It’s always nice to discover a review like this on a Monday morning: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/mar/08/tale-two-bishops-and-brilliant-saint/

In a round-up review of several books about Augustine and The Confessions, Peter Brown has very nice things to say for the inaugural book in our Lives of Great Religious Books series. Brown says the biography is “another gem of a little book by Garry Wills.”

He continues, writing that “Wills describes brilliantly the manner in which this strange work seeped slowly through literary circles…His book is a passionate plea that we should read Augustine’s strange book as it was first heard, and in the light of the purposes for which it was first written.”

Happily his review dovetails nicely with the purpose of the series which is to examine the history and “life” of major religious texts — tracing generation, interpretation, uses, and misuses over time. We are gearing up for the launch of the next two books in the series — biographies of The Book of Mormon and The I Ching — in April.

This time around, the quiz is a bit easier — well perhaps it is if you own a copy of Steve Howell’s Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America! Can you ID both birds for species and age? Leave your best guess and reasoning in the comments below.

Here’s a hint: these photos were taken off Bodega Bay, CA in November 2011

Steve Howell, author of Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America, has kindly provided these two photographs of a rare sighting (he writes, “They are the first (to my knowledge) photos of….for North America”). Do you know what bird this is? Scroll to the bottom for Steve Howell’s ID and tips.

Here’s a hint: these pictures were taken off Cape Hatteras in June 2011.

If you guessed that these photos are of a juvenile Grant’s Storm-Petrel, pat yourself on the back.

Steve notes: “These two images were taken in spring 2011 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and were just too late to be included in the book. They are the first (to my knowledge) photos of juvenile (presumed) Grant’s [Band-rumped] Storm-Petrel for North America – this age class ‘had to’ occur but we didn’t have good enough photos before this. The uniformly fresh plumage with relatively pointed tips to the primaries indicate a juvenile, and the relative freshness on this date indicate a winter-breeding population, presumably Grant’s Storm-Petrel.”

Here is a relevant page from the book so you can confirm the ID for yourself!

Grant’s Storm-Petrel: Grant’s Storm-Petrel from Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America

Wild About Math blog has begun a terrific series of podcasts with prominent mathematicians. The first interview was with Keith Devlin and the second with our very own Bill Cook, author of In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman.

This new series seems to be a terrific start.

Listen in to Bill Cook’s interview here: http://wildaboutmath.com/2012/02/17/william-cook-inspired-by-math-2/
You can also read his thoughts on the book over at Rorotoko: http://rorotoko.com/interview/20120213_cook_william_on_in_pursuit_of_traveling_salesman/

We invite you to download and browse our 2012 Art & Architecture catalog at:
http://press.princeton.edu/catalogs/art12.pdf

Of special interest this year is a major new take on Pop art from esteemed critic Hal Foster, The First Pop Age. If you are attending the College Art Association’s annual meeting in L.A., please join us at the PUP booth #102 for a champagne toast and book signing. Hal Foster will be signing copies of his new book at 12:30 pm on Thursday, February 23rd. We hope to see you there.

You will also find many more great books by great authors in the catalog including; Sylvia Lavin’s Kissing Architecture, Wu Hung’s A Story of Ruins, Johanna G. Seasonwein’s Princeton and the Gothic Revival, and Meaning in Motion edited by Nino Zchomelidse & Giovanni Freni – just to name a few. You will also find many of your favorites now in paperback. Enjoy browsing.

To be notified about new books in art & architecture, sign up for an e-mail notification at:
http://press.princeton.edu/subscribe/

Steve Howell, author of Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America, has kindly provided these two photographs of a rare sighting (he writes, “They are the first (to my knowledge) photos of….for North America”). Do you know what bird this is? Leave us a comment with your best guess and your reasoning for the ID. I will post the answer early next week.

Here’s a hint: these pictures were taken off Cape Hatteras in June 2011.

In part 1 of the new Series Design Series of blog posts, we speak with Maria Lindenfeldar, Art Director for Princeton University Press, about the series design for The Jung Paperbacks. With this series, PUP has undertaken to repackage our extensive backlist of Jung books and present them as what they are — a significant and cohesive portion of our publishing program. Unlike a “new” series, these books all existed with in different forms for years before they were re-purposed in this series — a distinction that differentiates this design initiative from other series. Scroll down below the image for Maria’s thoughts on the design process and the unique challenges posed by this series.

View this image as a larger PDF: The Jung Paperbacks (pdf)
 

The Design Overview: This was a repackaging project. As the organizing motif, we used mandalas created by one of Jung’s patients, a repeating circle theme and almost identical typography. For “Introduction to Jungian Psychology,” we kept most elements consistent, replacing the mandala with an engaging portrait of Jung and reducing the palette to black and gold.

Click through to read a Q&A with Maria Lindenfeldar, Art Director.

In Between Citizens and the State, public policy expert and historian of higher education Christopher Loss takes a fascinating look at the close and sometimes fraught relations between American higher education and politics. I recently asked him to shed some light on Governor Christie’s new proposal in New Jersey that would result in the merger of Rutgers-Camden University with Rowan University under the name Rowan, as well as give Rutgers’ main campus in New Brunswick three of UMDNJ’s pieces— Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the School of Public Health and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The plan has been met by support on one side of the issue by both democrats and republicans who argue the plan could potentially remake South Jersey—a region with less educational opportunity than the wealthier northern part of the state—as a center of intellectual and economic success by creating an additional ‘research university’, fueling widespread investment in Camden similar to the renaissance that has transformed the West Philadelphia neighborhood of UPENN. Others, including many in the community at Rutgers-Camden, lament that Ru-Camden would have to adopt the name of what is currently a lesser-known university. The growth projected by the merger is unrealistic, they say, the two institutions are too different, and the cost of implementing the plan would be astronomical. Read on for a Q&A with Christopher Loss about the merger and the national conversation on higher education after the jump:

Now as a special treat, some Valentine’s wishes from Philosophy and Classics Editor Rob Tempio:

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than reading some philosophy with your sweetheart, beau, or paramour, right? Okay, maybe not, but if it’s depth you’re after in your love life and not just superficial passion or infatuation, then do we have the books for you.

First stop, the origins of romantic love. In this classic work, Love in the Western World, Dennis de Rougemont explores the psychology of love from the legend of Tristan and Isolde to Hollywood. At the heart of his exploration is the inescapable conflict in the West between marriage and passion. Mais oui!

The French may consider themselves the world’s greatest lovers, but are they also the greatest philosophers of love? Judge for yourself in French provocateur Pascal Bruckner’s new book, The Paradox of Love.

Today may not be the best day to wonder why we love what we love, but in his book, The Reasons of Love philosopher Harry Frankfurt says that self-love is at the heart of all else that we love. Try using that to explain why you got yourself chocolates and flowers. Also, if your significant other gives you a copy of Harry Frankfurt’s best-selling book Harry Frankfurt’s best-selling book On Bullshit today, things may be on the rocks. Just saying.

Love is irrational and blind, guided by passion not reason. Not exactly says philosopher and poet Troy Jollimore in his book, Love’s Vision. In this beautifully written book chock full of wonderful examples from poetry, literature, and music, Troy Jollimore show that love is a “vision” which combines the irrational and the rational, reason and passion, and guides us away from an excessive self-concern. And what says Valentine’s Day more than poetry, so why not read some of Jollimore’s poetry to your beloved as well: At Lake Scugogg.

Last but not least, no discussion of the philosophy of love would be complete without the Great Dane himself, Soren Kierkegaard. Yes, the man gave up the one great love of his life to devote himself to philosophy, but nevertheless it freed him up to write the many beautiful works on love that he did, including the aptly named Works of Love.

BBut, for those unattached and looking for love… at least for Valentine’s Day, pick up a copy of The Seducer’s Diary for all the tips sure to win you the favor of someone special. Satisfaction guaranteed…we hope.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Princeton University Press.

The Paradox of Love is now available in cloth and electronic form!

Happy Monday! This week’s mammal from our Mammals of North America App is the adorable Appalachian Cottontail. These bunnies are a rare species found in the northeastern U.S.A.

Wild rabbits are common in many parts of the U.S., and plenty of people have decided to keep rabbits as pets. To start your week with some cheer, check out this unmissable video of a pet bunny who just can’t stay awake!

Princeton University Press rocked the house at the 2011 PROSE Awards in Washington D.C., taking home a staggering 14 prizes!

“The PROSE Awards annually recognize the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by bringing attention to distinguished books, journals, and electronic content in over 40 categories. Judged by peer publishers, librarians, and medical professionals since 1976, the PROSE Awards are extraordinary for their breadth and depth.”

The press took home two Awards of Excellence, five Category Award Winners, and seven Honorable Mentions! Congratulations to our fantastic authors. A full list of who won what is available after the jump!

Timur Kuran, author of The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East, has two events coming up later this month in Princeton and NYC. Kuran, a professor of economics and political science at Duke University, published The Long Divergence in 2010. Read an extract from the book’s first chapter here!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

4:30 p.m in Jones 100 (campus map)

Free and open to the public

The Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia presents Timur Kuran:

“Structural Inefficiencies of Islamic Courts: Ottoman Justice and Its Implications for Modern Economic Life”

More information about the event here.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012: The American Turkish Society, New York, NY
6:30 – 8:00 PM
305 East 47th Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Free for members, $25 for non-members

Register for the event here, or read the full announcement!