I got a copy also and recently read the review in Choice. I
also read parts of it. The chapter titles alone shout
polemic. Overall not an academic work. Just appendix A says
something. It is an "Informal, Unscientific Survey
Conducted for this Book".
The subtitle is over the top "An inside look a Japanese
media atrocities and their warnings to the West". "media
atrocities" hmmmm. The chapters deal with some atrocities,
rape of Nanjing, comfort women in W. W. II, but there are
better books that I've seen on the topics. Probably some
about propaganda in Japan and maybe better ones on
journalism in Japan exist.
I think I will wait to see what the reaction will be.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-iamslic@ucdavis.edu
[mailto:owner-iamslic@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of Natalie
Wiest
Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 12:25 PM
To: iamslic@ucdavis.edu
Subject: [IAMSLIC:5070] Unsolicited Gift Books
On a fairly regular basis I receive unsolicited gift books
for my library. I am always a bit suspicious of the agenda
of people who give away books, and I have one on my desk now
so I'd like to take an informal census of what would you do
in your library, with this one.
Its title is "A Public Betrayed; an inside look at Japanese
Media atrocities and their warnings to the West" by Adam
Gamble and Takesato Watanabe, published by Regnery Press,
2004. It has a slick advertising blurb that came with the
book, quoting endorsements by several library publications.
The first of those, from Library Journal gives the date of
"October 9, 2004". LJ was published only on the 1st and
15th, so that looked a little odd.
Likewise, the Wilson Quarterly date was slightly off, but I
did locate that review; also the one from April 2005
Choice. Last lines from Choice: "Essential. All
collections; all levels".
On the Web when I look up Regnery Press, I find it is a
"leading conservative publisher". Whether or not one of the
living Regnerys is still associated with the press, he is
described as a "white supremacist". With book in hand and
having viewed the reviews, it seems to be as represented, an
expose of the Japanese press.
As ethics are a topic of interest to this institution, but
not a field in which one can get a degree, I am inclined to
add it. TAMUG is a special purpose institution granting
degrees only in marine sciences and maritime studies.
What would you do in your library?
Natalie Wiest, Library Director
Jack K. Williams Library
Texas A&M University at Galveston
P.O. Box 1675 200 Seawolf Parkway
Galveston TX 77553-1675
Phone: 1(409)740-4567 Fax: 1(409)740-4702
Email: wiestn@tamug.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Apr 28 2005 - 10:10:54 PDT