BRILL
Muqarnas; an annual on the visual culture of the Islamic world: History and ideology, architectural heritage of the "lands of Rum"; v.24.
The 14 articles of this year's annual are devoted entirely to the historiography of the art and architectural history of Turkey. The influence of Ataturk and his pervasive promotion of the Turkish nation are a frequent subject, though the reader will be struck by the new take on the ideas of both westernization and Orientalism to be found in the invention of Turkish art and architectural history in the 19th and 20th centuries, with articles on formalism, Arthur Upham Pope, and the influential and controversial Austrian art historian Josef Strzygowski. The volume is oversized (8.75x11 inches), beautifully illustrated with color and b&w plates, but not indexed. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
O ye gentlemen; Arabic studies on science and literary culture in honour of Remke Kruk.
Arabic studies departments are becoming more common these days, but are still rare. This festschrift honors one of the pioneers in the field, Remke Kruk, of the University of Utrecht. Her friends and former students have contributed essays in German, English and French reflecting her interest in Arabic literature and how it transmits culture. The articles range from analyses of A Thousand and One Nights to the translation of medical texts to Coptic writing to discourses on unicorns, beekeeping and the benefit of sexual activity. Several black and white plates illustrate some essays. This is a fine scholarly work. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Objects in context, objects in use; material spatiality in Late Antiquity.
Tthe contents, derived from an eponymous meeting at Oxford in May 2004, admirably promote the study of material spatiality in Late Antiquity, exploring the material world as it was lived, using a variety of sources, as opposed to simply describing and interpreting the material culture as it remains today. Lavan and Swift (both: archaeology, U. of Kent, Canterbury, UK), and Putzeys (Sagalasses Archaeological Project, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium) are editors and also authors of some of the 26 contributed chapters. The book contains seven sections, each with multiple essays, in the areas of bibliographic content, domestic space, vessels in context, shops and workshops, dress, religious space, and military space. Sites included are primarily Eastern Mediterranean, as well as Pella, Dura-Europos, Scythopolis, and Sagalassos. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Old Colony Mennonites in Argentina and Bolivia; nation making, religious conflict, and imagination of the future.
Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Argentina and Bolivia between 1996 and 2001, Cañás Bottos (social and cultural anthropology, Tallinn U., Estonia) examines the application of the Mennonites' Christian ideals for the "building of a community of believers" in the world while remaining separate from mainstream society. Coverage includes the development of the Mennonite ideological and social framework that defines and makes them "the people of Christ"; the relationship between Mennonite settlements and the processes of nation-state formation; the processes of schism and colony formation; interactions with non-Mennonites, and some resulting conflicts; how the Old Colony deals with membership issues; the roles of reading and writing among the Mennonites, particularly the usage of imaginations of the future to promote change; and how the Old Colony handles dissenters. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The Orion Center bibliography of the Dead Sea scrolls and associated literature (2000-2006).
Clements and Sharon (both Hebrew U., Jerusalem) present the fifth comprehensive printed bibliography on the Dead Sea Scrolls, following volumes covering the periods 1948-1957 (W. S. LaSor), 1958-1969 (B. Jongeling), 1970-1995 (F. García and D.W. Parry), and 1995-2000 (A. Pinnick). Based on the On-Line Bibliography Project maintained by the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew U., Jerusalem, the text reflects an emphasis in recent scholarship on integrating the knowledge gained from the Qumran corpus into the larger picture of Second Temple Judaism. In addition to studies on pseudepigrapha, the current volume features a significant number of titles from the fields of Philo, Josephus, and New Testament studies. It contains some 4100 entries, including approximately 850 reviews, organized alphabetically by author and title, and an appendix of addenda to the previous publication. The material is indexed by ancient source, subject, and language. For students and scholars within and outside the field. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The other Europe in the Middle Ages; Avars, Bulgars, Khazars, and Cumans.
Perhaps it's the break up of the Soviet Union and the rebirth of long-forgotten states, but western historians have just realized that Eastern Europe also has a history. Curta (history and archaeology, University of Florida) has edited articles on the early medieval history of southeastern Europe, principally what is now Bulgaria. Some deal with archaeological finds in the area, coins and weapons, that say a great deal about both culture and trade. Others discuss the social and religious milieu, including the Khazars, a tribal kingdom that converted to Judaism in the ninth century. Relations with Byzantium and the Islamic states are also discussed. This is a solid work of scholarship that is much needed. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Paracelsus (Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, 1493-1541); essential theoretical writings.
Weeks (German, Illinois State U.) has done an impressive job of translating and introducing five lengthy works by the 16th-century Swiss polymath. The lengthy introduction describes the life and thought of Paracelsus as well as discussing the process employed for the translation. The translated works are Paragranum, Opus paramirum, On the origin and cause of diseases of both kinds, On the matrix, and On the invisible diseases. Presented in a side-by-side translation with the original text, Weeks' English translation makes available to a wide audience the medical, scientific, and philosophical ideas, and the theory of alchemy of an influential early modern writer. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Peace negotiations in the shadow of violence.
Höglund (peace and conflict research, Uppsala U.) discerns and analyze patterns of actions and response with case studies from Guatemala, Northern Ireland, South Africa and Sri Lanka, asking why some forms of violence may not follow the common wisdom that all conflict is an obstacle to peace. She describes the role of crisis that shapes the fear of both peace and war and the particulars of building confidence after conflict, of learning to develop trust, of using conflict as justification for negotiation, and of identifying failure after negotiation. Höglund proposes a model to use in explaining and managing conflict-induced crisis. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Philological and historical commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus XXVI.
Having commented on earlier sections of Ammianus' history of Rome, Den Boft and colleagues here consider the first book that discusses the Pannonian emperors Valentinian and Valens, that is, the post-Julian period of the fourth century. Passage by passage, they place his account into such contexts as his overall approach to history, his interpretation of recent and events, subsequent events that he did or did not foreshadow, literary traditions, and other evidence for the period. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Protected areas and international environmental law.
Along with the World Heritage Convention and the Convention on Migratory Species, a number of international organizations are responsible for creation, protection and management of large areas of land and water that serve a range of delicate or endangered plants, animals and landscapes. The international laws and regulations pertaining to these environments and organizations can be complex and vary substantially based upon location and situation. Researcher Gillespie covers both land and sea as he describes in detail the definitions, treaties, and expectations of the matrix of protected areas, starting with those from antiquity and working to international conventions on Antarctica, maritime affairs and specific species. He describes the classifications and definitions relating to protection, the values behind conventions, obligations of regulations (and gaps), management plans and operations, involvement of local populations, threats to success, compliance methods, financial assistance sources, and communications. The result is succinct and well-balanced. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Proclus' Commentary on the Cratylus in context; ancient theories of language and naming.
In the Cratylus dialogue, Plato reflects on the relationship between language and his philosophy; Proclus' commentary on it likewise reflects on the relationship between language and his own neoplatonic philosophy. Berg, who admits only to being Dutch, reconstructs the outlines of the Commentary, which survives only in a student's notes of Proclus' discussion. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Problem-solving and bargaining in international negotiations.
American scholar of international relations Wagner has investigated environmental negotiations extensively, and here sets out some negotiation processes and their outcomes that recent US presidents might have employed in the international arena had any of them demonstrated the slightest interest in anything but slaughter. Her study pivots on 13 case studies of negotiation processes and outcomes, but other topics include identifying process and outcome in the case data, and a statistical assessment of the process-outcome relationship. Martinus Nijhoff is an imprint of Brill. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Pure gold from the words of Sayyidi 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Sabbagh; al-dhabab al-ibriz min Kalam Sayyidi 'Abd Al-'aziz Al-dabbagh.
The Sufi mystic al-Dabbagh, who lived in Morocco in the early 18th century, had his commentary on Quranic thought recorded by one of his students, al-Lamati, who also included his own commentary on al-Dabbagh's work. This volume presents the translation into English of al-Lamati's work, which includes not only the recording of the thought of al-Dabagh, but al-Lamati's own introduction, which includes a lengthy hagiography of an earlier mystic, al- Fishtali, before turning to al-Dabbagh. Scholars of Sufism and of social life and religion in Morocco will find this an exciting and valuable addition to the scholarly literature. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Raiding Saint Peter; empty sees, violence, and the initiation of the Great Western Schism (1378).
Those who believe that in the Middle Ages the Church controlled the minds and actions of the faithful have never heard of the good old custom of looting the property of a bishop, even the bishop of Rome, at his death. This was practiced by local townspeople and local authorities. Even though they forbade the practice, kings were not above a more refined form of looting. They often delayed the election of a new bishop so that they could collect the earnings of the see for themselves. Rollo-Koster (medieval history, University of Rhode Island) looks at the tradition of "raiding Saint Peter" and how it played a part in the Great Papal Schism of 1378. How did it begin? When did it become a custom? Was greed the only reason for the looting, or could piety also be involved? The author gives an interesting investigation of a phenomenon that has been largely ignored in the history of ecclesiastical elections. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Reading ancient texts; v.2: Aristole and neoplatonism, essays in honour of Denis O'Brien.
O'Brien is credited with helping heal the rift between Anglophone philosophers recovering from their analytical binge and continental Europeans recovering from a plethora of post-isms. The celebratory essays by historians of philosophy reflect that effort as they discuss Aristotle, and Plato as seen by his philosophical heirs from Apuleius to Augustine. Their topics include the notion of contact and the possibility of acting without being affected in Aristotle's De Generatione et Corruptione, the concept of will in Plotinus, and innovation and continuity in the history of philosophy. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Reading ancient texts; v.1: Presocrates and Plato; essays in honour of Denis O'Brien.
Historians of philosophy from Europe and the US begin the two-volume set by looking at what many consider the beginnings of Western thought, and at the mists of time from which it precipitated. Their topics include the structure of the eye and its cosmological function in Empedocles, Philolaus and the central fire, Socrates on the definition of figure in the Meno, and dialectic by negation in three late dialogues. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Reading religions in the ancient world; essays presented to Robert McQueen Grant on his 90th birthday.
Over a 65-year-long career, Robert M. Grant produced 36 books and numerous articles interpreting the first three centuries of Christianity in the Roman Empire and influencing American and European scholars working in the field. Aune and Young (both U. of Notre Dame, Indiana) present a collection of 16 articles by 16 of Grant's students and colleagues. Organized into sections on classical, New Testament, and patristic studies, the essays reflect and extend Grant's research and scholarly work, and contribute to the study of religion in the ancient world. A sampling of essay topics: credibility and credulity in Plutarch's Life of Numa Pompilius, divine sons — Aeneas and Jesus in Hebrews, notes on divesting and vesting in The Hymn of the Pearl, and Ante-Nicene preaching in recent literature. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The representations of the overseas world in the De Bry Collection of voyages (1590-1634).
Early modern Europe was avid for information about the rest of the world. The Age of Exploration and colonization had made interest in other cultures more that mere curiosity. New trade routes were opening and the New World was becoming a place of emigration from the Old. The De Bry family of the Netherlands filled this need through a multi-volume guide the lands and inhabitants of America, Africa and the Orient. Van Groesen (American and early modern history, University of Amsterdam) has written a monumental analysis of the contents of these volumes and how they helped shape European views of the rest of the world. He begins with the history of the family company and their search for material. Following chapters discuss the representations of plants and animals in the various regions and then the human inhabitants. The reinforcement of non-Christians as barbarians and savages is demonstrated by van Groesen through the text and the often-reproduced engraved plates. The study concludes with the ways in which the De Brys dealt with censorship, especially by the Catholic Index and the impact of the works both at the time of publication and today. An appendix gives a list of all editions published by the De Vrys, the travel accounts they used and the engravings made. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Retellings; the Bible in literature, music, art and film.
Eight articles also published as Biblical Interpretations vol. 15, no. 4-5 (2007) describe examples of biblical themes in the genres. Their topics include Jephthah's daughters as object of desire or feminist icon, Ildebrando Pizzetti's re-visioning of a biblical story through libretto and music in Debora e Jaele, and strategic ambiguity in Judges 4-5 and in classic film noir. There is no index. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Revisiting al-Andalus; perspectives on the material culture of Islamic Iberia and beyond.
With their origins in the 2002 meeting of the Middle Eastern Studies Association of North America, the 12 papers of this collection discuss issues of Muslim architecture and culture in Spain as well as its later study. Individual papers discuss recent archaeological studies of urban and palace sites, ceramics, ivory carving, and inscriptions. Jennifer Robinson (Cornell U., Ithaca, NY) contributes a notable survey of late 20th-century Spanish mosque architecture. The contributors are art historians in the US and Europe. The volume includes many b&w illustrations. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
