accomplishments as a politician and an advocate for the downtrodden--against Gandhi's own expectations and in light of his complex, conflicted feelings about his place in Indian history

A dual biography of the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and the friendship that they formed. Together they challenged entrenched beliefs, customs, and laws that oppressed women and spearheaded the fight to gain legal rights, including the right to vote, despite fierce opposition, daunting conditions, scandalous entanglements, and betrayal by their friends and allies.

As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of our defining national drama, historian Adam Goodheart presents an original account of how the Civil War began. 1861 is an epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields. Early in that fateful year, a second American revolution unfolded, inspiring a new generation to reject their parents' faith in compromise and appeasement, to do the unthinkable in the name of an ideal. It set Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom. Goodheart takes us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the mouth of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at this moment of ultimate crisis and decision.

Explores the founding fathers' more radical contemporaries, who advocated for true liberty for all at the United States' inception, including the abolition of slavery and equality despite race, class, or gender.

"As the capital of two great empires, Constantinople occupied a strategic political position between the West and the East for centuries and inspired artists from both cultures to create works of the very highest quality. All major cultural treasures of the city are described here, from the masterpieces of the early Christian period to the magnificent palaces and mosques of the Ottoman era and the architectural achievements of the nineteenth century."-

This is the inspiring and, until now, untold story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work. Most had never left home, never experienced a different culture. None had any guarantee of success. That they achieved so much for themselves and their country

Veteran defense analyst and Afghanistan expert David Isby provides an insightful and meticulously researched look at the current situation in Afghanistan, its history, and what he believes must be done so that the US-NATO coalition can succeed in one of the poorest countries in the world, rife with divisions that dwarf current schisms in Iraq, led by warlords who fight over control of the drug trade as much as they do over religion. After seven years and billions of dollars, the task of implementing an effective US policy and cementing Afghani rule is hampered by what Isby sees as separate but overlapping conflicts between terrorism, narcotics, and regional rivalries, each requiring different strategies to resolve. Pulling these various threads together will be the challenge for the Obama administration, yet it is a challenge that can be met

Draws on the testimony of survivors of the Holocaust-era Starachowice slave-labor camps to examine the Jewish prisoners' fight for survival through a succession of brutal Nazi camp regimes.

Richly evoking the volatile world of Georgian Ireland, this recounts the saga of James Annesley, the presumptive heir of five aristocratic titles and scion of the mighty house of Annesley. Kidnapped at twelve years of age by his uncle, James was shipped from Dublin to America in 1728 as an indentured servant. He finally managed to escape after thirteen years, returning to Ireland to bring his nemesis, the Earl of Anglesea, to justice in one of the epic trials of the century

President Lincoln used his own weapons--his words--to fight the Civil War as brilliantly as any general who ever took the field. In Lincoln on War, historian Harold Holzer gathers and interprets Lincoln's speeches, letters, memoranda, orders, telegrams, and casual remarks, organizing them chronologically and allowing readers to experience Lincoln's growth from an eager young Indian War officer to a middle-aged dove congressman to a surprisingly hardened and determined hawk as the Union's commander-in-chief. We observe a man willing to sacrifice life and treasure in unprecedented quantities, to risk wounding the pride of vain generals, and even to mislead the public if it meant the preservation of an unbreakable union of states, the destruction of slavery, and the restoration of America as an example to inspire the world.

Drawn from letters, diaries, speeches, articles, poems, songs, military reports, legal opinions, and memoirs, this collection brings together over 120 pieces by more than 60 men and women to create a firsthand narrative of the first year of the Civil War. Beginning on the eve of Lincoln's election in 1860 and ending in January 1862 with the appointment of Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War, the selections provide a sense of the immediacy, uncertainty, and urgency of events as the nation was torn asunder

This biography of Malcolm X draws on new research to trace his life from his troubled youth through his involvement in the Nation of Islam, his activism in the world of Black Nationalism, and his assassination. Years in the making, it is a definitive biography of the legendary black activist. ....

An anthology of excerpts from the four-volume classic "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" features first-hand recollections by the Civil War's commanders and subordinates on both sides, with commentary by such leading scholars as James McPherson and Joan Waugh.

A history of the civil rights movement in songs and pictures.

This book explains the science behind the concerns that our nation faces in the immediate future. It outlines the tools of terrorists, the dangers of nuclear power, and the reality of global warming. We live in complicated, dangerous times. They are also hyper-technical times. As citizens who will elect future presidents of the most powerful and influential country in the world, we need to know and truly understand, not just rely on television's talking heads, if Iran's nascent nuclear capability is a genuine threat to the West, if biochemical weapons are likely to be developed by terrorists, if there are viable alternatives to fossil fuels that should be nurtured and supported by the government, if nuclear power should be encouraged, and if global warming is actually happening. Even active readers of serious journalism will be surprised by the lessons that the book contains. It is "must-have" information for all presidents and citizens of the twenty-first century

Paintings and brief text present some of the animals found in Africa, including elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, wildebeests, lions, ostriches, and zebras

Provides a rebuttal to general misperceptions about the religion by documenting its rich tradition of nonviolence. This title examines the sources of Islam - the Qur'an, the main religious text of Islam, and the Hadith, the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad

"In FORGED New York Times bestselling author, Bart Ehrman, reveals another hidden scandal of the Bible. For centuries, scholars have known that not all of the books in the New Testament are authentic while the general public has been blissfully unaware. The books of the New Testament are widely assumed to be written accounts of Jesus's life by those who knew him best. However, if the Gospels and letters were not written by memebers of Jesus's inner circle--but by later writers with differing agendas in rival communitites--then the authority of the Bible collapses. Based on new, original research, Ehrman takes the reader on a journey to the ancient world and the forgery battles that raged throughout the Roman Empire. The popular myth is that "writing in the name of another" was a common, accepted practice in antiquity. Not so argues Ehrman. Forgery was as scandalous then as it is now. And yet, at a time when all documents and letters where copied by hand and circulated freely with little or no authorial control, identifying who actually penned a piece of writing-be it political, historical, or religious-was fraught with uncertainty. FORGED exposes the forged letters written in the name of Jesus's disciples for the expressed purpose of gaining acceptance in the early church...which is exactly what happened and why we have the Bible we read today"-

Ten Commandments displays, prayer at football games, Bible in the curriculum, vouchers for tuition at religious schools, Pledge of Allegiance, wall of separation between church and state, among other hot button issues at the intersection of religion and education, generate a great deal of heat, but often light is sorely lacking. The Praeger Handbook of Religion and Education in the United States provides a unique

Nine stories dealing with U.S.-Mexico relations....
The nine stories comprising this novel all concern people who in one way or another have had something to do with, or still are part of, the family of a powerful oligarch of northern Mexico with manifold connections to the United States. Each story concerns a Mexican-American encounter--sometimes hilarious, often tragic, frequently ambivalent, inevitably poignant--and each unique drama in its own way epitomizes some striking contrast along the invisible, reflective, dangerous frontier that divides the American-Mexican world. Beyond the emblematic power of Mr. Fuentes's exuberant fiction to make us think about the political and cultural themes which affect and distort that double world, there is the sheer human diversity of life on "crystal frontier." These stories pulse with vivid experience--of love in its many guises, of loneliness, of youth and age, of heartbreak and redemption.--From publisher description. Read less

When the 450-year-old Babri mosque in Ayodhya, India, was destroyed by Hindu fundamentalists in 1992, it let loose a worldwide wave of Muslim reprisals against all Hindus. This novel describes the nightmarish fate of one Bangladeshi Hindu family. Not since Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses has a book provoked such mob violence, public outcries, and calls for the author's death. The title bespeaks the author's shame at human degradation, her shame both for a government which could not protect the Hindu minority, and for her fellow citizens. It is the indictment of a nation--indeed, an entire religion. Dr. Nasrin calls Shame the "testament" of a writer determined, despite the danger she faces, to speak out in favor of Islamic reform, religious tolerance, and freedom of expression, and against Muslim extremism and other forms of fanaticism

Once again, the author takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, she has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure. The narrator of the story is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures. Like the author's beloved narrator Anna, in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate spaces of the human heart

An ambitious young Mexican-American woman compromises her future in a moment of searing humiliation, while a narcissistic action-movie star risks everything in his obsession over an unattainable love.

As he was composing what was to become his most enduring book, E. B. White was obeying the maxim: "Write what you know." Helpless pigs, silly geese, clever spiders, greedy rats--White knew all of these characters in the barns and stables where he spent his favorite hours. Painfully shy his entire life, "this boy," White once wrote of himself, "felt for animals a kinship he never felt for people." It is all the more impressive, therefore, how many people have felt a kinship with E. B. White. In this book the author shows how White solved what critic Clifton Fadiman once called "the standing problem of the juvenile fantasy writer: how to find, not another Alice, but another rabbit hole" by mining the raw ore of his childhood friendship with animals, translating his own passions and contradictions, delights and fears, into an all time classic

The only edition currently available that contains all of Dickinson's poems. The works were originally gathered by editor Johnson and published in a three-volume set in 1955.

Nearly four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare permeates our everyday lives: from the words we speak to the teenage heartthrobs we worship to the political rhetoric spewed by the twenty-four-hour news cycle. Stephen Marche has cherry-picked the sweetest and most savory historical footnotes from Shakespeare's work and life to create this unique celebration of the greatest writer of all time.

Looks at the roles of justice and law in the lives of modern-day people through the lens of Shakespeare's plays

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A collector's edition of five works by the late Beat Generation classic writer combines the eminent "On the Road" with the novels, "The Dharma Bums," "The Subterraneans," "Tristessa," and "Lonesome Traveler

The poet explores the first thirty years of her life.

Traces the author's recreation of Hiram Bingham III's discovery of the ancient citadel, Machu Picchu, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, describing his struggles with rudimentary survival tools and his experiences at the sides of local guides.

A novel set 25,000 years ago is the sixth book in the author's landmark series and continues the story of Ayla and Jondalar.

Albright served as U.S. secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, the first woman ever to hold the position. Here, she tells the stories behind her many pins and jewelry collected on her diplomatic trips around the world.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. Gifted with legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, young Abe Lincoln sets out to avenge the death of his mother at the hands of a vampire.

Written from the perspective of his family, friends, and followers, in the same way the story of Jesus Christ was told in the New Testament, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible is the story of Ben Zion Avrohom, also known as Ben Jones, also known as the Messiah, also known as the Lord God

On Thanksgiving day after September 11, 2001, comic strip creators directed readers to donate money in their artwork, generating $50,000 in relief funds. This book includes chapters that contain a chronological overview of the sea of changes in everyday life, literature, entertainment, news and media, and visual culture after September 11.

Describes the surging growth of the economies of China, India, and Brazil while the United States and other advanced economies have stalled

In "Join the Club," Rosenberg identifies a brewing social revolution that is changing the way people live, based on harnessing the positive force of peer pressure, and shows how peer pressure has reduced teen smoking in the United States, made villages in India healthier and more prosperous, helped minority students get top grades in college calculus, and even led to the fall of Slobodan Milosevic.

A personal account of the iconic actress's pre-fame life traces the time between her birth in 1935 and her discovery by Walt Disney during her 1962 Broadway performance in "Camelot."

"We live in a visual age - an age of images: iconic, instant and influential. In this remarkable book John D. Barrow traces their history in order to tell the story of modern science.

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In this book, a Harvard evolutionary psychologist explains how our once-helpful instincts get hijacked in our garish modern world. Our instincts--for food, sex, or territorial protection--evolved for life on the savannahs 10,000 years ago, not in today's world of densely populated cities, technological innovations, and pollution. We now have access to a glut of larger-than-life objects, from candy to pornography to atomic weapons--that gratify these gut instincts with often-dangerous results. Animal biologists coined the term "supernormal stimuli" to describe imitations that appeal to primitive instincts and exert a stronger pull than real things, such as soccer balls that geese prefer over eggs. The author applies this concept to the alarming disconnect between human instinct and our created environment, demonstrating how supernormal stimuli are a major cause of today's most pressing problems, including obesity and war

Sixty years after the death of Albert Einstein, a physics student interested in his theories about the nonexistence of time finds the eminent scientist in a central European office building and together they discuss such topics as light, relativity, and world peace.

Shows how women's management style is suited to the business world, resulting in more profitable companies with happier employees. This title also shows how women can use this power to get what they really want - more time and freedom in their jobs without falling off the professional ladder

Criticizes the way history is presented in current textbooks, and suggests a fresh and more accurate approach to teaching American history.

Illuminates food practices of followers of seven world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. This book includes 300 recipes which give a flavour of what is eaten for sacred occasions and why. It provides a brief overview of each religion which is followed by a discussion of any dietary restrictions

"A Queer History of the United States is groundbreaking and accessible. It looks at how American culture has shaped the LGBT, or queer, experience, while simultaneously arguing that LGBT people not only shaped but were pivotal in creating our country. Using numerous primary documents and literature, as well as social histories, Bronski's book takes the reader through the centuries--from Columbus' arrival and the brutal treatment the Native peoples received, through the American Revolution's radical challenging of sex and gender roles--to the violent, and liberating, 19th century--and the transformative social justice movements of the 20th. Bronski's book is filled with startling examples of often ignored or unknown aspects of American history: the ineffectiveness of sodomy laws in the colonies, the prevalence of cross-dressing women soldiers in the Civil War, the effect of new technologies on LGBT life in the 19th century, and how rock music and popular culture were, in large part, responsible for the great backlash against gay rights in the late 1970s. More than anything, A Queer History of the United States is not so much about queer history as it is about all American history--and why it should matter to both LGBT people and heterosexuals alike"

An irreverent columnist attacks conservative critics who believe American morals to be declining, as he celebrates the seven deadly sins--greed, lust, gluttony, sloth, anger, envy, and pride--and those who delight in their sinful pursuits.

Gay man Dan Savage, who writes a nationally syndicated sex-advice column dispensing advice to straight people, decided to try to adopt a child along with his boyfriend, Terry. The story of their misadventures, with all of Savage's peccadilloes firmly in place, is captured in this book. Savage has made an art of irreverence and offers no apologies for his inconsistent and often politically incorrect views and values. The result is a highly entertaining look at modern-day society and families in fertility-conscious America

Dan Savage recounts his family's campaign to convince him and his boyfriend, Terry, to get married, and explores how his family's attitudes towards gay marriage reflect those of contemporary American society.

"Coal : is coal the future of energy?; Is coal use justified?; Should coal use be phased out?; Is coal mining safe?

The author of the book "The Next 100 Years" now focuses his geopolitical forecasting acumen on the next decade and the imminent events and challenges that will test America and the world, specifically addressing the skills that will be required by the decade's leaders. From Islam's decline to China's financial crisis, he offers a number of scenarios and predictions.

Essie is the octogenarian obituary writer for her family's small town newspaper. When a young country girl is reported to be missing, perhaps whisked away by an itinerant aerial photographer, Essie stumbles onto the story of her life. Or, it all could be simply a hoax, or a delusion, the child and child-thief invented from the desperate imagination of a lonely, lovelorn woman. Either way, the story of the girl reaches far and wide, igniting controversy, attracting curiosity seekers and cult worshippers from all over the country to this dying rural town........ The Coffins of Little Hope tells a feisty, energetic story of characters caught in the intricately woven webs of myth, legend and deception even as Schaffert explores with his typical exquisite care and sharp eye the fragility of childhood, the strength of family, the powerful rumor mills of rural America, and the sometimes dramatic effects of pop culture on the way we shape our world.

When Carl Jung embarked on an extended self-exploration, the result was "The Red Book," a large, illuminated volume he created between 1914 and 1930. However, only a handful of people have ever seen it. Now, in a complete facsimile and translation, it is available to scholars and the general public.

"From a venerated and bestselling voice on American life comes a contemporary look at the decline of black rage; the demise of white guilt; and the intergenerational shifts in how blacks and whites view, and interact with, each other"

"In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book-length to a country he has known intimately for decades, and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. Drawing on historical records as well as his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past forty years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation throughout its history, and reflects on the consequences for the global balance of power in the 21st century. Since no other country can claim a more powerful link to its ancient past and classical principles, any attempt to understand China's future world role must begin with an appreciation of its long history.....