Books

New releases

"Drylands, a Rural American Saga" by Lionel Delevingne and Steve Turner (University of Nebraska Press, $27.95). A pictorial essay chronicling the farming life in Eastern Washington's Adams County, where life still runs on the "annual rhythm of cultivation, planting, harvest and marketing," even as towns shrink and farmsteads are abandoned. Photojournalist Delevingne lives in Massachusetts; writer Turner in Santa Cruz, CA.

"Governing Washington: Politics and Government in the Evergreen State," edited by Cornell W. Clayton and Nicholas P. Lovrich (Washington State University Press, $25.95). A collection of essays on government in Washington state, focusing on issues such as the initiative process, budget limitations and the state's changing demographics. Clayton and Lovrich are professors of political science at WSU.

"Brain Fitness for Women: Keeping Your Head Clear & Your Mind Sharp at Any Age" by Sondra Kornblatt (Conari Press, $14.95). Kornblatt, a Seattle-based health writer, examines "how hormones, the environment, exercise, stress, food, aging, and even friendship affect the brain," and offers tips for women on keeping the brain "on its metaphorical tiptoes," according to the publisher. More information at www.brainfitnessforwomen.com.

"Gabriel von Max," edited by Jo-Ann Birnie Danzker (Frye Art Museum/University of Washington Press, $30). A book based on the recent exhibition at Seattle's Frye Art Museum, featuring the works of von Max (1840-1915), whose paintings reflected his preoccupations with parapsychology, Darwinism, anthropology, philosophy and mysticism. Danzker is director of the Frye.