Suggested Reading: Michigan Today takes notice of or reviews books by U-M faculty, graduates and students, and works published by the University of Michigan Press. We regret that we do not have space to publicize all of the unsolicited books we receive, nor to answer all inquiries and correspondence.

The Man in the Shadows: Fred Coe and the Golden Age of Television
By Jon Krampner, Rutgers Univ. Press, Livingston NJ, 1996, $32.95.
Fred Coe (1914-1979), considered the greatest producer in television's Golden Age of the 1950s, produced such dramatic anthologies as Philco-Goodyear Playhouse, Studio One, Kraft Television Theatre and Robert Montgomery Presents. He employed such writers as Gore Vidal, Paddy Chayefsky and Horton Foote; the directors Delbert Mann and Arthur Penn; and was responsible for live dramas that included Marty, Peter Pan, What Makes Sammy Run?, The Trip to Bountiful, The Miracle Worker and Mr. Peepers. Michigan Today's West Coast contributor Jon Krampner traces Coe's rise and fall, which some say paralleled the rise and fall of the potential of American television drama.

Charlie Parker—His Music and Life
By Carl Woideck. U-M Press, 1996, hardbound, $29.95.
This appreciation of the performing, composing and improvising skills of Charlie Parker does not demand a knowledge of music, but that ability will add to a reader's enjoyment. The initial fifth of the 277 pages provides a biographical sketch; the remaining chapters comprise discussions of many short passages of composition and improvisation. Even readers who cannot play these passages or follow them while listening to a recording will find that Woideck's commentaries, enriched by pertinent anecdotes and a wealth of other historical material, deepen their understanding of the many qualities that made Parker a musical giant—his inventiveness, humor, virtuosity and swing-ability.

Michigan Statistical Abstract - 1996
U-M Press, 664-pages, cloth, $49.50.
Did you know that Michigan is the number one producer of cranberry beans, black turtle beans, tart cherries, navy beans, blueberries, cucumbers for pickles, potted geraniums, potted Easter lilies and summer potatoes? Or that Michigan has the fourth largest number of inventors in the United States, that the state's population is projected to increase by more than 400,000 by the year 2005 or that only three countries—Japan, Germany and France—produce more vehicles than the state of Michigan.

These and other facts are in the 1996 edition of the Michigan Statistical Abstract recently released by the University of Michigan Press. It's the first edition in 10 years. Developed through consultation with librarians and other information specialists, the Abstract contains historical data as well as the most up-to-date information on such topics as Michigan's labor market, industry structure, population and housing, health and vital statistics, education, income and social welfare, law enforcement and the courts, government, and the environment. Special sections include the most current population and employment projections for Michigan. - Joanne Nesbit.