ANTARCTICA—The Global Warning, by Sebastian Copeland. Foreward by Mikhail Gorbachev, Introduction by Leonardo DiCaprio (Earth Aware Press $55.00).

One can’t help but be motivated to take environmental action when looking at what’s at stake in the Antarctic, and that’s exactly what Sebastian Copeland set out to do with these iconic photographic images. This is a stunningly beautiful coffee table book. It’s just won the prestigious International Photography Award for his sweeping panoramic views of the icebergs, sea, and wildlife of Antarctica. The book serves as a wake-up call for how rapidly Antarctica is melting, and how it serves as a microcosm for what is happening to the rest of the world. Copeland collaborated with aerial photographer John Quigley to form a human chain spelling SOS, a much more difficult feat than might be imagined. The book includes the details, in diary form, and compact disk, along with essays from leading environmental activists. This book is truly rare in its beauty, scale, and the power of its message.


Coffee with Plato, by Donald R. Moor, Foreword by Robert M. Pirsig (Duncan Baird Publishers $9.95).

Coffee with Plato is one in a book series of imaginary conversations with various scholars, philosophers, spiritual leaders, writers, and artists. Whether it is a reader’s first introduction to Plato or a review of his ideas, the book is sure to impart a great appreciation of Plato’s contributions to our lives today and an understanding of why. Writes Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, “Look at what the world was like before Plato was born, look at other countries today where Plato’s way of reasoning has never been understood, and you will see what an enormous gift this philosopher has left to all of us.”

Written in a clear and decisive style by Donald R. Moor, professor emeritus of philosophy at Portland State University, some of the topics discussed are the biographical details of the aristocratic scholar’s life, his theories on dialogue, the primacy of the good, democracy, love, mathematics, woman’s equality, and the search for truth. The conversation itself flows along as smoothly as though Plato was being interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered. Its simplicity is a large part of its charm. The size of the book is also appealing because it fits all these big ideas into the palm of your hand; a great Christmas present for the discerning mind.


After Poems, by Jane Hirshfield (Harper Perennial $14.95).

Serious, abstract and transcendental, the poems in Jane Hirshfield’s sixth collection of poetry are just the thing to calm the mind. Hirshfield has gained a reputation for the spiritual in her writing after training for eight years of full-time practice at the San Francisco Zen Center. This is reflected in the tone of the book, as each poem has a meditative quality. Her subjects usually pull from nature while guiding us back to the wisdom of emotion and observation. Take the short poem Pyracantha and Plum:

Last autumn’s chastened berries still on one tree—
Spring blossoms tender, hopeful, on another
The view from this window
Much as it was ten years ago, fifteen.
Yet it seems this morning
A self-portrait both clearer and darker
As if while I slept some Rembrandt or Brueghel
Had walked through the garden, looking hard.

In this poem, a garden view that retains the same basic elements year after year is transformed by one awakened moment, in the same way an objective view of the self can become crystallized. The paintings of Rembrandt and Brueghel are connected to this experience in nature. We carry our own histories, seemingly locked in time, but this doesn’t stop our ability to one day see our true selves with the clarity and light of the Dutch portrait masters.

Hirshfield’s collection connects to the true beauty and power of the moment in mundane things by imparting her message in soft and subtle ways. Clearly, she’s a poet with important things to say.


Mythology, Lady Hestia Evans, author; Dugald A. Beer, editor (Candlewick Press $19.99).

Mighty heroes, Olympian gods, terrible monsters, and fabulous beasts abound in the latest from the publishers that brought the “ology” series—a combination of history and fantasy that includes messages hidden inside envelopes, behind flaps, glued in books, and more. The ultimate book of Greek mythology, it hosts a series of artistic novelties, including a pack of God and Goddess playing cards and golden writing quill that will keep any child turning the page.

Although the main content of the book—gods, monsters, myths, and legends—was written by Lady Hestia Evans in 1825 on her travels to Greece, the book’s plot is based on the travels of an 1800s nobleman seeking out treasures and antiquities. John Oro takes along a student’s edition of Lady Hestia Evans’s Mythology on his travels in Ancient Greece. Through his annotations in the book’s margins, we learn that the powers of the ancient Greek gods may not be so ancient after all, because he uses them for “his own selfish gains” and ultimately pays the price.

A superb romantic summary of the gods, goddesses and great beasts of ancient Greece, Mythology is sure to serve as a rich interactive guide for kids to these powerful literary treasures.