Author: George Haggerty File Type: pdf This Encyclopedia offers accounts of the most important developments in an area that now occupies a critical place in many academic endeavours.From Library JournalZimmerman (womens studies, San Diego State Univ.) and Haggerty (English, Univ. of California, Riverside) have compiled two impressive volumes on gay and lesbian history and culture. The signed articles range from half a page to about six pages and provide at least a minimal bibliography and cross references. There are entries on narrow topics that one would expect, such as Stonewall and Daughters of Bilitis, as well as biographies of both historical and contemporary figures. Unexpected broader topics, such as gentrification and social work, are also featured because they have played a role in gay or lesbian culture and history. Some people and events are hidden within these broader articles, but each volume has a lengthy index. The earlier Encyclopedia of Homosexuality, edited by Wayne Dynes (LJ 190), was criticized for not addressing lesbian history adequately, and Zimmerman and Haggerty state that they chose to produce two separate volumes to ensure that both histories receive full and unbiased attention. Users, however, would have been better served by a single alphabetical arrangement or, at least, a shared index. One who knows nothing about the Mattachine Society, for example, would be forced to check both volumes before finding the relevant information. The editors acknowledge making different choices about content and emphasis, and there is some inconsistency. Thus, there is an entry for contemporary mystery writer Michael Nava but none for Sandra Scoppettone or Katherine Forrest. Overall, however, these are fine scholarly works that belong in the reference section of every library.DDebra Moore, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistHere is proof positive that mainstream reference publishing increasingly recognizes the evolution of gay and lesbian studies. Thumbs up to Haggerty and Zimmerman--this title (The Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures) in two volumes is undoubtedly the first relatively thorough reference work that attempts to survey the complex histories and wide cultural diversity of lesbian and gay life. In their introductions, the editors explain why they have chosen to develop separate volumes, edited independently. For this review, the Board has chosen to focus on the work as a whole, rather than on the volumes as separates. The Board feels this reflects the spirit and intent of the work.The editors note that the encyclopedia is not intended to be truly comprehensive. They have not surveyed every historical period and every region of the world or treated every individual whose life involved same-sex relationships. Only individuals who were the first in their fields or who already have had unquestionable influence and notoriety are included. Each volume consists of alphabetically arranged, signed entries. Each entry is followed by a list of cross-references and includes a bibliography with the most important and easily accessible titles. Subject guides and an index facilitate access.An exceptional group of authors has contributed entries to these volumes, as is evidenced by the treatment of topics. Overall, a broad range of subjects is covered, and readers will find both similarities and differences in the selection and treatment of issues in the two volumes. The editors assert that having separate volumes ensures that lesbian and gay histories and cultures receive full and unbiased attention. However, this two-volume strategy is only partially successful. At times, readers may find the differences in the range of subjects covered in the two volumes to be either perplexing or out-and-out frustrating. For example, those seeking full treatment of a general subject such as psychology, or a more specific topic such as psychological and psychoanalytical perspectives on lesbianism and homosexuality, will need to read entries in both volumes. It is difficult to use the two volumes together, however, because they are not linked by their subject guides, cross-references, or indexes. The subject guides in particular can be confusing the entry Body image is listed under the heading psychology in Lesbian Histories, but under anthropology in Gay Histories. In some cases, an issue covered in one volume is not treated in the other, necessitating further research elsewhere. These differences can be misleading. Does the fact that only Lesbian Histories has an entry for Relationship violence mean this is no longer a phenomenon or component of gay male culture? Overall, however, the volumes succeed in complementing one another and in beginning to fill a growing need for extended treatment of issues relevant to the histories and cultures of lesbians and gay men. This encyclopedia promises to be of interest to a wide audience, including students and scholars in all fields and the general public who are interested in the state of lesbian and gay research. Noted shortcomings aside, reference librarians in academic and medium-sized and large public libraries will want to add both volumes to their collections. RBB American Library Association. lt

Author: Nicholas Agar File Type: pdf Proposals to make us smarter than the greatest geniuses or to add thousands of years to our life spans seem fit only for the spam folder or trash can. And yet this is what contemporary advocates of radical enhancement offer in all seriousness. They present a variety of technologies and therapies that will expand our capacities far beyond what is currently possible for human beings. In Humanitys End, Nicholas Agar argues against radical enhancement, describing its destructive consequences. Agar examines the proposals of four prominent radical enhancers Ray Kurzweil, who argues that technology will enable our escape from human biology Aubrey de Grey, who calls for anti-aging therapies that will achieve longevity escape velocity Nick Bostrom, who defends the morality and rationality of enhancement and James Hughes, who envisions a harmonious democracy of the enhanced and the unenhanced. Agar argues that the outcomes of radical enhancement could be darker than the rosy futures described by these thinkers. The most dramatic means of enhancing our cognitive powers could in fact kill us the radical extension of our life span could eliminate experiences of great value from our lives and a situation in which some humans are radically enhanced and others are not could lead to tyranny of posthumans over humans.**

Author: Stewart Pollens File Type: pdf This is the first comprehensive study of the life and work of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the Paduan-born harpsichord maker and contemporary of Antonio Stradivari, who is credited with having invented the pianoforte around the year 1700 while working in the Medici court in Florence. Through thorough analysis of documents preserved in the State Archive of Florence, Pollens has reconstructed, in unprecedented technical detail, Cristoforis working life between his arrival in Florence in 1688 and his death in 1732. This book will be of interest to pianists, historians of the piano, musicologists, museum curators and conservators, as well as keyboard instrument makers, restorers, and tuners. **Book Description This is the first comprehensive study of Bartolomeo Cristofori, who is credited with having invented the pianoforte around the year 1700 while working in the Medici court in Florence. Through thorough analysis of documents preserved in the state archive of Florence, Pollens has reconstructed, in unprecedented detail, Cristoforis working life. About the Author Trained as a violin and keyboard instrument maker, Stewart Pollens served as the conservator of musical instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York between 1976 and 2006 and is currently the Director of the firm Violin Advisor, LLC. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and award-winning publications on musical instrument history including The Early Pianoforte (Cambridge, 1995), Stradivari (Cambridge, 2010) and the The Manual of Musical Instrument Conservation (Cambridge, 2015).

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