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This page lists selected new nonfiction books -- pertaining directly to science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as books of associational interest -- seen published this month, mostly via bookstores sightings (though all books received for review will be listed). For a comprehensive listing of new books pertaining to SF/F/H published each month, see Locus Magazine. Its Books Received listings are accumulated as the online Locus Index.
Key: * = first edition, + = first US edition. Date with publisher info is official publication month; date in parentheses at paragraph end is date seen or received.
Comments by Mark R. Kelly
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New Books Seen: February 2000
* Bacon-Smith, Camille Science Fiction Culture
(University of Pennsylvania Press 0-8122-1530-3, $24.95, 317pp, tpb, January 2000)
Study of the social structures of science fiction, including fandom, the roles of women and gays, cyberspace, etc. Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe in the December 1999 Locus. (Fri 18 Feb 2000)
Bowden, Mark Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
(Penguin 0-14-028850-3, $13.95, 392pp, tpb, February 2000)
Reprint (Atlantic Monthly March 1999). Military history about a 1993 siege of US soldiers in Somalia. A National Book Award nominee. Received for review. (Mon 28 Feb 2000)
* Gladwell, Malcolm The Tipping Point
(Little, Brown 0-316-31696-2, $24.95, 279pp, hc, March 2000)
''How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference''. The author develops the idea that social changes can occur suddenly as a result of ideas that spread like epidemics, when spread by certain influential people, when the ideas have a certain 'stickiness', when they occur in certain contexts. Gladwell's sources are sociological texts from the '70s and '80s, and there's no mention of harder-science concepts such as memes, chaos theory, or catastrophe theory, which cover similar grounds. Perhaps the author eschews technical language for his readers, or perhaps he thinks he's discovered something original. (Fri 25 Feb 2000)
+ Griffiths, Sian, ed Predictions
(Oxford 0-19-286210-3, $16.95, 21+328pp, hc, February 2000)
First US edition (UK: Oxford November 1999). ''Thirty great minds on the future''. An anthology of predictions about the 21st century from various scientists and intellectuals, including Arthur C. Clarke, Richard Dawkins, Umberto Eco, Steven Weinberg, Don Norman, etc. An interesting book, though not for what it advertises; the predictions are all very brief, 1 or 2 pages each, and mostly consist of wishful thinking by each contributor that his pet idea will become acknowledged and important. But the profiles of the contributors -- 8 or 10 pages on each -- form a useful guide to a group of the most interesting thinkers of our time. This edition is the same as the UK (same ISBN), re-stickered with US$ price. (Fri 25 Feb 2000)
+ Newman, Kim Apocalypse Movies: End of the World Cinema
(St. Martin's Griffin 0-312-25369-9, $16.95, 272pp, tpb, February 2000)
First US edition (UK: Titan April 1999); cover image here is of the UK edition titled Millennium Movies. A study of movies about all sorts of ends of the world--from nuclear bombs, asteroids, ants. Foreword by David J. Schow. The Amazon.co.uk site has a review by Roz Kaveney. (Fri 4 Feb 2000)
* Nuland, Sherwin B. The Mysteries Within: A Surgeon Reflects on Medical Myths
(Simon & Schuster 0684854864, $24, 286pp, hc, February 2000)
Noted author of How We Die considers the mythology behind common superstitions about various parts of the body, e.g. the stomach, the spleen, the heart. Amazon has review by Lou Schuler. (Wed 2 Feb 2000)
* Seife, Charles Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
(Viking 0-670-88457-x, $24.95, 248pp, hc, February 2000)
The second book in recent months about the mathematical concept zero. With appendices, bibliography. Amazon has review by Rob Lightner plus excerpts from other reviews. (Fri 18 Feb 2000)
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