Books Briefs

Mini-album celebrates Brooklyn

NEW YORK ‹ Even if you're not from Brooklyn, you probably know someone who is ‹ or know someone who knows someone who is.

Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee, Mae West and Jackie Gleason are among famous Brooklynites. Brooklyn is the birthplace of the Dodgers and of integrated baseball, and the home of Coney Island and of one of the best-known and most beloved bridges.

Brooklyn is where a tree grew in Betty Smith's classic novel, and where Ralph and Alice Kramden lived in "The Honeymooners."

So, one doesn't have to be from Brooklyn to relate to "Brooklyn: A Journey Through the City of Dreams," Judith Stonehill and Francis Morrone's generously illustrated little hardcover album.

In its 96 pages, this book celebrates the popular history and culture of the New York borough and features 80 illustrations, many in color, including paintings, photos and artifacts.

There are chapters about Coney Island, the waterfront, parks, Brooklyn's famous movie houses (including the Paramount), bridges, Brooklyn in literature and, of course, "Dem Bums" ‹ the Dodgers.

Illustrations show streetscapes and trolley cars, crowds at Coney and at Ebbets Field, houses and factories, Nathan's and Norma Talmadge, and Polar Bear Club members and Jackie Robinson.

"Brooklyn" is published by Universe Books at $22.50.

Bible' makes grammar miraculously clear

NEW YORK ‹ English is a crazy language. There seem to be as many exceptions to its rules of grammar as there are rules.

The answer to the prayers of the grammatically challenged might be found in "The Grammar Bible: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Grammar But Didn't Know Whom To Ask" by Michael Strumpf and Auriel Douglas.

In the book, Strumpf addresses the most confusing and popular questions posed during his 25 years manning the National Grammar Hot Line, which he founded.

The book is divided into three main sections: parts of speech; sentence structure; and spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. Somewhere in there is help for those who don't understand the difference between "who" and "whom" or who can't tell their independent adverbs from their reciprocal pronouns.

In one particularly useful alphabetical section, the authors set readers straight on the difference between dozens of sound-alikes, including "compliment" and "complement," "horde" and "hoard," "principle" and "principal," "stationery" and "stationary" and the often-confused and misused "its" and "it's."

The 489-page paperback is published by Owl Books-Henry Holt at $18 and has a detailed index.