PDF - Christian Library Journal

REFERENCE
Kaufman’s work. With more than 66,000
watercolor illustrations describing 810 species
(and 350 regional populations), Sibley has
broken new ground with this reference work.
Each species of bird is presented in an average
of a dozen illustrations and is shown in all
plumages. Unique to this guide is the extensive
use of small sketches showing head-on or tail-on
views of birds in flight. The layout features
illustrations, text, and maps all on one page;
another unique feature. The Sibley Guide
begins with a thorough introduction focusing
particularly on bird topography. Throughout the
guide an introductory page is provided for each
family or group of related families of birds. The
total package is a massive work setting a new
standard for North America field guides. Both
Kaufman and Sibley’s books are innovative and
provide the birding community; from the
“uninitiated” to the “converted,” with
identification tools of high quality.
Birding in the American West is a companion
handbook that can be used together with the
field guides reviewed above. Both Kaufman
and Sibley provide users with accurate and
detailed information on the physical
identification of species. Zimmer’s book is
meant to fill the gaps left by those resources.
Identifying birds is only the beginning; knowing
where to find them is quite another thing. It is
here that Zimmer provides expert guidance.
Despite the geographically limited scope of the
book the general concepts apply across all of
North America. Birding in the American West
provides birders with the general concepts and
framework needed to develop good
identification skills as well as to investigate the
important elements of determining where
species occur and why (habitat recognition,
elevation, key plant species, nest site
availability, time of day, and time of year).
Zimmer also devotes a chapter to the art of
taking field notes of your sightings. The final
two chapters are spent looking at difficult
identification issues and focusing on where
particular Western specialty birds can be found.
With its use of drawings and photographs to
supplement the text, this work is a goldmine of
hard-to-find information. Time spent digesting
the wealth of data in this book will definitely
pay off in developing greater skills in the field.
Ted Goshulak, University Librarian, Langley, British Columbia,
Canada
800’s—Literature & Rhetoric
Contemporary Christian authors : lives
and works, by Janice DeLong and Rachel
Schwedt. LCCN 99041563. Lanham,
Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2000. ISBN
0810836882, HBB, $45.00.
810.9’3823. Christian fiction, American--Biobibliography--Dictionaries;
Novelists, American--20th
century--Biography--Dictionaries. 385 p. Adult (High
school).
Inspirational fiction, Christian fiction, novels
without gratuitous violence or sex—few
libraries have not felt the interest or noticed the
requests for titles in this new and growing genre.
Contemporary Christian Authors by Delong and
Schwedt focuses on writers who have achieved
a wide readership through at least one
outstanding contribution, although most have
penned numerous titles.
Styles of the writers included here vary, from
picturesque historical fiction to adventure
stories to areas of spiritual warfare and
prophecy, but all the works contain a
commitment to a philosophy based on
traditional values and a Christian worldview.
Christian librarians will be able to suggest
additional authors for patrons, and readers can
learn a lot about individual authors.
The A to Z format of writer’s entries include a
picture of the author, a professional section
listing education completed, career, awards and
memberships. The publications section offers
an inventory of the author’s published works,
and an expanded biographical narrative in the
personal section offers glimpses into each
writer’s research techniques and literary
elements emphasized. A summary section
highlights one or more titles that represent the
author’s style with a brief synopsis.
Randy Alcorn, Stephen Bly, Will Cunningham,
Doris Elaine Fell, Angela Elwell Hunt, Paul
McCusker, Judith Pella, Michael Waite, and
Lance Wubbels are among the sixty-eight
authors highlighted. A cross-index of titles and
authors makes location even easier.
Delong holds degrees in education and has
taught in both public and parochial schools and
along with husband, Robert, is raising four
children. Schwendt holds a library science
degree and has been a teacher and librarian in
both private and public schools. She and
husband, Ronald, have two grown children.
Leroy Hommerding, Director, Fort Myers Beach P.L. District, Fort
Myers, Florida
The Facts on File companion to the
American short story, edited by Abby H.P.
Werlock. LCCN 99037703. New York:
Facts on File, 2000. ISBN 0816031649,
HBB, $65.00.
813.’0103. Short stories, American--Encyclopedias.
542 p. Adult (High school).
Focusing on American short story authors from
the early 19th century to the 1990s, The Facts on
File Companion to the American Short Story has
made special efforts to include all authors of
merit, including previously ignored writers of
both genders from all major cultural
backgrounds. This Companion contains author
entries in an A to Z format that include dates,
biographies, lists of stories and their critical
reception, and selected bibliographies.
Individual entries, also alphabetical, appear on
literary terms, themes, motifs, locales,
influential critics, and major short story prize
awards. Appendices include winners of selected
prizes, stories listed by subject and setting, and a
selected bibliography of historical events that
have influenced short story writers, and
theoretical approaches to the short story. The
index is a treasure—making it easy to find all
references and major treatment of authors, titles,
and subjects.
The clear, jargon-free style makes the 675
entries in this guide something high schoolers
can use with understanding and skill, and which
Christian libraries will find contains a lot of
content in very short space. Both scholars and
students can wean something from the analysis
offered here. One particular strength is that the
interpretations of the stories are not just factual
synopses of the stories but energizing and new
ways of looking at them.
Werlock is associate professor emeritus of
English with a doctorate in American studies.
She lives in Troy, Pennsylvania.
Leroy Hommerding, Director, Fort Myers Beach P.L. District, Fort
Myers, Florida
900’s—Geography, History, and
Biography
Chronology of world history, by H.E.L.
Mellersh. LCCN 99019300. Santa
Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999. ISBN
1576071553, HBB, $375.00.
902.’02. Chronology, Historical. 4 v. Adult (High
school).
The four volume reference set Chronology of
World History is divided by the following time
periods: Volume I: Prehistory- AD 1491, The
Ancient and Medieval World; Volume II 1492-
1775: The Expanding World; Volume III: 1776-
1900, The Changing World; and Volume IV:
1901-1998, The Modern World. This series is
compiled by a team of editors and overseen by
advisory board of individuals from numerous
universities and colleges.
Within each volume, the entries are divided into
four main categories and twenty-five
subcategories. The main categories are: Politics,
Government, and Economics; Science,
Technology, and Medicine; Arts and Ideas; and
Society. The subcategories are arranged
alphabetically beneath each category. Scattered
throughout each volume are boxes of “special
features” highlighting major events
chronologically. Each time- period closes with
a section on the births and deaths of prominent
individuals.
An extensive index in the back of each volume
assists the researcher in finding items of interest.
Each entry of information is a sentence or two.
With the information limited to a sentence or
two, the references aid one more in the
acquisition of trivia knowledge than a deep
understanding of historical events. These books
are “who” and “when” references. For
information on the “why” and “how” of
historical events one would use an encyclopedia
or more comprehensive book.
The gems within the books are the mini essays
found throughout the pages. For example, an
entire page is dedicated to the Rise of Islam
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