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Editor's Choice

Pompeii: A Novel

Pompeii: A Novel Robert Harris Random House; ISBN: 0679428895 Pompeii is a page turner that tends to put one's own problems out of mind, or at least into a larger perspective. The eruption of Vesuvius that covered the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii on the Bay of Naples and preserved their buildings, and even the shapes of the bodies and the belongings of their residents, is a compelling subject. Robert Harris draws the reader into the world of coastal Italy, A.D. 79, a hot August, with the arrival in Misenum from Rome of aquarius Attilius to oversee repair of the Aqua Augusta, the great aqueduct commissioned by the Roman emperor Augustus that had provided a bountiful water supply to this hot, dry country for a hundred years. Attilius, a young engineer and 4th-generation keeper of the aqueduct, is a keen observer who notices several things amiss as he undertakes to survey the aqueduct for blockage. Lucid descriptions of the engineering of the aqueduct and the dangers inherent in its repair combine with gradually-increasing signs of volcanic activity to build a sense of anxiety, increased by the tensions between Attilius and his workers, and the rather menacing figure of Ampliatus, former slave turned oligarch of Pompeii, who manipulates all those around him. For a fascinating and impressively-researched glimpse of life in southern Italy almost 2000 years ago, a spectacular natural disaster, and a good yarn, you can't do better than this. [CW]

History, Biography, Society

Wind, Sand and Stars

Wind, Sand and Stars Antoine St. Exupéry Harcourt; ISBN 0156027496 Without doubt Antoine St. Exupéry led a remarkable life.This collection of autobiographical sketches and essays on human nature brings together his most intense and profound experiences. As in Beryl Markham's remarkable book West With The Night, a pilot relates experiences at once heroic and utterly mundane. Both authors lived through the adventures they wrote about, had inspiring friends and a profound insight. Written in an engaging and succinct style, the stories also relate the author's philosophical ruminations. His aphoristic mode is so refined and well formulated that much of the book can almost be read a paragraph at a time. The recurring theme is the importance of finding something to live for in our modern, drab and generally apathetic world. Technology, he shows, does not necessarily alienate people from a vital confrontation with nature. Technology can thrust a person into the forsaken parts of Earth where there are no roads or settlements. The point is not escape per se, rather to accomplish something worthwhile beyond the pale of domesticated urban existence. A hopeful message emerges, an encouragement to take courage, pursue ideals, and develop a profound tolerance of others. [EG]

Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate

Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate Alice Medrich Artisan; ISBN: 1579651607 Learning of the presence of anti-oxidants in dark chocolate swamped any lingering guilt over my once-limited indulgence in the pleasures of chocolate, so I invite you all to join me in enjoying organic free trade chocolate knowing you're supporting people who help to maintain the earth's biodiversity as you indulge in this healthful pleasure. And if you need further inspiration, Alice Medrich's new book provides it. Known for her earlier award-winning Cocolat (also the name of her much-loved chocolate dessert shop in Berkeley), here she tells the story of the growing market for fine chocolate in the U.S., with new recipes attuned to more developed tastes. Her first chapter describes how chocolate is made, various kinds, qualities to look for, how to use in cooking. The results of her years of experimenting, developing the best ways to cook with chocolate, are offered in the following chapters, along with very inviting recipes, some with reduced fat, illustrated by a master food photographer. You'll find old favorites— ice cream, brownies, cakes and pies—as well as tortes, truffles, mousses, and other more extravagant or complicated desserts for special occasions. And, unexpectedly, some savory recipes of which Wild Mushroom Ragout, served with polenta, I can confirm is as irresistible as it looks in its very sensuous photograph. A great gift for yourself or any chocolate lover you know. [CW]

Luis Barragán's Gardens of El Pedregal

Luis Barragán's Gardens of El Pedregal Keith L. Eggener; foreword by Marc Treib Princeton Architectural Press; ISBN: 1568982674 Although it's not always evident in the built environment we see around us, the art of architecture is one of the most significant of human endeavors. The Mexican Luis Barragán is one of my favorite architects, so I welcome this book on his early 1950s development of houses and gardens in the lava beds on the outskirts of Mexico City adjacent to the University of Mexico. Drawing both on modernist principles and on respect for the distinctive environment of lava flow and a variety of native plants, flowers, trees and cacti, Barragán planned a model development for buyers appreciative of elegantly simple architecture in an unusual and private setting. Interestingly, the painter Diego Rivera wrote of how he thought this area should be developed, specifying preservation of the natural lava rock forms and vegetation, large lots with no more than one/sixth used for houses, streets following the contours of the natural terrain. These ideas coincided with Barragán's plans and, for a few years, the results were eloquent. Eggener elucidates the history of the project as he describes Barragán's career (he won the International Pritzker Prize for architecture in 1980), considers the balance between art and business, the role of photography in giving architecture a permanence that few buildings can enjoy, and examines the interplay of culture and architecture. An engrossing book, generously illustrated, especially rewarding for anyone interested in 20th-century architecture or Mexico's cultural history. [CW]

Travels into the Interior of Africa

Travels into the Interior of Africa Mungo Park Hippocrene; ISBN: 0907871550 First published in 1799, this is one of the great classics of travel and exploration literature. Park was recruited in 1793 by the recently-founded African Association of London to explore the Gambia and Niger River areas of western Africa, in the name of science but also to scout out possible opportunities for trade. His route took him through what would become the nations of Senegal, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. His first expedition in 1795-96-97 was a total disaster: he came out of Africa, literally, with only a borrowed shirt on his back. His second expedition in 1805 turned out even worse: all of the forty or so people with him, one by one, either died from tropical diseases or were murdered as was, finally, Park himself. Perhaps most interesting to the modern reader are Park's social and cultural observations. For the most part, he got along well enough with the black Africans but loathed the Muslim Moors and Arabs, understandably perhaps, given his experiences with them. He estimates that three fourths of the folks whom he met were slaves of one sort or another: his own stance on that then-prevalent custom was necessarily ambivalent. The above link will lead you to a good new paperback. There are also some interesting older editions at www.abebooks.com or www.alibris.com . Not for the Pollyanna on your holiday gift list, but highly recommended for the bloody-minded adventurer. [WW]

Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches

Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches Daniel Imhoff Sierra Club Books; ISBN: 1578050928 In part because so many of us buy our food based on price alone, huge factory farms producing single crops with intensive pesticide use, chemical fertilizers, and heavy equipment have largely replaced the small-scale, biologically diverse family farms of a generation or two ago. And it is now all too clear that this has done great damage to the land, to waterways, wildlife, and probably also to the consumers of the products of chemical-dependent agriculture. And so, farmers interested in sustainable practices have teamed up with environmentalists and scientists trained in plant and wildlife biology to recover a less-damaging system of agriculture and to encourage the return of native plants, insects, and threatened species of animals at the borders of fields and along waterways. Ranging from Ted Turner's huge ranches in the southwest, where bison range freely, endangered species such as the Mexican wolf are provided habitat, and game hunting helps to balance costs, to the work of farmers and the California Nature Conservancy in the Sacramento and Consumnes river valleys, where flooding winter fields kills weeds and provides crop residue to nourish migratory birds, to efforts in Montana, Maine, Kentucky, Florida, and 15 other states, the success of these efforts is documented in a beautiful and engaging book. Highly recommended. [CW]

This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga

This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga Peter Cozzens Univ of Illinois Pr; ISBN: 0252065948 Every major battle of the Civil War can be read as some sort of morality play. Each one marks a mile post on the twisted path this country walked through that era which redefined what we are as a nation, and who we are as a people. That said it's hard to say what the lesson of Chickamauga was. The Union lost the battle, turned tail and ran, but ended up holding Chattanooga, a vital gateway to the Deep South. The South won the battle, but was unable to follow up on its victory and lost the strategic advantage they could have had. The Union General Rosecrans was removed following his defeat; the Southern General Bragg nearly lost his post when his general staff practically mutinied in protest of his performance. General officers had little control of this battle anyway. Divisions, regiments, and brigades broke up in the deep woods to engage in horrifically savage fighting, well out of sight and control of their general officers, and often without the support of their commanding officers who were killed and wounded at an astonishing rate. This major work on the Battle of Chickamauga by Peter Cozzens is the definitive study of the battle. It can be a bit overwhelming at times (some recommend reading it with a good collection of battle maps close by), but the reader will be rewarded for the effort. Read it, and then visit the battlefield. You will be moved. [MA]

Winslow Homer: The Nature of Observation

Winslow Homer: The Nature of Observation Elizabeth Johns University of California Press; ISBN: 0520227255 Most of us are probably familiar with Winslow Homer's vibrant seascapes, paintings of the turbulent Atlantic off the coast of Maine. This handsome illustrated biography expands one's perceptions of the artist both by providing details of his life (1836-1910) and by the reproductions of his paintings, many in color, that demonstrate his broader interests and observations (my favorite—A Garden in Nassau, a sunny, peaceful watercolor that manifests the pleasures of the tropics). Because Homer was an intensely private, solitary man who wanted people to look at his work, not interest themselves in his life, he discouraged biographers during his lifetime. But Elizabeth Johns, convinced that an understanding of the life will enhance appreciation of the work, draws insights from Homer's letters as well as other sources. A native of Cambridge and child of an improvident father and generous, educated mother, he found stability in his relation with his extended family and encouragement for his art from his mother, a skilled watercolorist. After high school he apprenticed with the major lithographic firm in Boston for two years. And then to New York where his talents as an illustrator found more opportunity, until he was able eventually to move to Maine and concentrate on painting. Thus one also gleans from the book a sense of the texture of 19th-century New England life. A pleasurable read. [CW]

100 Suns

100 Suns Michael Light Knopf; ISBN: 1400041139 You probably already know Michael Light's work from his amazing Full Moon, a collection of previously unreleased photos from the Apollo program. This time Light turns his attention to that other milestone of human history, the atomic bomb. The 100 stunning images of exploding atomic and hydrogen bombs in this book came from the formerly-classified archives of U.S. National Archives and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Light cleaned them up where necessary and assembled them into this high-impact book. The explosions shown here took place aboveground in the Nevada desert and in the Pacific. The photos depict everything from the first microseconds of the first exploding fireball at Los Alamos to the blood-red cloud reflections from enormous H-Bomb mushroom clouds over Pacific atolls. The photos are presented with an eye for maximum impact in high resolution, sparingly labelled with just the name of the test, the date, and the energy yield. This is an amazingly beautiful book documenting the truly terrible beauty of atomic weapons. Full Moon led to a touring art exhibit of its large-format moon photographs. One can only hope that a similar art exhibit will be assembled with the amazing images of this project. Not to be missed. [AB]

Built for Speed: A Year in the Life of Pronghorn

Built for Speed: A Year in the Life of Pronghorn John A. Byers Harvard University Press; ISBN: 0674011422 John Byers is a Professor of Zoology at the University of Idaho who has spent the past twenty years studying the behavior of pronghorn on the National Bison Range in western Montana. His scientific monograph American Pronghorn is considered definitive. This, his new book for amateur natural historians, has three interwoven subjects. The first, which underlies and informs the other two, is Byers' truly great passion for Antilocapra americana. The second is a detailed description of pronghorn social behavior through a typical year, birthing in the spring, fattening up in the summer, rutting in the fall, starving in the winter, and jockeying for social rank through it all. The third is Byers' answer to the question: "Why can pronghorn run so fast?" With the exception of the African cheetah, no other animal is even in the same league. Adult pronghorns cruise at 45 mph for great distances, with bursts up to 60 mph for a couple of miles, and could probably top that for a short distance if something were actually chasing them. But there are no speedy natural predators to chase them now, so why this ability? Byers' suggests that their speed evolved as a defense against predation by the big, long-legged, high-speed cheetahs that used to roam the American plains but went extinct about 10,000 years ago. Byers is probably right; seems to me that it must be a bit saddening to live out your life waiting for the cheetah who never comes. An excellent book for the naturalist on your holiday gift list. [WW]

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 Simon Winchester HarperCollins; ISBN: 0066212855 After a couple of weeks of rumbling, shaking, spewing smoke, erupting lava and generally frightening the locals, at 10:02 in the morning, August 27, 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa in the oceanic Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java in Indonesia finally exploded. The explosion was heard up to 3,000 miles away, roughly the distance from San Francisco to Philadelphia. More than six cubic miles of material were expelled, some 30 miles up into the stratosphere which caused colorful sunsets worldwide for the following 18 months, subject matter for many an impressionist painting. Atmospheric shock waves traveling at the speed of sound circled the world seven times, duly recorded on that then-new techie gadget the barometer. 36,417 people were reported killed, mostly by the 100-foot-tall tsunami caused by the final collapse of the crater. What interests Winchester is not just the sheer magnitude of the event, but the fact that it happened just a few years after the whole world had been connected via the telegraph. Papers throughout the world carried reports of the event within hours of their happening in Indonesia. It was the first instance of 'realtime' world-wide press reportage. Equally interesting recent books are Ian Thornton's Krakatau and Fisher et al Volcanoes. [WW]

The Best American Crime Writing 2003 : The Year's Best True Crime Reporting

The Best American Crime Writing 2003 : The Year's Best True Crime Reporting Otto Penzler (Editor), Thomas H. Cook (Editor) Vintage; ISBN: 0375713018 This is a noble volume of excellent journalism. While many of the crimes are of a notorious character—911, Enron, and Ruwandan Genocide—the stories are usually smaller. There is a theme expressed in these selections of examining the large by studying the particular. So we look at the attack on the twin towers by examining the life of John O'Neil, former head of FBI Counter Terrorism, and Chief of Security for the World Trade Center. He died in the attack. We look at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by following the lives of two teenaged girls, one a victim, one a suicide bomber. There are plenty of more minor criminal stories here as well: the Asperger Syndrome man who just couldn't get enough of the NYC Mass Transit System who was incarcerated by an ignorant judicial system; the woman sold into sexual slavery in Bosnia. There are stories here that you may vaguely remember—such as the woman killed by the neighbors' dogs in her apartment hallway—whose strange details you will be grateful to have an opportunity to understand. There are stories here that you probably never heard of, such as the the man who couldn't decide whether to be an undertaker or a pimp, that may leave you with indelible mental images. These articles were written for the moment, but collected here they reverberate for the ages. [MA]

The Wright Brothers Legacy: Orville and Wilbur Wright and Their Aeroplanes in Pictures

The Wright Brothers Legacy: Orville and Wilbur Wright and Their Aeroplanes in Pictures Walt Burton, Owen Findsen Harry N. Abrams; ISBN: 0810942674 December 17th marks the 100th anniversary of an event that changed the course of human history. Orville Wright's 12-second flight capped the centuries of human endeavor to soar in sustained powered flight. Aircraft would ultimately expand our horizons beyond the few hundred miles per day that could be traversed by car, boat, or train. Today, pilots can enjoy "hundred dollar hamburgers" during quick recreational jaunts for lunch. (Private planes aren't cheap to fly.) Air travelers can touch base anywhere in the world within 24 hours. This book chronicles the history and legacy of the Wrights through the photographic archives of their personal photographer, William Preston Mayfield, whose collection was acquired by Walt Burton. This incredible compilation is accompanied by a well-written textual history by Ohio historian Owen Findsen to create an unsurpassed accounting of the Wright's work from 1898 to 1948. This large format book is a must-have for any aviation enthusiast or armchair pilot. It's chock full of great stuff not to be missed. [GB]

The Unwritten Laws of Engineering

The Unwritten Laws of Engineering W. J. King, et. al. American Society of Mechanical Engineers; ISBN: 0791801624 Three articles appearing in a Mechanical Engineering journal in 1944 attracted much attention. They considered what one needs to know to succeed as an engineer or engineering manager, and they were subsequently published as a book, revised for this edition in 2001. Many engineers have very little understanding of the limits and boundaries of the professional universe they must navigate in order to accomplish their goals and advance their career. For those without organizational instincts, this book will serve to initiate them to 'the game.' Presented as a series of laws, this small book pithily and pointedly expresses an enormous amount of institutional wisdom. The topics fill in gaps in professional acumen and identify useful strategies for communication, conflict resolution, and operating within a hierarchical structure. Other sections concern social grace in terms which are very easy to follow. The author doesn't take a preaching, "thou shall" tone. Rather, his laws articulate both the benefits of adhering to strong professional principles as well as the cost of deviating from them. Engineers and their managers can greatly benefit from this book. [EG]

Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938

Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 R.A. Scotti Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316739111 A few years ago I was telling my father-in-law about some bad tree damage from a storm. He replied, "Well, in the hurricane of '38 all of the trees around here came down, and they've grown back pretty well. Of course that was fifty years ago." Living memory of that great hurricane is starting to fade, and indeed outside of those who experienced it, one of the worst natural disasters in US history never made much of an impression on the US psyche. War news from Europe overshadowed it, and the destruction was so widespread and so thorough that it was days and weeks before stories and images made their way out. The storm completely eluded the US Weather Service, which was drastically reorganized after the storm. The storm itself was a top-level Category 5 and it moved very fast, over 60 miles an hour. Most who experienced it had virtually no warning at all. The day started out beautifully, started to get cloudy, and then suddenly winds of over 180 miles per hour and a wall of water washed boats, houses, and entire communities out to sea. The author R.A. Scotti does an excellent job of balancing the meteorological, societal, and personal stories of this tremendous disaster. Engaging and gripping, Sudden Sea will help you carry the memory of this large-scale calamity. [MA]

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Brian Greene Vintage; ISBN: 0375708111 Throughout history, scientists and philosophers have been subject to public ridicule and even death, simply because they espoused beliefs contrary to established doctrine. It's interesting to note that even modern "enlightened" adherents to mainstream theory still shun revolutionary thought. Such was the case with the radically new ideas surrounding the early development of string theory two decades ago. Subatomic particles are made of infinitely small loops of energy? Preposterous! Join the crackpots that may be the new Einsteins and learn what the fuss is all about. Greene takes us through the rich history of man's understanding of the nature of matter, energy, and gravity. The potential unification (tying together) of the known fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak) into one overarching description haunted Einstein until his dying day. James Clerk Maxwell connected electricity and magnetism together and he's now an historical icon, but the task still isn't complete. This well-written and engaging book is directed at the lay reader and gives an excellent foundation for understanding the current theories that may lead to the ultimate "theory of everything." This could be the greatest development of modern science, but then again it might be hogwash. Only time will tell. Fascinating reading. [GB]

Buying Dad: One Woman's Search for the Perfect Sperm Donor

Buying Dad: One Woman's Search for the Perfect Sperm Donor Harlyn Aizley Alyson Publications; ISBN: 1555837557 There aren't many decisions more personal or difficult to make than whether or not to be a parent. Those of us in the developed world (where we can also choose NOT to have a child) have a plethora of resources available to aid in making this decision as well as achieving the desired outcome. This leads to many new possibilities for people seeking parenthood outside of so-called "traditional" relationships. It's now not uncommon for gay couples to become parents and Aizley shares her story in this touching and humorous account of one such journey to parenthood. What Aizley and her girlfriend Faith don't realize when they begin the process is that deciding to be parents was actually the easy part. The sheer number of issues and variables involved in selecting a suitable donor is enough to make your head spin. Should the donor be known or anonymous? What physical features are valued? (No guarantees here, though.) What cultural or religious affiliation should the donor posses? Will a known donor relinquish control of the child's upbringing? Will he only visit when invited? Will he put demands on the child for holidays? It goes on and on. Aizley's accounting of the arduous process is written in prose that is friendly and engaging. The humor and irony are tinged with sorrow as she also deals with the terminal illness of her mother during this time in her life. You'll find it difficult to put down and yes, you'll laugh and you'll cry. A powerful story on a subject you may not have considered...but should. [GB]

The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo

The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo Terisa Green Fireside; ISBN: 0743223292 They used to be a parent's nightmare, a sign of rebelliousness, and a symbol of living on the edge. Now they're often a fashion statement for disenfranchised teens. Whatever the reason, tattoo aficionados are creating a land-rush business for parlors that are no longer relegated to back alleys in not-so-good neighborhoods. It's practically mainstream behavior to "permanently" adorn your skin with a carefully chosen image, but how does one choose? Enter Terisa Green. She begins this book with a brief description of the art of tattooing and its relationship with symbolism throughout history, but the true essence of this book is as a reference. It provides over 800 different tattoo designs with a description of their origins and meaning as researched through archaeology, anthropology, psychology, and religion. Organized alphabetically, tattoo designs run from the aegishjalmar (Nordic runes) to Zuni fetishes and just about anything in between. A helpful feature is a categorical index that breaks down the designs into general subject areas such as art, biker, luck, gang, or pinup girl. This would be a useful resource for anyone seriously contemplating a tattoo or for those generally interested in this popular body art form. It's also an interesting, well-written treatment on the meaning of commonly used symbols. Parents: If your teen is leaning towards a tattoo, this could be a good way to become involved in a well-reasoned decision that won't haunt you both forever. [GB]

Humor

Mark Twain's San Francisco

Mark Twain's San Francisco Mark Twain, edited by Bernard Taper Santa Clara University/Heyday Books; ISBN: 1890771694 Here is San Francisco in the 1860s through the eyes of that acerbic young (27 when he arrived) satirist Mark Twain. He was Samuel Clemens when he set up shop as a newspaper columnist in Virginia City, Nevada, but he arrived by stagecoach in the Gold Rush metropolis of San Francisco as Mark Twain. The City, as it is still portentously called by some locals, offered much grist for his iconoclastic mill, filled as it was with the flamboyant nouveau riche (and their undisciplined children, some of whom resided at Twain's hotel), gamblers looking to join their ranks, politicians not ashamed to indulge in hanky panky, as we read in "The Great Prize Fight . . . between His Excellency Gov. Stanford and Hon. F. L. Low, Governor-Elect of California," (this one does resonate), not to mention that frontier-town staple, opera stars of questionable virtue. Bernard DeVoto found in Twain's writings during his two- and-a-half years in SF the kernels of all his future work. If you're in the mood for some satirical humor, if you're curious about conditions in San Francisco 140 years ago, and especially if you're a Twain admirer or one curious to get acquainted with his writings, here's a book to enjoy. Illustrations by Twain's San Francisco contemporary, the cartoonist Edward Jump, are an added treat. [CW]

The Complete Far Side

The Complete Far Side Gary Larson; Foreword by Steve Martin Andrews McMeel Publishing; ISBN: 0740721135 Among the not-so-huge ranks of all cartoonists who ever lived, you can make the case that Gary Larson ranks at the top, right there in the number-one slot. Nobody even comes close to his inventive and often utterly obscure genius. We're convinced some of his cartoons are funny and yet incomprehensible simply because they're years ahead of their time. Human civilization is just not ready for them yet. Here is all of Larsen's published genius, over 4,000 cartoons (1,100 never collected in book form), in two volumes, 14 chapters, and about 20 pounds. Yes, this sucker is heavy—but then, it bears the heavy burden of a weighty genius. It's worth noting that the publisher spared no expense in terms of production quality in order to do justice to Larson's art and work. These are some fine-looking books. Beside the cartoons, you also get Larson's commentary about his work, and even some choice letters from people he has managed to puzzle and offend over the years. If you don't already salivate at the prospect of owning this, we might as well trot out the dreaded H-word ("holiday") and suggest you think about buying it for some truly deserving soul. [AB]

How to Mow the Lawn: The Lost Art of Being a Man

How to Mow the Lawn: The Lost Art of Being a Man Sam Martin E P Dutton; ISBN: 0525947310 "The indispensable guide for fathers, sons, graduates, boyfriends, or any man who needs some helpful advice about all things manly." (From the back cover.) The colorized vintage photo on the front cover says it all: a smiling shirtless man pushes a reel mower across open acres of manicured grass. He's a throwback to the 50s, when manliness was an art form to be cherished and celebrated. The other charming photographs adorning the chapter title pages really set the mood and say "the good ol' days" loud and clear. This book might be dismissed as a comedy fluff piece if it weren't for the really useful content. The chapter on "The Great Outdoors" includes how to build a barbecue, what to grill on your barbecue and suggests the correct "barbecue stance," with tongs and beer in hand. "Gaining Points With the Fairer Sex" offers pointers on ironing a shirt, shaving, the first date, and getting your foot in the bedroom door. Other chapters offer helpful hints on household repairs, hosting parties, sportsmanship, and heroism. The mixture of wit and practicality is perfect. It's a worthy read simply for the entertainment value, plus you're sure to pick up gobs of useful tips to boot. Be a man. [GB]

Weird Hikes: A Collection of Bizarre, Funny, and Absolutely True Hiking Stories

Weird Hikes: A Collection of Bizarre, Funny, and Absolutely True Hiking Stories Art Bernstein Falcon; ISBN: 0762725869 It's the time of year when the closest many of us come to a "hike" is on a Stairmaster or at the local shopping mall. ('Tis the season!) Instead of merely longing for the spring, you can stretch your mental legs and enjoy some weird hiking tales as related by Art Bernstein. Best known for serious hiking books such as Hiking Oregon's Southern Cascade & Siskiyous and Portland Hikes: Day Hikes in Oregon and Washington Within 100 Miles of Portland, Weird Hikes is an entertaining departure from his normal handiwork. Bernstein's lively prose takes us on 13 of the most "interesting" hikes he has experienced in 30 years of wandering the woods. His delightful wit helps to punctuate these tales, which in addition to being bizarre and funny (and true!) are often also frightening. Bernstein's literary trailhead is at Antioch College in Ohio where he stumbles into the Lady in the Woods while in a drunken stupor. He joins her and her dog for a morning meal in her cabin in the woods just off campus, but there's a surprise you'll have to discover for yourself. The other hikes span the entire North American continent and each contains some little (or not so little) twist that makes it both strange and amusing. Like his other books, Bernstein provides the pertinent details about each hike such as its length and directions on getting to the trailhead. It's time to enjoy some good fireside whoppers. True? [GB]

Six Books for the Coffee Table or Saturnalian Tree

All Meat Looks Like South America: The World of Bruce McCall

All Meat Looks Like South America: The World of Bruce McCall Bruce McCall Crown; ISBN: 0609608029 Bruce McCall lives in an odd tongue-in-cheeky place where the mundane is always taken to the level of the absurd, and it looks marvelous. His visions of the retro future of the past will almost certainly be praised as magnificently prescient by backward-looking historians and pundits of the 2090s. One has only to spend some time with "Golf Carts of the Third Reich," or "New York's Transportation Future is Coming Tomorrow" before you too will see that indeed all meat does in fact look like South America. [MA]

Winged Migration

Winged Migration Jacques Perrin, Jean-Francois Mongibeaux Chronicle Books; ISBN: 2020612925 This book is the accompanying volume to one of the most amazing movies I have seen. You leave the movie theater (and I highly recommend seeing Winged Migration on a big screen, the bigger the better) feeling as if you are now an honorary member of another species. The up-close cinematography of flying birds is so personal that it lets you see their expressions as they fly over some of the most thrilling landscapes on the planet. This large-format book includes several larger-yet gatefolds, and includes a section that answers the question "How did they do that?" [MA]

Zen Cat

Zen Cat Judith Adler and Paul Coughlin Rodale Press; ISBN: 0875969232 After gamely trying to work my way through two books on zen recently, I have come to the conclusion that Zen is really Nihilism by way of California. Certainly there is no more nihilistic pet than the cat. This book charmingly pairs high-quality pictures of cats with top-drawer quotations that ring with the eternal charm of profound meaningfulness. Because certainly cats are profound. They're not just cozying up to us for free food and a warm bed. Are they? [MA]

Roadside America: 365 Days

Roadside America: 365 Days Lucinda Lewis Harry N. Abrams; ISBN: 0810945401 Do you know someone who's into cars? Do you know someone who truly digs the roadside iconography of automotive America? Do you know someone who needs a desk calendar? Then this is the book to get. This is 365 pages of pure car porn. No, there aren't any naked people in here; just pictures of cars and the places cars go. But what pictures. There's every sort of car in here from classic Packards to modern Ferraris. For myself, though, it's the photos of roadside juke joints, gaseterias, and highway advertising that really grab me. [MA]

The Complete Far Side

The Complete Far Side Gary Larson, Steve Martin (Foreword) Andrews McMeel Publishing; ISBN: 0740721135 Entomologists really love Gary Larson. It's not just that he is the rare cartoonist who uses bugs as an ongoing theme, it's that he really gets bugs in a deep interior sort of way. Not only that, he really gets entomologists too. In fact Larson seems to deeply empathize with scientists, geeks, and all those folks from the, well, the far side. Perhaps this explains why he is still one of the world's most popular cartoonists years after he has stopped cartooning. Indeed it is remarkable for any cartoonist to be honored with such a high-quality edition of his works. This two-volume set is an ideal gift, and a great tool for squashing bugs. [MA]

The Invisible Universe

The Invisible Universe David Malin Bulfinch; ISBN: 0821226282 This is a really big book, so big bookstores have to put it on the oversize shelf in the oversize coffee-table-book bookcase. This is a book that means to over-awe the reader by sheer size and magnificence, and it succeeds. These are pictures of the universe, and they need to be big. These cosmic photos were all taken from the Anglo-Australian Observatory and include images of galaxies, nebula, and other interstellar wonders. The reproduction quality is top notch. These may only be photographs, but you will spend hours trying to read them. [MA]

Fiction

Don Quixote

Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes, Edith Grossman (Translator) Ecco; ISBN: 0060188707 Every literary historian will tell you that this 16th-century work is the first modern novel. Cervantes used just about every modern literary trick to tell his tale of the elderly knight errant and his faithful companion, Sancho Panza. The book is many things: a great adventure; a funny parody of knightly valor; a poignant look at gentle madness; a love story. Edith Grossman, an award-winning translator of modern Hispanic authors, spent two years producing this work. Her translation is thoroughly modern but faithful to the original tone and wit. It is a perfect introduction to Cervantes for the modern reader who might be put off by trying to read cumbersome 500-year-old text. No, there's nothing cumbersome about this story, a sprawling and funny adventure as entertaining today as the day it was written. Highly recommended, and required reading for —well, for anybody who reads. [AB]

The Trial

The Trial Franz Kafka Schocken Books; ISBN 0805210407 When you hear 'Kafkaesque' do you think of absurd bureaucracy and surreal, nightmarish yet unavoidable confrontations? This moody and quirky novel perfectly renders these qualities. Once you read The Trial you will invariably recognize its particularly twisted take on life in other literature, sometimes even when reading a newspaper. The protagonist, K, is initiated into a sinister underworld when one day two strange men appear in his bedroom and say "You can't go out, you are arrested." "So it seems," said K. "But what for?" he added. "We are not authorized to tell you that..." K is in no way detained. He discovers, by degrees, a perverse legal system without rhyme or reason, existing at the fringes of society. The more K becomes determined to resist this system, the deeper he becomes enmeshed in a progressively surreal drama. The settings become increasingly dreamlike, with lighting changes and appearances of strange characters in unlikely situations. Despite these incongruous aspects, the story hangs together tightly. We follow K closely as an insane system slowly but inevitably ensnares him. I strongly recommend The Palace of Dreams to readers who appreciate The Trial, and vice versa. [EG]

The Tea Ceremony: The Uncollected Writings of Gina Berriault

The Tea Ceremony: The Uncollected Writings of Gina Berriault Gina Berriault; Foreword by Leonard Gardner Shoemaker & Hoard; ISBN: 1593760043 Here is a book for those who appreciate beautifully-crafted writing. Comprising both fiction and non-fiction, the book opens with several stories, fables really, carefully shaped, that provide unexpected views of the human experience. The title story, set not in Japan but in Miss Furguson's eighth-grade class, where Berriault's young narrator, in telling of the teacher's bestowing on the beauty of the class the honor of participating in a version of the Japanese tea ceremony, captures the insecurities and injustices suffered by the more sensitive (probably not the most beautiful or wellborn) children of small town America in adolescence. Only by the delicacy and clarity of the writing would one connect "The Figure Skater" to the same author. Here the narrator is an ancient woman, on her deathbed, remembering fragments of her youth in Russia, speaking in French, to her nurse's bafflement; but she was a child of privilege, who left her life of comfort to throw in with the Revolution. The non-fiction includes a profile of David Harris, the antiwar activist elected student body president of Stanford after he had concluded that the only honest response to the war in Vietnam was to refuse the draft and go to jail. A 1966 piece teases out the responses of the members of the last firing squad in Utah, before supposedly more humane methods were adopted for killing by the state. Berriault's sharp eye and careful reporting give the reader new ways to perceive our world. [CW]

Dimensions of Sheckley

Dimensions of Sheckley Robert Sheckley NESFA Press; ISBN 1886778299 At last! Unless you stalk the science fiction section of used bookstores, you won't find the novels collected in this volume. Who would sell their copy of Dimension of Miracles? Even if you look long and hard, these out-of-print treasures rarely show up.I still remember my sinking feeling when I realized that Holly Woods, a remarkable lady I once had a date with, would never return Immortality, Inc. Sheckley novels and short stories read to my roommate while he cooked dinner were the highlight of our day. Sheckley writes science fiction in a satiric mode, hilarious and biting. I prefer his work to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which similarly entertains philosophical and political topics with zany yet clever plots and characters. Sheckley's stories have the quick pace of a cartoon, with unrelenting intellectual gags. The action and conflict in his writing is inspired by all that's terribly wrong with contemporary life. If you appreciate humorous socially-critical science fiction with a brisk plot, you too will be grateful for NESFA's reissuing of his best novels. [EG]

For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs

For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs Robert A. Heinlein (Author), Robert James (Afterword), Spider Scribner; ISBN: 074325998X The publication of this book is somewhat of an event in SF publishing. This is Robert Heinlein's very first novel, which was not published in 1939 at least partly because it was a little risque for the time. Heinlein's subsequent towering career produced a body of science fiction that reflects many of the themes he first explored in this work. It's the story of Perry Nelson, who gets knocked out in a car accident and wakes up in the Utopian society of 2086. He's taken under the wing of the beautiful Diana and proceeds to work through his culture shock as he learns all about how that society works. You know, it kind of sounds like "Futurama." The plot conceit lets Heinlein explore social mores, economics, technology, and all the cultural baggage that goes with his imaginary future. The book is not perfect, sometimes reading like a cobbled collection of lectures loosely held together by a plot. It would be some years yet before Heinlein achieved his pinnacle in books like Stranger in a Strange Land and Time Enough for Love". Despite its shortcomings, the horde of Heinlein fans will find this book a must read, and on the whole a satisfying and amusing one at that. [AB]

Children's Books

Father Fox's Christmas Rhymes

Father Fox's Christmas Rhymes Clyde Watson; Pictures by Wendy Watson Farrar, Straus & Giroux; ISBN: 0374375763 Those who know and love the Watson sisters' Father Fox's Pennyrhymes will welcome their new collaboration, which offers the warmth of a simple, old-fashioned New England Christmas. The Fox family is poor and multitudinous but they know how to have a good time, making each other gifts and goodies, putting on their warmest clothes and forming a candlelight procession in the snowy, starry night, and making music as well (mom on banjo, dad on snare drum, kids on cymbals, squeezebox, and recorder). And for their feast, aunts and uncles and cousins come to fill the long table. The rollicking rhythms of the verses and Wendy Watson's lively, lovable pictures make this a treat to read aloud. And it recalls the possibility of a holiday made by the kids and their parents rather than the commercial event it has become: "I wish that all who see this star/wherever on the earth they are/Would make one wish for the world tonight/All of us together with our eyes shut tight:/A wish for peace & love & joy/More precious things than any toy/There is enough, if we will share/For every creature, everywhere." [CW]

The Piñata Maker

The Piñata Maker George Ancona Harcourt Brace & Company; ISBN: 0152618759 This appealing book shows a few days in the life of Don Ricardo, a piñata maker in Oaxaca, Mexico. Illustrated with color photos by award-winning author and photographer George Ancona, its text is in English and Spanish and it shows how Don Ricardo creates a variety of piñatas for the children of his town. Starting with the load of used paper brought to him by Beto, a young boy who earns pocket money by supplying Don Ricardo, we see Don Ricardo prepare his paste, cut various shapes to make a swan, and buy at the local market the clay pot that will form the swan's body and container for the treats the piñata will hold. Each step is clearly illustrated and the reader delights in seeing the simple elements transformed into a crepe-paper-feathered swan. The swan completed, Don Ricardo sets about making a traditional star piñata and, during the process, four boys come to pick up the large paper-maché puppets he has made for them to wear for a dance at a birthday party. Various other of Don Ricardo's imaginative creations are shown, and all come together at the birthday party of Daniela, who has chosen the star piñata for her party, which is suspended from a tree over the patio until a lucky child succeeds in breaking it. The author adds a note about making piñatas with his own children from cardboard boxes, even balloons. His readers will want to try their hand. [CW]

CDC?

CDC? William Steig Farrar Straus Giroux; ISBN: 0374312338 This one is for kids in the joke/pun/silly story phase and will make their elders laugh out loud too. The inimitable William Steig's playful sensibilities and boundless imagination are in full play here as he creates captions of words and numerals for the reader to puzzle out with the help of his witty drawings. You get the idea from the title and jacket image. Another all-too-apt caption (Steig was quite capable of political [cultural?] incorrectness) is T-D-UM, the drawing showing an earnest child playing violin with pained-looking father sitting in the foreground. On the facing page a frumpily-costumed ballerina exclaims to the impresario "D 2-2 S C-D." As in all Steig's books, the vocabulary challenges kids—no Dick and Jane approach here—so younger kids will need some parental participation if they are to solve all the riddle-captions. Steig, a longtime New Yorker cartoonist was, to my mind, one of the best children's author/illustrators ever. This book first came out in 1984 in black and white, and Mr. Steig produced watercolor illustrations for the 2003 edition. [CW]

Holes

Holes Louis Sachar Yearling Books; ISBN 0440414806 This book is immensely popular right now, probably due to the very successful film version. The book has a timely quality as it successfully mixes genres of children's literature: the cruel prison survival story at the same time as a mystery thriller. Rowling's Harry Potter stories succeed largely for the same reason; they combine boarding school antics, epic fantasy, horror, and mystery genres. Holes takes place in a juvenile detention center where the main character, Stanley Yelnats, is unjustly imprisoned. Stanley is confronted with a diabolical warden and an increasingly difficult situation. At the same time, in parallel to the story, Sachar recounts events occurring a hundred years in the past. Gradually the significance of these historic events emerges, as Stanley and the reader piece together various clues. The dynamic plot and humor make this book hard to put down. There's a strong subtext of racial reconciliation which lends a fresh and admirable quality to the story. This book will surely fuel a child's enthusiasm for reading. [EG]

The Great Expedition of Lewis and Clark by Private Reubin Field, Member of the Corps of Discovery

The Great Expedition of Lewis and Clark by Private Reubin Field, Member of the Corps of Discovery Judith Edwards; pictures by Sally Wern Comport Farrar Straus Giroux; ISBN: 0374380392 As the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-06) approaches, kids will hear increasing references to it. This book provides 6-10 year olds a good understanding of the great undertaking conceived by Thomas Jefferson to explore the vast lands encompassed in the Louisiana Purchase from the Allegheny Mountains to the Pacific. Presented in the voice of Private Reubin Field who, with his brother Joseph, was recruited from Kentucky to join the "Corps of Discovery," the book is written in the informal style of a storyteller. Captain William Clark recruited woodsmen and hunters on the frontier with the promise of land on their return. Since Captains Lewis and Clark headed a military expedition, recruits had to undergo training that probably went against the grain for frontiersmen, as the author amusingly suggests. French trader Touissant Charbonneau joined the expedition as interpreter in late 1804 at their winter fort near some Mandan villages. But it was his young Shoshone wife Sacagawea who proved to be greatly valuable as the expedition continued west towards her native country, and not only for her language skills. Her presence, with her baby boy, reassured the Indians they met that this was not a war party. Clear and detailed pictures add both information and color to this great story. [CW]

My Name is Aram

My Name is Aram William Saroyan Dell Publishing; ISBN 0440362059 A childhood among a quirky family in an immigrant Armenian milieu in Fresno, California, inspired this collection of short stories. Saroyan cleverly mixes the touching and humorous in short tales about a boy named Aram. Believably and amusingly, Aram joins a sense of justice with independence bordering on rebelliousness. Aram's disregard for burdensome reality gets him into trouble. In one story, he is convinced he can win a race through will power alone. In other stories, he has serious run-ins with authority at school. My favorite character is Aram's grandfather, the patriarch of the family. He deliberately attempts to reach wise decisions, even if this means following the suggestions of wise asses. This consistently benefits Aram. These stories would greatly appeal to older children, although the settings are quaint and the drama very constrained and realistic. Saroyan's charming folksy style and his hilarious wit have such a unique savor, the text practically begs to be read aloud. Adult readers will appreciate the wistful quality surrounding these reminiscences as well as Saroyan's flippant insight into life's mysteries. [EG]