Coffee-table worthy, ready to wrap and read

REVIEW BY BRETT PERUZZI

The Guinness Book of Records, the fact-filled annual compilation of the world's superlatives, has decided to usher in the new millennium in a big way. Guinness World Records 2000, Millennium Edition is a dramatically different book than its predecessors. A large format hardcover, its silver-coated binding and raised lettering make an immediate visual impact. Inside, a lavish, full-color design, heavy on photos and light on text, is a browser's delight. It contains not just updates of existing world records, but new ones as well, in areas such as extreme sports, technology, and the Internet.

Whether it's used as a reference guide to settle friendly wagers, or left casually lying around for family and friends to thumb through, Guinness World Records 2000 is sure to be a favorite in countless households.


Soldiers' stories

REVIEW BY JOHN MESSER

In the years since the Second World War, historians have described and analyzed many of its battles, campaigns, and theaters. The Greatest War: Americans in Combat 1941-1945 offers a graphic timeline of the war from the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to the bombing of Nagasaki 45 months later. Historian Gerald Astor draws on the experiences and observations of more than 1,000 Americans who fought in the Pacific, Asia, and Europe in trenches, bombers, and landing craft. It is the story of many small and large unit actions -- some heroic victories, others sorry defeats.

For the millions of Americans who fought overseas in World War II, the events recounted here defined the rest of their lives. The Greatest War is oral history at its very best and a reminder of the thin line that separates selfless heroism from senseless barbarism.


Lifestyles of the artistic and famous

REVIEW BY DR. DAVID B. HINTON

Lives of the Great 20th Century Artists by Edward Lucie-Smith is at least three books in one: It is a comprehensive study of the vast expanse of 20th-century art, a presentation of the great movements in this century's art, and the fascinating life stories of major artists.

The book's greatest strength is the masterful way in which it weaves the life stories of artists into the story of their art. We come away understanding not only what makes these artists work, but also having a good grasp of the significance behind what they did. The life stories are arranged chronologically by movement, from Cubism to American Pop Art. Each subchapter contains a picture of the artist accompanied by at least one well-selected color plate of his or her work.

All the familiar names are covered, such as Picasso, Chagall, and Pollock, but also less familiar ones such as David Alfaro Siquieros (who botched an assassination of Trotsky) with life stories equally as riveting.


The village people

REVIEW BY CAROLYN PORTER

Ah, Brittany, a land of wild moors, jagged coastlines, skies that quickly change from sunny to angry, and enchanting legend. (Some say that King Arthur and his noble knights roamed the forests of this region of Northern France.) In The Most Beautiful Villages of Brittany, author James Bentley skillfully captures the romance and charm of this land of contrasts. With the help of photographer Hugh Palmer, he offers a glimpse into this special region as diverse as it is beautiful -- the Emerald Coast of verdant valleys, the sandy beaches of the Corniche de L'Armorique, the salty marshes of the Guerande, ancient fishing villages, and the spectacular green of the countryside.

Now you can journey, without leaving your chair, to this land of vibrant color, quiet allure, and intriguing history.


The wild life

REVIEW BY RHODA RIDDELL, PH.D.

Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat: Understanding and Caring for the Tiger Within and Wild Discovery Guide to Your Dog: Understanding and Caring for the Wolf Within are the perfect gifts for pet lovers, but they offer something for everyone. The 300 superb photographs of dogs and cats in domestic life and in the wild provide visual delight for any age reader. For the student, the books offer clear, authoritative information for a school report. Would-be and new pet owners can learn everything they need to know in detailed instructions on how to select, care for, and understand dogs or cats.

Author Margaret E. Lewis, Ph.D., specializes in the behavior and evolution of carnivores and provides scientific information for dog and cat fanciers. In her introduction, Elizabeth Marshall, Thomas, anthropologist and author of popular books on dogs and cats, writes "[this] new material with old wisdom . . . is a window on the natural world."


Wined and dined

REVIEW BY MICHAEL SIMS

Oxford University Press has just released greatly revised second editions of their already classic encyclopedias on wine and food.

The Oxford Companion to Wine, edited by well-known international wine critic Jancis Robinson, addresses not only the expected topics such as the history of champagne, the faddish popularity of merlot, and tours of Provence and Burgundy -- it also offers fascinating entries (and charming illustrations) about such topics as the importance of wine imagery in the pre-Islamic Arab poets, differences in vineyards as far apart as Argentina and Australia, and the wine-related origin of the term "symposium." Although encyclopedic and exhaustive, the book assumes no prior knowledge of wine, and therefore becomes a gift to both the connoisseur and the novice.

The same unassuming breadth characterizes The Oxford Companion to Food, edited by English food writer Alan Davidson. This gorgeous book reminds us that the world is our gingerbread house, that over the centuries adventurous cooks have popped practically everything on earth into their mouths, tinkered until they found the best method of preparation, and passed along their judgments. Entries cover topics ranging from potatoes to aphrodisiacs, from escargot to bats. What is mold and what is its relationship to food? Why do we eat dogfish but not dogs? How do salt and sugar work? The answers to these and thousands of other questions are in this single volume.


Listen up, sports fans

REVIEW BY BUDD BAILEY

Joe Garner is the author/compiler of We Interrupt This Broadcast, a popular collection of audio highlights with accompanying text from some of the biggest news stories in the past 65 years. It doesn't take a leap of imagination to figure out what the follow-up should be, since the formula worked so well. Sports events are made for this sort of project, and some of their biggest moments are brought back to life nicely in And the Crowd Goes Wild: Relive the Most Celebrated Sporting Events Ever Broadcast, narrated by Bob Costas.

It's easy to figure out why this volume works even better than the original. With a few exceptions, newscasts don't feature live descriptions because they aren't planned. In sports, however, broadcasters are usually on site to tell audiences about history-making events.

It's wonderful, then, to hear the original emotion in the voices of announcers describing such events as Bobby Thomson's 1951 playoff home run, the New York Mets' 1969 World Series championship, Jack Nicklaus's 1986 Masters triumph, and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run of 1998. There won't be many avid sports fans who will be able to resist giving this a listen or a read.


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