The Poisoned Life of Mrs. Maybrick, by Bernard Ryan, Jr. '46
(iUniverse.com, $16.95). A biography of the wife of James Maybrick, thought
by many to be Jack the Ripper. Ryan is retired from advertising and lives
in Connecticut.
Books received: July 5, 2000
Recently published books by undergraduate and graduate alumni
The Poisoned Life of Mrs. Maybrick, by Bernard Ryan, Jr. '46
(iUniverse.com, $16.95). A biography of the wife of James Maybrick, thought
by many to be Jack the Ripper. Ryan is retired from advertising and lives
in Connecticut.
Gateway: Dr. Thomas Walker and the Opening of Kentucky, by David M. Burns '53 (Bell County Historical Society, 877-257-4844). A history of the explorer who discovered Cumberland Gap and built the first cabin in Kentucky.
Beyond the American Dream: Work and Wealth in the 21st Century,
by Thomas B. Carson '54 (1stbooks.com, $10). Discusses current trends in
the U.S. economy, the changing nature of the work force, and the creation
of wealth. Carson lives in Washington, D.C., and is a consultant in international
finance.
The Postmodern Military: Armed Forces After the Cold War, edited by Charles C. Moskos '56 et al. (Oxford, $29.95). The contributors examine contemporary civil-military trends and present a theoretical model for national military transformation. Moskos is a professor of sociology at Northwestern.
Country Gardening: Design Ideas and a Practical Guide, by Theodore James, Jr. '57 (Abrams, $39.95). An illustrated guide covering design principles, planting, and building advice. James has published more than 10 books about gardening and lives in Peconic, New York.
Called by Stories: Biblical Sagas and Their Challenge for Law, by Milner S. Ball '58 (Duke, $49.95 cloth/$17.95 paper). The author examines sagas and tales from the Bible for the light they shed on the practice of law and on the working life of legal professionals. Ball is Caldwell professor of constitutional law at the University of Georgia and an ordained Presbyterian minister.
Woodstock: An Inside Look at the Movie That Shook Up the World and
Defined a Generation, edited by Dale Bell '60 (Michael Wiese Productions,
$24.95). An illustrated compilation of recollections from the festival's
performers, producers, and filmmakers. Bell is a filmmaker who served as
associate producer for Woodstock: The Movie.
All I Wanted Was Company, by John Hopkins '60 (Arcadia, $13.99).
A novel about a young American in Tangier whose love affairs with two older
women end with the death of one and the disappearance of the other. Hopkins
lives in England.
Against Slavery: An Abolitionist Reader, edited by Mason Lowance '60 (Penguin, $13.95). An anthology of more than 40 speeches, lectures, and essays tracing the evolution of the abolitionist crusade. Lowance is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts.
Cowboy Poets and Cowboy Poetry, edited by David
Stanley '64 and Elaine Thatcher (University of Illinois, $49.95 cloth/$21.95
paper). Explores the cultural significance and aesthetic value of cowboy
poetry, with discussions of its history, themes, techniques, and individual
poets. Stanley is a professor of English at Westminster College in Salt
Lake City.
Ribbon of Sand: The Amazing Convergence of the Ocean and the Outer Banks, by John Alexander '67 and James Lazell (University of North Carolina, $17.95). Discusses the history, geography, and ecology of North Carolina's Outer Banks in the context of barrier-island geology and ecology. Alexander is president of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, by Andres Duany '71, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk '72, and Jeff Speck (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $30). An assessment of the ecological, economic, aesthetic, and social costs of suburban sprawl. The authors propose an alternative model for community design based upon the integration of homes, schools and commercial and municipal buildings in pedestrian-accessible neighborhoods. Duany and Plater-Zyberk lead a design firm in Miami.
American Moderns: Bohemian New York and the Creation of a New Century, by Christine Stansell '71 (Metropolitan, $30). A history of the Greenwich Village individualists who crafted a self-consciously modern life and reconceived art, literature, politics, love, friendship, and sexual passion for 20th-century America. Stansell is a professor of history at Princeton.
In Queen Esther's Garden: An Anthology of Judeo-Persian Literature,
translated by Vera Basch Moreen '72 (Yale, $45). A variety of writings produced
by the Jewish community in Iran between the eighth and 19th centuries. Notes
clarifying the text's meaning in Jewish and Islamic history and legend accompany
each selection. Moreen teaches at Swarthmore.
Classic Hand Tools, by Garrett E. Hack '74 (Taunton, $34.95). This illustrated history of hand tools also provides information on how to integrate their use into modern woodworking. Hack is a furniture maker in Thetford Center, Vermont.
A Friend in the Business: Honest Advice for Anyone Trying to Break In to Television Writing, by Robert Masello '74 (Perigee, $13.95). Discusses spec scripts, ideas, agents, and the Writer's Guild. Masello is a journalist, author, and television writer in Santa Monica.
You're Too Kind: A Brief History of Flattery, by Richard Stengel
'77 (Simon & Schuster, $25). The uses of flattery and its social contexts,
from biblical times to the present. Stengel is managing editor of Time.com.
The MindBody Workbook, by David Schecter '80 (MindBody Medicine, $18). A 30-day program designed to help readers develop a practical treatment approach to back pain and other disorders. Schecter is a physician in Los Angeles.
Even a Stone Buddha Can Talk: More Wit and Wisdom of Japanese Proverbs, translated by David Galef '81 (Tuttle, $12.95). An illustrated collection of 100 Japanese proverbs, with direct translations and their English equivalents. The author's earlier volume, Even Monkeys Fall from Trees: The Wit and Wisdom of Japanese Proverbs (Tuttle, $12.95), has also been reissued in paperback. Galef teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Mississippi.
Cash Cow Burgers and Other Culinary Secrets: MBA Food Files for Executives
on the Go, by Julia Philipp '81 (Times Books International, $9.95).
A collection of recipes and business humor. Philipp is a partner at Arthur
Andersen in Indonesia.
Men Like Us: The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being, by Daniel Wolfe '83 (Ballantine, $39.95 cloth/ $24.95 paper). Covers a wide range of male health issues and includes advice from doctors, lawyers, therapists, and fitness instructors. Wolfe is a writer living in Brooklyn.
Inventing Ourselves Out of Jobs? America's Debate over Technological
Unemployment, 1929-1981, by Amy Sue Bix '87 (Johns Hopkins, $45). Bix
argues that contemporary questions about the implications of scientific
and technological change have their origins in the Great Depression, when
discussion about workplace change in America was entwined with musings about
American history, the western frontier, and national destiny. The author
is an associate professor of history at Iowa State.
Optimization: Foundations and Applications, by Ronald E. Miller *61 (John Wiley, $89.95). This resource on classical, calculus-based approaches and newer, computer-based iterative methods is designed for analysts in a broad range of social sciences. Miller is a professor, emeritus, of regional science at the University of Pennsylvania.
Hawksmoor's London Churches: Architecture and Theology, by Pierre de la Ruffinière du Prey *73 (University of Chicago, $37.50). Discusses six churches commissioned by Parliament and built by Nicholas Hawksmoor from 1712 to 1731, arguing that they reflect the architect's design principles as well as his clients' wish to return to the purity of early Christian times. The author is a professor of art at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Schwarzer Zauberer: Booker T. Washington, by Erik O. Pedersen *79 (Fouqué Literaturverlag). A biography of the American educator. Pedersen is a teacher, writer, and translator living in Glücksburg, Germany.
Theorizing about Myth, by Robert A. Segal *84 (University of Massachusetts, $15.95). This collection of essays compares and evaluates the leading theories of myth proposed by theologians, philosophers, anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists. Segal is a reader in the theory of religion at the University of Lancaster in England.
Unrequited Conquests: Love and Empire in the Colonial Americas, by Roland Greene *85 (University of Chicago, $47/cloth, $18/paper). Using numerous poetic examples and extensive historical documentation, Green argues that Renaissance love poetry was a means of cultural transformation that shaped colonial Latin America. Green is a professor of comparative literature and English at the University of Oregon.
Squaring the Circle: The War Between Hobbes and Wallis, by Douglas M. Jesseph *87 (University of Chicago, $80/cloth, $28/paper). In 1655 the philosopher Thomas Hobbes claimed he had solved the problem of squaring the circle. The rebuttal by mathematician John Wallis began one of the longest and most intense intellectual disputes of all time. This book is a detailed account of the controversy, from the core mathematics to the broader philosophical, political, and religious issues. Jesseph is an associate professor of philosophy at North Carolina State University.
Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy, by Stephen
Kantrowitz *95 (University of North Carolina, $49.95 cloth/$19.95 paper).
Through the life of Tillman, South Carolina's self-styled agrarian rebel,
this book traces the history of white-male supremacy from the era of plantation
slavery to the age of Jim Crow. The author is an assistant professor of
history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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