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Home > Winter 2011–12 > Bookshelf

Winter 2011–12

Bookshelf

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Winter 2011–12

Jacques Barzun [’27]: Portrait of a Mind by Michael Murray. This biography, written by a longtime friend, offers an affectionate account of the life and work of legendary Columbia professor, his­torian and critic Barzun (Amazon Digital Services, $7.99).

Finding Wisdom in East Asian Classics edited by Wm. Theodore de Bary ’41, the John Mitchell Mason Professor Emeritus, Provost Emeri­tus and Special Service Professor in East Asian Language and Culture. This collection of essays about the foundational texts of East Asian civilization and culture focuses on their central role in the shaping of Asia’s history and the humani­ties at large (Columbia University Press, $29.50).

Athletes by Kirby Congdon ’50. This collection of poems goes beyond the notion that sports is only a physical excursion and focuses on the fragility of the human form, with a healthy dose of spirituality (Presa Press, $9.95).

The Hydra Chronicle by Charles Young ’50. Set during the occupation of the Greek island Hydra during WWII and its aftermath, this novel follows characters Ido and Philip as they go to Hydra to find the last man and a huge treasury of Jewish assets (Cosmos Publishing, $19.95).

When the World Spoke French by Marc Fumaroli, translated by Rich­ard Howard ’51. In this first English translation from French, Fumaroli profiles Francisco Goya, Benjamin Franklin and other foreigners who used French as the political and intellectual language of Europe (NYRB Classics, $18.95).

The Fate of Greenland: Lessons from Abrupt Climate Change by Philip Conkling, Richard Alley, Wallace Broecker ’53, the Newberry Professor of Geology, and George Denton. Due to periods of acute climate instabil­ity, Greenland’s ice sheet has been melting. The country’s warming is shown here with vivid color photographs and is accompanied by the authors’ investigations into the effects abrupt climate changes have had on the world (The MIT Press, $29.95).

Rethinking the Other in Antiq­uity by Erich S. Gruen ’57. The author challenges longstanding notions that Greeks, Romans and Jews contrasted themselves with foreigners and shows instead how they found connections and shared roots with diverse peoples (Princeton University Press, $39.50).

A March of Liberty: A Consti­tutional History of the United States, Volume II: From 1898 to the Present by Melvin I. Urofsky ’61 and Paul Finkelman. This compre­hensive overview of the American Constitution discusses in detail not only how the Supreme Court handles major cases but also the impact these cases have on society and on American culture (Oxford University Press, $49.95).

Blood Trust by Eric Van Lustbader ’68. In this novel, Alli Carson, one of the best FBI agents at the Fearing­ton Institute, becomes a suspect in a murder that leads her and the national security adviser, Jack Mc­Clure, to a secret international slave trade run by a powerful Albanian crime lord (Forge Books, $25.99).

The Essential Belloc: A Prophet for Our Times edited by Scott Bloch, Rev. C. John McCloskey ’75 and Brian Robertson. Belloc was considered one of the champions of the Catholic faith, and in his writings he addresses topics such as the limits and dangers of science without faith in God and the love of good food and camaraderie (Saint Benedict Press, $17.95).

Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America by Jonathan Gill ’86. Beginning with Harlem’s early days of Dutch settlements and farms, Gill docu­ments how Harlem transformed itself into a major site of influ­ential music and literary works, especially for African-American art and intellectual development (see “Columbia Forum,” Fall 2011) (Grove Press, $29.95).

Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog by Garth Stein ’87. In this kids’ adaptation of The Art of Racing in the Rain, Enzo, the dog of a racecar driver, dreams of racing against cars and learns that life isn’t simply about going fast (HarperCollins, $6.99).

Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Ir­resistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour by Elana Amsterdam ’89. These reci­pes offer an alternative that fits into many dietary lifestyles and still satisfies anyone’s cupcake fix (Celestial Arts, $16.99).

Earthquake Season: Poems by Jessica Goodheart ’89. Through her poetry, Goodheart explores how copying machines, dry cleaners and other things have come to be the way they are (WordTech Com­munications, $18).

The White Devil: A Novel by Justin Evans ’93. American teen An­drew Taylor is enrolled at Harrow, a British boarding school, where he is haunted by a ghost as he tries to figure out a centuries-old literary mystery that involves Lord Byron (Harper, $24.99).

Inside the Insane by Erica Loberg ’99. A depiction of the life and minds of people living with mental illnesses in a psychiatric crisis ward in Los Angeles, this book also features episodes from Loberg’s personal journey with Bipolar II (Chipmunkapublishing, $21).

Living Music Conversations With Pandit Dinkar Kaikini by Priya Pu­rushothaman ’03. This book explores Pandit Dinkar Kaikini’s theories of sound, melody, rhythm and creativ­ity while following him during his life of uncompromising devotion to music and constant spiritual enquiry (Popular Prakashan, $34.95).

Palaces of Time: Jewish Calendar and Culture in Early Modern Europe by Elisheva Carlebach, the Salo Wittmayer Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society. This book examines how sifrei ev­ronot, European Jewish calendars/ almanacs of the 15th–18th centuries, reflected both Jews’ values and beliefs and their interaction with Christian society (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, $35).

EyeMinded: Living and Writing Contemporary Art by Kellie Jones, associate professor of art history and archaeology. Jones brings awareness to the work of women, African- American, African and Latin artists who have created their own art practices, through selections of her writings from the past 20 years (Duke University Press, $27.95).

Perspectives on the Performance of the Continental Economies edited by Edmund S. Phelps, the McVickar Professor of Political Economy, and Hans-Werner Sinn. Leading economists use various methods to explain Europe’s economic under­performance in productivity and other metrics against real-world data (The MIT Press, $40).

Scribble, Scribble, Scribble: Writing on Politics, Ice Cream, Churchill, and My Mother by Simon Schama, University Professor. In this collec­tion of essays and speeches, Schama writes about an array of topics from art to history and everything in between (Ecco, $27.99). 

Samantha Jean-Baptiste ’13

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Columbia College Authors!

Please send us your latest book, to be included in an upcoming issue. We welcome new or recently published books by College alumni, faculty and students as well as books about the College and its people. Please send early-stage copies, with a press release, as promptly as possible to:

Bookshelf Editor
Columbia College Today
Columbia Alumni Center
622 W. 113th St., MC 4530, 6th Fl.
New York, NY 10025

Please be patient — we receive a great many submissions and your book may not appear for several issues. We also advise that alumni send an update about the book (and themselves) to their Class Notes correspondent so as to gain additional publication coverage.

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