I've never read a textbook that met all my expectations. I imagine I'm not alone. Although many of us have a lot in common in what we teach and even perhaps how we present material, we are at the same time unique in just as many ways. So unless we wrote the text ourselves, it will never be an exact fit. Even when we are the author, getting everything we want on the printed page may never be possible. Having said this, though, I still believe that texts can be valuable. They often cover the basics effectively. As a new teacher, I found the texts served as maps that helped me develop my own curriculum. Often, an author of a text will offer an interesting take on a well-worn subject or an innovative approach to an important topic.

In the first essay Paul Lester writes about two books: one academic, one not. Commercially released books often have much to offer, an Susan Sontag's book appears to fit that description. Going outside of standard texts to look for readings can be extraordinarily helpful. As well, books released for a general market are often significantly less expensive-an issue that may become increasingly important as academic book prices continue to significantly outspace inflation. For example, Sontag's book costs a quarter of that of the other academic volume Lester reviews.

If you have new releases of commercial books that you'd like to write about let me know.

Don Heider, Reviews Editor