June 1998
We welcome review copies of books by alumni. The books are donated to the Swarthmoreana section of McCabe Library after they have been noted for this column.
May T. Miller and Susan Butts Burton '84, A Batch of Patchwork, American Quilter's Society, 1997. In addition to instructions for 12 quilts, this book contains tips and instructions on choosing fabrics, cutting, stitching, pressing, borders, backing, binding, tying, and quilting.
Jill (Morrel) Coleman '52, WaterYoga: Water-Assisted Postures and Stretches for Flexibility and Well-Being, Eglantine Press, 1998. Designed for anyone who has to cope with back problems or arthritis, this guide explores combining the art of yoga and the use of warm water to increase flexibility through stretches and gentle movements.
Alzina Stone Dale '52, Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: Washington, D.C., Passport Books, 1998. This guide gives eight walking tours of the capital's neighborhoods as they are described by more than 200 mystery writers. Each walk is accompanied by a map of the route as well as recommended restaurants and places of interest along the way.
Joshua Gamson '85, Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity, University of Chicago Press, 1998. Taking the criticism that talk shows turn everything they touch into "freak shows" as a starting point, Gamson asks what happens when the so-called freaks talk back, exploiting the media system that exploits them.
Frank E. Vogel and Samuel L. Hayes III '57, Islamic Law and Finance: Religion, Risk, and Return, Kluwer Law International, 1998. This book describes the field of Islamic banking and finance as practiced in the modern era and looks at this unique form of commerce over the past 20 years as wealth in the Middle East and parts of Asia has expanded.
Stephen Henighan '84, The Places Where Names Vanish, Thistledown Press, 1998. This novel tells the story of Marta, who escapes the grim life of her village in Ecuador to endure only poverty, humiliation, and abandonment in the linguistically divided society of Montreal.
Dana Lyons '82, Cows with Guns, Penguin Studio, 1998. This book (with accompanying musical CD) tells the tale of cow guru Cow Tse-Tongue and his bovine followers, who take on America's meat-eating population.
Richard Martin '67, American Ingenuity: Sportswear 1930s--1970s, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which runs through August 16, this catalog showcases designers who were "the pioneers of gender equity in their useful, adaptable clothing."
Ellen (MacDonald) Mutari '78, Heather Boushey, and William Fraher IV, Gender and Political Economy: Incorporating Diversity into Theory and Policy, M.E. Sharpe, 1997. This collection of articles extends the boundaries of political economy by exploring the theoretical and policy implications of incorporating diversity into economic theory and public policy.
Pamela Miller Ness '72, pink light, sleeping, Small Poetry Press, 1998. This limited edition chapbook of poetry elicits visions of seasons and the colors they evoke. Copies may be ordered from the author, 33 Riverside Drive, Apartment 4-G, New York NY 10023 ($6 postpaid).
Martha M. (Merrill) Pickrell '60, Dr. Miles, Guild Press of Indiana, 1997. The founder of the Dr. Miles Medical Company (now Bayer), Franklin Miles was a physician-entrepreneur who developed nonprescription remedies to lessen stress. This biography tells the story of a man whose interests ran from medicine to innovative proj-ects in agriculture.
Don Scarborough '62 and Saul Sternberg '54, Methods, Models, and Conceptual Issues, MIT Press, 1998. Focusing on conceptual issues and methods, this volume includes work in artificial intelligence, neural network models, animal cognition, signal-detection theory, computational models, reaction-time methods, and cognitive neuroscience.
Peter A. Selwyn '76, Surviving the Fall, Yale University Press, 1998. One of the first AIDS doctors, Selwyn details his initial feelings of helplessness as he watched his patients die and how this forced him to care for his patients in a different way--to witness and relieve their suffering and to learn how to accompany them through their illness.
Mary McDermott Shideler '38, The Years of Confusion: Stage II in the Series Visions and Nightmares, Ends and Beginnings, A Woman's Lifelong Journey, Scribendi Press, 1997. The second in a five-part series of books about her life, Shideler interweaves her outer and inner experiences of marriage and exposures to cultures radically different from her upbringing, from the year of her graduation to 1954.
Simon St. Laurent '92, XML: A Primer, MIS:Press, 1998. This guide is for Web developers on the use of a new technology that promises to replace HTML, giving them increased power and flexibility not before possible. Dynamic HTML: A Primer, MIS:Press, 1997. A new scripting language for Web developers, dynamic HTML will provide them with the ability to create "deep" Web pages capable of responding instantaneously to a user's actions. Cookies, McGraw-Hill, 1998. This guide gives the full picture of how cookies fit into the Web toolkit and how they work with other tools. St. Laurent explores the truth about cookies' power to invade privacy, spread viruses, and breach security.
Anne C. (Christian) Tedeschi '56, Book Displays: A Library Exhibits Handbook, Highsmith Press, 1997. Written for small- and medium-size school, public, academic libraries and museums, this handbook offers the fundamental guidance to improving exhibits and avoiding damage to display copies.
Maochun Yu '87, OSS in China: Prelude to Cold War, Yale University Press, 1996. Drawing from recently declassified materials from the U.S. National Archives and on previously secret Chinese documents, Yu tells the dramatic story of the intelligence activities of the Office of Strategic Services in China during World War II.
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