Monday, March 31, 2008

New Books - March, 2008

D25 .B25 2006
Battlefield: Decisive Conflicts in History
Richard Holmes
Library Journal Review:

Renowned British military historian Holmes (Wellington: The Iron Duke) and Evans (The Military Heritage of Britain and Ireland) here describe almost 300 battles, from Megiddo in ancient Egypt (1475 B.C.E.) to the Second Gulf War in 2003, using as their source Holmes's Oxford Companion to Military History (he served as editor). Featuring selections from that book newly arranged and updated, the result is more than a dictionary or a chronology. Each chapter is dedicated to a chronological era and begins with a summary of military conditions, incorporating political, tactical, and technological evolutions into one informative narrative. Coverage then moves to the decisive battles of that time period, with maps illustrating their development and campaigns. The editors acknowledge current debates and research; their personal and incisive comments make this book more than a reference tool it will serve as a valuable introduction to the study of military history for beginners and a starting point that will inspire further reading. Recommended for all libraries, including those already holding the larger Oxford Companion. David Lee Poremba, Davenport, FL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

New Books - March, 2008


E185.96 .A4466 2008
The African American National Biography Gates, Henry Louis

Book Description
A landmark scholarly achievement published in February 2008 in 8 volumes. The African American National Biography presents history through a mosaic of the lives of thousands of individuals, illuminating the abiding influence of persons of African descent on the life of this nation from the arrival of Esteban in Spanish Florida in 1529 through to notable black citizens of the present day. In addition to Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King Jr., the AANB includes a wide range of African Americans from all time periods and all walks of life, both famous and nearly-forgotten. In the words of AANB editor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., "These stories, long buried in the dusty archives of history, will never be lost again. And that is what scholarship in the field of African American Studies should be all about." About the author: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham is Professor of History and Afro-American Studies at Harvard University and editor of The Harvard Guide to African American History.


E310 .W56 2007

The great upheaval : America and the birth of the modern world, 1788-1800 Winik, Jay



Booklist Review
The great strengths of Winik's massive examination of this tumultuous period is his demonstration of how events in the U.S. and Europe were part of a process of cross-fertilization. The title dates are not arbitrary. In 1788, the U.S. began its operation under a new constitution; in 1800, after years of partisan divisions and social conflict, the Americans peacefully accepted the transfer of power from the Federalists to Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans. Between those years, the U.S. and Europe experienced turmoil, revolution, and wars that shaped the world for the next two centuries. American commitment to republican ideals influenced French revolutionaries; they, under the threat of foreign intervention, instituted a repressive regime that would presage twentieth-century totalitarianism. In Russia, the "enlightened" Catherine the Great was shocked by the violence in France and turned from liberalization to a strengthened autocracy. Her desire for expansion led to the destruction of the Polish state and war with the Muslim Turks, both of which had immense consequences in the twentieth century. An outstandingly wide-ranging account of this vital era in world history. Freeman, Jay. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Women's History Month Display

March is Women's History Month and the library has a very interesting display available for viewing until March 31.