Now on the New Book Shelf: Portraiture

Currently on the Cudahy New Book Shelf we have five books that engage in some manner with the theme of portraiture. First is Nicholas Nixon’s The Brown Sisters: Thirty-three Years. Beginning in 1975, Nicholas Nixon, married to one of the four Brown sisters, began an annual tradition of photographing the sisters once yearly, with the sisters always standing in the same order. This, then, is a collection that assembles all 33 of the yearly group portraits taken so far, spanning from 1975-2007, marking the passage of time.

Also focused on a single subject is Harry Callahan’s Eleanor. For two decades, from the early 1940s to the early 1960s, the American photographer Callahan photographed his wife Eleanor, and the couple’s longstanding collaboration makes up an intimate visual diary of their relationship and of Callahan’s artistic exploration.

In what could be considered self-portraiture, American Photobooth, by Nakki Goranin tells the comprehensive history of the photobooth, from its invention and technological evolution to the personal, human aspect, represented by a large collection of anonymous photobooth images that Goranin found in flea markets and garbage bins over the years.

Unrecounted unites what W.G. Sebald referred to as his “micropoems” with 33 lithographs by the artist Jan Peter Tripp that portray, with stunning exactness, pairs of eyes. The art and the poems, instead of explaining one another, instead engage in a kind of dialogue.

And finally in The Theatre of the Face: Portrait Photography Since 1900, critic Max Kozloff provides a fully illustrated, authoritative commentary on the history of portrait photography, examining the personalities behind and in front of the camera, as well as the relationship between photographer and subject as revealed through a broad range of styles and movements of the genre.

Thursday, May 1, 2008 from 12-1pm, guest lecturer Ann Shanahan will be speaking in Piper Hall, Room 201 on:

“Blocking” Medea and Hedda: Applying Feminist Dramatic Theory to Staging Two Classic Plays About Women

You are welcomed to bring a bagged lunch. For more information on this event or the WLA Lecture Series, please e-mail: aeckhardt [at] luc.edu

The New Books Table has been refreshed!

Currently on display are three titles from the new Cultographies series, which provide introductions to films that have attained cult status, delving into their appeal, conception, popular reception, and place in the cultural landscape. Featured are Donnie Darko, This is Spinal Tap, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Moving from film to art, don’t miss Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier, an illustrated biography of Jack Kirby, pioneering artist in American comics. Kirby played a major role in shaping the superhero genre through his innovative artwork and collaborations with Stan Lee on classic Marvel characters. Also on display is Edward Hopper, companion catalog to the exhibit currently at The Art Institute.

And finally, two books highlighting polaroids are featured: Andre Kertesz: The Polaroids, a collection of Kertesz’s last work, polariods taken from his window in his New York apartment; and Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Polaroids, a selection of color photos from one of Mexico’s most significant artists, in which Bravo strays from his more well-known black and white images.

All this and more in fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and art, available for check-out on the New Books Table in Cudahy Library.

The Loyola University Libraries will host a discussion on Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye on Thursday, April 24th at 2:00p.m. at Lewis Library, WTC, 25 East Pearson, Room 713.  The Long Goodbye is the One Book, One Chicago program’s fourteenth featured book.  Janette Kopacz, a Loyola alumna and a Chicago Public Librarian will facilitate the discussion.  Join us!

“Chandler, who was born right here in Chicago, has been referred to by many critics as one of the most important writers of the 20th century. His distinct style has influenced fiction, film and more, well beyond just the crime genre. Not only did he create one of fiction’s most memorable portraits of a city — Los Angeles– in books like The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely, and The Long Goodbye, he created one of the most well-known heroes of his time or ours when he created private detective Philip Marlowe. ” –Richard M. Daley

Dr. Joseph E. Stiglitz from Columbia University will be at Loyola on April 17 to discuss his new book, The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict. The Department of Political Science will be sponsoring the lecture on Thursday, April 17th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Galvin Auditorium on the Loyola University Chicago Lake Shore Campus. Reception to follow.

Professor Stiglitz is a Nobel Prize winning economist. He was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 1993-1995 and CEA chairperson from 1995-1997. To learn more about Professor Stiglitz and read a brief description of his new book, visit his website.

Contact Professors Vincent Mahler or Claudio Katz at 773-508-3047 for more information.

Corpus Thomisticum is a freely-accessible project provided by Roberto Busa and associates in collaboration with Fundación Tomás de Aquino, IBM, CAEL, Universidad de Navarra. The Corpus Thomisticum project provides access to the complete works of Thomas Aquinas, with a bibliography covering all studies on Aquinas and his doctrine, from the 13th century to present. Texts are in Latin and instructions are in English.

It is available on the library website under “Databases by Title”. For more information on this resource, contact a subject librarian.

GreenFILE is a freely-accessible research database focusing on the relationship between human beings and the environment, with well-researched and accessible information on topics ranging from global warming to recycling to alternative fuel sources. Comprised of scholarly and general interest titles, as well as government documents and reports, GreenFILE offers a unique perspective on the positive and negative ways humans affect the ecology.

It is available on the library website under “Databases by Title”. For more information on this resource, contact a subject librarian.

First published in 1926, the Europa World Year Book has consistently been one of the best reference sources on world affairs. Europa World provides authoritative, current, and analytical information about countries and international organizations. The online edition adds value by incorporating more frequent updates than the print edition and by offering several simple yet powerful search features.

It is available on the library website under “Databases by Title”. For more information on this resource, contact a subject librarian.

We recently added four excellent resources from the Gale Virtual Reference collection –

• Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
• International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences
• New Catholic Encyclopedia
• New Encyclopedia of Africa

These resources are available on the library website under “Databases by Title”. For more information on these resources, contact a subject librarian.

The Materials and Techniques of Book Production in the Middle Ages
Lecture By: Dr. Elizabeth Teviotdale, Assistant Director of the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University
Location: Regis Multipurpose Room (LSC Campus)
Sponsored by: Department of English and the EGSA (English Graduate Student Association)