Small Press Bk Rev-Fall 96/I

[HenryBerry]

Small Press Book Review
Fall 1996

Current Interest
Seeing Is Believing? -Haunted Shacks, Mystery Spots, and other Delightful
Phenomena by Chris Banta. Funhouse Press, PO Box 1680, Agoura Hills, CA
91376-1680. 1996. 224 pp. $21.95 trade paper; 11" x 8-1/2". b+w
photographs; b+w graphics.
(supernatural phenomena)
Banta photographs the strange phenomena found at such "mystery spots"
as Spook Hill in Florida, the Winchester Mystery House in California, and
the Cosmos of the Black Hills on South Dakota. Many of these phenomena are
based on unusual gravitational fields, so that persons can stand at sharp
angles and balls roll uphill. In addition, Banta gives directions to the
20 or so mystery spots he pictures; and he reprints newspaper articles and
other publications on the various locations which recount the strange
happenings at them and relate scientific investigations and conjectures
regarding the reasons for such happenings.

Japanese Corrections - Managing Convicted Offenders in an Orderly Society
by Elmer H. Johnson. Southern Illinois U. Press, PO Box 3697, Carbondale,
IL 62901. 1996. 359 pp. $39.95 hardcover (0-8093-1736-2). tables; notes;
bibliography; index.
(social policy; crime)
Johnson focuses on the centerpiece of the Japanese correctional
system--the industrial prison. Such prisons are used for both adult and
juvenile offenders; they stress education, vocational training, and
counseling. The role and operations of the two Japanese institutions, the
Correction Bureau and the Rehabilitation Bureau, responsible for these
prisons is studied as well. The release of former prisoners back into the
society is another subject Johnson deals with; halfway houses and
volunteer probation officers are among the means for this. Johnson does
not engage in a comparison of the Japanese prison system or its social
bases or effectiveness vis-a-vis U. S. and European systems. He
concentrates on dealing with the major aspects of the Japanese system to
give readers a comprehensive and unprecedented picture of it. Spending
many years in Japan studying its prison system, Johnson was allowed access
to the two Bureaus that has not been granted to any foreigner before him.

Changing the Bully Who Rules the World - Reading and Thinking About Ethics
by Carol Bly. Milkweed Editions, 430 First Ave. North - Suite 400,
Minneapolis, MN 55401-1743. 1996. 570 pp. $15.95 trade paper
(1-57131-205-6). appendices.
(anthology; essays)
Novelist Bly collects poems and excerpts from short stories and novels
by contemporary writers illustrating various moral questions and
situations of modern life. Bly writes introductory essays to the
selections grouped in sections such as Leaving the Casual Brutality of
Nature; The Psychological and Moral Habitats of American Children and
Adults; Evil by Pain Avoidance and Psychological Sloth; and Good News
About Leaders and Followers. With sections on abstract moral subjects and
sociological studies such as Stage Development of Motives and Value, The
Six Moral Stages from Thomas Likona, Empathy-in-Literature, and Women of
Los Alamos During World War II, the Appendix too is an important part of
Bly's study.

American Extremists - Militias, Supremacists, Klansmen, Communists, and
Others by John George and Laird Wilcox. Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn
Dr., Amherst, NY 14228. 1996. 443 pp. no price given trade paper
(1-57392-058-4). chapter notes; appendices; index.
(U. S. extremist groups)
The authors review extremist groups from both the left and the right.
From the left are the Communist Party USA, Black Panther Party,
Progressive Labor Party, Revolutionary Action Movement, and five others.
The John Birch Society, Nation of Islam, Jewish Defense League, and Ku
Klux Klan are from the right, with nine others, including "assorted
neo-nazis." With each group, the authors give a biographical background of
the founder (if applicable), relate its tenets and goals, and follow the
group's activities and briefly analyze its influence. Some of the groups
were active in the late 19th century and early part of this century; but
most are recent or contemporary groups. Introductory essays and appendices
survey the origins, nature, and appeal of extremist groups and specify
traits common to all of them and their members.

Vampires - The Occult Truth by Konstantinos. Llewellyn Publications, PO
Box 64383-K380, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383. 1996. 204 pp. $12.95 trade paper
(1-56718-380-8). bibliography; index.
(folklore; psychology)
A part of this publisher's Occult Truth Series, this work draws the
vampire personality type (so to speak) and tells the tales of reputed
true-life vampires of long ago, and some of recent times; although some of
these were only gruesome criminals. From Konstantinos treatment of them,
vampires apparently are much like aliens which are reputedly encountered
today by some persons. He also recognizes a type called psychic vampires,
who drain not blood, but the life force, from their victims. An
entertaining and diverse presentation of the lore of vampires.

Animal Rights - A Beginner's Guide by Amy Blount Achor. WriteWare, PO Box
51, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. 1996. 452 pp. $19.95 trade paper
(0-9631865-1-5). b+w photographs; resources; bibliography; glossary;
notes; index.
(animal rights; handbook; reference)
An updated and expanded edition of a voluminous handbook on animal
rights. A second subtitle on the cover is "A Handbook of Issues,
Organizations, Actions, and Resources." Subjects range from abuse of
animals in medical research, the food industry, and entertainment; an
analysis of the reasons for abuse of animals; endangered species; activism
for animal rights; to a lengthy bibliographical section of books and other
publications on many relevant subjects. The contents even extends to a
good deal of information on being a vegetarian.

"All-American Monster" - The Unauthorized Biography of Timothy McVeigh by
Brandon M. Stickney. Prometheus Books, 59 John Glenn Dr., Amherst, NY
14228; 800-421-0351. 336 pp. $23.95 hardcover (1-57392-088-6). b+w
photographs; appendix; notes; bibliography; index.
(domestic terrorism)
Stickney pores over Timothy McVeigh's personality (as constructed from
many interviews with persons who knew him, including close relatives), his
family life, his military career, and the social environment of his small
western New York town to try to find answers to what would drive such a
person to commit such a horrendous crime as the Oklahoma City Bombing.
What emerges is a comprehensive portrait of the accused bomber. Stickney's
portrait does not answer every question about McVeigh or the
Bombing--which is impossible--but it does point to some of the experiences
and ideas behind the crime and also gives a revealing, coherent, and
in-depth portrait of the individual accused of it.

Art
The Print in the Western World - An Introductory History by Linda C.
Hults. U. of Wisconsin Press, 114 N. Murray St., Madison, WI 53715-1199.
1996. 965 pp. $65.00 hardcover; 8-1/2" x 11" (0-299-13700-7). color/b+w
illustrations; glossary; bibliography; notes.
(prints; art history)
Using over 700 illustrations-49 of them in color-Hults surveys the
history of the print in Western art from its beginnings in the 15th
century down to modern times. While her focus is original prints, she also
covers prints made for mass-production as works of art or for book
illustrations, ads, posters, and such. Hults is a professor of art history
at the College of Wooster, Ohio. She treats not only notable printmakers
such as Durer, Rembrandt, and Picasso, but also techniques of print-making
through the ages. The social and economic sources for prints in different
eras are also discussed in relation to such topics as Christian souvenirs
at early pilgrimage sites, the desires of Renaissance patrons, and
Communist propaganda. With its glossary, extensive bibliography, detailed
index. and other reference features, this large, heavily-illustrated
volume covering Western prints from many angles is undoubtedly the prime
book on this artistic subject.

Stud: Architectures of Masculinity edited by Joel Sanders. Princeton
Architectural Press, New York; dist. by Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth St.,
San Francisco, CA 94103. 1996. 309 pp. $19.95 trade paper (1-56898-076-0).
b+w photographs.
(modernism; postmodernism; design)
Artists, curators, and professors discuss the "gendering of space" as
this concerns the "fabrication of masculine identities at specific sites
and at precise moments in history." In this, the authors treat the design,
furnishings, furniture, and other objects of homes, working spaces,
bathrooms, and gyms. Each section starts off with an essay including
relevant visual matter. These opening essays are followed by photographic
essays demonstrating the points and analyses of the introductory pieces.
The ideal penthouse as conceived by Playboy Magazine, Freud's office where
he conducted his psychoanalysis, chamber pots, the electric knife, and
health equipment are a small part of the great variety of objects analyzed
for their clues to the making and confirmation of male identity in modern
society. A final chapter, titled Outings, treats specifically the relation
of the book's topics to homosexual identity.

Gustave Dore - a biography by Dan Malan. MCE Publishing, 7519 Lindbergh
Dr., St.Louis, MO 63117. 1996. 208 pp. $19.95 trade paper; 8-1/2" x 11"
(1-888957-02-6). b+w illustrations; index.
(art)
Dore's life spanned most of the 19th century. With 10,000 engravings
and 3,000 illustrated books, he was incredibly prolific, and popular too.
This biography and study of Dore is filled with many of Dore's
illustrations and facts and commentary on Dore's life, art, place in his
time, and influence. The flow is uneven--Malan is a Dore enthusiast who
regularly stops for detailed commentary on works of Dore's, includes
excerpts from heterogeneous records, and follows a somewhat involuted
line. But in the end the reader gains a broader knowledge of Dore.

Inventing the Southwest -- The Fred Harvey Company and Native American Art
by Kathleen L. Howard and Diana F. Pardue. Northland Publishing, PO Box
1389, Flagstaff, AZ 86002; 800-346-3257. 164 pp. $17.95 trade paper; 11" x
8-1/2" (0-87358-649-2). color/b+w photographs; bibliography; index.
(Southwest art; art history)
In the late 1800s and the first part of the 1900s, the Santa Fe
Railroad and the Fred Harvey Company were partners in promoting the
Southwest. The Railroad would bring Americans to this region, and the Fred
Harvey Company would to a large extent control their experience of it. The
Company had a strong hand in developing tourist spots such as the Grand
Canyon and also in commercializing the Native American crafts and culture
of the region. One Zuni Indian remarked, "We've gone from ritual to
retail." Through the Company's influence, Native American baskets and pots
were made smaller so that tourists could transport them home easier; and
the colors of the blankets were made brighter for more appeal to tourists.
The book was published in cooperation with the Heard Museum in Phoenix;
it's based on this well-known Southwestern museum's current exhibit, which
runs through 1997. The cultural changes the Native Americans of the region
underwent are chronicled as well as the marketing savvy of the Fred Harvey
Company.

Biography/Autobiography
The Lives and Times of Bonnie and Clyde by E. R. Milner. Southern Illinois
University Press, PO Box 3697, Carbondale, IL 62901. 1996. 197 pp. $24.95
hardcover (0-8093-1977-2). b+w photographs; notes; index.
(criminals; mid 20th century U. S.)
From consulting little-known local records, previously-unknown court
documents, and unpublished oral history chronicles from some 60 neighbors,
relatives, and police officials who became enmeshed in the exploits and
travels of the notorious Bonnie and Clyde, Milner aims to give a more
balanced picture of the murderous pair than the romantic image they have
gained in the popular view; which view began during the days of their
crime spree. Milner allows that they were colorful and appealing in some
ways, but he also keeps a focus on their ruthlessness. The resulting
picture is not really different from the popular one, but one that fills
in a good deal of detail and historical background; and one which also
recreates something of the flavor of the time and locale of the 1930s in
Texas, Arkansas, and other southern states when Bonnie and Clyde committed
their crimes.

Children's
Jouanah: A Hmong Cinderella adapted by Dr. Jewell Reinhart Coburn with
Tzexa Cherta Lee; illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien. Shen's Books and
Supplies, 821 S. First Ave., Arcadia, CA 91006. 1996. 32 pp. $15.95
hardcover (1-885008-01-5). color illustrations.
(story; multiculturalism; ages 4-10)
The story is a rendition of a folk tale of the Hmong tribe of Southeast
Asia which resembles the Cinderella tale. Jouanah is abused by her
stepmother. The spirit of the young girl's dead mother comes to her
through a cow to take care of her by giving her fine clothing and graceful
sandles to wear to a New Year's Festival-where she meets a handsome young
man. In the course of the story, different Hmong customs are related, and
other aspects of Hmong life, including clothing, are seen in the
illustrations.

A Rock Grows Up: The Pacific Northwest Up Close and Personal by Randi
Goodrich and Michael Goodrich. GeoQuest Publications, PO Box 1665, Lake
Oswego, OR 97035-1212. 1996. 56 pp. $9.95 trade paper (0-9651101-0-9). b+w
illustrations; bibliography; glossary; index.
(geology; regional; ages 6-10)
Quite technical-and quite sophisticated-geological and related
scientific matter on the formation and features of the land of the Pacific
Northwest narrated by personified rocks. Not only mountains, but volcanoes
and earthquakes and other geological activity, much of it occurring over
millennia, forming the land of this region are dealt with, along with the
different strata and kinds of rock comprising it.

The Goose's Tale by Deborah Clearman. Whispering Coyote Press, 300
Crescent Ct. - Suite 860, Dallas, TX 75201. 1996. 32 pp. $15.95. hardcover
(1-879085-85-2). color illustrations.
(story; ages 6-12)
Young Toby and Liz take home a wooden decoy of a Canadian goose they
find in a nearby marsh. During the long winter months, they discover that
the goose, who they named Alice, can talk. The goose became a decoy after
being wounded by a hunter and separated from his mate, White Patch. Alice
seems resigned to never seeing White Patch again and spending the rest of
his days with Toby and Liz. But Toby says that maybe he and Liz can help
Alice find White Patch. Alice replies that the two children would have to
fly to be able to do that. Undeterred, the Liz says that maybe Alice can
teach them to fly. When spring comes, Alice does-and Toby and Liz fly away
and find White Patch and bring him back to his mate Alice. When the two
geese rejoin, Alice changes from wooden decoy into a live goose. The
story's lesson is the lifelessness without the love of a companion, and
how love can restore life to one.

Silver Berries and Christmas Magic by Urslan Judith Gaffington;
illustrated by Steven Morris. Rivermoon Books, PO Box 532, Stony Brook, NY
11790-0532. 1996. 32 pp. $18.95 hardcover (0-9647811-0-7). color
illustrations.
(story; ages 4-8)
Santa has a problem--his reindeer don't fly, and thus he is unable to
take gifts made by his elves to children everywhere. But his wife Tiemma
and her friends the fairies are working on some magic to allow the
reindeers to fly. It takes them a while to get it right--at first Santa's
reindeer end up crashing into bushes and snowbanks as they try to take
flight. But eventually Tiemma and her fairies find the right magic, and
Santa can get gifts to children all around the world. The story is meant
to bring a female figure into the origins of Christmas.

Africa Calling by Dan Alderman; illustrated by Kim Alderman. Whispering
Coyote Press, 300 Crescent Court - Suite 860, Dallas, TX 75201. 1996. 32
pp. $15.95 hardcover (1-879085-98-4). color illustrations.
(picture book; ages 4-7)
Africa calling, nighttime falling--goes the rhyme for the book. Various
African animals coming out at night to forage or hunt are shown in widely
varying perspectives. The reader can look into a rhinoceros's eye, or
survey a plain with a lion perched on a rock. The style of the
illustrations varies too--from milky watercolors to graphic portraits;
from starkly life-like parts of animals to cutouts and what appear to be
clumps of real vegetation included in the scenes.

The Day the Earth Was Silent by Michael McGuffee; illustrated by Edward
Sullivan. Inquiring Voices Press, 100 Heritage Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408.
1996. 32 pp. $14.95 hardcover (0-9634637-1-3). color illustrations.
(story; ages 6-10)
A class of school children make up a flag with a picture of the earth
from space. In wishing to share this flag with others, they go to their
principle, the mayor, the President, and eventually a meeting of delegates
from around the world. The delegates bring the flags of their own
countries. But the children unfurl their own flag to make the point that
all of the people from different countries actually share the Earth; the
boundaries dividing countries are arbitrary. The assembled delegates fall
into silence when they realize the truth of this. A simple tale of
multiculturalism.

Crafts
A Painter's Approach to Quilt Design by Velda Newman with Christine
Barnes. That Patchwork Place, PO Box 118, Bothell, WA 98041. 1996. 112 pp.
no price given; trade paper; 8-1/2" x 11" (1-56477-119-9). color
photographs; patterns.
(quilting)
Newman gives instruction on using bleaching, painting, and other
artistic techniques along with applique and other ordinary quilting
techniques to make attractive, and in some cases striking, quilts. Most of
the inspirations and subjects for her quilts come from the world of
nature. Newman's quilts have been exhibited in Japan and Europe as well as
the U. S., where they have won many awards.

Marble and Tile - The Selection and Care of Stone and Tile Surfaces by
Frederick M. Hueston. NTC Publishing Co., 1413 Haven Drive, Orlando, FL
32803. 1996. 216 pp. no price given trade paper (0-9652577-0-3). charts;
resources; glossary; index.
(marble and tiles)
Descriptions of 25 kinds of marble and tile and their 11 kinds of
surfaces, including polished, sandblasted, and textured; instructions on
care and cleaning of tiles and marbles with a variety of mops, sponges,
and other equipment and various solutions. Restoration of marble or tile
and how to make these surfaces slip-resistant are other topics in this
guide for the lay reader; although it does contain a brief section
especially for architects and designers.

The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry by Brian Bibby. Heyday Books,
PO Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709. 1996. 125 pp. $20.00 trade paper; 8-1/2"
x 11" (0-930588-87-8). color/b+w photographs; bibliography.
(weaving; Native American art)
Sixty-two California Native American baskets are featured in color
photographs which give a good appreciation for their shapes and designs.
Some of the baskets go back to the late 1800s (with two early than this),
and some were woven within the past few years; with others woven in the
years in between. They are divided into types--burden baskets, storage
baskets, ones for cooking and eating, and ceremonial and gift baskets
among the types. The background of each basket is given, its highlights
are noted, and individuals ranging from Native American weavers to art
historians and scholars make brief comments on each one.

Weave It! Quilt It! Wear It! by Mary Anne Caplinger. That Patchwork Place,
PO Box 118, Bothell, WA 98041-0118. 1996. 87 pp. $22.95 trade paper;
8-1/2" x 11". color photographs; color illustrations; charts; patterns;
bibliography.
(quilting)
Everything a quilter needs to know to make colorful and durable coats
and vests; sample projects are two vests and one Amish coat.

Woodshop Dust Control by Sandor Nagyszalanczy. Taunton Press, 63 S. Main
St., Newtown, CT 06470-5507; 800-888-8286. 1996. 198 pp. $19.95 trade
paper; 8" x 10" (1-56158-116-X). b+w photographs; illustrations; diagrams;
charts; resources; index.
(woodshop)
"Practical solutions to the serious hazards of airborne workshop dust,"
which can be an environmental hazard causing respiratory problems.
Different combinations of filters, air ducts, central or local air-control
systems, respirators, portable dust collectors, ventilation, and other
techniques can be used for dust control. Nagyszalanczy describes such
combinations and gives instructions for designing and constructing them.
His book applies to both home woodshops and full-size, commercial
woodshops. Discussions and instructions are complemented with clear,
detailed illustrations and diagrams.

Education
Back to School--A College Guide for Adults by LaVerne L. Ludden, Ed.D.
JIST Works, 720 N. Park Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3431. 1996. 288 pp.
$14.95 trade paper; 7" x 9". charts; resources; index.
(adult education)
Ludden's degree is in Adult and Community Education. She has more than
20 years experience in this field. Her comprehensive guide first deals
with concerns which adults may have over going to college. Then she moves
to practical topics such as selecting an appropriate college, outlining a
course of study, tying college studies in with career plans, and financing
courses. The guide applies both to taking noncredit courses for personal
enrichment or career advancement and also to earning a college degree in a
formal course of study.

Teaching the Argument in Writing by Richard Fulkerson. National Council of
Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 61801-1096. 1996. 202
pp. $19.95 trade paper (0-8141-0190-9). diagrams; notes; bibliography;
index.
(teaching writing; high school; college)
Fulkerson discloses how arguments are found in most kinds of writing.
He believes that an understanding of argument is important not so that one
side can succeed in besting another, but so that ideas, positions,
thoughts, etc. can be developed; for this author, argument is basically
dialectic. Fulkerson gives a pretty technical analysis and explanation of
the theoretical elements of sound arguments. And he discusses faults of
arguments; but in doing so, he also shows how such faults are also not
always ineffective or erroneous. All in all, an economical and erudite
study of argument.

The Small Press Book Review is a quarterly electronic publication; all or
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to SPBR. Review copies can be sent to Small Press Book Review, Henry
Berry, Editor/Publisher, PO Box 176, Southport, CT 06490.