ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 5 4 6 /C&RL News ■ M ay 2001 N e w P u b l i c a t i o n s George M. Eberhart Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyra­ mids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Com plexes, com piled by William Corliss (331 pages, February 2001), is the sec­ o n d volume in a series devoted to archeologi­ cal mysteries. This b ook focuses on unusual or anomalous ancient stmcαires. Each anomaly is rated in terms of the quality of the reported data and the degree from w hich it deviates from accepted historical or scientific norms. The vast majority of examples are taken from archeological, historical, and anthropological journals and books. Corliss exam ines such antiquities as ancient Mesoamerican astronomi­ cal observatories, engineering puzzles of Mal­ tese temples, Inca stone masomy, the vitrified forts of Scotland, O hio’s ancient furnace-like structures, the Great Pyramid as an informa­ tio n r e p o s ito r y , th e b r ic k p y r a m id o f Comalcalco, the pre-Columbian nature of Mys­ tery Hill, anomalous stone towers of the Andes, a n d re m a rk a b le aco u stic a l p ro p e rtie s o f N e o lith ic p a s s a g e g ra v e s . $ 24.95. T h e Sourcebook Project, P.O. Box 107, Glen Arm, MD 21057. ISBN 0-915554-35-6. Australia's Lost World: Prehistoric Ani­ m als of Riversleigh, by Michael Archer, Suzanne J. H and, an d H enk G odthelp (264 pages, March 2001), is a w onderfully illus­ trated exam ination of Australia’s fossil record, e s p e c i a l l y t h e v e r t e b r a t e d e p o s i t s at Riversleigh, Q ueensland, w hich is am ong the richest and m ost extensive in the world. Be­ cause Australia has b e e n relatively isolated for the past 45 million years, it has served as a biodiversity lab for th e d ev elo p m en t of anim al life se e n n o w h e re else, including m arsupial lions, 21-foot pythons, ancestral p l a t y p u s e s , a n d t h e h u g e ta p i r - l i k e palorchestids. In addition to descriptions of the m any animals found at the site, the au­ thors review the geology and environm ent o f the region, and techniques of excavation George M. Eberhart is senior e d ito r o f Am erican Libraries; e-mail: geberhart@ ala.org and laboratory preparation. $39.95. Indiana University. ISBN 0-253-33914-6. The Dictionary of Wordplay, by Dave Morice (293 pages, March 2001), contains m ore than 1,234 definitions of linguistic tricks, games, ciphers, puns, an d forms. The usual anagrams, palindromes, and w ord squares are here, b u t the value o f this b o o k lies in the its obscurer definitions: b eh ead m en t sentence, d ouble so u n d pun, Ernulphus curse, k nave’s English, oog lificatio n , tall w riting, *Tom Swiftie, u n fo ld e d Platonic solid, a n d the zzyxjoanw hoax. Unlike other authors, Morice gives a source as well as an exam ple for each o f his definitions. *“Not a b ad b o o k ,” Tom said liberally. $29.95. Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 5 U nion Square W est, New York, NY 10003-3306. ISBN 0-915924-99-4. Digital Imaging: A Practical Handbook, by Stuart D. Lee (194 pages, N ovem ber 2000), covers the basics o f digitization, from plan­ ning and scanning to cataloging an d deliv­ ery. Much em phasis is p laced on estimating staff time and other costs, m aking this esp e­ cially useful for b o th large and small projects. A n a p p e n d i x p r o v i d e s a s e l e c t i v e w e b lio g ra p h y o f d ig ital im ag e p ro je c ts. $55.00. Neal-Schuman. ISBN 1-55570-405-0. Editorial Peer Review: Its Strengths and Weaknesses, by Ann C. Weller (342 pages, March 2001), exam ines the editorial p eer-re­ view process com prehensively to determ ine w h at elem ents could be m odified o r elimi­ nated in online publishing. Topics include rejected m anuscripts, the function of editors and editorial boards, problem s w ith author­ ship, the role of reviewers, review er biases, statistical review, and p eer review in an elec­ tronic environm ent. After an extensive look at all the relevant literature, Weller concludes that p eer review is essential an d any changes should be carefully thought out before im ple­ menting them. $44.50. Information Today, 143 O ld Marlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055. ISBN 1-57387-100-1. mailto:geberhart@ala.org C&RL News ■ M ay 2001 / 547 Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty That Causes Havoc, by Arthur I. Miller (357 pages, March 2001), contrasts the early lives of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in interwoven, parallel biographies. Miller finds extraordinary congruence in their personal and working lives, from their com m on interest in Henri Poincaré’s treatise on non-Euclidean geometry to their radical reconstructions of space and time. An intriguing examination of how art and physics interact, and w hat cre­ ative processes were at w ork to inspire such discoveries as cubism and relativity. $30.00. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01859-9- The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia, ed­ ited by Maurine H. Beasley, Holly C. Shulman, and Henry R. Beasley (628 pages,. Jan u ­ ary 2001), contains 237 essays b y s c h o la r s o f E le a n o r Roosevelt and the New Deal era, journalists, and friends. Topics cover friends and ac­ q u a i n t a n c e s ( E lin o r M o r g e n th a u , G e o rg e Marshall), accom plishm ents and interests (civil rights, Is­ rael, refugees), personal life (family influences, finances, Val-Kill), an d politics (pro- g re ssiv ism , M cC arth y ism , United Nations). An excellent in tro d u ctio n to o n e o f the most influential women of the 20th century. $65.00. Greenwood. ISBN 0-313­ 30181-6. The Ghosts of Evolution, by Connie Barlow (291 pages, April 2001), takes a look at w hat happens to the plants left b ehind w h en spe­ cies go extinct, especially those that w ere mutually dependent on the large North Ameri­ can animals that died off at the e n d of the last Ice Age. The survivors becom e to some degree anachronistic because they can no longer propagate in the same way; unless they can find an alternative m ethod, they are similarly do o m ed . Barlow identifies som e successful species (paw paw s, persimmons, osage oranges, gingkos, haw thorns, and oth­ ers), and w arns of similar unanticipated con­ sequences in the future. $26.00. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-00551-9. Jackson's Way: Andrew Jackson and the People of the Western Waters, by Jo h n Buchanan (434 pages, January 2001), tells the story of the conquest of the O ld Southwest— Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle—from the Ameri­ can Revolution to the Battle of N ew Orleans in 1815. A key player in this w estw ard ex ­ pansion w as Andrew Jackson, w hose ex p e­ riences as a lawyer, legislator, judge, brawler, and Indian fighter epitom ized the relentless drive for mastery of the southern frontier. B u ch a n a n ex am in es th e C reek W ar a n d Jackson’s generalship at New Orleans in d e ­ tail. A bit old-fashioned, but a good treat­ m ent o f an understudied era. $30.00. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-28253-7. The Lack of Money Is the Root of All Evil, by Andrew Leckey (222 pages, January 2001), offers excellent invest­ m ent advice from columnist a n d CNBC c o m m e n ta to r Leckey, p e p p e re d w ith w it a n d w is d o m fro m M ark Tw ain, w h o h im self m ad e two fortunes in his lifetime. Each of the 50 chapters opens w ith an aptly hum orous q u o ­ ta tio n fro m T w a in , a fte r w hich Leckey provides som e context from Twain’s life and times, followed by practical and concise information for today’s investor. The advice is fairly basic and bite-sized, b ut the literary flavor enhances the finances. $22.00. Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-7352­ 0219-2. Measuring What Matters: A Library/LRC Outcomes Assessment Manual, by Bonnie Gratch Lindauer (96 pages, October 2000), offers suggestions on how to assess learning resource program s in a community college setting. Specific advice on aligning core li­ brary services w ith cam pus-wide goals and identifying quantitative perform ance indica­ tors is supplem ented w ith worksheets, sur­ vey exam ples, and statistics forms. $79-00 (plus $5.00 s/h). Learning Resources Asso­ ciation o f California Community Colleges, P O B 298, F a ir f ie ld , CA 9 4 5 3 3 -0 0 2 9 ; w w w .lraccc.org. ISBN 1-929247-08-7. ■ http://www.lraccc.org