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MBR: Reviewer's Choice

by mwbookrevw@[EMAIL PROTECTED] (MWBOOKREVW) Oct 4, 2004 at 11:59 AM

Reviewer's Choice

Chewing Gum
Michael Redclift
Routledge
29 West 35th St., New York NY 10001
www.routledge-ny.com
041594418X $24.00 1-800-634-7064

The history of chewing gum's marketing and popularity might seem to some
like a
narrow topic for a business book: think again. Michael Redclift's Chewing
Gum:
The Fortunes Of Taste holds plenty of insights into advertising and
marketing
an innovative new product, telling a zany story based on a scheme hatched
by
Chicago's Wrigley brother – and social theory scholar Michael Redclift
proves
the perfect person to bring this tale to life.

Firefly Books
155 East 34 St,., #5B, NY, NY 10016
www.fireflybooks.com

So you've bought your first dog and are training and feeding it: next on
the
list of things to do with your new pet comes grooming, and Eileen Geeson's
Ultimate Dog Grooming (1552978737, $29.95) holds just the ticket to
success.
This isn't one person's opinion piece for several breeds: top
international dog
groomers have contributed to Ultimate Dog Grooming and cover all kinds of
breeds and grooming routines, whether it be for the home pet or the show
ring.
Step-by-step illustrations in color and including line drawings provide
very
clear examples of how to groom over 170 breeds. Author Eileen Geeson has
been a
dog groomer for over 30 years and has bread different champion dogs, while
material added by co-authors and industry pros Barbara Vetter and Lia
Whitmore
round out her already-impressive credentials. John Jennings' Bark Canoes:
The
Art And Obsession Of Tappan Adney (1552977-331, $35.00) covers the
nearly-lost
art of building native bark canoes. Any with light knowledge of these
canoes
might not realize that were it not for the efforts of one Edwin Tappan
Adney,
the art might have been lost completely: using calculations and notes made
during interviews with Native builders, he built precise 1 to 5 scale
models of
Native and fur trade canoes, accurate to minute detail. Author John
Jennings is
a history professor specializing in the frontier history of the
Canadian-American west: his account is packed with color photos and
in-depth
detail. Another kind of nearly-lost treasure is covered in Robert F. and
Jenifer Marx's Treasure Lost At Sea (1552978729, $24.95), blending
****pwreck
history with accounts of exciting underwater treasure hunts and
discoveries.
Robert F. Marx is a distinguished marine archaeologist who has actively
participated in hundreds of underwater wreck excavations; his associate
and
wife Jenifer G. Marx has joined him in contributing to over thirty books
and
hundreds of articles and scientific re****ts. Treasure Lost At Sea is no
scholarly tome, however, but an exciting survey of underwaterdiscoveries
the
general reader will relish. Revlon's Unforgettable Color: Makeup With
Confidence (15529-7670X, $24.95) provides a two-fold survey of hair
coloring:
it opens with a survey of Revlon's history of color and innovation, the
moves
to chapters color-coded by color which offer beauty advice, step-by-step
application and treatment hints, and more. Women seeking concrete advice
could
do no better than to consult the maker of one of the most famous coloring
brands in the world.

Dover Publications
31 E. 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501
www.doverpublications.com

Hilda M. Ransome's Sacred Bee In Ancient Times And Folklore (0486434-94X,
$16.95), republi****ng the early 1937 work studying the folklore of bees
and bee
culture from earliest times in the Middle East and Europe; Eduard Wagner's
Swords And Daggers: An Illustrated Handbook (0486433927, $14.95),
providing a
sourcebook from the 1975 survey tracing the origins of European weaponry
up to
the 20th century; and Edward William Lane's Arab Society In The Time Of
The
Thousand And One Nights (0486-433706, $16.95), considering ancient Egypt
based
on scholar Lane's mid-19th century visit and translation of the Arabian
Nights.
All are noteworthy additions suitable for broad collection holdings.

Shadow Divers
Robert Kurson
Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th fl, NY, NY 10019
www.atrandom.com
0375508589 $26.95 1-800-726-0600

Want a fast-paced adventure diving story which is real nonfiction, packed
with
tense stories and facts? Look no further than Robert Kurson's Shadow
Divers:
The True Adventure Of Two Americans Who Risked Everything To Solve One Of
The
Last Mysteries Of World War II, telling the true story of two Americans
who
risked all to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II: how a
German
U-boat came to wreck off the coast of New Jersey. To John Chatterton and
Richie
Kohler, deep wreck diving wasn't a s****t; it was a serious historical
venture.
Their discovery in 1991 of a ruined German U-boat off the Jersey shores
led to
six years of mystery which challenged rivalries, professional dive teams,
and
history itself.

Warner Books
1271 Ave of the Americas, NY, NY 10020
1-800-759-0190 www.twbookmark.com

Carmen Bin Ladin's Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
(0446577081,
$23.95) is simply not to be missed and deserves ongoing mention as a
unique
memoir, for Carmen married into the Bin Ladin family as an outsider and
her
half-Swiss, half-Persian heritage earned her both a place within and
outside of
family ties, revealed here. Individual hapters tell of her relation****ps
with
the entire family, her experiences with Saudi culture, and her role among
other
Bin Laden wives, creating a vitally poignant memoir of both Middle East
female
roles and the Bin Laden family in particular. Maura Conlon-McIvor's FBI
Girl:
How I Learned to Crack My Father's Code (0446533106, $23.00) presents a
stunning autobiography of a girl voted the Most Quiet Girl in Catholic
school.
Her father was FBI agent Joe Conlin, and here Conlon-McIvor telsl ofh ow
it was
to grow up in the late 1960s as the daughter of an FBI investigator who
sees
the world is full of criminal dangers. Father Conlon never talks of his
job –
so daughter Maura decides her duty is to crack his code of silence, and
her
investigations ala Nancy Drew draw forth some disquieting facts before a
murder
in the family lets all know just what is involved in his silence. A
gripping
memoir.

Lark Books/Sterling Publi****ng Co.
387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810
1-800-805-5489 www.amazon.com

Steven Aimone's Design!: A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists &
Craftspeople (1579903495, $19.95)is no technical guide for interior
designers
and artists alone: it's user-friendly presentation invites the usual
audience
of artists and craftspeople but promises to go beyond the boundaries to
non-artist novices with a format which clarifies the topic with clear
examples.
Steven Aimone holds an MFA in painting and drawing and is also an artist,
independent curator and fine arts instructor: his varied background and
personal works lends a depth to this fine coverage of everything on how to
use
a focal point to strengthen a design to considering the power of shapes
and
shape-making. Annie Cicale's The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering:
Techniques,
Projects, Inspiration (1579904033, $24.95) provides techniques, projects
and
inspiration all wrapped nearly in a fine visual embellishment and
celebration
of the hand lettering form. Cicale's calligraphy teaching background lends
to
her presentation of seventeen decorative projects which can be applied to
a
range of mediums, from fabrics to paper, setting The Art And Craft Of Hand
Lettering apart from competitors in the subject. Terry Taylor's Artful
Eggs:
Six Dozen Extraordinary Ways To Decorate An Egg (1579904637, $19.95)
provides
crafts with 72 techniques to decorate the egg, from decoupage sources from
paper napkins to using plastic pearls to create egg patterns. Kids and
adults
alike will find Artful Eggs provides plenty of creative egg embellishments
suitable for either Easter or general crafting projects – and comes
packed
with color illustrations and step-by-step instructions to make the whole
effort
easy.

Mongo
Ted Botha
Bloomsbury
175 – 5th Ave. #300, NY, NY 10010
1582344523 $23.95 bloomsburyusa.com

Journalist Ted Botha introduces readers to a different type of collector:
a
person who finds his treasures in what is typically considered trash, and
gets
them for free. 'Mongo' is street slang for anything discarded by one
person and
picked up by another – and it can be found anywhere. Botha picked up
sidewalk
furniture when he first moved to New York and bumped into many others
doing the
same – hence the evolution of Mongo : Adventures In Trash, surveying the
world of the 'mongo collector' and the strange objects lost and found in
life.

Praeger Publishers
88 Post Road West, West****t, CT 06881, Box 6926, ****tsmouth, NH 03802-6926
www.greenwood.com

Two excellent titles deserve ongoing recommendation as excellent
college-level
references for specialty libraries. Arab Mass Media: Newspapers, Radio,
And
Television In Arab Politics (0275982122 , $49.95, Praeger Press) by
William
Rugh is an essential guide for any who would understand the nature and
state of
Arab news re****ting today. William Rugh is CEO of the America-Midwest
Educational and Training Services nonprofit group dedicated to promoting
cooperation between Americans and Middle Easterners: fluent in Arabic,
he's the
perfect professor to analyze the state and nature of newspaper, radio and
television re****ting in Arab media and politics. Wesley Britton's Spy
Television (0275981630, $39.95) is the latest addition to "The Praeger
Television Series" and deserves ongoing mention as a powerful contribution
not
only to Praeger's television collection, but to television analysis as a
whole.
Or half a century, television spies have been trained pros and businessmen
alike who have featured the spy lifestyle in television sitcoms and
presentations: Spy Television considers the history of spy shows on the
screen,
why they succeeded or failed, and how fact and fiction have been molded by
them. Britton earned his doctorate in literature and has established
himself as
a critic and columnist over the years, making him the perfect choice for
an
in-depth analysis such as Spy Television provides.

Birds Of Wisconsin: Field Guide
Stan Tekiela
Adventure Publications, Inc.
820 Cleveland Street, South, Cambridge, MN 55008
1591930405 $12.95 1-800-678-7006

Now in an expanded second edition, Birds Of Wisconsin: Field Guide by
naturalist and wildlife photographer Stan Tekiela is significantly
enhanced
with updated photos, information, and range maps. This easy-to-use guide
is
specialized and restricted to 111 common species focused upon Wisconsin
birds
and Wisconsin range maps. Superbly organized by a color coding approach
(see a
yellow bird, then go to the yellow section to find out what it is),
especially
helpful in trying to distinguish between similar appearing birds,
hallmarked
with gorgeous bird photography, and laced with Wisconsin aviary tidbits
and
facts, Birds Of Wisconsin: Field Guide is a compact, ****rt pocket size for
easy
****tability and designed for use in conjunction with the also highly
recommended Birds of Wisconsin Audio CDs (1591930391, $14.95) featuring
the
recorded sounds of 110 of Wisconsin's most commonly encountered birds.

One Hundred Years Of Wisconsin Forestry
Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association
Trails Media Group
PO Box 317, Black Earth, WI 53515-0317
www.trailsbooks.com
1931599173 $24.95 1-800-236-8088

Only made possible through the efforts of the nonprofit organization
Wisconsin
Woodland Owners Association (WWOA), One Hundred Years Of Wisconsin
Forestry:
1904-2004 is the story of how, after Wisconsin's forests were devastated
by
indiscriminate clear-cutting in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Badger
State forest landscape was able to rebound to cover almost half the state,
along with the consequent cultural, economic, and ecological benefits to
Wisconsin wildlife and populace. Here recounted is the dedicated struggle
by
many people over many decades. Their collective efforts to influence
governmental policy (both state and federal), along with the educating of
private owners of forestry lands, have help to bring Wisconsin forests
back to
life. Enhanced with a 16-page insert of full-color photography, One
Hundred
Years Of Wisconsin Forestry is an essential and valued contribution to
academic
library American Forestry and Environmental Studies reference collections
--
and should be made a part of the collections of every Wisconsin high
school and
community library system in the state.

The ****tly Princess Of Thynneland
Kathleen Marie Marsh
Goblin Fern Press, Inc.
3809 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705
www.GoblinFernPress.com
1595980164 $13.95 1-888-670-2665

The ****tly Princess Of Thynneland by Wisconsin native Kathleen Marie Marsh
is a
kind of adult fairytale that utilizes a fantasy story to convey very real
issues arising from childhood obesity. Superbly enhanced with
illustrations by
Tom Lowes, The ****tly Princess Of Thynneland is set in the kingdom of
Thynneland where, in a misguided plan to win his little daughter's
affection,
King Rollo lavishes sweets and treats upon Princess Volumina. Queen Reeda
is
dismayed to see her daughter grow up to be a fat girl in a land where it
is
illegal to be an overweight adult! On her 18th birthday, Princess Volumina
is
sent to the Hinterland to lose weight. Her journey (and stormy
relation****p
with her bodyguard Favo) are the stuff of adventure and romance. Then when
famine threatens Thynneland, Princess Volumina is the only one who can
save the
realm. The ****tly Princess Of Thynneland is witty, fun, and highly
recommended
reading and recommended for readers from 16 to 76.

Save Your Identity
Michael Chesbro
Paladin Press
7077 Winchester Circle, Boulder, CO 80301
1581604459 $19.95 1-800-392-2400

Identity theft is one of the most crippling crimes running rampant today
to the
collective tune of 3.5 billion dollars and victimizing hundreds of
thousands of
Americans each year. Confidently recommended reading, in Save Your
Identity: Id
Theft Awareness, Prevention, And Recovery , privacy expert Michael Chesbro
reveals how an ID is stolen, and step-by-step, how to prevent it from
happening
to you, or if it's happened, how to deal with it swiftly and effectively.
To
put it simply and directly, Michael Chesbro's Save Your Identity: Id Theft
Awareness, Prevention, And Recovery should be added to every community
library
collection in the country and is required reading for anyone who has had
their
good name and credit destroyed by criminal fraud, as well as those who
being
forewarned, wish to avoid the expense, anxiety, and life-disruption that
is
identity theft.

Joy And Evolution
Robert L. Peck, et al.
The Personal Development Center
82 Bush Hill Road, Lebanon, CT 06249
0917828100 $14.95 1-860-423-4785 rpeck1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 collaborative work of Robert L. Peck, Leslie M. Cassinari, and
Christine S.
Gavlick, Joy And Evolution is a unique introduction from the combined
perspectivs of philosophy, science, history, and religion into the
phenomena
and technology of joy. Contemplating the concept of a true inner heart,
located
in the center of the body in the lower abdomen - even as ancient Greeks
once
hypothesized was at the base of the spine - Joy And Evolution addresses
how to
unlock the power of this hidden heart and enrich one's own life. Chapters
address the philosophy of joy, metaphysical love, the hidden ***ual nature
of
joy, the manner in which pressures to conform, consume and
institutionalize
suppress joy, and much more. A far-reaching, at times mystical but always
emphatic about being true to one's own needs.

Your Seventh Sense
Karyn Ruth White & Jay Arthur
LifeStar
2244 South Olive Street, Denver, CO 80224
1884180272 $19.95 1-888-468-1537
www.motivateeeveryone.com/yourseventhsense.html

Jay Arthur is a master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Karyn
Ruth
White is a standup comedian and professional speaker. In Your Seventh
Sense:
How To Think Like A Comedian these two quite diverse experts work together
to
offer the reader an introduction of the essential skills required to
"think
like a comedian". Chapters address how to hone one's comedy radar,
learning to
refine one's act before taking it public, transforming random ideas into
belly-laugh gold, and much more. Each two-page spread offers solid advice
on
one page, and a humorous or inspirational comedy-related quote on the
other. An
excellent guide not only for aspiring comedians, but also for those
seeking to
learn just enough of the art to liven up their speeches and presentations.

A Collection Of Wisdom
Rodney Ohebsion
Immediex Publi****ng
540 Evelyn Place, Beaverly Hills, CA 90210
1932968199 $29.00 www.immediex.com

Exhaustively compiled, deftly organized, and capably edited by Rodney
Ohebsion,
A Collection Of Wisdom is a succinct guide that condenses the greatest
morsels
of the world's wisdom, teachings, quotes, and folktales into simple
statements
and sentences that anyone can readily grasp. From the insights of Sun Tzu
to
the ponderings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, to proverbs
from
every region of the world and insights from almost every major religion
and
much more, A Collection of Wisdom is a solid compendium of life lessons
and
quotable quotes. Highly recommended for its inspiration and guidance,
whether
one looks up a specific individual's words, turns to a random page, or
reads A
Collection of Wisdom from cover to cover straight through.

The Cash Cage
Corey Deitz
Privately Published
8 Chatel Drive, Little Rock, AR, 72223
1591135370 $13.95 www.thecashcage.com

Corey Deitz drew upon his more than 25-year career as a radio host veteran
in
such major markets as Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, and others, to write
a
candidly informative expose of what happens "back stage" in the world of
talk
radio. A first-person view of the ups, downs, backstabbing,
money-jockeying,
desertions, loneliness and more in an often cutthroat business world, The
Cash
Cage is not only an engrossing personal story, but also a no-holds-barred
"how-to" guide for anyone struggling to break into the business, curious
individuals seeking to learn the pitfalls of the trade, and in fact anyone
determined to grapple with adversity. Vernacular plain-terms language
distinguishes this highly readable account that actively resists being put
down
for any reason.

Paul Bowles, Magic & Morocco
Allen Hibbard
Cadmus Editions, Publishers
Publishers Group West, dist.
PO Box 126, Belevdere-Tiburon, CA 94920
0932274617 $12.95 www.cadmus-editions.com

Paul Bowles, Magic & Morocco by academician, reviewer, essayist, and
translator
Allen Hibbard addresses the life and work of expatriate author Paul
Bowles. An
in-depth work of literary criticism that transcends boundaries to explore
the
occult forces that permeated Bowles' life, the Moroccan mysteries and
North
African customs, culture, and magic he studied, the mystical influence
drugs,
***, and music, and much more. Paul Bowles, Magic & Morocco takes a
personal
turn as author Hibbard dares to speak to Bowles directly, addressing him
from
beyond the grave. A college-level analysis, seeking to define unimaginable
forces and expressions.

Retracing Marco Polo
Jack Spain, Jr.
Gilgit Press
PO Box 4881, Richmond, VA 23220
0974628328 $37.95 www.gilgitpress.com

Retracing Marco Polo is the travelogue of a modern family's journey to
retrace
Marco Polo's route to China. Comparing older texts and modern maps to plot
a
course, then following a winding route through Venice, Jerusalem, Turkey,
and
China (the trail through current-day Iran and Afghanistan was closed to
them,
so they went through Pakistan instead), they took in the sights, scenery,
and
experiences of pure adventure. Inset sections of color photograph plates
illustrate this enjoyable narrative of setting out to walk in the
footsteps of
greatness.

Servants Of The Fish
Myron Arms
Upper Access Book Publishers
PO Box 457, Hinesburg, VT 05461
0942679296 $24.95 www.upperaccess.com

Servants Of The Fish: A ****trait of Newfoundland after the Great Cod
Collapse
is an engrossing social history of the individual people and of society as
a
whole in the wake of the threat of northern cod extinction along the
fi****ng
banks of eastern North America. Narrated in brisk, straightforward prose,
it
tells of those who dedicated their lives to fi****ng, and who were both
precipitators and victims of the ecological catastrophe. A plain-terms
narration, equally accessible to the lay reader and the concerned
ecologist or
environmentalist alike.

Street Smart Firefighting
Robert C. Bingham
Valley Press
PO Box 2044, Vienna, VA 22183
0974844705 $29.95 1-888-825-9550

In Street Smart Firefighting: The Common Sense Guide To Firefighter Safety
And
Survival, firefighting expert Robert C. Bingham shares with the reader
basic
information and strategies that professional firefighters use to survive
and
combat blazes. From philosophy and preparation, to standard operating
procedures, mechanical operations, communication basics, command
structure, the
incident command system, hazardous materials, special operations,
post-incident
analysis and much more, Street Smart Firefighting covers both practical
need-to-know survival issues and equally crucial matters of organization
and
beauracracy all vital to serving as a member of the fire department. An
excellent and thorough manual, written especially to help would-be
firefighters
prepare when they may not always have much op****tunity for field
experience
before a true crisis hits. Highly recommended for school and community
libararies and an absolute "must-read" for anyone considering a career in
firefighting.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to
promoting
literacy, library usage, and small press publi****ng. We accept no funds
from
authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these
reviews on
thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet
discussion
groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please
give
the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines
"Internet
Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's
Bookwatch",
and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest
Book
Review website at http://www.midwestbookreview.com

If you would like to submit a review for inclusion in our Midwest Book
Review
publications, please send an email request to mbr@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 for our
"Reviewer
Guidelines". We invite your comments, questions and suggestions.

James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575-1129
 




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MBR: Reviewer's Choice
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tan12V112 Sun Jul 27 3:08:50 CDT 2008.