(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. Not the usual by-the-numbers series biography, this book focuses on the philosophy of the writer of the Declaration of Independence. With few illustrations to break up the dense text, this book is for the most intrepid readers, who will be rewarded with an in-depth look into the mind of Jefferson. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. This astute biography looks at the long life and legacy of Woodhull, who galvanized the women's suffrage movement but was chastised for her outspokenness and eccentric behavior. Brody balances her discussion of Woodhull's accomplishments (she was the first woman to run for U.S. president) with character-fleshing details. Black-and-white photos and reproductions appear throughout. Reading list, timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. This biography foregrounds Franklin's inventiveness, which he used not only to operate a profitable print shop and understand lightning but also to design and implement strategies for uniting the colonies, gather French support for the American cause, and negotiate peace with England. Black-and-white period illustrations and excerpts from Franklin's writing extend the respectful and generally clear text. Directory, reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. In this account of Rutherford's research on atomic structure, Heilbron recounts the exciting pace of discovery in early twentieth-century physics. This is an upper-level account of Rutherford's scientific achievements, and excerpts from his personal writings and a discussion of the impact of war deepen the text. The black-and-white illustrations include reproductions of Rutherford's notebook entries. Further reading, timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. This in-depth biography discusses not only Adams's life, from his birth in Boston in 1722 until his death eighty-one years later, but also the events leading up to the American Revolution and his significant role in bringing it about. Period reproductions and several of Adams's writings help break up the dense text. Reading list, timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. In his profile of film's Master of Suspense, Adair balances information about Hitchcock's personal life with analyses of his films, which include Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, the sober text discusses the director's technique and makes intriguing connections between his fears and some of the perennial themes of his motion pictures. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Oxford Portraits series. Warren, former governor of California, 1948 Republican vice-presidential candidate, and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for over fifteen years, is profiled in a thorough if unexciting volume. The emphasis is on Warren's professional accomplishments, and the book includes detailed summations of some of the most notable cases decided by the Warren Court. Black-and-white photos and a timeline are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Oxford Portraits series. Abolitionist and crusader for racial justice, as well as a writer for children and adults, Lydia Marie Child's life and accomplishments are outlined in this dense text. Although the chronology of historical events is hard to follow, her literary achievements, rocky marriage, and bouts with depression are portrayed honestly. Readers might balk at the detailed narrative, but excerpts from Child's work and black-and-white reproductions will engage those who persevere. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Erin Dionne

(4) YA Oxford Portraits series. The adventurous author's brief life is thoroughly, if somewhat blandly, recounted in a volume illustrated with black-and-white photos and reproductions. Although the book contains some excerpts of London's writing, and a chapter is devoted to his literary legacy, readers may be disappointed that his best-known works, such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, are not discussed in greater depth. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Oxford Portraits series. The author has drawn much of his information from Williams's own writings in this biography that is very academic and a bit tedious at times. The volume goes beyond its subject's life and delves into greater issues of the times: religious freedom, tensions between Native Americans and the colonies, and the colonies' dependence on England. Black-and-white photos and archival drawings accompany the text. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. Pasteur's work with microorganisms led to advances in vaccination and preventing spoilage. This detailed account of his life highlights the importance of personality, politics, and public recognition in the advancement of Pasteur's sometimes controversial career. Black-and-white historical illustrations and photos add a nineteenth-century flavor to the text. A chronology is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. This is an intelligent, somewhat dry, biography of the scientist who discovered benzene, invented the electric generator, served as a popular lecturer, and was an elder in his church. Several of Faraday's experiments and discoveries are described within the text and illustrated with diagrams; black-and-white reproductions and a time line are also included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Oxford Portraits series. Rockefeller is presented as one of the nineteenth century's premiere industrialists, known for both his philanthropy and questionable business practices (which led to Standard Oil being charged with violating U.S. antitrust laws.) The thorough but dry text is accompanied by black-and-white photographs. A time line is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. Written in a clear, moving style, this biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, radical advocate for women's rights, smoothly incorporates solid research with strong narrative motion. The inviting, well-designed volume includes historical photos of Stanton and her fellow reformers, facsimile documents, reproduced historical engravings, and a time line. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. Sober prose traces the life of Eric Blair, who wrote under the pseudonym George Orwell. The book examines his political beliefs, his career as a journalist, and the literary success he achieved near the end of his brief life as the author of Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. Some of his writings are excerpted in this volume illustrated with black-and-white photos. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. This incisive and literary biography of the pioneering eighteenth-century feminist author isn't intended for the casual researcher. It presumes both an interest in its subject and in her family dynamics, physical surroundings, and historical context. Transcripts of Wollstonecraft's correspondence and black-and-white photos and archival images further enrich this work. A chronology is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA Oxford Portraits series. This evenhanded, readable biography examines the life of doctor-author-spiritualist Arthur Conan Doyle, famed for--and eclipsed by--his creation, Sherlock Holmes. Well-researched chapters include excerpts from Conan Doyle's letters and autobiography, lengthy passages from his stories, and quotes from magazine reviews of his work. Black-and-white photographs and historical reproductions round out the volume. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. This critical biography moves carefully and smoothly through Pavlov's pioneering work on dogs, from his early experiments in physiology up through his interests in determinism to account for psychic behavior and in the possibility of eugenics. Readers, however uninitiated, will be able to understand the man and his work, aided by photos, diagrams, and other carefully chosen, well-documented material. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. These books profile the lives and work of two men in very different settings: Fermi, celebrated as a brilliant thinker from an early age, and Mendel, whose work gained importance only years after his death. Both accounts place the work of these scientific thinkers in the context of the scientific discoveries of their times. Black-and-white illustrations accompany the texts.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA Oxford Portraits in Science series. These books profile the lives and work of two men in very different settings: Fermi, celebrated as a brilliant thinker from an early age, and Mendel, whose work gained importance only years after his death. Both accounts place the work of these scientific thinkers in the context of the scientific discoveries of their times. Black-and-white illustrations accompany the texts.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford