ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


5 7 8 /  C&RL News

N e w  
Publications

George M. Eberhart

Birds of North America, 
version 2 .0  (CD-ROM, 
Windows format), is an es­
se n tial learn in g  to o l an d  
identification guide for any­
one interested in birds. This 
latest version contains more 
than 2,700 high-resolution 
color photos of all 917 birds 
s e e n  in C a n ad a a n d  th e 
United States, as well as 314 
birds found elsewhere. The 
d isk  in c lu d e s m o re th a n  
1,200 songs, calls, and chirp 
notes of 695 species, taken from the Cornell
Laboratory of Ornithology. The sound quality
is excellent (as attested to by our two cats),
especially in the higher frequencies, w here the
n o tes p ro d u ce d  by w arblers are rich, and
sonograms are provided for each. Other fea­
tures include: the ability to zoom in on photos;
side-by-side species comparison; videos of 121
species; 185 quizzes for beginners and advanced
birders; range an d  ab u n d an ce m aps for both
sum m er and w inter; 63 state and province
checklists; rare bird alert p h o n e numbers; ad­
dresses o f bird clubs; an d  a plug-in to the
encyclopedic B ird e r’s H a n d b o o k by Ehrlich,
D obkin, an d  Wheye. Free u p d ates are p ro ­
vided on the Thayer Birding Software Web
site at w w w .birding.com ; th ese dow nloads
will integrate seam lessly w ith the installed
CD-ROM program. More fully featured than
any o th e r birding CD-ROM, including the
A u d u b o n  an d  P eterso n  program s. $65.00.
Thayer Birding Software, P.O. Box 43243, Cin­
cinnati, OH 45243.

The Book of Zines: Readings from the
Fringe, edited by Chip Rowe (178 pages, May
1997), brings together a sampling of the best
self-published rants, reviews, and rumblings
from the homemade world of zines. Some fa­
vorites are: how to drill a hole in your head, an
essay on existentialism in The Family Circus
comic, a history of the driver’s education film,
dating do n ’ts for boys, slackers in history, and
things you never want to see on Popeye’s arm
w hen he is about to hit you. An encouraging
look at alternative literature. $14.95. Henry Holt,
115 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011. ISBN 0-
8050-5083-3.

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Getting Here: The Story 
of Human Evolution, by 
William Howells (266 pages, 
August 1997), describes the 
varying theories of how  and 
w here human beings devel­
o p e d  from  early p rim ate 
stock. Writing for a nontech­
nical audience, Howells still 
delves into some weighty, 
yet-unansw ered questions 
about the origin of archaic 
humans, the lineal relation­
ship of N eanderthals with 

m o d e rn  h u m a n s , th e  a r g u m e n ts  fo r 
multiregional evolution versus recent-out-of- 
Africa theory, and the causes of racial diver­
sity. Plentiful drawings of hominid fossils and 
facial reconstructions aid understanding. $36.00. 
Compass Press; distributed by Paul & Com­
pany, P.O. Box 442, Concord, MA 01742. ISBN 
0-929590-16-3.

Is Lying Sometimes the Right Thing for 
an Honest Person to Do? by Quinn G. 
McKay (261 pages, September 1997), exam­
ines the ethical temptations and traps faced by 
everyone in the modern workplace. There are 
many shades o f gray betw een honesty and 
fraud, and finding the right solution to a per­
sonal or corporate ethical dilemma can be both 
difficult and disastrous. McKay offers practical 
advice laced with many relevant examples, as 
well as nine suggestions for improving ethical 
awareness and behavior. $22.95. Executive Ex­
cellence Publishing, 1344 E. 1120 South, Provo, 
UT 84606. ISBN 1-890009-12-1.

Journalistic Advocates and Muckrak- 
ers: Three Centuries of Crusading W rit­
ers, by Edd A pplegate (219 pages, August 
1997), profiles the lives of columnists and edi­
tors who have attempted to sway public policy 
th ro u g h  th e ir w ritings. Both w ell-k n o w n  
(Upton Sinclair, H. L. Mencken, Ralph Nader) 
and lesser-known (Benjamin Flower, Ben B. 
Lindsey, Paul Brodeur) journalists are included. 
$39-95. M cFarland & Com pany, Box 611, 
Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0365-9.

George M. Eberhart is associate editor o f  American 
Libraries

http://www.birding.com


September 1 9 9 7 / 5 7 9

If the previous book inspires you to a ca­
reer as a reporter, you will find Journalism : A 
G uide to the Reference Literature, by Jo A. Cates 
(317 pages, 2d ed., Ju n e 1997), helpful. This 
annotated bibliography has ad d ed  252 new  en ­
tries and a chapter on commercial databases 
and Internet sources. Directories of associations 
and research centers are also provided. $45.00. 
Libraries Unlimited, P.O. Box 6633, Englewood, 
CO 80155-6633. ISBN 1-56308-374-4.

The Loom of God: Mathematical Tapes­
tries at the Edge of Time, by Clifford A. 
Pickover (292 pages, May 1997), consists of 21 
whimsical and speculative essays that explore 
the links betw een mathematics and mysticism. 
Pickover, w ho authors the brain-boggler column 
in Discover magazine, explores the roles that 
numbers have played in Pythagorean philoso­
phy, doomsday predictions, Druidic religion, the 
Incan quipu, the Kabala, and proofs of the exist­
ence of God. Each chapter begins with two time­
traveling science-fiction characters w ho set the 
stage for fun with Fibonacci numbers and fractals. 
Equations are kept to a minimum. Science stu­
dents will find this especially rewarding. $29.95. 
Plenum Press, 233 Spring St., New York, NY 
10013-1578. ISBN 0-306-45411-4.

Mystic Healers and Medicine Shows, ed ­
ited by G ene Fowler (202 pages, 1997), is a 
lively history o f medical practitioners in the Old 
West. Among the 11 little-rem embered healers 
a n d / o r  q u a c k s  a re  F ra n cis S c h la tte r, th e  
R asp u tin -lik e h e a le r o f N ew  M exico; J. I. 
Lighthall, the Diamond King, w hose medicine 
show  in the 1880s offered cures as well as en ­
tertainment; William Kroeger, the priest-healer 
o f Epiphany, South Dakota; an d  the Milling 
Brothers, magnetic healers o f north Texas. A 
bibliographic essay follows each chapter, and 
tw o appendixes provide medical formulas for 
such concoctions as tincture o f rhubarb and 
stom ach bitters. $27.95. Ancient City Press; dis­
tributed by Johnson Books, 1880 S. 57th Ct., 
Boulder, CO 80301. ISBN 0-941270-94-7.

Olive Branch and Sword: The United 
States and Mexico, 1 8 4 5 -1 8 4 8 , by Dean 
B. Mahin (233 pages, April 1997), focuses less 
on the military history o f the Mexican War and 
m ore on the diplomatic m aneuvering engaged 
in by the Polk administration. It contains the 
first detailed account of U.S. Peace Commis­
sio n e r N icholas P. Trist’s p e a c e  m ission to

Mexico in 1847 and Polk’s reaction to the mis­
sion. According to Mahin, Trist was the only man 
w ho singlehandedly ended a major American 
war; his efforts ultimately limited the scope of 
the controversy over slavery in territories acquired 
from Mexico and paved the way for the com pro­
mises o f the 1850s that deferred civil w ar for a 
decade. $34.50. McFarland & Company, Box 
611, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0258-X.

Two recent books published by G reenw ood 
Press covering oth er American wars are The 
A m erican Civil War: A H andbook o f  Literature 
a n d  Research, edited by Steven E. W oodworth 
(751 pages, January 1997), w hich offers 40 lit­
erature surveys o n  specific aspects o f the w ar 
from causation to reconstruction ($99-50, ISBN 
0-313-29019-9), and Historical D ictionary o f  the 
Spanish A m erican War, by Donald H. Dyal (376 
pages, 1996), w hich provides descriptions of 
individuals, battles, places, ships, w eapons, and 
other particulars of the conflict ($89.50, ISBN 
0-313-28852-6).

The Oxford Book of English Mystical 
Verse, chosen by D. H. S. Nicholson and A. 
H. E. Lee (646 pages, 1997 ed.), is available 
once again, in case you missed the 1917 edition. 
Acquired by Acropolis Books, this volume gath­
ers together the best spiritual poetry of Tennyson, 
Browning, Emerson, Wordsworth, Swinburne, 
and many other, lesser lights. $39.95. Acropolis 
Books, 747 Sheridan Blvd., Ste. 1A, Lakewood, 
CO 80214-2551. ISBN 1-889051-02-0.

People's Names, by Holly Ingraham (613 
pages, January 1997), is a com prehensive di­
rectory o f m ore than 40,000 personal and fa­
milial nam es in m ore than 100 cultures from 
ancient times to the present. But this volume 
goes far beyond a m ere listing: Ingraham in­
tends this to be a guide for writers of fiction 
w ho need to select nam es for characters as well 
as understand h ow  they are structured and pro­
nounced. N eed a Belarusan female name? Try 
Rahnieda Kaspiarovich. A Zimbabwean male? 
M atope Sibanda. A C olom bian drug dealer? 
Refugio Pinilla. A male Viking nam e from the 
ninth century? Brynjar Lodbrok. An ancient 
Celtic female? Cacudia. Sticklers for accuracy 
will w ant to carry this b ook around with them 
to movies; others will find it valuable in many 
other contexts. The author even includes tips 
on m anufacturing nam es in an imaginary lan­
guage. $65.00. McFarland & Company, Box 611, 
Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0187-7. ■



5 8 0 /C&RL News