Have you heard of the Harvey Girls? Fried (Husbandry: Sex, Love & Dirty Laundry), a freelance journalist, retraces the 19th-century founding of America's food-service industry through the ventures of Fred Harvey and his company, including the "girls" who worked in his restaurants. An Englishman who immigrated to America in the mid-1850s and ventured westward, Harvey was keen to realize the American dream. In his working travels, he quickly saw that there was a lucrative market in guest housing and dining services aimed at providing a "civilized" portal for touring and conducting business in the "uncivilized" West, for example, along station stops on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. Fried's extensive research and lively voice vividly pull together the details of Harvey's life and entrepreneurial conquests. The author supplements his biography with personal anecdotes of his own tour of Harvey lodges and recipes for dishes prepared by Harvey. VERDICT Fried's book is sure to appeal to a variety of readers, including travelers who have stayed at extant Harvey houses, e.g., at the Grand Canyon, scholars of the American West; business professionals curious about marketing, advertising and management strategy; and those simply interested in an engaging historical read.—Amanda Kuhnel Madigan, Nazareth Coll., Rochester, NY

In 323 C.E., Constantine reunited the Roman Empire under a single emperor after an unstable half century of 55 claimants to the throne culminating in the Tetrarchy of 293, of which Constantine's father was a junior member. Contemporary Christian propagandists co-opted and manipulated Constantine's story, particularly his conversion after he reputedly saw a vision that led to his great 313 C.E. victory at the Milvian Bridge. Historian Stephenson's careful look at the record demonstrates that in fact Constantine's conversion to Christianity was a gradual process. Constantine, who ended persecution of Christians and promoted toleration of all religions, probably became involved in Christian church counsels to resolve sectarianism that might annoy the new, powerful god who had done so much for his military career. Above all, Constantine was a magnificent military leader and a ruthless emperor who arranged the murder of his wife and son for reasons that are now lost to history. VERDICT Everyone interested in the classical period should read this exemplary biography, which eschews psychological speculation and instead builds its case inventively from primary accounts and the iconographic record in statuary, architecture, and coinage.—Stewart Desmond, New York

Long before Americans got their fill of celebrity scandals and gossip from the National Enquirer or TMZ.com, they read juicy exposés about Hollywood in Confidential. Scott, a media consultant and former journalist, provides an overview of this successful and controversial magazine, which promised to "[tell] the facts and [name] the names." As the author relates, publisher Robert Harrison initially kept to this credo, printing stories only after staff and private investigators checked their veracity. Eventually, though, he succumbed to publishing unsubstantiated rumors and outright lies. After a series of prominent libel suits and the shocking murder-suicide of staffer Howard Rushmore, who killed himself and his wife, Harrison sold the magazine. VERDICT Although extensively referenced and containing a lengthy bibliography, Scott's book is not as in-depth as Samuel Bernstein's Mr. Confidential: The Man, the Magazine & the Movieland Massacre. Still, this breezy book will interest fans and followers of gossip magazines, Hollywood history, and celebrity scandals.—Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

This book is the result of the first ten years of study at the World Rights Legal Data (WoRLD) Center, which examines the status of social and economic rights in 192 UN nations. Heymann (director, Inst. for Health & Social Policy, McGill Univ.) and Earle (codirector, Project on Global Working Families) report on data painstakingly gathered from various national constitutions and laws, comparing working conditions worldwide. The authors aim to educate readers on the state of labor legislation and policy worldwide, help them understand how their nations measure up, and empower them to advocate for improved global working conditions. Presenting data regarding paid sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, and a guaranteed day of rest, as well as national competitiveness and unemployment, the authors counter the myth that nations cannot guarantee good working conditions and remain competitive. Importantly, they offer suggestions for taking action on the individual, national, and international levels to promote equity in working conditions. VERDICT Global labor policymakers should read this eye-opening work, and thoughtful readers in general may be inspired to advocate for improved working conditions.—Elizabeth L. Winter, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta

Patel (visiting scholar, Ctr. for African Studies, Univ. of California, Berkeley; Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System) lays bare the social, political, and environmental damage caused by free markets and the commoditization of every facet of any market society. Such commoditization allows corporations to despoil the earth for short-term profit and has encouraged at least one economist to argue that antibigamy laws restrain the economic rights of ugly people by eliminating them as second spouses in the marriage marketplace. Markets, Patel declares, are a human construct and can be overthrown by humans; social rights to political participation, democratization, and popular control over the "commons"—air, soil, and water—offer the only viable alternative to the rape-and-pillage mentality of the market. VERDICT Patel debunks the myth that markets are the perfect form of social organization, effectively arguing that the tyranny they exert can and must be replaced by strategies benefiting all humanity and ensuring our very survival. This work is written calmly and sensibly enough that it could change some readers' minds, although it will leave free-market apologists spluttering. Highly recommended.—Duncan Stewart, Univ. of Iowa Libs., Iowa City

This new book by Peterson (government, Harvard Univ.) stands out among the many excellent titles published each year on education history and reform. Peterson traces the history of education in the United States from its rise in the mid-19th century to the early 21st century through the work of six major figures: Horace Mann, John Dewey, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Shanker, William Bennett, and James Coleman. According to Peterson, each reformer mostly succeeded in his efforts, but unintended consequences led to increased centralization, political control, and the inefficient use of resources, which has caused the development of American education to stagnate. Yet Peterson also argues that advancements in technology, through virtual learning, have the potential to customize and personalize each individual's educational experience and return control of learning to families and communities. VERDICT Although his approach is rather academic, Peterson provides an outstanding review of the rise, decline, and potential resurrection of the U.S. educational system. Education professionals, politicians, and anyone else interested in education will benefit from reading this book.—Mark Bay, Univ. of the Cumberlands Lib., Williamsburg, KY

In his first book—and readers should hope it's not his last—British banker-turned-historian Bunker supplements existing scholarship with exhaustive original research and his own expertise on the English countryside to examine the roots and early days of the Puritan separatists, as they traveled from England to New England. Bunker focuses on the converging commercial, political, social, and, of course, religious motives that drove the Puritans to leave their homeland and build the second permanent American settlement. The author builds on settlers William Bradford's and Edward Winslow's firsthand accounts, filling in gaps and providing further and sometimes contradictory detail. He uses evidence from a variety of hitherto unexamined sources, including customs records, letters, and archaeological digs, to offer a thorough and vivid account of the Puritan experience that eschews sentiment and debunks popular mythologies. Bunker's Puritans are portrayed as entrepreneurs and political rebels as well as religious radicals, reluctantly emigrating only when their financial backing seemed secure and relations with King James had become intolerable. VERDICT This lively, richly detailed, and complex but clearly written book is highly recommended for academic and well-informed lay readers interested in tracing the beginnings of the Puritan story along new and fascinating paths. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/09.]—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

Herlihy (Bicycle: The History) tells of two young men who set out to make their names in the alluring world of 1890s cycling. In 1892, Frank Lenz set out to cycle across Asia, west to east on a journey that had never been attempted before. The year before, William Sachtleben and Thomas Allen had cycled the world in the opposite direction. They almost crossed paths with Lenz in Shanghai. After a year, Lenz finally approached Turkey after a string of encounters alternating between harrowing and comical. No further word was heard from him. Sachtleben was commissioned to go to Turkey and find out what had happened. It took him a year, but Sachtleben eventually determined that Lenz had been killed by Kurdish brigands. This sad incident makes for fascinating history here because Herlihy combines an admirable talent for sleuthing with the narrative skills of a first-rate storyteller, ranging from such topics as the merits of the new "safety bicycles" (with pneumatic tires) compared with the older bicycles with their 56-inch wheels to the difficulty in pursuing any kind of justice in chaotic Turkey. VERDICT This should appeal to most lovers of history, as well as to bicycling enthusiasts. Strongly recommended.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Horn (director, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Lib., Colonial Williamsburg Fndn.) follows his well-received account of the Jamestown colony (A Land as God Made It) with the tragic story of Roanoke, founded two decades before Jamestown. Roanoke was England's first attempt to establish a foothold in North America, but, unlike Jamestown, it failed, and the colonists mysteriously abandoned their settlement. Horn focuses his lucid and accessible narrative on Walter Raleigh and John White, two key players in the tragedy. Raleigh financed and organized the colony but never journeyed to America himself, whereas White was a leading settler whose maps and descriptions of his journeys encouraged Queen Elizabeth's interest in establishing a British America that would cripple Spain's commercial and military power. Horn discusses Britain's sundry motivations for colonizing America, touches on the Roanoke colonists' mercurial relations with various Native tribes, and theorizes on what may have happened to the settlers after they abandoned their colony. But Horn fails to thoroughly dissect any particular aspect of, or shed new light on, this important and intriguing chapter in early American history. VERDICT This will appeal to lay readers interested in a brief overview of the Roanoke story, but it is insufficient for academic readers despite its endnotes.—Douglas King Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

In honor of its 75th anniversary in 2009, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), with the Foundation for the National Archives, has produced this handsome coffee table-sized volume, published in the UK, displaying selected materials from its collection to showcase U.S. history up to the present. The book also includes essays by Michael Beschloss, Tom Brokaw, Ken Burns, Cokie Roberts, and David McCullough, among others. Archivists at NARA can preserve only one to three percent of any year's government records; it's staggering to think how such choices continue to be made. Here, selected items are displayed with descriptions in chronological order within themes: territorial expansion and exploration, immigration and migration, political life, rights of women and minorities, and the growth of industry and technology. The notable documents are here, such as the Constitution of the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) agreement, but there are plenty of less predictable gems, like the contents of Eleanor Roosevelt's wallet at the time of her death in 1962, the first 1040 tax form from 1913, and an 1877 picture of Little Bighorn with the bones of the horses still on the ground where Custer took cover. VERDICT This is a great book for all public libraries and all American history buffs.—Bryan Craig, MLS, Nellysford, VA

Freelance journalist Schama, daughter of esteemed historian Simon Schama, undertakes a nonfiction debut most writers only dream about. She stumbled upon a page-turning topic in a footnote to an article on Wilkie Collins's Man and Wife, a novel based on a real-life episode. Her retelling of the history of one of Victorian England's most notorious scandals reads like a novel itself (the more so because she does not provide endnotes or a bibliography), detailing every aspect of the bigamy trial of William Charles Yelverton, which dominated the front pages of Irish, Scottish, and British newspapers in 1861. Although the story of Yelverton and his first wife, Theresa Longworth, practically tells itself through court documents, letters, and public opinion, Schama adds a journalist's touch in her story development. The latter part of the book deals with Theresa's later life in America as a self-made woman still haunted by her past. VERDICT History buffs and those who enjoy a good, old-fashioned scandal will find charm here, but it will not be as useful to serious students or specialists.—Suzan Alteri, Wayne State Univ. Lib., Detroit

Martin Luther King's murder on April 4, 1968, which destroyed Lyndon Johnson's hopes for a Great Society and fragmented beyond repair the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, was neither the result of an FBI conspiracy nor the impulsive act of a deranged killer, claims Sides (Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West), but rather a carefully planned assassination by James Earl Ray. Sides follows Ray from his escape from the high-security Missouri State Penitentiary, a year before the murder, to Mexico and then to Los Angeles, where Ray, a lifelong racist drifter going by the alias Eric S. Galt, fell under the political spell of presidential candidate George Wallace. Galt stalked King in Selma, AL, and in the civil rights leader's hometown of Atlanta before fatally shooting him in Memphis, TN. Sides's riveting account shows how the FBI, along with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Scotland Yard, worked through a mountain of leads and evidence to build an indisputable case against Ray. VERDICT Sides skillfully weaves his narrative as his book builds to the fateful conjunction of King and Ray in Memphis and to Ray's capture in London two months later. The results are a spellbinder that all interested readers will find hard to put down.—Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA

Native American slavery was brought to the scholarly forefront with Allan Gallay's The Indian Slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the American South, 1670–1717. Now Snyder (American studies & history, Indiana Univ.) examines captivity in the same region from pre-Columbian times to the 1840s but focuses on the evolution of slavery from the perspective of individual Native American groups. She demonstrates that captivity, before the arrival of Europeans, played an important role in Native societies, as some captives became kinfolk while others became slaves. The Europeans introduced slavery for profit and racialized slavery in the region, which had different consequences for different Native groups. The scale of slavery grew exponentially, with some Native groups actively victimizing others to obtain slaves for trade with Europeans. The introduction of African slaves further confounded the situation, as some Native groups sought to absorb African peoples into their communities while others adopted European-style African slavery. Slavery ultimately profoundly affected how Native peoples interacted with one another, Africans, and Euro-Americans in the Southeast. VERDICT Highly recommended for all informed readers in this subject, who will also want to have read Indian Slavery in Colonial America, edited by Alan Gallay, and Eric Bowne's The Westo Indians: Slave Traders of the Early Colonial South.—John Burch, Campbellsville Univ. Lib., KY

Rather than provide a strict history of the Spanish-American War of 1898, Thomas (asst. managing editor, Newsweek; Sea of Thunder) focuses on a half-dozen major players, including two who opposed it. Thomas has done yeoman research on America's first war after the Civil War (with the underlying influence of that war on the men in this story a leitmotif). The personal and political relationship between Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge takes up much space. A third character is media mogul William Randolph Hearst, who stirred popular war support through his yellow journalism. The main foil to these three imperialists was the powerful speaker of the house, Thomas Reed, who was eventually doomed by the frenzy that Hearst and others had whipped up. William James, the philosopher, and William McKinley were the proverbial men caught in the middle—James ambivalent about action heroes and war and McKinley a typical politician who caved to public opinion. VERDICT While most Spanish-American War histories focus on the military angle, this engaging book humanizes the conflict by also providing useful insights regarding the political and academic leaders of the time, allowing the war to resonate with later American adventures abroad and with the dilemma of reconciling American ideals with a new global world. Highly recommended.—William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport

Williams (history, Southern Methodist Univ., Years of Decision: American Politics in the 1890s) has written a concise and highly readable account of the 1896 election, which pitted Republican William McKinley against Democrat William Jennings Bryan. Williams explains how each candidate got his nomination and waged his campaign, but he also offers a negative view of sitting President Grover Cleveland. Williams argues that Cleveland isolated himself from voters and his Democratic Party with his uncompromising stand against silver coinage. The book's main strength is its showing that the Democrats had been losing the initiative since the start of Cleveland's second term in 1893. With a depression, the Democratic Party split over whether to support free silver or remain on a gold standard and over Cleveland's lackluster leadership, enabling Republicans to gain votes. McKinley and Mark Hanna, his campaign manager, developed a new style of campaigning, eschewing military parades for an "educational campaign" using speakers, pamphlets, and posters to drive a message to win new supporters. VERDICT Although this well-researched book is geared to academic readers, presidential history buffs in general are sure to enjoy it.—Bryan Craig, Miller Ctr. of Public Affairs, Charlottesville, VA

Former reporter Eig has brought new life to the story of Al "Scarface" Capone, reporting on the life, crimes, and fall of America's most notorious gangster. Eig accessed newly discovered material to produce this fresh take on Capone, including the papers and never-released IRS files of Chicago's U.S. attorney, George E.Q. Johnson. He also discovered a letter that contains a plausible solution to the never-solved Valentine's Day massacre. (William "Three-Fingered Jack" White may have led the massacre to avenge the gangster killing of his cousin, a cop's son.) Wrapped in this biography is an engrossing account of Prohibition, Chicago, and legal history (Johnson's innovation of charging suspected criminals of lesser crimes to get a conviction is still in use today). Eig is a fascinating storyteller who throws in the occasional bon mot ("It was cold and gray, as if February had knocked off May and taken its place") that readers will enjoy. While the book would have benefited from a "cast of characters" to help readers keep track of the many players, the accompanying web site (getcapone.com) is a treasure-trove of material, including links to FBI and IRS files. VERDICT This book should be very popular with true crime and Prohibition history buffs; highly recommended. [See "Prepub Exploded," BookSmack!, November 5, 2009.]—Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research, Philadelphia

The case of missing congressional intern Chandra Levy gripped the nation during spring 2001. After leaving her apartment in Washington, DC, she was never seen alive again. As presented here by two esteemed Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters from the Washington Post, the mystery of Chandra's disappearance is a riveting one, filled with the details of many false starts and frustrations on the part of her parents and the police agencies assigned to solve the case. Added to the mystery are questions about Rep. Gary Condit, with whom she was involved. After a summer of constant media attention, her story was abruptly pushed from the headlines by the events of 9/11. The authors show how her parents continued their efforts, both in California and in Washington, to find out what happened to their daughter. After many setbacks, and with a wide range of experts trying to solve the case, evidence of what happened to Chandra was ultimately found by accident near the apartment where she lived. VERDICT Essential for those interested in true crime mysteries or the world of Washington, DC, politics.—Claire Franek, MSLS, Brockport, NY

Begin with yourself! Oz follows in the wake of the "You: The Owner's Manual" series (e.g., You: Being Beautiful) that her husband and business partner, Dr. Mehmet Oz of The Dr. Oz Show, coauthors with Michael F. Roizen. (This work could share the "You" series title, since the first half focuses on relating to oneself.) Following the adage that the only person you can change is yourself, Oz begins with the Enneagram as a tool for identifying personality type. Other topics of self-examination include reaction to change, dealing with pain and suffering, and relating to your physical and emotional selves. Concluding that we find ourselves best in relationship with others, Oz gives special emphasis to marriage, family, humanity, and God (with whom, according to Oz, everyone has a relationship, even unacknowledged). Throughout, she uses examples of her own life and experience, and she ends each chapter with a week of exercises for further growth and exploration. VERDICT Not a book about relationships but about being in relationship, this distillation of popular wisdom is not an essential purchase but will appeal to those who loved the "You" series.—Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA

In the grip of recession, with the economic news ranging from bad to dire, Kotkin's (The City) prediction that the United States will "emerge by mid-century as the most affluent, culturally rich, and successful nation in human history" may come as a welcome surprise. Kotkin identifies two demographic trends—a growing birthrate and increased immigration—as engines that will drive this new prosperity. He anticipates that the "next hundred million" will live not in dense, "superstar" cities (e.g., New York, Chicago) but in suburbs and sprawling cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles, with urban planning taking a back seat to the force of the market, which will, in some unspecified way, be able to mitigate the effect on the environment of all those cars on the road. Kotkin's research is prodigious and at times quite convincing. But he deploys it so selectively, while failing to offer more substantive comment on some of the unquestionable challenges we'll face in the coming decades, that his relentlessly optimistic future vision becomes somewhat hard to swallow. VERDICT A refreshing change of pace, but the tone is so breathless and the future portrayed as so sweet that this book must be taken with a grain of salt. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/09.]—Rachel Bridgewater, Reed Coll. Lib., Portland, OR

Psychologist and management consultant Roberts (Lessons from Little Rock), one of the original Little Rock Nine, here presents speeches he has given over the last 20 years that "represent [his] core values and [his] concerns for our society." From integration, affirmative action, and issues of race and racism to community building, truth telling, and ethical decision making, Roberts tackles tough subjects in a text that doesn't provide all the answers but instead poses challenges to the reader. In seeking to build a relationship with us on the other side of the page, Roberts invites readers to enter into a dialog with him, whether or not we agree with his points, tone, or other aspects of his thinking. These addresses—which give us glimpses into Roberts's remarkable life—are written with an understanding and sensitivity to the idea that thinking beyond the ordinary and working for real change is simple, while things that are truly worth doing are rarely, if ever, easy. VERDICT This book is not exactly self-help, and though it has some insights into the author's life and experiences, it's not fully a memoir either. Yet it will surely be both useful and enjoyable to readers of either genre.—Eboni A. Francis, Oberlin Coll. Lib., OH

Stevenson, the travel columnist for Slate, and his lady friend, Rebecca, set out to create their own amazing journey by planning a trip around the world without getting on an airplane. Sounds positively Phileas Foggish, doesn't it? But that's the delight of the book. Just as Jules Verne's fictional Fogg encountered setbacks that forced him to make snap decisions in order to complete his 80-day trip, Stevenson and Rebecca are reminded constantly that airplane travel—as lousy as it might be—is still the fastest way to get from point A to point B. Stevenson's writing is full of charm and humor, and he knows just the right phrase to use when he believes his Estonian ferry is destined for Davy Jones's Locker. VERDICT In an age when everything has to be done yesterday, it's nice to know that there are still people wandering the globe who feel that getting somewhere could be more than half the fun. A delightful purchase for the travel collections of public libraries, and a visit from Stevenson and Rebecca would make for one heck of a program.—Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA