ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 598 / C&RL News ■ September 2002 N e w P u b l i c a t i o n s George M. Eberhart Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya, by Victoria Schlesinger (351 pages, March 2002), serves as a field guide to 100 spe­ cies of plants and animals that were known to the ancient Maya of southern Mexico and Cen­ tral America. Schlesinger provides the Spanish and Yucatec Mayan words for each species; notes on identification, habitat, range, similar species, and endangered status; and an essay on the natural history of each plant or animal, its cultural significance to the Maya, and its im­ portance or use today. The Maya considered screech-owls, for example, as birds of death and their howls as messages from the underworld, but women frequently wore headdresses made from owl feathers. $70.00. University of Texas. ISBN 0-292-77759-0. The Balkan Wars, by André Gerolymatos (297 pages, March 2002), attempts to make sense of the culture of violence that has char­ acterized the states of southeastern Europe and is little understood in the West. Beginning with a comparison of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo and the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand in 1914, Gerolymatos sweeps through 600 years o f history and myth to analyze the ethnic ha­ tred that erupts periodically from Greece to Croatia. Provides a good supplement to Ivo Andric’s famous 1959 novel, The Bridge on the Drina. $28.00. Basic. ISBN 0-465-02731-8. For those wanting to explore ancient Balkan histoty, The Early Slavs, by P. M. Barford (416 pages, November 2001), is a thorough archaeo­ logical, linguistic, and literary historical survey o f life in Eastern Europe and Russia from the 5th to the 10th century. Much of Barford’s source material has not been available in En­ glish, making this well-illustrated and well- mapped volume a valuable contribution. $39-95. Cornell University. ISBN 0-8014-3977-9. The Devil on Screen, by Charles P. Mitchell (337 pages, February 2002), provides a detailed appraisal and synopsis of 95 feature films in which Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Little G e o r g e M . E b e r h a r t is s e n io r e d i t o r o f American Libraries; e -m a il: g e b e r h a rt@ a l a .o rg Nicky, or other devilish manifestations make a significant appearance. All are available on video or DVD. Mitchell's com­ mentary is insightful, and he offers notable quotes from each o f the films for flavor: “Do you have $3.47? I left my purse in the underworld,” says Elizabeth Hurley as the Devil in Bedαzzled(2000). $49.95. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1049-3. Genealogical Research on the Web, by Diane K. Kovacs (194 pages, January 2002), of­ fers much useful information for both begin­ ning and advanced genealogists. Although fo­ cused on Web resources, Kovacs cautions that the Internet is probably not the first place to start family research and provides a chapter on how to network with living family members. Librarians may wish to register with the book's companion Web site at http://www.kovacs. com/genbook/genbook.html to download pa­ tron or staff training materials for Web-based workshops. $55-00. Neal-Schuman. ISBN 1- 55570-430-1. Havana in My Heart: 75 Years of Cu­ ban Photography, edited by Gareth Jenkins (192 pages, May 2002), brings together 125 black-and-white photographs of Havana scenes and events taken by Cuban photographers. Most have not been seen outside of Cuba. The work of internationally recognized photogra­ phers Alberto Korda, Constantino Arias, and Osvaldo Salas is repre­ sented, as well as im­ ages from other Havana photographers and ar­ chives that depict street scenes, musicians and other artists, Santería ceremonies, Carnival, and images from the 1959 Revolution (including photos of Fidel Castro with Ernest Hemingway and Yuri Gagarin). mailto:geberhart@aia.org http://www.kovacs C&RL News ■ September 2002 / 599 Perhaps the most poignant are scenes from the marketplaces, streets, bars, and music halls that are the heart o f the city. $29-95. Chicago Re­ view. ISBN 1-55652-439-0. Jack the Ripper: An Encyclopedia, by John J. Eddleston (304 pages, October 2001), rates as one o f the easier-to-use Ripper sourcebooks. British scholar Eddleston orga­ nizes the entries into alphabetical sections on the victims, the witnesses, the police investiga­ tors, others who played a part, a chronology, descriptions o f Jack, letters he supposedly wrote, myths and errors, locations, the suspects (each assigned a number referring to the likeli­ hood o f his being the Ripper), qualitative re­ views of other Ripper books (generously not­ ing any errors of fact the author makes), other resources, and a summary in which the author lets loose with his own assessment o f the case. Well-researched, with minimal distractions and subjectivity. $75.00. ABC-Clio. ISBN 1-57607- 414-5. London Booksellers and American Cus­ tom ers, by James Raven (522 pages, May 2002), explores in great detail the book pur- ( “Complementa›y and alternative medicine” continued from page 589) links to find a homeopathic practitioner. A c­ cess.: http://www.homeopathic.org. • Research Council for Complemen­ tary Medicine. Access: http://www.rccm. org.uk/index.htm. Consumer health protection sites • National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF). NCAHF, a private, non­ profit organization, tackles health fraud as a public health concern. Their Web site features occasional papers, position papers and task force reports, testimony given before Congress, and consumer information statements on spe­ cific treatments and therapies. Most o f the ar­ ticles on the site are researched and written by physicians, nurses, and other health care pro­ fessionals. Also on the site is access to a speak­ ers bureau, an electronic newsletter, links to similar sites, and breaking news. Access: http:// www.ncahf.org/. • Quackwatch: Your Guide to Health Fraud, Quackery, and Intelligent Deci- chases and correspondence o f the Charleston (S.C.) Library Society from 1748 to 1811. The archives o f the society provide a unique glimpse into both the transatlantic book trade and the role of library societies in the diffusion of cul­ tural and intellectual pursuits throughout the South during the latter half o f the 18th cen­ tury. Particularly useful for collections in the history of the book trade. $59.95. University of South Carolina. ISBN 1-57003-406-0. The Oxford Companion to American Law, edited by Kermit L. Hall (912 pages, July 2002), explains in clear language the concepts, terms, practices, agencies, individuals, crimes, and proceedings that make up American juris­ prudence. Nearly 500 essays, written by some 300 contributors, provide authoritative com­ mentary directed at general readers, students, journalists, and nonlegal scholars. The topics are extremely diverse, ranging from the Salem Witchcraft Trials and Bush v. Gore (2000) to con­ sumer law, torts, governance, taxation, evidence, and criminal procedure. An excellent introduc­ tion that serves as a one-volume first step to legal research. $65.00. Oxford University. ISBN 0-19-508878-6. ■ sions. Quackwatch, a nonprofit corporation created to battle health fraud and promote con­ sumer health awareness, was founded by Stephen Barrett, M.D., in 1969- The Web site consists o f links to articles and information on suspicious treatments, diagnαses, and therapies as well as individuals, companies, and publish­ ers who support them. The articles are written by medical, scientific, or legal specialists, and many include lists o f references. Another sec­ tion of Quackwatch includes information about questionable advertisements and non-recom- mended sources o f health advice. The site also includes information on where to report health fraud and how to be an intelligent health con­ sumer. Access: http://www.quackwatch.com. Notes 1. Helen Lippman, “Can complementary and conventional medicine learn to get along?” Busi­ ness & Health (2001) 9:15-19. 2. Ibid. 3. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, “What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?” http://nccam. nih.gov/health/whatiscam/. ■ http://www.homeopathic.org http://www.rccm http://www.ncahf.org/ http://www.quackwatch.com http://nccam