Massachusetts Books

Massachusetts residents who are more than casual bird observers will find this weighty reference a treasure trove of invaluable information: Collaborative compiled and co-edited by Wayne Petersen and W. Roger Meservey, the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas offers over a hundred grid maps almost two hundred depicting the distribution of all breeding birds, provides full-page accounts for all confirmed species, and includes nature art by John Sill and Barry Van Dusen. Add distribution maps and you have a superb contribution to the growing library of ornithological reference literature.

Dr Kuehne takes on an important aspect of the political thought of the time and how that influence is important in US political development into the modern era.

Barbara is obviously a very talented writer and she's created a no-nonsense, down-to-earth book loaded with information that is actually helpful. So many books provide little information that is truly useful, but her book is loaded with information and Internet links for more helpful tips.

This second edition clearly improves on an already enormously helpful first. As suggested then, this is an exceptional starting point for the busy clinician. Organized by topic (e.g., "the patient with hallucinations"), this guide outlines what you need to know to be of practical service in an astonishingly wide range of clinical situations--pain management, sleep disorders, the "VIP" patient. Almost every chief complaint or clinical context has been considered.

Stern (as usual) has assembled contributors who excel not only in clinical medicine, but in teaching well. By using this wise and helpful guide, one learns not only how to help, but how to think clearly about complex presentations.

All that prevented the first edition from receiving five stars was a challenging table of contents. The second edition not only improves this, but offers more of what matters--sane, succinct, practical help for helping others.

(I'm still waiting for the intrepid MGH crew to produce a companion volume, "Beyond Primary Care," for all the psychiatrists who will now have only extremely complex cases referred. In the meantime, though, their Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to General Hospital Psychiatry, fifth edition, is most welcome!)

If you have assumed that historical accounts of any organization must by definition be deadly, disabuse yourself of that assumption immediately. Tucker's account of the individuals who created and drove this first of American historical societies reveals much about Boston and the men (and white men only) who sought to record not just Massachusetts history but the history of the United States.

Don't be put off this book by those who have sought to demonize Professor Rostow for his role in shaping policy toward South Vietnam as Policy Planning chief at the State Department during JFK's administration - and as National Security Advisor during LBJ's administration. Not only did Rostow have relatively little involvement during the JFK administration - but his greatest efforts under LBJ were in seeking some means of influencing North Vietnam to stop its involvement in South Vietnam - rather than in seeking to expand the war.

Moreover, as National Security Advisor, Rostow exercised his abilities in a far greater range than Vietnam policy - at a time of the Pueblo taking by North Korea, the USSR's invasion of Czechoslovakia, Israel's Six Day War, and the building of a process for disarmament talks with the USSR.

The truth is that Rostow is a fine penetrating thinker and writer. This book and its sequel, Diffusion of Power, are wonderful examinstions of American foreign policy - and the foreign elements that affected it - from the Second World War through the late 1950s. (Diffusion of Power covers the period from the late 1950s to 1973 - and serves also as a personal account from inside the White House of the LBJ administration's conduct of policy - however don't read Diffusion of Power for an account of the Nixon foreign policy -- it's rather light).

Two of the book's aspects that were particularly striking were:

A) The discussions of politics and economics in the third world during a period in which most of the world was gaining independence from colonial empires - and the American response to that challenge and opportunity. Rostow gives a convincing argument that the Eisenhower administration should have done more to "win" (my word) the new governments of the majority of people in the world to the causes of freedom and to prosperity through free enterprise.

B) Rostow's interesting analysis of the American relationship with the western European states that had been occupied only recently - were in many cases devastated by the occupation - and now faced the loss of their colonies as well as a sense of purpose.

This is a superb book on many levels - from its consistently superb dissection of domestic considerations in foreign policy(particularly Congress) to the simple role of human personality (e.g., Dean Acheson's vs. that of John Foster Dulles) in the relations of the world's statesmen.

I had written a paper on Rostow's Stages of Growth when I was in college.

Rostow is one of those rare academics who writes very well;

one of those rare foreign policy mavens who is as interested in the underdeveloped world as in Europe; and

one of those rare experts in 3rd World economics who is unapologetic about the necessity of sometimes using military force to prevent totalitarian groups from gaining sway over peoples.

Rostow writes very VERY well - and this book is a fascinating and extensive study of the first act of the Cold War in its Third World as well as East-West dimensions.

This book is particularly interesting reading today as the U.S. seeks more strongly than at any time in the last thirty-five years to influence nations to turn toward democracy.

I thank Professor Rostow for having written this - and its sequel - they've both given me enormous pleasure over the years.

Spellbinding! This is the finest analysis of comparative naval archicture in print. Should be required reading for all ship designers.

Used to be published by Information Publications of Palo Alto,CA.I am delighted that Edith Horner, editor, has taken on the task of continuing this publication.The book contains one page for every city and town in Massachusetts. The pages are arranged alphabetically,by town name.The data for each town is organized into 9 categories: Demographic & Socio-Economic Characteristics, General Information, Voters & Government Officials, Public Safety,Housing & Construction, Taxation, Municipal Finance, Library,and School System. For quick and up-to-date information on the various towns in Massachusetts, I find this book to be the best source. Dora Federico, Reference Librarian

This is a big, beautiful, lavishly illustrated love tribute to the whale species. About half the pages are for Williams' grand, celebratory poem--a poem of beauty and stark fact-- about whales, that includes history, biology, all the ways whales have enriched our society, both living and as a product, the tragic aspects regarding the thoughtless, non-sacred killing of the great beasts and details of hunting and processing, etc. Indeed, Williams' epic seems to include all aspects of the culture of the whale. The second half of the book contains hundreds of fascinating quotes about whales, culled from nearly every epoch of written human history, and serves the reader as a virtual encyclopedia about whales. The book is illustrated throughout with fine photographs, including beautiful full color photos of whales alive and well in their natural habitat, to photos depicting the myriad ways humans have exploited and profited from the whale. This is a good book, a song celebrating the sacredness of whales and lamenting our human society that has for the most part taken them for granted. This book is both a prayer and a textbook, celebrating whales with compassion and passion, and educating about whales with fascinating facts, history and photos. It is a work of art, both simple and grand.

I have read this author's other works at the recommendation of my boss and I must say that it is very helpful for me in my career. Mayo A. Shattuck knows how to clearly lay out a subject and really engage the reader on topics that may be a little bit dry. "The Massachusetts rule of trust investments" is a short read that will really help deepen your understanding of financial history. Mayo Shattuck is an excellent author and anyone who is involved in the financial fields should take some time to read his treatises.