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With its workable vocabulary of approximately 2,000 terms, Urban Affairs Subject Headings is a precise and consistent indexing tool. It will serve the subscriber to the Index to Current Urban Documents as a checklist of all the terms that may be used to index documents they need for a reference search. It will serve librarians as a ready-made list of terms for indexing their own collections in related fields. ... Read more

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"The greatest bibliographer of our time," was how historian Robert Darnton described D.F. McKenzie. Yet until now many of McKenzie's major essays, scattered in specialist journals and inaccessible publications, have circulated mainly in tattered photocopies. This volume, edited by two of McKenzie's former students, brings together for the first time a wide range of his writings on bibliography, the book trade, and the "sociology of texts." Selected by the author himself before his sudden death in 1999, the essays range from the material transmission of Shakespeare's plays in the seventeenth century to the connections among oral, manuscript, and print cultures. "Making Meaning" reflects McKenzie's virtuosity as a traditional bibliographer and reveals how his thought-provoking scholarship made him a driving force in the genesis and development of the new interdisciplinary field of book history. His refusal to recognize the traditional boundary between bibliography and literary history re-energized the study of the social, political, economic, and cultural aspects of book production and reception.The editors' introduction and head-notes situate McKenzie's innovative and controversial thinking in the debates of his time. ... Read more

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From advertising to zydeco, this volume provides a guide to scholarly literature on the popular music of the world. It covers non-biographical aspects of the field, including genres, the industry, social and cultural contexts, musical practices, geographical locations and theory and method. ... Read more

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Terry A. Cooney traces the evolution of the Partisan Review--often considered to be the most influential little magazine ever published in America--during its formative years, giving a lucid and dispassionate view of the magazine and its luminaries who played a leading role in shaping the public discourse of American intellectuals. Included are Lionel Trilling, Philip Rahv, William Phillips, Dwight Macdonald, F. W. Dupee, Mary McCarthy, Sidney Hook, Harold Rosenberg, and Delmore Schwartz, among others. ... Read more

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To find more information about Rowman and Littlefield titles, please visit www.rowmanlittlefield.com. ... Read more

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This is a comprehensive introductory guide to research on Latin America in the social sciences and the humanities. Thirty-seven chapters describe the many types of resources and research techniques available for the study of the region, identify major reference works in the field, and offer suggestions for academic training, travel, and professional development. With an author/title reference-source index, a detailed subject and institutional index, and a guide to acronyms and abbreviations. Designed to address the research needs of students, scholars, and librarians throughout the English-speaking world, this book complements SCONUL's "Latin American Bibliography: A Guide", edited by L. Hallewell (1978) and is the result of extensive Anglo-American collaboration. ... Read more

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1909. This digest of the contents of Brother Albert Pike's monumental work "Morals and Dogma," the text book of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite for the southern jurisdiction, grew out of the desire of Hugo to have an index of the contents for his own use as the presiding officer of each of the Scottish Rite Bodies in Duluth, Minnesota. ... Read more

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The Annual Index to Motion Picture Credits covers films eligible for the Academy Awards, as well as other films, released in the Los Angeles area, which do not meet the Academy's requirements. Each film entry includes title, production and releasing companies, approximate completion date, running time, MPAA rating, producer, director, art director, cinematographer, film editor, costume designer, sound, music, writers, and cast. In addition to the complete entry, many elements are indexed: by ten major crafts (actors, art direction, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, film editors, music, producers, sound, and writers) showing individual name and films; by releasing company; by individual name with reference to the craft and film; and by character name. Choice magazine described an earlier edition of the Annual Index to Motion Picture Credits as "well done. Recommended for all large libraries." ... Read more

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For better or worse, pornography and sexual representation suffuse American culture. This first comprehensive guide to the literature includes the history of pornography in the United States and discusses pornography in a vast range of media. Volume one opens with a discussion of the history of American pornography. Two separate sections present information regarding bibliographies and reference tools concerning pornography and reviews of references devoted to the histories of sexuality and its representations and on theoretical works on erotica and pornography. One chapter is devoted to a discussion of major research collections. Also included are a chronology of important dates in the history of American Pornography and a discussion of child pornography. Volume two focuses on dramatic, visual and electronic media and is arranged by topic. Chapters discuss the landscape of the body, performance, erotic and pornographic art, erotic and pornographic photography, motion pictures and videotapes, and electronic media. Volume three focuses on oral, print, and journalistic media and includes folklore and oral genres, erotic literature, newspapers, magazines and advertising, and comics. The volume concludes with a section concerning research and policy regarding medical and social sciences, the law in the United States, and the economics of pornography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential reference work
These three volumes rank as an essential desk reference set right along with Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia.So much information on popular culture and background information on all kinds of things -- I am constantly going to my local university library to use it because I can't afford my own home copy.I wish I could! ... Read more

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This comprehensive annotated bibliography reviews nearly 500 English-language studies published between 1915 and 2001 that examine the depiction of ethnic, racial, and national groups as portrayed in U.S. feature films from the inception of cinema through the present. Coverage includes books, reference works, book chapters within larger works, and individual essays from collections and anthologies. Concise annotations provide content summaries; unique features; major films and filmmakers discussed; and useful information on related titles, purpose, and intended readership. The studies included range from specialized scholarly treatises to popular illustrated books for general readers. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Green Goblin is the alias of a number of Marvel Comics supervillains, the most high-profile of which is Norman Osborn. Norman Osborn is the main character connected with the alias, who developed the equipment used by the other Goblins. ... Read more

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Presenting the life and professional career of "The Dean of Afro-American Composers," this is the first comprehensive book on the writings by and about Still, the compositions with manuscript sources, the performances of Still's works, and the reviews of those performances. It includes a touching personal reminiscence by his daughter Judith Anne. The full resources of the extensive collection known as The William Grant Still and Verna Arvey Papers at the University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, give this book the distinction of being the first one about Still that utilizes diaries, letters, scrapbooks, and family papers to provide information on his works and performances. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Still Biobibliography
Carolyn Quin's biographical sketch is particularly useful.Her compilation of the musical works, major performances, and contemporary critical commentary on them is very valuable.The book is not easy to use, however.Still's musical works are listed alphabetically by title, but there is no chronological list, and the book's index does not include the music, a frustrating omission.There are no running headers, making it hard to spot the titles of works onthe page.The list of Still's commercial arrangements, an area of his work that has drawn more attention in recent years, is provisional and incomplete.Dabrishus's bibliography of writings by Still and Verna Arvey (Still's second wife) does not include numerous writings by Arvey that aren't about Still.Despite its shortcomings, this book is essential for researchers on Still.I reviewed this book for *College Music Symposium* almost ten years ago; my opinion hasn't changed.Like most Greenwood titles, it's overpriced, now $20 over the original list.

William Grant Still, is one of the best composers in history
I think this book, is very wonderful. If you need some information about him, or just want to study about him this is the book for it. This BOOK is very GOOd. ... Read more

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One of the most prominent American composers living today, Kay has produced more than 135 compositions, representing a tremendous outpouring of divergent forms from opera to compositions for film and television. This highly acclaimed composer is probably the most published and most frequently commissioned African-American composer: As Oliver Daniel has so descriptively stated, Kay has been heard from "Kiev to Kennebunkport." This volume includes his biography, a chronological listing of his works and a complete discography to date, with selected performance notes, and an annotated bibliography, all of which will be of interest to students of music as well as the general reading audience. ... Read more

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The first book of its kind, this discography covers the history of steel band and pan music on recordings. In more than 775 entries, it comprises all known recordings on phonograph records, cassettes, and compact disks in which one or more steel pans is featured or used in an accompanying role. For each entry, information is provided on the location of the recording session, release date, record company catalog number, and complete contents. Indexes facilitate access to artists, arrangers/conductors/musical directors, record titles, years of release, and compositions; and appendices provide information on record companies, calypsonians, and sources. A reference bibliography completes the work. While serving as a guide for locating these recordings, this discography also will function as a research tool for investigation into other aspects of the steel pan movement, a history largely undocumented except in audio recordings. ... Read more

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From its earliest beginnings, the United States of America has been composed of immigrants from nations around the world. Some, like European Americans, came voluntarily in search of better opportunities. Others, like African Americans, were brought as captives to their new land. Native Americans, already established, were forced to adjust to these new groups and the others that came after them, such as Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and most recently, Arab Americans. How these groups learned, or did not learn, to adapt to one another in their adopted homeland has become the focus of many provocative films, over 150 of which are identified and discussed in this book. Covering films from the earliest part of the century through today, this book is ideal for educators and students searching for films treating the experiences of specific ethnic groups, as well as film fans who love unforgettable stories.

Arranged by race/ethnic group, Multicultural Films identifies and analyzes films relating the experiences of the following groups: African Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Latino/a Americans, Native Americans, and includes Intercultural films, those depicting the experiences of more than one group. After providing a plot summary of each film, the authors critique it, proposing points of focus and discussion for the viewer. Films that will appeal to a variety of different ages are included, with ratings given when possible, and all are currently available for purchase. A thematic guide will help identify films for students and educators on specific topics and issues for each minority group. The first comprehensive resource covering all types of films for all major minority groups in the United States Multicultural Films should be on every film library's shelf.

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With 'My Life among the Deathworks: Illustrations of the Aesthetics of Authority,' the renowned cultural theorist and Freud scholar Philip Rieff inaugurates a trilogy that signals the summation of his scholarly lifework. With this series, 'Sacred Order/Social Order,' to be published in consecutive volumes, Rieff both continues and supersedes the lines of thought that characterize the earlier, influential works upon which his reputation was forged. Readers familiar with Rieff's distinctive oeuvre will recognize central themes and find final recitations on the cultural impact of Freud and his creation "psychological man" or "the therapeutic," which Rieff here renames the "new man." Whether conversant with Rieff's work or new to its unique interpretive power, readers of 'Sacred Order/Social Order' will discover a series of provocative insights, illuminated by Rieff's wide-ranging expositions, theoretical advances, and stylistic innovations.

In this first volume, Rieff articulates a comprehensive, typological theory of Western culture. Using visual illustrations and unique juxtapositions, he displays remarkable erudition in drawing from such disciplines as sociology, history, literature, poetry, music, plastic arts, and film; he contrasts the changing modes of spiritual and social thought that have struggled for dominance throughout Western history. Our modern culture--to Rieff's mind only the "third" type in western history--is the object of his deepest scrutiny, described here as morally ruinous, death-affirming rather than life-affirming, and representing an unprecedented attempt to create a culture completely devoid of any concept of the sacred.

For Rieff, culture represents the "form of fighting before the firing begins" in a literal life-and-death struggle for a particular type of world-creation. Having concluded in this final phase of his career that there is no neutral ground in this struggle, Rieff takes aim at many of the most significant "deathworks" in modern literature, art, and history--from Joyce's 'Finnegans Wake' and Duchamp's Etant donnés to Hitler's death camps--in an attempt to undo them by using them against themselves. In so doing, he seeks to show the reader what really animates, and is ultimately at stake, in the contemporary "culture wars" raging over such issues as euthanasia, education, medical research, sexuality, race, class, and gender. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Brilliant Mess
This is a strange difficult book.I can't say Rieff is a great literary stylist.He is absolutely incomprehensible at times.Still, DEATHWORKS is a powerful, brilliant and surprisingly moving book.If you have a sense that the world is no longer at ease and it isn't just you, Rieff is apt to speak directly to you .He doesn't give you a cure but he does come up with a fairly persuasive diagnosis.The world we live in has been consumed by a kind of cultural anti-matter, who's function is to delegitimize everything that has gone on before it.He believes the transvaluation has taken place and that is the world we live in now, a third world that is post monotheistic.Freedom is formlessness and power is central.The sacred is dead as a doornail.Any reversion to paganism (the first world) is pure contrivance.We are essentially living in the world of the hollow men.
I was struck by how personally Rieff takes what has happened and by his willingness to say , I don't like it. I f that doesn't sound like much , consider the fact that most commentary you read on almost every topic is in some sense a paen to nothingness. Think of how many articles youv'e read explaining to you that the purpose of art , even thought itself is to be transgressive and subversive of the existingsociety.Which always means , not the existing society but what Rieff calls the second world.I have grown extremely weary of reading thatkind of recycled banalityposing as thought.What is funny , maybe , scareyis you'll read this kind of warmed over dreckin reviews of TV shows.My point being that this has long since stopped being the province of elite culture.Everyone can now be Foucault. In that context Rieffs rather brilliant yelps of protest are salutory.Also salutory is Rieffs embrace of his own roots as a Jew.In the transition to modernity, Rieff has witnessed in his own life what has gone.What has replaced it? A handful of dust.

Philip Rieff's final lifework
Although he would never have put it in these terms, I believe Philip Rieff's lifework came to be to show the ways in which works of art and literature can be read to reveal what Catholics call 'heart'. Every work of art is an expression of the acceptance or the rejection of God or, as Rieff would say, has a place in the 'vertical of authority', representing an affirmation of the community of faith's 'commanding truths' or 'interdicts', a transgression against those commanding truths, or a relaxing (remission) of them. Erudite, passionate, and moral, I know of no better place to start than the first volume of Rieff's trilogy for understanding the moral and spiritual dimensions of art and literature.

Philip Rieff's "My Life among the Deathworks"
I started reading this book but found that I could not easily tolerate
Rieff's opaque and turgid prose. He undoubtedly has interesting thoughtsand valuable insights into past and present societies, but he should bear in mind the adage that good prose should be a windowpane (I think this was George Orwell's metaphor). His manner of writing contrasts most unfavourably with the clarity of (for example) Roger Scruton, another contemporary observer of society and culture. On almost every page of Rieff's book you will find examples of what I mean: thus on page 149, discussing Freud's works, he says:

"Freud's ingenious repressions of revelation serve continuously, and in
an intensely stipulative manner, against admitting sacred order back into a modern consciousness pregnant from the father of these repressions. The revelational father unacknowledged, except as "primal repression", modern sensibility has been achieved at the cost of a critical insensibility."
(The expression "primal repression" is actually in italics, but I can't print italics in this review).

Rieff would surely agree with me that the road to profundity should not pass through obscurity. Obscurity is, after all, a good hiding place for vacuity.

Cultural Wars
This work develops themes Rieff introduced in his justifiably classic book The Triumph of the Therapeutic. According to the book's implicit dramatic structure, there is an on-going war between a third, therapeutic, cultural world and the second cultural world it seeks to replace. The third cultural world is unique in human history because it tries to maintain itself without connection to a sacred and commanding order. Rieff presents example after example of cultural, artistic, and historical "deathworks" that undermine the commanding authority and truths exhibited by second cultural worlds. The contrasts that Rieff establishes between third and second cultural worlds are familiar to similar contrasts that others have drawn between modernity and post-modernity: knowledge, authority and truth are superseded by functionality, choice and supreme fictions

Five comments:

1. Rieff's book does not present an argument in the conventional sense. It does not progress from premise to evidence to conclusion but goes from one example or image to another in a way that is more reminiscent of a novel than a thesis. The book ends rather than concludes. The concrete nature of the illustrative examples in this book makes an abstract summary both difficult and superfluous.

2. Ironically, the structure of the book and its style - filled as it is with indirection, allusions and word play - reflect the third cultural world more than the second cultural world Rieff defends. It's doubtful whether adopting the style of one's opponent is ever a successful strategy.

3. Rieff says that he is going to describe a 3-part typology of social history, prosaically identified as first, second, and third cultural worlds. While the description and contrast between the second and third cultural worlds is thorough to the point of being repetitive, he largely neglects to develop the characteristics and functions of the first cultural world of myth. To me this is a major and telling omission.

4. Rieff's critique of third world culture lacks balance without explaining the positive aspects of third world culture or the short comings of second world culture. If the third world culture is so bad, why did it emerge?

5. Finally, Rieff does not offer a resolution to the war between second and third world cultures. As a result, it is unclear whether Rieff thinks that the war is endless, necessary, inevitable, or a prelude to a fourth cultural world. Is he saying that we should return to the second cultural world he defends? I don't think so, nor do I think that such a return would be either possible or advisable. However entertaining the book may be, it fails in not suggesting an answer to the questions: what next or so what?

For an examination of cultural wars from a more philosophical perspective, see The Search for Meaning: A Short History.

Decline of the West, Part 93482
There is nothing new here: The world is going to hell, the sky is falling because of the Godless Liberal Elites, etc. Right-wing OpEd cliches dressed-up in fancy mid-20th century existentialist lingo.

But dayam, if he isn't a hypnotic master of that lingo, spinning websof webs of webs of secret code. I just wish there were any point to cracking it, when i already know what the take-home message is (see above.) Rieff spends a huge amount of sophisticated learning in the service of an extremely crude point. (He calls this technique the "feeling intellect".) Maybe he was being too sophisticated/decadent for his own good. (He was married to Susan Sontag once - those Baal-worshipping wives can indeed corrupt the King!!)
I would say listen to Laura Ingraham instead, but the heady admixture mixture of preening Jewish narcissism puts it more in the Commentary magazine camp. My point: lower brow sources cut to the chase faster. Otherwise, read Durkheim or take an Art History course and make up your own mind.

(Added a star for including pictures of the works discussed, though I'm not sure I needed to see Mapplethorpe's rectum. I must not have the stomach for Decline, but my godless decadent sophisticate curiosity always made me wonder what that famous photograph really looked like - and Rieff was more than happy to indulge my idle devil. Ah... he truly was corrupted himself! ) ... Read more

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This catalog of works, organized alphabetically by composer, details the compositions of 54 modern British composers born between 1891 and 1923. Volume one covers composers from John Addison to Arnold Cooke. Volume two covers Christian Darnton to Elisabeth Lutyens. And volume three includes Elizabeth Maconchy to David Wynne. Compositions are listed chronologically and include pertinent information about the performance, year of composition, music history, first recordings, and original manuscript location. Concert music is listed separately from documentary and feature films and from music composed for radio, television or stage. ... Read more