Reviews
Reference
of the preponderance of evidence. The author begins by surveying the
various ways collections of ancient papyrus book rolls could be assembled.
He then analyzes ancient book lists from Roman Egypt, a number of
book collections from Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, and the collection from the
Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum in Italy, illuminating the collecting
interests of a series of ancient bibliophiles. In addition, Houston discusses
Roman libraries—their layouts, storage, equipment, and decoration as
well as the administration and staffing of the imperial libraries in ancient
Rome. Throughout, the author provides meticulous documentation
for his conclusions and, most important, is always careful to stress the
limitations of the evidence and the ambivalence of its interpretation.
Such attention to detail makes this a model study. Summing Up: HHH
Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students,
and researchers/faculty.—J. H. Kaimowitz, emeritus, Trinity College (CT)
52-5654 B2433 MARC
The Meillassoux dictionary, ed. by Peter Gratton and Paul J. Ennis.
Edinburgh University Press, 2014. (Dist. by Oxford) 185p bibl ISBN
9780748695560 pbk, $40.00
This dictionary is less a pure reference work and more a critical
introduction to the complex thought of Quentin Meillassoux.
Gratton (Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada) and Ennis
(independent scholar) provide an excellent introduction, placing
Meillassoux’s philosophy within—but critically at odds with—the
Continental tradition. The editors focus on his contributions to a
“speculative materialism” that can lead to a “speculative ethics” (the
focus of their introduction). The A–Z dictionary entries, written by
noteworthy scholars in the specialty of speculative realism, are clear and
concise, providing explanations of many of Meillassoux’s most difficult
terms, such as “factiality” and “arche-fossil,” as well as general concepts
such as phenomenology or science. Each entry indicates where and how
Meillassoux uses the term, frequently noting the critical responses to
his usage by other scholars. Most entries fill at least a page, and many
are as long as three pages, thereby providing substantial explanation of
terms. There are also entries for influential figures in the philosopher’s
work, including Alain Badiou, Georg Cantor, Gilles Deleuze, and
Immanuel Kant. The book serves as a worthwhile overview and analysis
of Meillassoux, born in 1967 and already a rising figure in the field.
Summing Up: HH Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates
through faculty and researchers.—J. Donohoe, University of West Georgia
e 52-5655 accessible research journal published since 2004. Much has changed since
[Internet Resource]
Poets.org, from the Academy of American Poets
URL: http://www.poets.org/
[Revisited Apr’15] The Academy of American Poets website—
reviewed more than once in recent decades (CH, Aug’05, 42Sup-0121)—
remains the place to find information on National Poetry Month and
prizes awarded by the Academy, including listings of more than 200
annual university and college poetry prizes. Other features, such as the
several-times-a-week Stanza poetry news update, deserve mention as well.
Poem-a-Day e-mails a previously unpublished poem daily, and Poetry
Near You allows browsing by state (or specific distances from a place)
for poetry-related events and programs. Each state’s listing identifies its
poet laureate along with local poetry landmarks, readings, conferences,
poetry-friendly bookstores, magazines, and more. Under the Poets
section, filters allow searching by State or by Schools and Movements.
The state profiles serve as a sampler only, and perhaps poets with ties to
multiple states should be more carefully cross-listed. The Maine entry,
1818 CHOICE
for example, lists neither Henry Wadsworth Longfellow nor Edna St.
Vincent Millay among its poets (they are listed under Massachusetts and
New York, respectively) but does list related landmarks. The Browse
Poems & Poets section (with more than 5,800 poems and 2,600 poets)
identifies particular forms, movements, and occasions. The Texts and
Books collections alone are worth the scrolling it takes to find them.
These sections include a wealth of essays, articles, and other writings
(even postcards) about poetry. K–12 educators and school librarians will
appreciate the lesson plans aligned with Common Core State Standards
and vetted by an educator in residence. The multiple layers of navigation
might confuse novice users, although the site’s rich holdings invite
play and encourage people to get lost while meandering about. The
site—more focused on written poetry but also offering some materials
on performance—brings poetry to the attention of a great variety of
audiences. Summing Up: HHH Highly recommended. All levels of
students and general readers.—M. A. Perry, University of Southern Maine
e 52-5656 [Internet Resource]
Tate Museums
URL: http://www.tate.org.uk/
[Revisited Apr’15] The Tate in London is much more than simply
the national collection of art in Great Britain, covering 1500 to the
present. It also encompasses the Tate Modern, which has recently added
a spectacular new building to accommodate the more than five million
visitors a year who come to see the newest in performance art, film,
video, and modern art. The regional libraries in Liverpool and St. Ives,
Cornwall (including the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Gardens) also
provide permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of modern
British art. The new Tate website will keep the reader up to date on all
that is happening in these four museum venues. Over 1,000 works may
be viewed full screen, accompanied by substantial text and information
about their location within the museum. Images can be assembled in a
digital album and shared with others online. The most complete online
catalogue raisonné of the works of J. M. W. Turner is part of the website,
offering works found in the Tate collection and elsewhere. There are
helpful links to the library’s resources and catalog, and videos available
about the art archive, the largest in Britain. Users can explore the many
aspects of the Tate’s research endeavors, including summaries of the
current investigations conducted by staff and other scholars, recordings
of earlier conference proceedings, and the Tate Papers, an online, freely
the Tate Gallery website was last reviewed 15 years ago (CH, Apr’00, 37-
4275). Summing Up: HHH Highly recommended. All audiences.—E.
M. Hansen, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
52-5657 PN1992 CIP
Terrace, Vincent. Internet drama and mystery television series,
1996-2014. McFarland, 2015. 270p index ISBN 9780786495818 pbk,
$39.95
The only comprehensive compilation of its kind, this unique and
invaluable work by television historian Terrace will appeal to anyone
doing research or simply wanting to watch Internet-delivered drama
and mystery series. Most web series are independent ventures (e.g., the
well-known Lizzie Bennett Diaries and Lonely Girl 15), but broadcast and
cable TV series have also generated webisodes and companion web series
(Pretty Little Liars and its spin-off Pretty Dirty Secrets), as have video game
productions (Halo and Assassin’s Creed: Lineage). Entries range from a half
column to three pages, with title, production date, subgenre, synopsis,
July 2015
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.