Humanities Books

This book, much like the original AVP art book, is perfect for anyone who finds the process of monster making fascinating as well as the movies they inhabit.

Very cool behind the scenes art, exposition, and photography illustrates the creative process that brought the creatures to life. A must for any fan of either series, or monster fans in general.

I don't read much, but after growing up in South Carolina and visiting Florida many times, I found this book to be quite hilarious. Unless you are a jackass, you will love this book. My wife is a teacher and this stuff happens to her all the time (except her students are even wilder-like from animal house or something-except in high school).

High recommended!

Krisanne Hastings, a flawless and often poignant writer, speaks volumes in this short work. I have often found books on altarpieces and aristocrats to be dry and unfounded. But Ms. Hastings has me in the palm of her hand from her witty introduction through to the almost teary conclusion.

Those of you out there looking for writings on Polish art...look no further than this little gem from Portland's own, Krisanne Hastings.

I've taught Introduction to American Politics a lot over time, and I've tried many textbooks. Some have bombed, some have resonated with students, and many get just a so-so reception. But here is one that is genuinely intriguing. How will students--and others interested in studying American politics--respond? I don't know, but I think that this has a chance of generating more interest among readers than most texts would.

It's printed almost in a magazine format, making it less forbidding than the standard hard cover, hundreds upon hundreds of pages textbook. That may provide more of a sense of accessibility and break down some initial barriers. The authors explicitly set out to create a different kind of text. As they say on the inside cover: "You convinced us that there had to be a better way to get across the fundamental concepts of American democracy and what it means to be an American citizen."

The content is pretty standard--chapters on citizenship, the Constitution, federalism, civil rights and liberties, public opinion, and so on. Chapter by chapter coverage hits the normal subjects. However, chapters feature some extras that might well make this book more attractive to students (and any others who want to learn more about American politics): there are little vignettes about real people and how politics interacts with them, to personalize the subject; hints on how to get involved in politics; comparisons with other countries; hot pepper questions to get readers to think about issues; lots of colorful photos; graphs and tables presenting information in a compelling manner.

So, this is a different kind of textbook in American politics. But it is fascinating. I'm going to be interested in seeing how well this "sells." I suspect that many students will find this a refreshing change of pace.

"American War Plans: 1945-1950" by Steven T. Ross is a detailed look at the planning that the United States undertook in the period from the end of World War II to the beginning of the Korean War in order to meet the rising Soviet threat, with a strong emphasis on the word "plan". If you are looking for a book on early Cold War politics, or even a look at U.S. grand strategy in the post-war era, this is not what you are looking for. Ross concerns himself exclusively with the military's contingency planning for open war with the U.S.S.R., and given the hypothetical nature of that planning, and the vastly reduced role in policy formulation the military enjoyed post 1945, these plans are exercises in threat evaluation, and generally speaking, not power politics.

Ross' work opens with perhaps one of the great ironies of the Cold War: by 1946 the U.S. military, arguably the most powerful armed force in history at the end of WWII, and certainly the most well rounded, had been gutted to the point that it was not only incapable of defending Western Europe, it was largely incapable of even slowing the U.S.S.R. down. At the same time, there is the puzzling dichotomy of a military forced to rely on atomic weapons to compensate for a lack of conventional forces, at the same time that they have no idea how many weapons are available, and only a dim view of their battlefield utility. Thus, the first plans Ross discusses, are defined by a complete withdrawal from Western Europe, and a WWIII fought from the Middle East. The initial phases of such a conflict would entail an evacuation of continental Western Europe, a reinforcement of Great Britain, and securing the Mediterranean theater of operations. At the same time, atomic attacks would attempt to pound the U.S.S.R. and its satellites into submission. In the final phases of this scenario, the Allies would drive into the Soviet Union from the south, through the Caucuses. This final element is interesting in that it draws far more on the maneuver theory so prevalent today, than do the latter iterations of the plan, which presage the defense in depth of later decades.

It would excessive to give an overview of each additional scenario, but there are a few developments in the following years that often define the remainder of the Cold War era. The first is that the arms race is defined at a very early date; aside from the use of atomic weapons, Ross repeatedly mentions contingency planning for the development, and presumable use, of chemical and biological weapons. Along those same lines, the direction of nuclear war was pretty much set by 1948, as the first target of atomic bombs became the enemy's atomic bombs. Thus, in the span of three years, atomic bombs went from being a decisive weapon, to a non-factor (although it wasn't recognized yet) as all battlefield utility (e.g. counterforce) had largely been removed from their employment. This likewise dovetails into the internecine strife that often characterized the service branch turf wars of the Cold War. In particular, the Air Force/Navy battles become apparent as the Air Force argues that atomic war is the primary task in any future war, rather than one of many. In addition, although it is never explicit, the refusal to mount a first strike becomes implicit in U.S. military planning at this point. Finally, Ross' discussion of the fears for terrorism and subversion in the U.S., including the use of unconventional weapons by Soviet agents strongly echoes the fears of a post 9/11 world.

Ultimately, the need to shore up European allies in the newly formed NATO brings planning full circle, as the Joint Chiefs are forced by political requirements to plan for the defense of Europe. This, when combined with the Korean War, finally begins the process of funding that will allow the U.S. to have at least a reasonable chance of defending Europe. Thus, in five years another full circle is achieved as the military is gutted to achieve a political expedient, only to be rebuilt in order to achieve a different one.

In the end, Ross has done an excellent job of compiling numerous primary sources into a through, cogent and readable volume. His considerations of budget constraints versus planning necessities serve as a constant grounding for the work, and his exploration of the challenges of atomic planning is both interesting in and of itself, and critical to understanding the development of America strategy. This is a must read for any student of the Cold War.

Jake Mohlman

This book out of all the history textbooks that I have ever had is one of my favorites. It does a great job of being concise and not bombarding you with irrelevant information that has nothing to do with the work at hand. The pictures where great and depth that the book goes into is right on target. This books reads almost like a story making it much more enjoyable to read than most.

Books in the "American Decade Series" are designed to give its readers a glimpse of American history decade by decade. "The 1970s" is no exception. Historians often balk at the amateurish approach of presenting history decades by decade. While this approach may be somewhat simplistic, it can serve as an excellent teaching method for introducing new material to students.

"The 1970s" starts with a well rounded introduction, it then presents its thirty essays, or chapters from other books, on various issues prevalent in the 1970s. These topics are further broken down into international issues in the 1970s, national issues in the 1970s, environment, energy, and automobiles in the 1970s, popular culture in the 1970s, women's issues in the 1970s and from the 1970s into the future. The makeup and selection serves as a well-balanced approach to understanding the decade. No particular area is over represented. Each essay includes a brief bio of the writer. Additionally, the book is well served with an excellent chronology of events, recommendations for further study and an index. At 320 pages, "The 1970s" is a good choice for honor students in high school or possible a good textbook for a college level course on 20th century America.

I am a fiction writer, and I have a very old copy of this book that sprouts post-it notes from almost every page. I find I always have it open on my desk when I'm writing, and, in fact, it's where my cat sleeps when he joins me in my study. I'm working up the courage to strip the book of all the post-its--some of which have been there for four or five years. I'm tempted to buy the new edition, but I don't like the look of it. If you can't find any other, however, buy the new book in good condition, because you'll end up referring to it time and again.

comprehensive and interesting
a bit long winded, but detailed
doesn't pick a side in historical debates, but explains both sides reasonably fairly

It may seem dorky to read a textbook cover to cover but that's what history students at my old high school do every year with Alan Brinkley's, "American History: A Survey." It is engaging, scholarly, fascinating, and thorough. For an extensive study and understanding of American History, Brinkley's work is a must. It is fairly unbiased and is noted as one of the "most-readable" history texts. I can't agree more. It took me a course and a year of study but thanks to Alan Brinkley and an amazing teacher, I have extensive knowledge of American History and it's impact on the modern world.