ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


November 1996/ 681

New 
Publications

G e o rg e  M. Eberhart

C atalogue o f Forbidden 
German Feature and Short 
Film Productions, original 
text by John F. Kelson, ed­
ited with n ew  material se­
lected by K. R. M. Short (198 
pages, May 1996), lists 395 
features, feature-length docu­
mentaries, and short films 
that w ere forbidden for pub­
lic exhibition during the post­
war occupation o f Germany. 
Originally com piled as a tool 
for reeducating the popula­
tion o f  the three w estern 
zones o f occupation, this catalog is a pivotal 
document for understanding the policies o f the 
occupying powers between 1945 and 1951. The 
book also includes a complete list o f all films 
produced in Germany between 1933 and 1945 
by the Propaganda Ministry. $75.00. Greenwood 
Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881- 
5007. ISBN 0-313-30106-9.

A  Dictionary o f Euphemisms, by R. W.
Holder (470 words, April 1996), defines those 
words or phrases that serve as mild substitutes 
for offensive, harsh, or blunt language. It pro­
vides etymological information whenever pos­
sible. For those in search o f euphemisms, a 
thematic index brings together alternative ex­
pressions referring to bawds and pimps, brib­
ery, death, defecation, narcotics, etc. $25.00. 
Oxford University Pr., 198 Madison Ave., N ew  
York, N Y  10016. ISBN 0-19-869275-7.

The Ever-Changing Sky: A  Guide to the 
Celestial Sphere, by James B. Kaler(495 pages, 
July 1996), summarizes for nonspecialists the 
mechanics o f terrestrial and planetary motions. 
This is not an observer’s guide and, although 
geometric and trigonometric expressions have 
been minimized, they have not been eliminated 
entirely. Chapters cover constellations, preces­
sion, sunrise and sunset, sidereal time, tides, 
and light and the atmosphere. Archaeologists, 
historians o f science, and paleoanthropologists 
w ill especially appreciate this guide. $39.95. 
Cambridge University Pr., 40 W. 20th St., N ew  
York, N Y  10011-4211. ISBN 0-521-38053-7.

M orality and Social O rd er in Television
Crime Drama, by John Sumser (192 pages,

July 1996), exam ines the 
social content o f prime-time 
mystery dramas from  the 
late 1960s to the mid-1980s 
in order to find answers to 
the follow ing questions: Do 
new er dramas have few er 
clear-cut explanations than 
earlier programming? Are 
explanations in the newer 
shows more explicitly mor­
alistic? D o  differen ces in 
character types (detectives, 
villains, rich p eop le) reflect 
social rules governing the 

just distribution o f power, wealth, and pres­
tige? This could have been a dry, sociological 
exercise, but the author expresses his findings 
in terms understandable to fans o f Jim Rock­
ford, Jessica Fletcher, and Danno Williams. A  
final chapter looks at h o w  crime shows o f the 
1990s increasingly reflect a moral ambiguity that 
has replaced the moral certainties o f an earlier 
era. $34.50. McFarland & Co., Box 611, Jeffer­
son, NC 28640. ISBN 0-7864-0125-7.

If crime m ovies are more to your liking, 
check out G angster Films: A  Com prehen­
sive, Illustrated R eferen ce to P eo p le, 
Films and Terms, by Michael L. Stephens 
(377 pages, July 1996), an encyclopedic guide 
to the genre. $49.95. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864- 
0046-3.

Online Law, edited by Thomas J. Smedinghoff 
(544 pages, May 1996), addresses the complexi­
ties and complications o f conducting online 
transactions. Commissioned by the Software 
Publishers Association, this book offers back­
ground and guidance on such topics as online 
contracts, eavesdropping on em ployee e-mail, 
copyright, digital signatures, digital cash, on­
line piracy, vagaries o f jurisdiction, advertising 
content, and security. A  g ood  acquisition not 
only for business and law  libraries, but also for 
the resident W ebm aster. $34.95. A ddison- 
Wesley, One Jacob Way, Reading, M A 01867. 
ISBN 0-201-48980-5.

George Eberhart is editor and compiler o f  The 
W h o le Library H andbooks fo r  ALA Editions (1991, 
1995). He served as editor o f  C&RL N ew s from  1980 
to 1990.



682/C&RL News

The O xford  English-Hebrew Dictionary, 
edited by N. S. Doniach and A. Kahane (1091 
pages, May 1996), covers many levels o f lan­
guage from the formal and poetic to colloquial 
language and slang. Its emphasis 
is on words in Modern Hebrew that 
are actually in use, rather than on 
newly coined words based on bib­
lical roots, but which have never 
taken hold in actual usage. Hebrew 
equivalents are shown for many 
English colloqu ial phrases and 
compound words, while explana­
tions o f subsenses are given to 
differentiate English meanings. 
Sample sentences are frequently 
provided. $65.00. Oxford University 
Pr., 198 Madison Ave., N ew  York, 
N Y  10016. ISBN 0-19-864322-5.

Phonetic Sym bol G uide, by 
Geoffrey K. Pullum and William A. Ladusaw 
(320 pages, 2d ed., 1996), covers the many 
changes and new proposals for phonetic sym­
bols introduced over the past ten years by the 
International Phonetic Association (IPA), as well 
as many non-IPA phonetic symbols. Symbols 
are arranged by their shape and graphic rela­
tionship to other symbols. This guide clearly 
illustrates the origin and usage o f such sym­
bols as the hooktop b, the reversed epsilon, 
and the long-leg turned m. Diacritical marks 
are also described, including underbar, retrac­
tion sign, northeast arrow, and subscript seagull. 
Supplemented by a glossary, bibliography, sym­
bol charts, and three indexes. $13.95, paper. 
University o f Chicago Pr., 11030 S. Langley Ave., 
Chicago, IL 60628. ISBN 0-226-68535-7.

The Ultimate Spy Book, by H. Keith Melton 
(176 pages, April 1996), depicts the missions, 
equipment, and operatives in the world o f es­
pionage. The book’s value lies in the photo­
graphs showing concealed cameras, listening 
devices, fake IDs, lockpicks, suitcase radios, 
concealed weapons, and other gadgets actu­
ally used in spy operations. A  handy visual 
companion for reading spy novels or histories 
o f intelligence agencies. $29.95. DK Publish­
ing, 95 Madison Ave., N ew  York, N Y  10016. 
ISBN 0-7894-0443-5.

The Cam bridge Illustrated History o f A r­
chaeology, edited by Paul G. Bahn (386 pages, 
October 1996), captures the excitement and

controversy o f the subject in language acces­
sible to nonspecialists. Bahn traces the history 
o f the profession from its uncertain origins in 
antiquity to the latest discoveries and theories 

in physical anthropol­
ogy. The illustrations are 
well chosen and uncom­
mon, while the text is 
designed to show how 
archaeological views o f 
the past have evolved, 
m eandered, and mis­
fired in the past 500 
years. The final chapter 
discusses current trends 
and problems, including 
gender-aware archaeol­
ogy, the rights o f indig­
enous peoples, looting 
and fo rgery, cultural 
tourism, and public edu­

cation. $39.95. Cambridge University Press, 40 
W. 20th St., N ew  York, N Y  10011-4211. ISBN 
0-521-45498-0.

Visions o f Angels and Tales o f Bowmen: 
The Angels o f Mons, by Kevin McClure (24 
pages, January 1996), reexamines the legend 
that at the Battle o f Mons in August 1914 an 
“angel o f the Lord” or a “comrade in white” or 
“spectral horsemen” was seen by retreating units 
o f the British Expeditionary Force. A  month later 
a short story, “The Bowmen,” was published 
by novelist Arthur Machen in which he invented 
gh o stly lo n g b o w m e n  from  the Battle o f 
Agincourt coming to aid the British. Machen 
always claimed he made the story up and that 
all angels-of-Mons tales derived from his fic­
tion. However, McClure has unearthed some 
evidence from diaries and other accounts that 
contradicts this. An intriguing historical foot­
note for World War I and psychic collections. 
Available from Kevin McClure for $5.00 (m oney 
orders only), 23 Strawberrydale Ave., Harrogate, 
North Yorkshire, HG1 5EA, England. ■

J. C. Dana A w a rd  deadline 
m oved up

The deadline date for entries for the 1997 
John Cotton Dana Awards, mentioned in 
C&RL News (October 1996), has been moved 
to January 31, 1997.



November 1996/683