How nuclear policy is made and by whom. Nolan is visiting professor at the Brookings Institution. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

What did it mean to be a professional teacher in the prestigious "liberal schools"—the schools of grammar and rhetoric—in late antiquity? How can we account for the abiding prestige of these schools, which remained substantially unchanged in their methods and standing despite the political and religious changes that had taken place around them? The grammarian was a pivotal figure in the lives of the educated upper classes of late antiquity. Introducing his students to correct language and to the literature esteemed by long tradition, he began the education that confirmed his students' standing in a narrowly defined elite. His profession thus contributed to the social as well as cultural continuity of the Empire. The grammarian received honor—and criticism; the profession gave the grammarian a firm sense of cultural authority but also placed him in a position of genteel subordination within the elite. Robert A. Kaster provides the first thorough study of the place and function of these important but ambiguous figures. He also gives a detailed prosopography of the grammarians, and of the other "teachers of letters" below the level of rhetoric, from the middle of the third through the middle of the sixth century, which will provide a valuable research tool for other students of late-antique education.

In the tradition of celebrated wartime storytellers Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel casts a powerful spell. The recipient of extraordinary acclaim from critics and the bookselling community, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel casts a powerful spell and has garnered comparisons to celebrated wartime storytellers Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene. Set during the tumult of World War II, on the lush Malayan island of Penang, The Gift of Rain tells a riveting and poignant tale about a young man caught in the tangle of wartime loyalties and deceits. In 1939, sixteen-year-old Philip Hutton-the half-Chinese, half-English youngest child of the head of one of Penang's great trading families-feels alienated from both the Chinese and British communities. He at last discovers a sense of belonging in his unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip proudly shows his new friend around his adored island, and in return Endo teaches him about Japanese language and culture and trains him in the art and discipline of aikido. But such knowledge comes at a terrible price. When the Japanese savagely invade Malaya, Philip realizes that his mentor and sensei-to whom he owes absolute loyalty-is a Japanese spy. Young Philip has been an unwitting traitor, and must now work in secret to save as many lives as possible, even as his own family is brought to its knees.

Do the arts make us better people? Why should "high" art be thought higher than "low"? In the first part of this spirited polemic, Carey returns startling answers to these and related questions. In the second part he makes a provocative case for the superiority of literature to all other arts.

A bit more charting, a few more tests, and Andromeda would be returning home. She was just finishing her eighteen-month tour, and her crewmembers were eager to return to their loved ones. Everything was calm and in order. It had been a successful mission, and there had been no hostile encounters. It is the year 2110, and the inhabitants on the spaceship Andromeda suffer an attack. Luckily, Erin, the first officer, is a Guardian one of the protectors of humanity. Though badly wounded, Erin and the crew make it to the nearby planet Eros V. After some convincing, the Guardians on the planet allow the Andromeda crew to land and heal from the attack. Soon, the Guardians realize a dark force caused the galactic assault. The evil, rogue Guardian Alaric, a long-time foe of Erin's dying husband Cameron, will do all he can to get his hands on the Black Histories—including kidnapping two very important members of the crew. One of those members is the ship's captain, Katherine. The Guardians of Eros V and the Andromeda must now work together to save Katherine, but it may be too late. Alaric's vast powers and manipulation have turned her from the virtuous path of a Guardian. Will Erin and the others be able to save Katherine from Alaric's evil ways? Or will Alaric get possession of the Black Histories and doom all of humanity? Find out in Deirdre Villa's The Guardians among Us.