In time for St. Patrick's Day 2007, a paperback edition of "The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick's Day" was released. This book (first released in 2002) doesn't quite live up to its far-reaching title. Both authors are academics, and it shows. Daryl Adair is a Lecturer in Sports Humanities in the Centre for Sports Studies at the University of Canberra, Australia, while Michael Cronin is Senior Research Fellow in the History Department at De Montfort University, Leicester, England. For a book about boisterous celebration, the tone of this book is extremely analytical. Still, it does offer some useful facts about how St. Patrick's Day has developed into a global holiday, celebrated in Ireland, America, Australia, Canada and Britain. ($19.95 / 328 pages / Routledge)