Entertainment

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-An examination of recreational activities (and edutainment) with a technological slant: arcade games, video, movies, television, rock music, radio, and on-line services. The 16 chapters divide technology by industry; most include a brief history, with current costs and a plethora of statistics. Oleksy also reports on developing applications of new hardware, software, or telecommunication services that will deliver an ever-more realistic experience. The preponderance of percentages, industry information, and acronyms do not make for a brisk read, but occasional examples enliven the text, such as a description of the painstaking effort necessary to create a 17-second scene in the movie The Mask, or how a digital video-disk cache could render a trip to the local video store unnecessary. The most current information in the section on sources is dated February 1995. While data on technology is inherently transitory in nature, the emphasis on entertainment may spark interest in students without ready access to journals who need information for reports. Good-quality black-and-white photos appear throughout.-Shannon Van Hemert, Memphis/Shelby County Public Library, TN

Booknews

A toxicology text written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students incorporating enough comprehensive information to also be used as a reference. Developed by The Netherland's Open University and adopted by the European society of toxicology, EUROTOX, as their recommended source book, the volume covers the theoretical foundations as well as the basic principles and concepts of application within four major themes of fundamental principles, molecular aspects, organ toxicology, and applications. Each study unit also contains a table of contents, introduction, learning core, summary and self-test for supervised self study. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)