ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 2 8 0 / C&RL News H ew Publications G e o rg e M . E b erh art A frican W rite rs , edited by C. Brian Cox (936 pages, 2 vols., January 1997), analyzes the writings o f 65 African authors w ho w rote in En­ glish, Fren ch, Portuguese, and Arabic, as well as such African languages as Akan, Yoruba, and Kikiyu. Much o f the literature described in this book is concerned with Af­ rican reactions to colonial­ ism. Four o f the writers have b e e n aw ard ed th e N obel Prize in literatu re: A lbert Camus (Algeria), Nadine Gordimer (South Af­ rica), Najib Mahfuz (Egypt), and W ole Soyinka (Nigeria). The others are well known to an in­ ternational audience. A chronology o f African history from 1830 to 1996 precedes the essays; a bibliography o f selected works, articles, in­ terviews, and critical studies follows each en ­ try. $220. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1633 Broad­ w a y , N ew Y o r k , NY 1 0 0 1 9 - 6 7 8 5 . IS B N 0-684-19651-4. A m erican Elves, by Jo h n E. Roth (329 pages, February 1997), provides detailed information on the beliefs in little people from cultures in the W estern Hemisphere, including those o f Native Am ericans, African Am ericans, Euro- Americans, and Polynesians. For exam ple, the Inuit o f northern Canada have a tradition about the uissuit, deep-sea dwarves w ho live in Smith Sound; and in Honduras the Mosquito Indians speak o f the wulasha, which are monkey-like, tailless little people with backward teeth and feet. Entries are arranged alphabetically by lin­ guistic group. Maps accom pany most o f the groups surveyed. Much o f the folklore com ­ piled here has appeared in ethnographic books and journals, but it is widely scattered; the com ­ prehensive bibliography attests to the author’s energy in tracking it all down. $68.50. McFarland & Company, B ox 6 11, Jefferson, NC 28640. ISBN 0-89950-944-4. If you need a book on Eurasian dwarves to balance the collection, try Spirits, Fairies, G no m es, a n d G oblins: An Encyclopedia o f th e Little P eo p le, by Carol Rose (369 pages, D ecem ber 1996). Though worldwide in scope, the emphasis is on European, Russian, and Central Asian folklore. Arrangement is by entity, with a series o f ap­ pendices that group by type o f sp irit an d by re g io n . $ 4 9 .5 0 . A B C -C L IO , 13 0 C re m o n a D r., P .O . B o x 1 9 1 1 , Santa B a rb a ra , CA 93116-1911. ISBN 0-87436- 811-1. Business P h o n e B ook USA (1843 pages, 19th ed., Ja n u a r y 1 9 9 7 ) , fo rm e rly titled The National Directory o f Addresses a n d Telephone N um bers, h a s b e e n e n ­ hanced with World Wide W eb and e-mail ad­ dresses, a list o f the top 100 Canadian com pa­ nies, and a detailed area-code guide for 11,500 cities. New categories o f addresses include children’s museums, mental health managed care, microbreweries, planetariums, and pub­ lic aquariums. A very useful reference work that ju st g o t b e tte r. $ 1 3 5 . O m n ig ra p h ics, Penobscot Building, Detroit, MI 48226. ISBN 0-7808-0090-7. Censorship a n d th e A m erican L ib rary, by Louise S. Robbins (251 pages, D ecem ber 1996), exam ines the history o f ALA’s response to threats to intellectual freedom from the adop­ tion o f the Library Bill o f Rights in 1939 to the 1969 developm ent o f the Freedom to Read Foundation. In doing so, it sheds light on how the defense o f these threats (loyalty programs, McCarthyism, civil rights, the Tropic o f Cancer ca s e) shaped the entire library profession. Robbins also reminds us o f the contributions o f such leaders as Leon Carnovsky, Lester Asheim, William S. Dix, Martha Boaz, Robert Downs, and Ervin Gaines. $5 9 .95. Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road W est, P.O . B o x 5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007. ISBN 0-313-29644-8. C ounterpoise (vol.1, n o .1, January 1997– ), edited by Charles Willett and published by the Alternatives in Print Task Force o f the ALA So­ cial Responsibilities Round Table, is a quar­ terly review journal that covers alternative poli­ tics, hu m anities, and sc ie n c e . T h e b o o k s, pamphlets, zines, and nonprint materials in- George M. Eberhart is associate editor o f American Libraries A pril 1 9 9 7 / 281 cluded here are often overlooked by schools, universities, and libraries. Counterpoise attempts to correct this im balance by providing essays and original reviews o f small and alternative press publica­ tions, as well as reviews re­ printed from out-of-the-main- stream newsletters. Subscrip tions are $35 for libraries, $25 for individuals, and $15 for anyone with a low income. C o u n t e r p o is e , 1 7 1 6 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 3 2 6 0 8 -4 0 4 9 . ISSN 1092- 0714. The D ic tio n a ry o f C a rib bean English Usage, by Ri chard Allsopp (6 9 7 pages, O c to b e r 1 9 9 6 ), su rv ey s a range o f m ore than 20,000 w o rd s an d p h ra se s ta k e n from a region extending from Guyana through the entire Caribbean islands to Belize. It draws its data from teacher workshops in 22 territo ries in 18 countries, from sp eech recordings and more than 1,000 written sources o f Carib­ bean literature, reference works, pamphlets, and newspapers. There are many usage exam ples provided from internationally known Caribbean authors. Ever w onder what the words kumina, carrion-crow man, O le-Mas, zouk, or pork knocker mean? Find out here. (By the way, pork-knocker means an independent prospec­ tor for gold or diamonds.) The introductory ma­ terial contains an extensive explication o f the structure o f Caribbean English. $75.00. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN 0-19-866152-5. The Encyclopedia o f S atirical L iteratu re, by Mary Ellen Snodgrass (559 pages, D ecem ­ ber 1996), offers commentary on a broad range o f literary and dramatic satire. In addition to analysis o f specific authors and their works, Snodgrass defines and describes the numerous styles and tools used by satirists, such as dia­ tribe, epigram, invective, bathos, and irony. A chronology o f satirical literature, an extensive bibliography and source list, and a subject in­ dex aid access and understanding. $65.00. ABC- CLIO, 130 Cremona Dr., P.O. B ox 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911. ISBN 0-87436-856-1. In the sam e series o f ABC-CLIO Literary C o m p a n io n s a re th e E n c y c lo p e d ia o f A p o c a ly p tic L it e r a t u r e , by V a le rie P. Zimbaro (400 pages, D ecem ber 1996, $65.00), and the Encyclopedia o f L ite ra ry Epics, by G uida M. Ja c k s o n (6 6 0 pages, January 1997, $65.00), the latter a thorough exam i­ nation o f epic poetry world­ wide from Virgil’s A eneid to such m odern works as B en ét’s Western Star. M e n in B lack, by Jo h n Har­ vey (2 8 0 p ag es, D ece m b er 1996), is not about secret gov­ ernm ent co llab o ratio n with UFOnauts. Rather it deals with the 19th-century male’s obses­ sion with black attire and the many layers o f symbolism as­ sociated with the color before and during the Victorian Era. Balzac observed that “w e are all dressed in black like so many peop le in m ourning.” But black was also the color of middle-class success, o f dandyism, o f sexual attractiveness, o f restrained and restrictive m o­ rality, o f Calvinism and self-denial. Harvey traces the transition to black from the court o f Bur­ gundy in the 15th century, through 16th-cen­ tury Venice, 17th-century Spain and the Neth­ erlands. In a final chapter he looks at black fashion in the 20th century and its links with fascism, motorcycles, and masculinity. An un­ usual perspective on clothes and culture. $18.95. University o f Chicago Press, 5801 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637. ISBN 0-226-31883-4. ■ Interested in shaping the future o f ACRL? ACRL is looking for participants for its m em ber services focus group at the ALA An­ nual C onference in San Francisco this June. Directed at collecting information that will help im prove serv ices and program s to mem bers, the one-hour meeting will take place on Monday, Ju n e 30, 10:00– 11:00 a.m. W e invite you to participate by sending an e-mail m essage to ACRL at ACRL@ala.org by May 30 saying that you will participate in the focus group. mailto:ACRL@ala.org