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Weimar in Exile: The Antifascist Emigration in Europe and America by Jean-Michel Palmier, translated by David Fernbach (Verso) In 1933 thousands of intellectuals, artists, writers, militants and other opponents of the Nazi regime fled Germany. They were, in the words of Heinrich Mann, "the best of Germany," refusing to remain citizens in this new state that legalized terror and brutality. One of the many sobering lessons of the Third Reich was the failure of Germany's intellectual elite to stop the rise of Hitler. Starting in 1933, with Hitler's assumption of power, German poets, philosophers, playwrights, artists and scientists—including Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann, Walter Benjamin, Stefan Zweig and thousands of others—seeing the writing on the wall, packed up and found new homes.
They emigrated to Paris, Amsterdam, Prague, Oslo, Vienna, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Mexico, Jerusalem, Moscow. Throughout their exile they strove to give expression to the fight against Nazism through their work, in prose, poetry and painting, architecture, film and theater. Weimar in Exile follows these lives, from the rise of national socialism to the return to their ruined homeland, retracing their stories, struggles, setbacks and rare victories.
This absorbing history covers the lives of Walter Benjamin, Ernst Bloch, Bertolt Brecht, Alfred Döblin, Hans Eisler, Heinrich Mann, Thomas Mann, Anna Seghers, Ernst Toller, Stefan Zweig and many others, whose dignity in exile is a moving counterpoint to the story of Germany under the Nazis. More

Reflections on America: Tocoqueville, Weber and Adorno in the United States by Claus Offe, translated by Gareth Schott, John Thompson (Polity Press) At a time when so many cracks have emerged within the imagined community of 'the West', this important new book, by one of the leading social scientists in Europe, examines the intellectual history of comparing Europe and the United States. Claus Offe considers the perspectives adopted by three of Europe's greatest social scientists — Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber and Theodor W Adorno — in their comparative writings on Europe.  More

A Companion to Analytic Philosophy (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) edited by A. P. Martinich, David Sosa (Blackwell Publishers) (Paperback) is a comprehensive guide to over 40 of the significant analytic philosophers from the last hundred years. The entries in this Companion are contributed by contemporary philosophers, including some of the most distinguished now living, such as Michael Dummett, Frank Jackson, P. M. S. Hacker, Israel Scheffler, John Searle, Ernest Sosa, and Robert Stalnaker. They discuss the arguments of influential figures in the history of analytic philosophy, among them Frege, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, and Quine. The articles on each philosopher provide clear and extensive analysis of profound and widely encountered concepts such as meaning, truth, knowledge, goodness, and the mind. This volume is a vital resource for anyone interested in analytic philosophy. More

Analytic Philosophy: An Anthology edited by A. P. Martinich, David Sosa (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies: Blackwell Publishers) This substantial anthology comprises the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of readings in analytic philosophy of the twentieth century. It provides a survey and analysis of the key issues, figures and concepts. The volume is divided into seven sections: philosophy of language, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, free will and personal identity, ethics, and methodology. It includes the most familiar texts of the analytic tradition, as well as several others that are less often anthologized. Several articles are logically related to each other. For example, Moore's Four Forms of Skepticism, appears together with selections from Wittgenstein's On Certainty; Langford's discussion of the paradox of analysis and Moore's reply are both included; and Quine's Two Dogmas of Empiricism is paired with Grice and Strawson's In Defense of a Dogma. More

Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women's Lives by Rosemary Daniell (Henry Holt and Co) for many years feminist writing workshops have become common among women writers. Daniell’s workshop bristles with good humor and empowering constructive criticism for writers at all stages of development.  She is southern, unabashedly so, up bubbling with emotional honesty and empathy for the paradoxes of the heart. Secrets of the Zona Rosa is not only an advertisement for her many workshops but also a useful primer on how to integrate living with effective writing. Daniell’s book not only succeeds as a how-to but also works as an inspiring read.  If you ever get gloomy about needing help to continue writing then these pages are a place to go for some happy time out and renewal. More

Dogen on Meditation And Thinking: A Reflection on His View of Zen by Hee-Jin Kim (State University of New York Press) (Hardcover) Thirty years after the publication of his classic work Dogen Kigen--Mystical Realist, Hee-Jin Kim reframes and recasts his understanding of Dogen's Zen methodology in this new book. Through meticulous textual analyses of and critical reflections on key passages primarily from Dogen's Shobogenzo, Kim explicates hitherto underappreciated aspects of Dogen's religion, such as the ambiguity of delusion and also of enlightenment, intricacies of negotiating the Way, the dynamic functions of emptiness, the realizational view of language, nonthinking as the essence of meditation, and a multifaceted conception of reason. Kim also responds to many recent developments in Zen studies that have arisen in both Asia and the West, especially Critical Buddhism. He brings Dogen the meditator and Dogen the thinker into relief. Kim's study clearly demonstrates that language, thinking, and reason constitute the essence of Dogen's proposed Zen praxis, and that such a Zen opens up new possibilities for dialogue between Zen and contemporary thought. This fresh assessment of Dogen's Zen represents a radical shift in our understanding of its place in the history of Buddhism. More

Confucian Spirituality, Volume 1 edited by Tu Weiming, Mary Evelyn Tucker (World Spirituality: Herder & Herder) Confucian Spirituality, Volume 2 edited by Tu Weiming, Mary Evelyn Tucker (World Spirituality: Herder & Herder) these two volumes on Confucian spirituality in the prestigious World Spirituality series offers vital essays on the living Confucian ethos.  These essays represent Confucianism as it is understood and practiced in the late 20th century.  For an orientation to what the worldview of this religion is there is no better starting place. More

Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy by Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Suny Series in Islam: State University of New York Press) (Hardcover) offers a comprehensive overview of Islamic philosophy from the ninth century to the present day. As Seyyed Hossein Nasr attests, within this tradition, philosophizing is done in a world in which prophecy is the central reality of life—a reality related not only to the realms of action and ethics but also to the realm of knowledge. Comparisons with Jewish and Christian philosophies highlight the relation between reason and revelation, that is, philosophy and religion.  More

Ibn Arabi by William Chittick (Makers of the Muslim World: Oneworld Publications) Bulent Rauf, the inspiration behind the British esoteric school Beshara, was often quoted as saying  Muhyi ad-Din Ibn Arabi is not so much a person as a meaning.  William Chittick who is easily the foremost interpreter of the greatest Sheik in America, and who has written two massive studies of ibn Arabi, seems to come into agreement with Bulent.  Muhyi ad-Din Ibn Arabi is an encyclopedic writer, whose contribution to the mystical meaning of Islam and the Qur'an is as central to Islam as the theology of Thomas Aquinas is foundational for Western Catholicism.  However unlike Thomas Aquinas, Muhyi ad-Din Ibn Arabi has never known such entrenched institutional support.  In fact, about a century after his death, the central tenets of his writings were subtly and effectively vilified and misrepresented by Ibn Taymiyya,  the spiritual godfather of all literalistic and fundamentalist, authoritarian and even terrorist forms of Islam. More

A Companion to Philosophy in the Middle Ages edited by Jorge J. E. Gracia, Timothy B. Noone (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy: Blackwell Publishers) This comprehensive reference volume features essays by some of the most distinguished scholars in the field.
The volume is organized into two sections. In the first, essays cover the historical context within which philosophy in the Middle Ages developed. Topics include the ancient philosophical legacy, the patristic background, the School of Chartres, religious orders, scholasticism, and the condemnation of various views in Paris in the thirteenth century. Within these clear, jargon-free expositions, the authors make the latest scholarship available while also presenting their own distinctive perspectives.
The second section is composed of alphabetically arranged entries on 138 philosophically significant authors – European, Jewish, and Arabic – living between the fourth and fifteenth centuries. These essays contain biographical information, summaries of significant philosophical arguments and viewpoints, and conclude with bibliographies of both primary and secondary sources.
A Companion to Philosophy in the Middle Ages is extensively cross-referenced and indexed, constituting a complete source of information for students and professionals alike. More

Encyclopedia of the Qur'an - Set Volumes 1-5 plus Index Volume edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Brill Academic) The Qur'ān is the primary religious text for one-sixth of the world’s population. Understood by Muslims to contain God's own words, it has been an object of reverence and of intense study for centuries. The thousands of volumes that Muslim scholars have devoted to qur'ānic interpretation and to the linguistic, rhetorical and narrative analysis of the text are sufficient to create entire libraries of qur'ānic studies.
Drawing upon a rich scholarly heritage, Brill's Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān (EQ) combines alphabetically-arranged articles about the contents of the Qur'ān. It is an encyclopaedic dictionary of qur'ānic terms, concepts, personalities, place names, cultural history and exegesis extended with essays on the most important themes and subjects within qur'ānic studies. With nearly 1000 entries in 5 volumes, the EQ is the first comprehensive, multi-volume reference work on the Qur'ān to appear in a Western language. More

Islamic Societies in Practice, 2nd Edition by Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban (University Press of Florida) Originally written in the wake of the Gulf War, this book introduced the West to everyday Arab-Islamic cultures and societies, humanizing the region and its people. It ventured behind the headlines to offer a positive, constructive view of Islam and Muslims, showing how Islam is lived and practiced in daily life. Now revised and expanded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islamic Societies in Practice embraces the breadth of global Islam with significant new material on Islam in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States, as well as the Middle East. New maps and illustrations are included, detailing the diversity and representation of Islam and Muslims throughout the world. Additional material includes discussions of male and female relations; folk Islam, popular expressions of faith, and the five pillars; Sufism, including the Turkish Dervishes; ethnic and racial differences in the Muslim world; Islamic law and the application of harsh punishments; political Islam and the future of the state in the Islamic world; and the many voices of progressive Muslims--feminists, human rights activists, and anti-extremist writers. More

Role of Islam in the Legal System of Pakistan by Martin Lau (Martinus Nijhoff) The purpose and aim of this book is the exploration of the Islamisation of Pakistan's legal system. The focus will, however, not be on the introduction of Islamic laws during and following Lia-ul-Haq's martial law, but on the role of Islamic law in the legal system as a whole. The central thesis is that the Islamization of laws in Pakistan has been primarily a judge-led process, which was initiated to enhance the power of the judiciary and to expand the scope of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. It will be argued that the role of judges in the Islamization of the legal system has been largely obscured by the more visible manifestations of Islamization, namely the promulgation of the infamous Hudood Ordinances' and other isolated pieces of Islamic legislation, such as, for instance, the Enforcement of Shari'ah Act 1991. More

Words, Texts And Concepts Cruising The Mediterranean Sea: Studies On The Sources, Contents And Influences Of Islamic Civilization And Arabic Philosophy and Science Dedicated to Gerhard Endress on his Sixty-fifth Birthday edited by  R. Arnzen, J. Thielmann (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta: Peeters)  Excerpt: The present volume of the series Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta con­tains studies and editions in honor of Gerhard Endress, Professor of Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies at the Ruhr University Bochum since 1975. They are dedicated to a scholar who well deserves the credit for having revolutionized the study of medieval Arabic philosophy and science by combining painstaking investigations into its contents and historical development with meticulous systematic studies in its lan­guage and terminology based, in turn, on a careful philological exami­nation of its Greek and Syriac sources and the ways and modes of trans­lation and transmission into Arabic. Gerhard Endress's fundamental studies in these fields have set landmarks for any future research through their masterful and well-balanced synthesis of profound doctrinal inves­tigations, inimitable bibliographical richness and accuracy, and complex and demanding historical contextualization. Based on an exhaustive variety of methodologically reflected research instruments they form in their entirety what might be called a systematic archaeology of medieval Arabic philosophy and science. Apart from this immense service to our knowledge about Arabic philosophy and science it is due to Endress's research work that Graeco-Arabic Studies finally have emerged from their exotic and shadowy existence within the discipline of Classical Arabic Philology. Practised by a growing circle of scholars they are today a recognized epistemological instrument and prerequisite for any diachronic study in medieval Islamic intellectual history whose fruits and results fertilize not only other branches of Near Eastern Studies such as Arabic lexicography but also various allied fields of research such as studies in the history of philosophy and science or Classical Studies. More

The Tibetan Book of the Dead edited by Graham Coleman, Thupten Jinpa, translated by Gyurme Dorje (Viking) is by far the most popular example of indigenous Tibetan Buddhist treasure literature.  An edition was issued in 1927 by Oxford University Press under the general editorship of W. Y. Evans-Wentz.  The block-print copy, he used was an abridgment obtained in Nepal and translated by a Tibetan lama.  Evans-Wentz was a scholarly Theosophist who imported certain Theosophical preconceptions into his commentary on the work.  Carl Jung the prominent analytical psychologist even wrote a psychological commentary on the work prompted by Evans-Wentz.  Since the 1970s, beginning with Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa's edition of the text and more recently Robert Thurman's translation, corrected versions of the Tibetan Book of the Dead are well represented in English and other European languages.  The mistakes and egregious errors of the pioneering edition have been corrected and Tibetan Buddhism now in America and Europe has been flourishing with many translations and commentaries on basic Buddhist practices as well as the indigenous literatures of Tibet. More

Nāgārjuna in Context: Mahāyāna Buddhism and Early Indian Culture by Joseph Walser (Columbia University Press) Reviewed for H-Buddhism by Richard Nance, University of Chicago. Joseph Walser's provocative new book, Nāgārjuna in Context, is aptly characterized as "pioneering." As a whole, the book is rich and rewarding. It is also, however, somewhat problematic, though this is perhaps to be expected of any work of such ambition. Despite the book's problems, which include an unusually high number of typographical errors and other such infelicities, Walser is to be congratulated for writing a text that will surely provoke productive debate. More

The Pema Chodron Collection: Pure Meditation: Good Medicine: From Fear to Fearlessness by Pema Chodron (Unabridged Audio CD: Sounds True) Pema Chodron is one of the West’s most beloved teachers of Buddhism, making the Tibetan vajrayana tradition accessible in today’s world. Now, three of her most popular teachings are available in one boxed set. Oral instruction is essential to classic Buddhist teachings and Pema Chodron is extremely personable in these recordings.  Her teachings are especially clear in pure Meditation and Good Medicine however from fear and fearlessness lacks the clarity of some of her other audio programs.  As complete teachings oral delivery lacks the considered conceptual clarity needed for a full understanding of the teachings so this reviewer suggests that some books on Buddhist meditation be read along with repeated listening to her teachings.  The psychological insight and extreme and good sense of these teachings far transcend any sectarian bias.  Anyone of any religious persuasion could find these teachings useful for deepening awareness of one's self, love for others, and healing wounds of love and hate. More

The Religious Traditions of Japan 500-1600 by Richard Bowring (Cambridge University Press) The first English-language overview of the interaction of Buddhism and Shintõ in Japanese culture.
Richard Bowring describes in outline the development of Japanese religious thought and practice from the introduction of writing to the point at which medieval attitudes gave way to a distinctive pre-modern culture, a change that brought an end to the dominance of religious institutions. A wide range of approaches using the resources of art, history, social and intellectual history, as well as doctrine, is brought to bear on the subject. It attempts to give as full a picture as possible of the richness of the Japanese tradition as it succeeded in holding together, on the one hand, Buddhism, with its sophisticated intellectual structures, and, on the other hand, the disparate local cults that eventually achieved a kind of unity under the rubric of Shinto. An understanding of this process of constant and at times difficult interaction is essential to a deeper appreciation of Japan's history and its cultural achievements. More

The Enemy Is Within: A Jungian Psychoanalytic Approach to the Book of Judith by Helen Efthimiadis-Keith (Biblical Interpretation Series: Brill Academic) Book of Judith, entitled after its heroine, is regarded by Jews and Protestants as apocryphal, and by Roman Catholics since the decrees of the Council of Trent in 1546 as deutero-canonical or apocrypha and the antilegomena. Judith is daughter of Merari and widow of Manasseh. Her gene­alogy, extending back 16 generations, is one of the longest in the OT and by far the longest for any woman in the Bible so it indicates her importance.
The Hebrew original of Judith is lost but evident in the Greek translation. It is unlikely that it was rep­resented in any of the Hebrew texts in circulation during the Middle Ages. The Greek texts take three widely divergent forms. The Vulgate presents yet another, very different, text; apparently Jerome merely revised an exist­ing Latin translation with the help of an Aramaic paraphrase.
Scholars have long been inclined either to read the Book of Judith as an historical narrative which gives rise to a number of problems or a folktale with a political foreword. The work provides plenty of problems when read as history and fits rather nicely into the folktale genre. More

Western Esotericism

Now available in reduced one volume edition for about 1/2 the price is the first comprehensive reference work to cover the entire domain of "Gnosis and Western Esotericism" from the period of Late Antiquity to the present. Containing around 400 articles by over 180 international specialists, it provides critical overviews discussing the nature and historical development of all its important currents and manifestations, from Gnosticism and Hermetism to Astrology, Alchemy and Magic, from the Hermetic Tradition of the Renaissance to Rosicrucianism and Christian Theosophy, and from Freemasonry and Illuminism to 19th-century Occultism and the contemporary New Age movement. Furthermore it contains articles about the life and work of all the major personalities in the history of Gnosis and Western Esotericism, discussing their ideas, significance, and historical influence.
There is little doubt that this dictionary fills a lacuna in religious studies and that the caliber of entries, closer to encyclopedic than definitional, makes available concise and sympathetic information, histories, biographies, and bibliographies of use to any student of the subject. Also the set is priced a bit lower than many of Brill Academic’s usual monographs, probably in recognition that this reference work will attract lively academic interest and notice. Given the importance of the work and the general competence of the articles, I want to review the somewhat artificial parameters set by the editors as what was included and excluded within the domain of the western esoteric. More

The Secret History of Freemasonry: Its Origins and Connection to the Knights Templar by Paul Naudon (Inner Traditions) Historians often make a sharp distinction between the operative masonry of the Middle Ages--referring to the associations of builders that formed during that time--and the speculative Freemasonry of modern times, emphasizing that there is no direct bridge connecting the two. In addition, they have scoffed at Masonic claims concerning the close relationships between the Lodge and the Temple. Using medieval archives housed throughout Europe, historian Paul Naudon reveals that there was in fact a very intimate connection between the masons and the Knights Templar. Church records of medieval Paris show that most, if not all, of the masons of that time were residents of the Templar censive, which allowed them to work on the Temple’s large building projects and enjoy exemptions and liberties from both Church and state through the protection of this powerful order. More

Cathedral of the Black Madonna: The Druids and the Mysteries of Chartres by Jean Markale (Inner Traditions) Explores the connection between ancient druidic worship of a virgin at Chartres and the veneration of the Black Madonna, examines the Virgin Mary’s origins in the pagan worship of the Mother Goddess, identifies Mary with the dominant solar goddess of matriarchal societies. The great cathedral of Chartres is renowned the world over as a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and for its remarkable stained glass and mystical labyrinth. But the foundations of this sanctuary go back to a time long before Christianity, when this site was a clearing where Druids worshipped a virgo paritura, a virgin about to give birth. Now at this ancient meeting place, where all the Druids in Gaul gathered once a year, there stands Chartres cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and home to one of the most venerated Black Madonnas in Europe: Our Lady of the Pillar. More

The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World by Payam Nabarz (Inner Traditions) showers the reader with dense historical information about the origins of Mithras, an ancient Persian protector god whose worship can be traced as far back as the second millennium B.C.E. The Mithras cult is said to pre-date even Zoroastrianism, and made its way west into the pagan traditions of the Roman Empire. Nabarz, a Mithras revivalist, Sufi and practicing dervish, offers a book that is part history-primer, part practical guide "designed to help the spiritual seeker develop a deeper understanding of the Mithraic mysteries," and perform initiation rites and Mirthraic liturgy. Readers unfamiliar with Persian history, Eastern religions, and Roman paganism may find it difficult to wade beyond the background information packed into the first half of the book. Filled with interesting history, solid research and a range of Mithraic myths from around the world, the initial chapters are slow going. For those interested in the contemporary practice of Mithraism, Nabarz's exploration of this tradition picks up when he tells the Mithraic fairytale of Simorgh, which explains the nature of Mithras's partner, the goddess Anahita, and takes the reader step by step through a series of meditations and initiation rites. Luckily, Payam's chapters are organized so that the reader can choose between practical guidance and Mithraic history. More

Christianity

 The Cambridge Companion to Karl Rahner (Cambridge Companions to Religion) by Declan Marmion (Cambridge University Press) useful passages on such Rahnerian topics as the supernatural existential, Jesus Christ as the entelechy of human existence, and the controversial anonymous Christian. Karl Rahner (1904-1984) was one of the most significant theological voices of the twentieth century. For many his theology symbolizes the Catholic Church's entry into modernity. Part of his enduring appeal lies in his ability to reflect on a variety of issues in theology and spirituality and direct this plurality into a few basic convictions. In addition to the main themes of Rahner's work, this Companion assesses his significance for contemporary theology through dialogues with many current concerns including: religious pluralism, spirituality, postmodernism, ecumenism, ethics and developments in political and feminist theologies. succinct, up to date, yet comprehensive introduction to Rahner’s extensive theological writings; Accessibly presented by a team of internationally recognised scholars;  Brings Rahner’s theology into dialogue with current theological concerns including religious pluralism, postmodernism and ethics More

The Foundations of Karl Rahner: A Paraphrase of the Foundations of Christian Faith, with Introduction and Indices by Mark F. Fischer (Herder & Herder) The goal of the Foundations, says Rahner, is less religious edification than intellectual reflection. It asks about the idea of Christianity and about what makes faith possible. At the same time, however, it is no merely neutral history of religion, for it presupposes faith. What does it mean to ask about the possibility of faith?  More

The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany: Volume IV in the Presence of God Series by Bernard McGinn (Herder & Herder) The most eagerly awaited book in Catholic publishing! Bernard McGinn, the greatest scholar of Western Christian mysticism, offers the fourth volume of his Presence of God series, covering the greatest mystics of Germany, including Jan van Ruusbroeck, Meister Eckhart, and John Tauler. More

The Unity of Mystical Traditions: The Transformation of Consciousness in Tibetan and German Mysticism by Randall Studstill (Studies in the History of Religions, Vol. 107: Brill Academic) argues that mystical doctrines and practices initiate parallel transformative processes in the consciousness of mystics. This thesis is supported through a comparative analysis of Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen (rdzogs-chen) and the medieval German mysticism of Eckhart, Suso, and Tauler. These traditions are interpreted using a system/cybernetic model of consciousness. This model provides a theoretical framework for assessing the cognitive effects of mystical doctrines and practices and showing how different doctrines and practices may nevertheless initiate common transformative processes. This systems approach contributes to current philosophical discourse on mysticism by (1) making possible a precise analysis of the cognitive effects of mystical doctrines and practices, and (2) reconciling mystical heterogeneity with the essential unity of mystical traditions.

Randall Studstill, Ph.D. (2002) in Religious Studies, The Graduate Theological Union, is an Adjunct Instructor of Religious Studies at San Jose State University. He has published on the phenomenological method of Mircea Eliade and the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. More

Gregory of Nyssa and the Grasp of Faith: Union, Knowledge, and Divine Presence by Martin Laird (Oxford Early Christian Studies: Oxford University Press) The first in-depth study of Gregory of Nyssa, this book shows how for Gregory the darkness of faith is what unites the believer with God. Through this union by faith alone, God yet speaks through the deeds and discourse of the believer. While the believer is immersed in the darkness of unknowing, they are also transformed in light. Laird alters the way in which we understand Gregory's mystical theology. More

A Contemporary Anabaptist Theology: Biblical, Historical, Constructive by Thomas N. Finger (InterVarsity Press) In this comprehensive volume Thomas N. Finger takes on the formidable task of making explicit the often implicit theology of the Anabaptist movement and then presenting, for the sake of the welfare of the whole contemporary Christian church, his own constructive theology. In the first part Finger tells the story of the development of Anabaptist thought, helping the reader grasp both the unifying and diverse elements in that theological tradition. In the second and third parts Finger considers in more detail the major themes essential to Anabaptist theology, first considering the historic views and then presenting his own constructive effort. Within the Anabaptist perspective Finger offers a theology that highlights the three dimensions of its salvific center: the communal, the personal and the missional. The themes taken up in the final part form what Finger identifies as the convictional framework of that center; namely, Christology, anthropology and eschatology. A landmark contribution of Anabaptist theology for the whole church in biblical, historical and contemporary context. More

History, Theology & Faith: Dissolving The Modern Problematic by Terrence W. Tilley (Orbis Books)  Theologians have long tried to solve the problem of faith and history with little success. This book argues that the time has come to dissolve the problem—"Both yield fictions; both seek to tell or reveal what is true." After laying out the "problematic," Tilley analyzes current approaches to the relationship between history and theology and then shows how they affect faith. He argues that there is no single pattern of relation-ships between the two disciplines and that multiple patterns should be recognized. When accurately understood and properly used, historical investigations, so often construed as undermining faith, do no such thing; indeed, they can actually increase or strengthen faith. More

My Fundamentalist Education by Christine Rosen (PublicAffairs) A touching, funny memoir of growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a household, school, and town of flourishing Biblical literalism More

La Lucha Continues: Mujerista Theology by Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz (Orbis Books) Mujerista theology begins with personal experience and moves toward a theology that advances the dignity and liberation of all Hispanic/Latina women. This collection of essays combining personal narratives and theological discourse brings together important insights into the concerns of Hispanic women, the ways in which they can shape theology, and the roles they can take on in the church. More

Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother by Lesley Hazleton (Bloomsbury USA) Arguably the most influential of all women throughout history, Mary, the Virgin Mother is also, paradoxically, the least known. In this unprecedented brilliantly wrought biography, Mary comes believably to life. More

A History of Women and Ordination: The Priestly Office of Women: God's Gift to a Renewed Church by Ida Raming Bernard Cooke, Gary Macy (Scarecrow Press) Raming was one of two women who drew up a published submission to the Second Vatican Council in 1963 challenging the exclusion of women from the priesthood. In June 2002, she was one of seven women who were ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood; the ordination was subsequently rejected by the Roman Catholic hierarchy for some reason. Her doctoral dissertation was translated from German into English and published by Scarecrow Press in 1976 as The Exclusion of Women From the Priesthood: Divine Law or Sex Discrimination. Cooke, a venerable peripatetic American theologian, and Macy (theology and religious studies, U. of San Diego) here translate and edit her second edition. The first volume covers the medieval context. More

A History of Women and Ordination: The Ordination of Women in Medieval Context by Bernard Cooke, Gary Macy (Scarecrow Press) the purpose of these volumes is to provide the non-specialist reader with the best scholarly research on the role of women in Christian ministry and on the changing shape of ministry in Christian history. This first volume contains two such papers. The first, by Dr. Gary Macy one of the editors of this series, presents the evidence for the ordination of women in the early Middle Ages. This evidence, however, is set in the larger context of the changing definition of ordination that took place in the twelfth-century. More

The World Calling: The Church's Witness in Politics and Society by Thomas W. Ogletree (Westminster John Knox Press) Thomas Ogletree has devoted much of his career to exploring the significance of Ernst Troeltsch's seminal work, "The Social Teaching of the Christian Church." The articles in "The World Calling" use a Troeltschian lens to explore fundamental issues underlying any Christian social witness in the context of American democratic institutions. More

Jewish Law in Gentile Churches: Halakhah and the Beginning of Christan Public Ethics by Markus Bockmuehl (Baker Academic) is an outstanding study of a neglected topic. Bockmuehl encourages his readers to consider from new perspectives major ethical issues and familiar New Testament passages. This lively book will spark keen discussion among a wide readership. Two subjects have especially captured Bockmuehl’s attention in the course of recent research. The first is the prominent role of Jewish law and legal tradition in the ethics of Jesus and the early church, while the second concerns the principles and criteria by which Christians moved from this highly particular Jewish moral discourse to the problem of formulating an ethic for Gentiles. The guiding question shaping the present book is that of the early Christian reception and articulation of normative criteria for ethics. There has long been a popular antinomian point of view in mainstream Protestant thought, which denies that New Testament faith could involve binding moral norms of any kind. On this view, aside from the general exhortation to `love', any `imposition' of substantive and non-negotiable moral warrants must be a legalistic distortion of the gospel of grace. More

Dona Maria Vela Y Cueto, Cistercian Mystic of Spain's Golden Age by Margaret Ann Rees (Edwin Mellen Press) In our modern times, since scholars internationally have developed a major interest in the study of women — their gender-affected historical circumstances and social relationships, their perceptions of self and other — the lives and works of many previously neglected women authors have become the subjects of detailed attention in numerous research articles and monographs. As a result, in Hispanic Studies, the works of many almost forgotten nuns — near contemporaries, in Spain or the New World, of Saint Teresa of Avila or of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, who habitually had written down their life-histories and their interior religious experiences — have been rediscovered, in manuscripts or rare early editions, and have been critically edited and discussed. More

Of Divine Economy: Refinancing Redemption by Marion Grau (T. & T. Clark Publishers, Ltd.) (Hardcover) is an interdisciplinary theological text that engages a variety of postmodern discourses in a dialogue across time and place. In rereading ancient Christian texts along with poststructuralist, feminist, and postcolonial works, I employ these critical theories not as a trendy plot to discredit tradition but as a valuable tool for the critical investigation of material that rarely has been critically engaged. As we will see, rereading Christian texts in this manner reveals the potential of imagining a trickster-like "God the economist": a gambler and a courageous, hopeful investor in unpredictabilities, involved in subversive divine economic deals. Thus, divine economy emerges as less predictable, as it renegotiates "the dominant oikonomia—the economics, the ecology, the ecumenism of order." It deconstructs simplistic characterizations of God as "capitalist" or "communist" and instead delights in uncovering multiplicities of economic relationality that resist tyranny, stasis, and oppression by envisioning strategies of flexible, miraculous exchanges. Aware that "theology has not outgrown the subjection of the oikos to the dominus," it points toward the redemption and release of those women and slaves expropriated by the domination of the profit-driven deified economies of late, or extreme, capitalism. More

Philomathestatos: Studies in Greek and Byzantine Texts Presented to Jacques Noret for his Sixty-Fifth Birthday/Etudes de Patristique Grecque et Textes Byzantins Offerts a Jacques Noret a l’occasion de ses soixante-cinq ans edited by B. Janssens, B Roosen, P. Van Deun (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta: Peeters) (Studies in English/ French) On May 18, 2004 Jacques Noret will reach the age of 65, a milestone both on the personal and professional level marked by his retirement from our Institute, and an excellent opportunity to celebrate this renow­ned scholar with a Festschrift. Generally speaking, it is not an easy task to find an appropriate as well as appealing title for such a collection of studies. But in the case of Jacques Noret a solution presented itself quite quickly. Ten years ago we prepared a collection of essays to honour and thank another eminent scholar of our Leuven Institute, Carl Laga, for many years the director of the Series Graeca of the Corpus Christianorum. That honorary volume was entitled "Philohistôr", "one fond of (literary) research". Among the very rare attestations of this epithet in Greek literature, one in particular caught our eye: in his Contra Iulianum (Book I, chapter 40, lines 17-20), Cyril of Alexandria calls both Pythagoras and Plato, "extremely eager to gather knοwledge and very fond of (literary) research." Both qualifications being particularly appropriate to characterise our colleague Jacques Noret, we sincerely hope he will feel flattered and honoured by the title "Philomathestatos". More

Ancient Coptic Churches Of Egypt 2 volumes Volume One, Volume Two by Alfred. J. Butler, Karel Innemée (Introduction) (Gorgias Press) (Paperback 2 volumes) This two-volume work is the result of a seven-month field work in Egypt, during which Alfred Butler was a private tutor to Prince Tawfik from 1880 to 1881. Butler visited most of the old churches and monasteries in and around Cairo and traveled to the Wadi al-Natrun, the monasteries of the Red Sea and a number of churches in Upper Egypt. His descriptions are invaluable and sometimes are the only record of what we know about a certain object or church. More

Keeping God's Silence: Towards A Theological Ethics of Communication by Rachel Muers (Challenges in Contemporary Theology: Blackwell Publishers) (Paperback) This ground-breaking book provides a new perspective on Christian practices of silence. Rachel Muers, a significant Quaker theologian, develops a theological understanding of communication to which a "responsible silence" is central. In doing so, she engages with the key issues raised for Christian theology by feminist thought, and develops an original reading of significant aspects of the theology and ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. She also presents a challenge, from the perspective of Christian theology and practice, to a communicative environment dominated by wars of words. The central theological claim explored in the book is that God listens, and that God's listening is integral to who God is. More

The Heart Renewed--Assurance Of Salvation In New England Spiritual Life by Norman Pettit (Studies in American Religion: Edwin Mellen Press) Excerpt: From the earliest days of settlement the quest for assurance of salvation set the tone for New England spiritual life. From the founding of the Bay through the time of the Great Awakening, the doctrine of assurance gave rise to two specific questions: How can one know whether or not the heart has been renewed? Is assurance to be required for full standing in the Church? The dilemma over whether to extend church membership to the descendants of full church members, or restrict it to those who could demonstrate assurance of saving faith, also gave rise to the question of how New England should be defined. To some the Halfway Covenant of 1662 was a sign of weakness, in that it allowed a form of membership to those who could not claim full assurance. To others the Halfway Covenant had strengthened the churches of New England in that it kept under "church discipline" the descendants of "visible saints." Halfway members, in external covenant, could still be accepted into full church membership upon declaring themselves to be assured of saving faith. But by the end of the seventeenth century it was clear that the churches would soon be emptied of visible saints, mainly because halfway members lacked the assurance required for full standing in the church.' More

The Significant Role Of Initiation In The Traditional Igbo Culture And Religion by George Nnaemeka Oranekwu (Iko) The main prospect among other things, therefore, is to study properly the significant role of initiation in the Traditional Igbo culture and Religion, not only to appreciate the density of meaning but more to see how it can form a valuable foundation, an inculturation basis for a fruitful, meaningful and enduring pastoral catechesis of Christian Initiation. In other words, how can the idea of initiation in traditional Igbo culture and religion be used to make “Christus pro nobis” become “Christus in nobis". If every work or study must have a method of approach, ours then will not and cannot be an exception. Which system of approach is adopted here for this study?
The system of approach mainly adopted in this study is historico­analytical. It is nonetheless also descriptive, expository and synthetical. The nature of this study and the aim it is set to achieve demand that the above approach be adopted for the purpose of coherence and clarity. More

Jesus and His Death: Historiography, the Historical Jesus, and Atonement Theory by Scot McKnight (Baylor University Press) Recent scholarship on the historical Jesus has rightly focused upon how Jesus understood his own mission. But no scholarly effort to understand the mission of Jesus can rest content without exploring the historical possibility that Jesus envisioned his own death. In Jesus and His Death, Scot McKnight contends that Jesus did in fact anticipate his own death. McKnight, Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies, North Park University, and author or editor of twelve books, including The Historical Jesus, Turning to Jesus, and Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, says that Jesus understood his death as an atoning sacrifice, and that his death as an atoning sacrifice stood at the heart of his mission to protect his followers from the judgment of God. More

Women In Early Christianity: Translations From Greek Texts edited by Patricia Cox Miller (Catholic University of America Press) From the fictional Thecla in the second century to the very real Olympias in the early fifth century, the history of women in early Chris­tianity was as varied as the religion itself. Even though, as one scholar has remarked, "the presence of women is almost always perceived indirectly, nonetheless to investigate the history of early Christian women is to immerse oneself in the tangle of competing theologies and religious convictions that characterized Christianity as it developed during its first five centuries. Contemporary historians do not have much direct access to women's own perspectives oil their lives and roles as Christians be-cause so few documents written by women have been preserved. However, there are many kinds of texts that can be used both to reconstruct the history of actual women in Christianity as well as to analyze the ideologies of gender that affected how women were perceived in social and re­ligious terms in Graeco-Roman culture. More

Reading the Bible in Wesleyan Ways: Some Constructive Proposals by Barry L. Callen, Richard P. Thompson (Beacon Hill Press) Reading the Bible in Wesleyan Ways is comprised of significant essays by outstanding scholars. They represent and address the Wesleyan theological tradition and convey insights vital for today's Bible readers regardless of their denomination or tradition. The twelve essays of this collection are grouped under two categories, "Foundations for Interpretation" and "Frontiers for Interpretation." More

Christophany: The Fullness of Man by Raimon Panikkar, Foreword by Alfred DiLascia  (Faith Meets Faith Series: Orbis Books) Definitely an astounding “Christology,” one that envisions a truly universal encompassing the spirit of the Christ as the completion of humanity, outside the dogmas and orthodoxies, denominations and traditions of history and sect, to embrace all people of all religions or none. Here is a Christology that Atheist, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, Animinist and Pagan could embrace without abandoning the distinctive mythos of their own tradition. Panikkar’s excursions into world religions offers some saving theological insights that should be deeply considered because his ideas easily and definitely subvert the polarities of symbol and concept to reground the religious vision in the human condition. More

Archtecture

Architectural Surfaces: Details for Artists, Architects, And Designers includes CD-ROM by Judy A. Juracek, Peter Pennoyer (W. W. Norton & Company) How do courses of brickwork accommodate the shape of an arch? Exactly what happens at the intersection of two stone walls? What is the profile of a molding where a cornice wraps around the corner of a building? Solving these problems with style and elegance is the hallmark of good design; the resulting solutions are the structural and decorative details that are emblematic of historic periods and become the signatures of individual styles and designers. More

Molesworth by Terry Winchell (Gibbs Smith, Publisher) Molesworth: Pioneer of Western Design is the quintessential monograph of the legendary Thomas Molesworth, his life and work. As the first thoroughly detailed and complete guide, it explores Molesworth's journey to becoming one of the leading western furniture designers. Molesworth's innovative designs-his sense of balance, simplicity, and artfulness-are visible in all of his efforts. In addition to furniture, he designed lighting, floor treatments, and art to complete his concept of a true western space. More

Chemistry

Handbook of Physical-Chemical Properties and Environmental Fate for Organic Chemicals, Second Edition edited by Donald Mackay (CRC) The Handbook of Physical-Chemical Properties and Environmental Fate for Organic Chemicals, Second Edition is a massive 4 volume essential reference for university libraries, regulatory agencies, consultants, and industry professionals, particularly those concerned with chemical synthesis, emissions, fate, persistence, long-range transport, bioaccumulation, exposure, and biological effects of chemicals in the environment. The handbook contains physical-chemical property data on over 1200 chemicals of environmental concern. It offers approximately 30 percent new and updated information from previous edition. An enhancement to this new edition is the inclusion of measured temperature-dependent data for selected physical-chemical properties. Transport and transformation processes are key for determining how humans and other organisms are exposed to chemicals. These processes are largely controlled by the chemicals' physical-chemical properties. This new edition of the Handbook of Physical-Chemical Properties and Environmental Fate for Organic Chemicals is a comprehensive series in four volumes that serves as a reference source for environmentally relevant physical-chemical property data of numerous groups of chemical substances. More

Economics

EMU: Assessing the Impact of the Euro by Richard Baldwin, Giuseppe Bertonal, Paul Seabright (Blackwell Publishers) The Euro has been in operation since January 1999 - just long enough to provide sufficient data for a first look at its actual performance. In contrast to the many other euro-studies that rely on forecasting and extrapolation from historical experiences, the eight studies in this book use post-1999 data to provide a first look at how the Euro is actually affecting trade, financial markets, macroeconomic policy making and Europe’s economic performance. Although a definitive evaluation must wait for many more years of data, the studies by leading European and North American economists marshal the best available evidence to provide an early assessment.
This volume offers the first empirical evaluation of the European monetary unification experience.

Basic Concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition by Des W. Connell (CRC) addresses such topics as polarity, partition behavior, fugacity, and solubility as well as the basic chemistry of compounds and processes in the environment. The text deals first with the basic properties of chemicals in terms of polarity, water solubility, and vapor pressure, followed by chapters on environmental transformations and toxicity. Expanding on the fundamentals presented, the book then describes contaminants in the environment and pollution processes in the air, water and soil environments. The second edition incorporates new advances in the field since 1997, including new material on toxic metals, atmospheric pollution, radionuclides, acid drainage water, and risk assessment. More

Saving the Ranch: Conservation Easement Design in the American West by Anthony Anella, John B. Wright, photographs by Edward Ranney  (Island Press) (Hardcover) Conservation easement design ranges from protecting the entire ranch to creating a limited, protective development. (This is explained in more detail in the following chapters.) In all cases, conservation easement design is based on protecting ranchland as a natural resource. "Success" is the long-term stewardship of the earth, which translates into the appreciation of land value over time. It honors one of America's great strengths—private property rights—while respecting the rights of future generations. More

A.D. Alexandrov Selected Works: Intrinsic Geometry of Convex Surfaces edited by S. S. Kutateladze (Classics of Soviet Mathematics: Gordon & Breach Publishing Group) The 2-volume set includes Alexandrov: Selected Works, Part 1, Hb ISBN 2881249841, 1996, 332 pp, and Alexandrov, Selected Works, Part 2, Hb 041529802 4, 2003, 504 pp. The 2-volume set provides definitive sources for the development of intrinsic geometry. A classic in the field that remains unsurpassed in its clarity and scope, this text would be of great value to graduate students seeking a better understanding of this area of geometry.
A.D. Alexandrov: Selected Works by A. D. Aleksandrov (Classics of Soviet Mathematics: Gordon & Breach Publishing Group) This monograph offers any student or professional working in the field a unique access to a selection of Aleksandrov's best quality work, published here for the first time in English translation.
This volume contains some of the most important papers by this world class mathematician, who exerted such a powerful influence on the development of modern mathematics. Aleksandrov was particularly noted for his work in geometry, and the 16 papers included in this volume represent some of his most seminal work. Topics treated include convex polyhedrons and closed surfaces, an elementary proof and extension of Minkowski's theorm, a chapter in Riemannian geometry and general method for majorizing the solutions of Dirichlet problems. At present there is no such collection of this extremely well respected geometer's work.
A.D. Alexandrov: Selected Works Part II: Intrinsic Geometry of Convex Surfaces by S. S. Kutateladze (Classics of Soviet Mathematics: Gordon & Breach Publishing Group) A.D. Alexandrov's contribution to the field of intrinsic geometry was original and very influential. This text is a classic that remains unsurpassed in its clarity and scope. It presents his core material, originally published in Russian in 1948, beginning wth an outline of the main concepts and then exploring other topics, such as general propositions on an intrinsic metric; angles and curvature; existence of a convex polyhedron with prescribed metric; curves on convex surfaces; and the role of specific curvature. This text provides Adefinitive source for the development of intrinsic geometry and is indispensable for graduate students who want a better understanding of this subject. More Mathematics

Technology

Opto-Mechatronics by Hyungsuck Cho (CRC) Includes errata sheet, Optomechatronics takes an integrated approach to combine the fields of optical and mechatronics engineering. The author provides a multidisciplinary view from the design stage of engineering systems that result from the fusion of optical elements with mechatronics elements. He explores how the integration of optomechatronics components can create new value and functions for the engineering systems under consideration. In the final section, practical optomechatronic systems are richly illustrated to aid readers in understanding how effectively optomechatronic technology can be utilized to produce new functionalities and enhance performance. More

Encyclopedia Of Human Computer Interaction edited by Claude Ghaoui (Idea Group Publishing) (Digital) Human Computer Interaction (HCI) attracts innovation and creativity because of its multi-disciplinary nature, in computing and IT research and development. For the last 25 years or so, it inspired new solutions, specially, for the benefit of the user as a human being, making the user the focal point which technology should serve rather than the other way round. The Encyclopedia of Human Computer Interaction is the most thorough and definitive source providing coverage of everything related to the field of human computer interaction (HCI). This encyclopedia covers a wide range of HCI related topics such as concepts, design, usability, evaluation, innovations, and applications of HCI in organizations around the globe. Hundreds of contributors and advisors from around the world have conferred their expertise to this publication, making this encyclopedia a single source of authoritative and contemporary research in field of human computer interaction. (More)

Encyclopedia of E-commerce, E-government And Mobile Commerce edited by Mehdi Khosrow-Pour (Idea Group Publishing) The Encyclopedia of E-Commerce, E-Government, and Mobile Commerce provides the most inclusive and up-to-date coverage of the e-technologies field. This two-volume encyclopedia includes quality contributions, highlighting current concepts, trends, challenges, applications, and dot.com experiences in the field of e-commerce, e-government, and mobile commerce. With over 200 contributions from more than 300 experts and researchers worldwide, and extensive reference sections which list more than 4,400 additional research works, this encyclopedia stands as the most comprehensive, research-based encyclopedia in the ever-evolving field of e-commerce, e-government, and mobile commerce. More

The Electrical Engineering Handbook, Third Edition - 6 Volume Set edited by Richard C. Dorf (Electrical Engineering Handbook Series: CRC Press) comprised six hefty volumes available individually as Circuits, Signals, and Speech and Image Processing; Electronics, Power Electronics, Optoelectronics, Microwaves, Electromagnetics, and Radar; Sensors, Nanoscience, Biomedical Engineering, and Instruments; Broadcasting and Optical Communication Technology; Computers, Software Engineering, and Digital Devices; Systems, Controls, Embedded Systems, Energy, and Machines.

In two editions spanning more than a decade, The Electrical Engineering Handbook stands as the definitive reference to the multidisciplinary field of electrical engineering. Our knowledge continues to grow, and so does the Handbook. For the third edition, it has expanded into a set of six books carefully focused on a specialized area or field of study. Each book represents a concise yet definitive collection of key concepts, models, and equations in its respective domain, thoughtfully gathered for convenient access. The purpose of The Electrical Engineering Handbook, 3rd Edition is to provide a ready reference for the practicing engineer in industry, government, and academia, as well as aid students of engineering. Combined, they constitute the most comprehensive, authoritative resource available.

Providing the basic information needed for a thorough understanding of each area, this Third Edition comprises the following six volumes:

1. Circuits, Signals, and Speech and Image Processing

2. Electronics, Power Electronics, Optoelectronics, Microwaves, Electromagnetics, and Radar

3. Sensors, Nanosciencel Biomedical Engineering, and Instruments

4. Broadcasting and Optical Communication Technology

5. Computers, Software Engineering, and Digital Devices

6. Systems, Controls, Embedded Systems, Energy, and Machines

Encompassing the work of the world's foremost experts in their respective specialties, The Electrical Engineering Handbook, Third Edition remains the most convenient, reliable source of information available. This edition features the latest information, the broadest scope of coverage, and new material on nanotechnologies, fuel cells, embedded systems, and biometrics. The engineering community has relied on the Handbook for more than twelve years, and it will continue to be a platform to launch the next wave of advancements. More

Mastering Active Directory for Windows Server 2003 R2 by Brad Price, John A. Price, Scott Fenstermacher (Sybex) Active Directory stores information about a network's users and directories, making it easier to configure, manage, and update a network  More

Developing Intelligent Agent Systems: A Practical Guide by Lin Padgham, Michael Winikoff (Wiley Series in Agent Technology: John Wiley & Sons) Intelligent agent technology is a tool of modern computer science that can be used to engineer complex computer programmes that behave rationally in dynamic and changing environments. Applications range from small programmes that intelligently search the Web buying and selling goods via electronic commerce, to autonomous space probes.  More

Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing by Iain H. Woodhouse (CRC Press) Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing offers an extensive overview of this versatile and extremely precise technology for technically oriented undergraduates and graduate students. This textbook emphasizes an important shift in conceptualization and directs it toward students with prior knowledge of optical remote sensing: the author dispels any linkage between microwave and optical remote sensing. Instead, he constructs the concept of microwave remote sensing by comparing it to the process of audio perception, explaining the workings of the ear as a metaphor for microwave instrumentation. (More)

Introduction To Instrumentation And Measurements by Robert B. Northrop (2nd edition, CRC Press) is a new textbook and reference makes it easy to make an informed choice among sensors and signal conditioning systems. The book's broad coverage includes: electrical and physical standards; analog signal conditioning; noise and coherent interference; DC and AC null methods; sensor mechanisms and applications; electrical measurements; digital interfaces; digital signal conditioning; measurement system design examples; and more. The few other texts available on this topic lack the breadth of coverage and fail to cover recent changes in standards. An excellent sourcebook for students and practicing engineers alike, Introduction to Instrumentation and Measurements includes all the general information on instrumentation and measurements, as well as the technical details you need to apply your knowledge in the real world. Sensing/measurement technologies are presented for a very wide variety of effects. Covers enough of the details to be useful to a real engineer but does not force the reader to wade though every possible issue to find out what is really critical in a design area. This is the strength of the book and not very common especially for books of it's breath. The book is very up to date which is also rare for a survey book. Worth using as a real reference, it will not just set on the bookshelf. There is no other text like it. More

Theory Of Technology by David Clarke (Transaction Publishers) The history of technology is often troubled by good ideas that do not for one reason or another, take off right away—sometimes for millennia. Sometimes technology comes to a standstill, and sometimes, it even reverses itself. Thus unlike science, which seems to proceed at a reasonable and calm rate, the progress of technology is difficult to theorize about. While in science many developments are predictable to a certain extent and this predictability may. at times, direct or stymie science's progress—as with stem-cell research and cloning—technological advances. such as the Internet. are often sudden and unpredictable. and therefore frightening. In Theory of Technology, David Clarke brings together ten authors who try to understand technology from a variety of viewpoints. More

Embedded Systems Handbook edited by Richard Zurawski (Industrial Information Technology: CRC Press) Embedded systems are nearly ubiquitous, and books on individual topics or components of embedded systems are equally abundant. Unfortunately, for those designers who thirst for knowledge of the big picture of embedded systems, there is not a drop to drink. Until now. The Embedded Systems Handbook is an oasis of information, offering a mix of basic and advanced topics, new solutions and technologies arising from the most recent research efforts, and emerging trends to help you stay current in this ever-changing field. More

Electrical Machine Analysis Using Finite Elements by Nicola Bianchi (Power Electronics and Applications: CRC Press) From the fan motor in your PC to precision control of aircraft, electrical machines of all sizes, varieties, and levels of complexity permeate our world. Some are very simple, while others require exacting and application-specific design. Electrical Machine Analysis Using Finite Elements provides the tools necessary for the analysis and design of any type of electrical machine by integrating mathematical/numerical techniques with analytical and design methodologies. More

Visual Ergonomics Handbook by Jeffrey Anshel (CRC Press) If you are reading this book clearly and comfortably, then congratulations — your eyes are probably working well. Yet it's also most likely that you spend several hours per day staring at a computer screen (maybe even while reading this book). Viewing an electronic display screen varies significantly from reading text on paper and our eyes most often suffer for it. We need to address this problem and find out what can be done to make our computer viewing time more comfortable, as well as more productive. More

Nanoengineering Of Structural, Functional And Smart Materials edited by Mark J. Schulz, Ajit D. Kelkar, Mannur J. Sundaresan (CRC Press) In chapters contributed by 24 visionary laboratories, Nanoengineering of Structural, Functional, and Smart Materials combines wide-ranging research aimed at the development of multifunctional materials that are strong, lightweight, and versatile. This book explores promising and diverse approaches to the design of nanoscale materials and presents concepts that integrate mechanical, electrical, electrochemical, polarization, optical, thermal, and biomimetic functions with nanoscale materials to support the development of polymer composites, thin films, fibers, pultruded materials, and smart materials having a superior combination of properties. More

Human Sciences

Developmental Psychopathology, 2nd Edition, Three Volume Set edited by Dante Cicchetti, Donald J. Cohen (Wiley) (available individually: Volume 1: Developmental Psychopathology, Theory and Method; Volume 2: Developmental Psychopathology, Developmental Neuroscience; Volume 3: Developmental Psychopathology, Risk, Disorder, and Adaptation) contains in three volumes the most complete and current research on every aspect of developmental psychopathology. This seminal reference work features contributions from international expert researchers and clinicians who bring together an array of interdisciplinary work to ascertain how multiple levels of analysis may influence individual differences, the continuity or discontinuity of patterns and the pathways by which the same developmental outcomes may be achieved.

The first edition has proven to be a venerable reference work; the second edition has been extended by one whole volume.  Homage to the development of brain imaging technologies and interpretation which is currently revolutionizing how we think about the brain and mental illnesses.  The various articles detailed below are in depth surveys of developmental psychopathology in its various guises.  The authors keep a well-balanced view between theoretical research and possible clinical applications so that students, clinicians and researchers will all find these essays representing the best consensual view of the field at this time.  No doubt the price of these volumes will confine their use to the library more than to the classroom.  Highly recommended for university libraries and research institutions. More

Clinical Trials and Human Research: A Practical Guide to Regulatory Compliance by Fay A. Rozovsky, Rodney K. Adams (Jossey-Bass) clinical trials is an area of growing concern to many in the health care community. Clinical Trials and Human Research offers in-depth coverage of the critical information needed in order to comply myriad of agency expectations for human protection, clinical data and to establish a firm footing for the marketing of resulting services and products.
This easy-to-read reference book provides a practical approach for dealing with the legal and regulatory compliance issues involved in human research. Covering a broad range of topics, such as consent, confidentiality, subject recruitment and selection, the role of the investigator and Institutional Review Board, it offers timely and useful strategies for achieving regulatory compliance while reducing liability. In addition, insurance, quality management, accreditation, and risk management are topics examined in the book. The practical insights found in this volume are not found in other books on the subject. Clinical Trials and Human Research is a practical tool to help anyone involved in clinical research.

The authors hope that they have addressed the dearth of practical guidance for those involved in human subject research. This book is intended to be an easy-to-read refer­ence for physicians, scientists, IRB members, healthcare administrators, and others. The goal is not to attempt to answer every conceivable situation, but to address the common ones and give a framework for working through scenarios that are not directly addressed by statute or regulation. The authors have relied heavily on guidance from federal agen­cies such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Office of Human Research Protec­tions, and the Office of Research Integrity (ORI). Every effort has been made to make the text of this book as close as possible to the exact language of regulations and official interpretations.

One emphasis of this book is the ethical and regulatory requirement for respect of the human subjects involved in research projects. To this end, "human participant" is often used in place of "human subject." Researchers should constantly consider what impact their work has on other people.

An important caveat of this and every book that discusses regulation of human research is that one must not only be cognizant of statutes and regulations but also an institution's policies and procedures, as well as the political environment in which the research will be conducted. The authors have always counseled clients that although an activity may be legal, it is better not to have to prove that at trial. In other words, work­ing with government regulators, institutional officials, and community members can be as important as knowing the exact statutory text.

The second important caveat is that laws, regulations, and their interpretation are not static. Every effort has been made to make this book as current as possible. How­ever, the authors have seen regulations and the positions of government agencies shift just during the time between completing the text and having it edited. To that end, read­ers should confirm with legal counsel the currency of any regulation cited in this book before embarking on a course of conduct based on the regulation. 

The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology by Steven J. Dick, James E. Strick (Rutgers University Press) The Living Universe is a comprehensive, historically nuanced study of the formation of the new scientific discipline of exobiology and its transformation into astrobiology. The authors explain how research on the origin of life became wedded to the search for life on other planets and for extraterrestrial intelligence. Many scientific breakthroughs of the last forty years were either directly supported or indirectly spun off from NASA’s exobiology program, including cell symbiosis, the discovery of the Archaea, and the theories of Nuclear Winter and the asteroid extinction of the dinosaurs.

Exobiology and astrobiology have generated public fascination, enormous public relations benefits for NASA, and––the flip side of the coin––some of the most heated political wrangling ever seen in government science funding. Dick and Strick provide a riveting overview of the search for life throughout the universe, with all of the Earthly complexities of a science-in-the-making and the imperfect humans called scientists. Their book is the first to include oral history interviews with all of the primary participants from 1953 to the present. It will appeal to biologists, historians and philosophers of science, planetary scientists (including geologists), and an educated general readership interested in the investigation of life on other planets. 

Oppression and the Human Condition: An Introduction to Sartrean Existentialism by Thomas Martin (Rowman & Littlefield) serves two aims. First, it is an introduction to the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, accessible to undergraduate students and ideal for courses in existentialist and 20th century philosophy. At the same time, it makes an original contribution to Sartre scholarship, particularly in the areas of oppression and bad faith." As such, the work is equally important to academics and researchers. Author Thomas Martin applies the philosophy of Sartre to contemporary issues and concerns, and draws on two case studies to illustrate his point. This approach, combined with Martin's straightforward writing style, will be welcomed by students who pick up Oppression and the Human Condition. Martin's case studies also reinforce his argument that Sartre's early philosophy, particularly his concept of "bad faith," provides a framework for discussions of oppressive behaviors such as racism and sexism. This is in open contradiction to theorists who argue that existentialism is incapable of theorizing oppression. Martin argues that bad faith, as Sartre saw it, was a way of denying or ignoring some aspect of "human being"--and thus opening the way for intolerance and oppression. 

Selected Correspondence (1911-1946) of Karl Mannheim, Scientist, Philosopher and Sociologist by Karl Mannheim, edited by Eva Gabor (Edwin Mellen) The pages of this book invoke, between the two periods, a great number of writers, artists, politicians and scholars of all nationalities: Hungarian, German, British, Polish, Austrian, and many others. It is impossible to take stock of all the subjects the letters range over: the life of the educator, philosopher, sociologist, editor, colleague and friend can bring up anything that becomes important between correspondents involved in co-operative or personal relationships. The great number of the letters is due to the nature of emigration: the emigrant's life would fall asunder in so many pieces if he or she did not try to keep up contact with friends, colleagues as well as professional partners, of old and new. To present-day Readers these letters conjure up the struggles, pleasures, sorrows, successes and failures of certain intellectuals in the generation which spans the two world wars. In one word: they offer a glimpse of their lives.

The present volume of correspondence spans 35 years. Mannheim was 18 when, looking for an intellectual model, he turned for advice to Georg Lukacs, an outstanding intellectual in early twentieth-century Hungary, and at the end of his life he turned to Lukacs again, asking him to share his literary and philosophical work.

Few of the genres which he pursued present and represent the formidable intellectual and organisational energies and skills of Karl Mannheim better and more fully than his letters.

It seems as if Mannheim's short life encompassed the life-cycle of several generations. He was born in a Liberal moment of Austria-Hungary, and died in Labour England. In his quest for true freedom and true Liberalism, he journeyed through much of conservative Europe and European conservatism.

In Hungary, he belonged to the pre-World War I generation of social and intellectual reformers, heralds of the revolutions of 1918-1919, who were committed to, and believed in, bringing social and political change to an arch-conservative, thoroughly antiquated establishment. Through their books and articles, journals and societies, these dedicated enemies of Hungarian feudalism urged, indeed, a `holy fire' to sweep across what was mostly the land of inherited wealth, landed estates, feudal hierarchy, and social injustice. The intellectual climate in the Hungary of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was laden with social and political tension, unresolved conflict between court and country, conservatism and modernism, nation and national minorities, and among religious denominations. After the revolutions, Mannheim had to emigrate and the whole group of largely Jewish-Hungarian intellectuals he belonged to was made a scapegoat for the failure of the War and the revolutions, and it was unsafe for them to stay at home.

In Germany, Mannheim enjoyed the productive aura of the Weimar republic, which offered him intellectual prestige. Increasingly, he moved to the centre of the stage, published his most important work and enjoyed a reputation shared by very few even of his German contemporaries. His letters from this period show an upsurge of his creative energies, the catholicity of his interests, and the boundless enthusiasm he must have felt during a tragically short period.

When Hitler came to power, Mannheim and his fellow émigré friends (by now Hungarian-Germans) had to leave once again. What was originally considered but a brief stay outside Hungary became a mere stop in their never ending journey. He was fortunate to find a worthy position in a safe country such as Britain, enviable to so many of his Hungarian countrymen who were very often heading towards an unpredictable future through many countries. Mannheim's international fame commended him to his British contemporaries where, once again, he became a motor of social science research and an internationally recognised scholar. His ties to the British intellectual élite soon became strong.

The world of Karl Mannheim, as revealed through his letters, is a good mirror of the European in the first half of the 20th century. Whether in Hungary, in Germany or in Britain, Mannheim was never an isolated figure. He was a child of his times, nurtured, shaped and challenged by the extraordinary changes that occurred in so short a time before and after, during and between the two World Wars.

Containing most of the important letters of Karl Mannheim, this valuable collection reflects the war-torn world of intellectual Europe. It presents its heroes and anti-heroes, protagonists and sufferers, the victors and the vanquished. How much hope and effort; how much frustration and suffering; how much victory!

Eva Gabor has developed an intimate knowledge of, and a great `posthumous friendship' with, Karl Mannheim. She knows him more personally than perhaps anybody else alive. She knows his many faces, his whereabouts, his secrets. She is at home in his varied and many disciplines, in his diverse homelands and several languages. Through his formidable correspondence Karl Mannheim opened his world for her and she herself became part of that world. Dr Gabor's erudition and research has recreated the intimately personal and yet openly social world of one of the makers and shapers of the 20" century mind. Her dedication and perseverance have resulted in a fine collection of letters which still prove to be eminently readable and very exciting. It is this intellectual excitement that she allows us to share now with her hero Karl Mannheim, academic, sociologist, educator. One can only hope that her love and labours of many years will contribute to the international recognition of the importance of Mannheim not just as a scholar but also as a major influence upon social thought. 

The Human Image in Postmodern America by Joseph F. Rychlak (American Psychological Association (APA)) This book is a thought-provoking critique of the basic premises underlying the explanations of human behavior frequently offered by psychologists. Despite its avowed shift away from behavioristic ways of thinking, psychology today, according to Rychlak, is essentially mechanistic. But while biological and automatic processes clearly have vital uses, they are unable to fully account for such phenomena as free will and agency-the very qualities that make us human.

Rychlak has written a short, accessible book, analyzing an impressive range of social and cultural issues such as personal responsibility, individualism and collectivism, autonomy, anti­authoritarianism, postmodernism, racism, and political correctness. In each case he demonstrates the teleological or nonmechanical nature of our behavior in real-life situations. This is not a "how-to" book in the usual sense of the word; however, its author does suggest that only when we come to understand what it really means to be human can we resolve the most pressing issues of our times. 

Growing Minds: An Introduction to Children's Cognitive Development by Stephanie Thornton (Palgrave) provides students with an up-to-date review of what is known so far and what we have yet to discover about how children's minds grow. Each successive chapter reviews a key area of cognitive development, from early infancy to late adolescence, outlining key questions researchers have studied in that field, comparing different theories and reviewing the evidence for and against them, and summarizing the current conclusions and directions for future research.

The aim of Growing Minds is to give a thorough, up-to-date review of what is known so far, and what we have yet to find out about how children's minds grow. Each successive chapter reviews a key area of cognitive development, from early infancy to late adolescence. Each chapter outlines the key questions which researchers have studied in that field, com­paring different theories ,and reviewing the evidence for and against these, and ending up with a summary of what the current conclusions and out­standing puzzles in that field are, and some suggestions of what to read to explore the research further.

In one way each chapter in the book builds on the ones before it. For example, the chapter on infancy, which looks at what the baby's mind is like, comes before the chapter on how children learn to speak, which is the great achievement of the toddler. But it is not essential to read the book from cover to cover: each chapter can be read on its own. Where the content of one chapter might be directly interesting or useful in under­standing another, there is a cross-reference.

One important theme running right through Growing Minds, surfacing again and again in different chapters, is the issue of how we can study particular aspects of the way the mind works, what methods we can use, and what the strengths and weaknesses of those methods are. How good are the data we have, and how reliable are our interpretations of those data, or the theo­ries we build on them? In studying psychology, our task is not just to learn what others have discovered, but to learn how to judge for ourself whether a given theory really fits the data or not. Many questions have as yet no definitive answer, no conclusion that all psychologists can agree on. How can we decide which theory best fits the data? And how can we devise better studies to extend our knowledge still further, or to resolve controver­sies? At the end of each of the main chapters of this book, you will find questions and exercises to help you think about these `methodological' questions.

A second key theme in the book is the puzzle which began this chapter: how is human intelligence possible at all? How does it develop, time after time, in what starts out as such an apparently simple one-cell organism? How does our biology relate to the growth of our human intelligence? How big a role does it play? This question is first addressed in looking at the origins of intelligence in infant minds from birth to toddlerhood.

Chapters 3 to 6 each take a particular aspect of human intelligence and explore its nature and development through childhood. Chapter 3 looks at language, which is a uniquely human achievement. How does our genetic legacy predispose us to learn a language, even to invent new codes and secret languages? What role do other people play in making us talkers? Chapters 4 and 5 look at the basic nature of human reasoning and the structure of the mind. How does memory develop? Are we logical crea­tures, as philosophers long supposed, or are our minds organised in some other way, as more recent research is suggesting? Chapter 6 looks at some key functions of the mind: planning and solving problems. How and why do these things change as we grow and develop? Chapter 7 picks up some of the themes first raised in looking at how infant intelligence begins, asking the question: what is it that drives all this development? What mechanisms in the mind or experiences in the world foster the immense changes in our intelligence as it develops? This chapter raises another key issue: is there an end to development? For example, as you embark on new studies now, are you at the end of a process of developing your mind, or only at a new beginning? Certainly you will go on learning new facts, developing new skills and new insights. But will your mind go on restructuring itself, changing in quality as well as in the amount it knows, as happened in your infancy and childhood? Are there limits to the kinds of thing we can under­stand?

Although Growing Minds is about normal processes of development, the regular patterns we see in all children, no study of the development of intelligence should overlook the stark fact that not all children develop so quickly or so successfully as the average child, and some develop startlingly faster and further than their peers. Why is this so? How far does it reflect factors inherited at birth, or the specific experiences and opportunities the child has, or the surrounding culture? Are such individual differences inevitable, or could we soften them, reduce them?.

If one reads through all of Growing Minds, one can notice parallels in the research between one topic and another, themes that recur in our discov­eries about how the mind grows. These threads are pulled together in Chapter 9 to present an overview of what we presently understand about development of mind, and what puzzles are left unsolved.

Understanding how minds grow is perhaps the greatest challenge for psychology, and is one of the great intel­lectual adventures for science as a whole.

Self and Substance in Leibniz by Marc Elliott Bobro (Kluwer Academic Publishers) We are omniscient but confused, says Leibniz. He also says that we live in the best of all possible worlds, yet do not causally interact. So what are we? Leibniz is known for many things, including the ideality of space and time, calculus, plans for a universal language, theodicy, and ecumenism. But he is not known for his ideas on the self and personal identity. This book shows that Leibniz offers an original, internally coherent theory of personal identity, a theory that stands on its own even next to Locke's contemporaneous and more famous version. This book will appeal not only to students of Leibniz's thought but also to philosophers and psychologists interested in methodological problems in understanding or formulating theories of self and personal identity. More

The Complete Far Side: 1980-1994 by Gary Larson, Steve Martin (Andrews McMeel) See examples A two-volume set of a masterpiece of comic brilliance, containing every Far Side cartoon ever syndicated with more than 1100 cartoons that have never before appeared in a book.
Over 4,000 cartoons presented in (more or less) chronological order by year of publication. Larson offers a rare glimpse into the mind of The Far Side in quirky introductions to each of the 14 chapters. Also, additional Far Side cartoons Larson created after his retirement are included. This is the definitive work in two impressive volumes packed in a handsome slipcase that fans have been waiting for.
Actor, author and comedian Steve Martin offers his pithy thoughts in a foreword and Gary Larson's former editor describes what it was like to be "the guy who could explain every Far Side cartoon." More

The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature edited by Steven R. Serafin, Alfred Bendixen (Continuum) The history of American literature is what Van Wyck Brooks terms the story of its "makers and finders," those responsible for creating an "American" literature and those who provide meaning and understanding to the creative process. It is the story of a literature coming of age in search of definition and affirmation, extending many centuries from Native American oral and pictorial tradition to the literary expression of a new millennium. It is both reflection and representation of past and present: from exploration and discovery to settlement and colonization; from rebellion and independence to growth and maturity; from slavery and abolitionism to civil war and restoration; from expansion and industrial­ization to immigration and naturalization; from world war and recovery to nuclear capabil­ity and global diplomacy. Most importantly, it is the story of the American author shaping the scope and perception of American presence, purpose, and identity. More

Companion to Shakespeare's Works (Set): Volume1: The Tragedies; Volume 2: The Histories; Volume 3: The Comedies; Volume 4: The Poems, Problem Comedies, Late Plays edited by Richard Dutton and Jean E. Howard (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

• Volume1: The Tragedies:

• Volume 2: The Histories:

• Volume 3: The Comedies:

• Volume 4: The Poems, Problem Comedies, Late Plays:

The four Companion to Shakespeare's Works: Tragedies; Histories; Comedies; Poems, Problem Comedies, Late Plays were compiled as a single entity designed to offer a uniquely comprehensive snapshot of current Shakespeare criticism. Complementing David Scott Kastan's Companion to Shakespeare, which focused on Shakespeare as an author in his historical context, these volumes by contrast focus on Shakespeare's works, both the plays and major poems, and aim to showcase some of the most inter­esting critical research currently being conducted in Shakespeare studies. More

Social Workers' Desk Reference edited by Albert R. Roberts, Gilbert J. Greene (Oxford University Press) This is by far the best survey of social work standards and practices to cross my desk in years. It is an all-encompassing and well thought-out compendium that the broad range of social work practices, ethics and central theory is at hand. Rumor has it that it is already becoming the essential reference to social work because each of its 146 chapters is assessable and consistently well-written, all by acknowledged scholars in the field.. Social Workers' Desk Reference is a definitely  an outstanding and sourcebook for social work practitioners and academics. More

Disciplined Minds: A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System That Shapes Their Lives by Jeff Schmidt (Rowman & Littlefield) This is an important as it is a controversial work. Simply it shows how our institutional deeply affect individual integrity at many levels of professional life. Eye-opening and forcefully political. Highly recommended. Author’s preface: This book is stolen. Written in part on stolen time, that is. I felt I had no choice but to do it that way. Like millions of others who work for a living, I was giving most of my prime time to my employer. My job simply did not leave me enough energy for a major project of my own, and no one was about to hire me to pursue my own vision, especially given my irreverent attitude toward employers. I was working in New York City as an editor at a glossy science magazine, but my job, like most professional jobs, was not intellectually challenging and allowed only the most constrained creativity. I knew that if I were not contending with real intellectual challenges and exercising real creativity‑and if I were not doing anything to shape the world according to my own ideals‑life would be unsatisfying, not to mention stressful and unexciting. The thought of just ac­cepting my situation seemed insane. So I began spending some office time on my own work, dumped my TV to reappropriate some of my time at home, and wrote this book. Not coincidentally, it is about professionals, their role in soci­ety, and the hidden battle over personal identity that rages in professional edu­cation and employment. More

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs: Challenging Myths, Assessing Theories, Individualizing Interventions by Ann Augustine Abbott (NASW Press) reflects the clinical experiences and scholarly research of the original faculty fellows, together with that of numerous other faculty members, social work practitioners, professionals from other fields, and students who struggled together to better understand the complexities of the field of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. More

The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Swift edited by Christopher Fox (Cambridge Companions to Literature: Cambridge University Press) (HARDCOVER) explores crucial dimensions of Swift's life and works. As well as ensuring a broad coverage of Swift's writing--including early and later works as well as the better known and the lesser known - the Companion also offers a way into current critical and theoretical issues surrounding the author. Special emphasis is placed on Swift's vexed relationship with the land of his birth, Ireland ; and on his place as a political writer in a highly politicized age. More

The Library and Reading of Jonathan Swift: A Bio-Bibliographical Handbook, Part I Swift's Library in Four Volumes by Heinz J. Vienken Dirk F. Passmann (Peter Lang) The library of Jonathan Swift was sold by auction after his death in 1745. Fortunately, there was a catalogue of the auction, printed in 1746, so we know most of the books Swift owned at the time of his death. The catalogue lists a total of 657 lots. Long before that, Swift had formed a habit of drawing up lists of the books he had read or owned. The first extant, of his reading, dates from 1697/1698, when he was employed by his mentor Sir William Temple. Another inventory, of books he owned, Swift compiled in 1715. The Library and Reading of Jonathan Swift identifies the individual works and lists all authors represented in them in detail. More

Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, Fiftieth-Anniversary edition by Erich Auerbach, translated by Willard R. Trask, special introduction by Edward W. Said (Princeton University Press) Fifty years later, at the at the beginning of a new century, Auerbach's masterwork has lost little of its luster or even its immediacy. Whatever the criteria--translations of books into English, books in print, paperback editions readily available, sales, symposia, or conference sessions devoted to him, books and articles written about him--it would appear that, in America, as a foreign-language critic Auerbach stands second only to Roland Barthes in terms of continuing presence. Many would say that Mimesis remains the most important single work of criticism in the modern age and, therefore, that Auerbach deserves a place among the handful of supreme literary scholars and critics. More

Afterlife of Property: Domestic Security and the Victorian Novel by Jeff Nunokawa (Princeton University Press), Associate Professor of English at Princeton University, investigates the conviction passed on by the Victorian novel that a woman's love is the only fortune a man can count on to last. Taking for his example four texts, Charles Dickens's Little Dorrit and Dombey and Son, and George Eliot's Daniel Deronda and Silas Marner, Nunokawa studies the diverse ways that the Victorian novel imagines women as property removed from the uncertainties of the marketplace. Along the way, he notices how the categories of economics, gender, sexuality, race, and fiction define one another in the Victorian novel. More

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