I am always seeking books that include a wide range of psychometric instruments that can be used to instruct students regarding concepts such as reliability and validity. In addition, I prefer to use psychometric instruments that appear to have some practical application for our graduates.

THE PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE TO EMPIRICALLY BASED MEASURES OF DEPRESSION includes a description of the psychometric qualities of 94 scales of depression. These 94 scales fit into one of three categories that include:

Measures of depression, depressive symptomatology, and depressive moods
Measures of depression for special populations
Measures of depression-related constructs

The wide variety of methods for assessing the degree of depression is nothing less than overwhelming. In addressing each instrument, the authors use the following outline:

Original Citation
Purpose
Description
Background
Administration
Scoring
Interpretation
Psychometric Properties (Norms, Reliability, and Validity)
Clinical Utility
Research Applicability
Source
Cost
Alternative Forms

The consistency of this outline is quite helpful in reviewing these instruments when students are first learning about test construction. In addition, the authors have included reprints of 24 instruments meant to measure depression. These reproductions are extremely helpful for students who are first learning about test construction.

In addition to being a wonderful tool to learn the basic of instrument construction, THE PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE TO EMPIRICALLY BASED MEASURES OF DEPRESSION is an equally beneficial tool for the practitioner and the researcher. In fact, I suspect that the author's primary intended audience is practitioners. Regardless, this is a wonderful volume that will be a great benefit to many.

As a side note, the publisher Kluwer Academic/Plenum has produced a similar book entitled, THE PRACTITIONER'S GUIDE TO EMPIRICALLY BASED MEASURES OF ANXIETY. It too, is an excellent volume.

In _Prairie Town_, the work, play, and socializing of a small community are vividly illustrated in a way to capture the interest of young and old. The finely wrought etchings are _Prairie Town's_ greatest strength. Even adults will enjoy tracing changes in buildings and activities as a small farm town moves from spring to summer to fall to winter. Watching the tree house expand was one of my favorites. Each time a reader goes through the book, he or she will notice new details. The only drawback to this excellent picture book is the occasional use of vocabulary too advanced for the 6 to 8 year olds that would seem to be the book's intended audience. Anyone who enjoyed Geisert's _Haystack_ will find delightful references in _Prairie Town_ to the earlier book. The cycle of the seasons is an ongoing part of all Midwesterners' lives, and the Geiserts' _Prairie Town_ captures that cycle very effectively.

If your idea of prayer is words you read in a book, or merely saying, "Amen" to someone else's words, then don't bother with this. But if you long to "boldly approach the throne" yourself, this little book will help you get there.

This collection houses the classic novels Prelude To Space (ACC's first published novel) and The Sands of Mars, as well as a good amount of short stories broken up into two categories: On The Light Side and On The Serious Side. On The Light Side contains a handful of stories from Clarke's classic sci-fi comedy collection Tales From The White Hart, as well as the hilarous short story Trouble With The Natives. On The Serious Side contains Clarke stories from various places that focus on the more serious aspects of science fiction. Included in it are several selection from the Reach For Tomorrow collection and a few other places, as well as the longer short stories Exile of the Eons and Second Dawn. This is a good collection to pick up if you are a Clarke fan because it has a lot of good material in it, and is also an added bonus because much of it contained within is hard to find. Grab this if you can find it.

In this volume, covering 2/13/37 to 1/14/40, we are introduced to Prince Valiant and learn of his youth in the fens and bogs of England. We follow him as he seeks his fortune, enters Arthur's service, becomes squired to Gawain, and is knighted by Arthur (1/29/39). Published as a hardback book by Nostalgia Press in 1974, the beginning 3 years of Hal Foster's beautiful and exciting work is reproduced in full color, with a full Sunday panel on each page. The paper quality is average, but the colors are vibrant. It dazzels the eye to see such artistry in a comic stip. Nostalgia press soon went out of business, and failed to fill many of the prepaid orders for subsequent works. However, if you can find one of these beautiful books, snatch it up! Treat it gently, though. The binding is of poor quality.

Print, Manuscript, And Performance: The Changing Relations Of The Media In Early Modern England is explores the complex interactions in early modern England between a technologically advanced culture of the printed book and a still powerful traditional culture of the spoken word, spectacle, and manuscript. The contributors include Leah S. Marcus (From Oral Delivery to Print in the Speeches of Elizabeth I); Douglas Bruster (The Structural Transformation of Print in Late Elizabethan England); Alexandra Halasz (Pamphlet Surplus: John Taylor and Subscription Publication); Joseph Lowenstein (Wither and Professional Work); Randall Anderson ("The Merit of a Manuscript Poem": The Case for Bodleian MS Rawlinson Poet. 85); Arthur F. Marotti (Manuscript Transmission and the Catholic Martyrdom Account in Early Modern England); Harold Love (The Rapes of Lucina); Margaret J.M. Ezell (Ann Halkett's Morning Devotions); Steven Mullaney (Reforming Resistance); F.J. Levy (Staging the News); and Michael D. Bristol (Shamelessness in Arden: Early Modern Theater and the Obsolescence of Popular Theatricality). Also available in paperback, Print, Manuscript, And Performance is highly recommended reading for students of English literature, society, history, performing arts, printing, and popular culture.

This is an excellent book for anyone with even a passing interest in Sherlock Holmes. It's a series of essays-- more like discussions, or tributes-- and a few useful lists, with photogrpahs, drawings, and a nice short pastiche (written with as much skill that it might have been written by Watson himself.)
It's currently out of print, but you can easily buy a copy from one of the sellers here on Amazon.[com.] I can't vouch for the harback or first edition copies, but the paperback from 1977 is usually surprisingly [low cost]. Really, you're getting more than your money's worth. The writing is charming and smart. I would say this is a necessary addition to any Sherlockian home library.

In 1886 Oxford, Charles Dodgson hosts Dr. Arthur Doyle and his wife Touie at the school. Charles feels he owes the Doyles who recently entertained him while Arthur hopes his "mentor" will look at his latest manuscript. Both hope to avoid a mystery as has happened on their previous meetings (see the three previous PROBLEM OF ... books).

However, problems exist as someone has robbed sherry, watches, and tie-pins, etc. Charles accuses surly scout Ingram without any evidence. On top of that a coed Dianna Cahill informs Charles and his guests that she has received letters telling her to leave Oxford or else. The latest included a picture of her as a naked little girl taken by Charles years ago. When Charles finds Ingram murdered, the police and the university administration argue over jurisdiction. Everyone wonders whether Charles killed the servant he publicly fired. Arthur and Charles, with some help from Touie, investigate the homicide, the thefts, and the threat.

As with the first three novels in this engaging series, the mystery of THE PROBLEM OF THE SURLY SERVANT takes a back seat to the historical fiction, especially the insight into the two famous authors. The story line is fun to follow as readers see the human sides of Dodgson and Doyle as well as a chance to glimpse at Oxford and understand Touie. The mystery is cleverly designed, but Roberta Rogow's latest pairing is first and foremost a brilliant historical novel.

Harriet Klausner

Excellent source for helping students with standardized tests.

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