NEW BOOKS, MINI-REVIEWS BY VU LIBRARIANS

Wolfe, Nathan. The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age. New York: Times Books, 2011. (616.9 W855v)



This book is an excellent look at the history of viruses and how our modern world has contributed to a likelihood of a pandemic. Wolfe deftly details the history of viruses as they harm and/or help modern humans, as well as our ancestors, as exemplified by such diseases as HIV and smallpox. He also gives ideas for what a future control center to monitor diseases would look like while trying to answer various questions from a microbiologist’s point of view, such as: how to limit the risk of infection? This is an engrossing book that spans the world and the centuries to highlight where we have been and where we are going. It is an upbeat and practical scientific call for action that does not resort to hyperbole, exaggerated claims, or “scare tactics” to do so. In the end, it is an interesting look at a world that we are just coming to understand; a world that can be harmful but can also be beneficial. ­–Laura Hiatt-Smith, Public Services Librarian

Morgan, M.J. Land of Big Rivers: French & Indian Illinois, 1699-1778. Carbondale: SIU P, 2010. (977.301 M849l)



This work is of interest to anyone from the Vincennes area as it focuses on early French and Indiana culture and interaction in the Illinois Country (French: “Pays des Illinois, also called Upper Louisiana), which included Indiana during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the names in the Vincennes city directory today are the same as found in French settled river towns of Illinois (Prairie du Rocher, Kaskaskia) and Missouri (Old Mines, Ste. Genevieve), and therefore the interaction among the communities with Vincennes was very common and worth exploring historically. What is interesting about this book is the author pulls information from a variety of sources such as archaeology, history, botany, ecology, and physical science as she explores how the ecology of the rich, fertile areas among the region’s rivers affected the human history. This interdisciplinary approach is a unique way to learn about the early history of our area. –-By Richard L. King, Reference Librarian

Leary, Jim, and David Field. Story of Silbury Hill. Swindon: English Heritage, 2010. (936.2 L438s)

Among the numerous antiquarian peculiarities of Great Britain is the famed Silbury Hill, a 131 ft. high Neolithic mound near Avebury that is considered the tallest man-made prehistoric mound in Europe. This work provides a close look at 4,750 year old Silbury Hill, theories about its origins, various archaeology investigations through the centuries, and how it has been viewed and used throughout its many phases of human contact. The text is augmented with many beautiful illustrations and images. -–By Richard L. King, Reference Librarian