Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News an Notable Newer Books

Library Shelves New Books about Local and World History - The Crawfordsville Library collects books about Indiana. The Brown County naturalist, food producer, and teacher "Otto Ping" was also a photographer, and now the Indiana Historical Society's Douglas Hartley has issued a book of Ping's pictures made between 1900 and 1940 in south central Indiana, with essays by Anne Peterson and Stephen Fletcher.

New books about the world-at-large begin with one by Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC's Today show. He offers "The Complete Travel Detective Bible" the consummate help about what you need to know in an increasingly complex world covering every aspect of going around our planet." The Complete Pompeii" by Joanne Berry, published by Thames & Hudson, is a series of stories of its history, architecture, life style, excavation and research since it was unearthed in 1748. "The Great Wall: From Beginning to End", a huge and gorgeous volume, shows photography and text by Michael Yamashita. In "Inside the Jihad: My Life with Al Qaeda" Omar Nasiri (pen name) shares his experience as a spy in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. "Nothing available publicly approaches the level of detail that Nasiri gives here". "The Storyteller's Daughter" tells of Saira Shah's return to her lost homeland, Afghanistan, as creator of the film "Beneath the Veil".

War history continues to be popular. "Warman's World War II Collectibles" by John Graf identifies and prices uniforms, footwear, headgear, accouterments, medals, firearms, and personal items. "War Posters; Weapons of Mass Communication" by James Aulich pictures examples from the Imperial War Museum of London collection, which covers many wars and many countries, with a wide view of graphic design and history. "Blood, Tears and Folly" is Len Deighton's objective look at World War II. "The Great Depression and World War II, 1929 to 1949, Volume VII" is the ninth Handbook to Life in America edited by Rodney Carlisle with essays about social and cultural life during that crucial period. "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor is the first major account in more than twenty years covering June 6 to August 25, 1944 drawn from 30 archives in six countries.

Marcus Rediker's "The Slave Ship: A Human History" "shines a light into the darkest corners of the British and American slave ships of the 18th century". "Terror on the Seas" by Daniel Sekulich offers true tales of modern-day pirates while $25 billion a year is spent on ocean security because the dangers risk environmental disaster, economic chaos, and holy war for the world. "Buccaneers of the Caribbean" by Jon Latimer tells of privateers' piracy that forged new empires.

The library keeps current on health books. A few new ones are "No Speed Limit" by Frank Owen and "Tweak" by Nic Sheff about methamphetamines, Liza Mundy's "Everything Conceivable" about assisted reproduction, "Happy Accidents" by Morton Meyers about modern medical breakthroughs, "Mis-Understanding ADHD" by Sami Timimi, and "The Gift of ADHD Activity Book" with 101 ways to turn your child's problems into strengths by Lara Honos-Webb.

"A Life is More Than a Moment" is Will Counts' text and photos about the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High School. "The Better Brain Book" by David Perlmutter explains the best tools for improving memory and sharpness and preventing aging of the brain. "Ivy Briefs" holds Martha Kimes' true tales of a neurotic law student. "Three Little Words" is Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir as a foster child in 14 different homes, learning the courage to succeed.