The English-language version of a book examining the Baltic road to independence from 1988-1991 is being released Dec. 8, the publisher has announced.

The Baltic Way to Freedom is the translation of Baltijas brīvības ceļš, which was published in May in Latvian, the publishing house Zelta grauds announced in a press release. The three-year period includes the 1988 formation of the Latvian People’s Front (Latvijas Tautas fronte) as well as the August 1991 events that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The book is compiled by Jānis Škapars, chair of the Latvian Intelligence Association (Latvijas Inteliģences apvienība), and includes 170 photographs and works by 50 authors from the Baltic republics, Sweden, Germany, Iceland, the United States and European Union institutions, the publisher said.

Copies of the book will be presented to embassies in Latvia as well as to the national libraries of their home countries.

A Latvian version was published on May 3 on the 15th anniversary of the 1990 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.

A Russian version of the book is to be published next year.

A 10-year retrospective compilation is the latest album by the long-running Latvian guitar rock group Līvi, the Rīga-based recording company MICREC announced Dec. 7.

Entitled Dziesmu izlase, 1995-2005, the album includes 20 tracks. The compilation draws on five earlier albums: K.M.K.V.P. ( 1996), Bailes par ziņģēm ( 1997), Viva (1998), 2001 ( 2000) and Pāri visam (2004). The tracks were chosen by Līvi guitarist Ainars Virga, who views them as the group’s most successful songs from the past 10 years, MICREC said.

Also included is “Aiziet garām,” a new song recorded this year.

Although the band’s official Web site announces that the new album would include fresh recordings of the songs, MICREC’s Guntars Račs confirmed in an e-mail that the only new recording is “Aiziet garām.”

Līvi is one of Latvian popular music’s legendary groups. Formed in 1976 in the port city of Liepāja, the group has seen both long-running success as well as its share of tragedy, notably the early death of founder Ēriks Ķiģelis and, just two years ago, the deaths of drummer Dainis Virga and sound operator Juris Jakovļevs in an automobile accident.

The group has released more than a dozen recordings.

Current members of the band include Ainars Virga on guitar and vocals, Jānis Grodums on bass and vocals, Vilnis Krieviņš on drums, and Guntars Mucenieks on keyboards.

A family shelter under development in Latvia will benefit from the online sale of a book devoted to the San Jose Sharks professional hockey team, the Kids First Fund has announced.

The limited edition book, Steve Cameron’s Feeding Frenzy: The Wild New World of the San Jose Sharks, will include an autographed photograph of former Sharks goalie Artūrs Irbe in his current Rīga 2000 jersey.

Irbe, a native of Rīga, is a board member of the Kids First Fund, a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization aimed at helping abused and abandoned children in Latvia. Irbe donated the books and photographs to benefit the fund and its projects.

The book chronicles the birth of the team, detailing the early days of the franchise, the expansion draft, games at the Cow Palace and the subsequent move to the Shark Tank. It gives special attention to the fairy tale 1993-94 season in which Latvia’s dynamic duo of Irbe and Sandis Ozoliņš helped the team become Stanley Cup contenders. The 160-page embossed-cover book includes numerous color photographs and special graphics with a particular emphasis given to goalie Irbe. 

Irbe was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1989 and began playing in the National Hockey League in 1991. He played for the Sharks from 1991 to 1996.  With Irbe in the goal, the newly established Sharks made their first playoff appearance in the 1993-94 season and upset the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings. Irbe, nicknamed “The Wall,” became a cult figure in San Jose, a status he still enjoys. Irbe left the Sharks in 1996 to join the Dallas Stars and currently plays for Rīga 2000, the top hockey club in Latvia.

Only 5,000 copies of Feeding Frenzy were printed. Each book is individually hand-numbered and only a limited number are still available. The book and photo package is available online before Feb. 28 for USD 35 at BalticShop.com. Through a special arrangement with BalticShop.com, 100 percent of book sales will benefit the Kids First Fund. Latvians Online is providing informational support for the fundraiser.

For more information about the fund visit www.kidsfirstfund.org.