Books released during the week of February 6, 2012

Located in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire are home to a colorful diversity of bird species. Birds of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire is the first comprehensive field guide to the birds of the region and the ideal companion for identifying the islands' remarkable avian population. This compact and portable book contains close to 1,000 superb color illustrations on 71 color plates and detailed descriptions of every species. Concise text on facing pages highlights key identification features, including voice, habitat, behavior, and status. This field guide is essential for all birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts interested in this part of the world.
Paper $27.95 / £19.95

"Dutson is one of the most experienced ornithologists in this little-known region, and this book is an excellent addition to Princeton's acclaimed series of field guides. The scholarship is outstanding and the text and species accounts are clear, concise, and very well written. Any birder visiting Melanesia will need this book, without doubt."--Susan Myers, author of Birds of Borneo
Paper $49.95 / £34.95

"[S]uperb."--Edward L. Glaeser, New York Times' Economix blog
Paper $18.95 / £12.95
Cloth $27.95 / £19.95
e-Book $18.95

"[Thagard] offers a tightly reasoned, often humorous, and original contribution to the emerging practice of applying science to areas heretofore the province of philosophers, theologians, ethicists, and politicians: What is reality and how can we know it? Are mind and brain one or two? What is the source of the sense of self? What is love? What is the difference between right and wrong, and how can we know it? What is the most legitimate form of government? What is the meaning of life, and how can we find happiness in it? Thagard employs the latest tools and findings of science in his attempts to answer these (and additional) questions."--Michael Shermer, Science
Paper $19.95 / £13.95
Cloth $30.95 / £21.95
e-Book $19.95

"This is a wide-ranging exploration of how America looks, thinks, and lives in terms of race as we go into this new millennium. Bridging political science, sociology, and the burgeoning study of DNA, the authors show us that racial order remains one of the most reliable ways of organizing our past and present as Americans, even as that order is dynamic and indeed transformed over time."--Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard University
Cloth $29.95 / £19.95
e-Book $29.95

"This is a spectacular book, deeply researched and brilliantly written, on a riveting subject--the historical reception of Spinoza from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Schwartz demonstrates his command of European philosophy, modern European Jewish history, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, and Zionist culture. A tour de force."--David Biale, University of California, Davis
Cloth $39.50 / £27.95

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Paper $75.00 / £52.00
Cloth $165.00 / £115.00
e-Book $75.00

"This is one of the very best philosophical treatments of libertarian thought, ever. John Tomasi cements his position as one of America's leading social and political philosophers."--Tyler Cowen, author of Creative Destruction
Cloth $35.00 / £24.95
e-Book $35.00

"[F]or anyone who wants to delve deeply into just how Google's PageRank works, I recommend Google's PageRank and Beyond."--Stephen H. Wildstrom, BusinessWeek
Paper $24.95 / £16.95
Cloth $42.00 / £28.95
e-Book $24.95

"The Invention of Enterprise offers a timely contribution to our emerging understanding of entrepreneurship in an historical context and is particularly worthwhile for readers who are interested in certain rich historical episodes that are nevertheless little known."--Michaël Bikard and Scott Stern, Journal of Economic Literature
Paper $35.00 / £24.95
Cloth $55.00 / £37.95
e-Book $35.00

"Watching Peter Schäfer explicate Jewish and Christian texts is like watching a great restorer work on a fresco damaged by time, wind, and water. Blurred outlines come into focus, dull colors become brilliant, and suddenly a forgotten story of exchange between the two religions comes back to dramatic life. This is great scholarship, applied to a subject so complex and difficult that nothing less could do it justice."--Anthony T. Grafton, Princeton University
Cloth $35.00 / £24.95

"Fred Borsch's Keeping Faith at Princeton is an intellectual gem and spiritual jewel. We Princetonians should be grateful to him."--Cornel West, Princeton University
Cloth $35.00 / £24.95
e-Book $35.00

Review of German edition: "This is a masterfully told and unprejudiced book about a traditional enterprise which despite many crises made its way into the twenty-first century."--Joachim Käppner, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Cloth $35.00 / £24.95
e-Book $35.00

"[A] masterful analysis of the surviving evidence for ancient Memphis."--John F. Oates, American Journal of Philology
Paper $35.00 / £24.95
Cloth $75.00 / £52.00
e-Book $35.00

"Moshe Halbertal has a tremendous knack for turning arcane topics and esoteric texts into the most exciting and topical ideas to think about. On Sacrifice moves from biblical practices of animal sacrifice to modern ideas about self-sacrifice in war. The book is at its most profound in sorting out the relation between violence and sacrifice. Altogether, this is a very moving and deep book--philosophically, anthropologically, and religiously."--Avishai Margalit, author of On Compromise and Rotten Compromises
Cloth $24.95 / £16.95
e-Book $24.95

This volume catalogs the more than two hundred remarkable and varied pieces of European sculpture and metalwork--dating from the Middle Ages through the twentieth century--amassed by Robert Lehman, one of the foremost art collectors of his generation. Highlights of the collection's exemplary aquamanilia, bronze sculptures, medals, and plaquettes include a medieval aquamanile, the finest of its type, depicting the theme of foolish love in the fable of Phyllis and Aristotle, as well as a commanding figure of Mars in the guise of a musketeer loading his weapon, dating to the seventeenth century. Each work in this catalog is illustrated, in many cases with new color photography, and elucidated by in-depth scholarly discussion.
Cloth $75.00 / £52.00

"James Kloppenberg, one of America's foremost intellectual historians, persuasively argues that [there is] a broader shift in American philosophy away from appeal to general principles, valid at all times and in all places, toward a reliance on local, historically particular values and ideals. Kloppenberg's own endeavor, in surveying the work in political and legal theory that seems to have shaped President Obama's thinking, is to argue for the coherence, the Americanness, and the plausibility of Obama's approach to politics and to the Constitution."--Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Review of Books
Paper $17.95 / £12.50
e-Book $17.95

"This book presents a unique and broad introduction to the necessary background, tools, and methods to design guidance, navigation, and control systems for unmanned air vehicles. Written with confidence and authority by leading researchers in the field, this effectively organized book provides an excellent reference for all those interested in this subject."--Emilio Frazzoli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cloth $99.50 / £69.95
e-Book $99.50

"Aurelian Craiutu has written a superb book. The lost virtue of moderation--what Tacitus called 'the most difficult lesson of wisdom'--has at last been given voice. It would be a nice irony if it took a group of French thinkers to teach contemporary Americans something about the value of political moderation and constitutional government. I hope this book will be widely read, especially by our elected officials."--Steven Smith, Yale University
Cloth $49.50 / £34.95
e-Book $49.50

"Who's #1? is an excellent survey of the fundamental ideas behind mathematical rating systems. Once a realm of sports enthusiasts, ranking things is becoming a vital tool in many information-age applications. Langville and Meyer compare and contrast a variety of models, explaining the mathematical foundations and motivation. Readers of this book will be inspired to further explore this exciting field."--Kenneth Massey, Massey Ratings
Cloth $29.95 / £19.95
e-Book $29.95

Books released during the week of January 23, 2012

"Jennifer Lena's Banding Together unleashes a fierce and exacting take on the scattered and freewheeling territory of music, offering a soothing order to the wild scufflings of performers and fans alike, and inspiring a smarter, more forthright think on a crazy untrammeled scene. In other words, it has a beat and you can dance to it."--Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket and accordionist with The Magnetic Fields
Cloth $35.00 / £24.95
e-Book $35.00

"Just in time for the primaries and the big showdown in November comes the wisdom of the ancients, in this case from Quintus Tullius Cicero, younger brother of Marcus, the greatest ancient Roman orator--perhaps the greatest of all time--who, more than two thousand years ago, ran for the highest office in the Roman Republic."--Steve Levingston, WashingtonPost.com's Political Bookworm blog
Cloth $9.95 / £6.95
e-Book $9.95

"Pascal Bruckner is one of the most original, and least academic, of the new French philosophers. He has a mordant wit, a feeling for the pregnant sentence, and his dissection of the myths of romantic love--too elegantly done to be called a 'deconstruction'--is ideal reading for lovers of paradox, and even for those still in love with love's paradox."--Adam Gopnik, author of Paris to the Moon and The Table Comes First
Cloth $29.95 / £19.95
e-Book $29.95

Books released during the week of January 16, 2012

"This book is the field guide for the birds of the Indian Subcontinent…. Most highly recommended."--Wildlife Activist
Paper $39.50 / £27.95

"A must have for those with an interest in Neotropical birds or collectors of family monographs!"--Ian Paulsen, Birdbooker Report
Cloth $55.00 / £37.95

"If the medium is the message, Nielsen shows that a key medium in campaigns is person-to-person communication. His sharp analysis and careful ethnographic storytelling reveal both the high level strategic role and the human experience of personalized political communication in contemporary elections."--W. Lance Bennett, University of Washington
Paper $24.95 / £16.95
Cloth $80.00 / £55.00
e-Book $24.95

Books released during the week of January 9, 2012

Despite his relatively short life, Kierkegaard was an extraordinarily prolific writer, as attested to by the 26-volume Princeton University Press edition of all of his published writings. But Kierkegaard left behind nearly as much unpublished writing, most of which consists of what are called his "journals and notebooks." Kierkegaard has long been recognized as one of history's great journal keepers, but only rather small portions of his journals and notebooks are what we usually understand by the term "diaries." By far the greater part of Kierkegaard's journals and notebooks consists of reflections on a myriad of subjects--philosophical, religious, political, personal. Studying his journals and notebooks takes us into his workshop, where we can see his entire universe of thought. We can witness the genesis of his published works, to be sure--but we can also see whole galaxies of concepts, new insights, and fragments, large and small, of partially (or almost entirely) completed but unpublished works. Kierkegaard's Journals and Notebooks enables us to see the thinker in dialogue with his times and with himself.
Cloth $150.00 / £103.00

Volume Eight of the project documenting Thomas Jefferson's last years presents 591 documents dated from 1 October 1814 to 31 August 1815. Jefferson is overjoyed by American victories late in the War of 1812 and highly interested in the treaty negotiations that ultimately end the conflict. Following Congress's decision to purchase his library, he oversees the counting, packing, and transportation of his books to Washington. Jefferson uses most of the funds from the sale to pay old debts but spends some of the proceeds on new titles. He resigns from the presidency of the American Philosophical Society, revises draft chapters of Louis H. Girardin's history of Virginia, and advises William Wirt on revolutionary-era Stamp Act resolutions. Jefferson criticizes those who discuss politics from the pulpit, and he drafts a bill to transform the Albemarle Academy into Central College. Monticello visitors Francis W. Gilmer, Francis C. Gray, and George Ticknor describe the mountaintop and its inhabitants, and Gray's visit leads to an exchange with Jefferson about how many generations of white interbreeding it takes to clear Negro blood. Finally, although death takes his nephew Peter Carr and brother Randolph Jefferson, the marriage of his grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph is a continuing source of great happiness.
Cloth $115.00 / £80.00
e-Book $115.00

Books released during the week of January 3, 2012

New Zealand is commonly described as "the land of birds." Now, there is an easy-to-use guide for all those interested in this country's remarkable bird population. A Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand contains over 600 stunning photographs of the more than 350 bird species likely to be seen in this area of the world. Comprehensive and compact, the book includes full descriptions of all native species and regular visitors, distribution maps and measurements, key information on national parks, and useful information on ongoing conservation efforts in the country. Filled with handy tips for nature enthusiasts wanting to make the most of their trip, this is the only bird guide that anyone exploring this region will need.
Paper $24.95

"Many people think that the reconciliation of the Catholic Church and liberal democracy consummated at Vatican II represents a sudden shift. Perreau-Saussine shows to the contrary that it has deep roots in the history of the church, and in particular in the Gallicanism of ancien regime France. Even Vatican I can be seen as a stage on this long march. This rich and fascinating book sheds much light on what this reconciliation means--and what it couldn't mean."--Charles Taylor, professor emeritus, McGill University
Cloth $45.00 / £30.95
e-Book $45.00

Convolution and Equidistribution explores an important aspect of number theory--the theory of exponential sums over finite fields and their Mellin transforms--from a new, categorical point of view. The book presents fundamentally important results and a plethora of examples, opening up new directions in the subject.
Paper $75.00 / £52.00
Cloth $165.00 / £115.00
e-Book $75.00

"In this surprising and creative book, Janet Chen shows that early twentieth-century Chinese intellectuals, officials, philanthropists, and police in China's cities came to see poverty and the poor very differently from their late imperial predecessors--with often drastic consequences for those so categorized. Meanwhile, beggars, refugees, orphans, and others not only struggled to survive, but to make themselves heard in ways that might lead to help, or at least avert punishment--and Chen captures those struggles in prose that is both poignant and analytically powerful. Sensitive to details and ever mindful of the big picture, this is social history of the highest caliber."--Kenneth Pomeranz, author of The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
Cloth $45.00 / £30.95
e-Book $45.00

Volume 38 opens on 1 July 1802, when Jefferson is in Washington, and closes on 12 November, when he is again there. For the last week of July and all of August and September, he resides at Monticello. Frequent correspondence with his heads of department and two visits with Secretary of State James Madison, however, keep the president abreast of matters of state. Upon learning in August of the declaration of war by Mawlay Sulayman, the sultan of Morocco, much of the president's and the cabinet's attention is focused on that issue, as they struggle to balance American diplomatic efforts with reliance on the country's naval power in the Mediterranean. Jefferson terms the sultan's actions "palpably against reason." In September, he addresses the concerns of the mayor of New York City and the governor of South Carolina that free blacks expelled from Guadeloupe by the French will be landed onto American shores. Although he believes the matter will be dealt with by the states, he also instructs Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin to direct custom house officers to be watchful. In late August, Jefferson is alerted that he has been touched by the "breath of Slander," when James T. Callender's accusations appear in the Richmond Recorder and make public his relationship with Sally Hemings. The president offers no comment, and a month later returns to Washington, where he continues planning for an impending visit by his daughters.
Cloth $115.00 / £80.00
e-Book $115.00

"No other text on the tubenoses begins to offer the material contained in Howell's latest book. The reader has a palpable sense, when reading it, that the author not only knows his subject and audience but also genuinely loves the ocean and its inhabitants--and relishes teaching people about them."--Edward S. Brinkley, author of National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America
Cloth $45.00 / £30.95
e-Book $45.00