ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ D ecem ber 1 9 9 9 / 959 N e w P u b l i c a t i o n s George M. Eberhart A d m in istra tive S u b d iv isio n s o f C oun­ trie s, by Gwillim Law (457 pages, D ecem ­ b er 1999), is a fascinating sociopolitical look at how the earth has b een divided into m ore o r less discrete sections. Law provides a breakdow n o f 238 countries into their prov­ inces, regions, departm ents, o r states and supplies population, area, and capitals for each. Historical data back to 1900 is also presented (for example, a list o f the divi­ sions of Russia prior to World War I), along with ISO and FIPS designations, subordinate- subdivisions, territorial extent, nam e origins, a chronology of territorial changes in the 20th century, time zones, and variant names. The b o o k is useful for solving such tricky geo­ graphical problem s as: What is the Pinyin equivalent for the old Wade-Giles spelling o f Hsin-chiang in China? (Xinjiang Uyger.) In w hat region o f France is the departm ent o f Puy-de-Dôme located? (Auvergne.) What Moroccan province split from Agadir in 1986? (Taroudannt.) Which island of the Bahamas has Cockburn Town as its chief town? (San Salvador.) What is the Inuit nam e for West Greenland? (Kitaa.) The index lists all sub­ divisions, in case you have no idea w hat country a region is part of. People w ho d e­ light in geographical detail will find this book essential. $95.00. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864- 0729-8. T h e C a n a d i a n O x f o r d D i c t i o n ­ ary, e d ite d b y K ath erin e B arb er (1,707 pages, O ctober 1999), is a version o f the Oxford English D ictionary that defines some 2,000 distinctly Canadian w ords and expres­ sions, including the archetypal “eh?” The edi­ tors have paid particular attention to w hether British or American spellings of certain words (colour, theatre, program) are more common in Canada. Short biographies o f more than 800 Canadians, from Elvis Strojko and Celine D ion to L ester P e a rso n a n d A lex a n d er Mackenzie, are included, as well as all Ca­ G e o rg e M . E b e rh a rt is s e n io r e d ito r o f A m e ric a n Libraries; e-m ail: g eb e rh art@ aia .o rg nadian tow ns w ith a population o f 5,000 or more. The definitions, senses, and p ro n u n ­ ciations are based o n an analysis o f more than 20 million w ords o f Canadian text. An essential purchase for Canadiana collections. $35.00. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19- 541120-X. E v o l u t i o n a r y C a t a s t r o p h e s , b y V incent Courtillot (173 pages, S eptem ber 1999), is an ex cellen t English translation o f a F re n c h b o o k p u b lis h e d in 1995. Courtillot show s h o w th e mass extinctions o f th e C retaceous b o u n d ary c o u ld have b e e n cau sed by cataclysm ic volcanic ac­ tivity. H ow ever, he d o es n o t rule o u t as­ tero id im pact as a seco n d ary cause. A re­ freshingly o p en -m in d ed an d lucid sum m a­ tio n o f th e scientific ev id en ce for earth catastrophes. $24.95. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58392-6. The Extrem e Search er’s G uide to Web Search En g in e s, by Randolph Hock (212 pages, March 1999), com pares and contrasts the existing sites from AltaVista to Yahoo. Not only does Hock explain their differing features (su ch as w hich o n es have stop words) and Boolean capabilities, he also pro­ vides exam ples of searches an d how many URLs each retrieved. A handy b ook for both serious and occasional searchers. $34.95. In­ form ation Today, 143 O ld M arlton Pike, Medford, NJ 08055-8750. ISBN 0-910965-38- 2. Film a n d th e A m e rica n Le ft: A Re­ sea rch G u id e , by M. Keith B ooker (427 pages, S eptem ber 1999), thoroughly exam ­ ines leftist elem ents in 260 Am erican films from The Strike (1904) to M en with G uns (1998). The w orks o f such w ell-k n o w n di­ rectors as Charlie Chaplin, O rson Welles, William Wellman, Fritz Lang, Jo h n Huston, Stanley Kubrick, O liver Stone, an d Jo h n Sayles are in clu d ed an d analyzed. B ooker identifies a “rich, th o u g h com plex, rela­ tio n sh ip b etw e en film an d th e American Left” th ro u g h o u t th e 20th century, an d sets mailto:geberhart@aia.org 960 / C&RL News ■ D ecem ber 1999 o u t to d o c u m e n t th a t trad itio n . $89-50. G reen w o o d . ISBN 0-313-30980-9. If parody is paramount, discriminating film collections will want Parody as Film Genre: “Never Give a Saga a n Even Break, ” by Wes D. Gehring (223 pages, Septem ber 1999). Chapters cover spoofs of Westerns, the clas­ sic parodies o f the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy, Bob H ope and his disciple Woody Allen, the comedies o f Mel Brooks, and other 1990s film s lik e H o t S h o ts! P a r t D e u x and Scream. $59.95. Greenwood. ISBN 0-313- 26186-5. G enetic E n gin e e rin g: A D ocum entary History, edited by Thomas A. Shannon (282 pages, September 1999), reprints 135 docu­ ments relating to the history and develop­ m ent o f the hum an genom e project, clon­ ing, and gene therapy, w hich will u n doubt­ edly constitute the hottest biological research areas of the early 21st century. Ethical, diag­ nostic, an d research issues are carefully se­ lected to represent a w ide range o f opin­ ions. $49-95. Greenwood. ISBN 0-313-30457- 2. How to Find Out a b o u t F in a n cia l A id a n d F u n d in g , by Gail Ann S chlachter (439-pages, 1999), evaluates 832 p u b lica­ tions an d Web sites th at p rovide inform a­ tion o n scholarships, individual grants, or­ g an izatio n al grants, aw ards, a n d in te rn ­ sh ip s. M ore th a n 40% o f th e reso u rce s listed are available in digital format, m an­ dating an arrangem ent by topic rather than form at. Entries identify resources by type o f assista n ce , su b ject, ta rg e te d g ro u p s, g eo g rap h ic areas, specific p ro d u cers, or specific authors. $37.50. Reference Service Press. ISBN 0-918276-75-6. K io w a , A p a ch e , and C o m a n ch e M ili­ ta ry S o cie tie s , by William C. M eadows (495 pages, A ugust 1999), exam ines the structure, rituals, an d sym bols o f S outh­ ern Plains Indian military societies, includ­ ing th e K iow a Black Legs Society, th e A p a c h e B l a c k f e e t S o c ie ty , a n d th e C om anche Little H orses Society. In d ian m en an d boys form ed societies to celebrate victories in war, to perform com m unity ser­ vice, an d to p rep a re young m en for their C&RL News ■ D ecem ber 1999 / 961 roles as w arriors an d hunters. M eadows co n d u cted extensive interview s w ith tribal elders an d exam ined u n p u b lish ed archi­ val sources an d linguistic data to provide a com plete picture o f the role o f th ese so­ cieties in Indian culture an d ethnic conti­ nuity. $65.00. University o f Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-75212-1. The Ku K lu x Kian and R e late d A m e rica n Ra­ c ia list and A n tise m itic O r g a n i z a t i o n s , b y C h e ste r L. Q u arle s (316 p ag es, S ep te m b er 1999), chronicles the directions the Kian has taken during its long and diverse history. As a police officer and ballis­ tics examiner, Quarles par­ ticipated in the investiga­ tions o f almost all KKK ac­ tivities in Mississippi in the mid- to late-1960s. He in­ tends this book to be a d e­ scriptive, rather than an in­ terpretative, analysis that seeks to discover w hy men and w om en join the Kian and what their values and philosophies are. A chapter on such “Kian surrogates” as survivalists and militias points out similarities and differences. $45.00. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0647-X. The 761st “ Black P an th er” Tank Bat­ ta lio n in W orld War II, by Joe W. Wilson Jr. (313 pages, Septem ber 1999), is one of those w ell-docum ented la­ bors o f love that preserves the historical m inutiae of significant events and the heroism of individuals for later generations of schol­ ars. The 76 lst tank battal­ ion, the first African-Ameri­ can arm ored unit to enter combat, received a Presi­ d e n tia l U nit C itatio n in 1978. This heavily illus­ trated w ork chronicles the b a tta lio n ’s ac h iev em en ts and the belated tributes to their valor. The author’s fa­ ther was a m em ber o f the 761st. $55.00. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0667-4. ■ 9 6 2 / C&RL News ■ D ecem ber 1999